- The saturday prior to finals Ashley and Allegra came north from Seattle and we grabbed lunch at Casa Que Pasa, followed by dinner at Rudy's. Hilarity and Incredible Conversation ensued.
- Tried to turn in my Algorithms final incomplete due to a off-by-one day scheduling error; much to my chagrin, and to my professor's humor.
- An Algorithms take-home final and an Econometrics final project due the same day!
- Sounds like everyone who DIDN'T HAVE A FRIDAY FINAL had a great time Thursday night. And for those who did have a friday final: wasn't perusing over the inanities of the simplex algoritm just as fun?
- Finished my 8am Friday Optimization final in 1hr 7min less than the total alloted time: 2hrs. The first hour sadly due to an alarm error. "8:45am?! NOOOOOOooooooooo!" The last 7min because I'm just that awesome, apparently.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Three Down, Two to Go.
Well the second to last quarter of college is over. It trailed off into one of the fiercest 'finals week's that I remember. Highlights:
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Went in for a Pulmonary Function Test yesterday. It came out good: apparently I can suck in air more than twice as fast as I could back in Spokane.
That is all. On with the geekery/nerdery and homework.
That is all. On with the geekery/nerdery and homework.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Fast Forward
May 30th - September 30th Highlights:
- Finished off the last sessions of Chemo:
- Had a great week with friends and family at Curlew Lake.
- Spent a few days at home before school, then headed up to Spokane for a weekend at the cabin, and...
- Promptly dropped into a Bleomycin Lung Toxicity induced fever. The ensuing visit to Spokane's Sacred Heart was lovely.
- Got better with steroids. Talked to a radiation therapist about possible treatment, he suggested a delay.
- Took a second PET scan. What was a blaring red Y in my chest is now reduced to an almost imperceptible haze localized in one tiny inch of my right chest. For those of you following at home: this means the lymphoma's almost totally gone (the chemo did it's job).
- Started school, with 4 supernerdy classes, which are great, so far.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Session 3B, Day 1
6th treatment today, only 6 more to go.
Infusion went slowly today with understaffing at the Center. Accompanying the slowdown, some nausea hit me today. Just as well, I forgot to take my oral steroids before Infusion due to ineptitude of scheduling on someone's part (signs point to me.) Result: one tired TJ.
Economics: goods have inelastic demands due to lack of substitutes (or rather D(E(S(t)))).
Until today I really had troubles understanding Elasticity. Apparently that was for good reason, as this aspect of economics, like so many, is counterintuitive. Now I 'get' it, more or less, resulting in joy. To quote Alan Sleeman: "No one licks fish for fun." (During a lecture on the inelasticity of the demand for salt.) Hopefully you see why I like the class.
I had forgotten to mention the excellent conversations I had this last weekend.
It was a rather intellectually stimulating weekend, as I talked to a great number of different people about a variety of different subjects, each to great length. So here's my follow-up on them.
Dad and I chatted on the economics of Open Source software, helping me hone my desire to understand the philosphy and effectiveness of patents and copyrights.
Ron and I chatted on the efficiency of turbodiesel engines due to their ability to run very high (and thus efficient/powerful) compression ratios. Ron, look here.
Karen expounded on the market and nature of American Quilters and Quilting. Turns out it's huge. Turns out you can make a living as a professional quilter. Turns out the people in this grassroots industry know that the world has a drinking water problem along side it's global warming problem. There's hope for Americans yet. Karen, this is the flag I was talking about, and anyone is invited to comment on Thomas Friedman's article on The Power of Green(deep web, BugMeNot) which it first appeared in. (There's a real web video on the Power of Green here, I consumed/am familiar with the discourse of the article, not the video.) Thought provoking none the less.
Mom and I chatted about Paternalistic Marriage dynamics, and their effects on dating.
Bruce, or anyone who is into building materials (Ron) may want to check out these bricks,
they're mighty mighty.
Psychosocial and historical analysis in the comments of this post, and all others is of course encouraged. Oh and I gotta shout out to Kylie Ann.
Infusion went slowly today with understaffing at the Center. Accompanying the slowdown, some nausea hit me today. Just as well, I forgot to take my oral steroids before Infusion due to ineptitude of scheduling on someone's part (signs point to me.) Result: one tired TJ.
Economics: goods have inelastic demands due to lack of substitutes (or rather D(E(S(t)))).
Until today I really had troubles understanding Elasticity. Apparently that was for good reason, as this aspect of economics, like so many, is counterintuitive. Now I 'get' it, more or less, resulting in joy. To quote Alan Sleeman: "No one licks fish for fun." (During a lecture on the inelasticity of the demand for salt.) Hopefully you see why I like the class.
I had forgotten to mention the excellent conversations I had this last weekend.
It was a rather intellectually stimulating weekend, as I talked to a great number of different people about a variety of different subjects, each to great length. So here's my follow-up on them.
Dad and I chatted on the economics of Open Source software, helping me hone my desire to understand the philosphy and effectiveness of patents and copyrights.
Ron and I chatted on the efficiency of turbodiesel engines due to their ability to run very high (and thus efficient/powerful) compression ratios. Ron, look here.
