Bud Baker
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Posts posted by Bud Baker
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Good afternoon, everyone!
It was 41 degrees when I got up this morning. Forecast high is 50. It's raining outside and more is on the way.
Rose and I rode 32 miles in the 40 mph wind gusts Tuesday, but I haven't been on the bike since. The wind just keeps blowing and now it's raining too.
The only thing I've done since then was when Rose and I went out and bought a new recliner last night. My old one was pretty ancient, and I wanted a bigger one since my dogs insist on joining me for all the TV watching I'm doing these days.
So we bought a 52 inch wide recliner. Rose says I look like one of those comedy skits where they're trying to look like a child in a giant chair when I sit in it......LOL. We brought it home and unloaded it ourselves, no small feat since she's not supposed to lift more than 10 pounds with her left arm and I'm not supposed to lift more than 5 pounds with my left arm.
Eric, I'm enrolled in a Pharmacy Technician program. They assist pharmacists, but it's a job that doesn't require nearly as much education as it does to become a real pharmacist. As drug dependent as our society in this country has become, there are lots of pharmacy technician jobs around, so I'm hoping to find work close to home, and less physically demanding work than I've been doing.
Have a great day, all!
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PCI?
in SCLC GROUP
PCI is Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation, also often called whole brain radiation. I have not had PCI, but I'm sure someone who can tell you more will be along soon. You might also check at GRACE for more information on it.
Sorry to read of your dad's diagnosis, izzyleung. Best wishes for you both.
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 40 degrees when I got up this morning. Forecast high is 61. That's a lot cooler than it's been the last few days. We had a cold front come in yesterday morning.
KW Judy, like Lillian said, a TENS unit uses electrical impulses to help with pain. Electrical impulses, it seems, can interfere with pain signals going from a nerve to the brain. A TENS unit hooks to you with sticky electrodes (like those they use when they do an EKG).
The VA gave me a TENS unit shortly after I signed up for VA health care in 2002. I used it the next few months, then never since until now. It's a reminder that it had been over 9 years since I tweaked my back this badly.
My back steadily improved all week. I did a 25 mile bike ride on Thursday and spent yesterday fishing. So, I was only off the bike 5 days, and only went a week without fishing. I need to be very careful with my back for a while yet, but it looks like the worst is over.
Time for me to get busy. Have a great Saturday, everyone!
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Great news! Congrats on the good scans!
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Good morning, everyone!
It is 57 degrees here. Forecast high is 76. Tomorrow, they're predicting 84 degrees!
This will be my fourth day of doing nothing. My back is a bit better, but I'm still pretty cratered. I'm sitting here enjoying my TENS unit to start the day.
What are you studying online?Eric, I've started an online Pharmacy Tech program offered by the University of Texas at Arlington. I'm planning on making a career change to that for the rest of my working days, a profession that should be a bit easier on my cratered body than my current work. I was planning on quitting my job and starting this study later in the year, but since I'm home on medical leave, this seemed like a good time to get started.
Glad you made it home, KW Judy. Have a great day, all!
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Good morning, everyone!
It's 54 degrees outside right now. Forecast high is 63.
In case nursing my shoulder wasn't enough, my back has cratered. This is lower than my previous back problems, sciatic pain on the right side. It's been coming on for a few months now, and I seemed to aggravate it while pushing my boat off the trailer last Wednesday.
I was no doubt using my right side too much, favoring my bad left shoulder. The pain has gotten steadily worse since and now, my right hip hurts so much that I am pretty much non-functional. I broke out the old TENS unit I hadn't used in years, but I can't tell that it's helping much.
At least it happened while I'm off work anyway. Speaking of which, I finally received my orthopedic evaluation appointment. It's on May 1st, so I guess I have plenty of time to get my back better.
I'm going to see if I can get comfortable enough in this chair for long enough to start my online classes today. Have a great day, all!
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Stable is great!
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Hi Kelly. Welcome, and glad you found us!
