Scratching out a living

Just when you think you are out of the woods, it turns out they were full of poison oak! In the last month, as my immune system recovers from 2+ years of suppression, it decides to go on a rampage of a sort, and I am one giant itch as the WBCs go rampaging from spot to spot. One big constant allergic reaction to nothing! This seems to be related to circulation, as heat really gets it going. I step out of a hot shower with rashes everywhere, so now I am taking cold showers. Benadryl is keeping the whole thing under control, keeping it bearable, and the doc thinks it will subside in some time, but so does breathing. The only other person I know that went through this treatment is still having the itchies, and she ended chemo months ahead of me, so I have that to look forward to. It could be a long hot itchy summer.

The other night my scrotum was on fire with the itch, and I was wondering if I had mentally blocked some wild party with hookers in Reno, but it was just the crazy WBCs going after a hot spot. I actually considered cutting off the whole mess, but then my head was itchy too, and my ears, and my chest, so I can't chop off everything that is itching. I had to bust out a firehose of 2.5% hydrocortisone cream and put it out; back to the damn steroids!

Just to make things well-rounded, the acid reflux thing is back and I have to cut back on my favorite drug, coffee. Jeez. So, the new drugs are Benadryl and Protonix, and Gaviscon when things are really kicking. Right now I feel like something is trying to break out of my rib cage. Things seem to get going about 2 hours after a meal, and I am right on cue. But, my golf game is coming around, and when I am outside the itch is gone, probably because of the cool weather we are having around here. Mac, I played Dayton Valley CC (Nicklaus design) with the boss last week, shot an 84 from the blues. 40 acres of water on the course, and at least 100 sand traps, so I was pretty damn pleased.

Young John is home from school, so the house is a little different. He is running with a game idea I had a few years ago, so I am going to have to help him with it, and maybe we can both avoid real jobs if it works. Stay tuned.

Everything else is pretty normal. School is coming to a close for Mike and Dana, and we need to get some vacation time planned, I've worked over a year with 3 days off. I will probably keep posting until the itch dies so my readers with leukemia that read this can see how it might fare for them. The key to scratching out a living is living, not the scratching.

Boring is sometimes good

My bone marrow biopsy was clean, I am a clean machine (in that sense). Didja get my pun about boring? I wonder how old you are when the bad puns gene turns on?

Let's get our goodwill thoughts to anonymous Bill, send him some white cells through the ether or however you all did it last time.

For some reason the blog just got 5 times the hits it's been getting, maybe the new blogger setup drew some looky-loos. Let's hope the incidence of leukemia didn't just jump. Maybe my friends are looking for some final words of wisdom from me. It's 7:30 Monday am and I am on my way to work, so I don't have my head in the game. I will post this and follow up with a final blog of wisdom. Here are the only thoughts of wisdom I have right now. Stay balanced. Slow it down if it's going bad. When it's fast, read more break into your roll. Keep your head steady. Do all this and you too can shoot 88.

Work to live, and enjoy every day you get.