Profound article

Recently, I read an article in the New Yorker by Dr. Atul Gawande, a very smart and articulate surgeon from Harvard. It is about hospice care and much of what he writes about is relevant to all of us of a certain age and those caring for patients who are seriously ill. The link is

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/02/100802fa_fact_gawande?printable=true

If you have some time, it is worth reading. I was particularly interested in his discussion about the use of hospice care along with standard medical care for those with serious illnesses. In fact an article just came out in the New England Journal of Medicine this week showing that early palliative care along with standard oncologic care for metastatic cancer resulted in less depression, better quality of life and better mood scores than standard care alone. Also the hospice group had less aggressive care at the end of life but had on average a significantly longer survival than the standard care (about 3 months longer). Now 3 months doesn't seem like a lot, but it is the amount of benefit received from many types of chemotherapy. And, believe me, even a few months of good quality life is worthwhile, particularly for the surviving family--and I think for the patient as well who has a little extra good-quality time with loved ones. It may be that in the future, the paradigm of calling in hospice at the last minute may change to have hospice involved early even if the patient may have a remission.

Mountain Town

Today I went up to the little gold rush town of Julian about an hour from Carlsbad but up at about 4000 ft in the Cuyamaca mountains. It is like a stage set town with old storefronts and a single main street. Sally and I had talked about going up there, but we never got around to doing it. The town is known around here for its apple pies, which are really good. So I had to get a pie for dinner while I was there and we had it for desert tonight. Yummy.

The weather is warming up some and the ocean water is also getting warmer so it is ok to go to the beach and even get in the water. Looks like summer is finally arriving.

Experimental cooking

Kathie and I have decided it would be fun to try and cook something different each Friday. This week we may try a recipe from Padma Lakshmi "Tangy tart hot and sweet" book--Pipali Chicken Curry, Madras style. Not sure we can find all the ingredients, but will try and will let you know.

Also, yesterday I made plane reservations to Seattle to see my friends Alansa and Len Bates and Jim Goode (Sally's brother). We lived in Seattle from 1963 to 1966 and have been back only rarely. This is something exiting to look forward to--at the end of August.

Still unusually cool here in contrast with most everywhere else--can't complain.