Life From Here---The Rat Years Part 3

I over use the word surreal but it’s the only way to describe it. I have to put myself into a 3rd party situation in order to see all that is happening.
I look over and think “Who’s that poor schlep!” Oh! It’s me.

I’m on the Duke Hospital Campus. This place is like the major leagues. I have about a city block of skyway to walk from the parking area to the new cancer center building and as I walk along I can overhear a couple of Docs talking about a procedure or a 30-year old couple that look like they’re 50 and pushing a little girl in the inevitable “pink cap.” Everyone here is so nice and don’t seem to lose sight of why the patients are here. In my area of the world Here is all cancer so there is a camaraderie that you would miss at a regular hospital when we’re there for broken bones and such.

Yesterday was my first day of the Clinical Trial for the “Drug with no Name.”…. (Eagles, yeah!) The pills don’t even have markings on them….they look like somebody cooked them up in their garage.

I arrived right on time (6:45 AM) which seemed to startle the staff but anyway they started a temporary port, drew blood and began an EKG. After that I was given my first dose of the drug. It’s all carefully timed as to when I can eat and so on. The dosage is 6 pills in the morning and then 6 pills twelve hours from the first. I was then let go and instructed to show up for the blood samples and EKG every 2 hours for the rest of the day (7:30 PM). Well, it was too far to go to the hotel and back so I had to hang around the place until each appointment. Even “Ted” (the real rat) has a wheel to run around for exercise….me? I get to sit my ass on a couch and watch ESPN.

I was worried that I would be bored but as it turned out....I wasn’t…..cause I developed the worst case of diarrhea I’ve ever had in my life (if you’ve ever had to prepare for a colonoscopy you know what I mean). It began as a small gas pain quickly went to a downright cramp and then to a wild animal trying to claw it’s way out of my stomach! By 4:30 it had gone away and I finished my last blood draw at 7:45 Wednesday night.

Between the blood letting and the “other” I was a tired little cowboy by days end,"Ted" didn't look so good either!  Thursday, No drug was given but I was back for more blood work at 7:45 AM and then off until that night….so I had most of the day off…..I wish the hotel had a pool!

The hotel is a national brand and very nice but this one is different. It’s across from the hospital so there are a lot of patients and families here. My first night I ran into a couple that was coming down the elevator with children’s’ clothes to wash. Lots of folks walk around with surgical masks and there are wheel chairs and walkers everywhere. It’s very sad. I went up and watched the Comedy Channel for 2 hours. I can’t get away from the fact that I’m in so much better shape than most of these guys. Right now I feel lucky that I’m not barking like a dog!

More Drugs on Friday morning and I was on my way. And, no more of the big D. It was so much fun that I get to did it again next week.

Saturday and Sunday have been a bitch.  Once again I think the main culprit is food or lack there of.  But I'm dealing with it, I'm back to my old shrimp routine from earlier days.  Don't ever think you wouldn't eat a grub out of a log if you were hungry enough.  It's survival! 

This is almost like managing a business….I have a food division, a drug division, medical, legal and I just opened the new pain management division. I’ll update ya later.

Keep the Spiritual Energy and Prayers coming…I don’t know what I would do with out them. Bob