Leonardis Clinic - Ch 2

Hi all

I've had a setback in my condition.
I just spent 5 days in the hospital with Pneumonia. That has
wrecked what little lung capacity I had. I'm now on Oxygen
24 x 7. My Pulmonologist told me that the lungs would recover
but it would take some time.
I'm not sure if it's the cancer or inactivity but my muscles have
deterioated badly. I had to up the stairs on my butt last night.
The legs would not lift me.

As a result of this nonsense I have pretty much given up on the
idea of going to the clinic in the spring. If by some miracle these
conditions improve I will seriously about going but I don't hold out
much hope of that happening.

Jim

Jim wrote:
> Hi all
>
> I've had a setback in my condition.
> I just spent 5 days in the hospital with Pneumonia. That has
> wrecked what little lung capacity I had. I'm now on Oxygen
> 24 x 7. My Pulmonologist told me that the lungs would recover
> but it would take some time.
> I'm not sure if it's the cancer or inactivity but my muscles have
> deterioated badly. I had to up the stairs on my butt last night.
> The legs would not lift me.
>
> As a result of this nonsense I have pretty much given up on the
> idea of going to the clinic in the spring. If by some miracle these
> conditions improve I will seriously about going but I don't hold out
> much hope of that happening.

Has your doctor referred you to physical therapy to improve your
strength? Even kids, let alone adults, and especially seniors, lose
strength very rapidly when immobile. Fortunately, guess whose strength
improves most rapidly with proper strength-building exercise: the
oldest, weakest people, right into their 90s. Your lungs will constrain
your pace, but immobility is far more devastating to muscle power than
is being on oxygen. A physical therapist accustomed to working on the
elderly -- as many PT patients are -- should be able to accommodate your
restrictions, beginning right there in a hospital bed. If you can
shuffle down the hall to the foot of a flight of stairs, you are ready
to start PT aimed at increasing your strength and mobility.

I.P.

I.P. is right on about the loss of strength when immobile. It can
happen after only a few days of lying in bed. After a couple of
weeks, older patients have to literally learn to walk again. In
addition, if you are thin, any illness can sap your appetite causing
you to lose a few pounds. If there's little to no fat to lose, your
body uses muscle mass to keep going. Those muscles are lost forever
unless there is exercise and/or physical therapy. Even simple things
such as raising and lowering your legs while sitting can restore
sufficient strength to get up and down stairs. No matter, a little
physical therapy can do wonders.
Dave Perry

On Feb 23, 1:40 pm, Jim <jimb...@rcn.com> wrote:
> Hi all
>
> I've had a setback in my condition.
> I just spent 5 days in the hospital with Pneumonia. That has
> wrecked what little lung capacity I had. I'm now on Oxygen
> 24 x 7. My Pulmonologist told me that the lungs would recover
> but it would take some time.
> I'm not sure if it's the cancer or inactivity but my muscles have
> deterioated badly. I had to up the stairs on my butt last night.
> The legs would not lift me.
>
> As a result of this nonsense I have pretty much given up on the
> idea of going to the clinic in the spring. If by some miracle these
> conditions improve I will seriously about going but I don't hold out
> much hope of that happening.
>
> Jim

"Jim" <jimboq1@rcn.com> wrote in message
news:kdnut2t8jc2n5usqhna0in1ikbdsqfpf3r@4ax.com...
> Hi all
>
> I've had a setback in my condition.
> I just spent 5 days in the hospital with Pneumonia.

> As a result of this nonsense I have pretty much given up on the
> idea of going to the clinic in the spring.

I'm really sorry to hear that, Jim. If only the thought of a possibility,
it was still better than feeling bad and waiting for the end.

I'm so sorry.


--
PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46
Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c
RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins
PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75
EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47
PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32
Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 (4 mo), 12/03, 4/04, 09/04, 01/05, 5/05, 10/05,
2/06, 6/06
PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145
Casodex added daily 07/06
PSA <0.04
Non Illegitimi Carborundum

Sorry to see Jim's new problem: glad to see that it is apparently being
addressed.

On February 23, Steve Kramer replied to Jim:

Quoting Jim:

>> As a result of this nonsense I have pretty much given up on the
>> idea of going to the clinic in the spring.

Steve replied:

> I'm really sorry to hear that, Jim. If only the thought of a possibility,
> it was still better than feeling bad and waiting for the end.

On the other hand, this might be, as they say, a blessing in disguise.
Rather than waste his substance on an at best questionable regimen,
perhaps Jim now has the opportunity to study and learn about a
*scientific* approach to his treatment......

See my February 8 post.

Meanwhile: heal and learn.

