Making the most of an inoperable situation.

Today is Saturday; it’s my first day with some nerve pain. My knee is killing me. I didn’t do anything to it; it just hurts today. I can only think it is from nerve pain, maybe a slight side effect.

Chip let us sleep in until almost 7 am today. Thank you, bud. We watched Jaws last night for the 50th anniversary of the film. Personally, I like Jaws 2 better. These films are what keep me from swimming in natural bodies of water. Ever since I was a kid, I have been afraid of the water. It probably stems from when my dad “taught” me to swim by tossing me into a lake in Mississippi when I was about 3 years old. Very traumatizing. He said one day, “let’s learn to swim, son,” then I was tossed in. When I got back with my mom, she took us to the YMCA for swim lessons. Needless to say, I was terrified. I cried and cried at the edge of the pool. Even blowing bubbles made me cry. I was holding on to the edge of the pool, kicking in place. So terrifying. I can swim now. I don’t have the fear I had when I was a child. But I certainly won’t go in any ocean, beach, or lake. Not happening.

I’m excited to try a new flavor pack of Nectar Hydration. It was delivered this morning, early. I took my chemo meds today and drank plenty of water. Chip is going to the vet for his monthly injection. He has a luxating patella; his knee pops out of the socket when he walks. My baby is only 4 and has had this issue since he was 1. Poor thing. It doesn’t affect him; he still runs like a maniac throughout the house and on his cat wheel. He loves his wheel.

I tried some new cereal today: Apple Jack flavored donut holes. Pretty good. I had some egg bites also this morning.

I’m saddened by the passing of celebrity chef Anne Burrell. I hate hearing the early reports from TMZ. I wish I could tune it out. Let her family process their loss. Why do they always have to push stories out for clicks? What’s the point in being first to report tragedy? We are all going through our own issues. Let them have time to process. My circumstance is different, but I couldn’t imagine myself in others’ shoes.

It’s going to be a good day today. It’s forecasted to be extra hot near 100 degrees. Afternoon showers may bring the temps down. Until then I’m watching Food Network. I like Pioneer Woman and Girl Meets Farm. The Kitchen is a favorite also. My Saturday morning is full. I wish I could go with my wife to Chip’s appointment but I’d just sit in the car as I am too wobbly to go in to the vet office. Maybe we will go for an ice cream sundae later or tomorrow. It’s nice to venture out to combat the cabin fever.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

It’s Friday then! Saturday, Sunday what!
Rainy and muggy this afternoon. I had my radiation appointment this morning. This was 19 out of 30! 11 to go. I am excited to be at this point. Not much to report today. I had breakfast, meds, radiation, and home again. For lunch this afternoon, I had a juicy peach and a plum. Yummy snacks.

I placed a Walmart order and the driver took forever. It was supposed to be delivered at 1 pm and did not show up until nearly 3 pm. I tracked and watched as he sat in the Taco Bell lot for like 20+ minutes. I would not have minded, but I had some ice cream and perishables in the order. The whole time I’m thinking you better love those tacos, guy. He also gave us two bags we didn’t order: some bagels and bread, along with 3 bundt cakes and 2 cake pop containers. I guess we keep them; I’ve never had this happen before. I’ve had missing items but not extra.

It’s pouring rain here this afternoon. Afternoon showers in Florida aren’t new, but this is a lot of rain for us. Mostly it’s been raining overnight here. Today is a typical FL day. Sunny morning and dark afternoon. I’m glad it’s soaking here though; we’ve needed the rain for a while. The lakes and ponds are so low.

I’m happy to report my vision is restored. Not seeing double anymore is such a blessing. I still have the wobbliness and unsteadiness on my feet. It takes me a moment to get up and start walking. Once I am though, I can go at a snail’s pace to get around the house or treatment center. This morning was a bit of a challenge walking to the bathroom. It took me a few extra moments to get my bearings. I stumbled a bit, but was okay. Walking out to my Jeep was a bit of a struggle today. Just weak and wobbly. I take my time and go one step at a time.

The time tech was there today. She must’ve seen that we have been early all week. Not one mention of us being on time or anything. Thanks. I hope you realize we try our best to get there, and it is difficult to do on certain days. But guess what time tech, you won’t ever see us “late” again.

