No MDS news today. Bruce news only.Bruce Springsteen, that is.
I've long said that we ski/travel writers are often treated not like VIP's, but like IP's, which is good enough for me. Apparently, carrying a press card, or knowing some folks because of the press card, can yield benefits in unrelated realms.
So, it came to pass that Penny and I not only got comp tickets to the Springsteen concert at Giants Stadium on Saturday, but were guests in one of the corporate suites. (The kind of which the Giants and Jets feel they have way too few, thus "forcing" them to build a new stadium, poor dears.)I will not lie. It's nice to be spoiled once in a while, to live with the other half for a few hours.
The suite was ready for us with cuisine ranging from sushi and chicken Marsala to hoagies and hot dogs, and a fully-stocked bar. The 50-yard-line view was excellent.
The performance? Stupefying. I'd pay dearly to have one-tenth of that guy's energy.
But, the big question was: can MDSMitch stay awake for such an event?
No problem.
MDSMitch made it to the end. We got home at midnight-thirty. It took a while to fall asleep, and less than five hours of sleep ensued, so yesterday was pretty tired (notwithstanding the nervous energy generated by the football Giants' game).
But, hey—I'm a Jersey boy born and bred. And every Jersey boy should see Bruce live at least once in his life, yes?
I may have reached a stage where I'm no longer "Born to Run," but rather am born to sleep, but—hell—it was worth it.
Now, it's off to make like a pin cushion.
Posts
Hi Mitch,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for writing your blog. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about your experiences with MDS and Vidaza. It's comforting to read that someone has some of the same thoughts about this disease and is coping with it. Your humor is also uplifting. I can identify with you as I have had anemia (Hb-10) and low platelets for years - diagnosed with probable MDS about a year ago. I've had no treatment as my case is smoldering without any chromosomal abnormalities so they don't know what to do with me. Platelets range in 20K - 30K range but have had slowly declining counts for years.(Always thought I had ITP) I was able to bike in the Canadian Rockies with a platelet count of 70k, albeit at a much younger age then. Now I'm a few years younger than you. Your experience with Vidaza makes me think that I might be able to give it a try before transplant if my platelets drop below 20k. I was curious as to what your platelet count was before you got the stomach virus and what dose of Vidaza you are on (? the low dose 50mg/m2 and 5 or 7day course?) Good luck and continue to write. Thanks MC
MC--
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking in. It's always encouraging to know folks are out there reading. Your blood count seems pretty low to me, but I readily admit I get panicked about those numbers very easily. Last January the platelets were at something like 165,000. When I came down with teh stomach thing, they'd dropped to 20,000. Less than a week later, they'd gone to 7,000 - and I went to the hospital. Now they range from mid-70,000s to high 130,000s depending on where I am in the cycle.
As to dosage: I really don't know. The doc says it's a function of body weight. Because I'm hovering at about 180 pounds these days (30 pounds more than I think I should be - but that's a whole 'nother story), that's why I'm getting two shots at a time. I'll try to remember to ask what the actual dosage is.