Karen expounded on the market and nature of American Quilters and Quilting. Turns out it's huge. Turns out you can make a living as a professional quilter. Turns out the people in this grassroots industry know that the world has a drinking water problem along side it's global warming problem. There's hope for Americans yet. Karen, this is the flag I was talking about, and anyone is invited to comment on Thomas Friedman's article on The Power of Green(deep web, BugMeNot) which it first appeared in. (There's a real web video on the Power of Green here, I consumed/am familiar with the discourse of the article, not the video.) Thought provoking none the less.
Mom and I chatted about Paternalistic Marriage dynamics, and their effects on dating.
Bruce, or anyone who is into building materials (Ron) may want to check out these bricks,
they're mighty mighty.
Psychosocial and historical analysis in the comments of this post, and all others is of course encouraged. Oh and I gotta shout out to Kylie Ann.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Session 3A, Day 13
Pardon the hiatus, I took some time off from touching things so the Bleo sores could make a comeback.
In the past two weeks the sores have come, and more or less gone. I've only needed to use the external steroids on a few nights. For the others I've been able to get a cold pack on the inflamed spots whenever they flare up. Management, sweet management.
I went on an emergency trip to the Tri-Cities.
This weekend we celebrated my grandfather's birthday, with my return to the 3 cities as a surprise, through the strategery of my father. Due to convenient scheduling, I was able to ride down with my mother, and will be riding back up to Bellingham accordingly. Hooray for fantastic parents and flexible schedules. It was nice to come back and see everyone, and thanks again to my parents on both sides for organizing family meetings on each of the branches. I had a fantastic time with all of you.
Lessons learned.
I gained a new respect for the necessity of synchronizing schedules amongst all the parties in my plans. I sense much less useless frustration in the future.
The quilting community is a vastly larger group than many would think. (Hi grandma Karen!) I, for one, welcome our new quilt-crafting overlords.
Banks, one of many tuners to whom one may send a Corvette for a testosterone infusion, has turned to making 600hp turbo-diesel racing pickup trucks.
Lexi is unaware of every single band who played at Sasquatch Music Festival this weekend.
When it comes to writing, my discipline seems somewhat lacking; As a dandelion is to the Perfect Storm, so is my mental fortitude to the Intarwebs, Blogotubes, and AI discussions.
In the past two weeks the sores have come, and more or less gone. I've only needed to use the external steroids on a few nights. For the others I've been able to get a cold pack on the inflamed spots whenever they flare up. Management, sweet management.
I went on an emergency trip to the Tri-Cities.
This weekend we celebrated my grandfather's birthday, with my return to the 3 cities as a surprise, through the strategery of my father. Due to convenient scheduling, I was able to ride down with my mother, and will be riding back up to Bellingham accordingly. Hooray for fantastic parents and flexible schedules. It was nice to come back and see everyone, and thanks again to my parents on both sides for organizing family meetings on each of the branches. I had a fantastic time with all of you.
Lessons learned.
I gained a new respect for the necessity of synchronizing schedules amongst all the parties in my plans. I sense much less useless frustration in the future.
The quilting community is a vastly larger group than many would think. (Hi grandma Karen!) I, for one, welcome our new quilt-crafting overlords.
Banks, one of many tuners to whom one may send a Corvette for a testosterone infusion, has turned to making 600hp turbo-diesel racing pickup trucks.
Lexi is unaware of every single band who played at Sasquatch Music Festival this weekend.
When it comes to writing, my discipline seems somewhat lacking; As a dandelion is to the Perfect Storm, so is my mental fortitude to the Intarwebs, Blogotubes, and AI discussions.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Session 3A, Day 1
And then there were lips.
My relative happiness is at an all time high. Drinking, eating, talking, and smiling all translate into a vastly more social TJ.
Casey is officially 22 today (May 15).
He brought up a bow from Olympia. So that's been fun. He's opted for having a week of festivities rather than a specific special day. Let's see how it works out for him.
Movie Night was a success.
Kendra had all of us over for a little Silence of the Lambs and personal pizzas. I made a calzone catastrophe, which was delicious none the less. Good company and comfortable venue always add up to a good time.
Time to learn about investing.
CNBC, dig it. Talked to Jordan this morning about Exchange Traded Funds and Index Funds, both of which sound like (good/smart/wise/lucrative?) long term investments. Time to research into Fidelity, Vanguard, Scottrade, the S&P 500, the Russell 5000, and MSIC. In the short term, maybe some CDs would be a good idea.
Well, class in 6.5 hours, then a nap, chemo, and dinner with dad.
New topics today:
Exchange Traded Funds, Gini Index
My relative happiness is at an all time high. Drinking, eating, talking, and smiling all translate into a vastly more social TJ.
Casey is officially 22 today (May 15).
He brought up a bow from Olympia. So that's been fun. He's opted for having a week of festivities rather than a specific special day. Let's see how it works out for him.
Movie Night was a success.
Kendra had all of us over for a little Silence of the Lambs and personal pizzas. I made a calzone catastrophe, which was delicious none the less. Good company and comfortable venue always add up to a good time.
Time to learn about investing.
