New Situation

Tues. Aug 28, 4:00 pm. Today at the Laurence Rockefeller Pavilion of Memorial Sloane Kettering on 53rd Street I had a consult with a Liver specialist, Dr. William Larnigan, Hepatobiliary (thats an SAT word if I ever saw one!!). He negates the Gall Bladder concern but wants to do a dedicated MRI on the Liver because there is an infinitesimal spot and he needs to look closer to see if it's (hopefully) benign. If not, he'll do a biopsy with a needle through the skin. Fair enough. So, we'll be back to NYC Thursday morning, I should know more Thursday afternoon, I think. Also, both he and Dr. Berman needed blood tests today, so 2 trips to the 4th floor there (I'm still challenging the phlebotomists....the 1st hole didn't work, #'s 2 and 3 were beautiful as blood sucking goes). As for the rest of my life, Carol and I had a beautiful visit with Dawn and Jerry, Angie and John yesterday at the Lake. Sunday we checked out "Talk to Me", good movie, historical. Saturday a fine party at Randi and Glenns for the kids August birthdays. Delicious. Daily I get stronger and more normal. Had "Redman" reaction to the anti-fungal which is itchy and uncomfortable, but I finished those pills last night and will take a Benadryl tonight if the itchiness bothers me. My bass is sounding beautiful but I'll have some adjustments made soon on the bridge, fingerboard etc. Enjoying all the guitars, strumming D tuning. Fooling with Salsa keyboard voicings etc. Want to spend more time on Salsa basslines. Readying sketches for printing, framing, showing etc. Adding more, playing more with colors etc (thanks Matt and Erica). Reading George Carlin in between fits of laughter. Still miss Woodstock, maybe soon. Brother Bruce created a beautiful letter featuring Raswan and me for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society appeal. Way to go Bro. Riv and Greg run next weekend. Wow!!! Amazing stuff.
Gotta go nap. Peace. JIMBO

Mariah wishes me well as I leave MSKCC!!

Fri., 8/24/07; 7:30 pm. Sorry I haven't written in a while. I'm ok.That's my nurse Mariah wishing me a goodbye as I leave MSKCC after my (hopefully) final Chemo. While I was last in the hospital our home was hit with a thunderstorm which effected our internet service. It took a while to straighten it out (thanks to Bob K). So, I'm back on the track. Since coming home the first week took a long while to gain balance, some strength, and energy. I was able to go to Bruces birthday party last Wednesday, but had to cancel a trip to the Poconos (we went today instead). Then Friday felt good, Saturday not so good, but got to a nice party that afternoon at Shirleys house.Sat. Night my student Marc and his parents came by for a nice visit. Felt better Sunday had Brunch with Kappy and Carol, and had dinner with the Straus family, played guitar etc. (Last Thursday back to MSKCC for a bloodtest and sonogram. Liver OK, they want to review my Gall Bladder, so that review comes up next Tuesday. Numbers OK, no transfusions.) Then Monday to Paterson to play upright and Fender with a Big Band. In the afternoon Austin and Suzy came by and Austin showed me what he is studying on bass with Joe B., then we played duets, both upright and electric. Tues-Thurs. we went to Bethesda to visit the Grands: Keyboard lessons, National Acquarium at Baltimore Inner Harbor with Porpoise Show and Pedal Boats. Swimming lessons at YMCA and nice dinner with cousin Adam and Hadar. Jeanette, Rebekah and Gregs Au Pair is wonderful. Enjoyed being with the kids, reading, thinking, learning. Today we visited Betty and Wayne in the Poconos with Kappy. All of Carols Bedminster buddies have been so very supportive of me through this process. My next Bone Marrow Biopsy or Aspiration is on Sept. 10th. Meantime Sunday I go to see Jerry and Dawn to see photos of both the missed China trip and the missed Army Band Party. Can't wait to swim in the lake.
So, as I gain strength I am trying to catchup with friends and relatives, little by little. Come Labor Day I hope to be able to begin rehearsing in Bands, Orchestras, Brass Quintets etc. again. We'll see. Meantime we're deveoping strategies for showing the art work and continuing to draw/paint. Peace. Thanks for you prayers, blood, platelets and cards. Hope to see you soon. I'm trying to answer the phone calls etc asap. JIMBO

