Tuesday Exit

It looks like I can't go home until Tuesday. I was really looking forward to leaving this afternoon.

Breaking Out

I think I might be able to go home tomorrow. My routine should be to take it easy and get stronger over the next several days.

I'll update this as decisions are made. I am already packing to go home!

Getting going

The pneumonia must have taken a lot out of me. I have a short attention span and things that used to be fun (like updating this blog) now seem to take a whole lot of effort.

The best development this weekend has been the lack of a cough. At its worst, the cough was violent and spasmodic, and I would deliberately not move in order to avoid having another coughing fit.

The best thing to happen to me this weekend was a visit from my cousin and her husband. They drove all the way from Birmingham just to visit and admire my bald pate. They are two of the most special people in the world, and the fact that they could find time in their busy schedules to visit with me makes me feel very important and blessed.

Pray that I get my strength back soon. I can sit up ok, but moving around becomes tiring. I'm going to have to develop an exercise program to get my endurance back!

Take a Deep Breath and.....

I am out of the ICU and back in a regular hospital room. I am breathing well, and my coughing is almost gone.

To recap the week: Monday I went to the doctor for shortness of breath. The Doctor put me in hospital. The hospital sent me to intensive care. Tests were done. Pneumonia and a blood clot were found.

So, a couple of antibiotics later, I am breathing better. The most annoying part of the week was the oxygen I had to use. When I sleep, I tend to pull the oxygen stuff away from my face (Not very bright!).

My next goal is to exit the hospital. I'll keep you posted on my escape plans.

Sunday Blessings

I think today was a good day for me. Much less coughing. I actually felt like sitting up, and did so for several hours at a time.

I still need to get rid of the fever and the overall shortness of breath (and brain). I think I will stress test everything at work tomorrow. I am going to take a basket, dustpan, and a broom with me to work tomorrow. When I fall completely apart, I am going to call Susan to sweep me up into the basket and then figure out if there is anything worth salvaging.

My guess is no. No salvage value for me. ;-)

Thanks once again for all your emails of support. The next edition of Tumor Times is overdue and will be in your inbox before long.

Shortness of Brain

In addition to my shortness of breath, I also suffer from shortness of brain. It is really bad to inadvertently delete the post that was here all day.

I think I have the doctors stumped on the cause of the breathing problem. I think it is a cold with a little bit of congestion, aggravated by a dry mouth and a lack of humidity in the house. So, I'm going to drink more water, use the humidifier, and get outside a bit more so that the humidity in the air can saturate my throat and lungs.

I know, it is not much of a plan, but it may work. I'll update you tomorrow on the progress of my home cancer and breathing cures.....

Feeling good today

Energy Level: Up

Pain Level: Slight Ache in left shoulder from yesterday's surgery

Alertness: Very good

Endurance: Getting better. A long way to go.

Sleep: Very good. This is one real benefit of being off the steroid.

Obama Launches new Health Care facility

A new use for Guantanamo Bay.

Personal Best

In the post below, I hoped to be at work by noon on the day of my outpatient, port installation, surgery.

I was at my desk at 10:00 this morning. I done good.

No pain from the surgery. Yet.

New Houses

In my never ending quest to stay on top the latest trends and statistics, I have found that newly constructed American houses are three times bigger than newly constructed houses in the UK, and twice as big as new houses being built in France.

I'm hoping that President Obama reads this blog. Mr. President, does this mean that Americans are spending too much on housing compared to Europeans? Will you socialize the housing industry in order to reduce costs?

Smart dog

Everyone should have a dog like this.

Wrapping up the week

Here is this week's update:
- Leg pain is almost gone.
- Back pain is gone.
- I walk normally. Slow, but normal.
- Elbow is almost back to its full range of motion.
- I am so beautiful.
- Hair continues to fall out, leaving beautiful bald spots on my beautiful head.
- Energy level is way down because I'm no longer taking a steroid.

I'm having a great time. Tomorrow's project will be yard work punctuated by several naps. Monday is an adventure -- outpatient surgery to install a port. My goal is to be done with the surgery and back at work by noon. We shall see.

I'll bet Lewis Garbee didn't know that chemotherapy cures back pain. ;-)

Blood Work

Blood work is done for this week. Result: everything normal. Imagine that. I am normal. And you didn't think that possible. ;-)

Otherwise, I feel like a flat pancake, trampled on the floor after the breakfast rush. My energy level has crashed. I worked a full day today, but the energy was only good from about 8:30 to 4:30. Before and after that it was really lacking. Almost non-existent.

