 |
| Dr. Hugh Tildesley |
This
past Monday I completed my third infusion of the poisons. So far (day 5) things
are fine, this was not the case on the last cycle. There is usually a feeling
of intense well being the first couple of days after treatment, no doubt
related to industrial doses of steroids used to combat the side effects of the
drugs. There then usually follows episodic fatigue necessitating a nap of 1-2
hours on days 4 and 5. The nap is non-negotiable. The second week is usually
benign with slow and steady recovery of energy. Last week I suffered from a
profound decrease in appetite, no taste for food and I got behind in my hydration.
This was undoubtedly worsened by our unprecedented heat wave. The result was
unneeded weight loss, one of my enemies. We have come up with some strategies,
which include tapering the steroids more slowly; recording food intake on my
calorie counter and Deborah has found a formula for a high protein drink, which
is palatable.
So
is there any objective news of response? Since starting therapy my liver
function tests have normalized. My albumin (protein) dropped but I am hoping
this is related to the weight loss and dietary mischief. I plan for 1 more
treatment commencing July 20, a CT scan on July 24. (Donovan’s Birthday). This will tell me if there has been a
response.
Much
to my chagrin the promised timeline for the genomic testing has not been met.
We still have 2 weeks but it was understood that this information was to have
been available 1 month ago. Escalating messages are now commencing.
Am
I still working? The short answer is yes. Two ½ days every second week. I still
enjoy the patient contact and it is hard to walk away from 31 years of doing what
I always wanted to do.
I
am also wrapping up some research projects. Over the last month we have
completed 2 papers, which are being submitted and have had 2 posters accepted
for the upcoming International Diabetes Federation meeting to be held here in
November. We are also completing filming of our virtual diabetes centre, more
on that as we get more material uploaded to our site.
Naturally
this summer did not go as planned. We were to have left for Prague on June 24,
then to Denmark for a cycling tour June 30. Deborah was to return home on July
8, the Pope and I were to then play golf in southern Sweden, followed by
defense of our championship at the King Leopold III invitational tournament and
then a quick few days experiencing Irish golf. My friend and stellar TWA member
gracefully took my place as the Pope does not travel well alone, he is often
challenged as to where he has left his glasses, which causes a cascade of often
unrelated but stressful variables. Peter and he are now in the south of Sweden
and shortly will travel to Waterloo for the tournament.
 |
| The Falsterbo Golf Club Southern Sweden |
 |
| Peter anxiously awaiting payment |
Nevertheless,
he paid $5K for the ticket; try to earn some customer loyalty!
Another
example of the company motto:
WE’RE NOT
HAPPY UNTIL YOU’RE NOT HAPPY
My
diminished workload unfortunately does not lead to too much mischief; I
continue to read a book a week, a real luxury. This leads to a trivia question?
What do the Beach Boys, Elon Musk and the Wright brothers have in common?
Answer:
Hawthorne
Beach
Boys lived in Hawthorne and went to Hawthorne High School. Elon Musk’s SpaceX
rocket assembly plant is in Hawthorne and the Wright brothers lived on 7
Hawthorne in Dayton Ohio. Naturally this is a plug for you to read “The Wright
Brothers”, a fascinating tale of things we never learned in school.
 |
| Hawthorne High School |
 |
| 7 Hawthorne Wright Family Home |
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SpaceX Factory Hawthorne CA |
Until next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment