Tuesday, March 27, 2012

full time work 9 April 2012

The dogs are still alive and I'm up again at 0430. It's okay I like a quiet morning time more than I say.

Big doings. I'm returning to full time work 9 April 2012. It's kind of a big deal. This is kind of a big deal -- more for symbolism than money. It's be just about a year when I first went into the hospital via the ER for a stop in the OR on the April 14th last year.

Pretty cool huh?

that's it for now.

Bill

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Last pill

Good Morning Chemo 13:

Well it’s 0430 and I have dog murder on my mind. I am up because these spoiled K-9 bastards wanted a snack. When I was sick I used to get up about 0330, give them a snack, have coffee, and do my blog. Now that I’m not sick they still want to get up at 0330 and have a snack.

Oh well!

This is a picture of an old guy who looks like I will in about ten years (okay it’s me) holding the only pill my oncologist requires me to take every day. It’s a far cry from flushing lines that went to my Hickman device (for those of you who don’t remember it was a three line catheter connected to my superior vena cava), self-injections of neuprogen, and a handful of pills every day, twice a day.

A long walk for sure.

For the next 90 days I am going to workout like a crazy man, eat judiciously, and go back to work full time in about two weeks

Thursday, March 22, 2012

22Mar2012


Well not a whole heck of a lot to report other than my ever-expanding center of gravity. I am blaming it on the Prednisone and not the pastries. It’s just that after chemo and having got my taste buds back, everything tastes so darn good and that includes pastries (especially pastries).

Great workout yesterday. I’ve decided to really push the exercise of the next 90 days and see what kind of progress I can make with some real focused dedication. Today is a bike riding/walking day should be a lot of fun.

See you guys later.

Bill

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

good news


Chemo 13:

It’s true. Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you – today I ate a grizzly.

Just got back from the doc (two appointments actually) and it’s all pretty good news. Whatever I’m doing right seems to be working.

While my platelets are still well below normal, everything else is trending the right way. I am – as they say – asymptomatic and in remission. The doc took me off two of my medications so that means I don’t have to take half dozen pills every morning -- just three or so. Could be way worse.

They seem to think the neuropathy will take care of itself over time. No oncology appointments for the 90 days and no scans for a year!!!

So much to be thankful for!!

I guess that’s it!

Love to all,

Bill

Monday, March 19, 2012

Special recovery blog positive update


Special recovery blog positive update


Okay after a certain amount of whining in yesterday’s special recovery blog, it’s only right that I report I had a very good day yesterday.

I MOWED THE LAWN!!

While at first glance it may seem that mowing the lawn is more a punishment than an accomplishment, nay I say to you. You see, the last time I tried to mow the lawn was in the fall and It nearly killed me – and I have a self-propelled mower!! It was in September – I think – and I started that mower up and it dragged me across the lawn. It looked like a Jackie Chan stunt gone bad. Any, what should have been a twenty-minute job turned into an hour long trial ending with me laying on my front step trying to catch my breath.

Yesterday however went great. I started that thing up, manhandled it through the gate -- which is almost too narrow – and mostly dodged the dogs. NO puppies were hurt in the mowing of the lawn. I must confess to going over clumps of grass and aiming the mower shoot in the dog’s general direction, but as I’ve said before they are smarter than I am.

I guess that’s it!

I’ll be blogging some more now as I am making some progress. Remember, you can catch up with my recovery at http://billsburkittsrecovery.blogspot.com/

Peace,

Bill


Sunday, March 18, 2012

Recovers special


It’s true – some times you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you.

It was beautiful Saturday. At about 0800 I left my house, golf clubs in the back of my pickup truck and plans for 18 holes for the first time in more than a year. I felt good vibrations heading to a pretty nice municipal golf course – DelCastle in picturesque New Castle County.

I was especially positive because I’ve been working out almost every day after work as a way to help my recovery along. On alternate days I will walk, lift weights, or ride my bike. While I am as strong as most tenth grade members of the chess club, I have made a lot of progress.

So I was pretty sure I was ready to knock it dead with a bunch of septuagenarians and bloated middle aged men trying to survive the game so they can smoke cigars behind their wives backs and drink a pitcher of beer to top off their athletic endeavor, all while keeping their heart rates pretty much the same as when they drove in the parking lot. Think about it -- when you ride in a cart how tough can golf really be – it is actually the world’s longest outdoor parlor game.

Well the bloat crowd had the last laugh yesterday. For the first few holes things were going okay. I was feeling pretty good and looking forward to telling lies and engaging in hyperbole when the round was over.  I really can’t drink yet so I figured I’d get all strung out on Coke (the beverage) when it was done and make fun of pro golfers on the TV that’s always playing in the clubhouse. I usually stink at golf and yesterday I was playing usual game, but without losing any balls and not double parring most holes. Okay, okay, I must admit an eight may have snuck in on a par four.

So at about the fifth hole my feet get numb and tingly. Neuropathy! Poop! Double poop!

At this point it’s not too bad so I figure I’ll just tough it out for the next 13 holes. I really want to get a cheeseburger with the fellas when we are done. Although it’s distracting I drive on and do okay. When we were done on the seventh hole (which I did miraculously well on), I tried to trot across the green to get to the cart and my legs just went wobbly as if they were asleep. I had been down this road before and I knew my day was coming to an end.

We get to the eighth tee and I completely distracted, have lost my enthusiasm, and now have a shooting pain in my right hip. Who hell knows where that came from? I don’t want to be the wiener that doesn’t finish the game (like Tiger Woods did last week), but I know I’m done.

Almost in tears because I thought I was a bit further along, I tell my buddies I’m done and am going home. They understand and one of my friends drives me to my truck where I am so disgusted I just throw the clubs in the truck and head home (golf shoes still ON).

When I get home I lick my wounds, suck my thumb, take a nap, have a sandwich and vegetate in front of the TV for the rest of the day.

I’m okay today, but the whole thing kind of sucked. I guess this recovery stuff is a longer road than I thought. Oh well.

Love to all,

Bill

I hope to play again real soon! J

Monday, March 5, 2012

fashion show


Our first selection features Harry Potter – a Mid-Atlantic Sofa Dog.
He is wearing a piece from the Pashmina Collection. This 100% cotton rag imported from India is dyed a non-allergenic red and goes with most hospital gowns and is generally available in larger sizes only.







 Mabel is a Nurse Bear from the renown “What’s A Matter U” nursing program in Frostbite Falls, Minnesota. She is wearing a paisley head covering from her signature scarf collection “Mabel Coverings for Melons.” This silk item is available in small, medium, and large.





We were fortunate to get this superstar of medical research and exclusive haute couture modeling, Brewster. Brewster is the original Brown University Bruin. A research scientist working on the perfect chocolate and cold fusion, Brewster is wearing a dapper piece from the old sock collection. This 100% wool do rag has the benefit of keeping your head or foot warms.





Coco chose a retro piece for her ensemble and went with the always stylish Jacky Kennedy babushka kerchief of 100% with cotton. This piece while available in all sizes is most attractive in the petite.







As we all know models can be persnickety bunch and this one personifies that more than the rest, the star of our show -- Pearl Potter. In fact she refused to wear a do rag saying, “ I don’t do  do-rags.” Instead she chose a piece from her retro Olivia Newton John “Let’s Get Physical” collection.