Managing the meds

As a young boy growing up on a farm in East Freeman, I spent countless hours in front of the family's Magnavox hi-fi in the living room. Note to younger readers: "hi-fi" is short for "high fidelity" and was a name given by audiophiles to the machines that reproduced sounds by converting the grooves on black vinyl discs into sound waves. Later "hi-fi" was partially hijacked by computerphiles when they started using the term "wi-fi" to define an area that has wireless internet — also known as a "hotspot" — a term that had a completely different meaning to guys in the 1960s and 70s!!!! Anyway the "fi" of wi-fi doesn't actually have any relevance but was used as a play on the word "hi-fi". The "wi" means "wireless". Wi-Fi is a Wireless Local Area Network, or WLAN, which doesn't roll off the tongue like Wi-Fi.

Anyway ... back to me in my pre-teens in the farmhouse with the Magnavox. It was great entertainment for me. I didn't realize how fortunate we were to have such a nice record player until Sunday company would comment on what a beautiful machine we had. Only then did I realize that it gave us a little status in the community to have such a high quality record player. It had a beautiful red mahogany cabinet and a 10 or 12-inch full range speaker. But only one speaker. Only one channel. This machine was monaural and the records I listened to were mono - not stereo, but the sound was great and enthralling. Oh, and it was a tube amplifier, which meant you had to wait after turning it on for the tubes to warm up before you could listen. That wouldn't go over very well today with everyone's need for quick functions and responses.

My older brother, Reed, and I were supposed to be using the Magnavox to improve our less-than-stellar reading skills by listening to special phonics records our parents spent good money on to help their young slow readers (sadly, reading wasn't the only thing Reed and I were slow at). Hammering phonics was the big push in the 1950s and was thought to solve reading and speech problems.

I don't think the phonics records helped me much — mostly because I spent most of my listening time on the plush wool carpet floor directly in front of the console with my ears near the speaker  listening to symphony and band music!!! ... not the phonics records.

Mom and dad had a wonderful collection of classical music. One set had a wide variety of classical "hits" — everything from Albèniz to Wagner. It believe they bought it along with the Book of Knowledge encyclopedia set or something like that. They also bought for us Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" with Saint Saën's "The Carnival of the Animals" on Side B. We also had a set of Beethoven's complete symphonies conducted by Arturo Toscanini. I wore the grooves off those records and the phonograph needle as well. I also was given a band record titled "Here Comes the Band" and it was a double thrill for me — great band music AND a beautiful majorette wearing a short silky satiny skirt marching on the cover. I was excited — aurally and visually stimulated.

Truth be known, when no one was watching, I often stood up and pretended to be conducting the orchestra. It was exhilarating. It gave me such a sense of power and authority, along with artistic expression. It gave me energy and I gave it back to the imaginary orchestra. I knew I wasn't leading the orchestra. Eugene Ormandy or Arturo Toscanini were conducting, but I imagined myself in front of the orchestra as the leader, setting tempos, directing dynamics, cueing in sections, adding interpretation. It was great fun.

I think I may have had a lifelong hidden desire to conduct an orchestra. In recent weeks I discovered that dream may have come true as I "direct" the consumption of my medications:

• Not to be taken less than one hour before or three hours after other meds
• To be taken with food
• May cause drowsiness
• Will cause drowsiness - don't drive
• Do not use alcohol with this drug
• Four times a day, two pills three times a day, as needed

 .... you get the picture.

This is my little orchestra that I am currently conducting. We have a name: Ricky and the Pharmaceuticals.

This is a lot to manage and keep track of. I have to tell these meds when to come in and join the music. It's easy to forget to cue one in on time.  If one misses an entry it can throw everyone else off. This can be very demanding and is hard work - coordinating this ensemble of players.

In related news we celebrated my 66th birthday yesterday with a trip to Philly to dine out and then go to hear a concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra in Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center. As I alluded earlier, I grew up listening to this orchestra's recordings on Columbia records when in its heyday in the 1950s and 60s. It was a nice warm evening and a wonderful outing. We ate at the Devon Seafood Grille.

The guest conductor was exciting and fun to watch. All three works were great. We sat near the back of the hall and the sound was unbelievable. It is the range of dynamics that just gave me goose bumps. Sorry, it can not be reproduced on an iPod or iPhone.

A composition by a lesser known Italian composer named Casella (written 1928) was with full orchestra and was most enjoyable. The Prokofiev Violin Concert No. 2 was flawless. We are curious if the young violinist with name "Ehnes" from Manitoba could have Mennonite roots?? Saint Saëns "Organ Symphony" was a huge hit and the sound in that hall is unbelievable. The audience went nuts. Barb said at one point she thought she heard the subway which the hall was designed to isolate. She soon realized the organist had his foot on a pedal to the far left of the organ pedalboard. I don't know the organ specs so I don't know if it was a 32 or 64-foot pipe. Either way it was more "felt" than "heard.

Even though I am not fully free of my digestive problems we decided to start two simultaneous chemo treatments on Wednesday, April 9. Abraxane by infusion and Xeloda orally. This means even more pills to try to remember to take! I've had these before and think I know what to expect. Hand-foot syndrome is the worst part. We are doing this to keep the blood tumor marker down - suppressing any wild ideas cancer cells may have about finding new landing areas. These treatments are two weeks on followed by one week of rest. Then repeat.

Thanks for your support and understanding. Thanks also for your happy birthday wishes on Facebook and other ways. As always I appreciate your comments and kind words. 

-Ricky