09-30-2019

  I have stayed in the last few days. The air is bad, really bad and the temperatures are breaking records. I'm not sure if it is lung cancer or the COPD, but I have to limit my time outdoors in this stuff.

  I go in October to see about my foot. It is still painful and swollen. Then later on another MRI brain scan. Then next month I see a new doctor on my CTCL (T-Cell Lymphoma), and they will tell if the ImmunoTherapy is doing more damage. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas are not curable whereas Lymphomas can be if caught early.

I tried weaning off the O2 like this new doctor wants me to and it damn near killed me 2 weekends ago. I am still healing from that move. If I could find out where Dr Flanders went and it was close I would switch.

Friday night I was asked to speak at a Gala for Dr. Rama. I had notes Denise and I prepared. There were 200 plus people there. We ate before and that takes O2. It was hot in there and even hotter on the stage and with a dress coat on. I walked on stage and couldn't breathe so I asked if I could remove my coat, which they said yes. This helped me breathe. I looked down and went off the paper for the hello part, then I just spoke from the heart and what was on my mind. I had people laughing, which is always a good thing. I gave Dr. Rama a lot of praise, well deserved praise. I told everybody that Denise was probably saying oh no when I started ad-libbing the speech.

  Dr. Rama got up and for the first time told the story of how I died on the operating table and about my Near Death Experience. He told about the 2 heart attacks I have had that have resulted in each time to 2 stents for a total of 4 now.    

  I'm going to guess my weight now at about 238-240 lbs, time for a diet. 

09-23-2019

  Well, I went on the hill to feed 2 rolls of hay and counted the cows and we are missing 4 cows or calves. I haven't been up there enough to point out which they were which I'm ashamed to say. I found 2 places in the fence that was down, repaired one until I can get back up there and fix properly, the other I can't., As I rode along most of the fence I bush hogged the field.

   A massive pine tree looks to have been struck by lightning about 10 foot up and came down and crushed the fence. I parked the Tractor at the top of the hill, it would not clear the trees to drive down it and walked down to take a closer look. I went down the hill ok, looked at what needs to be done, then walked back up. I was a tad winded but not bad. I had left the door open on the Tractor which let the cold air out. I got in the Tractor and became winded, my heart started racing as my body wanted more oxygen and my lungs just couldn't do it. I started driving and the Tractor rides rough, really bad rough and it kept getting worse. When it gets like this it feels like a heart attack, smothering and extreme pain in the chest.

   I called Denise and asked her to bring my Oxygen and she flew up the hill from the house which caught William's eye. He called me twice but I didn't answer, didn't have the breath to talk, I done well to call Denise. She got there fast but I was already getting better as the cold a/c blew in my face. Moral of the story, take my O2 with me, even on the Tractor. I came back home and laid down, it left me drainer and with a massive headache. This morning I am still healing from yesterday.   

Sept 22nd, 2019

This was a week of doctors. It started off with the MRI and follow-ups from the 2 neurologists at Thompson Survival Cancer Center, then I met the new doctor that took Dr. Flanders's place, then Humana sent a Nurses Physician, then a follow-up with Dr. Anderson. I voiced my disappointment with Dr. Flanders being gone. So Friday I chilled out, bought some stuff for Saturday.

  Saturday me and Denise changed the Kitchen sink and Faucet out. I am ashamed to admit it but I had forgotten how to do that, the last one I remember installing was in 1982 when we built this house. Youtube was again my friend, lol.

  I found out this week that Dr. Buskell retired, so there is another doctor gone. Dr. Gandi wants me to see Dr. Zic at Vanderbilt to make sure this KeyTruda isn't going to kick my T Cell Lymphoma into overdrive. Seems I can't win for losing some times. Hopefully, it won't and this will destroy the rest of the tumors. I guess I owe a big thank you to Monsanto for Round-Up. (Sarcasm)    

I truly do hate to delete posts about holistic doctors from the comments because there are a lot of things that can be fixed with holistic medicine, that is not why I delete them. With certain diseases, yes, there has to be a better way and probably is, but we're not going to get it. Nobody despises the FDA more than I do, but going tribal usually ends up in death. I watched a friend, Russell Means who tried it and by the time he added conventional meds, it was too late.   

MRI again

Had another MRI done yesterday and the big tumor is still missing but the small one is has returned. I also had an appointment with the Neurologist and the Doctor of the Gamma Knife. They want to do another one the 28th to see if the small one is a glitch and possibly a bunch of blood veins. They said that they both felt like the big one wasn't cancer as previously thought but a Stroke I had. At this time a stroke sounds better than brain cancer.

   My Oncologist (Dr Flanders) has either quit or resigned. There was another doctor, they said he use to be the main Oncologist before Flanders. He wants me to see Zic at Vanderbilt to make sure the KeyTruda isn't reacting with my Non-Hodgkin's T Cell Lymphoma and making it worse. So if I get this straight the drug that can kill the lung cancer can kill me by activating the T-Cells and strengthening them. At some point, this has to be weird. Who knew using Round-Up would cause that.   

09-11-2019

   I worked in the Kitchen today on the sink, put 2 drawers in the blanks under the sink. I've wanted to do that for years and found a kit. It had a diagram to measure by that was close. Then I emptied the water tank and filled it with water so they will have fresh water in this drought. Fed Dora and the Llama some Pears too.

 

9-10-2019

   It has been a while since I last posted. So far most things have gone good. What I have noticed is that in the heat I have a hard time. The new Puppy (Zoe) has been a handful. She ran away the other day and I went after her without O2. I caught her and carried her back to the dog cage in the basement and had to stop 4 times on the way. I crawled up the back steps and luckily I had left the O2 machine running.  I don't know what my heart rate got up to but after about 10 minutes of breathing it in, sitting up (laying down was impossible for the pain), I checked and it was 154. I ended up with a migraine for 2 days and slept the whole day on Saturday. 

   Today I went to TSC, was headed for the CO-OP but the Interstate was blocked and traffic was bad, it looked like Sevierville and Gatlinburg traffic, so I diverted to Newport. Again I had not taken my Puffer or O2 with me. I got in the store at TSC and loaded a bag of chick starter and a Mineral Block for the Donkeys & Sheep. I was winded and thought for a second I would have to just stop and sit down, but I didn't. I pressed on slowly to the register and then on to the truck. Unloading to into the truck left me winded again, but I took my time and was able to return the buggy like I always have. So I get home and unload the salt, here I am again.

   I don't get to feed or take care of the chickens and guineas, Denise does that, and that makes me feel useless. I do wash the dishes but it is not the same. In the heat... it is not my friend.  

   I go the 16th for another MRI of the brain then to see the Neurologist and make sure the tumors are still gone. Then the 17th I have another KeyTruda infusion and the 18th they (Insurance Company) have scheduled a Nurse Practitioner for a home visit. I'll show her my broke big toe that is still swelled twice the size it should be. I did it on August 8th. 

  Eventually, they will do a CT to see how the tumors are responding, but I'm not sure when that is. I'm hopeful that it will be good, but it doesn't feel like it is.