From 1999 through 2005, I wasn't a huge Lance Armstrong fan. I didn't even really follow "Le Tour" all that closely, other than to get occasional updates on TV and Sports Radio. I did like that an American was winning, and that this was absolutely irritating the Europeans, but I wouldn't have called myself a huge fan of Lance, nor of the US Postal or Discovery Channel teams.
Now that I have finished school, residency, and school again and have more time for both cycling and watching it, I still don't have a clear favorite. There are riders and teams I like and dislike, but for the most part I just watch for enjoyment. What I really like is the scenery, the colors, the equipment, the chaos, and the heroic attacks, climbs, and chases. I'm a casual fan at best. I had hoped that Lance would do well in his second comeback to cycling, and last year he did just that.
Regardless of how you feel about Lance, cycling, his love life, or any allegations of doping, what matters most (to those dealing with cancer) is what he survived. He was diagnosed with Stage 3 testicular cancer, but he also had metastases to his brain, lungs, and abdomen. Although it is commonly cited that he was given a less than 40% chance of survival, I've read elsewhere that some doctors evaluated his chances to be as low as 3% for survival.
Lance Armstrong finished his chemotherapy over a year before I even began Pharmacy School, and it wasn't until our 3rd year that we even touched upon oncology. Despite Lance's high profile case being well known by then, it was pretty well taught that metastatic cancer was extremely difficult, if not impossible (despite Lance), to cure. This is why Lance Armstrong matters. He is the only person to have ever won seven Tours de France. On the other hand, he beat metastatic cancer. It is no wonder he stands as the world's most famous cancer survivor and largest source of inspiration.
I don't have an opinion on Lance's love life, his relationships with certain Astana teammates, nor any circumstantial allegations of doping. Maybe all I want is to be inspired that someone with chances so much worse than my own survived and came back to dramatically improve on his life's passion.
Before I had cancer myself, I had enjoyed Lance's first book and I was impressed with the Lance Armstrong Foundation: Livestrong. Both were inspiring to many. I had heard firsthand accounts of how Livestrong helped cancer patients. I'd spent some time on the Livestrong website and occasionally donated, especially if someone I knew was involved in a race or something. Only after I was diagnosed with cancer did it really mean something to me. The Livestrong Guidebooks (free!) were a great first source of information for Sarah and myself. It was amazing how much we didn't know we'd be in for, but soon learned from the books. I still refer to them on occasion, and would recommend them for anyone dealing with cancer. (As I would his "Not about the bike" book.)
Which brings me to my new sunglasses. The night before my big VATS operation, Sarah gave me the great gift of a Livestrong sweatshirt. It was this one in fact, and she knew I'd been wanting it long before I had cancer. We were pretty sure of what my diagnosis would be, but I found the gift sort of inspirational. So, it has now been two years since I've ordered new prescription sunglasses and I was due. I had my heart set on a pair of Milwaukee Brewers sunglasses, since they match what I wear most of the time, and yet these Livestrong ones seemed so much more appropriate for me. (You can read about Lance's relationship with Oakley here.) While I don't 100% agree with everything that Livestrong advocates for politically, I do wholeheartedly support what they are doing for cancer patients like myself.
Lance Armstrong's story is inspirational. As I'm teetering on some of my least favorite days in my chemo cycle, as the stomach and mouth sores begin again, as my skin bleeds while dressing my new line, and as I slowly lose my taste for favorite foods and drinks, it is comforting to know that someone who had it so much worse got so much better.
Chemotherapy yesterday was a little different than the first 3 sessions. I now have a central line. This was placed on Friday (2/26). Getting the line required a hospital admission, although it was for only about 5-6 hours, of which about 10 minutes was getting the line itself in interventional radiology. The particular line type I have is called a Hohn catheter. Mine is blue, unlike the one pictured in that link. I had really, really wanted a port-a-cath, but due to my low white blood count, the risk of infection was deemed too high.
