CANCER RECAP

Many of you have noticed and some may have quietly complained that the BLOG has not been updated recently.  Understandably, you have missed the goings on in the lives of the Lord, Nurse and Butler.  Of course the lapse is all Mr. FOG’s fault.  To help make amends, here is a quick recap of what has been happening.

 April 3rd - 7th: Mario went in for Chemo #4.  It was the best Chemo ever.  He did pretty well this round since he had the extra two-week break for the Final Four and was able to recuperate his strength before getting back to Cancer War.  Another explanation is that the bulk of the cancer likely has been eliminated and there is less “warfare” happening. Hence there are fewer toxins for the body to eliminate.  Who knows? In any event he is doing better in handling the chemotherapy.

 After Chemo #4 Nurse Sherry and the Laird spent a quiet Easter Sunday at home together and enjoyed watching Bubba Watson win Masters Tournament. Go Bubba!  Mr. FOG was in Chicago with his sister and also had a nice Easter.  See the Back to the Salt Mines Blog  of April 11 for more pictures.

April 9th - 13th: The week after, Mario worked in the office three days and two days at home. He was feeling great and didn't really experience any major side effects from the chemo. His white and red blood cell counts were all normal. He also had his appetite back and enjoyed having good food all week.  He may have even packed on a few pounds.  Mr. FOG was able to get back in Asheville.  Unlike Mario, Mr. FOG was watching his weight and eating oatmeal, tofu, and vegetables.  Fresh arugula from his garden was used for salads and a stir fry.  Ugly/Pretty Cat was doing fine.

 Saturday, April 14th: Mario and Sherry enjoyed a lovely dinner out with Stephanie and Andrew. They treated the Laird and Nurse to Joey D's Seafood and Steaks near Perimeter Mall area. It was so nice to be out with great friends. 

April 16th-20th: Mario worked in the office four days and 1 day from home. He played golf that Friday April 20th with Jay and Chris R.  That evening Nurse and Lord went to Jay's house for pizza and game night. Mike, Heather, Jenn, Chris, Jay, Mario and Sherry enjoyed competing with each other playing Apples to Apples and then Girls vs Guys in Trivial Pursuit Masters Edition. A good time was had by all!

 Mr. FOG was in Florida, doing things at his Aunt Julia’s condo and enjoying a couple days at one his favorite beaches.

 Saturday, April 21st: Mario and Sherry had a nice dinner with Ann and Fritz at Flemings Steak House over by Perimeter Mall. It was so nice to catch up with them and hear all about their lovely new home they just built in Cumming, GA.   All are looking forward to a cookout at Ann and Fritz’s place and have some summer fun!

April 23rd- 27th: Mario went in for Chemo #5. While not as good as #4, he did OK this round. He had lots of visitors that provided comfort and laughs to get him through the week. Molly, Tiffany and Sherry topped it off with a Hospital Happy Hour his last night there to celebrate being more half way done with these poisons! Yippy!

While Mario was in the hospital, Mr. FOG was heading back from Florida. He stopped by to visit his friend in Palm Beach.  Here is a photo of the friend, her daughter, and the two grandchildren; twin boys named Leonardo and Lucas.  Mr. FOG also stopped off at his daughter’s Nicole and her husband Chad home and had a great steak dinner. 

Prickly Pear Margarita

April 28th: Since Mario came home from the hospital on Friday, April 27th, he stayed in bed all that day and into Saturday as well. By the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, he was ready to get out of the house. Nurse Sherry and Laird thought it would be nice to sit outside and enjoy a nice dinner together and asked Jay and Bill join them.  The Laird and Nurse Sherry decided on a restaurant close to Vining Mountain Castle called Noche in Vinings (Evening in Vinings).  Nurse Sherry and his Lordship arrive first and were seated on benches outside in patio dining area. The activity started out very nice, with music playing in the background and quiet conversation.  The turning point may have been when the waiter persuaded Lord Mario to try the Prickly Pear Margarita. Soon Jay and Bill arrived to join us, all ordered food and were chatting when Bill noticed Mario starting to look dazed and uncomfortable. Concerned, all asked Mario if he was ok, he stated that he was very light headed and needed to lay down. His head began to give out and he passed out for a brief moment on our table, with his head falling to the table.  Other diners took notice.  The more insensitive speculated that Mario was drunk apparently having one Prickly Pear too many.  Other seemed very concerned for his well-being.   Nurse Sherry, given her medical background and spousal status, explained to the Manager who apparently had been summoned what happened.  The manager was very polite and gave Mario a bucket of ice with cold rag for his head.  After awhile Mario asked for Nurse Sherry’s car keys, so he could lie down in the car while Nurse Sherry, Jay and Bill paid the check. After about 10 min, we noticed Mario coming out of Stone Cold Creamery with an ice cream cup! The group thought he must be feeling ok if was able to get in line at the ice cream shop!

