Scans, Depression, Leroy Sievers, and Lee Child

Hi. I’ll comment on a few subjects today. They may seem somewhat random, but they are all on my mind.

1) Scans. I have a CT scan on June 17th. I’ll get the scan results the next day. I’ve been feeling relatively good since beginning my antidepressant medication on May 21st (almost three weeks ago). But, I’m also a bit anxious, especially after reading Leroy’s blog entry today. At this point, I’ll just have to wait, hope, and see.

2) Depression. It’s an odd disease. A friend of mine had severe depression and told me about it, but one doesn’t comprehend what it is (at least I didn’t) until I had it. For anyone out there who is depressed (or thinks they may be depressed), get help! What could it hurt to talk to a professional and try assistance? Different therapies will work better than others for each individual. They range from counseling, to medication, and a combination of the two. If you had a headache, you’d take aspirin. If you sprained you ankle you’d see a doctor. So, ask yourself why depression should be treated any differently. See a professional this week. Make it happen. BTW – per my last post on May 22nd, the drug I’m on does make dreaming much more vivid. As such both good dreams and nightmares are part of the package. Vampires. Can’t live with them, can’t dream without them.

3) Leroy Shivers. I’ve wrote about his blog many times. It can be seen at the following url: http://www.npr.org/blogs/mycancer/. Today’s entry is “The Disease Has Exploded.” He’s been battling cancer on somewhat the same timeline as me. He had some major set backs 6 – 9 months ago with cancerous spinal tumor recurrences and multiple surgeries. His attention has been drawn to recuperation since then and not much on the disease. His scan’s from late last week revealed that the cancer is back with a vengeance. Brain, lungs, bone, liver, etc. I’m guessing he is scared and feels he is running out of options. I empathize with him and hope for the best. I’m not sure what the best is for him at this point. I’m pretty sure he’ll tell us when he knows and is ready.

4) Lee Child. This is on the lighter side. Lee is a British author. I began reading his books about 4 – 6 months ago. I finished his 11th and last book last month. However, his newest book came out in the U.S. on June 3rd. I went to his book signing in Houston on Sunday. He spoke for about 20 minutes and then answered audience questions for 40 minutes. It was held at a small bookshop and over 150 people showed up. It had to be a fire code violation. Okay, now back on track. He was thoroughly entertaining. I’m looking forward to reading his 12th novel. It’s the first one that I bought in hardback. For “Jack Reacher” fans… he is in talks with Tom Cruise about a movie deal. Tom Cruise would be the executive director, not the main character, Jack Reacher. Stay tuned to this exciting author.

Remain healthy and take care everyone.