Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Calling on Good Vibes and "I'm too sexy for my hair"

Sorry it's been a while since an update... Not a whole lot to update to tell you the truth.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce bald Sam to all (pictured are Katie and I goofing around).

I've been feeling good, and my exercise routine has increased to 30-45 minutes of intense (meaning I sweat) exercise followed by 30-45 minutes of stretching and moving and light exercise per day. Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes me feel better.

Exercise makes my body and mind feel as though nothing can stop me.

All right, to business. Friday morning/early-afternoonish will have me in the clinic for another bone marrow biopsy that will determine whether I stay on protocol or have to look at other treatment options. Any and all good vibes, positive thoughts, or positive ritual healing dances you're willing to do/send my way would be much appreciated (let's avoid sacrificial rituals though, please).

A buddy I met through a blog, Stuart, is going through treatment for Lymphoma and has been having some trouble with treatment... He is one of the strongest people I've ever encountered, however, and remains upbeat and positive -- a true inspiration. Please save some good vibes to send his way as well. You can follow his journey at:

http://stuartsmartt.blogspot.com/

On one final note, I want to let you all know how much I appreciate all of the comments and emails. It seems these days that getting up, taking meds, eating, resting, exercising, stretching, eating, resting, showering, cooking, eating, resting, trying to check in at work and get somthing done, resting, trying to clean but making a bigger mess, eating, taking meds, eating, and then finishing the night with some light reading or a movie soaks up almost all of my day. As a result, I'm getting pretty bad at responding to phone calls, emails, and comments, but each and every one warms my heart, makes me belly laugh out loud, or both. I love you all and appreciate you all sticking with me and helping me through this, even when I don't do such a good job reaching back to you.

And, I'm introducing a new feature to the blog: The comment question of the post. You don't need to stick to the question, if you have a comment on the regular posting, continue posting it, but if you're looking for a prompt I'll start providing some -- I don't get to see all of you very often, miss all of you, and appreciate all of your humor so here we go:

Today's comment question of the post: How can I naturally cure myself of cancer?

I'm expecting some creativity here...

'Till next time,

Sam

12 comments:

jesseray said...

Prune juice and a heavy duty fiber regiment might work. I'd recommend a bag of 15 bean soup. Works wonders. But as my Katie will testify, your Katie should probably check in to motel 8 for a while. As memory, and my scorched olfactory attest, maybe you might want to forget the soup. Or you could just blame it on a flock of winter geese passing by.

I'll be doing the cubicle dance of health for you on Friday. Good luck, buddy!

Curtis said...

Curtis and Rob would like to do a ritualistic Cha Cha Cha, Paso Doble, Clogging, or Flamenco. But all we can do really well is Vogue. That might be the cure, getting all your relatives to dance like fools. So strike a pose Sam.

Dennis said...

Head west to Sedona. Buy some sun block for your bald head and a vortex map and find one with lots of energy. Put on the head phones and listen to Jimmy Webb's MacArthur Park paying close attention to the lyrics:"Someone left a cake out in the rain. I don't know if I can take it. Cause it took so long to bake it. And I'll never have that recipe, again." Repeat until you either find enlightenment and understand the lyrics, or, you hurl. You can speed up both outcomes by drinking a mixture of one part wheat grass juice and one part vodka. After achieveing one of your outcomes, sit in a hogan and watch the film Koyaanisqatsi over and over again until the Philip Glass score makes you long for MacArthur Park.

Or, you can take your medicine and live each day well. Something you are good at.

Stuart said...

Sam- thanks so much for mentioning my parallel path to yours. I've enjoyed getting to know you as we go forward! As for nutrition-- great question. I've been a vegetarian since 1995, don't eat any fast food, exercise regularly, and have (had!) overall no real health problems. So getting a rare, aggressive cancer out of left field does make me ask the very same questions about the importance of nutrition. Rather than presume that it has little impact, I still strongly believe the opposite. Perhaps my situation would've been much worse if I had not taken a somewhat firm stance on nutrition all these years. I got a book called "Beating Cancer With Nutrition" by Quillen. It even came with a nice audio CD. Of all the books/resources I've seen, it seems to be the most balanced. They avoid the 'silver bullet' approach, which I find objectionable for those who say that once single ingredient is a panacea. We all know that a reductionist approach is no way to evaluation a person or a diet or a life. Anyways... may be worth a pass at that book. Or even better, give me your address and I will burn the CD for you. Given that we're on toxic chemo, the best thing to do is be sensitive to what will provide our bodies with a comprehensive set of tools to fight the cancer. All our cells have is what we feed them. If whatever we've 'fed' them the first few decades of life somehow ended up failing to filter out the cancer cells in their infancy, then you're asking a very critical question that must be addressed! Blog strong...!

Schmidty said...

this one's easy: come to Washington and let his holiness the president-elect anoint you with post-partisan hope-and-change oils.

tomorrow he's parting the potomac.

Schmidty said...

or: we could spend our way out of this!

VW said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
VW said...

Organic low glycemic kuchen (working on the recipe)and hugs(actual and virtual)from large middle aged women(especially Aunts). I send you the medical research as soon as I can find it because you know it is somewhere on the internet.
Love ya, Aunt V

Katie Lee said...

I heard somewhere an apple a day usually does the trick. Or maybe it was a shot of tequila and a beer chaser...

Love the new 'do Sam! I've had a pretty persistent cold since Thanksgiving, but once I nip it I'd love to see you!

Mad Geo and the Tagliatelles said...

I second Dennis' comment about the vortex out west. Even though it is highly likely that these are total B.S., the area around Sedona, especially Oak Creek Canyon, is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. For food, I recommend whole wheat pasta (preferably tagliatelle because, contrary to common belief, the actual shape of pasta alters the nutritive value as a result of cosmic synergistic effects and differential dispersion of GPS signals via the Rittenhouse effect) with some red peppers, portabella mushrooms and Kalamata olives....

Kate said...

What got you into this will get you out: Kiss more dogs.

AuntieLin said...

Here's a suggestion Sam: "Uncle Jimmy's Hangin' Balls". They are chock full of essential vitamins and minerals. Just google "Uncle Jimmy's Hangin' Balls" for more information. Love you Aunt Lin