It is all I can do to type now. Off to bed. I'm hoping that the next couple of days brings the old self back. Stay tuned to find out if that happens.....

Broken Elbow

It's official. I have a broken elbow, sustained in a major crash with the pavement on Sunday afternoon.

I know that sounds bad, but it's really not. It is a tiny, tiny fracture that I can't even see on the X-ray, but the doctor assures me is there. The fracture caused a little bit of swelling and a loss of range of motion.

Treatment? There is no cast. There is no sling. I just have to do some little physical therapy things over the next couple of weeks. I should be fully recovered in that time.

Even broken bones cause me relatively little trouble. ;-)

Here is an interesting insight into medical care in Britain, courtesy of their National Health Service (NHS).

The patient, Mrs. Beavers, is dead. The NHS says:
"We can confirm Ms Beavers contacted NHS 24 and that her onward referral was managed safely and appropriately."

Government will be the death of health care in the United States.

Groggy and Grumpy

Apparently, chemotherapy is not all sweetness and light.

Today I felt listless, flat, dull, and kind of grumpy. I did get up early, and I had my shot at the doctor's office this morning. Other than the listlessness, I note no other ill effects like aches and pains or dizziness or whatever.

Of course, what I'm describing also sounds like old age. :-(

Afternoon events consisted of a nap followed by some sitting around. Another interesting development is that my right leg is now almost pain free, and I actually walk without a limp. The irony is that now that I can walk, it seems that I no longer have the energy to do so!

Ah well. Tomorrow is Sunday. I'm going to concentrate on resting well and having a better day tomorrow.

Really great Friday

I had a really great day today at work. Focused, lots of energy, great productivity.

I was borderline sharp.

It's gotta be the steroids.... ;-)

Philosophy 101: On Being Good vs. Doing Good

There is a difference between being good and doing good. People who concentrate on being good are noble and virtuous. People who focus on doing good are a like a disease that you can't get rid of.

To illustrate, let's look at two people. One is a good doctor, the other is the notorious do-gooder, President Barack Obama.

The doctor does good by engaging in a rigorous, demanding profession that rewards him with financial gain. He looks after me for two reasons: first because he can make money from me, and second because he is concerned about my well-being. These two motives are intertwined. If I am not well, I cannot pay. The doctor's incentive is to keep me alive so that I can work and pay his bill. The doctor also takes a risk. The payment he is expecting could be lost unexpectedly when I am hit by a passing car.

The President, like all do-gooders, does not know me. But he knows what he thinks, and his thinking must be the best for me. If I disagree, he will overrule my objections and tell me it is for my own good. He will give unsolicited advice, recommend unwanted courses of action, and when anything goes wrong will blame me for not following his advice more carefully. He takes no risk. His satisfaction can only come from one thing: his ability to either influence or control my behavior.

I trust the doctor more because we enter into a mutually beneficial relationship. If I stop seeing benefit, I stop seeing and paying the doctor. With the President, if I stop seeing benefit, he doesn't stop helping me. In fact, I can't get away from him without leaving the country.

The profit motive of the doctor is more noble than the do-gooder motive of the President. At least the doctor does not pretend that his actions are motivated entirely for my own well-being.

Henry David Thoreau said it best:

If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life, … for fear that I should get some of his good done to me,—some of its virus mingled with my blood.

Second Chemotherapy is over

I finished the second chemotherapy at 5:30 this afternoon, then ran to the pharmacy to pick up refills and then to Staples to return a purchase.

I found out today that Benadryl is very effective at putting me to sleep. I received it as part of the chemo treatment this morning, and it knocked me out. I slept past noon sitting up in a chair! I was pretty groggy for the afternoon as well. I finally started to wake up around 4:00, and by then I was getting impatient that the drip was not yet finished.

I feel pretty good, although I am a bit run-down for a man who just sat around all day.

The unexpected sleeping allowed me to re-learn a valuable lesson: I am not in control. The last thing I wanted to do today was sleep. But God made me sleep. And God also allowed me to recover enough to drive home and run errands on the way. And it is God, not the doctor or the chemotherapy, that is shaping my present and future.

