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Friday, July 7, 2017

15 Working Days

Recall that back in mid April 2011, I was already not feeling well. I'd been undergoing various tests to determine why I was so fatigued and weak and having horrible night sweats. My blood work looked not normal, but nothing jumped out at my primary care doctor. In the midst of all this, I went to Vegas for a friend's birthday. P.C. (pre-cancer) I went to Vegas about twice a year. Since my diagnosis, I've been twice and am way over due for a trip. I lasted half a day in Vegas on that trip at which point I broke out in a cold sweat, then was burning up and then had terrible shivers and shakes. I went to bed and rescheduled a flight home for the next morning. That second day, I was walking through the casino to get something to eat and had this powerful feeling that I was dying. It was overwhelming and so definitive. I'd never felt that before. Suffice it to say, it left me dazed and concerned. Back home, I was hospitalized, had a bone marrow biopsy, met Dr Phan and was diagnosed with myeloma. And there you have it, a life altering event.  As I approach retirement, I am realizing that this is the first time I've really slowed down long enough to ponder my life going forward. Up to now, it's been about staying alive, seeing doctors, working and being normal. But now I'm going to have time to do what I want, to be healthy and think about what comes next and where I have been.  Whew Wee, it's turning out to be a lot to mull over.


Note that I have made the same $100 bet every year since 1995 on the Vikings to win the Super Bowl. Sadly it has yet to hit. 1998 should have been the year. I actually had $100 on them to get to the Super Bowl and $100 on them to win. All I can say is I hate the dirty bird and I hate the falcons.


Note number two, the Bellagio Sports Book is the best. Plenty of screens and massive comfortable seats. Mandalay Bay is a close second, with the refreshing coconut scented artificial air being pumped in.


There are two ways to get to Vegas from LA. A short 45 minute flight is the best option.  Or you can make a 4 hour drive. This four hour drive can take twice as long coming home if you don't time your drive properly.


Note number three, it took me almost two hours yesterday to go 30 miles from my house to Berenson's office, simply to give research blood. Arghhhh!!!


Needless to say, I prefer the flight to Vegas. But if you do drive, you're taking Highway 15, which today is noteworthy given I have 15 working days left. I think today I work on my retirement to do list.





1 comment:

Berenson Oncology Success Rate

 Some reading about my myeloma specialist's success rate. A press release and an article from Targeted Oncology.