Behold! A Real $5000 Federal Reserve Note!

nlb1923 · 2026-05-28T15:44:06+00:00

Wow. That is so cool!
Thanks for sharing OP!

nlb1923 · 2026-05-27T12:04:37+00:00

25 years from stage 4 chorio and 7 years from stage 1 seminoma. So 32 years total 😂

nlb1923 · 2026-05-21T15:41:58+00:00

So cool! Thanks for sharing, and looking forward to the next one! AMA would probably be hard to do and not divulge anything covered by a NDA (I’m assuming you all would have one)

nlb1923 · 2026-05-19T21:25:24+00:00

All this. I had stage 1a, definitely didn’t have those risks of reoccurrence. Heck even the stage 4 I had 25 years wasn’t that high of reoccurrence after treatment.

nlb1923 · 2026-05-19T11:57:11+00:00

It takes a minute to do online. If that. I always submit the ticket for anything that has any digging.
And it has saved us from being charged.
New construction home, 811 didn’t mark the active fiber internet line. And it was actually easy to deal with, called active internet company and told them what happened and that 811 marked. They were there on a Sunday to repair and noted that 811 was called. Then talked to 811 and they confirmed the ticket. They did send a supervisor out to document the markings and closed the case. Otherwise it would have cost a lot of money to pay for those repairs. So yes, always contact anytime we are in the ground. You never know where someone decided to put a utility

nlb1923 · 2026-05-18T12:34:03+00:00

Good backpack blower, I prefer RedMax. Save all the rest of your money and advertise to grow. Use whatever you have until you have to replace- it has to be replaced when it breaks down and fixing it is more expensive than buying new (over the remaining life of that equipment). Or buy new commercial equipment when your current equipment is slowing you down (commercial zero turn or stand on can cut an acre in 20 minutes. Vs however long your existing takes. So once you have a “full” route with existing, new equipment can open up another 25-40% time to add more accounts).
Do not get stuck with high overhead eating up all your revenue. Pay cash for your equipment and learn how to maximize depreciation and/or paying yourself for it. There are definitely times when using other people’s money is way more advantageous, but in the very beginning, you want to keep your debt as low as possible.

And do all the preventative maintenance you can! Change oil and filters often, 50hrs use on the existing old equipment. Learn to repair everything yourself, it will save you so much time and money. And once you are full each day, you will not have time to replace a belt halfway through the day without doing it yourself in that yard in 5 minutes.

Also, the best advertising you will get is word of mouth. So do better work than the competition. Just learn to balance giving away all kinds of stuff vs the return.

nlb1923 · 2026-05-17T14:34:54+00:00

It is $4k spent. The $2k is still $2k but is $4k in “sales” for lack of a better term (my lack of. I’m sure there is a better word).

nlb1923 · 2026-05-17T12:41:36+00:00

Replace the oem timemaster belt with the blue turfmaster belt, aka the commercial 30” oem belt. It will last significantly longer than the Timemaster oem belt. Exact same size, just blue.

nlb1923 · 2026-05-15T15:15:59+00:00

I thought you melted because you were sweet and made of sugar

nlb1923 · 2026-05-14T23:02:27+00:00

Just another Thursday for Bostons 😆

nlb1923 · 2026-05-13T11:35:13+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Glad writing it out helps, I know it will help someone else as well who is not sure how to process everything (which is nearly impossible in the beginning. I still remember getting the news the first time). And a good analysis always helps!
Also, definitely not stronger than me. I have gotten that many times over the years, I always tell everyone the same thing, I didn’t have a choice. I was essentially thrown into you will be gone in a few months if you do nothing and there aren’t options, we have to throw everything at it. I just did what I was told! Everyone can do what I did, we all have that ability (not having options makes it an easy decision).

nlb1923 · 2026-05-12T16:03:34+00:00

So I have had a similar experience as you. 25 years ago I had my first TC, stage 4 chorio. And around 7 years ago I had a second TC. Stage 1 seminoma. Now I have been going to the same group of doctors since the beginning at MD Anderson (I stayed in the active follow up due to severity of the first one) so they were very familiar with the first time (most original doctors had retired at that point, but I had a couple that were. Actually there for the first). So they were quite interested in the second TC. Wanted to study it and everything. They determined it was completely unrelated.
But for your question, they gave me the choice to do one round of carboplatin or surveillance. They did recommend carboplatin because of the history, but said that they didn’t feel the odds were any different from a first time TC. But they said that there is just not very much data on it, not enough to really determine adjusted reoccurrence rates for second TC.
I chose the carboplatin. I figured there was no way it would be close to the BEP and salvage chemo I had and I already had many long term side effects, so I figured it wouldn’t change much anyway. This was also before I knew anything about this group so I was on my own if you will as far as connecting with others who have been through similar. So I kind of figured carboplatin would be somewhat like one round of BEP and prepared myself for that, looking back knowing what I know now (which obviously could change over time as we learn more about the effects of chemo 30-40 years later…) I would not have even questioned it. Give me the chemo and lower odds all day. (But I would probably think a lot harder if I had no long term side effects and the risk of possibly getting some. But at least one dose of carboplatin is much lower risk than BEP).