CNBC, dig it. Talked to Jordan this morning about Exchange Traded Funds and Index Funds, both of which sound like (good/smart/wise/lucrative?) long term investments. Time to research into Fidelity, Vanguard, Scottrade, the S&P 500, the Russell 5000, and MSIC. In the short term, maybe some CDs would be a good idea.
Well, class in 6.5 hours, then a nap, chemo, and dinner with dad.
New topics today:
Exchange Traded Funds, Gini Index
Monday, May 14, 2007
Session 2B, Day 13
I think I'm gonna have lips again!
The scabs on my lips started to fall off today, for once revealing pink soft lips (as opposed to icky painful sores, as was the previous case.)
The weekend went Well.
I got out of the house each day (usually to go to campus,) and had a lovely little social time each day with friends. Saturday I worked on some Econ homework, and messed with my old computer, while Sunday I went to the (myspace links follow, turn your speakers down) Pirates 'R Us show. Wherein the venue was too large for the band's ego. A commonplace, though tragic occurance in the Multipurpose Room.
I've discovered many little joys lately.
Last night I realized how much I like Mew's And The Glass Handed Kites. I very well may not be listening to anything else for the next week or so. Sorry Jon. Just drown me out in Gaelic Storm and Metallica. And for those of you who already knew of said album, I agree, you're way more indie than I'll ever be. Perhaps you could just slide a well-labeled mixtape under my door, and we'll not speak of this minor affront again?
Economics gets more interesting each class. Today we talked about the idiocy of rent control and minimum wages, and Wheelan described how small groups stand to benefit the most from subsidies and licensing. Delightful. I can't believe I was missing out on this stuff for so long, I'm definitely thinking about at least going for the minor.
Grandma Carol brought back some shoes from Italy, which are gorgeous. Due to my non-itchy state, sudoku progress has fallen behind. It should pick up around next Wednesday again. Correspondingly, Desktop Tower Defense progress has lept back from the dead.
The intrepid search for a proper domicile for me and my homies continues unabated.
Friends, countrymen, and people looking for housing in Bellingham: www.myrental4u.com Lazyweb, we need agood 3/4 (+?) bedroom appt for $1300 - $1500 a month. Or $325-$375 per tenant-month. Parking, and proximity to downtown, and nearby bus service are valued. Let me know if you know of any.
Movie night this Saturday fell through, long live tomorrow's Movie Night!
Again, Lips!
They're good for eating with spoons, smiling, talking, drinking, and looking good in everyday places. You never quite notice until you can't use them.
Calloo callay, he chortled in his joy.
The scabs on my lips started to fall off today, for once revealing pink soft lips (as opposed to icky painful sores, as was the previous case.)
The weekend went Well.
I got out of the house each day (usually to go to campus,) and had a lovely little social time each day with friends. Saturday I worked on some Econ homework, and messed with my old computer, while Sunday I went to the (myspace links follow, turn your speakers down) Pirates 'R Us show. Wherein the venue was too large for the band's ego. A commonplace, though tragic occurance in the Multipurpose Room.
I've discovered many little joys lately.
Last night I realized how much I like Mew's And The Glass Handed Kites. I very well may not be listening to anything else for the next week or so. Sorry Jon. Just drown me out in Gaelic Storm and Metallica. And for those of you who already knew of said album, I agree, you're way more indie than I'll ever be. Perhaps you could just slide a well-labeled mixtape under my door, and we'll not speak of this minor affront again?
Economics gets more interesting each class. Today we talked about the idiocy of rent control and minimum wages, and Wheelan described how small groups stand to benefit the most from subsidies and licensing. Delightful. I can't believe I was missing out on this stuff for so long, I'm definitely thinking about at least going for the minor.
Grandma Carol brought back some shoes from Italy, which are gorgeous. Due to my non-itchy state, sudoku progress has fallen behind. It should pick up around next Wednesday again. Correspondingly, Desktop Tower Defense progress has lept back from the dead.
The intrepid search for a proper domicile for me and my homies continues unabated.
Friends, countrymen, and people looking for housing in Bellingham: www.myrental4u.com Lazyweb, we need a
Movie night this Saturday fell through, long live tomorrow's Movie Night!
Again, Lips!
They're good for eating with spoons, smiling, talking, drinking, and looking good in everyday places. You never quite notice until you can't use them.
Calloo callay, he chortled in his joy.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Those who don't care about programming probably need not read further.
As I alluded to earlier:
After much pondering and self-reflection, I've decided I'm a really bad programmer. Since I don't love the act of programming, I don't do it often. Since I don't program often, I'm quite bad at it.
Solution? Well, as it is I've got a lot of time sitting at home feeling somewhere between just miserable enough to sit at my computer and surf the internet all day and feeling well enough get some of my todo list items done. If the emotional incentive was high enough, I might be able to slide some programming in edgewise, in the same manner I do to these longer blog entries.
Plan: more subversive programming, if at all possible.
Also, I don't feel as though I'm as bad at writing as I used to be. Ergo: I desperately need to learn how to write, I clearly don't even know enough about it to see how terrible I am.
As I alluded to earlier:
After much pondering and self-reflection, I've decided I'm a really bad programmer. Since I don't love the act of programming, I don't do it often. Since I don't program often, I'm quite bad at it.
