Driving for 2.5 hours to get to Palo Alto in rush hour left me a bit anxious. I parked by the Defenders Lodge where I was told (erroneously) I would be spending the night. It's clear on the far end of the campus. I'll be spending the night in the hospital, checking out by 6am. I will be provided lunch, dinner and an early breakfast.
I've been hooked up for
PROGRESS
On 28 August, I will drive to the Palo Alto VA Medical Center for a 9:30 appointment for a CTScan- guided tissue extraction in order to biopsy the disease. They hope to determine if it is the same form of Lymphoma and that it has not "mutated" whatever that means.
After the procedure I will check in to their overnight facility [I am not permitted to drive after the sedation] checking out at 5:45am on the 29th and driving home.
I should now the results with in a week. The appropriate protocol with be chosen and treatment will be scheduled.
The Journal Breakdown
This is the first installment.
5250 Lindhurst Ave. Marysville CA 95901
12014 Thome Road
Marysville Jan. 1975?
Jan. 15 1974 working
at Monkey Wards
Listening to Hot Cakes, Jan Ackerman, Yes
Seeing a woman named Lois
At Rooney’s getting drunk with Penny, Don and Kathy
Dinner at El Zarape
Ken & wife, Leonard, Cheryl, Michail, Diane, and Jean
Then Mary, Bobby, Rich, Carol & hubby, Debbie & Larry, Rick, Mike, Eve,
Tony & Paula, Bill & Penny, John & Sue, David, Ada, Ed, Butch &
wife.
Again at Rooneys; saw Berta, Rosie & Roxie
Also Mike & Phyllis, Glenn, Mimi, & Jewell
Copied a poem by Leonard Cohen “Gift”
Jan. 31 1974 Cheryl’s birthday , she’s 21
M. Frog, Jean Yves Labat
Bearsville 2140
The Tain
Went to see Voorhis dance
Feb. 15 Ron, Paula & I messed up on wyamine
1 Mar. Willy visits
April 23 Sat. nite I got throwed in jail.
Sharon 5556 Foster Road Paradise
Dennis Liptrot birthday 8 may, Claudia’s was the 2nd
Dana’s was the 7th.
Jean Roche Sauer
Every few years I encounter a writer that makes me
swoon. It’s akin to the Stendahl Syndrome
but without the imbalance, the weak-at-the-knees, and the temporary disorientation. I almost exclusively listen to books now,
driving taking up half my life. I generally like the chosen readers on most
offerings from Audible and on that rare occasion enjoy the author reading their
own work. Peter Schjeldahl delivers as
perfect a listening experience one could hope for.
Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light - 100 Art Writings 1988-2018 is as
pleasurable a read/listen as anyone could hope for. His voice is old, wise, kind, and clear. His knowledge of art, and I assume his
experiencing art, is mind-boggling. This
collection is mostly criticisms written for The New Yorker, Village Voice,
Seven Days and maybe one or two other publications. Some are very short, some are quite
long. He is occasionally dismissive
without ever being cruel but most of the time he borders on rapturous. I got the impression that he chose to
critique only those who truly impressed him.
His prose is flawless and completely accessible to the average gallery/museum
goer as well as the “art nerd.”
Read this. You won’t be sorry
15 August
2024
12 years ago I was told by my oncologist that he was fairly certain that the chemo had done its job. I was scheduled for a Petscan which would likely show no trace of the disease.
The left
image was the original scan showing the extent of the cancer. The right image was about 6 months
later. Some of the black in both images
shows organs that that normally appear this way. The brain, the kidneys, the oval in pelvic
area and a couple of little dots [I can’t remember which organs they were but
they are supposed to show as black. The
rest of the black in the left image is cancer. This is what Stage 4 looks like.
I was told there was a tumor-load the size of an 8-pound fetus in my
retro-peritoneum. That’s smack dab in
the middle.
12 years
later, due to the passage of time and some anomalies in my bloodwork I was
scheduled for another Petscan.
The new scan
shows the present extent of the cancer, again Stage 4. The spread is extensive, into my kidneys, spleen,
lungs and more. Not what we were
expecting.
Folicular
B-Cell Lymphoma grows slowly and it’s probably been growing for quite a few
years. Next time, if I survive this one,
I will request a scan every couple of years lest it gets to this point again.
Here is some
info about the disease.
FL is the most common
type of low-grade lymphoma, accounting for 20–30% of all NHL cases.
FL is usually slow-growing, but it can
sometimes grow quickly. It's often found in the lymph nodes, but it can
also occur in the bone marrow, spleen, liver, and peripheral blood. FL is
more common in older adults, with a median age of 55, and is rare in children
under 20. It's also more common in Caucasians than in Asians and African
Americans, and exposure to pesticides and herbicides may be a risk factor.
FL is usually not curable, but it's often
treatable and can help patients live for many years with a good quality of
life. The goal of treatment is to put the patient into remission, where
the amount of lymphoma is significantly reduced. Treatment options include
targeted therapy without chemotherapy, active surveillance, or delaying
treatment until the lymphoma starts causing problems.
Healthcare providers can diagnose FL using
several tests, including:
·
Biopsy: Taking
lymph node tissue samples to test for signs of cancer
·
Positron emission
tomography (PET) scan: Observing cancer cell activity and establishing a
cancer grade
·
Computed tomography
(CT) scan: Monitoring cancer and evaluating treatment response
Originally, they were going to surgically
remove a node from my groin but when the surgeon examined the scan he
determined it was not a good idea.
I am now awaiting an appointment for a CT-Scan
guided tissue extraction. I had one of
these 12 years ago in order to determine the specific type of cancer. They’re doing it this time for the same
reason but also to see if it may have mutated.
I have no idea what that suggests. I’m in a holding pattern right now.
One thing that I am certain of is none of
this is going to interfere with my week in Puerto Vallarta in October.
