Skin Care

Accompanied Dwight to his appointment to remove a basal cell carcinoma. The procedure went well, the lesion was shallow. As we walked towards the exit, chuckled at “Everyone will notice. No one will know.” Not our style.

Categorized as Health

Fallen Leaves

My monthly drug run, / Walking past the county morgue, / Leaves corralled by wind.

Categorized as Cancer

Double Vaccinated

Autumnal ride home after getting a ’flu shot in one arm, and a Covid booster in the other.

Categorized as Health

Lolling

Today I sound like a glum Harvey Fierstein, low energy, raspy throat. Grateful it’s only a cold, my first in over 2½ years: Covid tests were negative. It hurts to postpone getting with friends and fulfilling commitments, but it’s a day for lolling on the couch.

Monthly Drug Run

Today was my monthly “drug run” to a pharmacy about 10 miles away by bicycle. Picked up a med at Hy-Vee for $184; at my local Walgreens it’s $2,754. On the way, stopped to take in the slow decay of the former Fruen Mill.

Pills and Hot Flashes

As I do at the start of every day, took a small handful of Abiraterone and Dexamethasone. Later, at Methodist Hospital, got my quarterly Lupron shot and chatted with my oncologist. As the tumor marker graph (below) shows, it’s working, at least for now: it’s pointing towards zero, which is a good thing. I don’t… Continue reading Pills and Hot Flashes

Gadgets

I enjoy gadgets. Today, I squealed with delight when my first WhatsApp message popped up on my watch and I replied with a tap of an OK button. Eat your heart out, Alexander Graham Bell. And heart is what this wearable gadget monitors for the next two weeks… just playing safe. I resisted asking if… Continue reading Gadgets

Categorized as Health

The Case of the Crooked Glasses

Cycled to an optical store to get my glasses straightened. Bent them recently when I had chest pain, staggered towards Dwight, then face-planted. It was like a scene from an Agatha Christie murder mystery. A trip to the ER pointed to a culprit: an ongoing potassium issue.

Categorized as Health

PET/CT in my Pocket

That’s amazing… The hospital medical records system was down, so I accessed the Mayo Clinic’s system from my phone and brought up 100’s of PET/CT images. A Radiation Oncologist paged through and zoomed the images and determined radiation treatment is not recommended for now.

Categorized as Cancer

Interstitial Brushes

Well that’s a first: today, the dental hygienist declared my gums to be “good.” Maybe it’s the interstitial brushes I’ve been using every day for the last six months. Or, maybe, the hygienist was simply in a good mood.