Good evening .........
Needed that 2-hours sleep this afternoon. The time at the U.of C. was exhausting. And I've had a little time to think now - which I needed. Sitting outside with Giz was needed too. I don't want to rub anything in - but it was in the low 70's here, very low humidity, with light winds and "carribean blue" skies - no clouds! Just about perfect!
It won't last long though.
I wish my support group moderator was in town - but she has adult kids in California and that's where she is right now - or for the next week+. She's a former Oncology Nurse, Nursing Instructor and her first husband died of exactly what i have. She is knowledgeable and compassionate. I need to make a decision soon - and she would have been a big help.
The U. of C. is 37-miles away from me using one route ... and 45-miles away using another route. Early morning was good going for traffic. Late morning - on the way back - was pretty good too. I must say, anyone ever visiting Chicago needs to be on Lakeshore Drive heading North from about the Museum campus all the way to Downtown Chicago. Lake Michigan, at times, is within a hundred yards of Lakeshore Drive - and looking North you do see one of the nicest city skylines around in the distance. It's postcard perfect!
When I got very close to home, i stopped at a good pancake house for some pecan pancakes - and could only eat half of them. My appatite is still very bad. As of today, I've lost 18-pounds in 6-weeks without trying - just can't eat often or much.
The proposed clinical trial really makes me feel like a guinea pig. This med has never been tried on a human before - and the purpose is to establish what side effects will happen and to what degree. In theory, the med makes some sense in how it fights the cancer cells - but there are NO projections for this trial working. It did on lab animals - except a couple of monkeys did die of the side effects.
You know ...... this just is not encouraging at all. And it is so extensive, it would call for a minimum of 17-trips to U. of C. for the two month procedure. Some of those days would be 10-hour days for tests and observation - not including travel time - so, they're 15-hour days.
The clinical trial was option #3 given. Option #1 given was to do nothing with meds except manage pain and to make me comfortable (ie. - hospice)! Option #2 was to do one of the more typical chemos or chemo mixes - and that would have a 10 to 30% chance of extending my life a few more months - or more.
While I didn't get flim-flammed .... they obviously are trying to get people into that clinical trial. I researched it on google and it's been available for nearly a year as a trial - and they want a total of 42-guinea pigs .... and it's not just for metastatic prostate cancer. It is for other cancers as well!
The more I think about it, the more i think i need to find alternate #4! There are two other alternatives thru my existing Oncologist - neither available immediately - and either may give some additional quality of life time - or they may not.
Michele ...... sometimes x-hubbies aren't very viscious. So - did you get that Mercedes???? Not that long ago, I did a small job for my x-wife. She had bought an old home and needed some in-depth code study and wanted a basic landscape design - including fencing and lighting. I charged her about 20-cents on the dollar - and no tips either way! I did though, ask her how she was - and how her maltese has been doing.
Did someone say party?
I understand your concern about everyone leaving the party sober. But handing my keys to your teen-age son????? No disrespect here - but that would be too tempting and too dangerous. It may not look like a sportscar - but it will blow away nearly any BMW on the road! Not an M3 - but just about everything else!
What's a chicken dance?
Oh, and I have had Blue Bell ice cream - but that was in the hospital. Ain't that exciting?
Hoping for a peaceful evening - fireworks and all.
Rob & Gizmo