18Feb26: “Nothing to eat, Doug.”

Andy’s stressed out. It’sa few minutes after midnight and…

I dumped out a handful. Better put a lot back!

17Feb27: Fuming!

Once a,week since the end of last year, the cardiologist’s nurse has called me to see if I’ve started the blood thinner.

NO!

One costs more than I budget for food, toilet paper, OTC pain killers, pens, dish and hand soap, light bulbs, and treats to take to my Class of 1966 luncheons. That is to say it is stinking pricey. The other is affordable, an old drug that requires close monitoring.

It turns out that the delay in doing surgery on my breast cancer wasn’t naughty surgeons playing golf, but the surgeons waiting for my genetic testing results, which finally came back. It seems I am genetically predisposed to develop pancreatic cancer (kiss your butt goodbye) and prostate cancer (there seems to be a butt theme here…)

Knowing these genetic predispositions, the insurance companies are more likely to pay for regular testing. That’s my understanding. If one can understand insurance companies.

I will spare you my diatribe against big pharma and how degrading it is to have to prove to a mega-billion profit-making phamaceutical company you are poor enough to get the OVERPRICED FOR AMERICANS blood thinner at an affordable price, but it would reveal my true political bent as a closet Bernie Sanders supporter who didn’t vote for him because third party candidates for president just suck votes away from one of the two actual candidates likely to end up in the White House. So there!

Speaking of “butts”, I am butt tired of sharing financial data with these companies. Wasn’t the DOGE business and Musk all about sucking out all of our personal financial information held by the IRS (among other illegal, un-American, unconstitutional things)? Hey big pharma! You want to know if I’m poor enough to get a price break on your OVERPRICED FOR AMERICANS pills, send Musk an e-mail.

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Take that!

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On a more pleasant note, I get to see the breast cancer surgeon today at noon. After the consultation, a surgery date will be established, one hopes before prostate or pancreatic cancer might occur. One at a time, boys.

I will ask the breast cancer doctor about the blood thinner medication so I am clear if it is Okay to swallow that yet. For Nurse Diane’s sake, I hope it’s “Okey doke, Doug! Your cardiologist, his nurse, my nurse, and I are all on the same team! And we want you dealing with the ‘Afib’, as the cute, expensive commercials you keep seeing on television abbreviate the condition so a non-medical, as we call you, can remember the condition and ask for the expensive pill, not the one poor people have to take.”

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I’m happy to announce that someone had to cancel their 9:00 am appointment tomorrow with Vic, the lady who cuts my hair. I get to have my hair and beard cut then instead.

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16Feb26: Andy isn’t shy about my breakfast…

I fight Andy any time I make the mistake of eating any meal while while watching television.

He usually hops on the ottoman before I can use it for a temporary setdown place for my meal. Here’s a “for example.” It can have disastrous consequences! How far I set it in depends on how determined and close Andy is.

When he follows me too closely, I’m forced to hyperextend to the end table to secure my meal. I cuss the kitty a lot when this happens because the drink’s still imperiled till I’m sure the meal is far enough on the end table not to tip over! Not this time, it was a bit “tippy”, thanks to dear kitty pressing me too closely.

Damn cat! Don’t play cute for your faithful fans! Sometimes you can be very naughty!!

French toast and steamed eggs! Can’t wait to start eating!

Somebody’s cat just moved in closer. I have to watch for furtive paw snatching throughout my meal. I end up stopping the meal at three-quarters done. Appetite gone.

15Feb26: upset…

He was working hard at a mat on his hind quarters and wasn’t making much progress. I decided to help. I got more of it off, thought there is much more to go. Will Andy or I get the last of it?

I guess he’s forgiven me or just thinks he’s safe on the end table if his hind quarter’s facing away from me. Cats!

Actually, that’s a good strategy.

Score: Andrew!

14Feb26: “kitty food time!”

Andy stopped by to remind me what time it was.

I checked the time. Yep! “Kitty food time”!

Andy waited patiently in the north bathroom.

Yes. It says cat food on the can. So I mash some on the kitty food plate. It’s a new can so I didn’t have to give it a quick zap on the microwave.

It smells good, but presentation is a bit weak.

I put the plate where Andy eats his wet food, then call his name.

13Jan26: Uh oh!

The impact of dialysis plus blood transfusion has been week long. I came home Thursday, fed the kitty and must have fed myself. I guess.

Then I sat down long enough to wake up in late afternoon in the throes of hitting a fatigue wall. Fatigue wall: a point where one is so tired, the only thing you can do is struggle to get to your bed or end up sleeping where you are, uncomfortable and likely to wake up sore and stiff, needing a nap!

I barely made it to my bed, but the rest was solid and good. Zzzzz!

Several hours later, past my usual post time for this blog, it hit me: you haven’t made a post for the 13th! Duhn dunnh duhnnnn! The Friday the 13th curse! No photos of Andy waiting to share, no thoughts on what to do for today’s post.

If I can’t share new photos, I can hope these four photos of Andy in other times will hold you till tomorrow.

12Feb26: a quiet day for a change…

A bit after 1:00 pm and I decided to put on my pajamas.

Is that better, Andrew? The trick being adding enough new ones to make a clatter so Andy thinks a lot more are there.

11Feb26: “It was time to feed the kitty hours ago, Doug!”

Andy wasn’t thrilled when I got home around 3:30 pm.

After dialysis, though, I went directly to Infusion, where I spent the next several hours getting a blood transfusion.

Out of seven measurables on the blood draws made monthly or as needed, my hemoglobin measurement was low. Dr. Soltanpour ordered the transfusion.

My view of the infusion room where McKenzie took good care of me while I lie there.

The two others low measures this time. Four out of seven out is my worst result ever!

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Protein is one thing I need to increase in my diet, as are calories of the right kind. Having little snacks throughout the day when I feel peckish (?) is recommended by Kirsten, our dietician. That one is problematic since my appetite is poor. I do that those “fun size” peanut butter cups and another candy bar. Kirsten felt those would work, as would some supplementary drinks and energy bars more traditionally used to stimulate a more healthy response.

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I had an odd yet tasty lunch while I was getting the transfusion: taco salad on top of rice instead of in a taco shell. It was very good anyway! Dessert was a blondie, also excellent. Best of all, the iced tea was unsweetened and tasted brewed, not made from instant tea..

10Feb26: exhausted #2…

It must be the cancer. I don’t recall sleeping this much, yet being exhausted.

Andy still has his needs, and I try to keep up with them.

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I’ve looked at that butternut squash hundreds of times, thinking I should do something with it before it goes bad.

Monday it happened! I peeled and cubed the squash. Topping the pot with chicken broth, I boiled the squash cubes till they were soft, then I used my immersion blender to make a fine soup!.

Oh, I also took the tender immature stalks of celery and chopped them to add to this soup. I added dill, onion and garlic powders, lime-lemon salt, regular salt and pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and, at the end, ginger, a nice dollop of butter and some milk.

(“How dare you talk about food when you still haven’t fed me, Doug?” Oops! I stopped to feed my kitty!)

I don’t usually do recipes when I make soup. I belong to the “dump and taste” school of soup makers. How much of each of these did I add? Some here, some there, taste, then figure out what would make it to my taste!

Yeah, I forgot I even had to add a small amount of plain sugar when the soup headed to the “too savory” direction, though I was careful not to turn the other direction, just to the “squashy” zone where butternut soup is my favorite!

Was the soup good? Oh yeah!

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Since my diagnosis with breast cancer, I’ve lost 15.5 pounds, a bit more than seven kilograms. It’s a heck of a way to take off weight, but an ironic “benefit” for someone who has tried to take weight off for years.