Well I had my first PSA taken on December 15th and it was 2.7. Not as good as I was expecting but it's a heck of a lot better than 5.2.
It's only been 4 months since my last treatment so it's normal not to see stellar PSA levels at first but it definitely shows that the Proton treatment has worked. According to the physicians at Loma Linda my PSA will gradually get lower over the next three years and will level out.
I'm feeling great, I have full bodily functions, and I have no side effects except for those tan spots on each side of my hips. I guess I'll have to sunbath al natural or wear a thong to get rid of those spots! AHHHHHHHG!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Week Nine (The Final Countdown)
It's Friday evening and I'm sitting here in Freebird waiting to drive to the airport and pick up Jeanette so she can ride shotgun with me during my ride back home.
Earlier this morning at 0730 hrs, I received my final treatment. Hooray! No more balloons and hopefully no more Cancer! In four months I will get my first PSA after my treatment and I will see if the protons did their job. I am very confident they did and I will be Cancer Free.
My last treatment was not supposed to be until Monday the 25th of August but I requested to have a double treatment on Thursday so I wouldn't have to spend the weekend here. So I had one in the morning and one at night on Thursday, and the final one this morning. A few hours after my treatment I really felt tired all of the sudden and had a bit of diarrhea. I'm sure it had something to do with receiving three treatments in a 24 hour period.
This week has been filled with lots of activity as I prepared for my last day here at Loma Linda.
Tuesday Potluck
I did not go to all the Tuesday Night potlucks while I was here mainly because of the huge age difference. I just kind of felt out of place if you know what I mean. I kind of felt like I was a Rock Star on the Lawrence Whelk Show. Don't get me wrong, all the people here are great and very nice. And yes I know, one day I will be their age, just not right now.
Let me go back in time during my first week here when I was at the patient orientation. Many of the special benefits given to the patients are geared to the Senior Citizens. Special Senior discount cards, along with Seniors Only parking passes are given to all patients.
Since us young guys don't get anything special except for that special balloon everyday, I decided that I wanted to start a tradition here at Loma Linda and give something to the youngest guy in the group so he would not feel left out.
So I set out on my quest for the perfect gift and ended up at the local Babies R Us store. At first I had in mind to get something with balloons on it as a joke but I could not find anything with balloons. As I continued my search I saw a bright light coming from the very far side of the store. I followed the light and it was like I had found the Holy Grail. I had found the perfect gift! A child's training potty! This potty had a cushion seat for a "Comfy Tushy" as it said on the box. It also claimed to be the "Softest Seat In The House." This potty could also be used as a stepping stool when not in use. I just started cracking up when I read the box and thought this was the perfect gift for the Young Guy.
I then went to the bib section and picked up the perfect bib. On the front it read, "Chicks Dig Me." I was thinking this is going to be great! So I purchased both items and took them home, Oh, and I also picked up a bag of balloons while I was there. The cashier asked me if the gifts were for a Baby Shower. I smiled and told her, "Well kind of."
I then wrote a set of instructions for the "Keeper Of The Throne"
Instructions For The Keeper Of The Throne
1. You are the youngest in the group, therefore you must be the Keeper Of The Throne and carry this with you to the Wednesday night support group meetings. (You may also carry it with you to the Tuesday Pot Lucks. That’s totally up to you, but the bib could be the key to a fun filled evening with the older folks. )
2. The throne must be displayed in the center of the table you are seated at with the bib draped over the front (You may wear it if you wish). This will let everybody know that you are the youngest of the group. Not only is this a symbol of your Youth and Virility, it will also let everybody know you have the softest seat in the house, and all the chicks will dig you.
3. The throne must not be used under any circumstances! Even if you think you can’t hold it any longer during one of the Loma Linda history presentations, or Dr. Martell’s long winded speeches. (A used potty on the table while eating those special sandwiches would be really gross, unless of course you like sitting at a table by yourself, then go right ahead!)
4. You may carry the throne with you during your treatments if you wish. You can use it as a stool to help you get into your pod. However, if you do be prepared for some long stares and humiliation from the staff. (Remember to always heed the warning on top of the throne if using it as a stool. Safety 1st.)
5. The enclosed balloons are for your enjoyment and you can use them any way you wish. You can use them to make funny noises if you get bored, or as a tool to overcome your fear of balloons before you graduate. You could also use them to add to the festive atmosphere during one of the Tuesday Night Potluck Ukulele concerts. (Always remember Safety 1st when using balloons.)
6. You may add something to the throne if you wish, such as a joke, funny card, etc., just keep it humorous and in good taste and share it with the group.
7. Your other duty while you are the Keeper of the Throne is to seek out the youngest man in the group so you can pass the throne to him. Passing of the throne must be done either during the potluck or the Wednesday night support group meeting. The instructions will be read to the new Keeper of the Throne just like I did to you. This also would be a good time to share with the group a joke or what ever you added to the throne as stated in Step# 6.
8. Prior to passing the throne, please sign it with your name, age, and dates of treatment.
Please keep the tradition going and keep passing it to the youngest man in the group. Wouldn’t it be fun to see it sitting in the center of a table after returning as an Alumni two or three years from now. This is just another way to keep humor and laughter within our group. Because without the humor and comradery we experience here at Loma Linda, this would just be another scheduled cancer treatment.
Keep Smiling!
With my special gift and instructions in hand I headed out to the last Pot Luck during my stay at Loma Linda. After dinner I got up in front of the group and sought out the youngest man there. It was a close race between a 55 year old whose name I forgot, and my friend Paul from Phoenix who was 54. I presented the gifts to him and read the instructions. We all had a big laugh and it went over very well with the whole group. There's nothing like starting a new tradition!
Wednesday Night Graduation
Wednesday Night was graduation night for several of us. We all made our speeches including myself. And yes, Paul brought along the throne and placed in the center of the table for everybody to see.
It was a night filled with laughter and a few tears as the graduates made their speeches. We all were happy that we were just about done with our treatments but at the same time kind of sad that we were leaving friends that we all had made during our journey here to fight cancer. It was kind of a bittersweet feeling to the whole thing.
Final Treatment
I woke up Friday morning with a feeling of jubilance that this was going to be my last treatment. No more balloons, no more weekly doctor visits! Jeanette was flying in later that night and we would be heading home the next morning.
I went in for my final treatment and stared at the ceiling for the last time. The ceiling that had family photos and words of encouragement from current and former patients. Almost like a shrine. A few days prior I gave the HBL crew a photo of me in my Jeep, climbing a waterfall on a trail named, "Highway to Hell." I signed the photo and wrote a thanks to them for helping me over my obstacle on the "Trail of Life", and they had placed my photo on the ceiling. As the proton beam zapped me for the last time, I looked up at that photo and visualized myself climbing over the obstacle in my Jeep and everybody was cheering me on that I had made it up and over the obstacle and the end of the trail was finally in sight.
After it was all over and the final balloon extraction was completed, I thanked the crew for being so kind to me and professional at the same time. They wrote,"Done" on the inside of my pod and I had them add "Well" for "Well Done." Not for a Job Well Done but Well Done as far as being cooked. They all laughed as I walked down the hall in my hospital gown with my bare butt exposed for the last time.
Later that night I picked up Jeanette from the airport and we spent most of the night preparing Free Bird for it's journey back home. It was also a bittersweet time for Jeanette. She was happy I was finally coming home but at the same time she was going to miss the mini vacations she had while visiting me.
The Final Balloon
Saturday Morning
Saturday Morning and it was time to go home. We took our time getting up and went to the neighborhood Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. We then headed back to the park and hooked up the trailer and headed home.
I put my lynard Skynard CD in and headed east. It was a quiet ride heading out of the San Bernardino area as Jeanette fell asleep and I reminisced about the whole experience. The friends I had made, the sights I had seen, the many E-Mails and calls I received from friends and family, the tears and the laughter. The whole experience seemed like it all went by so fast and now I was going home with confidence that I would be cancer free.
By the time I was getting into the Palm Springs area the song, "Free Bird" started to play. I cranked the stereo up and woke Jeanette up as I sang along. My journey was coming to an end and I was finally "Free as a Bird!"
Final Thoughts
I've been home for two weeks now and just returned to work last week. I often think back on my Journey to being cancer free. I feel blessed that I was able to receive the proton treatment at Loma Linda for my cancer. I feel great and have full bodily functions.
I also feel blessed for having such a wonderful wife, who pushed me to get a physical exam that saved my life, and who stood by me through the whole ordeal. Like they say, Prostate Cancer is a couple's disease.
I'm also blessed for the family I have especially my Mother and Father who are both cancer survivors. They both were my inspiration throughout my battle with cancer.
Last but not least I feel blessed for all my friends and co-workers who gave me the support and frequently checked in on me either by phone or E-Mail. It really made a difference. I can't thank you all enough!
Well,I think that's about it for now!
The End!
The End!
The End!
Earlier this morning at 0730 hrs, I received my final treatment. Hooray! No more balloons and hopefully no more Cancer! In four months I will get my first PSA after my treatment and I will see if the protons did their job. I am very confident they did and I will be Cancer Free.
My last treatment was not supposed to be until Monday the 25th of August but I requested to have a double treatment on Thursday so I wouldn't have to spend the weekend here. So I had one in the morning and one at night on Thursday, and the final one this morning. A few hours after my treatment I really felt tired all of the sudden and had a bit of diarrhea. I'm sure it had something to do with receiving three treatments in a 24 hour period.
This week has been filled with lots of activity as I prepared for my last day here at Loma Linda.
Tuesday Potluck
I did not go to all the Tuesday Night potlucks while I was here mainly because of the huge age difference. I just kind of felt out of place if you know what I mean. I kind of felt like I was a Rock Star on the Lawrence Whelk Show. Don't get me wrong, all the people here are great and very nice. And yes I know, one day I will be their age, just not right now.
Let me go back in time during my first week here when I was at the patient orientation. Many of the special benefits given to the patients are geared to the Senior Citizens. Special Senior discount cards, along with Seniors Only parking passes are given to all patients.
Since us young guys don't get anything special except for that special balloon everyday, I decided that I wanted to start a tradition here at Loma Linda and give something to the youngest guy in the group so he would not feel left out.
So I set out on my quest for the perfect gift and ended up at the local Babies R Us store. At first I had in mind to get something with balloons on it as a joke but I could not find anything with balloons. As I continued my search I saw a bright light coming from the very far side of the store. I followed the light and it was like I had found the Holy Grail. I had found the perfect gift! A child's training potty! This potty had a cushion seat for a "Comfy Tushy" as it said on the box. It also claimed to be the "Softest Seat In The House." This potty could also be used as a stepping stool when not in use. I just started cracking up when I read the box and thought this was the perfect gift for the Young Guy.
I then went to the bib section and picked up the perfect bib. On the front it read, "Chicks Dig Me." I was thinking this is going to be great! So I purchased both items and took them home, Oh, and I also picked up a bag of balloons while I was there. The cashier asked me if the gifts were for a Baby Shower. I smiled and told her, "Well kind of."
I then wrote a set of instructions for the "Keeper Of The Throne"
Instructions For The Keeper Of The Throne
1. You are the youngest in the group, therefore you must be the Keeper Of The Throne and carry this with you to the Wednesday night support group meetings. (You may also carry it with you to the Tuesday Pot Lucks. That’s totally up to you, but the bib could be the key to a fun filled evening with the older folks. )
2. The throne must be displayed in the center of the table you are seated at with the bib draped over the front (You may wear it if you wish). This will let everybody know that you are the youngest of the group. Not only is this a symbol of your Youth and Virility, it will also let everybody know you have the softest seat in the house, and all the chicks will dig you.
3. The throne must not be used under any circumstances! Even if you think you can’t hold it any longer during one of the Loma Linda history presentations, or Dr. Martell’s long winded speeches. (A used potty on the table while eating those special sandwiches would be really gross, unless of course you like sitting at a table by yourself, then go right ahead!)
4. You may carry the throne with you during your treatments if you wish. You can use it as a stool to help you get into your pod. However, if you do be prepared for some long stares and humiliation from the staff. (Remember to always heed the warning on top of the throne if using it as a stool. Safety 1st.)
5. The enclosed balloons are for your enjoyment and you can use them any way you wish. You can use them to make funny noises if you get bored, or as a tool to overcome your fear of balloons before you graduate. You could also use them to add to the festive atmosphere during one of the Tuesday Night Potluck Ukulele concerts. (Always remember Safety 1st when using balloons.)
6. You may add something to the throne if you wish, such as a joke, funny card, etc., just keep it humorous and in good taste and share it with the group.
7. Your other duty while you are the Keeper of the Throne is to seek out the youngest man in the group so you can pass the throne to him. Passing of the throne must be done either during the potluck or the Wednesday night support group meeting. The instructions will be read to the new Keeper of the Throne just like I did to you. This also would be a good time to share with the group a joke or what ever you added to the throne as stated in Step# 6.
8. Prior to passing the throne, please sign it with your name, age, and dates of treatment.
Please keep the tradition going and keep passing it to the youngest man in the group. Wouldn’t it be fun to see it sitting in the center of a table after returning as an Alumni two or three years from now. This is just another way to keep humor and laughter within our group. Because without the humor and comradery we experience here at Loma Linda, this would just be another scheduled cancer treatment.
Keep Smiling!
With my special gift and instructions in hand I headed out to the last Pot Luck during my stay at Loma Linda. After dinner I got up in front of the group and sought out the youngest man there. It was a close race between a 55 year old whose name I forgot, and my friend Paul from Phoenix who was 54. I presented the gifts to him and read the instructions. We all had a big laugh and it went over very well with the whole group. There's nothing like starting a new tradition!
Wednesday Night Graduation
Wednesday Night was graduation night for several of us. We all made our speeches including myself. And yes, Paul brought along the throne and placed in the center of the table for everybody to see.
It was a night filled with laughter and a few tears as the graduates made their speeches. We all were happy that we were just about done with our treatments but at the same time kind of sad that we were leaving friends that we all had made during our journey here to fight cancer. It was kind of a bittersweet feeling to the whole thing.
Final Treatment
I woke up Friday morning with a feeling of jubilance that this was going to be my last treatment. No more balloons, no more weekly doctor visits! Jeanette was flying in later that night and we would be heading home the next morning.
I went in for my final treatment and stared at the ceiling for the last time. The ceiling that had family photos and words of encouragement from current and former patients. Almost like a shrine. A few days prior I gave the HBL crew a photo of me in my Jeep, climbing a waterfall on a trail named, "Highway to Hell." I signed the photo and wrote a thanks to them for helping me over my obstacle on the "Trail of Life", and they had placed my photo on the ceiling. As the proton beam zapped me for the last time, I looked up at that photo and visualized myself climbing over the obstacle in my Jeep and everybody was cheering me on that I had made it up and over the obstacle and the end of the trail was finally in sight.
After it was all over and the final balloon extraction was completed, I thanked the crew for being so kind to me and professional at the same time. They wrote,"Done" on the inside of my pod and I had them add "Well" for "Well Done." Not for a Job Well Done but Well Done as far as being cooked. They all laughed as I walked down the hall in my hospital gown with my bare butt exposed for the last time.
Later that night I picked up Jeanette from the airport and we spent most of the night preparing Free Bird for it's journey back home. It was also a bittersweet time for Jeanette. She was happy I was finally coming home but at the same time she was going to miss the mini vacations she had while visiting me.
The Final Balloon
Saturday Morning
Saturday Morning and it was time to go home. We took our time getting up and went to the neighborhood Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. We then headed back to the park and hooked up the trailer and headed home.
I put my lynard Skynard CD in and headed east. It was a quiet ride heading out of the San Bernardino area as Jeanette fell asleep and I reminisced about the whole experience. The friends I had made, the sights I had seen, the many E-Mails and calls I received from friends and family, the tears and the laughter. The whole experience seemed like it all went by so fast and now I was going home with confidence that I would be cancer free.
