Baseball, Baseball, Baseball…

I’ve been feeling pretty well although I still have a bit of a cough. But I felt well enough to take in some baseball games this weekend. We went to the Twins game on Saturday and that went well for 7 innings. The Rays scored 7 in the top of the eighth with the help of a pinch hit grand slam home run and went on to win 8-6. Bart Giamatti wrote that baseball breaks your heart and it was designed to break your heart. The game lived up to that.

We also went to the St. Paul Saints game on Sunday and they won 9-0. We were given tickets and sat on the warning track, yes, the warning track, in front of the wall. The area was “protected” by orange snow fencing and any ball hit in our area (not over the wall) would be ruled a ground rule double. We sat in the power alley and someone hit a home run, over our heads and the wall. We did not stay for the fireworks after the game.

I was thinking about Giamatti with the recent headlines during Elena Kagan’s confirmation about Chief Justice John Roberts' metaphor that a judge is like a baseball umpire who calls balls and strikes (balls and strikes was a really poor choice for this metaphor). Giamatti saw baseball as a metaphor for life in general (he probably would have chosen the infield fly rule for the metaphor). Where would Giamatti find a metaphor for cancer in baseball?

Who cares? I prefer to watch the game for the conversation. Maybe that’s the connection to cancer; the emerging patterns, connecting the dots, the creation of a story. Something happens on the field; we see it and wonder what might come next. Then another thing happens and the story gets another chapter. Then it becomes history. That’s the beauty of baseball and surviving cancer.

Eat Good Food, Be Kind, Tell the Truth

Click below for the collection of recipes or for an easy to print copy of a single recipe.

Collection of Recipes

Grilled Steak Sandwiches: I can't have hot dogs or most of the other fare sold at the ball park. I had a steak sandwich at the Twins game and it was good but I had to remove the cheese. This sandwich has no cheese and is topped with a marinated tomato, onion, and watercress salad.

The Friday Update: Just the Facts

Pitching Woo!

The Urban Dictionary defines pitching woo as: To flirt. To mac. To exhibit your game. To woo a hottie. That's pretty much what I meant except their definition makes it seems so contemporary and maybe even acceptable.

I had a steak in the freezer and decided to make it for dinner for me and Eunice. I had made Steak Diane for us many years ago and thought that would be a nice thing to do with a single steak that we could split with an added baked potato. I remembered that I used a recipe in the New York Times Cookbook. When I found the recipe for Steak Diane (page 91) I saw that there was a note: "Very Good. David made 12/83." It was beside the recipe for Steak Au Poivre not Steak Diane. 1983 precedes our marriage by about a year-and-a-half. I must have been pitching woo - and I'm thinking successfully.

Eunice is a remarkable person. Everyone is better off having been touched by her. We went to Paris a couple of years ago and as we were walking to join a boat ride on the Seine I heard the clink of metal on the ground. There is a scam where someone drops a "gold" ring and asks if it is yours, identifies some markings indicating it is "real gold," and tries to sell you the ring. Eunice immediately told the person she was sure someone going to the cruise had dropped the ring and she'd be happy to take it to the boat so it could be returned to its owner. The scam artist was speechless. All he could do was let her keep it. As we walked I told her I had read about this scam and was sure he would come back. He did and asked for 5 Euro. Eunice politely declined and returned the ring to him. The scam artist merely smiled and nodded his head acknowledging her goodness. That's Eunice and that's the kind of support I am lucky to have during my chemotherapy and so much more.

I'm not courageous and I don't think I am fighting a courageous battle against cancer as some people have suggested to me. There is the love and support of family and friends that makes chemo seem a part of you that just is. I think more times than not it is harder for them. I'm just doing my part for Eunice and the kids, trying to have some fun, and pitch a little more woo.

Eat Good Food, Be Kind, Tell the Truth

Click below for the collection of recipes or for an easy to print copy of a single recipe.

Collection of Recipes

Steak Au Poivre: This recipe is a combination of Steak Au Poivre and Steak Diane. It’s for a single serving that you can expand as you see fit.

