Brian Blum

If it is my misfortune to have to be hospitalized when missiles from the Middle East come a-calling again, I only hope that by then, my CRE will have resolved.

To my surprise – and initial disappointment – there were no hallucinations forthcoming. I was definitely in an altered state, just not what I’d anticipated. And then I couldn’t shut up.

Compare consciousness to a radio. You can smash the radio and the music stops, but that doesn’t mean the music came from the radio.

"Nearly every conversation – be it in person, via WhatsApp, or other types of Internet communication – is not really about me. It’s about consoling you."

For both of us, a sinister countdown had started.

I’m looking forward to when my cancer is entirely gone, the nephrostomy is no longer needed, and I can pee like the rest of humanity again. 

I’d much rather be outdoors hiking or having fun beyond the telly – I hope that will come back. In the meantime, TV it is.

I envisioned hospitalization as being somewhat akin to taking an international flight to an exotic location.

The stent hadn’t helped after all; the impacted kidney had, in fact, been irreversibly damaged and was now functioning at a paltry 20%. Why? The cancer was back, and worse.

Fentanyl has long been used for pain reduction and sedation in medical settings.