Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Last Lions

This statistic is chilling. About 50 years ago there were approximately 450,000 lions on our planet. Today there are approximately 20,000.

The Last Lions is a very well done (but sad) movie/documentary about the state of lions in our world. Dereck and Beverly Joubert are the amazing filmmakers responsible for this incredible movie/documentary. Go and see it. Or, better yet, make a donation at:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/big-cats/cause-an-uproar/take-action/

I did. I got a cool T-Shirt.

Carpe Diem.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Boca Mar Del Vista Largo

I'm here visiting my "mommy". She had a small medical procedure done and I figured it would be a good time to pay a quick visit. She is doing ok.

Carpe Diem.

Chemo 9 (Round 7)

The chemo session went well. Once again my blood work was fine, my vitals were good, weight stable and my urine was now negative for protein. The meeting with Dr. Schraeder went well and he reiterated how pleased he was with the scans. Pleased with the stability and no spread.
 
If I may, let me explain how a typical chemo day plays out.
 
I usually try and take the 7:30 am time slot. That way if I have to fast for the cholesterol test I don’t get too hungry. A soon as I get to the infusion center they check me in and then get my vital signs. Then I make my way to the chair where my nurse is eagerly awaiting my arrival. After accessing my port, blood is drawn and then urine is deposited in a little plastic cup. I’m then hooked up to a saline drip (infusion). It usually takes anywhere from half an hour to an hour to get the results. Once the results are in (and providing they are all good) the chemo drugs are ordered by Dr. Schraeder and then custom made. That can take up to one hour. In the mean time, I get my pre chemo medication. This includes steroids, anti nausea, antacids, pain and allergy meds. Once I have had the pre meds I get the 2 different drugs (Alimta and Avastin), separately of course. One takes 10 minutes to infuse and the other takes 30 minutes. Another 10 minutes of saline and I’m done. After about three hours I’m unhooked and released like a exhausted carp !
 
Repeat again in three weeks !!!
 
Carpe Diem.