By the time I was getting into the Palm Springs area the song, "Free Bird" started to play. I cranked the stereo up and woke Jeanette up as I sang along. My journey was coming to an end and I was finally "Free as a Bird!"
Final Thoughts
I've been home for two weeks now and just returned to work last week. I often think back on my Journey to being cancer free. I feel blessed that I was able to receive the proton treatment at Loma Linda for my cancer. I feel great and have full bodily functions.
I also feel blessed for having such a wonderful wife, who pushed me to get a physical exam that saved my life, and who stood by me through the whole ordeal. Like they say, Prostate Cancer is a couple's disease.
I'm also blessed for the family I have especially my Mother and Father who are both cancer survivors. They both were my inspiration throughout my battle with cancer.
Last but not least I feel blessed for all my friends and co-workers who gave me the support and frequently checked in on me either by phone or E-Mail. It really made a difference. I can't thank you all enough!
Well,I think that's about it for now!
The End!
The End!
The End!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Week Eight
As I'm writing this I'm actually in my final week here at Loma Linda. Everything is still going good and I feel great with the exception of having to get up frequently in the middle of the night to pee. Since I'm up all night I'm tired during the day of course.
Jeanette drove down again Thursday night for a three day weekend she had already coordinated through her work. She just can't get enough of me!
It really has worked out better than we expected as far as the amount of times she has been able to visit me. As usual it's always hard when she has to leave. Not much longer and I'll be home for good.
Jeanette wanted to spend the day at a beach on the last weekend before I left. I didn't want to deal with all the crowds of people that are usually on the beaches here so I decided to check out the San Onofre Beach on Camp Pendelton near Oceanside, CA.
The beach is located on the Northwest side of the base and only active duty, reserves, or retired military and their families can access it. It also has an RV Park and camping area right on the beach. It was pretty nice and we were able to enjoy a day at the beach without the huge crowd.
After spending a good amount of the day at the beach we drove around Camp Pendelton then headed to Oceanside where we walked around the Harbor area and had dinner.
San Onofre Beach on Camp Pendelton
Some old Soviet tanks on the base
Ocenside Small Craft Harbor
Can you see the seal?
Jeanette drove down again Thursday night for a three day weekend she had already coordinated through her work. She just can't get enough of me!
It really has worked out better than we expected as far as the amount of times she has been able to visit me. As usual it's always hard when she has to leave. Not much longer and I'll be home for good.
Jeanette wanted to spend the day at a beach on the last weekend before I left. I didn't want to deal with all the crowds of people that are usually on the beaches here so I decided to check out the San Onofre Beach on Camp Pendelton near Oceanside, CA.
The beach is located on the Northwest side of the base and only active duty, reserves, or retired military and their families can access it. It also has an RV Park and camping area right on the beach. It was pretty nice and we were able to enjoy a day at the beach without the huge crowd.
After spending a good amount of the day at the beach we drove around Camp Pendelton then headed to Oceanside where we walked around the Harbor area and had dinner.
San Onofre Beach on Camp Pendelton
Some old Soviet tanks on the base
Ocenside Small Craft Harbor
Can you see the seal?
Monday, August 11, 2008
Week Six and Seven
(Please excuse any mispelled words. The spellchecker is not working and this is not very user friendly especially when you add photos and videos. It seems I've been working on this forever now and just wanted to get it out.)
Wow! Time is just flying by! I'm on my last two weeks of treatment and can't wait to get back home. A lot of people going through Proton Beam treatment here at Loma Linda call it a Radiation Vacation. There was one guy here that said he was dropped from the prayer list at his local church after they found out how much of a good time he was having. But that's the wonderful thing about this treatment. It's painless, has minimal side affects during and after treatment, and since you are here in Southern California during treatment you might as well enjoy yourself, hence, Radiation Vacation. That's all a part of the healing process.
I feel good, I'm having a great time, and I have met a lot of great people here. The whole treatment process is so positive, and everybody you come in contact with whether it's a staff member or another patient are all so positive. Being in a positive low stress atmosphere has a tremendous affect on the healing process.
My experience during this treatment makes me wonder why this option for treatment is not so publicly well known like the other options that have potentialy bad side affects. I feel sorry for the men who choose to have a prostectomy based soley upon the recommendation of their Urologists, when they could have been spared the risk of incontinence, impotency, or even death.
I challenge any Urologist with prostate cancer to research Proton Beam cancer treatment and compare it to the other options available and their side affects and then ask them what treatment option would you choose based on their research. I bet they would choose Proton Beam over sugery any day.
Jeanette and I took a tour of the internal workings of the proton beam facility the other day, and it is absolutely amazing how it works. There are so many intrical parts to the system that it is mind boggling that it even works. But it does work and has been operating and curing cancer patients since 1990. Something I did not know before the tour was that NASA uses one of the treatment rooms for research on how proton particles affect equipment and gear used by astronauts in space since solar flares contain proton particles. And my urologist said this was a gimmick. Obviously he didn't know what he was talking about.
So yeah I'm having a good time while my cancer is being annihilated by the powerful proton beam. In contrast, I could have been laying in a bed for several weeks with a cathater or colostomy bag on my side risking infection, then later having to go back and get a device inserted in my bladder to control my urine, and have no sex life during recovery and most likely none afterwards.
My activities during the past two weeks.
Week Six
Saturday the 26th of July
I went back down to San Diego and spent the whole day on the aircraft carrier USS Midway, which is a museum now. It was a self guided narrated tour of the whole ship. It was pretty spectacular. They also have aircraft displayed on the hangar and flight deck levels. The weather was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the day there.
Flight Deck
Hangar Deck
This is the War Room where the first stages of Desert Storm was orchestrated from. They even had Paul Arnett on the TV still reporting live from Baghdag. Amazing! Somebody needs to tell him that Desert Storm has been over for nearly eighteen years now.
I asked this guy if I could buy some Viagra and there was dead silence. I take it this Sailor has been on a Long Hard Cruise.
Even the Captain of the ship looked a little stoned. Geeze these guys need some Liberty!
And now a word from our Captain.
Sunday the 27th of July
My neighbors Jan and Craig came to visit me on their way to San Francisco. They treated me to dinner for my birthday and we had a great time together. It was great to see them and I really appreciated their visit. I feel so lucky that I have such great neighbors.
Jan and Craig playing remote wars
You all already know what happened on Tuesday the 29th. Yes the earth quake, something I'll never forget. Jeanette arrived later that day and spent the rest of the week with me. My neice Andrea also drove out Friday night and spent the weekend with Jeanette and I.
Thursday Jeanette and I went to Long Beach and visited the Aquarium Of The Pacific. This was a very nice aquarium! We even got to pet the sharks and sting rays. I had no idea that sharks felt like sand paper. This is definitely something to see if you're in the the area. Word of advice, go later in the afternoon when all the bus loads of kids have left.
After the aquarium we walked around the harbor and enjoyed the views of the lighthouse and the Queen Mary. We then had a late lunch and headed back to the RV. Again, the weather was perfect!
The Aquarium of the Pacific
Long Beach Harbor and The Queen Mary
Jeanette feeding the birds
They had an amazing display of various species of Jellyfish
Saturday we all went to Hollywood and spent the day there. We took one of the tours that took us through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive. It was fun, but man what a Rat Race! People and traffic everywhere!
Jeanette and Andrea on the Tour Bus or was it a rolled van with the top cut off.
Hollywood Blvd. (Can you spot the Tin Man?)
Week Seven
I took a ride up to a small town in the mountains near Palm Springs called Idelwild. It was nice to escape the heat of the desert and take in some fresh air and smell the pines. I kind of got a bad taste of the town itself when I first arrived though. I had to pee as usual and I was trying to find a restroom to use,and encountered "Restrooms For Customers Only" signs everywhere I went. At first I respected their wish and obeyed the signs but it got to be rediculus and I had to pee really bad. I confess, Yes, I used a restroom at a place and I was not a customer. I'm sorry, unknown Idelwild business, for using your restroom, but before I could spend any time or money in your town I had to pee first. Geez!