Solution? Well, as it is I've got a lot of time sitting at home feeling somewhere between just miserable enough to sit at my computer and surf the internet all day and feeling well enough get some of my todo list items done. If the emotional incentive was high enough, I might be able to slide some programming in edgewise, in the same manner I do to these longer blog entries.
Plan: more subversive programming, if at all possible.
Also, I don't feel as though I'm as bad at writing as I used to be. Ergo: I desperately need to learn how to write, I clearly don't even know enough about it to see how terrible I am.
Session 2B, Day 10
Alright, I'm into "Don't introduce nonessential factors into the skin condition" week. As will next week be. Hopefully Silence of the Lambs is not on the High Risk of Irritating Sensitive Skin list, and movie Saturday (Friday?) will continue unabated. Friends, my lips look bad, but not terrible. You've been warned. Questions are encouraged.
The doctor said that 'avoiding sun exposure' meant 'don't sunbathe from 10am-2pm', not 'don't allow any part of your body any non-reflected contact with solar rays'. So I went out for a short (2 blocks and back) jog today around sunset. It was pretty nice. I picked up some buns from the neighborhood market and ran back (it was during our barbeque.) Following the barbeque we went bowling, which was fun. I threw two strikes, and a few spares, and inbetween about 6 gutterballs. Turns out I was holding the ball too loosely. Once I figured that out I finished off the round with a 71, tieing Cory for second of three. And getting shot out of the park by Joey at 122. Casey can apparently throw a bowling ball at 19.81 mph (29 feet per second), and scored 102 against the A-Train, Brian the baboon (106) and Hules. Most impressive.
The doctor said that 'avoiding sun exposure' meant 'don't sunbathe from 10am-2pm', not 'don't allow any part of your body any non-reflected contact with solar rays'. So I went out for a short (2 blocks and back) jog today around sunset. It was pretty nice. I picked up some buns from the neighborhood market and ran back (it was during our barbeque.) Following the barbeque we went bowling, which was fun. I threw two strikes, and a few spares, and inbetween about 6 gutterballs. Turns out I was holding the ball too loosely. Once I figured that out I finished off the round with a 71, tieing Cory for second of three. And getting shot out of the park by Joey at 122. Casey can apparently throw a bowling ball at 19.81 mph (29 feet per second), and scored 102 against the A-Train, Brian the baboon (106) and Hules. Most impressive.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Session 2B, Day 9
Last few days:
Miserable. Lip pain and slight malnutrition.
Today (Dear diary,):
I got outside a bit (dashingly hat-topped of course).
Lips felt better, for a while. 150% Teriyaki was eaten, as were eggs. Various drinks were gotten-on.
Doctors were gone-to. Blood was drawn, tested, and found worthy for the next few days.
An Economics test was taken. Results still out, but Mr. Magic 8-ball's grading scale says "signs point to A-."
Econometrics was me-discovered. Economics and statistics and programming, oh my!
Story-time meandered along for a few hours pleasantly. Intellectual topics were discussed. More on this next-post.
Summer classes were hastily signed up for. Turns out today is smack dab in the middle of the registration time. Three economics classes. I'm aiming for the minor.
Suprisingly little tab-browsing was consumed (yay!), a surprisingly large amount was produced (boo?), soon a lot will be forgone (yay?)
(It was the best day ever.)
Tomorrow:
Dr. Rubin with parents. Perhaps grandparents. ...Sleep, probably well into the afternoon at this rate. Expected calls before I naturally wake up: 5 +- 2
Miserable. Lip pain and slight malnutrition.
Today (Dear diary,):
I got outside a bit (dashingly hat-topped of course).
Lips felt better, for a while. 150% Teriyaki was eaten, as were eggs. Various drinks were gotten-on.
Doctors were gone-to. Blood was drawn, tested, and found worthy for the next few days.
An Economics test was taken. Results still out, but Mr. Magic 8-ball's grading scale says "signs point to A-."
Econometrics was me-discovered. Economics and statistics and programming, oh my!
Story-time meandered along for a few hours pleasantly. Intellectual topics were discussed. More on this next-post.
Summer classes were hastily signed up for. Turns out today is smack dab in the middle of the registration time. Three economics classes. I'm aiming for the minor.
Suprisingly little tab-browsing was consumed (yay!), a surprisingly large amount was produced (boo?), soon a lot will be forgone (yay?)
(It was the best day ever.)
Tomorrow:
Dr. Rubin with parents. Perhaps grandparents. ...Sleep, probably well into the afternoon at this rate. Expected calls before I naturally wake up: 5 +- 2
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Session 2B, Day 5
My face really seems to be clearing up pretty well. The rash is looking better as well. It seems like my cuticles aren't as swollen as they used to be either, and I used a fork today without any pain in my fingers, so all in all, it's looking up!
Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone.
Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Session 2B, Day 2
Much less itchy today, though it seems my hands have begun to hurt a bit again.
Dana came by today inbetween bankings. We had a fantastic talk about life in Tri-Cities, opportunities for Computer Science majors, and the reactions of friends and relatives to hearing news of our lymphomas. Then we had some ice cream. All in all a great time.
