Friends,


I have the (now) rare experience of writing my update from a bed in the hospital.   I am getting a Rituxan treatment.  That is the dollar a drip treatment. :-)  Everything is going fine here, as planned.  Four dollars just dripped from the bag.  Like an update many years ago, I am writing this under the influence of heavy sedation, so I am not sure how long I will be awake doing this.  This reminds me of the scene from Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail, where the name of a castle is written on the cave wall:  "aaaarrrrrrrrgggggg….."  So if I fade out into ellipses, you will know what happened.


As usual, Menchie and I have been busy.   I guess the biggest news for me is that I have received a verbal offer from CSC corporation to work for them supporting Navy Region Southwest.     I am still waiting for the written offer.  [After the initial drafting in the hospital, we got home to find the written offer on our door step.  tw]  I think they offer health insurance from the same company I am with right now, so that should mean that I won’t have any changes in medical providers which is a very good thing for me right now.  They will also start my coverage immediately, which is also good.  I have done the drug test and filled out all of the security forms.  I have to sign and return the written offer to complete the process.  I am shooting for starting on Tuesday, but that depends on them getting the results of the drug test.


The bank has offered me assistance from a new government program called HAMP.  I forget the meaning of the acronym.  In this program, they will look at my total cost of housing, including insurance, taxes and escrow, and adjust the loan to make that total less than 31% of my gross income.  That would be made possible by extending the term of the loan, lowering the interest rate as low as 2% and reducing principle.  A similar process could be done with the second loan, making it possible for me to keep my house.  We are waiting for information from the bank to proceed with this, but it looks extremely promising.  I am hoping I can get into this program.  If not, we have gotten 2 or 3 offers for the house and we will send them to the bank for approval.  We got the paperwork for this today too.  Coming home from the hospital was like Christmas today, with all the cool packages we got.


I finished all of my physical therapy for my shoulder, which is working well now.  It was pretty amazing to go through that process and achieve such remarkable success in the process.  Since being able to see again, I have started riding my bike.  I rode 27 miles a week or so ago.  Sunday, Menchie and I rode with friends down the Strand, from Coronado to Imperial Beach.  A total of 22.5 miles.  Tuesday I rode for about an hour and went 15 miles.  My average speed was 14.7mph.  My previous best was 12.4, so this was, for me, a remarkable achievement, showing excellent improvement in strength and endurance.


I have been able to eat a lot more easily over time also.  Last week, Menchie and I enjoyed a flank steak that we cooked with a ginger/lime marinate.  It was wonderful, and so were the wasabe mashed potatoes.  Now I need to start watching my weight again since I can chew better.


Due to a mix up with my schedule, my treatments and doctor appointments got moved to today, Friday.   My doctor visit was good.  Everything very normal except for my immune system, which was a little low.  I asked the doctor about plants, and he still wants me to avoid most gardening tasks, like raking or digging or anything where I could get stuck by a thorn since I am still at high risk for fungal infections.  My white cell count was down slightly from normal, but everything else was very normal.  I asked him about swine flu, and he just told me to get a vaccine and don’t worry about it.  He said I was doing great, and that the chances that I would ever relapse again are very tiny at this point.  We just have to stay in control of the side effects.


I have also, since the last update, gotten stitches removed from two basal cell carcinoma surgeries on my back.  While doing those, another one was discovered.  I had that removed by a burn and scrape technique requiring no incisions and no stitches yesterday.  My car was  in the hospital parking lot for only 20 minutes for that surgery.  The surgery lasted far less than 5 minutes.  Maybe I should talk to Guinness Book of Records about that one.

      Normal     Me      Me      Me      Me      Me
        Low 	12/4 	12/30 	2/6     6/6 	9/17
WBC 	7.1 	4.9 	3.7 	3.0 	4.3	4.1
RBC  	3.21 	3.72 	3.45 	3.06 	4.55	4.28
HGB 	10.8 	12.3 	11.8 	10.9 	15.2	14.9
PLT 	97 	196 	230 	181	164 	185

On the medical front, I have been cleared to reduce my CellCept by one pill, so I will be taking one less!  One Less, One Less!  I know, wrong medication.  I think I am getting a little high right now, so I guess I will finish sending this letter when I have my wits about me. 


Take care, everyone!


Ted and Menchie Wilcox

www.wilcoxent.com/mzima/health.php
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