Then I was getting hungry and wanted to have lunch before heading back down to the valley and I encountered another Idelwild challenge, Parking! Everywhere I pulled into there were the signs, "Parking for such & such establishment ONLY" I'm thinking, this town doesn't want you to pee or park but they want you to spend your money there. I finally found a parking spot, had lunch and left this frustrating town. Never going back there!
This looks like an assuming quiet, relaxing, mountain village, but lurking around every corner are those annoying signs. "Don't pee here","Don't Poop here", "Don't Park here", "No Stopping", "No Standing", "Welcome to Idelwild now Leave!"
View on the way up the mountain.
Jeanette flew in to town Friday afternoon and we visited Disneyland Saturday and went on a tour of the Proton Beam Center at Loma Linda on Sunday.
There I'm caught up again!
Look at all the Perdy Flowers in Didney Land!
Wow! Time is just flying by! I'm on my last two weeks of treatment and can't wait to get back home. A lot of people going through Proton Beam treatment here at Loma Linda call it a Radiation Vacation. There was one guy here that said he was dropped from the prayer list at his local church after they found out how much of a good time he was having. But that's the wonderful thing about this treatment. It's painless, has minimal side affects during and after treatment, and since you are here in Southern California during treatment you might as well enjoy yourself, hence, Radiation Vacation. That's all a part of the healing process.
I feel good, I'm having a great time, and I have met a lot of great people here. The whole treatment process is so positive, and everybody you come in contact with whether it's a staff member or another patient are all so positive. Being in a positive low stress atmosphere has a tremendous affect on the healing process.
My experience during this treatment makes me wonder why this option for treatment is not so publicly well known like the other options that have potentialy bad side affects. I feel sorry for the men who choose to have a prostectomy based soley upon the recommendation of their Urologists, when they could have been spared the risk of incontinence, impotency, or even death.
I challenge any Urologist with prostate cancer to research Proton Beam cancer treatment and compare it to the other options available and their side affects and then ask them what treatment option would you choose based on their research. I bet they would choose Proton Beam over sugery any day.
Jeanette and I took a tour of the internal workings of the proton beam facility the other day, and it is absolutely amazing how it works. There are so many intrical parts to the system that it is mind boggling that it even works. But it does work and has been operating and curing cancer patients since 1990. Something I did not know before the tour was that NASA uses one of the treatment rooms for research on how proton particles affect equipment and gear used by astronauts in space since solar flares contain proton particles. And my urologist said this was a gimmick. Obviously he didn't know what he was talking about.
So yeah I'm having a good time while my cancer is being annihilated by the powerful proton beam. In contrast, I could have been laying in a bed for several weeks with a cathater or colostomy bag on my side risking infection, then later having to go back and get a device inserted in my bladder to control my urine, and have no sex life during recovery and most likely none afterwards.
My activities during the past two weeks.
Week Six
Saturday the 26th of July
I went back down to San Diego and spent the whole day on the aircraft carrier USS Midway, which is a museum now. It was a self guided narrated tour of the whole ship. It was pretty spectacular. They also have aircraft displayed on the hangar and flight deck levels. The weather was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the day there.
Flight Deck
Hangar Deck
This is the War Room where the first stages of Desert Storm was orchestrated from. They even had Paul Arnett on the TV still reporting live from Baghdag. Amazing! Somebody needs to tell him that Desert Storm has been over for nearly eighteen years now.
I asked this guy if I could buy some Viagra and there was dead silence. I take it this Sailor has been on a Long Hard Cruise.
Even the Captain of the ship looked a little stoned. Geeze these guys need some Liberty!
And now a word from our Captain.
Sunday the 27th of July
My neighbors Jan and Craig came to visit me on their way to San Francisco. They treated me to dinner for my birthday and we had a great time together. It was great to see them and I really appreciated their visit. I feel so lucky that I have such great neighbors.
Jan and Craig playing remote wars
You all already know what happened on Tuesday the 29th. Yes the earth quake, something I'll never forget. Jeanette arrived later that day and spent the rest of the week with me. My neice Andrea also drove out Friday night and spent the weekend with Jeanette and I.
Thursday Jeanette and I went to Long Beach and visited the Aquarium Of The Pacific. This was a very nice aquarium! We even got to pet the sharks and sting rays. I had no idea that sharks felt like sand paper. This is definitely something to see if you're in the the area. Word of advice, go later in the afternoon when all the bus loads of kids have left.
After the aquarium we walked around the harbor and enjoyed the views of the lighthouse and the Queen Mary. We then had a late lunch and headed back to the RV. Again, the weather was perfect!
The Aquarium of the Pacific
Long Beach Harbor and The Queen Mary
Jeanette feeding the birds
They had an amazing display of various species of Jellyfish
Saturday we all went to Hollywood and spent the day there. We took one of the tours that took us through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive. It was fun, but man what a Rat Race! People and traffic everywhere!
Jeanette and Andrea on the Tour Bus or was it a rolled van with the top cut off.
Hollywood Blvd. (Can you spot the Tin Man?)
Week Seven
I took a ride up to a small town in the mountains near Palm Springs called Idelwild. It was nice to escape the heat of the desert and take in some fresh air and smell the pines. I kind of got a bad taste of the town itself when I first arrived though. I had to pee as usual and I was trying to find a restroom to use,and encountered "Restrooms For Customers Only" signs everywhere I went. At first I respected their wish and obeyed the signs but it got to be rediculus and I had to pee really bad. I confess, Yes, I used a restroom at a place and I was not a customer. I'm sorry, unknown Idelwild business, for using your restroom, but before I could spend any time or money in your town I had to pee first. Geez!
Then I was getting hungry and wanted to have lunch before heading back down to the valley and I encountered another Idelwild challenge, Parking! Everywhere I pulled into there were the signs, "Parking for such & such establishment ONLY" I'm thinking, this town doesn't want you to pee or park but they want you to spend your money there. I finally found a parking spot, had lunch and left this frustrating town. Never going back there!
This looks like an assuming quiet, relaxing, mountain village, but lurking around every corner are those annoying signs. "Don't pee here","Don't Poop here", "Don't Park here", "No Stopping", "No Standing", "Welcome to Idelwild now Leave!"
View on the way up the mountain.
Jeanette flew in to town Friday afternoon and we visited Disneyland Saturday and went on a tour of the Proton Beam Center at Loma Linda on Sunday.
There I'm caught up again!
Look at all the Perdy Flowers in Didney Land!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
If The Trailer's Rockin Don't Come Knockin!
No Jeanette's not here yet, but the trailer was Rockin and Rollin today! I'm sure you all heard about the earthquake that hit the L.A. area.
I was cleaning the trailer and just stepped back inside when Free Bird started to sway back and forth. I was thinking, Yeah Rock On Baby!
At first I thought it was me getting into the trailer that caused the sway, and thought to myself, "Man, I didn't know I had gained that much weight! I need to hit the gym a little bit harder." Then I stuck my head out the door and saw the tires on the trailer moving at least two inches back and forth. When it stopped I moved back and forth and jumped up and down to see if I could duplicate it but the trailer didn't budge. At that moment I felt a moment of relief that I didn't have to change my exercise routine or change my diet because that was an Earth Quake!
So I switched the TV from Design on a Dime to the local news, and sure enough it was an earthquake.
That was the second earth quake that has occurred since I've been here. The first one was in Loma Linda on the first day of my treatments. I only heard that one, but this one I felt Big Time!
I need to get out of here! My dream of owning a house boat may become a reality. Hope this trailer is water tight!
((((II I I'LL L S E E EE Y O UU U UU A L LL L L L L A A AT TT E R))))
I was cleaning the trailer and just stepped back inside when Free Bird started to sway back and forth. I was thinking, Yeah Rock On Baby!
At first I thought it was me getting into the trailer that caused the sway, and thought to myself, "Man, I didn't know I had gained that much weight! I need to hit the gym a little bit harder." Then I stuck my head out the door and saw the tires on the trailer moving at least two inches back and forth. When it stopped I moved back and forth and jumped up and down to see if I could duplicate it but the trailer didn't budge. At that moment I felt a moment of relief that I didn't have to change my exercise routine or change my diet because that was an Earth Quake!