My arms are now spared, but I have this central line hanging out of my chest. One concern I never thought of until after was the fact that it would need a dressing. What this basically means is more adhesive, which isn't ideal in someone with a new tape allergy, or something due to Hodgkins that mimics a tape allergy. The hospital put a tegaderm dressing on it. Due to a mix-up at the hospital, I had an "urgent" oncology visit immediately upon discharge at noon. At this point, I was given a new dressing, made of paper tape, but still a tegaderm-like clear center. This is pictured below. (The urgency was nothing, btw. All is well, other than a confused nurse practitioner).
The circular thing in the middle is a cottony biodisk impregnated with a bacteriostatic agent. As you can see, this is a double lumen catheter. That means one side will be used for blood draws, the other for infusions. I'm not wild about using catheters for blood draws, as that can increase the risk of clot and infection, but oncology swears they do it all the time, and they are the boss. This needs to be flushed with heparin (~300 units - locked), daily. Heparin keeps it from clotting, hopefully.
So, the mission with this catheter is to keep it dry. Hence the cling wrap and extra tape. Due to my tape allergy, this was later changed to even more tape (paper tape), and a ton of it, also pictured below.
As you might expect, this paper tape made for a beautiful wick for water, and despite this 10 minute "lego-project" of a tape and wrap job, I still came out of the shower with the edges of the dressing wet.
And so, Sarah and I had to redress this yet again. My skin was about as irritated as it was just leading up to the diagnosis, last fall in dermatology, of the tape allergy. We were told that we'd expect a dressing change weekly, and by now we had changed it 3 times in 2 days. Luckily, chemo Monday was the following day, and we had many questions for the nurses there.
By the time we got to the infusion center on Monday, and the dressing was removed, I had a bunch of tiny little blood spots from the tape. The oncology nurses had yet another idea, and this was to dress the line simply by covering it with a 4x4 gauze, and taping that down with the paper tape. It would still require daily dressings, but it wouldn't be quite as harsh. (Hopefully.) It would also still require cleaning with the disinfectant kit, and using gloves and mask, etc, but not the biodisk from above. I'd also have to wrap it for about a week in the shower, but after that no more.
So, that is the story of my line so far. We re-dressed it today, obviously, and the tape is still quite painful. I'm just not sure how that is going to go over 5 months. I have serious doubts and really, really wish I had a port.
Chemotherapy went great, however. No more pain in my arm, and none of this dealing with hot compresses for the dacarbazine. It is somewhat of a pain to sit for half the session with my shirt half off so they can keep checking for blood return. I still flip between warm and cool sometimes. I may "modify" a special undershirt for chemo next time. We'll see.
Yesterday, chemo hit me pretty hard by the evening. I was pretty stunned and dizzy as usual, but maybe more so. Today was also a bit of a fog, although I was less nauseated than usual. Hopefully that continues all week. No taco bell this time. Thankfully.
All in all, I was extremely thankful for this line yesterday, and I'm sure I will be more thankful as my arm pain lessens. However, it is a little depressing to think that I have the pain of ownership of it for the next 5.5 months or so, and I only get to use it roughly 6-8 hours per month. As long as the tape issue is kept in check, hopefully we'll be OK. That, like so much else in my cancerous adventure, is just going to have to be day by day.
Today's post, which will last throughout the weekend, is a request for support. Dave, one of my oldest and closest friends, will be riding in The Scenic Shore 150 Bike Tour. He had told me he was going to do it almost immediately upon finding out my diagnosis. He has since taken up cycling, which I'm obviously thrilled about.
This ride starts in Mequon, WI (a Northern suburb of Milwaukee), ends in Manitowoc that night, and the next day finishes at Potawatomi state park. Those familiar with the area can tell you this ride will parallel lake Michigan's Eastern shore, and thus the title is very appropriate. In fact, I wish I could join Dave.
This ride benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the following is from his note.
On July 24th and 25th, I will be participating in the Scenic Shore 150 Bike Tour to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I will be doing this 150 mile bike ride in honor of my close friend, Josh, who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in January.
I will be taking pledges for donations that will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. These donations have helped fund research that has developed some amazing advances in treating blood cancers, and helping or even saving patients lives.