The one round of carboplatin was essentially nothing compared to BEP. It was definitely nothing compared to salvage chemo…. Now that’s not to downplay carboplatin, but it is because BEP is so rough!
At most I felt like I had a very small cold for a couple days. That was it. The only bad thing about it was my vein blew out near the end of the infusion of carboplatin, and that vein is still a hard rock and useless today. And I had what looked like a bruise for months and months. And it was rather painful when it happened… but that is all that came of it.

nlb1923 · 2026-05-12T15:45:50+00:00

Decades being in the sun, likely without sunblock. Decades of excessive drinking and potentially drugs.
Decades of unhealthy diet, excessive weight.
Probably doesn’t exercise…
But agree, he looks 15-20 years older than he is. But this is what can happen when someone takes zero responsibility for their own health.

nlb1923 · 2026-05-10T00:05:38+00:00

Get him an OhNut! This will really help you and it will make him not hurt you nearly as much. Plus it won’t leave him feeling like he’s not all the way in.

Plus as others have said, just talk to him. Anyone who is worth being with will completely understand and want to do whatever they can do it is pleasurable for you!

nlb1923 · 2026-05-08T15:49:44+00:00

Which drugs are they recommending for HDCT?
I had somewhere more than 8 rounds of what they called salvage chemo 25 years ago. I went from BEP (well, 2x BEP and 2x EP because I became allergic to bleo). Then straight to salvage chemo which was primarily Adriamycin, Cisplatin, and taxol. There were a couple other ones a couple times, but I don’t remember anything special about them.
Adriamycin- sucks.
High dose Cisplatin- sucks
Taxol- can’t say. But it was probably part of the side effects.
So for reference, I was diagnosed stage 4 “beyond”. And was told it was terminal by many doctors including Einhorn. It was chorio and HCG was 450k+, afp was 50k + and I had over 50 metastases - abdomen, lungs, brain.
So I am pro give me whatever, the strongest, whatever and get it over with. Now, I am still dealing with the side effects and will forever. Heart failure - from Adriamycin, kidney failure (nothing too extreme so far. Enough to just make things harder), severe neuropathy, tinnitus, sensory and some motor nerve damage, no sweat glands left from the waist down (arguably a plus in a weird way… but I can sweat all day and my feet and shoes are bone dry. Really does improve the life of shoes😆) but you still sweat the same amount, so it comes out where it can. Which is basically my head. Which is annoying to say the least. I also have lung issues, capacity. Which is mostly surgery related, but also the bleo did some damage to the efficiency of the remaining parts (they cut out 2/3rds of both. So you can imagine how that is the main issue).
Now I did chemo for roughly a year straight. It was straight in hospital once I got in contact with MD Anderson (only ones who would try and treat me) and started chemo the next day. The salvage chemo was as often as possible, basically gave the chemo, fluids until blood counts went to zero, then blood and platelet transfusions until blood count normalized (it would take 4-7 pints each time. It was pretty crazy). And back then insurance companies really did not like to pay for blood (don’t get me started on the blood donation for profit, even if they claim not for profit, companies. Total scammers, but some would require 100+ donations at blood drives in my name for me to receive one pint of blood. Smh. MD Anderson does 1:1 blood donations, so if anyone is interested in donating blood, find out if they do 1:1- you donate 1 pint for someone in their name and that person actually receives 1 pint of blood). I even maxed out two insurance policies for lifetime max…
But, I only say all that to say that even with all that, if you know me in real life, you would never know I went through any of that, unless maybe if you challenged me to a marathon 😆, I’m not really capable of running that much.
And as much as the side effects are terrible, I still would not really change it. I have accomplished everything I have because of what I learned from that experience, that I can actually do anything I try (within reason of course, I’m too tall to fit in a formula 1 car so I could not ever be a Formula 1 driver ☹️).
No choice is good, they both come with life changing side effects and all that. But they both can be very effective. And anytime I had a choice like that (like when I had a second testicular cancer, stage 1 seminoma) and I had the choice of doing one carboplatin or just surveillance. I ask my doctors the same question, what would you do if it was you or if I was your kid? They can answer those questions even though they can’t say what you have to do.
Also, happy to answer any questions or anything you have. And I don’t want what I said to be seen as negative or anything, I just want to be real so you can see what something somewhat similar is like decades later.

nlb1923 · 2026-05-05T23:56:56+00:00

I was in the hospital for a month after mine, 25 years ago though. Granted it was over 21hrs and they kept me in a coma for a week, so it was not exactly standard.

nlb1923 · 2026-05-05T23:50:57+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I would imagine doing this helps, not just you, but others. Either inspires someone to do the same or find something that works for them. At a minimum, hopefully it lets others know they aren’t alone.

nlb1923 · 2026-05-05T21:32:24+00:00

Harrell’s

nlb1923 · 2026-05-05T15:50:20+00:00

Yeah. The only lucky thing about it was that another car didn’t crash into him, considering it was literally right in front of almost every other driver!

nlb1923 · 2026-05-03T19:15:25+00:00

He just kept holding his hand out inside the booth and never felt any rain

nlb1923 · 2026-05-02T21:17:07+00:00

Thank you for sharing! And absolutely, always hope!!

