Zapologist follow up

Alrighty then-I still stand by all my previous comments on how truly worthless this guy is and certainly the weak link in my team. The rest of the crew down there in the dungeon is still great though. Very efficient, timely and actually quite funny.

I check in with the girls up front all chatty as always and busing my chops about if this really is my scheduled appointment. An inside joke as I tend to "accidently" use their lot and then need to come down and get a validation as it's FREE! I go sit and start watching TV that as always is set to the Food Channel, a staple in these waiting rooms and that still blows my mind as most can't eat. I noticed a nurse I was unfamiliar with, i.e NEW, come through the doors with a clipboard in the standard pose to call a patient, look around then turn around and walk back in. I found this odd as amazingly enough there were only two of us in the waiting room. A few minutes later, I notice said nurse with another peering through the window and then she reappears and calls my name. I'm weighed-still keeping under the 200# self imposed limit thank you, and put into an exam room directly across from the nurses station. At this point I just loose it as they are like little girls-10 eyeballs all staring at me as unobtrusively as possible, and believe me, it isn't possible. I then see the problem, the most horrific photo I think I have ever had taken in my life is up on all the screens-there are 3 old nurses' I remember and 2 new ones and not one of them believes it is me. This picture was taken on my first zap visit right after I finished the chemo regiment so I was as pasty white as I ever have been, hairless and bloated up to a not so solid 235-Jabba the Hut and Humpty Dumpty got nothin on me in that pic but we had a good time with it and yes-new pics were taken. It was quite comical I must admit.

On Monday I posted in reference the episodes I was having with my throat and without a doubt the worst I have had since I was in treatment. Monday and Tuesday were horrible-I couldn't swallow anything without much or all of it coming back up and out my nose. It got fricken painful and I was forcing down with memories of what I did on a daily basis under treatment-both Mon and Pam witnessed this and they too had those memories I am sure-not as bad I admit but it sucked none the less! Yesterday was quite a bit better and last night was great-full meal and everything. I awoke this morning and had a little issue with that first cup of water and pills but not out of the ordinary.

By the time I got to my appointment here, all was good-even water wasn't a problem. (Ironically I had a harder time with liquids than solids, soft mind you, in the later part of this episode) This of course is a double edged sword of sorts, especially with this Doc, as there was nothing for him to see as far as symptoms and he hadn't a clue what to tell me had happened. "Geee Jeff, sounds like you may have had a virus of some sort or possibly some residual damage that acted up with the throat muscles....." Really? Is that the best you can do? Lucy and I got the same diagnosis of Web MD!!!! He then went on to tell me how important it is for me to remember and tell the ENT next week as she really the expert! WOW-now that's another thorough diagnosis.

It got better when he tells me everything looks great and he feels nothing out of the ordinary so he is quite pleased again with my progress. "Umm Doc-excuse me, you started to do your physical and do your thing feeling around the entire throat BUT you never actually got that far as you got side tracked so how exactly do you know you can't feel anything unusual?" We fixed that misstep with the same outcome fortunately however, not a great way to instill confidence.

Bottom line is the good news here is that I do seem to be fine today as well as in his finding-everything looks great and he sees nothing of concern so see ya in 6 months!

I'll take it and gee-you think I can remember to tell the ENT next week! YA THINK-LOL

Jeff out

Throat freeze!

One of the worst episodes Ive had this year that I can recall! Can't swallow without everything ejecting out my nose-a definitive disconnect with the muscles that control swallowing and this sucks! I was told this is nothing unusual as the radiation damage that occurred can have this effect but usually clears after a few hours or a day.

Woke yesterday with a bit of an issue but nothing that was out of the ordinary-laid low, didn't talk much and took it easy on the throat with what I ingested and that usually good. Considering I was racing in the bay on Saturday and had a big week at work, the throat will sometimes just say "'NUF!" and we do what I did yesterday and good enough-

Not this time apparently as here I am Monday morning working out of the house because I simply cant swallow, can't talk and generally uncomfortable so hoping another day of TLC and we are all good-Cant get in to see the doc until my regularly scheduled appointment next week so will just grit this one out and hope everything relaxes soon.

Time to catch up

Well TP '11 has come and gone with great success as well as the coveted red hat from Mount Gay!

I may be sleep deprived and my throat is telling me I've had enough but for the most part I again had a great time working shore side as co-chair of Pier Ops (whatever that title meant-LOL). Great to see some awesome boats, reconnect with some old friends, attend their pre-wedding ceremony, meet some new as well as see some local boys shine. Scott Bradley and his new CaZan, a DK 46. with a local crew of friends I race with or against, got to the podium twice for 3rd in division and first Hawaii boat-congrats guys but how will we live with you now AND we get to look at the transom of the new boat for the rest of the season-LOL. James McDowell and his bigger boat Grand Illusion take the whole thing too-good for you and Richard Riley and the rest of the crew!

Now for some well needed rest, a beach day and dinner for Lucy who rates a great thank you for putting up with me and these shenanigans this week (and for my faux pas at last weekend's BTBJ) and then Monday back to the office to catch up on all that I deliberately took a break from this past week to play with the boats and the occasional Mai Tai!