Dana came by today inbetween bankings. We had a fantastic talk about life in Tri-Cities, opportunities for Computer Science majors, and the reactions of friends and relatives to hearing news of our lymphomas. Then we had some ice cream. All in all a great time.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Session 2B, Day 1
Apparently this morning my face looked less swollen and red, though I was a bit more itchy throughout the day, which may have counteracted the previous progress.
I went to chemotherapy with mom today, getting the AV&D parts of the ABVD chemotherapy regimen. Hopefully not using Bleomyacin will help the sores go away. My stomach has felt a little weird all afternoon, after chemo, and I'm a little tired again.
On an entirely different note, I sat down and watched some Michel Gondry music videos with mom, as well as some Silverchair videos. So that was fun. She also made some delicious mashed potatoes and chicken gravy, which really hit the spot.
I recieved a book of sudoku puzzles from my Grandma Karen, as well, and completed 3 of them while at chemo. They really helped to take my mind off the itching. Bravo Karen.
TJ out.
I went to chemotherapy with mom today, getting the AV&D parts of the ABVD chemotherapy regimen. Hopefully not using Bleomyacin will help the sores go away. My stomach has felt a little weird all afternoon, after chemo, and I'm a little tired again.
On an entirely different note, I sat down and watched some Michel Gondry music videos with mom, as well as some Silverchair videos. So that was fun. She also made some delicious mashed potatoes and chicken gravy, which really hit the spot.
I recieved a book of sudoku puzzles from my Grandma Karen, as well, and completed 3 of them while at chemo. They really helped to take my mind off the itching. Bravo Karen.
TJ out.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Soon to be Session 2B, Day 1
Spent most of the day in my room today, save for seeing the doctor. Mostly the time was spent at Don Norman's Site on the design of every day things, though there was a very interesting stint at the Bureau of Labor Statistics' website. Did you know that Portland pays it's math and computer scientists more on average than either Seattle or Tri-Cities? Neither did I.
Jordan "El Fratty" Rood was a big help today, going to the pharmacist for me. That's one dodged bullet.
Talked to Ryan and Dave a bit, let them in on current events. It seems I've perhaps waited a bit long to spread the news out.
Ugh. Time to lube up, take some benadryl, and pass out. And maybe read some Naked Economics.
Jordan "El Fratty" Rood was a big help today, going to the pharmacist for me. That's one dodged bullet.
Talked to Ryan and Dave a bit, let them in on current events. It seems I've perhaps waited a bit long to spread the news out.
Ugh. Time to lube up, take some benadryl, and pass out. And maybe read some Naked Economics.
Session 2A, Day 14, Midday
Sleeping the day away. Jordan says my face looks marginally better. I agree. My hope is that it'll be better by the weekend. Met with Dr. Rubin at 3:00pm. He noted that my antibacterial perscription had too high a dose written on it, and told me to decrease it. It seems I'll be wearing my oh so dashing hat more, as he recommended staying out of direct sunlight as much as possible. We'll not be using the bleomyacin tomorrow. I meet with him again next thursday, we'll talk about it more then.
The sores are spreading very slowly now, and my face is redder, though less swollen than yesterday.
The sores are spreading very slowly now, and my face is redder, though less swollen than yesterday.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Session 2A, Day 13
Well, Saturday night I went down to Lacey, WA with Casey. We went to the Gaelic Storm show on Sunday, which was fantastic.
Sunday morning I started to develop some more bleo sores on my face. This morning they had spread all over my head, neck, shoulders, chest, and back. When I went to get my neupogen shot, I went ahead and met with Kateri one of the OCNs. She talked with Dr. Rubin and sent me over to the dermatologist, who prescribed me some non-drowsy antihistamines, and a milder steroid cream. Then I went back and met with Dr. Rubin, who prescribed me more oral steroids as well. After a jaunty 40 min. at Fred Meyer, I'm now back at home. And tired. I think I'm gonna try to sleep the rest of the day away.
Sunday morning I started to develop some more bleo sores on my face. This morning they had spread all over my head, neck, shoulders, chest, and back. When I went to get my neupogen shot, I went ahead and met with Kateri one of the OCNs. She talked with Dr. Rubin and sent me over to the dermatologist, who prescribed me some non-drowsy antihistamines, and a milder steroid cream. Then I went back and met with Dr. Rubin, who prescribed me more oral steroids as well. After a jaunty 40 min. at Fred Meyer, I'm now back at home. And tired. I think I'm gonna try to sleep the rest of the day away.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Session 2A, Day 11
Goods:
Neupogen shot went through without a hitch.
Had a nice barbeque with friends tonight.
Bads:
Rather tired today, took a nap.
Got almost nothing done.
Neupogen shot went through without a hitch.
Had a nice barbeque with friends tonight.
Bads:
Rather tired today, took a nap.
Got almost nothing done.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Session 2A, Day 9
Woke up late today, feeling a bit more crappy than the last few days. Runny nose and a thoroughly coated mouth.
Finally got my powerpoint slides printed off for Econ 206. (I think I managed to waste as much paper as I ended up with, doh!)
I'd give the day a 3/5.