One day at a time. Faith, Family, and Love.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

We arrived early to radiation. It was sunny and hot. 8 AM and it’s this hot out. It’s going to be a brutal summer. Just keep the rain away while I’m out, please. Traffic was a breeze. Riding in Rooster was awesome. I got a couple of Jeep Waves on the way. I love the community of driving and owning a Jeep. We get ducked also. I’ve not been a witness to the ducking, but I see the results on my dash.

We arrive, and the valet lady is there. When she sees our Jeep, she automatically checks us in and gets me a wheelchair. We then head in. They were using an alternate check-in desk after the fire. Today was back to normal. They call my wife a feisty redhead. The receptionists love her. While waiting for the tech to bring us back, you see your waiting room friends—people who are also there for treatment and their caregivers. This older lady saw me and waved. Her husband is there for treatment. She said to him, “There’s our friend.” I wave and smile. This man is nice. He asked me what I was in for, what type of cancer I have, etc. He called me “son.” He said I was too young to be going through this. I said cancer knows no age. We are here.

The tech comes out and takes a few people before me as they’re scheduled. One patient’s appointment was moved without his knowledge. They pushed him to 7:30 AM. It was 8:25 at this point. Poor guy. He was older and probably couldn’t navigate his patient portal. They were giving him the business because he was late. I wanted to stick up for him, but I held station.

Finally, it was my turn. The tech brings me back, loads me up on the table, and snaps me in with the mask. They pull me up, down, left, and right. I say “A, B, A, B, Start,” and my tech laughs. Old Nintendo cheat code reference. Zapping commences and is quick. Once I hear the buzzing of the machine, I know I have about 90 seconds left of the treatment.

Today I’m feeling nostalgic, so I am going to have a TNG day. I started with a favorite episode of mine called “Sins of the Father.” Worf is brought back to the homeworld Kronos to defend his father’s actions at Khitomer. Being accused of treason, Mogh supposedly gave the Romulans defense access codes. This was not so.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Today marks my halfway point with radiation therapy. I have 15 left to go. My nurse today said the fatigue could increase being this far along. I hope not. I am already so tired each day. I couldn’t imagine being any more tired.

The doctor’s appointment today was a breeze. I asked about taking supplements and the doctor said to wait until at least 4 weeks after the last treatment. He was in and out. Quick visit with him. The nurse visit was longer.

Kind of uneventful today. The egg bite updated recipe was delicious. Very cheesy, and I could taste the hot sauce.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

The time tech was there today. She made no mention of me or time at all. Nor should she have. My mom came up. She comes Tuesday and Wednesday. I asked the manager at the treatment center to move my blood work appointments closer to my treatment appointment. I’ve had no luck calling scheduling myself to move it closer. I figured since I had an in with the manager now, due to last week’s debacle, it would be fine. All future blood work appointments are now closer to my radiation therapy appointment, not at 12:45 as previously scheduled. Since I’m ride dependent still, it makes no sense to go and come back hours apart. I explained this multiple times to the scheduler, and they didn’t give two you-know-whats.

So I did my radiation with no problem. The time tech assisted my regular tech. The zapping was easy and fast. I saw my favorite phlebotomist today. She brought me right up for the blood draw. She’s so nice. I enjoy seeing most of the staff there, not the time tech. I’m a nice guy; I treat people how I’d like to be treated. It’s just something that was instilled in me at a young age. It takes you much farther than gruffness and rudeness.

We got done and went to the pharmacy. Last night, I was filling my medication organizer and noticed I was low on my anti-nausea meds. I requested the refill for today, and it was done. I asked Mom to take me, and she did. I had to order some Senokot from Amazon. It was delivered today. Then we came home and watched a movie on Netflix. It was good, Havoc. I know my wife would not enjoy it, so I watched it with Mom today. Then we watched American Primeval, also on Netflix. Very good series.

Tomorrow is more radiation and a doctor appointment to track progress and answer questions. I need to ask about supplements I can take during radiation, if I’m allowed to, and if it will interact with treatment, etc. I’ve heard conflicting answers online, so it’s better to go straight to the source for the answers.

The boys stayed away all day today. Sometimes they like checking on me when my mom is here. Today was not one of those days. They got kisses from their Gammie (my mom), but then they stayed in the front of the house all day.

