Comments on: What they don’t tell you.

By: bowser

bowser — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 09:38:05 +0000

Good luck. Thinking of you.

By: DanS

DanS — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 20:18:47 +0000

…for anything less would be tragic.
;^)

By: Jody

Jody — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:12:39 +0000

I am so sorry you are enduring this Bowser.

By: ER

ER — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 13:16:04 +0000

If it makes you feel any better, just keep in mind we all eventually wind up in that same boat–sometimes more than once.

By: bowser

bowser — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:26:22 +0000

I had almost the same vision. A boat in a storm. Just get this over as fast as possible, no matter what the cost, ride it out, it won’t kill me and if it does I won’t know.

It’s not as if I haven’t done damned near everything and everybody I’ve wanted to.

By: bowser

bowser — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:26:05 +0000

I don’t have a kidney stone! I understand those carry with them their own particular kind of agony, leading people to confess to crimes as yet uncommitted. I’ve heard of people with kidney stones promising the Devil they’ll register Republican if only the pain would quit.

I’ll be thinking of you, and best of luck with that operation. Frankly, it sounds a bit scary, although I understand renal stuff is routine for the physicians. That doesn’t make it any better for the patients.

Good luck.

By: bowser

bowser — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:15:15 +0000

It used to be that when one was miserable it was in the interest of learning something, or getting into better shape, somehow winding up better than you were or more able to cope.

Now the misery is endured with the hope that one will get back to something approaching feebleness. Not the same deal.

I think that after 70 whatever doesn’t kill us makes us weaker.

There are all kinds of chemicals used for chemotherapy. They have different actions on the body, and different people have the different reactions. I don’t know if what I’m taking is particularly toxic or not. I do know my sister had cancer and was on these same chemicals and stopped.

Thanks a lot of the good wishes. (Whodda thunk??!!)

Arf

By: bowser

bowser — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:08:02 +0000

For the encouraging words and the advice. I’ve ordered the New Zealand Manuka honey, expensive stuff, from Amazon, got the oxtail, and will put it into the crockpot tonight and make a stew. Will get the CoQ10 tomorrow. Oddly enough, no one in the US makes oxtail soup commercially any more. There is some imported from England at one very high cost.

Thanks again.

By: Robert

Robert — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 04:40:57 +0000

Once again my heart goes out to you, bowser; and bleeds for you.

Here I was, feeling sorry for myself ’cause I’ve been carrying around an inoperable kidney stone for three weeks, and the next surgery to try again isn’t until Thursday. But that’s small beans, kidney pun intended. I’m kind of ashamed of the whimpering I’ve been doing lately. That’s a miserable cross you’re bearing.

It’s the chronic pain and suffering, and not so much the occasional spike of intense pain, that wears you down over time. I know it’s hard to imagine that it’ll get better when it seems you’re just on an endless treadmill, but try to hold on to that thought. And maybe you should question your calculus of pain: The chemo won’t last six years, but it could buy you at least six not so bad years, probably more. Hard as it is to see in the middle of it, maybe the bargain’s better than it seems.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you, bowser.

By: ER

ER — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 04:10:45 +0000

Steer close into the weather, back the jib to windward, close-haul your reefed main, and lash the tiller to leeward. Ride it out as best you can until it blows over. Chances are you’ll make it. Good luck.