Please visit my fundraising page. To make a pledge at:
I can vouch that in my short time with Hodgkin's Lymphoma already, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has already been helpful. I have linked from my blog to information on their website. More importantly, upon request, they will send you an information packet customized to your needs with information specific to your type of blood cancer. Beyond research and information, they offer a variety of supportive services to patients that can help to meet their social, medical, and financial needs. In short, I think the organization is wonderful, and one I am appreciative of. Likewise, I am touched that Dave is doing this and would like to support him as much as possible. I would suggest that if anyone out there is looking for a great cause to support and a way to decrease their tax burden (who isn't?), consider supporting Dave on this ride! His goal is $1000.
Additionally, to help him, I've set up a link to the right of this page, just under my picture and info. This should keep this goal right up near the top of the website. Go Dave!
One thing I haven't complained too much about in this blog is arm pain, although I'm sure I've mentioned it. This is a side effect which is likely being caused by the dacarbazine, or the D in ABVD. It is a side effect that has caused me a noticeable amount of discomfort, however. In the first week, it caused pain which made the nurse wrap my arm in a hot blanket as well as increase the saline rate to dilute the drug. In the second session, they diluted the drug in the actual IV bag and started the line further up my arm where the vein is larger. Last session, they did those things again, but as of right now, I have a decent sized knot in my left arm as well as blue streaking up the vein, visible through the skin. There is also pain.
I've been worried about this some, and so I had one of the oncology nurses look at it last week. She suggested heat and ice, and although that helped, the "vein bruising" only got worse this past week. So, I emailed oncology again, and today had another, impromptu appointment. Because Sarah contacted oncology independently to tell them that I had been having increased complaints of chest pain at home, I also was ordered to get a chest x-ray.
The good news is that my chest x-ray is improved from my pre-treatment x-ray. On the first x-ray, the large lymph node was obvious even to me. When a pharmacist can read the chest x-ray, it must be an impressive abnormality. This node is apparently shrinking, and the oncologist is pleased. Between this finding and the fact she can no longer feel an enlarged lymph node under my clavicle, she believes my cancer is responding. The chest pain is likely dying cells, shrinking nodes, etc.
The mixed news is that on Friday I have to go to interventional radiology to have a central line placed. I have 9 chemotherapy sessions left, and my arm is fairly beat up. I had wanted a port-a-cath but because of my neutropenia, the risk of infection is too high. So, I will have a central line put in, which is apparently not going to be tunneled, right near the clavicle. I was (and am) very apprehensive about this since long term lines in the world of infectious diseases typically mean infections. (Although, why else would ID be called? So, there is a lot of bias there). Additionally, this just means extra hassle for working out, changing, showering, etc. I'll have to flush it. I'll have to dress it. Furthermore, with a playful boxer around, I am nervous that she might rip it out accidentally while rough-housing.
I was assured that this was unlikely to happen if it is covered appropriately. In fact, the oncologist said that some ways people lose them was one guy chopping logs, another lifting weights above her head, but most commonly in young people, it is during sex. She said these people come by with the catheter in hand giggling. (I'm not sure why that would be funny). While I'm not nervous about that, I do not want to be the story for her next Hodgkin's patient about the pharmacist who lost his catheter doing some other weird activity like rolling on the floor trying to teach the dog a trick or something. Yoga is also something that can be done, but carefully. We actually got an in-office demonstration of that one.
So, while I am very much not looking forward to have this foreign body sticking out of my chest for the next five-plus months, it is difficult to be too down about it. There are two positives to today, the first being that my arms will now be spared, and the second being that there are signs of my cancer responding. Plus, it is an "off" week. It is nothing short of amazing to me how different I feel comparing Wednesdays and Thursdays of an "on" week to Wednesdays and Thursdays of an "off" week. Today, other than my arm, I feel pretty great. I've been sleeping great and even got on the trainer last night. Last Thursday was a day I was not necessarily thankful to be alive, and even somewhat doubting I could finish 9 more rounds in the ring with this opponent. Now I'm ready to go again.