I forgot to mention, the time tech sounded terrible today. Maybe she got me sick with this sinus infection. Shouldn’t she be home away from immunocompromised patients? Hmm. I wonder.

Stay safe everyone! Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

4 weeks of zapping. I am happy to say the side effects I have read about have been minimal for me. I have not had any loss of appetite, no hair loss, and no nausea. I am stoked.

My alarm didn’t go off today, not sure why. I set it for 5 am. I got up around 3 to go to the bathroom. I went back to bed and checked my phone. I drifted off, and my wife was waking me up around 5:10 am. I thought it was still around 3.
Not to worry, I got up with plenty of time to get ready. Bathed and shaved, got dressed, and made breakfast. I took my meds around 5:30 am. I like to eat a banana before my egg bite breakfast. Then I take my meds, then I eat the rest of my breakfast and watch a bit of local news.

We leave early to appease the mean tech who told me in so many words to be there early. We left at 7:50 or so. We got there early as requested. Since the fire, there have been changes to protocols at the treatment center. I no longer check in at the check-in desk. We walk right through and go to a secondary waiting area. I check in and get my ID bracelet and fall risk bracelet. The mean tech was nowhere in sight. I wanted to point her out to my wife and be like, “Look, that’s the meany.” No such luck. My normal tech comes out and gets a guy ahead of me. Guess what? They are running behind a few minutes. We were on time and early! Tech says, “Mr. McLarty, we will be with you after this patient.” Ok guy, see you soon. Zapping takes about 5-7 minutes. My view of the ceiling is below. It’s pretty cool. It’s just a light cover, but it gives a nice picture to look at while you’re getting the radiation zapping.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.
The boys let us sleep till 6:40 am. Thank you, my furry fellas. 7 am would have been much nicer to sleep in, especially since I didn’t get to bed until after 1 am. We were up late watching a great movie, Echo Valley, and a great show, The Better Sister. Both had great writing. I wish Echo Valley had done more with the ending. It kind of dropped off, but it was fantastic. So far, The Better Sister has been great.

We got up and had breakfast. Took my meds. My normal start to the day. We made egg bites today, as is Sunday tradition now. I doubled up the egg whites along with 18 eggs. I need more hot sauce next time; I prefer Cholula. Very cheesy. This made 46 egg bites. We tried one that broke apart when it was in the cooldown tray, so 45 left. We have 2 bites a day each. I wanted a bagel, so for lunch, I toasted an Asiago bagel from Walmart and had some cream cheese on it. Not super healthy, but I didn’t feel like a sandwich today. It was tasty. I got a nice little steam burn on my wrist from making the egg bites.

The last couple of days, I developed a cough with some phlegm. Mainly just in the morning when I wake up. Hopefully, it’s just a side effect from the chemo, etc. I noticed some sinus drainage Friday night at dinner. My nose was a bit runny. Saturday I woke up with the cough. Today wasn’t as bad. My wife has had some symptoms as well—sneezing and sinus issues. I gave her a Nectar pack to try last night. It seemed to help her with hydration and made her feel somewhat better. She found a bag of Liquid IV and had one today. I can’t have my caretaker taken down by sickness. I’m already immune compromised.

Got done with the egg bites and lunch just in time for the pre-race show today. Montreal GP was decent. Finally got to see the two McLarens come together, and Lando was taken out. I’d much prefer Oscar retire from the race to close up the gap in the championship. Max finished P2. Not a bad result. Mercedes 1, 3.

Tomorrow, Monday, back at it again. More radiation zapping. We have to leave at 7:55 am to get there early so the tech doesn’t come down on me too hard. She was feisty telling me about being late. Not really late, but they want us there 15 minutes prior. We got this. I told my mother about it as well. She brings me Tuesday and Wednesday, so she will have to leave her house a few minutes earlier.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Pushed hard to get there early today. Yesterday the tech mentioned to get in early as instructed. We did. It was an easy drive over, just a bit of Saturday shopping traffic. I got signed in, and they wheeled me right back. Radiation was quick today.

We went to Walgreens after to pick up some birthday cards and Father’s Day cards. I sat in the Jeep jamming out to some music while my wife went in to shop. I forgot how good the speakers are in my Jeep. Put on some Shaboozey and some Colter Wall. Nice mood music for after radiation therapy.

