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Thread: The end of my playing days.

  1. #251
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Each seemingly small bit of good news is big! Glad you’re having some better days this week, Ivan!!
    Chuck

  2. #252
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivan Kelsall View Post
    Hi John - As i mentioned in another post - this is a 'cathartic' effort on my part = ''if you talk about it'' you're not sitting dwelling on it so much. Each day is different. Some days i can feel 90% ok - other days NOT !!. It's a constant source of frustration & anger at times. I've been very,very lucky in years past to have had almost no major illnesses at all (Flu etc.),apart from the horrific Flu that i had last March,so this major illness,coming out of the blue the way it did,simply knocked me sideways.

    Me & my wife watched a DVD filmed by a good friend of mine of the 1989 Iron Bridge Bluegrass Festival yesterday afternoon. It was the first time that i've watched / listened to any music of any genre. In the film,i play several instrumentals on my then 2 year old Stelling banjo,& watching some of the mandolin players,i was almost regretful of parting with my 3 mandolins. Having said that - i asked myself,if i still had even one of them,would i play it ?. Probably not.

    I keep as active as i can within limits = if i start to ache / become breathless - i quit !. Reading, as i've always done throughout my whole life,is still the finest therapy - as long as my back is supported by a nice soft pillow to keep any pressure off my right lung.

    Book being read right now :- ''The Bodies Left Behind'' Jeffrey Deaver crime thiller. ''Parallel Worlds'' Michio Kaku - purely for the concepts !!
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    Regards - Ivan
    Ivan, The caption of your original post, " The End of My Playing Days " should have included, " But Not the End of My Living Days ". I'm sure you will fight as hard as you can and live life to the fullest with your wife and family ! God bless you !

  3. #253
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Hi all - It's an unfortunate fact that the Chemo. has it's own detrimental side effects. Apart from the assault on my taste buds,it causes breathlessness & an ''artificial'' tiredness as well - both of which i could do without. I was less breathless prior to Chemo.

    From Yankees1 - " But Not the End of My Living Days ". Not yet !!. I'm hoping that at least,the Chemo. will stabilise the spread of cancer & hopefully it might even go into remission,but that's out of my hands. I really don't know 'how bad' my cancer actually is. I know that the x-ray that i had done last week showed no further spread,so i'm hoping that maybe it was caught soon enough for the Chemo. to be working to sprevent that happening. Until then,i'lltake each day as it comes.

    I had an enquiry about my Stelling banjo yesterday,& it seems as though i might be in with a good chance of selling it. If that happens,then it'll be the first time in 56 years that i'll be without a banjo. I'll be broken hearted to see it go - but it's been in it's case,un-opened for over 6 months - so !!!. It'll be just another rip in my life at the moment,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
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  5. #254
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Hang in there Ivan! I got the impression from one of your comments the other day that you are still dealing (to a less extent?) with some kind of microbiological infection in your right lung? So are you on antibiotics as well as getting chemo? Hopefully the infection can be eliminated soon so your medical team can focus on the chemo part?
    Bernie
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  6. #255
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Hi Bernie - No infection, only cancer !. I do have a slight cough,but that's one of the side effects of the chemo.therapy.

    The prospective buyer for my banjo just ducked out - he offered me £300 less than i wanted,so he'll have to look elsewhere. He can buy a new Gold Satr banjo for £500 less than what he offered & i can testify as to how excellent they can be,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
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  7. #256
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    I had my second chemo. session on Wed. - just the same prolonged 6 hour day as last time. It seems that a bit of hair loss is kicking in - so what ! - i'll shave my head if i have to. Fortunately,my sense of taste hasn't worsened. If that happens,i've no idea what i'll be able to eat.

    CT scan on Sunday - results in 2 weeks time to see if the chemo's. working or not,so, fingers crossed !!,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

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  9. #257
    Mandol'Aisne Daniel Nestlerode's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Absolutely crossing my fingers for you Ivan.

    Daniel

  10. #258
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Ivan, keep up the positive attitude as you are doing. You cannot underestimate it. Best.

  11. #259
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    I’m looking for some recipes for you Ivan! Watch your email!
    Sorry about the hair, mines getting sparse enough that I’m,considering shaving it, just for the convenience!
    Best wishes, my friend.
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

  12. #260
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    All of my fingers are crossed for you. Some of my patients' formerly gray hair came back in black and curly after the treatment was finished. One of them (a bit of a jokester) said if he'd known that, he would have had chemo long ago! (Not really.)

  13. #261
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Well,this morning,it's a repeat of the Sat. after my first chemo. session. Slightly swollen lips & a slightly sore mouth,both of which vanish in a day or so,but my taste buds have crashed & burned again !!. I was getting a bit of taste back after 3 weeks,but the second dose of chemo. has killed that off -at least i know what i'm up against this time.

    I have a different anti-sickness pill to take this time,one that might be better than the last ones that i was given. They're just to try to ease the griping pains that i get in my stomach.

    I didn't notice any hair on my pillow this morning - i'll see what it's like when i come to comb it,but i did loose a bit yesterday. I'm the very least vain of people - as i said,i'll shave my head bald if i need to - i'm not a great fan of the stuff anyway (LOL !!),
    Best wishes to all - Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
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  15. #262
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Keep at it Ivan. You are doing great.
    Trevor
    Formerly of The Acoustic Music Co (TAMCO) Brighton England now retired.

  16. #263
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Good to hear from you Ivan! I have read that ginger candy and lemon drops as well as drinking some flat (de-carbonated) soda like Coke before meal can help relieve the queasiness -- worth a shot? I think I could get along fine with out hair too -- one less thing to have to do in the morning!
    Bernie
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    Due to current budgetary restrictions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off -- sorry about the inconvenience.

