Mar 24 - Mar 31 / 2024 - Side Effects, Death Café and Other Interesting Stuff
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| What Snowblower? |
I gotta give it up to my neighbor Scott - he waltzed in with his massive snow blower like a superhero and saved the day by digging out my truck! Thanks a bunch, Scott! And just when I thought the snow chaos was over, my pal with a tractor/blower combo showed up and cleared out the walkway and the rest of the driveway. Talk about snow removal squad goals!
Hospital Visit:
Monday morning, I had to plow through the snow drifts with my truck over to the Waterville hospital to have a good ol' face-to-face chat with my urologist. It was definitely a Monday! He is a really smart guy!
From our discussions he was intrigued by my approach on getting a biopsy of my prostate and lymph nodes. "Put me on the surgical table, cut me open and take the biopsies and staple me back up." ;) I said. Sounds simple right? Well, taking a biopsy of a lymph node can be dangerous because they are located near major organs and blood vessels. Wouldn't want one of those to break so I told him if it does, he'll see it spurting as my heart pumps the blood through my body. He could then use a laser to cauterize it and it's all good then? He smiled.
We discussed three options for getting the biopsy and I'm pretty settled with the surgical route. It reduces this risk of infection because it's being done in a sterile environment and provides the opportunity of getting a biopsy of both the prostate and the lymph node.
Then I got some serious information from him, radiation is not going to help my situation at all. I was surprised at that statement. He ordered more blood tests to look for some genetic markers to qualify me for another type of hormone drug instead of continuing with the Lupron shots I'm on. This other drug will be more aggressive in slowing down the cancer growth. Usually this drug is used on older patients but because of how far the cancer has progressed it's something that he highly recommends. Which means to me more negative side effects. We'll have to wait for a few weeks for the results of the blood work before a decision is made. In this journey there are always lots of sharp corners and emotional hurdles to navigate through. Just to give you an idea of some common side effects of Lupron may include:
Now, considering a more aggressive drug, what additional side effects will that bring?
Please take a moment and think about the toll this takes on my wife and close friends? I am really scared thinking about this. Yes, I have to live with the side effects but more importantly, at least to me, are the effects of my interaction with the ones I love and care about. Those relationships could be destroyed/annihilated by these side effects because of the burden I don't mean to bring to them, but obviously it is there and I need to be careful in keeping a health positive attitude. Am I being too emotional here? Leave me a comment.
Shout Out: My friends over at Maritime Lumber here in Woodstock, NB provide a great selection of hardwood for my projects. If you're seeking high-quality specialty hardwoods, I wholeheartedly recommend them.
During my visit on Monday to settle a bill and give them an update, Don, one of the owners, showed exceptional kindness and genuine willingness to assist in any way possible. I was deeply moved by his kindness and support. Don, thank your support and generosity you have shown me. Your kindness has truly made a significant difference! It's gesture's like this that really show what a Business is made of.
Emotional Well Being:
Lets talk about emotional wellbeing, what do I do? (almost sounds like lyrics to a song). Enter Mr. David Summerville. He works with your inner spirit to help guide you through what ever it is you need. Whether it has to do with releasing past memories (Leo's with ADHD will know what I'm talking about), physical illnesses, problems in relationships, overcoming fear, depression, trauma, addictions, self worth issues and much, much more. The sessions that I have had with David really made a positive difference for me. It was not easy for me to accept a spiritual approach to my current needs and healing, but I have kept an open mind and I'm damn glad I did!! You can make a positive change in your life if you allow it. Get in touch with him at https://transformativebeliefwork.com/
.JPG "Rick and Carman at the Death Café") |
| Plaid Shirts not required. :) |
Talking with others about this is very helpful and informative. Not only do you get to meet others, you also have a common topic to seriously discuss and help each other with information and resources.
What's with the plaid shirts? lol
More Spiritual Guidance and Healing:
It's Thursday now, Michele and I went to a seminar by Master Del Pe titled Living Your Greatest Life. It was about your spiritual and physical well being. He is a very dynamic well spoken speaker who has written many books on various subjects to bring your attention to wellbeing. That might be a little understated, a better description would be: he is a spiritual teacher, author, and transformational healer known for his work in guiding individuals towards personal growth and spiritual awakening. He offers various workshops, seminars, and programs designed to help people achieve inner balance and self-realization. His teachings focus on empowering individuals to tap into their inner potential and live a more fulfilling life. Check out his website at https://www.masterdelpe.com/ and his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/masterdelpe
Easter Weekend:
The Easter weekend is approaching quickly. Michele eagerly anticipates the arrival of her parents from Nova Scotia and the house will - what's the word I'm looking for here... reverberate. Yes, The house will reverberate with her parents, son, grandchildren and their family dog. A total of 6 adults, 2 young children, and 3 loving dogs shall grace their abode for the weekend! The weather forecast predicts rain for most of the weekend, hindering any outdoor activities. Of course there will be lots of food, good conversations and an easter egg hunt for the children. I wish you all a very happy easter and hopefully you have the opportunity to connect with your families as well.
Prepare for the Solar Eclipse:
April 8th/2024 a total solar eclipse will take place in the Woodstock area around 3:30 PM ADT/4:30PM EST. The next time this will happened during the day is the year 2106!
Don't look at the eclipse with regular sunglasses no matter how dark they are. Those won't protect your eyes. Use certified ISO 12312-2 glasses only.
If you have pets, ensure they are inside with the curtains closed. Don't let them outside during the time of the eclipse as it will damage their eye sight. There is much more information about the eclipse available on:
Eclipse NB 2024: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094666477777 or at http://www.eclipsenb.ca/
The Canadian Space Agency website located here: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/eclipses/total-solar-eclipse.asp
or the NASA website located here: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/
The Fight Against Boredom
Back on my post from Mar 7th - 8th / 2024 - No Energy in the second last paragraph I mentioned an idea about creating a fabrication lab. My vision is to build a small-scale facility of digital fabrication equipment designed to provide access to cutting-edge technologies, foster innovation and creativity in a community setting. The goal is to expose the technologies to those that are interested in learning more about digital fabrication and what can be done with it.
It is important to me to impart my knowledge and experience with others, acting as a mentor in these technologies before my time comes to an end. As Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Locally in the Woodstock, NB area public access to digital fabrication is non-existent. You can certainly hire companies in the area to create the work for you, but that doesn't teach you how to do it for yourself. Empowering and providing access to a safe facility with the tools and guidance needed to empower creativity and further innovation is really needed in this area.
Side Note: While I can't lift anything heavy due to my condition, my mind is sharp and currently bored with just existing. Living with a purpose is different from just existing. It keeps my mind engaged/busy and diverting its attention from the pain in my body.
The lab would start with one or two 3D Printers, a laser cutter, CNC router and a small electronics workbench with Arduinos and Raspberry Pi equipment along with some discrete electronic components to learn and build electronic circuits. Access to computers and software play an integral role in the lab and those too are part of the fabrication lab. The lab would be a collaborative effort not just locally but also helping to put the persons using the lab in-touch with others like minded mentors from around the world that have similar lab setup.
Imagine, what the possibilities for those that now have access to this type of equipment. It could/would provide the exposure and a new experience which potentially expand opportunities that they didn't consider in the past.
Of course, the lab would expand to much more as resources are acquired. Resources not limited but including physical space, mentors with knowledge and experience with other technologies, financial support, community and local area involvement, educational resources, local business involvement through workplace placement, purchasing prototypes or small runs of product from the lab and/or providing further specialized education and resources.
Please comment on the idea, your feed back is important to me. If you don't want to make your comment public, feel free to email me: rick.traveling@gmail.com