Nurse Sherry did call the doctor on call to ask if we should be concerned with what happened. The doctor said he would be just fine and to have him drink some Gatorade and take it easy. He was not surprised this happened with the type of treatment Mario had been going through. His advice was “Don't push it”.

While Mario and Nurse Sherry were enjoying Noche in Vinings, Mr. FOG was doing Noche de Luau.  The dinner club was hosted by Lois and Dave who went all out with a pork roast that tasted as if it had been done in real Hawaiian pit dug luau on the beach.  Mr. FOG’s favorite, besides the pork, was the twice baked sweet potatoes.  Pictured are Mr. FOG, Dick, Kate, Jane, Ray, Lois, Suzanne, David, and  John in their tropical finery.  A good time was had by all, who wisely opted for Piña Coladas rather than Prickly Pears and had designated drivers.  

April 29th: Mario was feeling better.  Although Nurse Sherry advised him to stay home and rest, he got up and played golf with Jay, Mike and Justin. He did make it home in one piece and seemed to be doing OK.   FOG arrived at Vining Mountain Castle around 9 pm.  Nurse Sherry, as always, looked good and Mario looked pretty good, but with less hair.  Even the eye brows are gone.  The trio spent time getting caught up on happenings.  Mario looked a lot better than he normally does so soon after a chemo treatment.  FOG dismissed the fainting to the heat and the Prickly Pear Margarita.  Typically in the days after a chemo treatment Mario just stays in bed a lot.  Looking so well, was a surprise.

April 30^th:  Mario decided to go into work for most of the day.  He looked very well and Mr. FOG, wanting to wash clothes, almost decided to stay at Vinings Mountain Castle, thinking Mario was well-enough to drive himself.  Fortunately Mr. FOG usually erring on the side of caution, decided no.  Mr. FOG is there to help out and believes that during the recovery week, Mario should probably not drive himself.  So Mr. FOG drove Mario to the office.  Since he did not want to have breakfast at home and Mr. FOG lectured about the importance of keeping blood sugars high, the Laird said he would beg a food snack from co-workers. Mr. FOG or Nurse Sherry will get Mario some power bars and Gator Aide for the office to avoid this food pan handling. 

Mr. FOG then went to Phillip’s condo to wash clothes, pay bills, fix the bird feeder and do assorted chores.  Mr. FOG was enjoying the birds queuing up at the bird feeder, also pan hanhandling for food, when unexpectedly early Mario called.  He was not feeling well and needed to be picked up .  Mr. FOG made to Mario’s office in about 40 minutes and got him back home; very glad that he did not let Mario drive himself.  This evening Mario had a high fever and we have an appointment with Mario’s oncologist tomorrow.

Chemo # 5 has brought on new symptoms.  Overall Mario feels much better than after Chemo’s # 1, 2 and 3.  Chemo 5 has highs and lows.  It is this fluctuation that is hard to deal with.  He seems fine, but he could develop an unwelcome symptom quickly.  Mostly Mario feels and looks well, but has had a fainting spell, chills, fever, and may have gotten a a head cold..  We see the Mario’s oncologist tomorrow to see what the blood work says. 

Special Note:  Nurse Sherry and Mario want to wish Uncle Jimmy, Maid of the Mist’s brother, a speedy recovery.  Uncle Jimmy had quadruple open heart surgery a few weeks ago and is at home  in Ponte Vedra, FL recovering.  He did very well through the surgery and the newlyweds want to wish him well and that he is in their prayers each day.

RUNNING FOR MARIO

With the Laird doing better, Mr. FOG has not been needed as much and has used this time to get caught up on things he had put off.  In any event, the BLOG has taken a back seat.  The cancer war news have been good but mostly all the same and without the drama of a real war, Mr. FOG could not report that Red Devil and allies have retaken a key muscle in Mario’s upper leg or reveal the many atrocities committed by Ewing’s Sarcoma on innocent civilian body cells.

