Free Beer!

Our doctor visit to see Dina was good - and bad! The good thing was that most of Mr. Indi's numbers are at least as good as last month with the exception of his PSA which has crept up from 72 to 88 - not a huge increase but going in the WRONG direction - Grrr! His hematocrit is 29.0 and his hemoglobin is 9.9 and that means that he will be able to have chemo again on Monday - another Grrrrr! His alkaline phosphatase is at 235 which indicates no significant increase in the bone cancer activity from last month - and Dina doesn't understand why he would be having so much pain if the bone cancer has not increased - a bit of a mystery that maybe Dr. J will be able to answer when he gets back from tripping around the world like a big time jet-setter!

Dina was not at all happy with the pain management schedule that we have devised. Too much Vicodin - sigh! So - she wants him to try the Dilaudid (another morphine based drug) instead of the Vicodin which is acetaminophen based and very hard on the liver. So that's what he did last night - AND - hasn't slept a wink because he's in so much pain - Grrrrr! The Dilaudid is a stronger pain killer than the Vicodin so I just don't understand why it doesn't work. I expect it can't find the part of his brain that needs to be dulled! Not surprised, really! I've long suspected that he's half brain dead! - Don't tell him I said that!

So - he's going back on Vicodin in a couple of hours because it is the only way he can get relief - I can't bear to see him in so much pain - and - he will be looking forward to more chemo on Monday - NOT!

After we got through with the docs, we went down to the shops to find his Lordship a new pair of slippers. His old pair of slippers met with a very unfortunate accident which I won't go into except to say they ended up wrapped in several layers of newspaper and stuffed at the bottom of the rubbish bin - they probably should have gone to a haz-mat site!

On our way back home from the docs, we stopped in the pizza parlor and saw Brian. He is very pleased that his lease has been extended for another year - he was in the throes of finding a new building but now has some breathing room. In celebration, he bought me and him a drink on the house - of course, Mr. Indi can't drink while on morphine so I had to drink his share. I tell you, being a primary carer, one has to make great sacrifices!

Today's pic is of a Cosmos that I took in San Diego.