Mon., Mon. II

Mon Aug. 13 at 5:30 pm. I'm home. I got the word around 10 am from Dr. Berman that my CT Scan showed enough improvement to release me on Oral Meds. I go back for a blood test Thurs. and a Bone Marrow test in a few weeks but essentially I've completed now 10 months of 5 Chemos plus several other hospitalizations. Hopefully I'll be in remission for a long time. I'm finally digging music on my sound system, tuning my basses and guitars, going now with Carol to hear my buddies play Jazz live up at the Farmers Market. Its a beautiful night here. Yesterday was so fine with Rebekah and Matt visiting me. I keep falling asleep by 8 pm, then waking up at 4 etc. I gotta work on that. Hah!! So I'm home, for a quiet week. See you soon. Thanks for the thoughts, prayers, blood and platelets. See ya. JIMBO

Monday, Monday

Mon., Aug. 12, 2007. 8:30 am. Just got back from a CT Scan. Let's hope it was good and I can leave soon. I feel like I can't heal much more here, I need to go home, out in the beautiful sunetc. It all depends on how the lungs look with Fungal Pneumonia. It was disappointing to be here this past weekend missing so many wonderful events. I feel well enogh to go home. Now lets see what the docs say. JIM

Another try

Thurs. August 9, 2007; 9:40 am. I've tried to post 2 additional posts here which don't appear on my computer, so I assume they were lost. In any case, I'm entering my 3rd week here dealing with Fungal Pneumonia. My cough isn't too bad, so I wish I could be released, but the doctors want to do another (3rd) CT Scan on Tuesday before they release me. My numbers are happening, I have White Blood Cells now with Neutrophils, and RBCs and platelets, so it looks like my body is recovering nicely from the Chemo. I hope to be in Remission once they do the next Bone Marrow Aspiration or Biopsy. Meantime I have anti fungals (oral and intravenous) trying to curb the pneumonia. Its frustrating because I feel so good. But, rather safe than sorry. So, I'll have to wait it out. Will unfortunately miss a wedding and an army band reunion this weekend. I miss playing bass. Got a guitar here to keep up the chops and felt well enough yesterday to draw and paint. 1st time in a week or more. Maybe more today. Went up to hear a pianist playing delightful old gems yesterday. Carol and Debra joined me. Maybe I'll go up there to paint today. In any case am working from my hospital phone here to keep a few things happening in Maplewood. We have a stage donated by Sony/BMG but now we have to store it. Gotta find room. Susan has the bands playing at the pool. Fun gigs. I have dreams of gigs I want to do in the Fall. Can't wait. It's been a challenging 10 months, especially for Carol and Rebekah, but it's also been incredibly rewarding hearing the stories of disease and healing; meeting the on line medical staff fighting disease. It's an incredible system if you have the correcyt medical insurance. I've seen the best in the world here. So I learn alot. I'm inspired by these people and this system. I see alot of really sick people, much sicker than me. But people with hope and strength. Its amazing. I celebrate my surroundings. But can't wait to get back home, into Carols arms, back up to Woodstock, back to the NJ Shore and beyond. Here is a pix of my 2 most caring nurses. You've read about them in my blog. Katrina and Mariah. The greatest. Peace. Thanks for the blood donations and platelets. Love, JIMBO

CT Scan

Here I had both Mariah and Katrina on the floor on the same day. Lucky me, I'm well cared for. Stiil no fevers; 2nd CT Scan looks about the same as 1st; today Dr. Berman changed my intravenous antis to oral medications which means she says: "getting you on the launching pad". So, I hope I'm released sooner rather than later. I felt well enough to take out the drawing pad today for the first time in a week. I took an Ambien to sleep last night and that worked. I haven't even asked for Robitussen today, so I'm doing better. I'm starting of dreaming of picking up my bas and playing some tunes. I also listened (and conducted along) to Sibelius Symphony #2 today, So that was great. Many memories of rehearsing it and performing it in 1968 down at NJ Arts Center (now PNC Bank). It was the Arts Centers first season. We had hadheavy rain days before, the dressing rooms were muddy. But the sound in the amphitheater was a gas. I loved working there, better sound than Waterloo, which we played 10 weeks that year. When you are a Cancer patient in the hospital for weeks at a time you get to review alot of your life. I try to focus on the hip positive things we did, like symphony concerts, choral concerts (so many I can't remember them all), fun club dates, occasional Blues dates, tours with the orchestras. Alot of fun. Well enough from Mr. Nostalgia. I gotta go. Hope to see you all in person soon. Love and thanks . JIMBO

Fevers No More

Yeah well the fevers slowed me down a few days, and the coughing/breathing thing with the pneumonia slowed me down a bit, but as of Friday morning we rallied and got most of that under control. The numbers have hit bottom and now are climbing. I haven't had a transfusion in 2 days (1 day I had 3).and I felt really good when Rebekah arrived to visit. She looks so great. And then Martha and RJ joined us for a good visit. When Carol came by we had a full room. Fun. We left the room for a while to allow privacy to my roomate as he had some issues to deal with hospital staff. We walk the halls here for exercise, I think 12 times around is a mile or something. Some people are out there pushing their poles building up the miles and their heart and lungs at the same time. I'm hoping I get out of here in time to dance at Kim and Skips wedding next week. We'll see how the lungs are on Tuesday when Dr. Berman intends to do the followup CT scan on the lungs.Robitussin wCodeine has kept them calm enough for me to get some sleep. So with the laptop I get to hear or see many DVDs/CDs which I haven't seen before. I usually don't slow down enough to sit and dig videos, so this is a decent new experience.I do miss practicing my basses. My brass chops will need rebuilding after this stay. BUT...come the fall I'm assuming the energy and strength will be there for some brass quintet playing again. I want to get my tuba reconditioned or replaced. I really dig that instrument. Have a good weekend everybody. Carol is bringing her Mom to see me today because the 2 of them are heading to Belmar to a family gathering at which new twins are being introduced. The twins names are "Millie and Lou", which by coincidence is the same as Carols parents. Fun.
Gotta go. Thanks. Peace. JIMBO

August

Wed., August 1, 2007. 9:30. I always love August 1st because it is usually our target date for getting to Woodstock. But...this year we have another journey to MSK Country Club!!! No golf here, just field trips to X ray or CT Scan. So, this morning I was told the source of my fevers is probably a pneumonia for which they started giving me anti-fungals in my cocktail mix a couple of days ago. Dr. Heaney warns me that this may take longer to heal than just the counts coming back, so...I may here into next week now.I have not heard yet about the last 2 blood cultures tests, but Katrina expects they will do another today. So at this point I feel better than yesterday, still some discomfort from mouth sores (I swash a couple of times a day, this is annoying but very typical after Chemo). Deb was here and brought me the new Woody Allen book. Fun. Carol and Deb and I were having some good laughs last night joking around. We watched Celebrity Jeopardy and then News Hour and then the Yankees. Almost every teamate hit a homerun last night except the one people are paying to see hit one, A Rod. George Steinbrenner just keeps making money. Hah! There are days when that team plays a high level game, when they play like kids, laughing, joking etc. Then there are other days they seem so tight, one wonders how they can vascillate so. The season has been a roller coaster ride.
My cousin Margo is coming to see me today, then Carol should be in later. Brother Bruce is trying to get some time up here this week as well. So, I better go freshen up. Andrea just remade the bed, and both Katrina and Mariah are here today. I'm being well cared for. Dr. Berman is on for the weekend, so thats great for me. She takes great care also. I have trouble talking on the phone right now due to the sores, so hold off on the phone calls for a few days. Thanks. JIMBO