Remember that Cancer You Used to Have?

I went in to see Dr. Miller today for my regularly scheduled quarterly appointment.

I had no idea why I was there. I had nothing to complain about for once. But, as Dr. Miller reminded me, they like to see me every three months just to make sure things are going well.

There's a lot to go wrong. My cholesterol. My diabetes, for sure. Testing problems, testing materials. Problems renewing my prescriptions. All of that will go wrong and has gone wrong within the past year.

But today was different. Things were going well (except for my diet, which has been tending toward the sugar).

She told me in passing, though, that Alta Bates had sent a questionnaire for her, a routine thing, just to keep up with their former cancer patients. She would fill it out, send it back, and report that everything was going fine. No recurrence, no signs of recurrence.

It's been 8 years since the 2003 colon surgery. I think that's called a colonectomy. At least, that's what I call it. I had almost forgotten about it, except when I run my fingertips along the scar on my abdomen. It's a solid memory. Or I remember it when somebody talks about their hospital experience. I have only been in the hospital twice, and that was one of them.

At this point, it's a good memory, good in that the result, so far, is good. And good for Alta Bates for running these studies. I hope to continue to be on their "inactive" list.

The Shingles Vaccination

On a cruise to Alaska last summer, my partner discovered immediately as we were settling into our cabin that she was missing some medication. We decided to look for the medication at our first stop, Ketchikan.

A little internet research revealed that the only pharmacy in town was in the local Safeway -- yes, the only Safeway in town. So we found one of the taxis at the port and he drove us to that Safeway early that morning. We had to wait an hour for the pharmacy to open, and were met with a very friendly female pharmacist.

The pharmacy had a huge sign saying, "SHINGLES SHOTS HERE!" so I thought I'd take them up on that. After all, I'd been searching local East Bay pharmacies for the vaccine over the past year, only to be told that they were all out and didn't know when to expect the next shipment. Alas, the friendly pharmacist said the same thing: she had hoped for another shipment in a few months from then.

I found the same sort of sign at a Rite Aid in Montclair last month. I filled out the paperwork they gave me, but the pharmacist was out to lunch, so I decided to come back the next day. Unfortunately, I caught a cold before I could return. They won't give you the shot if you're sick at all.

That cold lingered for a month, but the day I was sure I was over it, I was back in that Rite Aid pharmacy again. The pharmacist ascertained that I was over the age of 50, collected $140 (!), $20 of which went to the pharmacy, and got the shot in the flab under my left arm. A peculiar place, I thought, as he put the needle in. I barely felt it.

The pharmacist told me that they were running out again. I felt fortunate. When I complained about the cost, not covered by my insurance, to my son, the son who had contracted shingles two years ago and still has the scars, he had one thing to say to me: "It's worth it!"