NYC Journal

[DownUnder]

A few suggestions. The Buddhist monk in me resists giving any sort of 'advice' to anybody. Even our cats.

Talk to one of your specialists or your GP about your symptoms. Communication is the key to everything.

Breakfast like a king, dine like the prime minister, and sup like a peasant.

No food after 6.30 or 7.00, depending on how late you go to bed. I'm usually up til midnight, so I allow myself to eat as late as 7.

Cut the carbs. Mine are rolled oats and brown rice. White flour stuff is out, full stop. (I suspect you already do/don't do this, but I decided to mention it anyway, for those who don't/do.)

Drink lots of water, ideally filtered or at the very least boiled and cooled. Check your hydration when you go to the bathroom and look at the color of your, well, you know. Mid to day yellow means more water.

No alcohol in the evenings after dinner. You don't drink, so it isn't an issue. I do, but let's not go there.

I'm almost 78 and these tips keep me going. Only suggesting, not preaching. YMMD...

 

[Calzone]

DU,

I follow your practices. All my specialists are great. Monday I have a check-in with my radiation oncologist. Last time I saw him was last Monday.

It seems things have opened up over the past 5 days with the 4 treatments. My body is great-full that today is Saturday and I can rest and recover.

All the side effects were tolerable, but radiation is kinda mucho evil.

Today I think it is not being over hydrated that has my bowels upset. The proof is in the toilet with a solid poop.

Oh-well lucky me.

Cal

 

[ASA 32]

A friend here e-mailed me, and wondered if I’m alright. I have not been posting in the very early mornings like I usually do. My absence was a concern.

I come from Long Island (Lawn-Guy-Land) where a researcher discovered that Long Islanders whine 5 times the national average. I can say this: Long Island was full of unhappy people, a bunch of whiners, and of course there is mucho entitlement that goes with that.

So I try not to whine to escape the culture I grew up with. I’m not the type who complains, just the opposite is I am happy-happy.

So I now recognize I have to be truthful about how I am really doing. Holding a full bladder is akin to torture for the radiation procedure. I have a 9:00 AM slot, and if I miss that slot due to not having a full bladder, another patient moves in and I end up getting punished by having to endure more discomfort that necessary.

Point is I never want to not have a full bladder at 9:00 AM. At 8:10 at home I drink/guzzle around 32 ounces of water. Previously before this I drank 16 ounces of water plus perhaps 12 ounces of milk in my steel cut oats. Pretty much I’m overhydrated to avoid punishment of having to wait for a later slot.

So after I get my treatment the first thing I do is empty my bladder, then about 5 minutes later I have to go again, and in another 5 minutes yet again. So I pee 4 times in 4 minutes.

Know that I get up and avoid coffee, so this is a different punishment.

I get up around 4 times a night to pee, but most of the time it is pressure from gas. I get sleep deprive from disrupted sleep.

Then I have my medication schedule. The inhibitor requires an empty stomach and for an hour after I can’t eat. Then I need to take a steroid that requires food. Also I need to have empty bowels before I do the guzzle, so I can maintain my full bladder.

So my mornings this past week with 4 radiation treatments kinda took over my life. I have 35 more treatments to go…

So I don’t know if it’s over hydration or bowel irritation that is causing me to micro-poop throughout the day. Either is due to radiation treatment.

Tonight when I got home after a nice birthday dinner (seafood) I experienced a bad wet fart.

So now know that I am a mess. Warm flashes disrupt my sleep also, and they make it very hard to fall back asleep. It is no lie that I am about half the man I use to be with about half my strength, and about half my energy. Pretty easy to see how this can lead to weight gain and development of other chronic diseases.

I am also prone to heat stroke, so the heat and humidity bother me in an exaggerated manner.

So the fact is I’m kinda suffering, and it is hard to do anything. I’m struggling…

Cal

Cal,
All you describe regarding your radiation prep is familiar to me, having completed 30 prostate radiation treatments a few months ago. It is like torture. One thing I wonder about, though, is your bowel symptoms. Do you think they are related to the radiation? In addition to a full bladder I was required to have an empty bowel before each treatment, to protect against radiation spill-over there. Sloan-Kettering wants their patients to use a Fleets enema before treatment; my Yale cancer center advised a mild laxative if needed the night before. Sending you all good wishes, Robert

 

[Calzone]

Robert,

I’m not sure what is happening. Usually I have a loose stool because I’m generally well hydrated, but for two days I have this golf ball like plug, and later in the day my normal.

My one doctor stresses being as active as I can, so today I brought out the Dewalt compound radial arm saw and cut down the planks to 8 feet or 96 inches. The carriage doors will have to be trimmed and fitted to around 95 inches.

Some of the planks are a full 15 inches wide, somehow two boards are actually 5/4 or an inch and a quarter thick. Kinda heavy duty. These doors might weigh 200 pounds each.

So I actually did work today and sweated a lot. It kinda was what I needed. I had a great day.

Monday I will have a consult with my radiation oncologist. I’ll inquire and get the expert answer.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Our friend Regina who is the Editor of the Peekskill Herald came by to drop off a dinner for us.

Very tasty and fresh.

How nice.

I’m fading in and out of conciseness from today’s work. I feel a glow of sorts from my efforts.

My friend who sent the e-mail mentioned pushing through, and that’s what I did today. Had an episode of hysterical woman today. Worried about when we can’t keep up with the house and downsizing.

Fact is the house is a modest 1500 square feet, dates back to 1912, and the property is only 40x200. Taxes are kinda low, especially for Westchester.

We lived in a 650 square foot “luxury” apartment in Madhattan for a decade. Really how small or how much smaller can we go?

Renting or living in an apartment is going backwards, so pretty much this is it. Later she realized her panic and apologized. This was in response to my radiation treatment she explained.

It isn’t easy for “Maggie” as advised by a friend here. She sees me weakened, and then thinks about when we are 80 and I might not be able to mow the lawn. Crazy stuff…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Not suppose to get too much sun exposure, but I got some today.

Got to live…

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Cal,
It's probably a combination of gut transit slowing, especially during sleep, as well as dehydration. Medications often cause slowdown of peristalsis. Also, do you have any damage to the nerves in that area, or medication which affects nerves in that area, because slowdown in the descending colon may also be due to all the recent medical happenings literally right next door.

In other news, the bike is coming along. I'm not going to spill the beans on what it looks like yet, until I have that well sussed out and it's pretty much all built. I have to say I'm impressed by my work, if I may say so, but really impressed by the workmanship on this gorgeous SLX frame.
Phil

 

[Calzone]

Phil,

The Inhibitor and steroid I have been on for several months. While there are some serious side effects like anemia, bloating and lower energy levels there has been no bowel trouble until I got radiation treatment.

Constipation is a side effect from radiation as well as Di-A-rear. Everyone is different, I’ll find out more Monday when I have the weekly consult with my radiation oncologist, and I guess I’ll see if it reoccurs again with another week of radiation treatment.

Yesterday, Saturday, I was back to normal… Hmmm.

A good thing is I tolerated the heat and humidity well yesterday. I sweated a lot and of course this worked my heart rate. My resting pulse seems to be around 55 repeatedly, but my blood pressure is at the threshold of hypertension.

With Cancer treatment everyone is different. The treatment I’m undergoing is called “Salvage” because the prostatectomy did not render me Cancer free. On a Gleason scale my Prostate Cancer is Stage 4A on a scale of 5. On another scale I am rated a 9 out of 10.

This Inhibitor is a pretty recent wonder drug that has a very high success history gives me a 65-70% chance of being Cancer free for 5 years, but I will be carefully monitored for the rest of my life. There is a 50% chance that I will be Cancer free a decade after treatment.

I will ask when these projections start. For me I still have 20 months more of doing the Inhibitor and ADT (hormone therapy). My guess is the 5 year clock will start when I stop the drugs (treatment).

Know and understand that I’m still on the max dose of Inhibitor, and somehow I’m managing the side effects well. I am told eventually my body will adjust and the side effects might diminish. The thing here is that everyone is different.