On the lighter side of things, today was Lucy's graduation from Obedience School I. She has learned so many things! That said, she almost didn't pass and she still has a lot of trouble with stay in both the sit and down format. We'll keep working with her before the Obedience II class this summer. Who can blame a boxer for wanting to play instead of stay? She has so much energy. At the end she got a diploma with her picture, and I've scanned the picture to show since it makes me smile. It would have been a perfect night if not for accidents not just on the way TO class, but on the way home as well. (One accident out of each end, and a TON of drool). She was probably having an upset stomach. I'm sure she had fun, though, because after class, all the puppies had 10 - 15 minutes of play time together. Perfect.
This will be the second installment of the look into my new drugs. Today's drug is bleomycin (former trade name Blenoxane, although it is long since generic). It is the "B" of ABVD. Bleomycin is a drug that initially scared me because it is known for its lung toxicity. In fact, they didn't even give it to Lance Armstrong, opting for another regimen. Not that I need my lungs to quite the same capacity that he does, but I still want to preserve what I can as best as possible. Which reminds me, there is definitely some sarcasm scattered throughout this particular update. It is my attempt at humor, not anger.
Bleomycin isn't colored like the doxorubicin is. It is clear liquid that I get as an IV from a syringe. It looks like cold water being pushed. Why cold? I don't know. That's just what I always imagine. It doesn't feel that cool. The nurses like to push it slowly, but without the color as an indicator, it is difficult to get a feel for what rate it is actually being pushed. Bleomycin is also a vesicant and an irritant. In other words, it can hurt when given.
My dose each chemotherapy session is 22.401 units. 1 unit = 1mg. This is about 0.25 units/kg. This puts my total cumulative dose after 12 chemotherapy sessions at 268.812 units. The maximum cumulative lifetime dose is 400 units. The reason for this is pulmonary fibrosis.
According to the package insert's boxed warning:
Pulmonary fibrosis is the most severe toxicity associated with BLENOXANE. The most frequent presentation is pneumonitis occasionally progressing to pulmonary fibrosis. Its occurrence is higher in elderly patients and in those receiving greater than 400 units total dose, but pulmonary toxicity has been observed in young patients and those treated with low doses.
This is obviously very confidence-inspiring. Bleomycin has a variety of side effects, but, lung toxicity is my primary concern. According to the same package insert, it occurs in about 10% of treated patients. This toxicity may be enhanced when used with G-CSF. (Sidenote: G-CSF is a drug that stimulates neutrophils, a type of white blood cell. I am not currently on it). The earliest symptom is dyspnea, which is fabulous for me, since I already have shortness of breath from having enlarged lymph nodes all over my chest. Basically, bleomycin scars up the alveoli in the lungs. Later, an excess concentration of oxygen can cause an oxygen toxicity and further problems. Too much oxygen is not typically an issue here in Colorado, although it would be an issue if I were to have general anesthesia during a future surgery, and this is what precludes me from ever going SCUBA diving. After I get done with this drug, I just cannot wait to have 20 days of radiation on my chest.
Unlike the doxorubicin, where it was somewhat more difficult to predict side effects directly due to the drug's use in regimens only, bleomycin is used as a single agent, and so other side effects can be more directly attributed. Another boxed warning indicates "a severe idiosyncratic reaction consisting of hypotension, mental confusion, fever, chills, and wheezing has been reported in approximately 1% of lymphoma patients." Beyond that, it can cause "erythema, rash, striae, vesiculation, hyperpigmentation, and tenderness of the skin." It can also cause Raynaud's phenomenon, as well as hair loss and the mucositis. So, once past the pulmonary toxicity, there aren't too many other side effects, like some of the other drugs. It is considered to have very low emetogenic potential.
One last interesting side effect it can cause is dermatographism. This is an especially interesting side effect (definitely click the link!), because I already HAD it prior to treatment. According to my oncologist, it occasionally occurs in Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She demonstrated this to Sarah with a nice line across my back, just for her. Actually, I haven't checked recently to see if this is still an issue I have, although it was another reason for the t-shirts.
