We usually go for a hike on New Year’s Day, but chemotherapy a few days prior had left me tired and nauseous. Still, we wanted to get out of the house and keep our tradition going. A short walk up Terrace Hill was the answer for January 1, 2021.
You can see much of the northern part of the City of San Luis Obispo with Cerro San Luis near and Bishop Peak far.
This Fall life changed suddenly for me. Of course, I like everyone else, have been dealing with what COVID-19 wrought on us. On October 23rd, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma and learned that 2020 was not quite done with me.
An overnight hospital stay with x-rays, a CT Scan, biopsies, and a thoracentesis to relieve a pleural effusion were my introduction to my new life. Blood tests, a panic attack inducing PET Scan, two more thoracenteses, 12 more chest x-rays, another CT Scan, a pulmonary function test, minor surgery to install a port under the skin of my chest for delivery of chemotherapy drugs followed. Then an echocardiogram revealed a significant pericardial effusion. The result was the cardiologist walking me from her office to the Emergency Room in the hospital. There I was admitted to the hospital for the installation of a pericardial catheter and spent three days in ICU with fluid drained off my heart each day.
My oncologist told me I was lucky to have Hodgkin Lymphoma as it is completely treatable to a cure. A few months of feeling terrible, and then it is done, he said.
On Friday, November 13th I had my first chemotherapy treatment. Three days later I fell off a cliff into an abyss of terribleness. In its depths I felt there was no way I could do this 7 to 11 more times. Gradually over the next two weeks I felt better. The after effects of the second, third, fourth and chemo treatments have been a bit better each time.
I am fortunate to be married to a wonderful woman. J has taken care of me and everything else in our lives throughout. She keeps me from getting too down and doesn’t mind when I am grumpy from feeling awful.
J makes sure to get me out of the house on the day before each treatment when I am feeling the best. We go on walks in some of the most beautiful natural areas in San Luis Obispo County.
The photographs accompanying this post are from our morale boosting walks in Montana de Oro State Park, Estero Bluffs State Park, and the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery just north of San Simeon.
Orange sky from last week.
Since January, I have been working on a photography project as a member of a Flickr group, 100x: The 2020 Edition. The description from the group’s page:
At the beginning of 2020, choose a major theme (your “x”), and post 100 images that fit that theme throughout the year…
I learned of the 100x: 2019 Edition in November from a photographer I follow, who happens to be the group Admin. I liked the idea of working on a project to jump start my photography this year. It took me awhile to pick my theme, The things I see walking to and from work, but I was ready to go on January 2nd.
Then in March, I was forced to drive to a new work site as a Disaster Service Worker when the Shelter at Home order for COVID-19 went into effect in San Luis Obispo County. I thought this might be the end of my project.
After a few weeks, I decided to slightly alter my theme to The things I would have seen walking to and from work if not for COVID-19. This allowed me to continue on.
I will periodically post groups of images going forward or you can see them as they go up on Flickr in my album. Click on the photographs to see the full-size images at Flickr.
Peaceful rally and march on June 3, 2020.
San Luis Obispo County is beginning to open up for business again. I am still working at the Cal Poly Alternate Care Site (CPACS) to help keep everything ready. It will be held in place throughout the Summer or longer in case a second wave of the virus overwhelms the local hospitals.
The library is preparing to offer curbside service for picking up materials beginning on June 2nd. I will be there for the first day, but then back to CPACS to rearrange everything in the warehouse as more supplies are in bound from other County warehouses.
My hope is that things are not moving too fast and we do not see a spike in people getting COVID-19.