The radiation might be irritating my bowels… this is a known side effect.

I have an aggressive Cancer, and it is being treated aggressively. Generally the Inhibitor and ADT has a duration of a year or 18 months. I’m doing this for 2 years.

I have a 30% chance that my testosterone never returns, meaning my “Fem-Out” will be permanent. Also it takes up to a year to 18 months for the effects of the drugs to wear off.

When drug treatment stops my testosterone and PSA will be monitored frequently. My Cancer needs testosterone to grow. The two years of drug therapy effectively starves any Cancer that spread outside the “Prostate-Envelope” meaning pelvis which is getting irradiated.

35 more treatments, but the end coincides with the end of August.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Phil,

An old-timer spoke of triple chrome plating. The extract step is a platinum of nickel before the chrome plating.

I’m thinking the paint was easy to remove, and what remains is a very flashy frame that might be free of any oxidation.

There is chrome plating, and then there is triple chrome plating…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

They say that Cancer treatment can age you. In some cases or even most cases the treatment leads to other chronic diseases that can or will take you out or shorten your life. Heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, weight gain…

Seems like the risk factors grow if you are already overweight, so because I am a somewhat skinny-bitch I have an advantage here to maintain. 157.0 pounds was my last weigh-in. I would like to get under 155 to be officially in skinny-bitch mode.

Know that I suffer one side effect from the inhibitor is bloating so any extra weight gets amplified greatly, and know I am a very vain guy.

So now I have a great insight to what it might be 10 or 15 years from now. I can see me still mowing the lawn and gardening, but “Maggie’s” point yesterday when she had a moment of hysteria/panic is kinda valid: our limitations as we age eventually will kick in and become an eventuality.

Thing is that she is already 72 and 5 years older than me. Her limitations are happening in real-time, while I can hope that after my treatment is finished that my recovery that could take a year to 18 months, that I kinda will hopefully gain a testosterone level, and gain back some or most of my strength and energy level.

What I am experiencing now is a gift: a gift of seeing the future and the vulnerability that is the aging process.

This insight is wisdom if I take advantage of it. Here I am sharing it, but your milage may be different…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I wonder and speculate, is Phil’s current bike project triple chrome plated?

Nickel is shiny like chrome, but it gives off a somewhat yellow cast, but chrome gives off a blueish cast.

If the chrome on this old retro bike remains perfect, my guess the extra step was made.

Ever se a modern Chevy bumper that was chrome plated and rusted off. Granted a mighty thin plating, but know that triple chrome plating is kinda forever. The plating generally was thick.

The metallurgy involved involves molecular bonding at the atomic level wher the nickel is like a primer for the chrome.

Hmmm.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I’m modeling today a DiMarchi full-zip bike jersey that is blue with black trim.

My friend AJ gifted me this and some other bike clothes. Sometimes it pays to have a small build. I’m a size small even though I’m 5’10”.

Sadly his bike shop is now shuttered. Some electrical contractor bought his property. AJ will be working on his collection of Porsches and old pickup trucks.

Also will be doing art. His constructions resemble a Cornell box but on a large scale, combined with the work of the American Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko.

He has his father’s warehouse in the Berkshires as a studio. He will live with his dad 4 days a week.

There is risk here, AJ is only in his 50’s…

I kinda appreciate the edgy move: all or nothing; kinda like graduating art school and then moving to NYC to see if you can make it. Big balls required…

Kids are grown up. Being a one man bike shop is a lot of work and the money is not so great. A bit of a struggle, so AJ should be alright. Remember this guy was a NORBA licensed Pro downhiller. That is mucho edgy…

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

All bike chrome is a three part process, at least the 90s and older frames are this way. The raw steel frame is plated with copper, then that is plated with nickel, finally, the frame is plated with chrome.
Not going to give the smut about if the frame got painted or what. I want this to be a surprise look for the recipient. I will post photos of process and the results when I'm almost done.
Phil

 

[Calzone]

Phil,

Thanks for the clarity. I forgot about the copper plating in triple plating.

