The End of the Beginning

This week was rare for us. Rare? Yup...it actually ended on a high note! I know, I know, you thought we didn't have good days, let alone weeks, any more, right?! Wrong! Seriously, this week ended on an upswing. No, I'm not cancer free, and yes, I'm still walking, er hobbling, like a one-legged horse, but I said it was a high note; not the highest!

Remember the meeting with the plumber? They're doing a biopsy on the material they took out, but all things went well. The doctor who did the procedure, Doc #6, said everything went well. The only thing he saw were some minor cuts on the stomach from all the meds I've been taking. So, he gave me some more pills to take in the morning. What's another one when there's already 7? No biggie!


But wait, why was he looking in my stomach? Ahhh, well a slight change, or addition, to plans. 'Why not', Dr. #6 asked somewhat rhetorically, 'do a scope down the throat into the stomach, too? You're already sedated, if we don't find anything down under, [Dr. #4] will probably order this anyways, and you won't feel a thing.' Sure sure, whatever, Doc. Just do it...I'm already drugged up, I can't feel my feet, and this is the most comfortable I've been in weeks. What the hell, have at it!

The preparation leading up to 'the test' was not as bad as we were lead to believe. However, fasting for 30 hours when I'm taking about 15 pills a day is not easy on the nausea scale. Besides hearing the same gurgling noise that you hear when the last bit of bath water is drained, it felt like the rest of the waste was going to come out from the front end. Just - get - to - Wednesday. That's all I was thinking and telling myself. Radiation would be over soon enough and so would this experience with Dr. #6, so just get to Wednesday.

Well, I made it, and when I woke up, I was just glad to know that everything planned for the week was OVER! The experience with Dr. #6 and staff was disgusting, including the 'syrup' I had to drink so the added procedure could be performed. Just think of the grossest cough medicine you've ever had, make it three times as thick and add a slight hint of grandma's Christmas sweater. That's what it tasted like. Seriously, disgusting! When I finally came to, all I could hear was the sound of some really weird music. It was kind of a cross between yodeling, some really heavy bass and the ooh's and aah's of an awesome firework display. As the grogginess wore off, I was able to place my finger on what that sound was exactly. It was me in the recovery room, with nine other men (all at least thirty years my senior) who all just went through the same thing. Everyone was so full of air that there was only one way to let it all out. Yup, 'The Flatulent Fogies' were in town! And all the toot-a-loos were going off in perfect harmony....like something Mozart masterfully created.

That was about the time I made DBone fetch me my clothes from under the gurney I was in, and I raced to get dressed and get the freak out of that place! Besides the complete lack of privacy (picture 10 beds in a row with nothing more than a thin curtain separating them all), the smell and noise was going to make me sick. And they promised to wheel me out of there. Deal! Like Ryan Seacrest, I'm out!

As I was being wheeled down to the pick-up circle, I was trying to wrap my mind around what the completion of this procedure really meant. Radiation is officially done....I even have a certificate to prove it. Earlier that morning, Big D picked me up for the last time to visit the Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion. The bizarre rotating door, the security guard (yeah, it's weird to us, too), the cool water feature and the woman who thinks her job of validating parking tickets is the most important thing in the world all saw me and my partner in crime for the last time.

I'll miss the four tech's that worked with me during the last three+ weeks because they were really kind and always knew how to make me smile, but I'm ready for this tumor to start shrinking. There's something to be said about the relationships you build in a place like that, and I wish all the other patients there the best. Stay positive and try to smile and you can beat this. We all can beat this!

Besides finishing radiation, I won't be getting violated by any more procedures in the near future. Well, none that I know of! DBone pulls up, and the goal now is to get some food in this empty belly (for those wondering, my crave was TBell and the meal consisted of the 2 chalupas - beef supreme - 1 hard shell taco and drink combo plus cinnamon twists and the apple empanada), try and steal a couple z's and then off to bowling! Don't worry, you're not the only one who didn't think I would or could make it to the lanes that night. Nobody thought I would be able to make it...even the people at the colonoscopy place snickered when I told them I had to get in and out of here quickly, especially considering it was only three hours after check-out. But hey, I wasn't going to suffer through all of this and not reward myself! A guy's gotta stay sane, right?!

So, DBone and I headed to bowling Wednesday night. She subbed for L, and because of her sub-par effort, I think The Pinners might have stolen four points from the #1 team in the league, Milk was a Bad Choice! We won't know for sure until next week because of the confusing handicap formula and calculations, but from our rough estimates, things look good! Thanks for the, uh, help DBone. Seriously though, thanks, we all appreciate it.

DBone was subbing for L because during all this, L was in Chicago. Since L constantly has me on her mind and is helping with everything possible, she was again manning the phone. Despite being at a conference 200 miles away, L couldn't help but to help. She swears that she was on the phone for two hours trying her best to get my upcoming appointments in order. During all her calls, and continuing the theme of the week, L got a much welcomed surprise. She received a call from the one and only, the evil Gail from Dr. #4's office. Unlike in week's past, this time the phone/insurance/courtesy-amateur delivered some good news: the appointment to U of M was approved, covered and paid for by our insurance! Looks like all these years of spending time with me have given L more of a back bone. She's also learned the art of getting pretty creative in convincing people to help her get what she needs.

Once L heard that, the rest of the conversation was pretty fuzzy. She thinks she heard Gail say something along the lines of 'totally shocked' that we got the 'appointment approved', but that we did and that Dr. #4 actually 'got on the phone' with the 'head of the insurance company' to make sure we got into U of M at no cost. Talk about a high note!!

Lastly, L is coming home today! I know she appreciates spending time with friends and family...having dinners, sharing wine, gossiping, and even a bit of shopping, but she said her heart has been here with me and the kids, aka dog and cat. We've all missed her and can't wait to have her back in GR. It's been another long week, but this time we can finally see the pieces to the puzzle coming together. Hopefully by the end of next week we have some good news about the tumor.

Monday I have an appointment with Dr. #1 to get an MRI and x-ray so we can get an idea of what is going on with my hip. If the tumor looks like it's the only thing causing the pain, that will be a good sign that things are on the up and up for my walking progress. That would mean that once it shrinks, I should be back to my normal self. If not, and there's more bone damage, we'll have to figure out what we can do to fix that. It might be a temporary solution like some 'cement' to re-create that socket and get be back to 'normal', or it might be something more invasive like a hip replacement or partial replacement. We shall see.

Then, of course, next Friday is the appointment at U of M. This will get a fresh set of eyes on the situation, Dr. #7's, and will hopefully help Dr. #4 make his decisions for the future. Surgery to remove the tumor in my lung? Another biopsy to try and get more tissue sample? Or maybe just jump right into chemo and start killing this thing from the inside-out. All that should be answered in the next week or so, and we're anxiously looking forward to those answers. Until then, we'll celebrate the small victories of this week and enjoy the weekend. We hope you do, too!