A Dash of Gout, a Spoonful of Song

June 6, 2025

I haven’t posted in a bit, mainly because things seemed relatively quiet on the medical front. Or so I thought. But I thought it was mainly a repeat until a few of you said it wasn’t and that I should put it out there. So here it goes.

Last week, I shared a note about some serious pain I assumed was just more of that bone-deep ache from the growth factor shot, you know, the kind that makes it feel like your skeleton signed up for a demolition job without consulting you first. We first talked about this a few weeks back.

But nope. Turns out I was only half right.

Drive-Thru Chaos

Over the last few weeks, my body decided to get a little… unpredictable. Like it was tired of the usual routine and figured, “Let’s mix it up.”

Picture it pulling into life’s sketchy fast-food drive-thru, windows down, Foghat blaring through the speakers. No menu check. No hesitation. Just full confidence yelling into the intercom:

“Yeah, I’ll take a large bone pain, with a supersized side of gout!”

Because apparently, subtlety is not on the specials board this month.

One moment, I’m chalking up the discomfort to the familiar deep ache from the growth factor shot, the kind of pain that makes your bones feel like they’re being wrung out from the inside. Then, just to keep things interesting, my big toe and foot decided to join the chaos, swelling up and catching fire like they wandered into a turf war between my immune system and the multiple waves of uric acid coursing through my system, due to the breaking up of my main tumor.

Back to work and away from the illusionary content.

When you take the fiery joint pain from gout on place that top of growth-factor shot bone pain, it creates a perfect storm of agony. On the pain scale from “meh” to “call an exorcist,” I hit a solid 10. No, I don’t need to see if it goes to 11.

Right now we're managing it with meds and the ever-dependable RICE method: rest, ice, compression, elevation. Though personally, I think the better version of RICE comes in a bowl, steamed to perfection, with a dash of fish sauce. No offense to modern medicine, but there’s something about comfort food that hits where prescriptions can’t.

Thankfully, it’s starting to work. The swelling is coming down, and I should be back to walking without crutches in a few days.

What’s Ahead

There are a few labs on the schedule this week and some paperwork to send over to Johns Hopkins. We’ve lined up a PET scan later this month to check on progress and figure out how the current plan is holding up. Next week kicks off another long chemo stretch, so I’m carving out time this weekend to rest…

Well, mostly.

24601

One of my favorite musicals just happens to be in town and the Kennedy Center, and this guy has tickets! Les Misérables. Bought before the cancer diagnosis, back when planning things months in advance was still a thing I could do without factoring in scan dates and treatment cycles. I had the day planned: hit the early manatee with Maria and some friends, then take in an early dinner at Chez Billy Sud. Things change and there will time with my friends soon.

But honestly, the arrival of show hits perfect for me. This story has always resonated with me. It’s about grace, endurance, love, and redemption. It reminds us that even in brokenness, there’s beauty. Even in suffering, there’s hope. It’s the kind of story that doesn't just entertain, it heals.

Right now, I could use a little healing that doesn't involve side effects or lab work.

My Summer Anthem: TMF

Speaking of healing through music, here’s a track that’s become my unofficial summer anthem: TMF on Spotify

Thanks to Tobin for pointing me to this song! Terry Glaze, Pantera’s original front man and now the driving force behind several rock bands, is using his voice for something deeply personal. Both his daughter and his drummer Mike Harrington’s daughter are (or were) fighting blood cancers. In response, they’ve poured their hearts into a powerful new release.

If you’d like to read more about the song, the story, or the mission behind it, you can check it out here: Raised by Gods Website

Be warned, if heavy metal or a few well-placed swear words in a song about cancer aren’t your thing, feel free to skip giving it a listen. But if you're up for something raw, defiant, and real, give it a listen. This one hits me where I live. It’s not just a song. It’s a roar and it is what I need right now.

One More Thing

The Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation continues to do amazing work supporting the families of those who serve in law enforcement. I’ll have more to share soon, but for now, please visit their site. If you're able, drop a few bucks in their donation kitty. It’s a mission worth supporting.

Final Thoughts

I try to walk through this with some grit, a little grace, and more humor than most people probably expect. But if life wants to stop handing out surprise ailments for a while, I wouldn't object.

In the meantime, bring on the music. Bring on the rice. Bring on the redemption.

If you’re in a hard season too, whether it’s cancer, caregiving, or just feeling completely worn out, I hope you find something that helps your soul breathe again. Whatever it is, I hope it finds you. Many if you have told me that we are all in this together and I believe that, so I'm here for you if you need anything. You won't be bothering me. This is what a community does, we lift each other up.