Thursday, September 6, 2012


September 4th                                                                                   40 Days Outta Treatment

 

Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down…..damn this thing. Let’s start with some good news. I sold a $1,575,000 house last Friday, that’ll close early October, so YAY! I brought the buyer in, an old friend from Grateful Dead Tour back in 1984/85…..he’s doing pretty well for himself, eh? He’s a lawyer in SF and really on top of his game. The home is here in Lafayette. So, that’s exciting, and important, for sure. Puts me on pace for my biggest year EVER! Hello, go figure. It’s those angels I’ve been talking about. I know I am blessed, and they show up from time to time. And guess what we found in the garage amidst all their crap…..a tray of cassettes with labels like “Ventura County Fairgrounds, July 21/22 1984,” and “Utica, NY 3-11-73.” A DeadHead lived here. I noted it on my Agent Inspection form…….just can’t figure if it’s the kids or the parents.

 
I am getting tremendous support here at home. Kiki has been stocking the fridge with items for me to eat, as I eat in stages……things for the juicer, things that I can get down for dinner, lunch. Right now it is fruits and protein shakes in the juicer, along with lots of pastas with white sauce. Chickens, potatoes, all sorts of veggies like broccoli and string beans and squash. Those are easy. Those don’t go in the blender, btw. Sam has stayed on top of his chores and that has been a big help.

The docs say my eating is way ahead of other patients. My big prob is the taste buds and the salivary glands. They aren’t producing, so it takes a lot of liquid to get things down. That can be frustrating. I have not necessarily been throwing the weight on. I still have the feeding tube which augments my diet. So, after a meal, I will ingest a can via the tube, and that is good for almost 500 extra calories. Still at about 172 and stable, so bummed a bit I can’t get up to 175 and keep it there. Maybe when burritos start tasting good…..understand that it is a challenge to keep weight on. Weird, huh? Huge kudos to Kiki for helping me on my quest to pack on a few. We have yet to run out of ice cream……

Kiki and me and some friends saw John Hiatt up at the Uptown Theatre in Napa on Sunday night over Labor Day. He was fantastic, played ALL his great songs. Honestly, I don’t know what else I would have wanted him to play. What a set list. Had musicians from Lake Charles, LA, Birmingham, and Nashville, so figure out the angles and approaches they took. Great show, great to hear some live music.

 
I want to get back to being me, get back to hiking hills and telling stories and seeing groups of friends and having the energy to get through it all….but that is not here yet, and patient I must remain. Thanks to my phone buddies who allow me to bounce stuff off them, and thanks to you for reading this…..the journey is hard, make no mistake, and I am not done yet, by a long stretch.

Next Doctor appt. is Sept 10th. The next scan is in October, and everything rides on that. Kiki and I both visualize a clean body, just one that took a helluva beating……I want you to visualize the same thing….a cancer-free, non hot-spot scan result……..it’s powerful, and I want you to do it….just a mono-chromed scan paper with no colors!

 Love to all you all for coming back and staying behind me….send me an email, it’s cool, or post up a comment. I want to hear from you……

 

Keep On Keepin’ On,

TS

 

 

5 comments:

  1. TS,

    Congrats on the big sale and the impending record year. Work is work and health is health but, all things being interrelated, having the work bit so well in order can only help bring about some peace of mind to assist you as you focus on getting your health back in order.

    Fighting to put weight back on doesn't sound like a problem on the surface (I'd gladly donate a few of my extra to your cause if I could!) but I know it has to be frustrating to not be able to do so if that is your goal, so hang in there and keep working those salivary glands back into shape so burritos can rejoin the rotation. Trust me, never running out of ice cream is also a very good first step if moving the scale up is your goal!

    You keep the faith, all of us out here will keep it with you and the sun will peek from behind these clouds before you know it. Your monochrome scan in October is number one on my list of daily prayers, so I've definitely got you covered on that one.

    In the meantime, as I'm sure JH advised you at that killer show in Napa, thank God the Tiki Bar is open and thank God the tiki torch still shines...
    -RC-

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  2. Nothing clever or pithy (bet you don't hear that word much) from me today Tom. Just checked in on your blog for the most recent news. Things seem to be progressing as they should be...and that includes the frustration, etc. unfortunately.

    I can visualize a clean body. I see no other outcome for you. Your Tom Stack for God's sake :) (not even sure what I mean by that...but c'mon!)

    Hope you were able to watch the Niner's W yesterday. I missed the second half as I had to go to my baseball game, where we were bounced from the playoffs. We're getting too old to beat these young guys and at this point I think this was my last year. Got an exemption to go to AZ to play for a week in the 45+ division (as I will only be 43 in Oct.), so I think I will go do that and then call it a "career". We have a really good 45 team and have a good shot at winning it all out there, so would be a good way to go out.

    Hang in there. Look forward to catching up and seeing you when your ready and on the other side.

    Mark

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  3. you're, not your. Sorry, had to correct or it would drive me nuts. My issues :)

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  4. Great to see you the other day with the boys. You look great. Good to see you smiling all over the gym.

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  5. Big game tonight Tom. Pence was a good pickup. Hopefully he hangs around a few years.

    Pence speech after yesterday's game:

    “get in here, everyone get in here..look into each other eyes..now! look into each others eyes, I want one more day with you, it’s the most fun, the best team I have ever been on and no matter what happens we must not give in, we owe it to each other, play for each other, I need one more day with you guys, I need to see what Theriot (jerry) will wear tomorrow, I want to play defense behind Vogelsong because he’s never been to the playoffs..play for each other not yourself, win each moment, win each inning, it’s all we have left. Play for each other…honor the game the game honors you..don’t know where and when it ends, but tonight I was proud to be together as a team, in a hostile environment, with just us..brothers that play for the name on the front, not the name on the back.”

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