Sunday, October 26, 2008

I guess it's been a week again.

My friend PS sent me an email indicating I'd been lax again with my postings. I hadn't realized until this very minute that it's been a week. Wow, time flies when you're having fun!

I'm back on a regular schedule at the SCCA. Tuesdays and Fridays are the norm. Drugs get changed every couple of days because they make some determination based on the blood counts. Some drugs go up, some go down. The total load is still pretty big, but the type of drugs changes. Basically they're trying to lessen the load on the kidneys.

The good news on Friday was that my kidney function numbers are in the normal range. We're staying ahead of potential kidney damage.

The bad news Friday was that if my GVHD symptoms continue, they're going to increase my steroid load to 80mg per day from 40mg/day. Not looking forward to that.

A dietitian's analysis suggests that some of my lower GI troubles are caused by the inability of my small intestine to absorb fats. This puts undigested fats into my large intestine, and the result is, shall I say, "often urgent". And so, I'm supposed to change my diet toward extremely lean proteins and completely away from spicy foods.

Fish, flank steak, extremely lean pork, beans. Yup, nothing quite like Fajitas with no seasoning, no onions, no peppers. Might as well be beef jerky in the Twilight Zone. I had Pho with meatball and rare beef today. I added no mint, bean sprouts, peppers, or cilantro. 30 minutes after my meal, I was DYING. There was an emergency going on under my belt. Code 3. We actually stopped at the local hospital so I could resolve the problem.

On a separate subject, it looks like I'll never get to meet "George" and his son. When I had my Friday appointment, I rounded the corner and there they were, being congratulated by the staff on their departure from the program. Seems "George" has had a successful run at the SCCA. Congratulations to him! (The son was holding the egg when I passed. I made comment about it and gave them both the thumbs-up.)

I learned a lesson about missed opportunities. I shouldn't let that happen again.

Overall, my energy level has been pretty good. I've been doing a few small modification projects on the motorcycle. They exercise the brain, make my body move in untypical ways, and give me some sense of accomplishment. I take the projects slowly, don't lift any heavy weights, and enjoy myself 3-4 hours every day in the garage.

I call it progress. Getting back to my #1 hobby is good for me.

3 comments:

Roobeedoo said...

OK so I misread that: "Getting back to my # 1 HUBBY is good for me"! That too I expect!

Anonymous said...

Now Andre, I just don't understand why you're complaining so much. I mean yea you've got Cancer BUT you get to come hang out with me in blood draw...hahaha feel better *hugs*

Anonymous said...

It's good to hear you are progressing and I continue to hold you in prayer and protection from fools...it's gotten cool enough here in FL that I can finally ride again without having heat stroke from the pavement!