Tag Archives: Bruce Springsteen

365 Days Later

One year ago today, a neurosurgery and ENT team at Upstate University Hospital took a nasal approach to remove the remnants of a craniopharyngioma (a benign tumor on the pituitary gland). It marked my sixth brain surgery since age 15.

I have fully recovered from the surgery, resuming all activities, although I still suffer occasional bloody noses and have peripheral double vision (which is likely permanent).

Photo of me last summer, after my surgery.

Vestiges of the tumor—what my neurosurgeon calls “membranes and scar tissue” still reside inside my head, as outlined in my latest MRI report:

FINDINGS:

“. . . In the right paramedian aspect of the surgical bed in the sellar/suprasellar region again seen is mass with heterogeneous enhancement which measures approximately 1.2 x 1.4 cm by my measurements.”

For now, the mass “remains grossly unchanged,” but the nature of craniopharyngiomas means the tumor will likely grow back to a point where another surgery or radiation will be required.

However, my medical condition is not the subject of this post. I just needed a brief introduction with a reference to the anniversary of my surgery.

Instead, I want to share some musical selections I listened to in the days and weeks following my surgery last summer. These songs aided me, providing succor while I recovered, propped up in bed, unable to sneeze or blow my nose, and moving gingerly around the house.

As I listened to the songs, I reflected on my life, swelling with gratitude for being alive and making gradual progress—supported by my wife, Pamela.

I think the tunes can provide positive affirmation for anyone facing adversity.

“I’m Still Standing” by Elton John

“Winning” by Santana

“Back in the High Life Again” by Steve Winwood

“Better Days” by Bruce Springsteen

More about Bruce later . . .

As someone who grew up in the 1980s, I am mesmerized by the concert footage available on YouTube. It is amazing to think you can see bands performing in 4K (some clips with multicam edits) hours after a show. When I was a kid, I listened to 95X in Syracuse after a concert by the Rolling Stones at the Carrier Dome so I could hear the DJ run down the setlist.

During The Cure’s 2023 North American tour, they played five original songs that I believe will be included in their forthcoming album, Songs of a Lost World. Two of my favorites from the new batch are “Alone” and “Nothing is Forever,” which I listened to repeatedly during my recovery. They put me in a dreamy headspace where I could forget about my health problems.

“Alone” by The Cure

“And Nothing is Forever” by The Cure

I also turned to the Grateful Dead for repeat listening during the late summer of 2023—often clicking on two tracks from the Dead’s famed 1977 concert at Barton Hall at Cornell University.

“Morning Dew” by the Grateful Dead

“Terrapin Station” by the Grateful Dead

And finally, there’s Bruce.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were initially scheduled to perform at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse in early September 2023, but the show was canceled because of Bruce’s peptic ulcer disease. It was fortunate for me because I would have been in no condition to climb the concrete steps to the upper rafters of the Dome just a few weeks after brain surgery. But I attended the rescheduled show in April 2024, and I’ll leave you with “Backstreets” (which references summer).

“Backstreets” by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

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Nine Months Later

Today marks nine months since my surgery to remove a benign brain tumor on my pituitary gland. Although it’s not a major milestone, it’s tied to a once-in-a-lifetime event—seeing Bruce Springsteen in concert on April 18 in the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse.

The concert was originally scheduled for September 7, 2023, and I would have been in no condition during my recovery to climb the concrete steps to the upper rafters of the Dome in Section 336, Row Y. I transferred my ticket to a co-worker, but then the tour was sidelined due to Bruce’s peptic ulcer disease. I’d like to think some heavenly intervention permitted me to attend the rescheduled event in April in a fully restored state.

I went to the concert with my wife, Pam—a rare night out for us and a break for her as she completed her first full year in her occupational therapy assistant program at Bryant and Stratton College. We hired a babysitter and took a Lyft to the show, arriving before the gates opened.

The Dome’s muddy sound system threw me off as the concert began. Bruce’s opening number was “Lonesome Day,” but I couldn’t figure out the tune. I felt like an outfielder in baseball who can’t pick up the ball off the bat. The first song I recognized was “No Surrender,” and the sound quality seemed to improve as the concert wore on.

Bruce and the E Street Band played the anthemic classics, which I have been reliving through the miracle of YouTube: “Badlands,” “Backstreets,” “The Promised Land,” “Thunder Road,” and “Born to Run.”

