Today, I tentatively reintroduced lactose to my diet. Tomorrow morning, I’ll pour heavy cream over my oatmeal, along with the usual maple syrup. Note the ready time: I’ve become a morning person in my senior years.
Category: Health
… But Do Donuts and Coffee Like Me?
For six weeks, I’ve been on a restrictive eating plan to eliminate any food for which I may have developed an intolerance. Now, I’m slowly adding back foods to discover any culprit(s). First back are caffeine and gluten, which I much enjoyed today at FRGMT Coffee.
Descent into Dark Places on Halloween
Lightly drugged with Fentanyl, I saw places on a monitor where the sun never shines. “Do you mind if a student from Normandale College watches?” they’d asked. I needed clarification, so asked what she’s studying: it could be bread making. It was nursing, so I welcomed her to the party.
Just What the Doctor Ordered
I’m temporarily on a restricted diet, but thankfully most fermented foods are allowed.
Medical Billing: Entering a Black Hole
Realized that a few of the bills for the clinical study I’ve been on had been sent to and paid by my insurance company, rather than the study sponsor. Reviewed EOBs (Explanations of Benefits) online and found $16,000 in erroneous billings to be reversed and sent to the sponsor.
A Shout-Out for Evidence-Based Medicine
Spent much of the day on two head-to-toe body scans, including this PET scanner. Same thing, again, every 12 weeks for the study as long as I’m in remission. The study seems to be showing Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy can be effective for men at my stage in the prostate cancer journey. I’m grateful.
Kit Kat Conversation
The last time I saw my oncologist, he had a Japanese medical student in tow. Naturally, the conversation turned to Japanese Kit Kats. Today, I presented my oncologist and the study coordinator with this box of Japanese matcha Kit Kats, proving that I wasn’t kidding.
Fractional Milestones
Cycled to the university for medical appointments. A medical student from Japan observed while I met with my oncologist. Received the third of four radioactive infusions. Remarkably, the tumor marker halved after each of the first two infusions, and I feel no side effects.
Stuck with Needles
This week I’ve been stuck with needles several times. Decided I may as well have one more stick, a COVID bivalent booster. Rewarded myself with a caramel sundae at DQ. My CDC card is beyond maxed out on both sides.
Nothing New
Cycled over to the university for a CT scan and a PET/Bone scan. The whole process takes about four hours and I do this every six weeks for the study. Within a few hours, reports for both scans popped up in my phone app, with nothing new to report, which is good.