Cyclophosphamide

Here's what I did from 7:30 to 12:30 today. Apart from putting a good dent in my book, I underwent a marathon chemo session. Cyclophosphamide is a chemotherapy agent that is used to clear the body of unwanted cancer cells. It also mobilizes stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood. Effects include anemia (low hemoglobin). Side effects may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash and hair loss. The last time around, on the V.A.D. chemo, I only lost my hair (damn, it was just starting to grow in!), so I'll keep my fingers crossed that that's all that happens. This chemo treatment can cause damage to the lining of the bladder so drinking and peeing hourly for 36 hours is a must.

The next step, after several days off, is six to seven days of a self-injected marrow growth hormone (sounds like Barry Bonds!). Neupogen will apparently help the stem cells grow and after about 10 days the stem cells will be collected and frozen.

During this time I'll undergo high dose chemo, after which the stem cells will be thawed and then reinfused. Sounds simple, eh? Ha!

Book: The Way It Works - Inside Ottawa by Eddie Goldenberg

Music: It's Not Big It's Large by Lyle Lovett and his Large Band

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My Back Pages - October

Well, folks, I read seven (count 'em) seven books in October. One I didn't finish but even at that I hit the magic number 50 I estimated for myself by the end of the year. The six books I successfully waded through were, firstly, What Happened, Hillary Clinton's book on her bid for the Presidency. I''m a bit of a political junkie so I get off on this stuff but still it kinda struck me as one long whine over losing. Next up was the excellent Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and Music of Laurel Canyon. Laurel Canyon was the fabled area outside of Los Angeles where many musicians and artists lived. Known as a 60s enclave, the book takes a look at just who lived there over the last 80 years. A fascinating read. Next up was Lightfoot, a biography of Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot. He may have been responsible for some iconic folk songs but he was also quite the womanizer and boozer. Enough said. Then I read Dan Brown's new tome Origin, the fifth ...

The Polka Dot Door

A long time ago, when I was 22, my first child was born. That kid grew up on a little Canadian kid's show called Polka Dot Door, produced by the TV Ontario network. And Dad, more often than not, sat through those shows with his little one. Nine or so years later when a brother, and a year after that when a sister came along number one son was moving on to Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard. But there was a nice overlap where his siblings picked up where he had left off with Polka Dot Door. And Dad was right there to welcome them. So you're looking at a Polka Dot Door veteran. The show began in 1971 and ran to 1993. I didn't watch the full run but I did get in my fair share. The formula was pretty simple. A young male and female host, which seemed to change every week, sang songs, told stories, made crafts and generally did their best stimulate little brains. The show opened as follows... Imagination Day! Oh boy! ...

30 Days of Photos III #4 Sour

Check out Ziva's Inferno for the rest of today's photos.

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