March 5, 2017

This will be my last posting.  The point of the blog was to keep people who had made inquiries informed.  At this point there won't be much to say on that front, or at least not for quite a while.  To continue posting would be a bit too self indulgent for my taste.

I have had my one month follow-up with both my medical and my radiotherapy oncologists.  Clinical exams show nothing detectable.  Before treatment started the guesstimate of my chance of a cure was two out of three.  Based on my response to treatment they are now guessing 80%.  It's now mostly a matter of periodically getting a PET scan to see if anything has recurred.  That will be every three months for a while then less often.  Beyond that, I'll be working at and monitoring recovery from side effects.

When I decided to retire early a number of people asked me if I wasn't concerned about becoming bored.   I had the following standard answer.  Supposedly the common sailors aboard the ships of the early European explorers were worried about sailing off the edge of the world.  I know with certainty that sooner or later I will "sail off the edge of the world", as will we all.  The question is what sorts of interesting sights, people, experiences, etc will I encounter on the way to the world's edge.  So far things have been very interesting and, for the most part, not what I would have predicted.

The experience of cancer falls into the category of interesting things on the way to the world's edge.  I only hope that I will manage to acquire all the insight it might offer.  I leave you with quotes from two people wiser than I

"We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring 
Will be to arrive where we started 

And know the place for the first time.

A condition of complete simplicity

(Costing not less than everything)"

TS Eliot

"When I let go of what I am,  I become what I might be."

Anonymous Alzheimer's Patient