Black Crims and fractures

Alex and I harvested our first two tomatoes, black crims, this season from our bed in the community garden.  We promptly cooked them in a marinara sauce with some of our fresh basil.

My oncologist also unearthed some new growth.  MRIs and CT scans showed insufficiency fractures (not complete breaks - obvious cause I'm still standing) in my pelvis and sacrum.  In addition to calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, one fracture may have been caused by a lesion.  The lesion visible in the MRI (soft tissue scan) could be benign or malignant.  The orthopedic surgeon does not see evidence of a bone tumor on the CT.  He prefers to wait 3 months then do follow up MRI and CT scans.  If the lesion has grown, he will do a biopsy.  Also, the pre-op radiation treatments I received last fall may have also caused my bones to weaken.

This Too Shall Pass

I was hospitalized last week for six days because of a bowel blockage.  It's like a bad case of gas times ten.  Alex pulled another stint with me all day in the ER.  Fortunately, the conservative treatment of putting me on IV fluids only for a couple of days did the trick.  Also morphine, my old friend, was helpful too.  Otherwise I would have to have undergone surgery if the blockage had not passed.  Whew!  Some of the nursing staff remembered me from January and one even asked how my mom was doing.  Thanks to their care I am back at my favorite Korean food truck Bulgogi and Kimchi!