Finally got my powerpoint slides printed off for Econ 206. (I think I managed to waste as much paper as I ended up with, doh!)
I'd give the day a 3/5.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Session 2A, Day 8
The benadryl is still doing a great job, for the third day in a row. Tomorrow I stop the oral steroids en total . Here's to hoping that works!
Yesterday and the day before were both quite good, I got out of the house a few times to go to class, run errands, walk in the sun and such. Had a wonderful dinner with Tyler, Nathan and Benson. The sores on my hands are so much better that I realize halfway through actions that they aren't hurting like they were. Before, the pain of using them was always in my mind.
I made myself a schedule, just some goals for each day really, and dilligently set to missing them. But I'm missing less than I'm finishing. Ah, Progress.
Yesterday and the day before were both quite good, I got out of the house a few times to go to class, run errands, walk in the sun and such. Had a wonderful dinner with Tyler, Nathan and Benson. The sores on my hands are so much better that I realize halfway through actions that they aren't hurting like they were. Before, the pain of using them was always in my mind.
I made myself a schedule, just some goals for each day really, and dilligently set to missing them. But I'm missing less than I'm finishing. Ah, Progress.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Session 1B, Day 11: Backstory
2004-2006:
I develop a strange rash on my hands, arms, shins and legs which simply will not go away. The constant itching leads to minor scratch wounds, which lead to scabbing, which lead to repetitive scarring. I go to the campus doctors and a doctor and a dermatologist back home, but no one can come up with a better diagnosis than dermatitis (skin irritation). I figure I must be allergic to something and begin trying to cut out various parts of my life. I stay away from household pets, harsh soaps, later caffiene and alchohol. The latter two seem to have a noticable, but negligible effect. Due to this I begin to wonder whether my liver not pulling enough toxins out of my bloodstream, and they're being pushed out to my skin. I begin to go to bed at an earlier hour, noticing that the worst of the episodes usually occur after 11pm. My girlfriend suggests I go see a naturopathic doctor, I look one up and neglect to go. By end of 2006 I've stabilized the itching, it's now just a generalized subconscious thing, with truly bad bouts few and far between.
January 31, 2007:
For about two weeks, I had a bad, very throaty cough. Upon any stimuli I would go into 45 second fits where the coughs compounded til I couldn't breathe. I'd finish with a gasp. It was high time to go to the doctor. I figured it would also be a good time to seek out that naturopath and cure the itch, since it musts have been some kind of food allergy. Since I was not attending Western at the time, I swung by the Walk-In Clinc on Northwest Ave. After a 4 hour wait, a very drained Dr. Knudsen examined me. He prescribed some drugs for the cough, but during his examination he took notice that my neck was larger on the right side than on the left. He said I had swollen lymph nodes and asked how long they'd been swollen. I could remember at least 5 months back noticing that my neck had a big hard spot; I had thought it was a muscle knot. A chest X-ray and a blood test followed for that evening. I pretty much assume it's lymphoma from here on out.
February, 2007:
I went back a couple days later, after the x-rays came back. Dr Knudsen was out, so I saw Dr Lawrence. Dr Lawrence showed me the results, and that they were consistent with lymphoma and a few other diseases and referred me to Dr Knops, an ear, nose and throat doctor. I went to get a CT scan, and Dr Knops performed a needle aspiration biopsy on the node in my neck. The CT scan came back showing that I had enlarged lymph nodes in my neck, chest, and abdomen. The largest, on the right side of my chest, measures 16cm across. The needle aspiration comes back negative, but that particular test happens to have a lot of false negatives, so we schedule a biopsy. After consulting with Dad, I call Mom to inform her that there's a good possibility I have cancer; she's in Hawaii. Against my earnest and open pleas, word gets out that I may/may not have lymphoma. A flood of calls and emails come in from unexpected places. This one 'hardship' puts everyone who finds out into a 'caretaker' position, catalysing relatives from all four branches of my family into making contact again. Strangely enough, the trembling voices of my relatives hits me harder than the thought of having cancer.
March 7, 2007:
Biopsy results come back. It's confirmed that I have Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin's Lymphoma. And to think it only took a month to figure that one out.
Early March, 2007:
Dr Knops refers me to Oncologist Dr Rubin at Madrona Medical Group. Staging begins to determine how far the cancer has spread. I get a PET scan, a lung test and a Echocardiogram. Everyone should get an echocardiogram, just so you can see your own heart beat. Then there's a bone marrow biopsy. For those of you who aren't down on the lingo, let me help you out: it's a really big needle they bore into your pelvis. Not as painful as I expected it would be. I'm sore for about 4 days. I'll go through it again without being knocked out at the end of treatment if need be, but I'd rather have no more than two in my life.
The cards are a pretty steady stream now, and we set up some meetings with the Core to spread knowledge around.
March 15, 2007:
I go into surgery to get my port put in. A slightly technical surgery expertly done by Dr Pietro. I now have a third nipple on my right pectoral.
March 19, 2007:
Bone marrow results back: there are cancerous cells in my right pelvis. This puts me at Stage IV. There are only 4 stages. We will go ahead with the ABVD chemotherapy regimen.
March 21, 2007, Wednesday:
First chemo session lasts 3 hours and change. I leave feeling about 20% drained of energy.
