T+54 What's in a name?

BOX SCORE	7/1/2024
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	11.4	13-17	^
Platelets	147	140-375	v
ANC	3210	1800-8300	v

Nicknames. Have you ever been given a nickname? Growing up, I was known as Peezer. It was a moniker my dad hung on me. It did come in handy in those days. My brother would sometimes yell from the other room for "Mom," which from the other room could sound like "Tom." Of course, that worked the other way around, Tom sounding like Mom... from the other room of course. If I recollect correctly, the name Peezer came from "The Fibber McGee and Molly" radio show that was very popular around the time I was born. If you like old time radio check out this classic sitcom here.

When I was working for Permanente Dental Associates (with Kaiser) in the dental urgent care clinic, fondly known as the DUCC clinic (psst...that's a nickname), I had a colleague who shared my passion for word play. We used to have what we called Limerick Wars, insulting each other with silly rhymes. We wrote and collected puns and pallindromes, you know, those things that are the same read forward and backward, like "Tarzan raised a Desi Arnaz rat, " or "Snob? No, Bev. A hot Sahara has to have BonBons." But the center of our attention was on "The Word of the Day."

Each day, one of us would pick out a word from an Unabridged Dictionary to be the word of the day. Of course we always picked a really obscure word like "snollygoster" or "lobscouse." Then we would spend the day using it in sentences or poems or whatever we could dream up. 

Alden in particular was fond of giving people nicknames. Oddly enough the only one I can recall is that he called me The Pundit. Goodness knows why, because it was the least interesting of the lot. I did find some pretty awesome words for TWOTD.

Today, I got a new nickname. It was clinic day today. Every week I have one or more clinic visits. There is some variation, but typically on Mondays I have a blood draw, which includes blood counts (like those in the Box Score), a metabolic panel that checks for enzymes and minerals, and blood levels of some of the medications I take. They also include several tubes of blood used for "research." Frankly, I can't tell you what they do with those samples. 

I also get the dressing on my PICC line change, received some IV magnesium, which is depleted by one of my anti-rejection drugs, and meet with Dr. Meyers or NP Tracey. Today it was Tracey. She went over my lab results and asked me a bunch of questions about how I am doing physically. Then she took a quick listen to my heart and lungs and pronounced that I am still "crushing it." The meeting usually ends with a Q&A period, during which Jill and I can ask questions or express concerns. 

Today I had two questions that are a bit inter-related. The first was about one of my medications, which I have taken religiously. It is to prevent nausea, which I rarely have. I noticed that the package, unlike most of my drugs, didn't provide for any refills, so I asked whether this is a medicine I need to take regularly, or should I use it on an "as needed" basis. I learned that I can take it only as needed! Great! Two fewer mandatory pills per day! 

The second question was about my constantly runny nose. This is something I have dealt with to a greater or lesser degree since I first started on chemotherapy. I was hoping that when I stopped receiving chemo, my nose would eventually dry up. It's been more that seven weeks now since I last had chemotherapy, and my nose continues to run like Jesse Owens. When I asked Tracey whether my nose will ever stop running, she said, "We hope so, but I can't guarantee it." She explained that some of it was caused by chemo, some by other medications, some by damage to my body from the leukemia. She said there are no guarantees, but "We hope that, someday, you may no longer be a Booger Beak!" 

I'm now giving you all fair warning that the first person to call me "Booger Beak," and anyone else who does so, will not be invited to my birthday party!! So, there!! (Stamps foot and walks away!)

Remember: 

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)