Up in the nosebleeds, an exuberant middle-aged woman with long, dark hair kept bumping me as she swayed, stomped her feet, clapped her hands, and pumped her fists. She kept apologizing, but I didn’t care about the incidental physical contact. I appreciated the pure joy she displayed, and we formed a bond through our mutual love of the music.

After “Born to Run” finished with a flourish, we shared a two-word conversation—screamed into each other’s ears.

I turned to her and said, “Amazing.”

“Right!” she said.

I hardly go to concerts, and I can’t remember the last stadium concert I attended. It may have been when I saw Bruce in Phoenix in 2002 during The Rising Tour. I went alone to America West Arena during the sweltering heat of August.

A Syracuse woman posted on Facebook that she didn’t enjoy the show because of the behavior of the people around her. And I know a debate persists about proper concert etiquette. As for me, I love it when fans dance and shout the lyrics at the top of their lungs. I mean, if you can’t let loose at a rock concert, where can you? They’re not serving tea and finger sandwiches. I think your ticket should come with a warning like “buyer beware … this isn’t your living room,” and I sang many songs, my voice growing hoarse as the night continued.

Music provides bookmarks for people’s lives. Fans connect songs to significant moments in their lives. Bruce’s music sustained me during my darkest days when I was consumed by loneliness, shame, and self-hatred.

So when Bruce belted out the words to “The Promised Land,” I joined him and thousands of others in screaming:

Blow away the dreams that tear you apart,
Blow away the dreams that break your heart,
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing
But lost and brokenhearted …

And I didn’t care that my voice was way off-key.

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When Positive is Negative

I thought the large-scale photo of Bruce Springsteen hanging in front of me was a good omen when I stepped in a “spit stall” in the Carrier Dome on Friday to conduct my PCR saliva test.

Photo of Bruce Springsteen from a past concert in the Carrier Dome (likely 1985).

Images of rock legends like Bono, Phil Collins, and Mick Jagger—action photos from past concerts—hang on the walls in the concourses in the Dome. So being a huge Springsteen fan, I thought the Boss would bring me some good luck, resulting in a negative COVID-19 result.

For the saliva test, one of the workers gives you a plastic tube marked with a black Sharpie line—the point you need to reach with your spittle for the test to be accurate. I’ve taken the test about a half-dozen times now, and I have developed a routine for generating the copious amount of saliva required.

I rock on the balls of my feet, pretending I am former Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson getting settled in the batter’s box, and then I spit between my teeth as Reggie used to do after fouling back a pitch. And if I’m really having trouble with dry mouth, I imagine I am sucking on a lemon with the seeds squirting into mouth, or else eating a huge, juicy piece of watermelon at a Fourth of July picnic.

Reggie Jackson batting at Yankee Stadium. Photo by Jim Accordino via Wikipedia.

But forgive my banal digression. The important news: unfortunately, I received a university email yesterday informing me that I had tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, I have started my isolation according to the guidelines set forth by the Onondaga County Health Department. I may need a longer isolation period because I am considered immunocompromised.

My son Colin had tested positive earlier in the week, and although I had stayed masked around him, our proximity in a one-bedroom apartment made avoidance of infection nearly impossible. As of this blog entry, my wife Pamela remains negative.

On Friday I had felt a little weakness in my legs. Occasional fatigue and muscle weakness are not uncommon for me, since I have hypopituitarism, rheumatoid arthritis, and hyponatremia (low sodium). But I thought I should get tested to rule out COVID.

So far, my symptoms are mild—slight headache, weak legs, and mild nasal and chest congestion. I’m taking Tylenol and have doubled my dosage of hydrocortisone, since my adrenal glands don’t produce the steroid hormone. But with my underlying conditions, I need to be hyper vigilant about any changes in my health, with the most alarming being shortness of breath and elevated heart rate, according to my primary care doctor.

The reality of testing positive has wiped away the lingering fear of the unknown we have all lived with each day since this pandemic began. My questions about avoiding COVID and about the severity of its impact are meaningless. The invasion succeeded; the likely variant of Omicron now squirms inside my body. But now I can deal with the actual manifestation of coronavirus, instead of worrying about the “what-if” scenarios.

I can say one other thing about COVID. It certainly prioritizes your existence, what you value most in your life. I think for most people it’s personal health and the health and safety of family. That sometimes gets lost amid the daily pressures of work.

And there is one benefit of testing positive—now I don’t need to avoid kissing and hugging Colin.

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