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.

PET/CT Imaging

Without leaving home, went on a visual journey through my body, guided by a Mayo oncologist. Like traffic lights, stopped at two bright red lymph nodes, signifying prostate cancer cells. Two additional drugs should help for a while. I’m grateful.

Trip To The Mayo

It was a PET scan, but I closed my eyes and pretended I was on a lie-flat flying somewhere good. When the machine ejected me, I was still in Rochester, MN.

Categorized as Cancer

Simple Fix

Until today I’ve been putting up with a sharp, intense pain in my lower thumb, assuming it was arthritis. Today a physical therapist used her hands to apply a technique called positioned myofascial release to a muscle in my thumb, and the pain has gone. I’m amazed and grateful.