The Ten O'clock Pills

2200
13 NOV 2008

Marks the end of my day.

0600 Marks its awakening but the pill regime is already six hours
old. Then 0900, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2100 and finally 2200, a Special
Dose of three drugs known to interact with pills taken at 2100. So we
give the 2100 pills a chance to dissipate before taking the others.
No vomiting nor cramps; a 'good' swallow.

More pills through the night: 1200/0000... your choice I prefer to
mark them as the first of the next day's regime: 0000. Then 0300 .

Lotsa pills.

Kinda like a game of chess.

Weekly trip to the lap to have them tap a sample of claret. Run it
through their machines. Data goes into the computer which compares
this vintage with those past. Up or down and by how much; recommended
minimum & maximums.

Oncologist & Internal medicine guy pouring over the reports, looking
at the drugs being used, at their quantities and their amounts. Does
changing this alter that? I'm there with my chip-sized voice
recorder, backed up by Mr. Gregg's shorthand. Changes, if any, go
into the log and all must agree.

Changes -- even small ones -- can have unexpected consequences and I
am the Lab Rat. Some changes are too much but one pill does not an
ocean make. Try it for a week if possible, to see if the lab report
agrees. Puking for Science.

To be taken four times per day. Twice per day. Once. With food.
After eating. One full glass of water. (That's 8 ounces, by
convention) Taken at bedtime. (2200 by convention) 2.5Mg but that
dosage is not available so it's 5.0Mg, split in half. But the
halving causes the brittle pill to shatter into dust. So you grind
ten pills into powder with mortar & pestle, weigh-out a precise 2.5Mg
into papers, like pharmacists of yore. The results come back, a tiny
twitch on the lab report telling us we are going in the right
direction.

We are combating a tumor, mindless but lethal. It works 7/24, a
remarkably complex organism in its effort to kill me. By killing its
host it violates the rules. A Kami-kazi tumor.

The chess game is exhausting, the outcome not a trophy but a life.
Vitals are good, so far. We are neither winning nor losing but
learning, amazed to see that the tumor adapts.

-Bob the score-keeper

wrote in message ...
2200
13 NOV 2008

Marks the end of my day.

0600 Marks its awakening but the pill regime is already six hours
old. Then 0900, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2100 and finally 2200, a Special
Dose of three drugs known to interact with pills taken at 2100. So we
give the 2100 pills a chance to dissipate before taking the others.
No vomiting nor cramps; a 'good' swallow.

More pills through the night: 1200/0000... your choice I prefer to
mark them as the first of the next day's regime: 0000. Then 0300 .

Lotsa pills.

Kinda like a game of chess.

Weekly trip to the lap to have them tap a sample of claret. Run it
through their machines. Data goes into the computer which compares
this vintage with those past. Up or down and by how much; recommended
minimum & maximums.

Oncologist & Internal medicine guy pouring over the reports, looking
at the drugs being used, at their quantities and their amounts. Does
changing this alter that? I'm there with my chip-sized voice
recorder, backed up by Mr. Gregg's shorthand. Changes, if any, go
into the log and all must agree.

Changes -- even small ones -- can have unexpected consequences and I
am the Lab Rat. Some changes are too much but one pill does not an
ocean make. Try it for a week if possible, to see if the lab report
agrees. Puking for Science.

To be taken four times per day. Twice per day. Once. With food.
After eating. One full glass of water. (That's 8 ounces, by
convention) Taken at bedtime. (2200 by convention) 2.5Mg but that
dosage is not available so it's 5.0Mg, split in half. But the
halving causes the brittle pill to shatter into dust. So you grind
ten pills into powder with mortar & pestle, weigh-out a precise 2.5Mg
into papers, like pharmacists of yore. The results come back, a tiny
twitch on the lab report telling us we are going in the right
direction.

We are combating a tumor, mindless but lethal. It works 7/24, a
remarkably complex organism in its effort to kill me. By killing its
host it violates the rules. A Kami-kazi tumor.

The chess game is exhausting, the outcome not a trophy but a life.
Vitals are good, so far. We are neither winning nor losing but
learning, amazed to see that the tumor adapts.

-Bob the score-keeper


Man, that is amazing. Keeping up on the science while it is you. Thank you very much for sharing, Bob!

Hang in there Bob....


dr. denny

Bob,
If you're feeling well enough, maybe you can make a target for your
Hawken. Put a sign on it saying "Mister Cancer", and start plugging
away at it. Call it positive visualization practice.

A.L.
Phoenix

On Nov 15, 11:36*am, wrote:
Bob,
If you're feeling well enough, maybe you can make a target for your
Hawken. *Put a sign on it saying "Mister Cancer", and start plugging
away at it. *Call it positive visualization practice.

A.L.
Phoenix
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear A.L.

The condition I'm in, I can barely LIFT a rifle. (I carry a little 9mm
(short) or .380 as my Constant Home Companion. Why? Because when
you're sick you never know who's liable to drop in.)