How does it work? Bleomycin is an antibiotic, per wikipedia. (We do NOT use it as one, incidentally). As someone involved in the world of infectious diseases, it is often easier for me to think of cancer as an infection (it is one of sorts), and so the mechanisms make more sense. Bleomycin inhibits the synthesis of DNA by binding to it, reacting with oxygen, and causing single and double stranded breaks. Without DNA for reproduction, rapidly dividing cancer cells can't, well, rapidly divide. However, unlike most commonly used antibiotics, it isn't perfectly specific for its target (cancer cells), and can hit other rapidly dividing cells, such as hair, nails, and those of the GI tract, which lead to the side effects that nearly all chemotherapy patients experience.
Pharmacokinetics: Bleomycin is widely distributed although it does not cross the blood-brain barrier. The highest concentrations of bleomycin can be found in the highest concentrations in skin, kidney, lung, heart tissues. Bleomycin has biphasic elimination (which means the concentration-time curve, when logarithmically transformed, basically has a kink). The reason for this is that the drug is first metabolized, then excreted via kidneys. The enzyme responsible for metabolism is a cytosolic cysteine proteinase enzyme, which is apparently now named bleomycin hydrolase. This was new to me and per the package insert. So, for people with normal kidney function, the initial half life is about 90 minutes, and the terminal is about 9 hours, hence the kink in the graph. Therefore, if I get this mid-day on a Monday, it is nearly all gone by mid-day on Wednesday.
What other cancers is Bleomycin used for?
Well, obviously testicular cancer, since it was an option for Lance Armstrong. Beyond that, per Lexi-Comp, it is used for quamous cell carcinomas, melanomas, sarcomas, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and it is also used as a sclerosing agent for malignant pleural effusion.
What else to say about bleomycin? I'm sort of afraid of it, and it is going to be difficult to monitor for toxicity due to the nature of my particular disease location(s). Not tons of info from Wikipedia. The package insert is found here. Chemocare has a nice website as well.
“People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”
—Rogers Hornsby
I don't really do that. I do, however, spend much of winter eagerly awaiting baseball. Football and hockey are a lot of fun, but there is nothing quite like baseball. Baseball is good for the soul, and there is nothing like it to signal spring. I love the smell of the ballpark. Today is a cold and snowy Colorado day, but in Florida and Arizona there is sunshine, green grass, and the vibrant colors of even the most hated rival teams. There is the pop of a fastball in a catcher's mitt, and the crack of a connecting bat. You don't have to be Walt Whitman to wax poetic about our National Pastime.
Today is the day Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training, at least for the Milwaukee Brewers. Other clubs have been reporting this past week, and some this weekend. It is finally here. In truth, though, many players are already down at their respective spring training camps getting in shape for a month of, well, getting in shape for the season. I was glad to see that Brewer prospect Mat Gamel, who was considered "late" for arriving on time last Spring, is already down at camp working on defense.
Why is Spring Training so important to fans like myself? If you are a fan of the smallest market team in baseball, there is simply no way that year in and year out, your team can compete with the resources of the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox, for example. Still, in Spring, your team has not been mathematically eliminated by early-August. In Spring, your team still has the possibility of going on a tear like the 2007 Rockies or the 2008 Rays. In Spring, your team isn't dealing with nagging injuries or a 5-game losing streak. In Spring, hope springs eternal. Even the worst can dream of playoffs.
So, I spend all winter looking forward to baseball, but this is the second year in a row I cannot attend Spring Training in Maryvale (Phoenix), Arizona, home of my beloved Milwaukee Brewers. While I was not outright forbidden by my oncologist, I was given the impression it was not the best idea. Besides my neutropenia, I'd have a plane ride to deal with, and the lack of a recommended physician / care center in case of emergency. So, I'll have to rely on news reports and perhaps make due with some Spring baseball with the local college in town, which is already underway.
So, today's blog is totally dedicated to baseball. Cancer can wait.