March 21-27, 2007; Hitherto the First Week, Beginning Session 1A:
Taking preemptive anti-nausea pills turns out to be a bad idea. I pretty much sleep Thursday through Sunday, and get rather constipated. My parents shower me in various sweets and fatty foods. I develop a dislike of my newly discovered Robeck's smoothies due to thier extra large availability every time I'm woken. It takes me til early April to try them again, and only in small amounts. [Mom, Dad, I forgive you. Everything was so new and scary for you back then. It's okay to overdo it a little.] Dad gets a bit distraught seeing me so fatigued all the time. Mom cooks and cleans incessantly. It was probably safe to eat off any surface in the house that weekend. By Monday I'm back up to about 90% and moving around, I go into work for 4 hours and come back nigh unto exhausted, have a delicious meal and sleep for 16 hours straight. I feel 95% when I wake up, go to work and have a fantastic day. The contrast is astounding, the sun's out, birds are singing, it bellingham-rains a bit. Life is Good.
March 28-April 3; The Second Week, End of Session 1A:
I seem to have delveloped some small, irritating blisters on my hands, the nurse tells us to put benadryl cream on them, and use lotion.
April 4-10; The Third Week, Beginning of Session 1B:
At my blood test my neutrophils (anti-infection white blood cells) are dangerously low. Dr Rubin starts me on neupogen, and delays ABVD treatment for a day. Not taking the anti-nausea medicine has no bad effects and I'm not tired like I was previously. Dad sends out hurrah's that I'm feeling so much better. Dad hasn't been sleep deprived for the last 3 years, and has full use of his hands. In my opinion, I'll take 4 days of sleep and 9 days of energy over 13 days with pain in my hands. The blisters get bad, then they get worse and spread to my shoulders, back and face. I miss the second and third days of school.
April 11-17; The Fourth Week, End of Session 1B:
Dr Rubin refers me to a dermatologist who happens to be right across the hall at madrona. After considering scabbies and shingles, the blisters are diagnosed as Bleomyacin sores. (Bleomyacin is the B in ABVD, and a core in most of the chemotherapy regimens. Bleo sores seldom occur, and have very few characteristics in common between different patients, making them difficult to diagnose.) I take an oral steroid for the rest of the week, and apply topical ones. The sores subside, more or less on my hands; almost entirely on my face (Yay!)
My neutrophils hit an all time low.
On friday I get a neupogen shot in my belly (as opposed to arm) which increases my neutrofils by a factor of 19. Remember growing pains? Head to toe. Sleep is lost. Doctors are called. Tylenol is taken. Saturday is better, sunday, better still. By monday it doesn't hurt. The shot's going in the arm from now on, and we know how to fight it now.
April 18-24; The Fifth Week, Beginning of Session 2A:
Dr. Rubin decides to forge on ahead with the Bleomyacin, and to manage the sores as best we can. Chemo goes well, as usual. This time, instead of a sustained dose of oral steroids, I take two big ones. The itching comes back a bit and I go to Madrona for counsel to see if I can kick the dose back up. Dr Rubin advises to pull out the steroids and supplement with benadryl. It's more or less an overarching success.
I develop a strange rash on my hands, arms, shins and legs which simply will not go away. The constant itching leads to minor scratch wounds, which lead to scabbing, which lead to repetitive scarring. I go to the campus doctors and a doctor and a dermatologist back home, but no one can come up with a better diagnosis than dermatitis (skin irritation). I figure I must be allergic to something and begin trying to cut out various parts of my life. I stay away from household pets, harsh soaps, later caffiene and alchohol. The latter two seem to have a noticable, but negligible effect. Due to this I begin to wonder whether my liver not pulling enough toxins out of my bloodstream, and they're being pushed out to my skin. I begin to go to bed at an earlier hour, noticing that the worst of the episodes usually occur after 11pm. My girlfriend suggests I go see a naturopathic doctor, I look one up and neglect to go. By end of 2006 I've stabilized the itching, it's now just a generalized subconscious thing, with truly bad bouts few and far between.
January 31, 2007:
For about two weeks, I had a bad, very throaty cough. Upon any stimuli I would go into 45 second fits where the coughs compounded til I couldn't breathe. I'd finish with a gasp. It was high time to go to the doctor. I figured it would also be a good time to seek out that naturopath and cure the itch, since it musts have been some kind of food allergy. Since I was not attending Western at the time, I swung by the Walk-In Clinc on Northwest Ave. After a 4 hour wait, a very drained Dr. Knudsen examined me. He prescribed some drugs for the cough, but during his examination he took notice that my neck was larger on the right side than on the left. He said I had swollen lymph nodes and asked how long they'd been swollen. I could remember at least 5 months back noticing that my neck had a big hard spot; I had thought it was a muscle knot. A chest X-ray and a blood test followed for that evening. I pretty much assume it's lymphoma from here on out.
