Blood and Bluegrass

BLOOD AND BLUEGRASS

[BY PETER]
Radiation and chemo start this week. I'm curious as to how they'll make me feel, as most of the time I'm more than OK, e.g., was able to go cycling with daughter Amanda and split wood this weekend. It's weird to be fit and healthy on the one hand, and have a serious illness on the other.

A downside of cancer is I'm not able to donate blood or platelets while in treatment and some time after (at least a year after treatment?). I've been a platelet donor at the Red Cross on University Drive in Durham for the past 16 years - it's the most consistently satisfying thing I've done. 

Giving platelets is a little different from giving whole blood, which involves taking blood from one arm. With platelets, a needle goes in the intake arm, sends blood through a tube to a centrifugal machine which spins and isolates platelets, then returns the blood minus the platelets to the other arm or hand. Platelets are the blood's clotting factor and are used by leukemia patients, those undergoing chemo, et. al. It's ironic to think that at some point I may be a platelet recipient, no longer a donor.

If you've never given blood or platelets, are healthy and eligible, and are curious about it, please consider contacting the Red Cross (to schedule a platelet appointment, call 1-800-667-5086). I can hardly think of a more worthwhile  and easy thing to do that will have as much impact on another person. 

On several occasions, friends have accompanied me to the Durham center where we've made a "party" out of donating. For example, last April Jay Cunningham, Lew Wardell, Jennifer Evans, Jay Miller, Geoff Hathaway, John Bemis, Sherman Newman, and Susan G. gave blood or platelets the same morning. Another friend Dan Way, then-Editor of the Chapel Hill Herald, wrote an entertaining and inspiring account of his experiences as a first-time platelet donor.

http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/12604944/article-Blood-flows-at-birthday-party?instance=main_article.

 

 Thanks for thinking about this.

Today's video clip, ca. 1960, is Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt and the Foggy Mountain Boys singing "I'm On My Way To Canaan's Land." Many people know that North Carolina's Earl Scruggs was and is a great banjo player, but here he excels on gospel guitar. From right to left in the video, that's Earl Scruggs, fiddler Paul Warren, guitarist Lester Flatt  on lead vocal, bassist Jake Tullock, and mandolinist Curly Seckler. Josh Graves, who usually plays Dobro, is probably playing the bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nWzYfSKFLE&feature=related
 
In 1973, when I was relatively new to bluegrass, I happened to be in Nashville and on the Vanderbilt U. campus for a free concert. It was a great lineup- Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, The Country Gentlemen (with 19 year old Ricky Scaggs on fiddle), and Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass (with 14 year old Marty Stuart on mandolin). At one point I walked up to fiddler Paul Warren and said,"Excuse me, are you Lester Flatt?" He politely pointed out Lester Flatt to me, then graciously took a photo of Lester and me. I still have the photo, but will show it only if asked. Lester looked good, me not so much (big hair).

When Susan and I were "dating" in 1980 (quaint word), she invited me to go to Raleigh to see The Earl Scruggs Revue. Lester had split from Lester Flatt about ten years before and was playing progressive bluegrass with his three sons and fiddler Vassar Clements. Some time after that Susan invited me to a Doc Watson show. When Susan subsequently demonstrated that she could load and fire up a wood stove, I had to tell myself, "Hmmm, this relationship could get serious."

Love to all- Peter K

What goes down...
        Must go up!

Peter has gained 8 pounds!

[FROM SUSAN]

      If you've been reading here you've been reading about weight and food.  Peter lost about 50 lbs in the past 10 months, most of that intentionally.  But the last 20+ pounds fell off since August, and now we know why.  One of Peter's doctor's used the word "catabolic," in that cancer wants to break down muscle.  Well, we can't let that happen.

     Many of you have contributed great ideas to the "how to gain weight" question, and you might have read my rant (in a previous post below) with my dismay over how high-glycemic sugary (and expensive!) drinks are pushed.  Peter thinks (and it has crossed my mind) that I might have a future career making healthy weight-gain (and loss) drinks.  I'd have to codify my mad scientist efforts into something others can replicate...and with ingredients that are affordable.  But so far this has been fun.

     For now the efforts are paying off, and we're both getting the hang of the new routines that are involved...a lot more kitchen time for me, and a lot more table time for Peter.  The new prescription (from the doctors) is 64 ounces of water a day.

     Dry run for radiation on Monday, then the real thing from Tuesday on.  We have to nudge the oncologists tomorrow to be sure that chemo gets scheduled for next week as well.

     Thank you all again for your excellent ideas.  I love how this site is pulling so many worlds together---work, music,horses,Arkansas, New York, the Schley Grange, spinners, family, old friends and new, people near and far.

--Susan

Commenting problems solved!