So I switched the TV from Design on a Dime to the local news, and sure enough it was an earthquake.
That was the second earth quake that has occurred since I've been here. The first one was in Loma Linda on the first day of my treatments. I only heard that one, but this one I felt Big Time!
I need to get out of here! My dream of owning a house boat may become a reality. Hope this trailer is water tight!
((((II I I'LL L S E E EE Y O UU U UU A L LL L L L L A A AT TT E R))))
Friday, July 25, 2008
Week Four and Five
I know I've been slacking off on writing the last couple of weeks so I'll get you all caught up on the latest. I just completed my twenty-fourth treatment today, so I can say I'm half way through. My butt sure is taking a toll after 24 balloons. Wow! Anytime I see a balloon now I have anxiety attacks. Ha Ha! Just kidding!
My treatments have been regularly scheduled between 0530 to 0730 hrs each day. It's nice to get it done so I don't have to worry about it the rest of the day. I usually go to the gym right afterwards. That's if I don't talk myself out of it on the way over. I've been doing pretty good though, I run about two and a half miles on the treadmill then work out with the weights. I can only do so much with the weight lifting due to my shoulder that I injured during the Police Academy about twelve years ago. It used to only hurt me every once and a while but now it's constant. Just another thing I've got to get fixed after all this is done.
As far as side affects, they are pretty much the same as I reported a couple of weeks ago. However, I did notice a dramatic restriction in my urine flow in my fourth week. I've been taking Advil for my shoulder so the Doctor told me to up the dosage to 1200 mg's per day. This seems to have helped. I'm trying to avoid having to take Flomax if at all possible. I also have found out that I can not eat certain foods because they will make me sick. During my fifth week visit to the Doctor he said the side affects will be pretty much stabalized at this point,and will subside quickly after the treatments are completed. In other words, the side affects I have now will most likely be the same and not increase during the remainder of treatments. However, my nurse said I will feel more fatigued in the later stages of the treatment. This however can usually be combated by exercising.
As far as the rest of the plumbing(If you know what I'm talking about),it seems to be functioning as normal with the exception of a little burning sensation. The Doc said all those side affects will be gone after the treatments.
I met a newbie from Phoenix last week. His name is Paul and I can relate to him more than the others because he is closer to my age. I am still the youngest in the group though, and that was confirmed at last week's support group meeting when the director asked for a show of hands of the different age groups. I was the only one under 50 and was given a round of applause. Gee! I felt so Special! They wanted to give me a balloon but I quickly refused. Ha!
Here's a joke that came up in a group meeting a couple of weeks ago.
"Do you know why the Radiation Techs at Loma Linda have better than 20/20 vision?"
"Because they have Hind Sight!"
Get it? Balloons, HIND (Rearend) sight. Oh never mind!
So what did I do other than playing with balloons?
Well let's see. Last weekend Jeanette came to visit and we spent the weekend in San Diego. The weather was awesome!.
We couldn't check into the hotel until 4 PM so we went to Old Town and had lunch at Fred's Mexican Cantina. I had two fish tacos and a couple margauritas. I forgot what Jeanette had, but we were both stuffed and we were supposed to meet an old Air Force buddy and his wife for dinner later that evening so we walked around the Old Town shops for a while. We then drove over to Mission Bay Beach and had a gander at the Pacific Ocean. That water was Cold! But that didn't stop people from going in. Burrrr!
Probably not a good idea to wear a "Remember the Alamo" T-Shirt at a Mexican restaurant and an Air Force hat in a Navy town. But it makes me feel so ALIVE!
My lovely wife Jeanette
No way am I getting in that water! Talk about major shrinkage!
After checking in at the hotel we met my friend Alex and his wife Joanie for dinner at Sea Port Village. I was stationed with Alex at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ. I hadn't seen Alex in over ten years when I ran into him at Luke AFB, AZ. during a commissary run. Ever since then we kept in contact by E-Mail.
We all had a nice dinner and a good time reminiscing and catching up on what has transpired in our lives for the past ten years. After dinner we walked around Seaport Village and took in the views of the city and the harbor. While walking around Seaport Village I ran into a co-worker there. I thought, Wow! What a small world to run into somebody you work with 400 miles away from home. I then remembered that half of all Arizonans are in San Diego during the summertime anyway so chances are pretty good you'll run into somebody you know. So what happens in San Diego will not always stay in San Diego if you're a Zoney (San Diego slang for people from Arizona). Good thing I didn't get into a drunken brawl with a bunch of Navy Squids yelling, "Remember The Alamo!"
(Just to set the record straight. I am not from Texas, I have no grudges against people from Mexico, and I got the T-shirt in San Antonio from Dick's Last Resort, which is a rowdy bar and grill, and "Hell I can't even remember my name" is printed underneath, "Remember The Alamo!?" As far as Navy Squids, well that's a whole other chapter there.)
Now that I have that disclaimer out of the way!
Alex and Joanie
The next day we went to Sea World. We spent the whole day there and I was Dawg tired afterwards, plus my bum foot was killing me. Dang! I think I'm getting old!
I hadn't been to Sea World since I came back from Desert Storm in 91 and they were letting military in for free. They had a few new things there but everything else was pretty much the same.
I really appreciated their respect to military folks. They are doing the same thing they did in 91 and letting active duty military and their families in for free. They also had a nice tribute to all the military past and present before the Shamu show. It was very touching.
Jeanette's most favorite part of the whole park.
Week Five
Tuesday I went to the March AFB Museum. It was a pretty cool museum with lot's of airplanes on display. They even had an SR 71. It's right next to the flightline so you can watch various aircraft take off and land from March AFB. There were two KC-135's and a C-17 doing touch and go sorties all day so it was fun watching them along with veiwing all the aircraft on display. There's also a hangar with displays from March's history dating back to WW I. I particularly enjoyed the armament display since I was a Munitions Specialist in the Air Force. It brought back some memories.
This is a dummy B-61 Nuclear Weapon. I loaded these on ejection racks and delivered them to B-52 alert birds on special trailers back in the day. The box on wheels was the typical tool box that the SAC LSC (Load Standardization Crews)would use mainly for load competitions throughout the Strategic Air Command.
The yellow can is a .50 caliber ammo can that we would fill with about 475 rounds of .50 caliber APIT. Those cans are the reason I have back problems today. When fully loaded they were very awkward to lift. I hated them!
Aim 9 Missile
.
Mk-82 500 lb bomb with MK-15 retarding fin. I built and delivered many of these
B-52D, BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow) We had a different version of what BUFF meant.
And of course Thursday was my birthday so I treated myself to a nice lunch and paid for it later. I was sick for the rest of the night. But it was so good going down!
Until next Time, Adios Amigos!
My treatments have been regularly scheduled between 0530 to 0730 hrs each day. It's nice to get it done so I don't have to worry about it the rest of the day. I usually go to the gym right afterwards. That's if I don't talk myself out of it on the way over. I've been doing pretty good though, I run about two and a half miles on the treadmill then work out with the weights. I can only do so much with the weight lifting due to my shoulder that I injured during the Police Academy about twelve years ago. It used to only hurt me every once and a while but now it's constant. Just another thing I've got to get fixed after all this is done.
As far as side affects, they are pretty much the same as I reported a couple of weeks ago. However, I did notice a dramatic restriction in my urine flow in my fourth week. I've been taking Advil for my shoulder so the Doctor told me to up the dosage to 1200 mg's per day. This seems to have helped. I'm trying to avoid having to take Flomax if at all possible. I also have found out that I can not eat certain foods because they will make me sick. During my fifth week visit to the Doctor he said the side affects will be pretty much stabalized at this point,and will subside quickly after the treatments are completed. In other words, the side affects I have now will most likely be the same and not increase during the remainder of treatments. However, my nurse said I will feel more fatigued in the later stages of the treatment. This however can usually be combated by exercising.