But as for targets, if you'll scan my blog you'll find an article
extolling the usefulness of DeltaCAD, a simple 2D drafting program
that has become the de facto standard among homebuilders. In the
article I show a number of examples that do NOT have anything to do
with airplanes, including a 5-target page for air rifles. Print it
out (as many as needed). Glue to cardboard and slip into the pellet-
catcher.

Even if you can't lift the air rifle (11 lbs !!) you can prop it up.
Practice keeps your eye & trigger finger in tune.

-Bob

On Nov 14, 1:50*am, " wrote:
2200
13 NOV 2008

Marks the end of my day.

0600 *Marks its awakening but the pill regime is already six hours
old. *Then 0900, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2100 and finally 2200, a Special
Dose of three drugs known to interact with pills taken at 2100. *So we
give the 2100 pills a chance to dissipate before taking the others.
No vomiting nor cramps; a 'good' swallow.

More pills through the night: 1200/0000... your choice *I prefer to
mark them as the first of the next day's regime: 0000. *Then 0300 *.

Lotsa pills.

Kinda like a game of chess.

Weekly trip to the lap to have them tap a sample of claret. *Run it
through their machines. *Data goes into the computer *which *compares
this vintage with those past. *Up or down and by how much; recommended
minimum & maximums.

Oncologist & Internal medicine guy pouring over the reports, looking
at the drugs being used, at their quantities and their amounts. *Does
changing this alter that? *I'm there with my chip-sized voice
recorder, backed up by Mr. Gregg's shorthand. *Changes, if any, go
into the log and all must agree.

Changes -- even small ones -- can have unexpected consequences and I
am the Lab Rat. *Some changes are too much but one pill does not an
ocean make. *Try it for a week if possible, to see if the lab report
agrees. *Puking for Science.

To be taken four times per day. *Twice per day. *Once. *With food.
After eating. *One full glass of water. *(That's 8 ounces, by
convention) Taken at bedtime. *(2200 by convention) *2.5Mg but that
dosage is not available so it's 5.0Mg, split *in half. *But the
halving causes the brittle pill to shatter into dust. *So you grind
ten pills into powder with mortar & pestle, weigh-out a precise 2.5Mg
into papers, like pharmacists of yore. *The results come back, a tiny
twitch on the lab report telling us we are going in the right
direction.

We are combating a tumor, mindless but lethal. *It works 7/24, a
remarkably *complex organism in its effort to kill me. *By killing its
host it violates the rules. *A Kami-kazi tumor.

The chess game is exhausting, the outcome not a trophy but a life.
Vitals are good, so far. *We are neither winning nor losing but
learning, amazed to see that the tumor adapts.

-Bob the score-keeper

Hi again Bob,

Relay for Life.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2754248...7605556391887/

My family and I did this for cancer research just this Summer and we
are planning to do it again for the Summer of 2009 if we are still in
the US at that time (we might be visiting Laos next Summer).

We also did fund-raising for Cystic Fibrosis and got our picture in
the paper even. lol.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3051298...n/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30512987@N02/3002536555/

Above two pics are of my wife and I all spiffed up for the gala.

So are they rescheduling you for the operation? My step mother and my
mother in law both chose not to have the operation and they both
didn't make it. I wish they had chosen to have it done.

Any ways, you'll come out of this just fine we are pulling for you and
thanks for keeping us informed. We are learning not only about making
airplanes from you, we are also learning about VW engines, green horn
worms and first hand (almost) about cancer. You are truly a gift.

Monk

On Nov 15, 8:57*pm, Flyingmonk wrote:

.... you'll come out of this just fine we are pulling for you and
thanks for keeping us informed. *We are learning not only about making
airplanes from you, we are also learning about VW engines, green horn
worms and first hand (almost) about cancer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Monk (an Friends),

Yes, there is more to Aviation than driving an aeroplane :-)

It is Sunday morning here, just past 1000 (ie, 10:00 a.m.). I had a
very good night: NO PAIN. I awoke in the night BEFORE the pain
reached a significant level, allowing me to take some slow-release
pain-killers. I stayed awake, working on the drawings for a Do-it-
yourself Gascolator until the drugs began to kick-in, then put my head
down and got an additional four hours of delicious sleep.

I know that sounds a bit silly -- praising a couple hours of sleep --
but it was a significant event in my cancer-altered life.
When the day begins well, I am filled with confidence, ready to
tackle the do-able projects -- projects I can do sitting down --
with New Zealand energy. (Old Marine Corps joke there.)

-Bob

schreef:

I know that sounds a bit silly -- praising a couple hours of sleep --

Doesn't sound silly at all to me, Bob!
Sleep is a basic resource for humans.
My troubles are nothing when compared to yours,
but a good night's sleep is a rare treasure to me too.

PS I'm quite curious about the gascolator,
could never understand what the term really stands for
though I once asked here & got helpful replies.