Regards,

Steve J

"What are the facts? Again and again and again -- what are the facts?
Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget 'what the stars
foretell,' avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind
the unguessable 'verdict of history' -- what are the facts, and to how
many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are
your single clue. Get the facts!"
--Lazarus Long

Jim wrote:

> Hi all
>
> I've had a setback in my condition.
> I just spent 5 days in the hospital with Pneumonia. That has
> wrecked what little lung capacity I had. I'm now on Oxygen
> 24 x 7. My Pulmonologist told me that the lungs would recover
> but it would take some time.
> I'm not sure if it's the cancer or inactivity but my muscles have
> deterioated badly. I had to up the stairs on my butt last night.
> The legs would not lift me.
>
> As a result of this nonsense I have pretty much given up on the
> idea of going to the clinic in the spring. If by some miracle these
> conditions improve I will seriously about going but I don't hold out
> much hope of that happening.
>
> Jim

I'm so sorry, Jim. You've gone through so much.
I'll be here watching for your posts and hoping you'll improve.
J

Dear All,

Wonder why SJ refers to Jim in the third person. Far as I know he's
still kickin' even if he's not walkin'.

On Feb 23, 7:20?pm, Steve Jordan <mycrofts...@cox.net> wrote:
> Sorry to see Jim's new problem: glad to see that it is apparently being
> addressed.
>
>On the other hand, this might be, as they say, a blessing in disguise.
> Rather than waste his substance on an at best questionable regimen,
> perhaps Jim now has the opportunity to study and learn about a
> *scientific* approach to his treatment......

_________________________
> what are the facts, and to how many decimal places?
> --Lazarus Long

He's right about the decimals. The worst thing about a rising PSA is
that when your head is elsewhere, it's hard to figure out the
difference between .1, .01, 1. Had to ask spouse, "Is .12 less than .
1"? He said to just add a zero. Problem solved.

LFC

callalily wrote:

> > what are the facts, and to how many decimal places?
> > --Lazarus Long
>
> He's right about the decimals. The worst thing about a rising PSA is
> that when your head is elsewhere, it's hard to figure out the
> difference between .1, .01, 1. Had to ask spouse, "Is .12 less than .
> 1"? He said to just add a zero. Problem solved.

Well, I add a decimal and a zero; so 1 is 1.0 or 1.00 and obviously 0.12 is
smaller than 1.00
and .1 is 0.10
So if we keep the digits after the decimal even, seems to me it's easier to
see?
..1
1.
..12
is a mess
0.10
1.00
0.12
is clearer?
J

"Jim" <jimboq1@rcn.com> wrote in message
news:kdnut2t8jc2n5usqhna0in1ikbdsqfpf3r@4ax.com...
> Hi all
>
> I've had a setback in my condition.
> I just spent 5 days in the hospital with Pneumonia. That has
> wrecked what little lung capacity I had. I'm now on Oxygen
> 24 x 7. My Pulmonologist told me that the lungs would recover
> but it would take some time.
> I'm not sure if it's the cancer or inactivity but my muscles have
> deterioated badly. I had to up the stairs on my butt last night.
> The legs would not lift me.
>
> As a result of this nonsense I have pretty much given up on the
> idea of going to the clinic in the spring. If by some miracle these
> conditions improve I will seriously about going but I don't hold out
> much hope of that happening.
>
> Jim

Sorry to hear about the setback Jim.

Has anyone suggested the second line hormone therapies - DES,
estradiol, ketoconazole? I wouldn't be very optimistic about them,
but maybe they're worth trying. Perhaps your doctors have already
tried them, or considered them and decided they aren't right for you.

As others have said, do try some physical therapy. My father-in-law
died recently at age 87. In the last year of his life he was disabled
by pneumonia, stroke, diabetes, and renal failure. He was in pretty
bad shape, but he exercised every day that year and I'm sure it
helped keep him mobile and keep his spirits up, even when he was
finally reduced to a wheelchair for his last few months.

I suspect that you are a man who is well loved by his family, and who
has provided well for them. If you don't make it to Germany, at
least you'll have the compensation of being near them and
enjoying their company.

I know life has become very tough, but I hope there are still some
good times, good days, good companionship, and pleasant
memories for you.

Best wishes.

Alan

Dear Jim,

On Feb 23, 4:40�pm, Jim <jimb...@rcn.com> wrote:
> Hi all
>
> I've had a setback in my condition. *

I'm really sorry about that. I know how much you were looking forward
to going to this clinic. And you can't follow my advice:-)

> I'm not sure if it's the cancer or inactivity but my muscles have
> deterioated badly. *I had to up the stairs on my butt last night.
> The legs would not lift me.

Like people said, you could probably benefit from PT, but it sounds
like you need to have a caretaker around so that you don't have to
travel on your butt.
>
I was just re-reading a letter we had rec'd from a friend in Denmark,
who had had a stroke 3 yrs. ago at age 53. Incidentally, he did not
have any risk factors that I know of. He is doing much better now
(but still pretty disabled), but he has had to really work on it. The
reason I was rereading his letter is because it was a nice reflection
on what's really important in life (cooking). Anyway, I thought the
part about what he has had to give up and what he can still do was
cute.

"I have come to accept that there are many things I can't do any more
(like biking, running, travel far) -- but they are not so important to
me anymore. Thank God I have kept my honeysweet but lethal tongue. I
can still kill people with words -- and in a very polite and elegant
ways that is). And I have kept my absurd and 'crazy' humor."

Wish you the very best.

Leah