As far as the rest of the plumbing(If you know what I'm talking about),it seems to be functioning as normal with the exception of a little burning sensation. The Doc said all those side affects will be gone after the treatments.
I met a newbie from Phoenix last week. His name is Paul and I can relate to him more than the others because he is closer to my age. I am still the youngest in the group though, and that was confirmed at last week's support group meeting when the director asked for a show of hands of the different age groups. I was the only one under 50 and was given a round of applause. Gee! I felt so Special! They wanted to give me a balloon but I quickly refused. Ha!
Here's a joke that came up in a group meeting a couple of weeks ago.
"Do you know why the Radiation Techs at Loma Linda have better than 20/20 vision?"
"Because they have Hind Sight!"
Get it? Balloons, HIND (Rearend) sight. Oh never mind!
So what did I do other than playing with balloons?
Well let's see. Last weekend Jeanette came to visit and we spent the weekend in San Diego. The weather was awesome!.
We couldn't check into the hotel until 4 PM so we went to Old Town and had lunch at Fred's Mexican Cantina. I had two fish tacos and a couple margauritas. I forgot what Jeanette had, but we were both stuffed and we were supposed to meet an old Air Force buddy and his wife for dinner later that evening so we walked around the Old Town shops for a while. We then drove over to Mission Bay Beach and had a gander at the Pacific Ocean. That water was Cold! But that didn't stop people from going in. Burrrr!
Probably not a good idea to wear a "Remember the Alamo" T-Shirt at a Mexican restaurant and an Air Force hat in a Navy town. But it makes me feel so ALIVE!
My lovely wife Jeanette
No way am I getting in that water! Talk about major shrinkage!
After checking in at the hotel we met my friend Alex and his wife Joanie for dinner at Sea Port Village. I was stationed with Alex at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ. I hadn't seen Alex in over ten years when I ran into him at Luke AFB, AZ. during a commissary run. Ever since then we kept in contact by E-Mail.
We all had a nice dinner and a good time reminiscing and catching up on what has transpired in our lives for the past ten years. After dinner we walked around Seaport Village and took in the views of the city and the harbor. While walking around Seaport Village I ran into a co-worker there. I thought, Wow! What a small world to run into somebody you work with 400 miles away from home. I then remembered that half of all Arizonans are in San Diego during the summertime anyway so chances are pretty good you'll run into somebody you know. So what happens in San Diego will not always stay in San Diego if you're a Zoney (San Diego slang for people from Arizona). Good thing I didn't get into a drunken brawl with a bunch of Navy Squids yelling, "Remember The Alamo!"
(Just to set the record straight. I am not from Texas, I have no grudges against people from Mexico, and I got the T-shirt in San Antonio from Dick's Last Resort, which is a rowdy bar and grill, and "Hell I can't even remember my name" is printed underneath, "Remember The Alamo!?" As far as Navy Squids, well that's a whole other chapter there.)
Now that I have that disclaimer out of the way!
Alex and Joanie
The next day we went to Sea World. We spent the whole day there and I was Dawg tired afterwards, plus my bum foot was killing me. Dang! I think I'm getting old!
I hadn't been to Sea World since I came back from Desert Storm in 91 and they were letting military in for free. They had a few new things there but everything else was pretty much the same.
I really appreciated their respect to military folks. They are doing the same thing they did in 91 and letting active duty military and their families in for free. They also had a nice tribute to all the military past and present before the Shamu show. It was very touching.
Jeanette's most favorite part of the whole park.
Week Five
Tuesday I went to the March AFB Museum. It was a pretty cool museum with lot's of airplanes on display. They even had an SR 71. It's right next to the flightline so you can watch various aircraft take off and land from March AFB. There were two KC-135's and a C-17 doing touch and go sorties all day so it was fun watching them along with veiwing all the aircraft on display. There's also a hangar with displays from March's history dating back to WW I. I particularly enjoyed the armament display since I was a Munitions Specialist in the Air Force. It brought back some memories.
This is a dummy B-61 Nuclear Weapon. I loaded these on ejection racks and delivered them to B-52 alert birds on special trailers back in the day. The box on wheels was the typical tool box that the SAC LSC (Load Standardization Crews)would use mainly for load competitions throughout the Strategic Air Command.
The yellow can is a .50 caliber ammo can that we would fill with about 475 rounds of .50 caliber APIT. Those cans are the reason I have back problems today. When fully loaded they were very awkward to lift. I hated them!
Aim 9 Missile
.Mk-82 500 lb bomb with MK-15 retarding fin. I built and delivered many of these
B-52D, BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow) We had a different version of what BUFF meant.
And of course Thursday was my birthday so I treated myself to a nice lunch and paid for it later. I was sick for the rest of the night. But it was so good going down!
Until next Time, Adios Amigos!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Week Three
Another week down!
The treatments are going well. As of this writing, I have completed sixteen treatments and have twenty-nine more to go.
Yaaay! Only twenty-nine balloons to go!
I purchased an extended warranty when I bought the truck so I called the 1-800 number and asked for a tow.
The treatments are going well. As of this writing, I have completed sixteen treatments and have twenty-nine more to go.
Yaaay! Only twenty-nine balloons to go!
This week I have definitely noticed my urine stream has been more restricted than last week. My Doctor said this is normal during treatment as the prostate is being bombarded with radiation.
I've been working out at the gym and trying to stay active but sometimes it's hard to get motivated especially when I'm feeling tired.
I spent Monday afternoon washing my trailer from top to bottom. It really needed it especially the roof.
Thursday night I met my friend Carlos and his family at Downtown Disney, which is a mall area outside Disneyland with shops, restaurants, and outdoor entertainment. We had dinner at a pizza place and walked around the mall area and listened to some of the musicians that were performing there. It was a very enjoyable night and a nice break from the RV park.
If it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all.
I decided to take a trip back home and left Friday morning after my treatment. While getting ready and packing up the truck I put some sodas and water in my cooler. When I put the ice in the cooler a chunk of ice pierced a soda can and spewed Coke all over the trailer that I had just washed. After hosing it off I finally hit the road at about 10:00 A.M.
I was making good time and made it to the outskirts of Phoenix when the traffic stopped dead in it's tracks. Apparently there was a roll over accident that was blocking the left lane. The traffic was at a crawl when I decided to get off the freeway at Litchfield Park and take some side streets and then get back on the freeway past the accident. As soon as I got off the freeway, I looked behind me and noticed the traffic on the freeway was starting to flow pretty good again. Now I had to deal with rush hour traffic in Avondale until I finally got back on to the freeway.
Man! When am I ever going to learn! Just like when you're in line at the grocery store and you see the line next to you going faster, and you switch to that line and you see the line you were in now going faster then the one you switched to. Oh well!
I finally made it home about two hours later than I should have. Besides the traffic jams we deal with in the valley, it was nice to be back in Arizona. You really appreciate the things you have and where you live after being away for a while. California is a nice place to visit, but I'm glad I don't have to live there permanently.
I had a nice relaxing time at home. I fixed our TV set while I was there and saved a $380 service call. That was good! Did some pool maintenance, washed the truck, and started back to California Monday morning for my treatment scheduled at 7:30 P.M.
Everything was going good and I was about ten miles east of Blythe, California, making good time when all of the sudden all my gages and the electrical system went out. I've had this happen to me before in other vehicles and I knew it had to be the alternator. Plus I just replaced the batteries in it two weeks ago. So I pulled into a rest area soon after the electrical system went out and tried to restart it. The truck was dead in the water.
I purchased an extended warranty when I bought the truck so I called the 1-800 number and asked for a tow.
About an hour later I get a call from the tow company asking where I was. I told the driver that I was right here, I haven't left. He said, "I'm looking all around and I don't see a white Ford anywhere." Come to find out, the service contract company told them I was at the rest area west of Blythe, which is about thirty miles west of Blythe. I'm at the rest area ten miles east of Blythe in Arizona. So I'm sitting there in my truck on the phone with the tow truck driver and I glance over to my GPS unit thinking, is GPS Suzy still angry at me and now she has somehow infiltrated through the service contract company's computer to make my life more miserable. Just at that moment, I swear I heard GPS Suzy say in her robotic voice, "Do you want to play-ay-ay?" No just kidding! That happened in that Matthew Broderick movie, WarGames.