I had NSCLC, not small cell, but I wanted to take a minute to welcome you. Others who are more knowledgeable about small cell will be along shortly.
I do know that small cell lung cancer often has a very good, and sometimes even complete, response to chemo, so your doctor is telling the truth. The problem is that small cell lung cancer so often comes back after that initial great response to treatment.
But there are long term survivors of small cell lung cancer here, so join your doctor in being optimistic. Again, welcome, and keep us updated!
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Good evening, everyone!
Rose and I watched the documentary, Semper Fi: Always Faithful, on Netflix this evening. It's about the contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. Some of the scientists who are investigating this are calling it the worst case of contaminated drinking water ever in this country. My father was in the Marines and stationed at Camp Lejeune in the 1950's. I lived at on base housing, drank and bathed in that contaminated water, had chronic bronchitis for much of the rest of my childhood, had pneumonia twice before I was 22 years old, and am left wondering how much of my lung issues are related to that water.
It is estimated that over a million people were exposed to those chemicals over the years. Watch this documentary if you get a chance. It will definitely hold your interest for an hour and 15 minutes.
It's been 82 degrees the last two afternoons here. I was out fishing yesterday in shorts, short sleeves, and sandals. It's nice when you can do that in February. A front came in this afternoon and the temperature is falling now.
I got several phone calls from work while I was fishing yesterday. I ended up talking to an outside service guy they had brought in, and talked him through fixing the machine. It's pretty bad when I have to help the outside service people......LOL. But he did have enough knowledge to get through it with my help. That wouldn't have been enough to get it done with one of our own people.
I was fishing on a Wednesday and drawing a salary while I was doing it, so I guess I better not gripe though. Have a great night, all!
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Glad you came through the surgery fine, Maggie. Yes, it's a tough recovery. Just keep doing the best you can every day and celebrate each gain you make as you recover.
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Congrats on 7 1/2 years, Ella!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 46 degrees when I got up this morning. Forecast high is 65. I thought I'd let it warm up a bit before I hopped on the bike to ride, but by the time it got up to 50 degrees, there was a south wind gusting close to 30 mph, so it didn't feel over 50 degrees. I may or may not ride later today.
Yes, Katie, I'm on medical leave from work. I rode the bike 4 days last week, so I'm still getting some riding mileage in. Rose and I rode the tandem to the Avoca coffee shop in the old part of Fort Worth yesterday. We ended up with 32 miles.
I added a trailer jack which has two wheels to my boat trailer. That makes it easier to move by hand, so I can move it with one arm and still be able to hitch up and make fishing trips with it. My kayak trips are likely over until my shoulder gets fixed. I can pedal myself around in it ok, but loading and unloading it is more than I want to tackle until my shoulder is better.
I just got off the phone with work. There are lots of machines down, and an outside service guy on the way to work on some of them. I figured that was going to happen. I think I'll zombie out in front of the TV for a while.
Have a great day, all!
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Good evening, everyone!
It's snowing here. After our warmest January in a long time, February has been colder so far. But it's supposed to warm up again in the next few days. At least I can take advantage of a warm weekday now and go fishing, since I don't have to get up and go to work for a while.
I can certainly understand those who have moved on. I've now been cancer free for over four years, have had a very busy lifestyle, and don't seem to find as much time to think about cancer as I once did. And making new friends who then die of this disease in the near future is never going to get any easier, I'm thinking. I may eventually be one of those who has to move on, myself.
Rose and I went out dancing and drinking until the wee hours last night, and I've been nothing but a zombie the rest of the weekend, before and since the night out. It's just been colder than I want to ride or fish in, so I've just been a couch potato at home. I did manage over 130 miles on the bike last week, so a few days off the bike won't hurt.