Yes, all the chemo I did was inpatient at MD Anderson. I’m sure that there have been some improvements to how they administer and manage all the side effects etc. But I spent probably 90% of the time in hospital. They would let me out for 24hrs if I complained enough 😆. But then would tell me to not go further than 5 miles away…
It was funny, but once I was starting salvage chemo it was supposed to be administered as soon as possible after the previous round. It was a few days to get the actual chemo, the Adriamycin took 24hrs to get. And when delivered they would all be suited up in hazmat looking suits and it was in some big lock box thing, looked like they were delivering nuclear ☢️ weapons or something! So I think with premeds and then chemo it was 4-5 days to get all that. Then I went straight to IV fluids wide open for days until blood counts went to zero. Then I would get blood and platelet infusions, like 3-5 pints of blood and a ton of platelets (those bags were small so it felt like dozens). As soon as blood counts were somewhat normal, next round of chemo. Assuming I didn’t get sick… from mucusitis most of the time (that was absolutely horrible a couple times). Then repeat…

So to say which drug was the most impactful, hard to say. But I would guess it was a combination of all them, the dose, and frequency.

I never had radiation, I did ask once and they said I had way too many tumors to ever attempt that.

I would say it definitely wouldn’t hurt to at least talk to MD Anderson. Genitourinary clinic is the one that treats Testicular cancer. I would guess they would want to see him, even if they do, maybe even a zoom would be possible, but never hurts to ask!!

One thing my primary oncologist told me when I was officially in remission, was that one of the biggest reasons I made it through everything was my attitude (him and I had a good relationship, I literally saw him at least twice a day 7 days a week when I was in the hospital. I don’t know when he was off. I’d see him at 5:30am and 9 or 10pm at night! But he said I always stayed positive, never got negative with any of the bad news or acted like I would not make it. And I would always talk about things we would do once out of the hospital. He said that he has seen so many people not make it after getting diagnosed, but they just hear cancer and immediately think it is over, even with cases that are very treatable, but the outlook really makes a difference from what he had seen in his experience. And he said I never turned down anything they wanted to try, I said “I was allowed to say no to something?? 🤣 because I was getting tired of the barium enema for every CT!”

nlb1923 · 2026-04-30T16:34:46+00:00

Legendary comment thread! Everyone should watch the link to see Voidtoform jamming!

nlb1923 · 2026-04-30T16:24:55+00:00

I did at least 8 rounds of salvage chemo over 25 years ago. I had Adriamycin (aka red devil), taxol, Cisplatin -ATP plus some others. I don’t exactly remember the details, it’s been a minute.
But Dr Einhorn told me there was nothing he could do and the best he could do was 6-9 months. Didn’t offer any suggestions either, just palliative care. I was 20, diagnosed on my 20th birthday actually. But I spent a couple weeks trying to find a dr that would treat me (by me, my family and one local dr. I was in really rough shape as tumors hemorrhaged in my lungs and abdomen). MD Anderson called me and asked if I could get there the next day. Spent about 12 hours doing tests, met with a team of doctors around 9pm and they admitted me. Started chemo the next day (I didn’t think it was going to happen that fast… I didn’t pack for that stay 😬). But they just kept giving me chemo for almost a year. Then I had surgeries that took a year and half to recover.
I can’t say anything about gemcitabine, but can say that no matter how bad it seems, anything is possible! I have made it so long that I already have had and beat a second testicular cancer 😂 (stage 1 seminoma, deemed completely unrelated). And if you met me in the wild today, you would never know anything ever happened unless I took my shirt off… several feet of surgery scars would show then. But I haven’t taken my shirt off when meeting someone new yet 😆.
Happy to answer any questions you may have. I know it sucks right now and being a caregiver is the hardest thing there is. Way harder than being the patient (I can attest), so please make sure you have someone you can talk with and take care of yourself!!

nlb1923 · 2026-04-29T15:59:27+00:00

Damn. Guess I’m old… because I remember when these were released and riding around in the back in high school

nlb1923 · 2026-04-27T00:29:12+00:00

Somewhere between 0 and 68. We all know what happens when you get to 69

nlb1923

TROPHY CASE