Saw another Chevy truck with a rusted out bumper. Shameless lack of quality.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I mowed my lawn which is mostly crab grass. The grass was a bit overgrown, and I depleted the batteries on the Milwaukee mower with just the back yard.

Oh-well.

Rain expected over the next few days, so the lawn could get a bit more feral, kinda like my hair before I got it cut.

Oh-well again.

Took a ride to Beacon. Been a while since we were there, and evidently there has been some business turnover. Prices got expensive.

Went to the health food store there which was mighty big. I bought a sprouting kit and some seeds. Pretty much a way to grow food year round without soil. I started soaking 4 ounces of a protein mix that includes Adzuki, Gorbanzo, Mung, beans and green peas.

Another seed mix is Mung, Adzuki, Lentil, and Dalkon radish for a bean salid.

I like the idea of growing food without soil that can be done year round. Pretty much eating super foods also.

To save money though we will buy bulk seeds and beans from our more local health food store and blend our mixes ourselves.

I remember eating something called “The Healthy Hero” at a place on Spring Street in SoHo when SoHo was a rough area (late 1970’s) where you didn’t even park your car there. SoHo at that time only had a few galleries on West Broadway, and pretty much no other shops except “Food.” Literally no choices other than China town.

This was a take-out only hole in the wall kinda place.

Back then on Canal Street was a “Gay Hardware Store.” Anytime I walked in for hardware I got quick service, meanwhile once there was a woman shopper who was there before me who was treated like a leper. The store was called “Nuts And Bolts Hardware.”

You can’t make this stuff up. At that time I was building out a loft on Grand Street that had 20 foot ceilings. I did basic scut work like sheet rock, spackling, and painting. I had also the keys to the loft so for a summer I kinda lived in SoHo. My mentor was away doing a sculpture installation somewhere in the Deep South.

Somehow a construction worker died on the job; crushed to death doing the instalation.

So it was a whole wheat hero bread with lettuce, a dressing, and sprouted seeds. A refreshing and crispy sandwich.

In my fridge is a gallon bag of what I call curly lettuce, and rabbit-ear lettuce. Also we have fresh Arugula in a raised bed.

Maybe tomorrow our first Zucchini will get harvested. I see a “Repunsal” cherry tomato starting to turn red. There are many green Roma tomatoes also in the raised beds that I made from my neighbor’s still fresh cedar fence.

Tomorrow will be another weigh-in. Last week it was 157.0 pounds, but that includes about 45 ounces or close to three pounds of water. I had to be prepped and drank/guzzled all that water about 50 minutes before my scheduled treatment. I actually might technically be a skinny bitch already because not only was I fully hydrated, but likely overhydrated.

I don’t look so skinny because of the side effect of bloating. I don’t really eat salt, so this bloating is due to drug side effect.

BTW my bladder has a measured capacity of about 350 ml. This is considered a medium sized bladder. The staff reported they had one guy who could hold a full liter, and there was a guy built like me that could hold 800 ml.

“Maggie” in her research mentioned that drinking 16 ounces of hot water will help empty my bowels. I will do this when I take my inhibitor first thing in the morning. Generally this is when I first get up or an hour before I actually get up. Empty bowels are my friend with radiation treatment.

So like in photography timing is important. I need to guzzle the water at the right time, and the right amount so I have a full bladder at precisely 9:00 AM or I blow my slot which involves waiting that only causes more suffering.

Pretty much I have to figure out a calibration of time and volume. Over drinking is required to an extent to avoid blowing through your slot, but over drinking has a price to be paid: discomfort at a profound level that is sustained.

Did you know that warm water is absorbed and processed faster than a cold liquid? To remove that variable I loaded a water bottle and I am leaving it on the counter so it will be room temperature. I also have a carafe filled with room temperature water to fill the required additional glasses.

So at 8:10 AM sharp I need to start drinking/guzzling, so I will have a fixed time envelope for adsorption and kidney filtration. By 8:15 I need to be done with all my drinking. Locked and loaded. By this time I need to have empty bowels.

