"Me too", says Jack.
"Tell you what", says Paul, "If I die first, I'll give you a message about whether there is baseball in Heaven. If you die first, you can do the same for me."
A year later, Paul is dead and Jack is sitting on the park bench when he hears: "Jack, it's me, Paul. I have great news! Guess what. There really is a baseball team in heaven."
"Thank Goodness", sighs Jack, "Now I can die in peace."
"I'm glad you feel that way," says Paul, "because you're pitching tomorrow."
Friday we went to a Michael Martin Murphy cowboy concert in St George so I wore my best go-to-meeting boots and hat.
Last Wednesday morning it began snowing hair flakes. I thought that when I started radiation therapy that the effects would be somewhat constant. It wasn’t so. The effects accumulate. I finished radiation last Friday but the full effects are just now showing themselves. The radiation had reached a level last Wednesday where my hair started falling out. I woke up and there it was all over my pillow.
I totally underestimated radiation. This weekend kicked my butt and I’ve got two more weeks before I get through the total effects of the treatment. It’s going to be tough and when the going gets tough, the tough are going to try to sleep through the week.
The worse of the effects is heartburn. You wouldn’t think so as I don’t have stomach cancer but I could hardly eat solids. Even ice cream was giving me problems.
Kathy and I went to Delta on Sunday to visit her parents. Her mother is one of the world’s best cooks. Naturally, she was ready with a delicious meal of mashed potatoes, salad, cordon bleu and vegetables. I took one bite of the potatoes but couldn’t digest another. And I really like mashed potatoes!
We learned today that the radiation has effected my esophagus when targeting the lung tumor so I now take another medicine which first numbs the esophagus before eating. I tried it tonight and it worked. I had eggs, toast, strawberry milk and ice cream.
Radiation nurses Dana and Katy were very nice.
Caution Will Robinson Radiation inside!
Baldy preparing for another treatment.
We did two treatments. The first treated brain tumors. The mask holds my head in the right place so that we don't treat eye balls or ears. The second pass (not shown) treated the right lung and inadvertently the esophagus. Oops
6 comments:
Glad the medicine is helping you be able to eat again. To feel so lousy and be starved too isn't a very good combination. Hopefully it won't take too long before you are feeling better. I guess it's a good thing you don't feel miserable right away when you start radiation or maybe you wouldn't do it. Hopefully it's made a big enough difference to be worth it.
Woah! That huge machine moving around you - like some kind of SF predator. That gave me chills. A coupla weeks, I guess, is an okay trade-off for a couple of years, but obviously, yo have to kick in some suffering to cover the bill. I'd send you some - okayness - my own- if I could.
I like your cowboy look, but I'm sorry about the not being able to eat- I've sent some german chocolate your way, I'm sure you can handle that! Becky
Great blog Ken. I'll put in in my favorites with my kids. I read them like religion. Knowing your style with religion I am sure I will enjoy.
Glad you are feeling a little better each day.
When you come down again I will cook you another dinner with fluffy mashed potatoes and the trimmings.
It is good that you have started with the medication. Anything that costs that much money should surely help. I like the cowboy look, especially the hat. You look very handsome with the new beard too. Hang in there, better days are ahead. Love you, Betty
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Mom and I have enjoyed hearing your comments. You are really a great example to all of us. Keep up the fight and we will continue to remember you and your family in our prayers.
Love, Linda, Viola and Marion
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