Sunday, May 31, 2009
Mulch Party
Bridget and I debated how to get the mulch spread this year, since I couldn't help. I was going to hire somebody to do it, but Bridget didn't want to hire somebody who would do it quickly and bury her flowers. So many people have offered to help us in any way possible. Bridget sent out an email to ask for help with the mulch and the response overwhelmed us. We got 6 yards of mulch spread in an hour. Jim and Maria who couldn't be here stopped by yesterday and dropped off refreshments. Thanks to everybody who helped!
The Crew
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
How did I get here?
On February 22, 2007, my birthday, I was sitting down to watch TV. I had just been to the gym where I ran and lifted weights. The weekend before I was snow boarding with the family. I started feeling a tingling in my feet. Like they were asleep but it was different because it felt like nails were being driven into my toes. I didn't think much of it and went to bed. The next morning I woke up and the pain was still there. I went to work and now the tingling and pain started in my hands. I saw my doctor the next day. They did standard blood work and saw that my thyroid was under active (hypothyroidism is the fancy medical term). They put me on medicine and told me the symptoms should go away in about 6 weeks. Well it didn't. Over the next year and a half I saw too many doctors who could only confirm that I had a severe, length dependent, small fiber sensory neuropathy. But they couldn't find a cause. I gave up at that point.
Now my stomach had been giving me so much trouble that I went to see a GI doctor. He performed an Upper GI Endoscopy (camera down your throat) and said everything looked fine. But it wasn't fine. I had no appetite and eating became utilitarian. He gave me a bunch of medicines, but nothing helped. I gave up again.
Fast forward to November of 2008. In addition to the neuropathy and stomach pains my lower back hurt so much it was waking me up at night. My wife suggested I see an Osteopathic doctor to manipulate my back. He cracked and popped my back and said I should be feeling better now. Of course I wasn't. He told me the pain must be internal. He asked who was my primary care doctor. I told him and he said that they were roommates in college. He told me he was going to call him that night and tell him to do a CAT scan on me. Well he actually called him!
My primary care doctor ordered a CAT scan that showed I had a blockage in my left ureter.
Off to the the urologist. The urologist put a scope up my manhood (sorry for that image guys) and cleared the blockage and put in a stent (a long and I mean long 18 inch tube). That was the most painful week of my life until I made him take the stent out. The urologist ordered another more detailed CAT (why didn't they do a detailed one in the first place?). This time the CAT showed the dreaded mass around my ureter. So that scope up my manhood was all for nothing! Off to surgery with me.
The surgeon did a exploratory laporoscopy of my abdomen. Basically put 6 small holes in me and blew my abdomen up with gas. I joked with the kids that they had to tie me down or I would have floated to the ceiling like a balloon. She did a biopsy of the mass which was of course cancer if you haven't been paying attention. Off to the oncologist.
My oncologist, who looks so young I wouldn't serve him a drink, ordered yet another CAT scan, a PET scan (fancy cancer scan) and a bone biopsy. Now I'm waiting to have a port put in my chest (June 5) to administer the chemo(June 8).
Well you are all caught up now. Sorry for the long post. More posts of future procedures, hopefully with pictures!
Now my stomach had been giving me so much trouble that I went to see a GI doctor. He performed an Upper GI Endoscopy (camera down your throat) and said everything looked fine. But it wasn't fine. I had no appetite and eating became utilitarian. He gave me a bunch of medicines, but nothing helped. I gave up again.
Fast forward to November of 2008. In addition to the neuropathy and stomach pains my lower back hurt so much it was waking me up at night. My wife suggested I see an Osteopathic doctor to manipulate my back. He cracked and popped my back and said I should be feeling better now. Of course I wasn't. He told me the pain must be internal. He asked who was my primary care doctor. I told him and he said that they were roommates in college. He told me he was going to call him that night and tell him to do a CAT scan on me. Well he actually called him!
My primary care doctor ordered a CAT scan that showed I had a blockage in my left ureter.
Off to the the urologist. The urologist put a scope up my manhood (sorry for that image guys) and cleared the blockage and put in a stent (a long and I mean long 18 inch tube). That was the most painful week of my life until I made him take the stent out. The urologist ordered another more detailed CAT (why didn't they do a detailed one in the first place?). This time the CAT showed the dreaded mass around my ureter. So that scope up my manhood was all for nothing! Off to surgery with me.
The surgeon did a exploratory laporoscopy of my abdomen. Basically put 6 small holes in me and blew my abdomen up with gas. I joked with the kids that they had to tie me down or I would have floated to the ceiling like a balloon. She did a biopsy of the mass which was of course cancer if you haven't been paying attention. Off to the oncologist.
My oncologist, who looks so young I wouldn't serve him a drink, ordered yet another CAT scan, a PET scan (fancy cancer scan) and a bone biopsy. Now I'm waiting to have a port put in my chest (June 5) to administer the chemo(June 8).
Well you are all caught up now. Sorry for the long post. More posts of future procedures, hopefully with pictures!
You have cancer
Not the words anybody wants to hear. You really don't want to be told those words by a surgeon who can't give you any information, because it is not her speciality. Then have to wait 2 weeks to see the oncoligist.
OK why would a guy who can't spell kat and who was once told by a college English professor, after reviewing a paper, that "Maybe college isn't for you" write a blog? Well I'm writing it for me. After going to many doctors and answering the same questions over and over I decided to write up a medical history of dates, doctors, symptoms, etc. I found that process therapeutic. Once it was written down I could focus on other things. Hopefully this blog will have the same effect on me as I battle cancer. Also I have received so much support from my family and friends and from people who I didn't think really liked me, that I feel I owe you a window into my progress.
OK why would a guy who can't spell kat and who was once told by a college English professor, after reviewing a paper, that "Maybe college isn't for you" write a blog? Well I'm writing it for me. After going to many doctors and answering the same questions over and over I decided to write up a medical history of dates, doctors, symptoms, etc. I found that process therapeutic. Once it was written down I could focus on other things. Hopefully this blog will have the same effect on me as I battle cancer. Also I have received so much support from my family and friends and from people who I didn't think really liked me, that I feel I owe you a window into my progress.
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