If the patient before me is done in a timely manor, then at 9:00 AM precisely I could be on the machine, first for a CT scan to check alignment, then the radiation procedure. If perfect I could be out the door in 20 minutes.

But is anything goes wrong… ouch-ouch and ouch again. Real punishment… I forgot, prolonged discomfort…

I think it is my best interest not to add the variable of food. Something like steel cut oats involves about a glass of milk.

So pretty much tomorrow begins a research experiment where I have the goal of finding the optimum volume I need to consume to minimize the torture of having to hold my bladder without over-hydration. The key here is to err on the side of abundance because a shortfall means more and worse punishment.

So lets see my photography development skills crossing over to calibrate the appropriate volume of room temperature water that is required to have a full bladder at precisely 9:00 AM.

BTW they use an ultrasonic probe to measure and see if your bladder is full. Not that at 270 ml I am close enough that after the CT scan they are kinda sure that the filling will be complete.

Also know they also measure after the treatment to verify a full bladder. No cheating.

Not eating breakfast until after 10:00 AM is no big deal.

Also understand that coffee is a bladder irritant, so no coffee until after radiation treatment. Another form of torture.

Know that I used coffee though as a training tool to have and develop bladder control.

Some patients let loose and wet themselves, and then they have to start all over again. So far that is not me.

Cal

 

[oldhaven]

Cancer makes you learn about your body if you intend to live through it

 

[Calzone]

I have an unusual amount of gas. I also poop more frequently, and there is a vast potential for another wet fart.

“Don’t tell “Maggie,” but I think she has noticed.

So after 2 days of rest my bowels seem irritated. Not good…

Tomorrow more smut because of the consult with my radiation oncologist. I’ll get the lowdown on this. From my reading though bowel irregularities are a side effect. How wonderful…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

The weekends go fast when you are not getting radiation treatment. LOL.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

12 fluid ounces is about 354 ml. That is not a lot of volume to fill my bladder.

It is 6:30 and I’m sipping hot water to help empty my bowels.

It takes about 45 minutes for water to be absorbed and then passed through my kidneys.

The 16 ounces of hot water will kinda top me off, and I can measure the output volume. Simple science.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Water weighs about 8 pounds a gallon.

Last week’s weigh-in I was 157.0 pounds, today, a six days later, I was 162.2 pounds, an over 5 pound weight gain.

I was weighed after my radiation treatment, after I emptied my bladder: 157.8 pounds. Within a half hour a 4.4 pound difference.

I lost over a half gallon of water weight, and 350 ml, my bladder capacity is a lot less than a half gallon. Where did the urine go?

At 9:00 AM I’m ready with a full bladder, but then I get my vitals checked and after that my consult with my radiation oncologist. It is around 9:20 and by now my bladder is ready to burst. One of the nurses measures my bladder untrasonically and allows me to have a controlled pee.

To be safe I empty perhaps 3-4 ounces, and the next bladder measurement gives me some room to fill, which I know will happen.

They do the CT scan, but during the actual radiation treatment I do another controlled release to ease the discomfort before I loose total control and have an uncontrolled gusher. I wear this kinda mini-diaper that is not so different than a woman’s Kotex. I figure I released about a quarter pound of water, or 4 ounces.

My underwear remains dry.

At the end of the treatment they measure and record how full my bladder is, and it is still maxed out. The release was very near the end of the radiation treatment.

I have pee’d about 5 times in the hour and perhaps 15 minutes.

At 8:10 AM when I finished my water guzzling I measured my blood pressure 120/70, but after that initial good reading my blood pressure went up moment by moment. Pretty much I was over pressuring my cardio vascular system.

At one point at the hospital my blood pressure was over 180/XX. After emptying my bladder it was 156/XX.

The physics are that over hydration can lead to high blood pressure, but I know without caffine that my “normal” blood pressure is just that, meaning normal.

A stool softener was mentioned to help eliminate the gas and constipation. Also there can be adjustments to the treatment to balance things out.

So I had a very rough morning.

Cal