2011 Transpac has arrived!

Time to swap hats for the next few days-Heading out dark and early here this morning as the first boats battling it out mid channel right now bearing down on Diamond Head buoy looking to finish either side of sunrise I'm guessing. With that, I get to put my officials badge and go be a partof this bi-annual event as I again find myself working pier ops-all volunteer work an minimal sleep for a few days (sans the annual Black Tie and Blue Jeans I have tomorrow-another anniversary of sorts so will post after that as well) but always a fun experience. Get to meet all kinds of folks see, and hopefully sail on some really nice boats and even join in a Mai Tai or two. To say nothing of the fact I have some friends out there as well-

Were off-the rest of the world will just have to wait a few days as I deem these as mine!

A small small world

So I have to laugh at the turn of events here today. We are coming into TransPac season with the boats currently racing.(For those of you unaware, this is a yacht race from Long Beach to Honolulu and although I have yet to actually race it, I have been a volunteer for years on this side of the pond and always enjoy my participation) Two years ago, the record was shattered by the pro crew of Alpha Romeo 100 and I had the good fortune to friend some of the crew of this yacht and have kept in touch. As it would happen, the skipper of that yacht, Murray Spence, is in town, not as a race participant this year, but having just completed a 77 day voyage delivering a beautiful 60+ foot catamaran from the Canary Islands to it's new owners here in Honolulu. Pam and I took him to lunch at the Outrigger and caught up a bit-I of course also enjoy his input on the current race going on 1000 miles out in the Pacific as we await the first finishers (who are in no way a threat his previous record) We also got on the topic of my cancer as the owner of Alpha is also a throat cancer survivor. More ironic is as we are talking, he mentions that his new owners wife is a hot shot ENT here in town and maybe I've heard of her.

Hmm let's see here you mean MY DOCTOR Murray? LOL. Hows that for a small world?

Upon us returning to Kewalo Basin to drop him at the boat, said owners are in fact aboard. (I need to mention that I had originally had a 1:30 follow up appointment schedule with her today that her nurse called to cancel last week as she would be out of the office-I can understand that) The husband greets us at the gangway and we are introduced. On the top deck I can see some movement as someone appears to be napping. Sure enough, they roll over and try and focus on the commotion and I say "Hi Doc! Did you really think that I'd let you cancel our 1:30 appointment and I wouldn't find you?" (It is actually 1:30 BTW.) Needless to say the look of confusion registered on her face was priceless although I am not so sure how funny she found it -not sure if that was the fact a patient is at the gangway of her new vessel and she disapproves of such patient/social interaction or the fact I learned she is actually quite ill, as she simply dismissed me by saying my appointment was canceled. The husband caught on pretty quickly and invited us aboard to take a tour and chat for a bit all pretty amazed at how small the world really is.

I never spoke with her again as we let her rest but I am looking forward to my rescheduled appointment. Needless to say I hope she ultimately finds as humorous as we all did as I'd love the opportunity to see this one again. As always, time will tell!

Cheers Murray-thanks for a great afternoon and safe travels!

Throttle Back and Focus!

As you know I have had quite a bit of that real world sh*t on my plate of late and that has apparently caught up with me, so much so that I have actually spent much of this week out of the office, working and resting from home with something I haven't had in some time-the flu (I think.) I certainly prefer this over the days I was home or elsewhere last year, but being sick still sucks!

The combination of the ongoing stress with the work issues I've eluded too previously, an incident with Mom and her health that gave us all quite a scare(seems to have been an anomaly thank god) as well as admittedly quite an event filled 4th of July weekend has taken it's toll and the body put the brakes on so here I am-bored as hell after sleeping much of the afternoon trying to shake whatever bug has infiltrated the system. Congested, feverish, tired and sore as well as the most concerning to no real surprise is the extreme irritation to the throat itself-essentially the feeling of being hit by a train-albeit a much smaller one!

This down time however has given me a bit of a revelation and I have determined, for the best I might add, that I am using some of these recent events as an excuse. Although buckling down in the office to move through this is a good thing and for the time being, manageable, I have also created some personal issues for myself that I need to address and I have allowed all this to get the best of me and lost a bit of direction, making excuses and avoiding what I need to do. There is no entitlement due nor expectations of sympathy so the time has come to throttle it back and re-focus on taking care of my responsibilities and obligations to those who have been so supportive of me or a flu could be the least of my concerns.

Just one of those thinking out loud moments!

Happy 4th!

What a fabulous weekend-Full beach day at the club with Lisa and the boys Saturday-fired up the grill for the mombo steaks and burgers that is a prerequisite for the 4th and watched what is arguably the funniest flick I've seen in years with Hall Pass.

Woke up Sunday and headed over to K-Bay to race day 2 of the Kalakaua Cup on Prima, en route to an overall victory I might add! (Unfortunately I missed drinking from the silver cup on Monday)

Then on to the annual McFarlane 4th of July regatta and a SUP tour through the insanity of the Waikiki flotilla for a few hours. What a madhouse!

As neither the race nor the floatilla were on the kids menu we decided on a bit of a change of pace forgoing the OCC party and capped it all off heading out to watch the Hawaii Kai firework show at buddy Elwells home.

Mahalo Mark!

A great change of pace and got to spend it with Lisa after all AND got Max on the SUP as well! Woo Hoo