A New Beginning

Two of the most common side effects of chemotherapy are fatigue and insomnia. Doesn't seem fair but that's the way it is. I've been sleeping well but do have more time on my hands. I thought I'd start a blog as a journal to look back on. You are welcome to join me.

Over 11 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer; a mixed-cell follicular lymphoma - a slow growing lymphoma. I went through a CHOPS chemotherapy routine and later Rituxan. Things went well until last month when a CT Scan showed growth and a biopsy revealed an additional, more aggressive, Large B-cell Lymphoma. That's the lymphoma part.

As I told my family about my cancer and prepared for chemotherapy I did some good and not so good things. My wife, Eunice, was fully involved but my daughter, Ann, pointed out that we don't communicate well as a family out loud in conversation especially about my cancer. Frankly there hasn't been a lot to talk about for a while but there is now. And she and my son were 10 and 8 when I was first diagnosed so I was remiss in not saying more over the years. So this blog is for them too and maybe it will start many a conversation. Welcome to my family.

As far as my treatment, think of it in Days with Day 1 (D1) being the start of treatment. The link for Chemocare in the sidebar is a good source of information about the drugs, side effects, precautions, etc.

D1: Rituxan, Cytoxan, and Etoposide (VP-16), (7 hour day). Start taking Prednisone (two 50mg tabs per day) and Procarbazine, or Mutulane (three 50mg tabs per day). Put them all together and you get R-CEPP which is the name of my treatment. It's fairly aggessive. More later on the Procarbazine and its food implications.

D2: Etoposide (2 hour day)

D3: Etoposide (2 hour day)

D8: Cytoxan (2 hour day)

D9: Neulasta (booster shot for white blood cells in and out)

Day 28: Start the cycle again for six times or Q4W x 6.

I started my first cycle April 21.

Prednisone is a tough drug for diabetics. It increases your blood sugar dramatically and 100mgs/day is a massive dose. I normally take Lantus insulin for a baseline 24 hour coverage and use a sliding scale of novolog for meals and corrections. My endocronologist suggested taking 25 units of NPH with each dose or half the #mgs of Prednisone for each dose. This is working well. My thanks to her. That's the biggest part for diabetes.

Now for food. Procarbazine has many dietary or food restrictions. Alcohol and cheese are the key ones but the list goes on and on. Without going into a lot of detail Procarbazine interferes with the inactivation of Tyramine in various foods so that "serious events" can happen. They put cardiac failure at the end of the list which I suppose is appropriate. So we are focusing on fresh, natural, and packaged foods with less than 5 ingredients.

I should mention that I am also lactose intolerant but almost all the drugs I am taking cause constipation. I am reintroducing dairy products, including eggs, into my diet and so far so good. There's always a silver lining.

So what am I eating? Good stuff actually. I was worried at first but we've (my wife and I) have gotten into the search for food that will avoid a "serious event."

Breakfasts:

Egg burritos made with onions, other fresh vegetables, scrambled eggs, a little salsa (less than 5 ingredients), no cheese, rolled in a tortilla.

Lunch:

We found uncured hot dogs with 3 ingredients. I had one on a bun with a little mustard and it was great. I'm not a big lunch eater but enjoyed it.

Dinner:

Rice with chopped panned fried skinless chicken breasts, a little salsa, baby peas, with a fried egg (over easy) on top. The leftovers shouldn't be kept more than 2 days so it makes a great breakfast too. I "harvested" this idea from my brother-in-law. But if you are having guests and want to prepare something for all sorts of different tastes and/or preferences you can place all the ingredients (meat, salsa, vegetables, seafood, eggs, etc.) in separate bowls and people can use what they prefer. Use rice, tortilla chips or something else for a base. He calls it "Pile On" and it is good - be creative.

Beverages:

I have an 8oz cup of coffee in the morning and drink a lot of water everyday (2 qts)

Eat Good Food, Be Kind, Tell the Truth!

I'm just getting started, I like to cook, and the food will get more interesting!