As this is being posted Mario is finishing up Chemo #5 and Mr. FOG is heading back to Vinings Mountain Castle.  The oncologist has not been able to feel the tumor as she once could when palpitating the upper leg, Mario’s pain has subsided considerably and for the last two chemotherapies he has had less of the bad post treatment side effects.  His motor skills impairment--the limp--is still about the same, although FOG thinks he had noted some improvement when the Laird walks.  The recovery of nerve sensation in the sole of the right foot may take time and not be simultaneous or commensurate with the reduction of the tumor.  A lot of damage may have been done and it may take time and therapy to recover motor skills.  We will have to talk to neurologist to learn more about this and be able to share an expert medical opinions, rather than Mr. FOG’s conjectures, which BLOG readers have come to expect.

The Arm That Ran For a Leg  is our sports story.  A marathon is a race that traces its origins back to ancient Greece.  The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards) that is usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon (the namesake of the race) to Athens.

The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 500 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.  The following links provide more information on a marathon and the Boston Marathon:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon

http://www.baa.org/

Again Sherry Lane, our top reporter, provided this scoop on the Boston Marathon runner whose arm "ran" for Mario.  Rather than re-tell the run, below is the athlete’s own story of his run with a picture of the sports arm which ran for Mario  A picture of Mario’s leg may follow in a later Blog.  Following is Richard Correa’s story.  Thanks Richard for a fine run.

Mario--Attached is a picture of me with my grandchildren as I left their house yesterday morning for the Boston Marathon. It was hot then, easily in the 70's at 7:45 AM. It later peaked at 86. Not good for a marathon, especially for Yankees who train in the 50's and below. I was tired at 15, not sure if I would finish at 23 and done at 24.5--I ran slowly and walked the last couple of miles. From the start, I walked through all the water stops and drank Gatorade or another hydration drink at every mile. I poured water over my head 26 times. It was really hot. I ran 50 minutes slower than last year but feel really good about finishing given the conditions. You can see from the picture that I have your name on my bicep which while running was very readable. For some reason for the first 16-18 miles people (there were hundreds of thousands along the 26 miles) cheered  only for Dana-Farber, the cancer institute I ran for. Once I approached Boston I started to hear cheers for Mario. Nobody seemed to get that I was running for you despite the 4 Mario on my arm. No matter. I don't know how many yelled your name. It was a lot, at least a hundred and maybe many more. As I told I would, I channeled you. When they yelled "you can do it Mario" or "go Mario" or "way to go Mario" or "you look good Mario" (as I didn't and you probably don't), I know that they were supporting you. The last 6 miles were difficult but I thought of you and my friend Jack. It was nothing compared to what you are going through. It was an honor to run for you.Thank you.  I will forward another picture of me and the grandkids after I finished--I don't know how to do it in this same email.  Dick

Thank Yous  There are more thank-yous to be done for gifts, but ratther than a cusory thanks, Mr. FOG prefers to get to Vinings Castle and take pictures and perhaps sample some to gifts.  Consider this a pre thank you to Mario's AT&T friends, Jim and Ellen, and others.

BACK TO THE SALT MINES

This expression refers to prisoners in both Imperial and Communist Russia being sent to Siberia to work in the salt mines.  Mr. FOG wonders about the “back” in the phrase since presumably Siberia is a one-way trip with no holidays.  In any event, it was time to go back for more cancer treatments.  After such a good time in New Orleans, it was hard for the Laird.  Dutifully, he returned back to Atlanta on Monday April 2, for Chemo #4, and Mr. FOG as you will soon learn, went off on his own.  Hence no postings on the Blog for a little over a week, so we have a lot of ground to cover. But the good news is that Chemo #4 was not the going back to the Siberian salt mines as we thought it would be.  Instead Chemo #4 was almost  like a visit to a Balck Sea resort in the Crimea, although admittedly FOG has not been to one. 

City of New Orleans    His Lordship returned to Atlanta by air for Chemo #4, and Mr. FOG decided this was a good time to see his sister in Chicago for the Easter holiday.  He had missed spending the Christmas holiday with her, and Easter seemed a good second choice.  Amtrak’s “City of New Orleans”, named for the Guthrie song with the same name and which Mr. FOG has always liked, provided direct service from the Big Easy to the Windy City.  Mr. FOG decided that this is the way he would travel.  In hindsight, the decision was OK, with some caveats. To get the full effect, listen to song as you read the blog by doing a cut and paste in another window.  See if you too would not be tempted to sample this fading piece of Americana.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxoM6trtZE

The New Orleans Amtrak station is in the downtown next to Superdome and co-located with the bus station.  Although, it makes sense to have transportation centers close to one another, as is done in Europe, Mr. FOG wondered if the train passengers would also be the bus passengers?   Was Mr. FOG traveling on a glorified train/bus immortalized in a song???  Probably so, he thought, after looking over the passengers in the train waiting room.  The clientele was a mix of Greyhound bus patrons, middle class families with children, presumably people as FOG liking the Guthrie song, and a higher number of people with disabilities.  Also no identification was required for FOG to get his boarding pass.  Mr. FOG, who is against government control, now seemed to think that there should be the requirement that identification be shown to board the train.  Those that can’t fly, on the run from the law, etc. take the bus or the train he thought.