Hopefully the chemo brain will not set in, and I will be able to remember this valuable lesson!

Good Report Today

I had a good visit at the oncologist today. All of the lab results are back from all the various and sundry tests that I had in July, and there were no surprises. No evidence of any cancer except for the tumor that we found one month ago. I just have one tumor to beat, and that is what I am going to do. It is a relief to know that we are not chasing rogue cancer cells distributed all over my large and beautiful self.

There is also going to be an overhaul of my medications -- less of most everything starting after tomorrow's chemotherapy. That too is a good thing. I like minimalist drug taking.

I would like to thank my wife, Susan, for sitting through the doctor's visit with me. She seemed to be very relieved at all the news, and I'm glad she went. She puts up with a lot, because the tumor sometimes makes me impatient and insensitive. I know it's the tumor -- I would never behave that way on my own.

In other news, a gentleman from church has greatly improved the performance of my 27 year old riding lawnmower. I still think the engine has cancer, but it runs better than I do.

Tomorrow is chemotherapy session number two. It should last about 6 to 8 hours. I am hoping for no reactions. I am taking my laptop and a stack of new books so I can work during the dripping. They have wireless internet at the doctor's office, and I asked for a table to work at rather than for a comfy chair. It's great to think that I won't just be wasting time looking at a TV in the infusion room.

I have such a great job now. I get to do lots of new and interesting stuff that challenges my creativity, my analytical skills, and my organizational skills. Tomorrow is one of those days when I am just going to do interesting stuff!

My little sister also sent me fascinating book to read. It's about music and the brain. It's the perfect book for me -- and I can't wait to read it.

God is so good to me. I lack for nothing. So many wonderful people ask about me, talk to me, and give me their support and prayers on a daily basis. I have no idea why. I don't deserve it, but I really do appreciate it.

Apparently, one of the side-effects of chemotherapy is lots of tears in my eyes at some really inopportune moments.

Check back tomorrow. If I get bored, I'll blog about the sound of dripping medicine flowing into my arm.

Timeline

It is almost one month since I started walking with a lymph. Here's the timeline:

July 6th -- I get an MRI to look for a bad disk in my back.
July 7th -- A bad tumor is found instead. A solemn doctor intones the word "cancer".
July 14th -- First meeting with the oncologist.
July 15th -- Biopsy.
July 16th -- CT Scan.
July 17th -- First Chemotherapy treatment. Twelve hours at the hospital having stuff dripped into me.
July 27th -- Found a blood clot in the right leg.
August 1st -- Shaved my perfect head for all to see.

That's a lot of stuff in a short period of time. I hope August is less hectic.

What a difference!

The right leg hurt much less today. I was almost comfortable.

After work, I cut the yard with the push mower. OK, I cut half the yard. I'm pacing myself. Still, just being able to walk and push off with the right leg is something I haven't been able to do over the last 10 days.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my riding mower appears to have cancer of the engine. It doesn't want to run.

I had also forgotten what it is like to work up a good sweat pushing a lawn mower up hill on a muggy night in Southeast Tennessee.

When I get well, I'm going to walk 10 miles every day just because I can.

Tumor Times, Volume 4

On Monday of this week, I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my right leg. This is what is causing the soreness that I feel, and the soreness makes walking very difficult. The doctor prescribed an anticoagulant to prevent more clotting, and I am supposed to rest and elevate the leg as much as I can to promote healing.

Needless to say, working full time, I don’t elevate it enough. However, the pain is slowly lessening, and tonight I was able to even stride comfortably for a couple of minutes. Small victories are always welcome.

On Thursday, I noticed that hair was leaving my scalp whenever I ran my fingers through it. On Saturday, it started coming out faster. I was shedding more hair than a cat. So, on Saturday night I got it all buzzed off. I’m really pleased with the result. It looks good (I have a perfectly shaped head) and it feels great. It is the perfect August haircut.

My daughter says that the haircut makes me look cancerous. Ha.

Next week is my second round of chemotherapy. I’m looking forward to that, as each round brings me closer to remission.

That’s all for now. God continues to be good in every way. Thanks for all of your prayers, cards, and emails. I appreciate and savor each one of them.

Best Health Care System

The United States has the best health care system in the world. Here are 10 things you probably didn't know about how our system is better than the health care systems in other countries around the world.

I am especially gratified to know that cancer survival rates are higher here than in Canada and Europe.