  17. #264
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivan Kelsall View Post
    ...
    I didn't notice any hair on my pillow this morning - i'll see what it's like when i come to comb it,but i did loose a bit yesterday. I'm the very least vain of people - as i said,i'll shave my head bald if i need to - i'm not a great fan of the stuff anyway (LOL !!), .... - Ivan
    Ivan,
    After my chemo, my hair came back just like it was before. And it remains the same to this very day! Here's a picture:

    I bet you'll do better.
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    Phil

    “Sharps/Flats” “Accidentals”

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  19. #265
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Hi Phil - That's a good look !. I used to have quite long hair,but it was always a chore to comb. When i retired,i had my hair cut really short = NO combing.

    Right now,the worst of it is lack of taste. Everything tastes greasy - even my 'go to' foods that i could taste,pickles & spicy food have almost lost all their taste. At a time when i should be eating to keep my strength up,i dread trying to find a food that i can actually taste - it's got really bad. Somehow,i think that the saliva glands in my mouth have been affected - oh well !!,
    Regards - Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

  20. #266
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    You are correct, your salivary glands may well be affected. You can get mouth moisturizer or (yes it is a thing) artificial saliva. Biotene is a brand name in the US, I don't know if it is available "across the pond," but there should be something similar. It may help, and is worth a try IMHO.

  21. #267
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Mouth problem identified - THRUSH !!. My own idiotic fault that it got so dreadfully bad. My doc.examined my mouth a week ago,& identified the start of it. I was given some oral drops (Nystan), & some mouthwash. However,stupidly,i put them in a cupboard & forgot about them completely. (That's the sum total of my mind at the moment !!). I started using them yesterday & it's already begun to clear up. I think that it'll be a few days yet before i get any real sense of taste back. For anybody thinking that oral thrush is something that only affects small babies (which every mother knows),let me lay it on the line for you - It's totally evil !!. Try coating your mouth with Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline), & you'll get the general impression !. Everything tastes either of nothing - or Vile !!!.

    I've been wobbling about all over the place for the past few days - hardly surprising as i've eaten next to nothing. I'll have to see how the next few days go - hopefully better !,
    Regards - Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

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  23. #268
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    My wife is convinced that "chemobrain" is a myth, but I found it to be a very convenient excuse for any instances of forgetfulness, impulsiveness, immature behavior, and, tadaaaahh, MAS gratification. To keep myself covered, I maintain that its effects are very long-lasting.

    So now I can act naturally and sorta get away with it.

    Keep up the good work.
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    Just send an email to rob.meldrum@gmail.com with "mandolin setup" in the subject line and he will email you a copy of his ebook for free (free to all mandolincafe members).

    My website and blog: honketyhank.com

  24. #269
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Hope you can start getting some serious calories into the system soon Ivan. I assume you have tried drinking some high calorie liquid formulations?

    Thrush is caused by a candida infection -- its basically a yeast that is always present in your mouth but can get out of control leading to candidasis or thrush. Concerning because you most certainly do not want it to find its way into your blood stream now as your immune system may be struggling with the chemo you are getting? It's contagious by the way. I hope clearing that up helps bring your taste and appetite back!
    Bernie
    ____
    Due to current budgetary restrictions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off -- sorry about the inconvenience.

  25. #270

    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Oh my gosh Ivan, terrible but glad it’s something that will clear up. Hank, boy I don’t think chemobrain is a myth at all, in addition to dealing with the reality of a horrible diagnosis the body is being assaulted with chemicals so it’s bound to affect your thought process. Best of luck to you and all that are going thru this horrible experience, thank you for sharing your personal story.
    Northfield F5M #268, AT02 #7

  26. #271
    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    When you consider that chemotherapy is basically introducing a significant amounts of poison into the body, chemo brain sounds more than real. As far as the “Wobblys” are concerned, even if the stuff tastes like nothing or uninteresting my friend, you still need to get nourishment to help the body help itself heal.
    Protein drinks or the like may be dull as dishwater, they will help with nutrition.
    I’m not meaning to preach but, you’re going through a lot!
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

  27. #272
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Glad you’ve pinned it down Ivan. Thrush isn’t pleasant; I had it after being in an induced coma for three days. All I wanted to do was drink water and I wasn’t allowed food for another two weeks so I didn’t have the taste problem. Fortunately, the treatment should clear it up in a couple of days.

    Hang on in there.

  28. #273
    Registered User O. Apitius's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    Yes, hang in there Ivan. We all want you to beat this.
    https://www.instagram.com/apitiusmandolins/
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  29. #274
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    "Chemobrain" is VERY real, many of my patients had it to greater or lesser degrees. It DOES go away (sorry HonketyHank, but I'll never tell on you) as will thrush after it's treated. The thrush gets VERY painful if it goes down your throat, it's nothing to mess around with. Best wishes, and if nothing else, take in Boost, Ensure, Resource, or whatever brands you have on your "side of the pond."

  30. #275
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: The end of my playing days.

    The spores that cause thrush & other 'fungal' diseases are all around us. My white blood cell count is way down due to the chemo.,& so i'm particularly vulnerable to anything of that sort.

    Bernie - Oral thrush in adults is non-contagious. From the UK NHS webpage :- ''Oral thrush in adults isn't contagious.''. The thrush itself seems to be clearing up.The white coating on my tongue has vanished,but my mouth is very tender. Even eating soft food like bread,felt like eating sandpaper,so it'll be awhile yet before my mouth feels really any better (hopefully !),
    Best wishes - Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
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    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

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