The train had five or six cars and the cars had two levels. Nice, some of the supersonic jets have two levels.  The older car and the last on the train, was assigned to FOG and his fellow travelers originating in New Orleans.  The bottom level mainly had the baggage, the rest rooms, and some seats for those unable to climb the stairs to the second level.  The upper level allowed for a panoramic view, and the seats were much more comfortable than those in airplanes or busses.  The seats were spaced very far apart, allowing them to recline considerably and raise one’s legs to be almost supine.  There were two or three more similar cars, but newer ones, and were to be used by patrons boarding along the way.  Mr. FOG had the aisle seat and Mr. FOG’s traveling companion with a bad case of halitosis, had the window seat.  Fortunately the train also had an observation lounge car, with partial dome allowing panoramic views of the countryside, and also allowing FOG escapes from his seat. While the seats in observation car were not as comfortable as his assigned seat, the viewing of the evolving landscapes was very nice.  The observation car also had a snack bar and tables on its lower level.  Beers were over priced according to fellow traveler heading to Detroit for a funeral after a change of trains in Chicago.  

There was also a “dining” car which should have been called a “diner” car.  No linen table cloths here. It was more like a road side diner set up in trailer and moving along the road, or in this case the tracks.  Mr. FOG had hoped for a little more of the Orient Express, but it was better than the cattle cars used to transport refugees and political prisoners to Siberia.  The diner car offered decent meals and the service personnel were nice.

Mr. FOG never saw the sleeping compartment car.  He did get reports from a fellow diner that he would have slept better on the seat.  The bottom bunk was OK, but the top bunk apparently was not.  The sleeping compartments were too pricey for what they were and FOG decided he could semi-sleep in his train seat.  After the top bunk report, FOG was OK with his decision not to pay more and just go with the seat and the bad breath seat mate.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_New_Orleans

The trip takes about 19 hours and generally follows the Mississippi River before striking though the agricultural heartland of Illinois.  It was a long trip, but most of it was during the night.  A day trip, would have been better, capitalizing on the reason one would take the train, but Mr. FOG could not control Amtrak’s schedule. The Louisiana portion of the journey was scenic showing off the state’s Lake Pontchartrain and marsh and swamp scenery.  The state of Mississippi came next, and the towns we passed bespoke of a better life of yesteryear as abandoned buildings were seen in most of the towns we passed.  Fellow passengers were nice to one another, sharing tables and stories to make the trip pass by. FOG saw a cat fish farm.  Travelers getting on the train along the way in Mississippi and Tennessee were people one would see at a bus station.  They were going from Jackson Mississippi or Yazoo City to Memphis or all the way to Chicago.  They nearly filled the other two newer train cars.    No reports about the life and economy along the train tracks of Tennessee and Kentucky, since it was too dark to see.  Central Illinois however, was doing well, with clean, kept up towns and sweeping fields that may soon have rows of corn.

 

Chicago’s Union Station was the end of line.  It was nice to be in Chicago again with tulips greeting pedestrians and the city’s beautiful architecture.  With almost no luggage Mr. FOG waked to the car rental place close to Marriott’s Blackstone hotel where he had stayed before and got his rental car to make his way to his sister’s assisted living abode to spend a few days with her during the Easter holiday.

The Old Folk’s Home    Challenged by a very bad case of rheumatoid arthritis, Mr. FOG’s sister had to move to an assisted living facility.  The facility has a mix of permanent residents and casual stayers who are receiving rehabilitation from knee or hip operations and the like.  It is a very nice old folk’s home.  They have activities, eat off china, have nice dining rooms with servers, have a beauty and ice cream parlors, a pond with seasonal swans, and several communal rooms for activities, reading, watching television and the like.    While it is a nice place, and the staff is very nice to Mr. FOG’s sister, it is not like being at home.  The many old people dealing with a variety of afflictions, is a constant reminder that if one’s health fails, this is where you would go, if lucky.  Better to stay healthy and be at home.  Still, when you can’t take care of yourself any more, this is a good place to go.  