February, 2007:
I went back a couple days later, after the x-rays came back. Dr Knudsen was out, so I saw Dr Lawrence. Dr Lawrence showed me the results, and that they were consistent with lymphoma and a few other diseases and referred me to Dr Knops, an ear, nose and throat doctor. I went to get a CT scan, and Dr Knops performed a needle aspiration biopsy on the node in my neck. The CT scan came back showing that I had enlarged lymph nodes in my neck, chest, and abdomen. The largest, on the right side of my chest, measures 16cm across. The needle aspiration comes back negative, but that particular test happens to have a lot of false negatives, so we schedule a biopsy. After consulting with Dad, I call Mom to inform her that there's a good possibility I have cancer; she's in Hawaii. Against my earnest and open pleas, word gets out that I may/may not have lymphoma. A flood of calls and emails come in from unexpected places. This one 'hardship' puts everyone who finds out into a 'caretaker' position, catalysing relatives from all four branches of my family into making contact again. Strangely enough, the trembling voices of my relatives hits me harder than the thought of having cancer.
March 7, 2007:
Biopsy results come back. It's confirmed that I have Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin's Lymphoma. And to think it only took a month to figure that one out.
Early March, 2007:
Dr Knops refers me to Oncologist Dr Rubin at Madrona Medical Group. Staging begins to determine how far the cancer has spread. I get a PET scan, a lung test and a Echocardiogram. Everyone should get an echocardiogram, just so you can see your own heart beat. Then there's a bone marrow biopsy. For those of you who aren't down on the lingo, let me help you out: it's a really big needle they bore into your pelvis. Not as painful as I expected it would be. I'm sore for about 4 days. I'll go through it again without being knocked out at the end of treatment if need be, but I'd rather have no more than two in my life.
The cards are a pretty steady stream now, and we set up some meetings with the Core to spread knowledge around.
March 15, 2007:
I go into surgery to get my port put in. A slightly technical surgery expertly done by Dr Pietro. I now have a third nipple on my right pectoral.
March 19, 2007:
Bone marrow results back: there are cancerous cells in my right pelvis. This puts me at Stage IV. There are only 4 stages. We will go ahead with the ABVD chemotherapy regimen.
March 21, 2007, Wednesday:
First chemo session lasts 3 hours and change. I leave feeling about 20% drained of energy.
March 21-27, 2007; Hitherto the First Week, Beginning Session 1A:
Taking preemptive anti-nausea pills turns out to be a bad idea. I pretty much sleep Thursday through Sunday, and get rather constipated. My parents shower me in various sweets and fatty foods. I develop a dislike of my newly discovered Robeck's smoothies due to thier extra large availability every time I'm woken. It takes me til early April to try them again, and only in small amounts. [Mom, Dad, I forgive you. Everything was so new and scary for you back then. It's okay to overdo it a little.] Dad gets a bit distraught seeing me so fatigued all the time. Mom cooks and cleans incessantly. It was probably safe to eat off any surface in the house that weekend. By Monday I'm back up to about 90% and moving around, I go into work for 4 hours and come back nigh unto exhausted, have a delicious meal and sleep for 16 hours straight. I feel 95% when I wake up, go to work and have a fantastic day. The contrast is astounding, the sun's out, birds are singing, it bellingham-rains a bit. Life is Good.
March 28-April 3; The Second Week, End of Session 1A:
I seem to have delveloped some small, irritating blisters on my hands, the nurse tells us to put benadryl cream on them, and use lotion.
April 4-10; The Third Week, Beginning of Session 1B:
At my blood test my neutrophils (anti-infection white blood cells) are dangerously low. Dr Rubin starts me on neupogen, and delays ABVD treatment for a day. Not taking the anti-nausea medicine has no bad effects and I'm not tired like I was previously. Dad sends out hurrah's that I'm feeling so much better. Dad hasn't been sleep deprived for the last 3 years, and has full use of his hands. In my opinion, I'll take 4 days of sleep and 9 days of energy over 13 days with pain in my hands. The blisters get bad, then they get worse and spread to my shoulders, back and face. I miss the second and third days of school.
April 11-17; The Fourth Week, End of Session 1B:
Dr Rubin refers me to a dermatologist who happens to be right across the hall at madrona. After considering scabbies and shingles, the blisters are diagnosed as Bleomyacin sores. (Bleomyacin is the B in ABVD, and a core in most of the chemotherapy regimens. Bleo sores seldom occur, and have very few characteristics in common between different patients, making them difficult to diagnose.) I take an oral steroid for the rest of the week, and apply topical ones. The sores subside, more or less on my hands; almost entirely on my face (Yay!)
My neutrophils hit an all time low.
On friday I get a neupogen shot in my belly (as opposed to arm) which increases my neutrofils by a factor of 19. Remember growing pains? Head to toe. Sleep is lost. Doctors are called. Tylenol is taken. Saturday is better, sunday, better still. By monday it doesn't hurt. The shot's going in the arm from now on, and we know how to fight it now.
April 18-24; The Fifth Week, Beginning of Session 2A:
Dr. Rubin decides to forge on ahead with the Bleomyacin, and to manage the sores as best we can. Chemo goes well, as usual. This time, instead of a sustained dose of oral steroids, I take two big ones. The itching comes back a bit and I go to Madrona for counsel to see if I can kick the dose back up. Dr Rubin advises to pull out the steroids and supplement with benadryl. It's more or less an overarching success.
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