[FROM SUSAN]

When all else fails, ask your children.  Jessie called to suggest what might be the problem with the commenting on this blog, and then went on to fix it for us.  She's been using blogger for years, though when she logged on she did say things had changed a lot.  But she has it set so that you can comment without logging in, and she also put some spam controls in, which means your comments won't appear instantly.  Please keep commenting and emailing...but comments are fun because they generate others.  So when you read the posts, be sure to read on down to the comments.  Have fun!

Hospital Music

On two occasions in the past week, I was asked what music I wanted to hear while undergoing a scope/scan/MRI. I picked The Beatles both times; they're always a great choice. I love The Fabs from any year, but was especially pleased to hear their early material, like "From Me To You" and "Love Me Do", both of which have key harmonica parts. "Let It Be", with the soulful organ work of Billy Preston, takes on a more powerful meaning when you're in a hospital. R&B/soul/funk, along with bluegrass, classic country (Merle Haggard/Hank Williams), traditional (Doc Watson, the Carter Family), and early 60's rock, is my favorite kind of music, but listening to James Brown do "Cold Sweat" might have been too much for my time in the MRI chamber.

But here's a shout out to Mr. Brown, a cool short-short story that occurred as Susan and I were walking down one of the hospital's long corridors. Walking about ten feet in back of me, a man pulled out his cell phone and the first few notes- a glissando symphony of strings -of JB's "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's, Man's World" on a ring tone were clearly and loudly heard. I still have the 45 rpm I bought in 1965. I turned around quickly and said to the stranger, mouthing the words with JB, "This is a man's world!" As he caught up to me, he smiled, as I continued: "But it wouldn't be nothing, NOTHING". He walked past me a few steps, looked over his shoulder, smiled and finished the last line of the stanza: "Without a woman or a girl!" We both laughed. For that moment and several hours after, all the stars were beautifully aligned in the universe of Great Music.


Last night many of Jay Miller's friends and I got to see him awarded as "Citizen of the Year" by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. Jay is a tireless supporter of mental health and substance abuse agencies, arts programs, his church, and historic preservation. The crown jewel of all these efforts by Jay and his wife Ebeth (go to www.sharedvisions.org) is the restoration of the old Murphey School, built in 1923 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. All kinds of groups are using the place as a meeting, retreat, and performance center. Many of us were whistling and whooping it up when Jay was introduced. Some were from organizations that Jay has assisted, others were his music associates. I've seen Jay play piano, sax, flute, guitar, bass, and mandolin, all at a high level. It's way cool to see your friends do well and get recognition for their accomplishments.

You might enjoy this story I wrote for the "Chapel Hill Herald" last year about Murphey School and Jay. I organized a tour of folks, now in their late 70's and early 80's, who went to school there as long ago as 1935, then wrote about it:


http://heraldsun.com/view/full_story/9234770/article-Murphey-School-was-the-center-of-their-world?instance=main_article


Kudos to Susan for her learning so much about good nutrition and helping me gain weight in a healthy way. A registered dietitian with whom Susan spoke seemed to enjoy trading information with such a knowledgeable consumer.


Love to all- Peter K

The Aorta is fine!

[BY SUSAN]

WHEW!  We've been waiting for this last little bit of diagnostic information, and the news is good.  Peter is down in radiation right now getting the scans that will set up his radiation treatment.  It looks like it will all start next Tuesday...so one more week of waiting.

Concoction #2 (not long)

[BY SUSAN]

Good nutrition-weight-gain machine #2.  Found this at a Thrift Shop.  We were out of heavy cream tonight (ice CREAM tastes better than frozen yogurt for sure), but a yogurt, whole milk, fruit, protein powder, peanut butter, agave frozen delight spun up to 500 calories per serving (Ensure and Boost are around 250), and this is all low-glycemic sweetness (no kale...this was dessert!).  Peter's weight was up a few pounds tonight, so maybe it is all working.

BRIEF UPDATE

[FROM SUSAN]

OK, so I got Duke North and South mixed up today, but realized it was because in past visits we parked at South (which I refer to as the "old" hospital  since the new one was being built while I lived at Hanes House), and entered there, but had gone forthwith to the cancer center, which is on the south side of North.  That is still confusing to me, so I'll refer to it as on the old side of the new hospital.  There.

And, after venturing up to the 7th floor (Cardiology) of the NEW hospital, Peter had a cardiac MRI, but we won't get the results until tomorrow.  

Tomorrow, early, Peter will get the "Planning Scan" for the radiation.  Can anyone suggest the best place to park to get to the sub-basement?  I think it is the white zone.

Supposedly he will come home with diagrams on his body.  Tatoos?

Oh, and good news - NORTH has real food and not just a food court.

Some pictures to spice things up:

OLD (SOUTH)

NEW (NORTH)

Thanks for all your concern and expressions of love and care.

Susan