2019 Another Year

Another year has passed and PSA remains steady

and no further incidents relating to blood clots.

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

1 Corinthians 15:55

I continue to read, watch my collection of British crime series, watch documentaries, post my books, chapter-by-chapter, on my blog (A Literary Anthology) and take my little dog on her daily walks. Life is good.

A Literary Anthology: Blog Here

So Far . . . So Good !

It's been about a year since my last post.

Thus far, all is going OK with regards to Prostate Cancer and DVT past-history events.

My PSA after over 3 years is still 0.2 - I measure my calves to watch for swelling in the event of recurring blood clots - no change is good.

My back is another story. Numerous compressed and bulging disks cause a lot of discomfort most of the time. Nothing can be done and too much medicine triggers vertigo. I'm happy I can take my beach hillside walks, though. And watching crime show DVD and TV shows... well, who could ask for more?

Now, the chronic fatigue associated with post-cancer treatments... that's another story... and another post for later.

Off I goo... until next post!

Oh, today, 6 May 2016, is baseball legend Willie Mays' 85th birthday.
And the photo is from the Tower of London. I snapped it on a trip there a couple of years ago.

Deep Vein Thrombosis – The Battle Rages On

 So many weights...

Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, Junior heavyweight, Light heavyweight,  Super middleweight, Middleweight, Junior middleweight, Light middleweight, Super welterweight, Welterweight, Junior welterweight, Light welterweight, Super lightweight, Lightweight, Junior lightweight, Super featherweight, Featherweight, Super bantamweight, Junior featherweight, Super bantamweight, Bantamweight, Super flyweight , Junior bantamweight, Flyweight, Light flyweight, Junior flyweight, Minimumweight, Mini flyweight, Strawweight, Light Minimumweight, Atomweight.

        Anyway...

So far I have dropped 20 kilo (44 lbs.) in bodyweight during my DVT life period.

Having increased circulation is a major factor of assistance with 'feeling normal' again.

Walking for approximately 1 hour per day and eating very little assures maintenance and helps with monitoring things - how you feel, what food items are on the 'mo fly list', etc.

Having compressed disks, shoulder, foot and knee injuries from the past, and age, are all mitigating factors in how a journey like this goes.

Celery with 1 can of tuna, a slice of bell pepper, 7 black olives, 1 small dill pickle (the size of a small sweet pickle) 2 tablespoon of Crème fraîche, 2 slices of Jalapeño - all mixed is the best meal of the day for me with maintaining and/or dropping in body weight. I can also splurge and have a dinner of ONLY salmon slices (2-3 1.5" wide x 5" long).

High fiber/low carb nuts can be snacked upon 3 times per day - a good breakfast - ONLY 1 tablespoon each of the 3 times... NO MORE.

I stay away from historical poverty foods: Rice, Grains & potatoes. Also... No soup, fruit, and vegetables, except those listed above (i.e. celery, bell pepper, etc.).

Vitamin D, multi-vit, aspirin 250 mg - 500 per day, & Nutrilenk (Chondroitin sulfate, C-vitamin, D-vitamin, etc.) I take in the morning with water and 1 tablespoon of nuts - pistachio & pine.

And... I still measure my calves once per month to check for potential problems brewing.

So far so good, as they say.

Until next time.

DVT Update

Well, thought it was high time for an update...

My DVT treatment is well underway and an amazing experience thus far.

Timeline:

7-10 days the pain in my right leg subsided and my leg shrunk back to a more normal size.

2nd week: back pain much less.

3rd week: to the day, sleep was amazing better with 2.5 hour lengths between get-up-and-pee times instead of 1 to 1.25 hours each time. So far, this has continued!

AND... back pain subsided enough to be able to turn on my sides without the usual horrible pain afterward - and no leg cramps either.

ALSO... energy levels seem up a bit.

Let's hope this continues. Oh, my back MRI showed just regular deterioration and no need for surgery.

Earlier I had 2 compressed disks, 1 herniated, calcium deposits up the spine and arthritis developing in the lower portion of my back.

Back to writing I go... until next time!



#DVT

#DeepVeinThrombosis

#deepveinthrombosis

#bloodthinner

#compressionsock

 

Another Fantastic Voyage

Now I have embarked on another 'Fantastic Voyage' upon the waves of the deep ocean of life.

Beating Prostate Cancer and completing treatments over 20 months ago was great, and having a current PSA reading of 0.13 is fantastic.

But now it is at least a year of blood thinners and a special sock to combat DVT - Deep Vein Thrombosis. Blood clots in my right leg will dissolve away - but I must watch for breathing problem in case a clot or two is too large for my lungs to handle.