So the driver had to turn around and drive another 50 miles to my destination. Meanwhile, I called the Ford dealership in Blythe to let them know I was getting towed there and see if they would honor my service contract. The service advisor told me he wasn't sure and wasn't even sure they had an alternator for my truck. So he transferred me to the parts department and they told me they had one in stock and it was $499. $499! You got to be kidding me!
The tow truck finally arrived and towed my broken down heap to the Ford dealership in Blythe. I spoke to the same Service Advisor I had just spoken to on the phone and asked him politely if there was any way he could expedite the repair. The advisor snapped back at me and said, "You want me to just drop everything I'm doing to take care of you?" Uhhh Yeah! (I didn't really say that but I was thinking it). I told him I was just asking, because I needed to be in San Bernardino by 7:30 P.M. He then told me he wouldn't even be able to look at it until 3 or 4 P.M. I then thanked him and told him I would just do it myself. I then had the tow truck driver take me to the nearest auto parts store where I purchased a new alternator for $199 and installed it in less then an hour.
After installing the alternator and getting a jump start, I was finally back on the road. I arrived back in town and came home to an RV full of ants. Yes, it seems the ants knew I was gone for the weekend and decided to have a party in my RV. So now it was back to The Battle of The Planet of The Ants, Part II.
Since I had washed the trailer a few days ago I washed the comet barrier away and forgot to reapply it, plus I spilled soda all over the place before I left, which I'm sure attracted them back to the party barge. So I sprayed insecticide, sprinkled comet, and rubbed Vaseline in the appropriate areas and went to get my treatment.
On the way back I went to the local Wal-Mart to get some more ant traps and decided to get a burger at the nearby Burger King. I grabbed my Whopper with cheese combo meal with a Diet Coke that I had ordered and headed back to the RV to finally relax after being stranded in the desert for three hours, fighting swarms of killer ants, and being sodomized by a balloon.
I arrived at my trailer and exited the truck with my combo meal in one hand and Diet Coke in the other. My mouth was watering as I was anticipating to take that first bite out of my juicy burger and take a sip from my ice cold Diet Coke. With all that anticipation, I set my Coke down on the steps, and reached into my pocket for my keys to unlock the door to the RV. As I unlocked the door and opened it, everything went into slow motion. As it began to swing open. I yelled (in slow motion) OHHHHH NOOOOO! as I watched the door knock my Diet Coke off the stairs and on to the ground below, splashing Coke all over the side of the trailer in the same spot, just as I had done before I left for the weekend. Man! What a way to end a weekend!
If it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Week Two
Another week down and only minor side affects if any at all. I'm finding myself a little more tired at times, and experiencing some minor gastrointestinal discomfort. I’m told that my treatments will be scheduled in the morning starting Wednesday. That will be nice so I can get it over with and I wont have to worry about it for the rest of the day.
There’s still a lot of time to kill so I try to keep busy.
Jeanette came to town Thursday evening to spend the 4th of July weekend with me. Friday, we decided to go to Seal Beach where we spent the day exploring the quaint little beach community just south of L.A. in between Long Beach and Huntington Beach. It has the second longest pier in California along with several shops and restaurants. It is also home to the U.S. Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach.
We hiked about four miles total from Sunset Beach to the pier at Seal Beach and then back to our car that was parked at Sunset Beach. We then drove back to Seal Beach and walked around a bit and had a few micro brews at the local barbecue/bar. We then walked over to Walt’s Wharf and had a fabulous dinner. I had grilled Halibut stuffed with crab and cheese over a bed of black forbidden rice and asparagus. God was it good! I also had a prawn tower appetizer that consisted of grilled prawns over a tower of guacamole with tortilla chips. Very yummy! Since Jeanette is not a fish lover she had a fillet Mignon that was out of this world. It was the best fillet Mignon I had ever tasted. It was so tender it practically melted in my mouth. Jeanette took a bite of my halibut and she actually really liked it and wished she had ordered it. Can you believe that, coming from somebody who hates fish. Now you know it really had to be good if Jeanette liked it.
Saturday afternoon our friends, Darrel and Penny, came by to visit us on their way to San Diego. We all went to San Bernardino and visited the site of the first McDonald’s. The original building was torn down in 1972 and all that remained was the original McDonald's sign. The building that exists now is a small museum with photos and memorabilia depicting the history of McDonald’s. It was interesting and fun, but not what I expected it to be. We then drove to downtown Redland’s and nothing was going on there so we headed over to the Kimberly Crest House & Gardens. By the time we got there, they were closing and an announcement on the intercom was telling people to leave immediately. I guess the gardener really wanted to get home.
That night we drove to downtown Riverside and had dinner at the Gourmet Detective. This is a dinner and mystery show where the waiters are the actors and interact with the audience. The show starts as you check in for dinner and you’re escorted to your table. The stage is set in the 1940’s at the Café Noir. The owner of the café was found murdered that morning and each of the characters/waiters are the suspects. The audience has to guess who did it as clues are given and the plot unravels. It was quite a unique dining experience and we all had a lot of fun. No, I did not guess who did it. I guess I need to brush up on my Detective skills.
The Misadventures of GPS Suzy
My son David who is now stationed at Andrew’s A.F.B., Maryland had recently purchased a Garmin GPS unit to assist him in finding all the local areas of interest in and around Maryland and the Washington D.C. area. He said he loved it and it hasn’t gotten him lost yet.
Since I’m in unfamiliar territory I purchased one of these Garmin GPS units for myself. It’s actually pretty cool and will direct you to wherever you want to go. It even has a voice that tells you when to turn. The voice is of the female gender and kind of gets annoying at times, especially if you miss a turn. While we were driving around town with our friends I had to laugh when Darrel said he could do without another female voice telling him what to do while he‘s driving. Darrel and I were the only ones laughing and I think Penny gave him a little smack after that comment.
Now let’s go back a bit when Jeanette and I went to Seal Beach on Friday the 4th of July. I set my trusty GPS to take us to this beach that I had never been to before and we were off to our destination. I faithfully followed where the calm, but firm female voice of GPS Suzy told me to go, and we arrived at our destination about an hour later. I reset the GPS to guide us to the pier at Seal Beach and placed it in my pocket as we hiked to our destination from Sunset Beach. After our hike I put the GPS back in it’s suction cup holder in the car and drove back to Seal Beach where we had a wonderful time. After dinner we took a walk on the pier, watched the fishermen, and enjoyed the sights. After walking off our dinner we got back into the car and headed back to Grand Terrace.
I reset the GPS and trusted that this new state of the art technology would safely guide us home. I faithfully obeyed the commands of GPS Suzy while Jeanette and I reminisced about our wonderful day at Seal Beach. I noticed that GPS Suzy took me past the freeway we came in on and I thought she was either sending me on a shortcut to the freeway or to a totally different freeway that would get me home quicker. I didn’t have a map in the car because I had a GPS now and didn‘t need a map. Plus it was in the truck back at the RV park, so I kept my faith that Suzy would get me home.
So I’m tooling along in my Toyota Camry, when I finally woke up out of my, “I had such a good time, I’m totally oblivious, dream state”, and realized that Suzy was leading me through residential neighborhoods and surface streets and no freeways were in sight. By this time reality struck and I had to go pee, (since that’s a frequent thing I do now). I finally found a gas station to pee at so I quickly made a turn to the station while Suzy kept telling me that she’s recalculating and for me to turn right then turn left, and so on and so on. I then started to curse at Suzy and told her to shut up because I was turning left whether she liked it or not, because I got to pee.