Ann, my shoulder problems aren't going to interfere with my riding, at least not until the surgery happens. I'm going to have to investigate to see how long that may keep me off the bike. Lung surgery only kept me off the bike for 15 days, so I'm thinking shoulder surgery won't keep me off long either......LOL. I detest pedaling indoors, but if worse comes to worse and I can't ride otherwise for a while, I'll set up a trainer in the garage and ride my bike on it.I know you're going to miss the bike riding but maybe you can get in a little fishing now and then.Have a great evening, all!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 45 degrees when I got up this morning. Forecast high is 56. There was no ride to work. It would appear that for the foreseeable future, my bike commuting to work is over.
Just as I suspected, when our personnel people showed up yesterday, I was sent home and told to bring back a work release from my doctor. Knowing what I do now about my shoulder, I felt I should be put on light duty, and told that to my VA primary doctor's nurse when I called her.
My doctor was nice enough to work me in yesterday without an appointment (so much for the evils of socialized medicine). He agreed that I should be on light duty, but was aware that many companies don't allow light duty status, and wanted to talk to me in person before he put me on light duty, to make sure I knew that I might be put on medical leave.
My company is indeed notorious for not letting anyone work who's been placed on light duty. But because I am a salaried employee, entitled to full pay while on medical leave, I figured they would make an exception in my case. I was mistaken. I have been put on medical leave. My case may be the one that reminds them never to have a salaried employee doing tough manual work......LOL.
It will probably take a couple of months to get in to see the orthopedic doctor, then a wait for surgery, then rehab. I will likely be off work for several months. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that. Other than the four weeks I was off after lung surgery, I've never had more than a few days off work at one time in my entire adult life. I had been planning on going back to school. Now may be the time for that.
I hope the RV cleaning guy works out for you, Judy. Have a great day, all!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 35 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 53. It's looking like it's going to be one of those years that February is a lot cooler than January was.
I'm not sure how long I'll be at work this morning. As soon as the personnel people get here this morning, they may send me home until I've been to see the company doctors.
Some of you may remember that I had an MRI on my left shoulder on January 20th. I called my doctor the next week to check on it, but he was out of town. Eternal optimist that I am, I assumed it was fine and never got around to calling him again.
I had my second appointment with a physical therapist yesterday. Armed with the MRI report, she told me it showed three tears in my shoulder, and that I should talk to my primary doctor for a referral to an orthopaedic specialist. As active as I am, it will likely take surgery to fix it.
But the referral will take time, and it's a given that my machine climbing here at work needs to end until it's fixed, so some details will have to be worked out. It's heck getting old.
I'm still in shock about Stephanie. She was still lucid so close to the end, how could any of us be prepared for this? But I guess that's a discussion for a different forum. Back to work for me (although it will just be desk work for now).
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 63 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 71. I'm hoping to make it home before this evening's big storms arrive. I rode to work all five days this week, and ended up with 542 miles ridden in January, not a bad winter month total for me.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area has been officially declared drought-free. That's still not true for a lot of Texas though. Last week's flood was the biggest January rain ever recorded here, and the month was among the 10 wettest ever for January. You just never know about the weather around here. It felt strange to be wearing shorts for my ride to work this morning.
Nothing too exciting planned for the weekend, I'm thinking I'll do a little fishing at Benbrook tomorrow and do a bike ride on the tandem on Sunday. I may or may not watch any of the Super Bowl.
Time to get back to work. Have a great day, all!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 33 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 69. Today was only my third ride to work this week, because of the flood the last couple of days. I last rode on Tuesday, riding home in a light rain that afternoon, but at least I made it home before the really heavy stuff hit that evening.
The flooding rains here this week have filled the smaller lakes around here, but the bigger ones still need more. Benbrook, closest to home for me, went from no boat ramps open last weekend to all ramps open today.
Lake Aquilla, at almost 6 feet low like it was last week, wasn't going to provide the protected (calm even during 50 mph winds one day) creek full of crappie that entertained me all last spring. Aquilla is 6 inches above normal this morning (I did a silent fist pump when I saw that....LOL).