Some pictures taken during Mr. FOG’s stay show a singing comedian group that came to entertain, and the Easter Bunny—really the activities director in one of her alter egos—visiting with Mr. FOG’s Chicago family.  Not pictured was a very nice Seder meal we had on Friday.

Chemo #4   Mario’s chemo #4 has been relatively uneventful and will hopefully stay that way.  The treatment protocol was the same as the previous three, but less traumatic.   Mario returned home and was actually feeling well.  When Mr. FOG returned from Chicago, his Lordship looked about as well, perhaps better than he did in New Orleans.  A visit to the oncologist confirmed the obvious; his white and red blood cell counts were in the very good range.  Weight was about 220 and his temperature was also normal. 

We have no explanation why he is doing so well.  FOG questioned if in fact Mario had received chemo poisons.   Mario’s doctor noted that he started Chemo #4 much stronger by having postponed of the treatment by two weeks.  Also a reduction in the cancer may also produce less side effects from the chemotherapy.  Hence less post chemo side effects.  Still a third possibility not discussed with Mario’s oncologist is that all the prayers are working and he is overcoming the cancer and handling the chemo treatments better.  Absent a clear scientific reason why he is in such good health so soon after a chemo treatment, God and prayer will get the credit in the Blog.  While his white blood cells could still drop, we are hoping he will stay well until Chemo treatment #5 now scheduled for April 23.

Given the good health of the Laird, there was no reason for Mr. FOG to stay and baby sit healthy Laird.  Although Mr. FOG was tempted to stay and enjoy the refrigerator full of food Nurse Sherry had bought and the premium cable of Vinings Mountain Castle, Mr. FOG chose to go home to his Ugly/Pretty Cat.  Leaving the Laird in Nurse Sherry’s hands, Mr. FOG headed to Asheville for this unexpected chance to get back home.  Before leaving, he took a picture of the cards, gifts, and bunny that had been received while he was away.  Hopefully your card is pictured.  If not, it is entirely Mr. FOG’s fault.

Mario and Sherry again wanted to express on how appreciative they are of your prayers and well-wishes.  I am hopeful the couple has seen the worst, and while they have a ways to go, things may actually be getting better.  Let’s see how Mario reacts to the next Chemo.

REDFISH AND FINAL FOUR

For at least two of the four basketball collegiate teams and their fans, Saturday was the day when the journey must end  All things usually come to an end; but hopefully all four teams and their fans enjoyed the journey.  But before the Superdome and the Final Four; a sports celebrity and the food at the Redfish began our day. 

Mr. FOG accompanied Mario to an AT&T corporate brunch reception held at Redfish.  Mr. FOG had been to Redfish during his travels.  It is a well-known

Bourbon Street

restaurant known for its fresh fish and good food.  At&T had reserved the facility for it’s guests for a private party.  A highlight of the activity was a photo op with basketball legend Moses Malone, and NBA hall of famer.  Attached is a link to his bio.  Thank you AT&T for a classy well-organized function.

http://www.nba.com/history/players/malonem_summary.html

There were however other Redfish highlights.  In no particular order they were the Bloody Mary’s, fresh shucked oyster, shrimp, shrimp grits and chicken waffles.  Mr. FOG has always wanted to try chicken waffles but never had.  It was a nice treat and something for you to try at home or be on the look out for where you live.  Beware there are many recipe variations.  Mr. FOG liked Redfish’s version of boneless fried chicken pieces served over a Belgian waffle, although crisper thinner waffle work probably work better, topped off with a flour gravy.   It can be served at various times of the day and sure to be well-received since most like fried chicken and waffles. 

While his Lordship, the social butterfly/moth he can be, after a brief rest at the hotel, went to another reception   Mr. FOG needed a longer rest and took a nap and later joined the Laird at the Super Dome for the big games.

Kentucky, probably the favorite of most, prevailed over Louisville, and Ohio State which started out strong, was overcome by Kansas.  Cat and Bird will be matched up on Monday to see who is the best of the best.

We also had a star sighting at the Superdome and Mr. FOG has a picture to prove it.  For those that like the Hangover movies, you will surely recognize Ken Jeong who played Mr. Chow in both Hangovers, but was truly memorable in Hangover II.  Mr. Fog also liked the monkey, who gave up his/her biker outfit for a pretty in pink outfit. 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0421822/