After relieving myself, I got back into the car and reluctantly followed Suzy’s instructions. There’s no freeway in sight and the estimated time of arrival (ETA) on the GPS says I will arrive at my destination on Saturday 1:30 PM. It is now about 6:30 PM Friday and I‘m approximately 50 miles from the RV park and I have no idea how to get home. I’m thinking, What the Heck! Is there something wrong with this GPS unit! I thought maybe there was a glitch in the GPS unit so I pulled over and turned the GPS off. I turned it back on and off again about two or three more times in hopes that it would fix itself and miraculously give me a new set of directions. Suzy continued to take me through more side streets and neighborhoods in about four different cities east of L.A. when all of a sudden we are driving past Knott’s Berry Farm. Now I’m really getting frustrated and Jeanette could sense my frustration so she remained as quite as possible as I cursed Suzy for getting me LOST. I guess she figured that I didn’t need two women telling me where to go.
I was just about to cap a .40 into that GPS unit and put old Suzy to rest when finally a light went off in my head and I decided to check the settings on it. No wonder Suzy was sending me through all the side streets, she didn’t want me WALKING ON THE FREAKING FREEWAY! Before our hike I set the GPS to pedestrian mode and it seems that I forgot to set it back to automobile mode. DOHHHH! I reset it to automobile mode, apologized to Suzy and she finally led me to the nearest freeway and we were on our way home with an ETA of about 45 minutes. Much better than 1:30 PM the next day. Jeanette and I joked about it a bit and we eventually made it back home about an hour later than we should have been.
I learned a couple of lessons through all this though. First, make sure you always reset your GPS to the correct mode of travel. Second, don’t ever make a wise crack about two women telling you what to do while you’re driving. It could eventually backfire on you and get you in trouble.
Get ready for Week Three, it could get interesting around here as the trail continues. Good Night!
There’s still a lot of time to kill so I try to keep busy.
Jeanette came to town Thursday evening to spend the 4th of July weekend with me. Friday, we decided to go to Seal Beach where we spent the day exploring the quaint little beach community just south of L.A. in between Long Beach and Huntington Beach. It has the second longest pier in California along with several shops and restaurants. It is also home to the U.S. Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach.
We hiked about four miles total from Sunset Beach to the pier at Seal Beach and then back to our car that was parked at Sunset Beach. We then drove back to Seal Beach and walked around a bit and had a few micro brews at the local barbecue/bar. We then walked over to Walt’s Wharf and had a fabulous dinner. I had grilled Halibut stuffed with crab and cheese over a bed of black forbidden rice and asparagus. God was it good! I also had a prawn tower appetizer that consisted of grilled prawns over a tower of guacamole with tortilla chips. Very yummy! Since Jeanette is not a fish lover she had a fillet Mignon that was out of this world. It was the best fillet Mignon I had ever tasted. It was so tender it practically melted in my mouth. Jeanette took a bite of my halibut and she actually really liked it and wished she had ordered it. Can you believe that, coming from somebody who hates fish. Now you know it really had to be good if Jeanette liked it.
Saturday afternoon our friends, Darrel and Penny, came by to visit us on their way to San Diego. We all went to San Bernardino and visited the site of the first McDonald’s. The original building was torn down in 1972 and all that remained was the original McDonald's sign. The building that exists now is a small museum with photos and memorabilia depicting the history of McDonald’s. It was interesting and fun, but not what I expected it to be. We then drove to downtown Redland’s and nothing was going on there so we headed over to the Kimberly Crest House & Gardens. By the time we got there, they were closing and an announcement on the intercom was telling people to leave immediately. I guess the gardener really wanted to get home.
That night we drove to downtown Riverside and had dinner at the Gourmet Detective. This is a dinner and mystery show where the waiters are the actors and interact with the audience. The show starts as you check in for dinner and you’re escorted to your table. The stage is set in the 1940’s at the Café Noir. The owner of the café was found murdered that morning and each of the characters/waiters are the suspects. The audience has to guess who did it as clues are given and the plot unravels. It was quite a unique dining experience and we all had a lot of fun. No, I did not guess who did it. I guess I need to brush up on my Detective skills.
The Misadventures of GPS Suzy
My son David who is now stationed at Andrew’s A.F.B., Maryland had recently purchased a Garmin GPS unit to assist him in finding all the local areas of interest in and around Maryland and the Washington D.C. area. He said he loved it and it hasn’t gotten him lost yet.
Since I’m in unfamiliar territory I purchased one of these Garmin GPS units for myself. It’s actually pretty cool and will direct you to wherever you want to go. It even has a voice that tells you when to turn. The voice is of the female gender and kind of gets annoying at times, especially if you miss a turn. While we were driving around town with our friends I had to laugh when Darrel said he could do without another female voice telling him what to do while he‘s driving. Darrel and I were the only ones laughing and I think Penny gave him a little smack after that comment.
Now let’s go back a bit when Jeanette and I went to Seal Beach on Friday the 4th of July. I set my trusty GPS to take us to this beach that I had never been to before and we were off to our destination. I faithfully followed where the calm, but firm female voice of GPS Suzy told me to go, and we arrived at our destination about an hour later. I reset the GPS to guide us to the pier at Seal Beach and placed it in my pocket as we hiked to our destination from Sunset Beach. After our hike I put the GPS back in it’s suction cup holder in the car and drove back to Seal Beach where we had a wonderful time. After dinner we took a walk on the pier, watched the fishermen, and enjoyed the sights. After walking off our dinner we got back into the car and headed back to Grand Terrace.
I reset the GPS and trusted that this new state of the art technology would safely guide us home. I faithfully obeyed the commands of GPS Suzy while Jeanette and I reminisced about our wonderful day at Seal Beach. I noticed that GPS Suzy took me past the freeway we came in on and I thought she was either sending me on a shortcut to the freeway or to a totally different freeway that would get me home quicker. I didn’t have a map in the car because I had a GPS now and didn‘t need a map. Plus it was in the truck back at the RV park, so I kept my faith that Suzy would get me home.
So I’m tooling along in my Toyota Camry, when I finally woke up out of my, “I had such a good time, I’m totally oblivious, dream state”, and realized that Suzy was leading me through residential neighborhoods and surface streets and no freeways were in sight. By this time reality struck and I had to go pee, (since that’s a frequent thing I do now). I finally found a gas station to pee at so I quickly made a turn to the station while Suzy kept telling me that she’s recalculating and for me to turn right then turn left, and so on and so on. I then started to curse at Suzy and told her to shut up because I was turning left whether she liked it or not, because I got to pee.
After relieving myself, I got back into the car and reluctantly followed Suzy’s instructions. There’s no freeway in sight and the estimated time of arrival (ETA) on the GPS says I will arrive at my destination on Saturday 1:30 PM. It is now about 6:30 PM Friday and I‘m approximately 50 miles from the RV park and I have no idea how to get home. I’m thinking, What the Heck! Is there something wrong with this GPS unit! I thought maybe there was a glitch in the GPS unit so I pulled over and turned the GPS off. I turned it back on and off again about two or three more times in hopes that it would fix itself and miraculously give me a new set of directions. Suzy continued to take me through more side streets and neighborhoods in about four different cities east of L.A. when all of a sudden we are driving past Knott’s Berry Farm. Now I’m really getting frustrated and Jeanette could sense my frustration so she remained as quite as possible as I cursed Suzy for getting me LOST. I guess she figured that I didn’t need two women telling me where to go.
I was just about to cap a .40 into that GPS unit and put old Suzy to rest when finally a light went off in my head and I decided to check the settings on it. No wonder Suzy was sending me through all the side streets, she didn’t want me WALKING ON THE FREAKING FREEWAY! Before our hike I set the GPS to pedestrian mode and it seems that I forgot to set it back to automobile mode. DOHHHH! I reset it to automobile mode, apologized to Suzy and she finally led me to the nearest freeway and we were on our way home with an ETA of about 45 minutes. Much better than 1:30 PM the next day. Jeanette and I joked about it a bit and we eventually made it back home about an hour later than we should have been.
I learned a couple of lessons through all this though. First, make sure you always reset your GPS to the correct mode of travel. Second, don’t ever make a wise crack about two women telling you what to do while you’re driving. It could eventually backfire on you and get you in trouble.
Get ready for Week Three, it could get interesting around here as the trail continues. Good Night!
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