I'm thinking I'll spend tomorrow on Lake Benbrook. The fishing will probably be poor with all the new muddy water, but I haven't had my boat out in a month (I've been taking the kayak). It needs a good run.
I hope you're on your way home by now, MI Judy. Stephanie, I sure wasn't wanting to see what I read in that GRACE thread. I hope you're feeling better today.
Back to work for me. Laters, all.
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Congrats, Muriel! That sounds great!
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Welcome, glad you found us! Your fitness level will serve you well. I was already a long distance cyclist when I was diagnosed, and was back on the bike 16 days after surgery. I think that made a big difference in my recovery.
The biggest thing I would emphasize about chemotherapy is to do your best to stay well hydrated. Dehydration can really sneak up on you on days you don't feel well from the treatment, and makes things much worse.
Best wishes and keep us updated.
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 42 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 74. It's supposed to get close to 80 degrees tomorrow!
The physical therapist did an evaluation on my shoulder yesterday and said it's not bursitis. She said it could be a soft tissue tear, but that plain old wear and tear on the joint was more likely. There's no easy fix, so I'm probably going to be battling to keep that shoulder mobile and pain free for a long time.
I have an MRI on it scheduled for tomorrow. If it's a soft tissue injury (or tumor!), that should show it.
They've been pumping water into Lake Benbrook steadily since October, raising its level an inch a day or so, and it's reached the point where it's only seven feet low. One of the boat ramps is supposed to re-open this week, so I may go try it out on Saturday.
Sunday, I'm planning a short bike ride on the tandem with Rose. We haven't ridden the tandem in a long time, but I'm going to try and get us riding it regularly again.
Have a great day, all!
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Good afternoon, everyone!
It was 32 degrees with a 30 mph north wind as I rode to work this morning. My ride in is just over 12 miles straight north, so this morning's ride was one of the tougher commutes I've done in a while. It took me over an hour to get to work. It's looking like it won't even make 40 degrees this afternoon, and the wind is gusting close to 40 mph now, but at least it will be a tailwind for the ride home.
Ann, I know exactly what you mean about a tough job situation that you aren't ready to leave. I've been determined to get myself out of mine for a couple of years now. Present plans are to finally leave in August and go back to school.
MI Judy, best wishes for successful surgery and a strong recovery. I had sure hoped your hospital journey wouldn't be this tough, but I guess there's nothing to do now but get through it as strong as you can.
I have two appointments for my hurting left shoulder next week. My doctor thinks it's bursitis. That's not much fun, but like always, most diagnoses seem pretty minor after a lung cancer diagnosis.
My Wednesday appointment is to start physical therapy on it which I hope will help. Friday is for an MRI with contrast to make sure it's not more than bursitis. It's my left shoulder, just above where my cancerous upper left lung was removed, so the thought that it's bone mets won't be completely out of my mind until it's better. I'm sure everyone here understands that post cancer angst.
Have a great day, all!
Tuesday's Air
in JUST FOR FUN
Posted
Good evening, everyone!
It's still Monday evening here, but I guess I'll reply to this post rather than starting another.
It was 50 degrees when I got up this morning, and got up to 80 degrees this afternoon, under beautiful sunny skies. Spring has returned to north Texas.
Good luck with your job application, Eric. It sounds like a job that would suit you well. I'll be job shopping too, pretty soon.
I bought an ice cream maker a couple of weeks ago, and have been experimenting with recipes. Last night, I finally worked out a non-dairy ice cream recipe I really like. Variations of that will be my regular ice cream from now on.
After only getting in one bike ride all week, with all the wind and rain, I managed to ride 49 miles Saturday morning before the rain hit again, and Rose and I did 32 miles on the tandem Sunday afternoon. So it wasn't too bad a mileage week after all.
It was only a couple of hours after Saturday's ride that I was across town attending daughter Marie's wedding. It's very rare for me to be found wearing a tie, but here I was in one on Saturday, dancing with the bride.