My random thoughts on the Milwaukee Brewers: I really hope this new pitching coach, Rick Peterson, can get the staff in order, they were among the worst in the league last year. I am really not crazy about these rumors to trade Prince Fielder, although as a fan of the smallest market team, I certainly understand it. It seems like a way to guarantee that Ryan Braun never sees another decent pitch, so, they better get some serious value in return. I love the fact that the Brewers are using a jersey with the word "Milwaukee" across it. Call me a purist, but I think that home jerseys should have the team name, and the away jerseys should have the city name. What I'd really like is a return to the 80s uniforms of the Crew, but I'll take this, even as an "alternate 3rd jersey."
I also love the fact that I finally found myself a St. Patrick's Day hat. I have regretted not purchasing one in Maryvale a few years back. Yes, it is gimmicky. Yes, all of MLB has stolen it from Boston. Yes, I'll only wear it a few days out of the year. Still, I've wanted one for several years, so, add up those days, plus the fact that I'm now bald and could use (along with the Brewers) a little "luck of the Irish" and I'll take it. I ordered it immediately upon finding it.
Where do I think Milwaukee will finish? I think they'll improve on last year, but they are unlikely to compete for a playoff spot. There is too much talent elsewhere, despite a lack of improvement in most NL-Central teams. I think the NL-West has at least three possible playoff teams, and since only two can possibly come from that division, it'll likely leave Milwaukee out again, as the Cards probably pick up the NL Central. Again.
On the plus side, I am an avid, enthusiastic Cubs-hater, and this story warmed my heart. Good. I hate the scrubbies. I'm sad the bill went through, but I am sure glad to see all who opposed it. It would be kind of sweet to see the Scrubs go to Florida.
Since moving to Colorado, I've sort of adopted the Rockies as my "second team." In other words, I cheer for them when they aren't playing Milwaukee. Some purists believe you cannot have more than one team, but I disagree. I love the game itself, and can watch even when it is not Milwaukee or Colorado playing. There are a variety of teams I quietly root for after Milwaukee and Colorado and for a variety of reasons. I cheer for anyone playing the Chicago Cubs, for instance. I also cheer for teams where I may just like a particular player. This even includes a bunch of minor league teams, especially the Charleston Riverdogs, the Albuquerque Isotopes, and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
My random thoughts on the Colorado Rockies: I think they'll be a good team. My personal opinion is that they are currently the class of the NL-West. I'm not certain if San Francisco has improved or not, and the Dodgers still have many pieces from their 95-win team of last year, but after hiring Jim Tracy, the Rox were on fire for the rest of the season. They lost one good pitcher (Marquis) but got one back (Jeff Francis). They subtracted Garrett Atkins, but, he was on his way out most of last year anyway. I have pretty high expectations for the Rockies. Higher, in fact, than I do for the Brewers. Plain and simple, Colorado has done great things with their farm system, including the above mentioned Sky Sox. Coors Field is a great place to watch a game and relax. I cannot wait.
Fantasy Baseball: I am again running a fantasy baseball league through Yahoo. This is an extremely chill league in the sense that it is an all points league (not head to head) and substitutions are allowed only 1 day per week. This means you can make your changes any time you want, but they'll only take effect on one given day per week, and you must live with it for the week. This is so that even busy players can compete. We are using an autodraft by proxy. I have several team spots open, so if anyone is interested, please email me! I promise it is a lot of fun (if you are a baseball geek), and it is pretty easy. This year, there is even a prize.
Favorite Baseball Links:
Just for fun, I've put together some links for you to enjoy, since today is baseball day at JVL.
Milwaukee Brewers Team Site
Colorado Rockies Team Site
JSonline Brewer Blog (Milwaukee Newspaper)
JSonline Brewers (slower news, but full stories and pics)
ESPN's MLB site
Rob Neyer's Sweet Spot (a great baseball geek blog)
Pitching Probables (who is pitching when? Check here...when the season starts)
Beat the Streak (a fun, addictive, and remarkably challenging game)
PECOTA postseason odds (once the season starts...)
SABR (Society for American Baseball Research)
Baseball America (the authoritative news source)
The Sporting News (it isn't what it used to be, but still pretty good)
Fangraphs (a great statistical site)
Minor League Baseball (the best entertainment value out there)
Cubs Suck Club (this one needs no explanation)
Great Baseball books: Completely off the top of my head while making lists.
