the militarization of cancer talk

In Cancer: Fighting Words, Daniel Menaker explores the militarization of cancer talk with insightfulness and humor.

He ends his essay with a very funny note:

. . . surely some of us may gather strength from saying of those murderous invaders, in our best Churchillian cadences, “We shall fight them in the mediastinum, we shall fight them in the lymph nodes, we shall fight them in the trachea, we shall fight them in the pleura....”

day +1467

It has begun to rain lightly in the Bronx. All mass transit is about to be suspended throughout the city in about 10 minutes in preparation for Irene.

I spent yesterday evening in Inwood Hill Park photographing the Henry Hudson Bridge, which was fun. Earlier in the day I had a few errands to take care of in Manhattan's Upper East Side, so I used the opportunity to check out the Met's current exhibition, Night Vision: Photography After Dark. This black-and-white show is small in scale (only 40 images) but very enriching. Most of the images date to the first three decades of the 20th century. While this exhibition wasn't the inspiration for me going up to Inwood Hill Park last night, it was rewarding to have learned more about the history of photographers who have attempted to capture their world in the dark.





One of the funnier stories that I came across in the exhibit is that of a early 20th century photographer (circa 1905, I think) who while photographing a subject one night is stopped and questioned about the purpose of his activity by a suspicious police officer. Night photography at this period was novel. Confused by the photographer's rather simple explanation, the police officer assumed he must be mentally-ill and expressed pity. It just reminded me that interactions between the police and photographers aren't new. Photography unlike other artistic media seems to naturally arouse suspicion by people who aren't familiar with it or who just are wary of an all-seeing lens in their immediate vicinity.

Finally, on an entirely different note August 21st marked the fourth anniversary of my allogeneic stem cell transplant. I had actually made a mistake thinking my anniversary was the 24th until I checked later.

limited time! free travel scholarship to colorado

First Descents, which offers young adult cancer survivors a week-long outdoor adventure designed to help them reclaim their lives and make new friendships, has several spots remaining for its September 4- 9 rock climbing program in Estes Park, Colorado. It is offering full travel scholarships to any first-time participants who attend! Pretty sweet.

While this is a short notice, this is a great opportunity. I have at least two friends who participated in the whitewater kayaking program in Montana and they both had a very memorable experience.

If you're interested, apply here.

lymphoma news

For the first time since 1977, the USDA Approves New Drug for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In addition, this anti-body drug is applicable to patients who have already received a stem cell transplant.

quake and osteopenia

About one hour before beginning this post, we felt the tremors caused by the 5.8 quake in Virginia. Wow. It was my first time experiencing a quake.

Back on August 1st, I saw my primary care doctor for a general checkup. He performed some basic tests, such as cholesterol and glucose (sugar), which MSKCC doesn't do because I am in post-transplant/survivorship phase. Four years out of transplant, tests such as these are reserved for the primary care doctors, I was told. Both the cholesterol and glucose returned back normal. At this appointment, he also recommended I go for a bone density exam due to my recent use of steroids in addition to my long history of treatment.

On the 10th, I went to Montefiore Medical Center (where my primary is affiliated and where I was first diagnosed and treated in 2003) for the bone density test and after playing phone-tag with my doctor for several days, we finally caught each other yesterday. He said I have the symptoms of osteopenia, which is less severe than osteoperosis, in my spine, hip, and elsewhere. Asked what I do for calcium, I replied that I take supplements (500mg twice daily). In addition to continuing to take the supplements, he proposed a once a year injection. I don't know its proper name, however. I'm not too keen on more drugs but honestly, I know nothing about it. I told him to send me copies of all the tests results and I will inform Dr. C-M to see what he thinks and then, we'll go from there.

We're having a couple of lovely, mild (mid 70s - low 80s) days in New York City. Just beautiful.

tacro redo

My tacrolimus level was retaken yesterday morning in clinic. It turned out to be a bit higher than desired, so I need to go back on September 1st for a redo. After my blood was drawn, I received the IVIG treatment, which lasts for about 4 hours. It's pretty uneventful besides the induced drowsiness caused by the Benadryl, which is administered to lessen the risk of a violent reaction. I had brought a few books along to read but in the end, most of my time was spent sleeping interspersed with a little TV watching.

upcoming gvhd teleconference

The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link (nbmtLINK) is presenting a free telephone conference and podcast titled "Understanding & Coping with Chronic Graft versus Host Disease" on Tuesday, November 11th from 7:00 - 8:15pm EST. Speakers will include experts from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the National Institutes of Health as well as a BMT survivor.

For more information and/or registration, call 800-546-5268 or email info@nbmtlink.org

financial webinar for young adult survivors

The second in the SAMFund's free Webinar series, "Moving Forward with your Financial Health," which is designed to give concrete, reliable information about the unique financial challenges of young adult cancer survivors, will air on September 15th at 4pm EST. Joanna Morales, Esq., Director of the Cancer Legal Resource Center, will field questions.

Register here.

transplant symposium in atlanta

From September 10-11, the Blood and Marrow Transplant Information Network (BMT InfoNet) will host a symposium in Atlanta focusing on post-transplant (autologous and allogeneic) surivorship. It will cover a myriad of topics, such as GvHD, social networking, wellness, and medical insurance.

Learn more and/or register here.

day +1452

Yesterday morning I saw my doctor for a follow-up at Sloan. I noted the improvement to both my knees and shins. The recent tapering of the steroid, Budesonide, to one capsule daily explains the alleviation of pain, they said. In addition to these positive changes, I am not craving food as much as before which again is due to the tapering. I lost 1 lb from my previous visit. They instructed me to continue taking Budesonide until September 15th. For now, all my other medications remain the same.

With regard to my skin's appearance, both Dr. C-M and my dermatologist agreed that it will take a long time for the dark, hyper-pigmented areas to return to normal.

I'm scheduled to go back to Sloan on Thursday morning so that my Tacro level may be retested. It was lower than normal at this week's appointment. After the test, I will then receive Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to give a jolt to my compromised immune system. The last time I received IVIG was back in 2008, I believe, during the first several months after transplant. Almost three years later, hearing "IVIG" again was definitely a surprise.

Things are going in the right direction. While the steps are slow, the progress is clear.

in the news

With graduate school beginning in a few weeks, I eagerly read the following news articles. Interestingly, with all the attention on the debt crisis, the one group which seems to have received the least coverage are young people and students.

Moody's Analytics Warns Student Loans May Be the Next Financial Bubble to Burst

Debt Deals Boosts Pell Grant Funding, Cuts Student Loans