This situation makes every day special for me, garnished gracefully with a gentle sense of peace at being solely in the hands of Almighty God - a breath away from eternity. Though complications are supposedly rare, one never knows. Someone is always that 1 in a 1000 or 1 in a 100.

First: I experienced shortness of breath during a trip to Amsterdam October 1, 2014 and climbing 56+ steep stars to my hotel room. It felt like running 4 miles but unable to recover quickly. It was strange because I felt nothing at the end of August climbing almost twice as many of the same type of steep stairs at the Blarney Castle outside of Cork, Ireland to kiss the famous stone - I was concerned.

Upon return home I experienced breath shortness in the middle of the night and even when walking 1/2 block. I thought/hoped this was related to a minor lung infection or a minor bronchitis attack. It was not until a few weeks later that, all of a sudden, I had horrible pain in my right leg. After three more days I went to my NEW doctor and was sent straight to emergency. I had a similar swelling problem in my left leg almost a year prior and my former doctor only gave me water pills, even though a simple search at the Mayo Clinic website will reveal the dangers of a one-leg-affected occurrence like that one was.

I gained about 20 kilo during my prostate treatment (a 10-15 kilo gain is normal for average frame folk) and already have a back with at least two compressed disks, a herniated one, calcium deposits up the spine, and arthritis, so it had been difficult to lose weight.

Now I am doing my own combo-variation of the Gérard Depardieu/Supermodel/Doctor's diet variation - 4 kilos down in the 4 days since I began. So far so good.

Well, I'll continue on a write a post to see how all this goes and turns out and work on my newest book for release next year’s end… I hope.

Until next time . . .

 

 

#DVT

#DeepVeinThrombosis

#deepveinthrombosis

#bloodthinner
#GérardDepardieu
 

The Slow Return of Energy!

Since November 15, 2012 I have been renovating our home that we will move in to during May 2013.

At first my energy levels were very low and pushing myself to work long hours was very difficult. As the months passed I felt my energy levels slowly rise. At nearly five months after my last injection of testosterone blocker I am still experiencing fatigue, but nothing like what I experienced during radiation treatments coupled with the shots.

I returned to my job today and started my carrot. celery, cherry tomato, etc. lunch plan for as long as I can stand it - to get rid of some of the extra baggage I was warned I would accumulate during treatments and was so privileged to have received, ha, ha. I was told the norm is between 10 - 15 kilos conservatively - and maybe 25+. I stopped stepping onto the scale that day (January 2012) and will wait until my old work pants fit again before I return to that dreaded kilo measuring device.

The loss of testosterone precludes the body's normal fat/calorie burning mechanism and the pounds/kilos roll on...

I've been laying carpet lately and these pics reveal the bedroom that used to have old linoleum, wall-paper and nicotine beige colors (as partially visible on the door in the top pic).

The whole house was dripping with nicotine stains from the smoker who rarely, if ever. left the home, but smoked nonstop. Oil base paint was a must for the first coat, followed by 2-4 coats of the finish color. The plus side - always look for a plus side - is that I'm sure most insects won't tolerate a smoke entrenched environment, so... no bugs in the woodwork.

I went from 2.5 - 3.5 hours a day working time in November to 6-7 (or more) by mid April. Hoping I recoup everything over the next few months. I was told things should begin to start getting back to normal after 3-4 months, that was in January. I was also told all looks well and the doctor would see me again January 2014.

Until next time...

Keeping Busy & Focused

Ingeborg Helmersen

I have noticed in the past that many folks being treated for any variety of cancers commence upon a journey that remains virtually self-focused and eventually leads to a defeatist attitude, though verbally they display 'high hopes' for wellness - one can visually see the plastic-like emotions behind their fading hope the same as one can observe the false happiness of a salesperson.

Anne Ousland

Personally, I kept working every day and writing on my fiction stories when possible. Now I will embark on a journey of total internal remodeling project (see pics of our new small home) during the waning away of the side effects of treatment.

Bertha Torbjoernsen

I do know that years of treatment will (can wear one down - just this one year was more than enough for me. One becomes extremely tired of not sleeping more than an hour at a time throughout the nights, going every day for radiation treatments, having your 'malady' in front of your eyes instead of on the pathway behind you, etc.

Rasmus Strømme

But... my point is... make an attempt to find something to focus on. Maybe a hobby, taking up line-dancing, book binding, music, drama... anything to enjoy life, whether you have a few months or dozens of years ahead.

Rasmus Strømme

 Eventually I plan to write a short story (or Flash Fiction) piece dealing with "Numbering Our Days" and making the most of them.

Until next time... have a wonderful Holiday Season and end of year 2012!

Photo by me

The paintings are from the early 1900s and onward and by various artists – the first painting was created by my wife’s grandmother. The home in the foreground (right side) is our newly purchased home.