Cobb: a Biography. This one might be my favorite - the follow up to the autobiography.
The Boys of Summer. Read it and try to not be a fan of the early 50s Dodgers.
Eight Men Out. Extremely easy to read narrative of the Black Sox.
Working at the Ballpark: Another favorite, because as noted, I've always wanted to....
I never had it made: Autobiography of Jackie Robinson.
Love me, Hate me: If you don't hate Bonds, you will after this.
The Baseball Economist: Using economic methods to solve baseball questions
Finally, my favorite picture that I have taken at Spring Training.
Wish I could get one like that of Ryan Braun, or a great shot of Yovanni Gallardo. Perhaps next Spring.
Today's post is going to be completely a plug for some music. Why? I think it is important. As some of you know, I mostly listen to talk radio during my daily commutes to work. Politics, sports, news, whatever. I listen to music on weekends. However, sometimes I cannot listen to talk radio anymore. When times are tougher, I prefer music. I found this out last summer when our dog died. I've been finding this out more and more as this adventure continues. It can't be just anything however, as the wrong music makes things worse.
That's why today I'm plugging some "right" music. I met Aubrey Cartwright briefly a few times when we was living in South Carolina as a friend of a friend. Pharmacy is a small world. However, what I didn't know was that her husband Jeff "Hoss" Cartwright, had been on the same journey with Hodgkin's Lymphoma that I am now on, only basically a few years ahead of me, and now in remission. Through the friend in South Carolina, I was put in touch with them, and Aubrey and Jeff have become a tremendous source of information and inspiration for me. It has honestly been really great for me to hear from them about all the things that I should expect, many of which have already become realities of my new life.
What I found out later was that while Hoss and I have some similar interests, a very unique talent he has (that I absolutely do not share) is musical creativity. Aubrey had told me about this CD, and how it came to be, and how it really became quite a major project involving production and guest musicians. She sent me the following link: http://www.hosscartwright.com/ (and she officially gave me permission to pimp it here, thereby satisfying my self-imposed privacy policy). The CD is "Ramblings Before Chemo."
I happened to have some iTunes gift cards, so I downloaded the whole thing that night. I was absolutely amazed at how much I liked it. I listened to it every day during the week's commute on my drive.
This is not just some talented guy playing his guitar in a room and recording his singing. It really and truly is a very complete set of songs with amazing accompaniment. I tried to think of how I might explain the genre, and luckily, I don't have to. He gives his own explanation on his website, as noted below.
Hootie and The Blowfish meets Deliverance. The Debut release from Singer/Songwriter Hoss Cartwright, "Ramblings Before Chemo" features catchy Acoustic Pop sounds with a dash of country thrown in here and there for good measure. His lyrics are light hearted if not tongue in cheek glances into love, loss, and lust.
With songs written over 15 years, "Ramblings Before Chemo" was recorded while Hoss was undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiation in 2007. With influences ranging from Jimmy Buffett and Ryan Adams to David Gray and Dave Matthews, the songs range from the more country "Player in left field" to the Hootie-esqe "Don't fix it when it's Broken".
If you are interested, you can "try before you buy" on the website. As I said, I bought the whole thing from iTunes and dig it. You can also order a CD there. If you are looking for something new, I officially recommend this CD. Enjoy!
Which brings me to my new sunglasses. The night before my big VATS operation, Sarah gave me the great gift of a Livestrong sweatshirt. It was this one in fact, and she knew I'd been wanting it long before I had cancer. We were pretty sure of what my diagnosis would be, but I found the gift sort of inspirational. So, it has now been two years since I've ordered new prescription sunglasses and I was due. I had my heart set on a pair of Milwaukee Brewers sunglasses, since they match what I wear most of the time, and yet these Livestrong ones seemed so much more appropriate for me. (You can read about Lance's relationship with Oakley here.) While I don't 100% agree with everything that Livestrong advocates for politically, I do wholeheartedly support what they are doing for cancer patients like myself.
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