Got finished and headed back home. My wife made me a sandwich and some chips. I had a nice juicy peach and a plum afterward. It wasn’t a Mackinac peach; those are only in season two weeks a year according to Newman. Want the pit?

I watched Formula 1 FP3 and am currently waiting for Quali to come on. Another hour or so. I like the early time for F1. When it’s in this hemisphere, the schedule puts it late like this. I’d rather watch in the morning and be done than wait around all day for quali/race.

I took a bit of a nap after FP3, maybe 45 minutes. I needed it. I was a bit tired today after therapy. I also woke up with a bit of a cough today. Hoping it doesn’t progress. I told my radiation tech, and she said to message the patient portal, which I did. They don’t really respond on the weekend. I do take an antibiotic daily during chemo.

All in all, a good day so far. Just tired and weak. Not much fatigue like before. My head sweats are here post-zapping. It happens.

My boys have abandoned me once again. Pancake hung out for a bit, but Chip is not around. He must be in a sun patch in the front of the house. I want a snuggle from him.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Time is a funny thing. It keeps ticking and never stops.
We try to manage our time, but sometimes time gets away from us. I’m usually always on time. Sometimes there’s traffic and other circumstances that put you behind. Today, the tech asked me in so many words to ask my wife to get me there 15 minutes prior to each appointment. No problem. We will leave a bit earlier. She said it just messes with their flow when we are late. We were 5 minutes late today. My normal tech wouldn’t say anything. At least, I don’t believe he would.

So tomorrow, we will be there early. Just gotta allow for traffic, etc. Tomorrow is Saturday. Normally, I don’t have Saturday appointments; this is a makeup day from the fire at the hospital on Monday. I get up early, so that is not the issue. Driving and leaving is the issue. Traffic sucks.

This morning, Chip was extra cute. He climbed on me. He was very talkative today. I love when he tells me things. He walks in and pauses. I say, “Hi Baby,” and his tail pops up straight as an arrow. He loves being called Baby. He loves all his nicknames. He won’t come in until I greet him and say, “Hi Baby.” Pancake just sits in the hall looking in. He doesn’t really respond to me that often. He just likes to swarm me when I go in the kitchen. They both like to knock over my cane when I am in the kitchen. They rub their faces on it, or they like to smack it to knock it over. Silly boys.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Today was a good day. Got up, made breakfast, ate, watched the news, and took my meds. I started the day without a hitch. When it was time for my chemo meds, I took them. You have to take them an hour before radiation treatment. I got ready and headed to the treatment center. It is nice being able to ride in my Jeep. I miss driving, as you know. I am hopeful to drive soon. My vision is much better these days. I need to start wearing my glasses again. I can see great with my sunglasses going to radiation.

We arrived; it’s only a 12-15 minute drive from the house to the hospital where the radiation center is. Upon arrival, the receptionist explained what happened yesterday with me being passed over in the hall. Apparently, someone instructed us to wait on the first floor, and the medical assistant would call us up for blood work. This did not happen. We were told to head up to the second floor and wait there, and someone would come get us. Okay, no big deal—a communication breakdown. Yesterday, a floor manager and an assistant came to speak to me regarding the long wait. They were adamant about us being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t think so. They told us to head up to the second floor. I understand the confusion. It was a madhouse. They were just doing their jobs, and there was a breakdown. I mean, there was a fire, and they were just trying to work through the madness.

All apologies. The entire staff I encountered today was apologetic regarding the long wait. I’m an easy-going type of guy. Little things like this don’t bother me. I was just tired of waiting in the hall for such a long time. My mother was with me. She took a couple of pictures of me sleeping in the hall waiting for the phlebotomist to bring me back.

Today’s treatment was easy. They took me right back and got the zapping started. About 9 minutes of radiation, and I was on my way back home. They were supposed to have me on a Zoom call with my Radiation Oncologist, Dr. PG, but that email for the Zoom never came through. As I was climbing up in the Gladiator, Rooster (my Jeep’s name), the receptionist came out to talk to us. She said to watch for an email today regarding the Zoom call. That never came. I checked most of the morning until a nurse called a few hours later and asked if I had any questions for the doctor. I did not have any, and she said she would tell the doctor no questions. I have another appointment regularly scheduled for tomorrow. Saturday will be the makeup day for the missed appointment on Monday due to the fire at the hospital.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce