ALL ABOUT ME

Fair warning! This is about me. It may have no universal appeal and or applicability to anybody but me and the limited number of people who harbor some normal or abnormal interest in me. So pause a minute and consider whether you want to waste any more of your time. And then step smartly, onward or backward. Your choice.

Most folks have now heard on the street that I’ve been seeing a number of doctors both here and in Savannah lately This is true! And they’ve been some of the finest medical experiences I’ve ever had. Make no mistake about that. Every doctor and medical professional I’ve seen both here and in Savannah have been highly professional and competent and caring people. This is why I want to interject this here:

My friend from down in Kingsland and I often make jokes in public about our miseries and our visits to the doctors and tell funnies about how popular our Medicare cards have made us. We're just trying to be cute and funny. Gives us some distinction we so sorely lack. But let me make it clear that nothing about these lighthearted moments have ever been said with genuine malice. We do have major problems in the health care field in the United States, but it’s still probably better than anywhere else in the world and my personal sentiments about all those who work in the field can be summed up this way: GOD BLESS THEM EVERYONE! I’ve never encountered but one or two who genuinely didn’t didn’t give a shit about me, and I quickly fired them and moved on to somebody else. Those with whom I’ve been dealing for the past many years are the best. So I wanted to get that out of the way. Excuse the digression.

Now for my abbreviated story.

On March 16, 2009, I went up to see my cardiologist in Savannah to have a nuclear scan and general follow-up. This physician has been following me for many years. I’ve had coronary artery disease (CAD) for years. I had open-heart surgery in 1981. Later I had an abdominal aortic artery (AAA) aneurysm repair and had some ablation surgery to control some atrial fibrillation I was having. Long story short, I got a glowing report from this visit in March and was feeling real good about myself. Came home and was fired up to get into something to keep me more occupied.

So I returned to the YMCA’s health club where I’ve had a grossly under utilized membership for years and started getting back into an exercise routine. Worked myself up pretty good in a short period of time, about 10 days. Then I thought I was ready to go, push it a little harder. Again, feeling good about things, and contemplating living to 100. But I had developed some shortness of breath and was hurting some in the lower back, left hip and left upper thigh. Wrote it off to these insane thoughts about renewing my workouts. You know how bad you are to lie to yourself sometimes!

Then on Sunday, March 26, 2009 I woke up early. It was Sunday. Noticed some severe edema (swelling, fluid retention) in feet and lower legs and was very short of breath. Thought it must be Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), but where would that have come from? Cardiac output had been surprisingly good on the 16th. Then I developed a severe cough and thought I had caught something in that filthy, stinking motel where we had stayed on the trip to Savannah. In point of fact, I'm persuaded I did. It was truly a rotten motel I'm telling you! Subsequent blood tests have confirmed some pulmonary funk described as ‘LEGIONELLA‘? Jesus! Legionaries’ disease? From a motel in Savannah? Could be. But nobody knows for sure.

All I know is the place stunk to high heaven and was unbelievably dirty and gummy and it was ice cold and you couldn't turn off the air conditioner. And on top of that I had abnormal traces of pigeon and bird poop and mixed feathers and cladosporium herb arum and trichoderma viride and other funks in that lab report. And I got the report in case somebody wants to see it!

Anyway, I kept going to the YMCA. I worked pretty hard through April. Lost a bunch of the fluid: from 240 pounds down to 218 pounds. Was committed to healing thyself sort of thing. But things kept getting worse, especially the pain in the left hip and leg. Cough got better, etc., etc. but when the time for my regular appointment came up on May 5, I confessed all my sins to my primary care physician, Dr. Pauline Bellecci, one of the finest of the finest, folks. Believe me. She has confirmed my long held belief that if you’re looking for an ‘offer you can’t refuse’ put a little Sicilian doctor on it! She swung into action after ripping me apart for not calling and coming in earlier. Told her I thought I could heal myself. Said she, “right!” And then placed the severed horse’s head on the gurney with me!

Long story short, the ensuing chest x-ray looked funky. But look, my chest x-rays have looked funky for 7 to 8 years (maybe a decade) and I’ve been through this before. Back in 2002 we chased a funky looking chest x-ray all the way trough a bronchoscope and biopsies. Found nothing. My cardiologist’s brother, a lung specialist in Savannah, followed me for this for about two years and a couple of additional CT scans. Nothing ever changed, so he released me to be followed PRN (as needed). Looked as though it was an old pulmonary infiltrate infection scar or something. It wasn’t changing and “cancer doesn’t just sit around unchanging for several years.”

Well, I needed him again after this recent funky chest x-ray. In fact, we all knew from that earlier time that anytime I had a chest x-ray in the future alarm bells were going to go off! And they did! Nobody was surprised, at least not those who knew my history, but it had to be checked out don’t you know?

Anyway, Dr. Daly has all but gone to specializing in other pulmonary disorders in his practice and left this kind of stuff up to his partners. In fact, he’s traveling from Savannah all over South Georgia now, including Douglas and Waycross doing the sleep apnea thing and bringing a rare service to the folks in these parts. Not many of these specialists around in our area outside of Jacksonville and Savannah, so he’s a godsend for folks with sleep disorders and the like. Anyway, since I was an old patient of his and his brother’s heart patient, but mostly because he holds Dr. Bellecci in such high regard, he agreed to see me and he did, in Douglas on May 12, 2009.

Let’s push this through now. I had another bronchoscope and biopsies. Dr. Daly’s colleague, Dr. Mullins, did it this time, on May 18, 2009 and their pathologist did the slides. Everything looked good except one nasty slide. The pathology on it read: “… malignant tumor cells present consistent with non-small cell carcinoma.” One slide out of seven. One! Damn! All of this brought on more scans: TB check, x-rays, CT scans, bone scans, sputum cultures, MRI, blood work, and more blood work. Later scans revealed a shadow on the L4 vertebrae and the general opinion was and is that this is the source of the hip and leg pain -- something pushing on the nerve endings. This got much better after awhile, incidentally, and has been reduced to a chronic, dull low back pain at the moment, but the chase was on! A PET scan was more than justified now. I had that Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Results came back the next day, today, May 27, 2009. I had meetings with Dr. Daly and Dr. Singh, local oncologist today. (Singh, incidentally, I had seen once already and he is the one who set up the PET scan; and by the way, Dr. Singh made one of the finest first impressions on me of any first time meeting I’ve ever had with a physician in all my life. He told me if a PET scan lights up, it’s bad. If it’s dark, it’s good. I prayed for a “lights out.” It didn’t turn out that way.)

Long story shortened here, but it needs to stop. It’s pretty certain that I have lung cancer. It is probably Stage 4, meaning that it has metastasized, probably to the L4 vertebrae and maybe elsewhere. We’re not absolutely positive yet. There’s a lot of so-called ‘staging’ to do yet. We’re going to get a biopsy of the L4. If it were to not be malignant that would be good news and we would probably just remove the small tumor in the upper lobe of the right lung, count our blessings and call myself lucky. If it is malignant, I’m probably looking at chemotherapy with unknown results. There’s still a lot of mystery hovering around the Big C, folks. And lots and lots of money. God, I wish somebody would find a cure. I’ve lost so many family members and friends to this god-awful disease. And so have you, I’m sure.

Which brings me to my closing, which perhaps represents the universal note, if any, with some applicability to everybody: you are born and then you die -- it is inevitable! We’ll talk more later, I hope! Hey, if Farrah Fawcett can televise her story, can I not write mine? Look for relevant addendums below as they develop.

ADDENDUMS

June 1, 2009: Have waited since Wednesday when Dr. Singh’s office told me they would be setting up the Brain MRI and spine biopsy. Haven’t heard shit. I would have thought the MRI could have been done last week. Talked with Dr. Bellecci this morning. She suggested I go to Singh’s office and check. I did. Sure enough, Dr. Singh had noted that I was to have the MRI but nobody had bothered to follow through. I should have gone back there last Thursday when I didn’t hear anything Wednesday p. m. after I left his office. That won’t happen again; if you don’t look after yourself nobody else will.

Anyway, I went to Singh’s office and they (Michelle) scheduled the BRAIN MRI for 11:30 a. m. today. Went to Satilla, registered and then to Dr. B’s office to advise her and get some blood work done. BP okay; pulse a fast (for me) 90; Sugar 139 about 90 minutes after breakfast. Moreover, seems I’m “growing something” from the lab work they did the other day: CANDIDA something -- some kind of yeast crap! Dr. Bellecci Rx’d 10 days of FLUCONAZOLE 100MG (for DIFLUCAN). Started it today! Seems to me I have a bunch of pulmonary crap and crud and fibrosis going on, too; may be complicating things, too.

Completed the MRI w/contrast. Dr. B. may have those results late today. Still heard nothing from Dr. Singh’s office as of 5:35 p. m. regarding the biopsy. Office closed at 5 p. m. I’ll find out something about that tomorrow!

6:30 p. m. Brain MRI results are “good”; at least not scary -- appears to be NO brain involvement and no strong reason to believe I have any cancer there although there may be a couple of “spots” that merit watching. The bright spot that appeared on the skull on the PET is described as a “lytic” (basically a hole in the head; we already knew I had those.)

June 2, 2009: Some insistence brought to bear this morning and finally got somebody to move on the biopsy appointment. Will see Dr. R. O'Brien today at 2:30 for review/plan/consult. Will schedule the biopsy at this meeting, I assume; still may have to push it away 2 or 3 days to give me time to get off the Plavix (blood thinner); I suppose Dr. O'Brien will counsel on that. Should have been advised on that last week, in my view, but then I'm not being aggressive enough. I'll get better.

Saw Dr. O'Brien. Biopsy L4 and Baloon Kyphoplasty (cementing the lumbar vertebrae to give stability) to be done at Satilla on Wednesday, June 10.

June 10, 2009: Reported to Satilla Surgical Center at 10:45 a. m. as instructed. The whole experience was great; a well-oiled and precise operation. Say what you want, Satilla is not like it used to be. Everybody, physician to receptionist, are positive, kind, supportive and seem to genuinely care about you. Careful and precise instructions about what is going to happen next and what is happening now are given all along the way. Family is fully accommodated. And there was little to no standing around scratching their butts. They got on with it and got you out of there. Great experience! Folks actually hug you and trade stories about families, etc., etc.

Anyway, Dr. O'Brien said he got ample tissue for the examination and pathologist. The whole pathological process will take about five (5) DAYS and we should have some hard evidence about what we're dealing with. Apparently they will be able to tell not only whether this tumor/lesion is malignant but pinpoint its origin as well (very important in the staging process), what kind of cells, etc., etc. Preliminary expectation is that it came from the lungs. Of course, it could miraculously not be a cancer but something else; that would stand them on their ear, wouldn't it? Ultimately it depends on the many prayers; with HIM all things are possible, and Lord knows there are a lot of folks praying for me and make no mistake: I appreciate that!

Bit of disappointment: Dr. O'Brien did not perform the Kyphoplasty. Said the bone was a too soft and 'mushy' at the site. Downside risk of some bone cement breaking off and migrating here and yonder with serious consequences too great with the bone not being substantial enough to bond solidly. Good thing is I've steadily improved over the past few days in terms of pain and nothing to suggest I won't continue to do that. People get along fine sometimes with compression fractures. I shall be one of those! And the possibility of radiation knocking the L4 tumor on it's ass remains a possibility. We'll see.

Thanks to Dr. Bellecci Satilla Pathologist Keath Wade, M. D. has my slides from Candler when they did the bronch and spotted the first suspicious cells; he has been fully briefed on my case and will give his undivided attention to comparing the two when the back biopsy slides are ready. (Dr. Wade is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. I just learned that and you know that's got to bode well for this old Volunteer! Man, that's great! Things are shaping up.)

To see Dr. Singh (oncologist) on Tuesday at 11:30 a. m. Continuing to research second opinion services and reading like crazy. Did you know that folks on average get cancer about six (6) times in their lifetimes and their immune system kills it off? All too often though, the cancer, whose cells grow geometrically, get a foothold and beat your defenses and that's when we seek intervention from medicine. Can be little doubt that what we eat and other environmental factors have much to do with the life and death of cancer. Keep your immune system strong and healthy and ready to march; that is the key, it seems. One thing seems certain: it ain't George Bush's fault!

People keep asking with their eyes: "Are you frightened?"

Answer: You damn right! But strangely, not of dying! This is the truth. What frightens me is the same thing that frightens me when I face down a bully. The prospect of losing and him causing you a lot pain and suffering. That frightens me. But I will not run from the son-of-a-bitch!

June 16, 2009: Met with Dr. Singh today. He said he had pathologist report although I did not see it. I need to get me a copy of it along with Dr. O'Brien's operative note. I'll work on that. Still some stain work to do on the biopsy.

Anyway, Dr. Singh confirms that the tumor in the spine is malignant. He's persuaded it came from the lung and is 80% sure that it is NSCLC (non small cell lung carcinoma). He also said the biopsies showed that my immune system is hard at work on the cancer cells and agreed that was the best line of defense. I need to muster the NK's (natural killer cells in the immune system and I will try my best to do that). Chemotherapy seems to be the preferred treatment and should be started as soon as I'm comfortable with it. Radiation would come if I get in intolerable pain, etc., etc. He wants a surgeon to implant a port or something in my chest to facilitate the treatment. Wanted to know if I had a preferred surgeon; told him they were all dead. Anybody got any recommendations?

Dr. Singh is going to package up the record(s) and slides and send them and me down to Mayo for a sit-down and a second opinion; I sort of insisted that we do that. He seems amenable and said he would see about it promptly. I suppose Mayo is all right? I have some physician friends strongly encouraging a review by one of the cancer focused centers like Sloan Kettering in New York and/or M. D. Anderson in Houston to make sure I have the newest and best chemotherapy protocol recommendations.

He's also going to look into this Novalis shaped beam radiosurgery that they do at Mt. Sinai, New York. I delivered to him some literature and contact and referral information. I don't know if I'm a candidate for that, but the literature seems to suggest that they've had some success with the procedure on spinal tumors. We'll see what he finds out.

I understand perfectly the recommendation for chemotherapy; it is definitely a Stage IV cancer and the earlier we see what treatment accomplishes the better off we'll be. In fact, a prognosis with any kind of reliability can only be given after a round of treatment, right?

Waiting for the next appointment. Waiting is a bitch!

June 18, 2009: Dr. Singh called. He has talked to the folks at Mt. Sinai regarding the shaped beam radio surgery. Not much different than the gamma knife and focused radiation services available in Jacksonville and Brunswick it seems. Bottom line: defer radiation unless and if the pain in back becomes a problem. Begin chemotherapy is the strongest recommendation.

Appointment with Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, Mayo, tomorrow at 12 noon; report to Davis Building at Mayo at 11:00 a. m. for registration: 1st floor; then 8th floor to Dr. Johnson. Mayo Address: 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224. Bring all slides, scan discs, etc. Picked those up at Satilla from Dr. Wade and X-Ray Department a little while ago.

Meanwhile, I have appointment with Dr. Thomas Wehmann, local vascular surgeon, on Monday, June 22, 2009 at 9:00 a. m. at the Satilla Surgical Complex at 1908 Alice Street. Telephone: 338-6010. This regarding inserting the port to facilitate the chemotherapy.

Appointment with Dr. Singh on Monday also at 4:00 p. m.

Have appointment with Dr. Bellecci today, 2:00 p. m. to begin work on the nutritional aspects of a fully integrated approach to fighting this thing that has invaded my body. Things are jumping now. All my doctors have been great and uncommonly attentive (well, save one, but even he seems to be highly competent and served me well; who gives a crap what his personality lacks?)! How will I keep up with all these appointments? Never fear, I can do it! Am anxious to see what Dr. Johnson has to say about the most appropriate chemotherapy protocol(s).

4:15 P. M. Dr. Bellecci conducted a hour long personal seminar for the wife and me on the nutritional changes we must make to make the coming chemotherapy more tolerable and to help fight the cancer. I've read an awfully lot about some of the things she talked about; I'm sold, especially on anything that will improve my immune system and produce as hostile an enviornment as possible for cancer. We're coming after you, Big C. "And hell is coming with me!"

June 19, 2009: Kept my appointment with Dr. Johnson at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville today. Clinic operation is impressive to be sure, but it is obviously a place for “rich people.” They look down their noses, it seems, on people whose primary coverage is Medicare. In fact, they made sure I had several brochures and booklets making it clear they do NOT accept Medicare -- in other words, they don’t let the government tell them what they can charge. They do go out of their way, however, to give you what you need to recover what you can from Medicare, but they made sure I understood that I had to pay whatever they charged. Then they had to gall to try and recruit me for a clinical trial -- they wanted to study me, at my cost, of course, with the full understanding that I might be helped and I might not. No thanks! Don’t think I can afford those folks. I have an oncologist friend up in Tennessee who had warned me that that’s what they would do, so it didn’t come as any great surprise. Man, there’s big money in this Cancer game all over the country; no doubt about that.

Anyway, Dr. Johnson was jam-up. My kinda woman. She studied my record with me and spent a good deal of time going through everything. She seems to think I have been studied appropriately and thoroughly and concurred the staging was complete enough to get started on treatment. She recommended a couple of protocols and they are consistent with what is being recommended locally and with other specialty input I’ve gotten from friends and acquaintances in the field. So I’m off to see Dr. Wehmann on Monday about getting the port put in and I guess my first taste of the poison is not far away. I’m working on the immune system, trying to get it jacked up to help out. So start your engines, Big C. I’m coming after your ass directly!

June 22, 2009: Reported for my appointment with Dr. Thomas Wehmann this morning. Smooth and efficient operation and I like Dr. Wehmann very much. No nonsense, quick and to the point kind of guy who gives you plenty of opportunity to ask questions. He set me up to have the port inserted at the hospital on Thursday, June 25, 2009. Exact time to be determined as soon as the scheduling for that day is complete. Will pre-register and meet with anesthetist folks on Wednesday at 3:30 p. m.; get surgery schedule at that time I think. Will probably go with single lumen port although my oncologist friend in Tennessee had suggested a double lumen. Dr. Wehmann said he would do either, but pointed out that the double’s entry point is a little smaller and tended to clog more frequently. Dr. Wehmann asked me to talk with Dr. Singh about that and let him know if we wanted a double. Think I’ll go with what the locals here recommend and are accustomed to working with.

To pick up “pee-kit” from Dr. Bellecci’s office Tuesday at 11:45 a. m. She’ll send the specimen to a specialty lab to ID areas of toxicity and help guide the nutritional aspects of my treatment program. High hopes we can mitigate some of the side effects of chemo and begin the immune system booster plan(s).

Will see Dr. Singh this afternoon at 4:00 p. m. I expect him to review the report/recommendations from the Mayo Clinic with me; hope also to get a definite chemo-combination recommendation.

I really feel good today (save some back discomfort still but nothing like the severe pain I was experiencing in April and last month) and cannot help wondering why any sane person would deliberately permit folks (and even pay them obscene sums of money) to pump poisons into him to make him feel like crap! But then if you don’t take the medical advice that you seek out and pay for, what’s the purpose of going to see them in first place? I’m in for better or worse, no disrespect to the scads of unsolicited advice that I’m getting to the contrary. If God can help me without the treatment can He not also help me with it? Yes He can! The eclectic/integrative approach makes the most sense to me: try everything not strongly contraindicated by sound medical opinion. How can you go wrong with that?

4:00 P. M.: Appointment with Dr. Singh this afternoon was detailed and informative. Do not know how the man keeps his demeanor with such a large caseload of desperate people. He spent better than an hour with me, wife and oldest son going over the chemotherapy, what to expect and so on. He has several other physicians following my case along with him and he tried to get Dr. Johnson from Mayo on the telephone; no written report from them had arrived. Couldn’t raise Dr. Johnson; said he would try later. Is setting me up an appointment with a Dr. Jamieson, a radiology oncologist for Friday to review my scans of the back in case we get some positive results with the chemo and an attempt at radiating the L4 tumor becomes feasible later. They will call with appointment time sometime tomorrow. Chemotherapy will begin Monday at 9:30 a. m.

Day's closing note: hell of lot of local people have cancer. It was like old home week in Dr. Singh’s office this afternoon. Saw many neighbors and friends there, many of whom I didn’t even know had cancer. Won’t name them for that’s their business and not mine, but they all said they were sorry I was joining their “Club.” I told them it was comforting to be amongst them and being reminded that I’m not alone in this challenge.

June 23, 2009: Went in to pick up my 'pee-kit' from Dr. Bellecci's office. Kim and Dr. B instructed me and even gave me a book that Dr. Bellecci had bought for me. The woman is incredible! It's not just me that she looks after this way mind you: she risks life and limb to save wayward turtles, too. And I have no doubt that this nutrition stuff is going to be enormously helpful.

Picked up my imaging studies at the hospital today to have for Dr. Jameson's consult, hopefully on Friday. Talked with Dr. Keath Wade again this afternoon. I'm telling you, folks, this Satilla Operation is quite impressive. I haven't had many dealings with them until recently, but things are different there now. Professional, efficient, caring, confidence engendering and personable, at least in the departments I've been dealing with for the past few weeks. Somebody is doing something right at that place now!

June 24, 2009:Reported to hospital this morning at 7:00 a. m. “Why don’t we start early,” I said to somebody at check-in. “Hey, you aren’t even the first,” she said. After talking with Dr. Wehmann I think I understand why. He’s from Ohio, has a son at Ohio State. He almost took a job at Greenbrier Hospital in West Virginia where my wife and I are from. He knew where Ronceverte and Alderson were and had been there. In fact, said he almost moved to Sinks Grove. Can you believe that? There’s some good karma going on here. Dr. Wade, the pathologist, a Tennessee graduate. Dr. Wehmann Ohio University but a wife from Morgantown, WV. Not surprising this guy gets started early and is so efficient and good at what he does: boy’s got Mountaineer blood in him! Or at least he's sleeping with it. Anyway, I drew practically the same team as I had the other day for the biopsy: Carol Hull and Leah Dean, nurses, Thawanna Taylor, CNA, Jeaneler Bennett and Susan Sloan in Recovery. Had Dr. Johnson for anesthesia this time. Although he’s been to several med schools, including UAB in Alabama, he got his undergraduate degree from the Citadel. We chewed the fat for a good while before I went in to get my port implanted. He was a really nice guy, and you got to trust a guy who went to the Citadel.

In short, getting the port was a piece of cake and the Satilla operation continues to impress me. It’s a new day at that place and I think if I need medical care in the future I will choose to stay in town. Besides, I’m a frigging major stockholder now! Bottom line: we’ve got it teed up now. Kick-off is Monday. Me. vs. the Big C. Brace yourself, Bubba; I intend to kick your ass!

June 25, 2009:Very informative meeting with Dr. Timothy Jamieson, radiology oncologist out of St. Simons/Brunswick today; he is just beginning to come to Waycross and is setting up shop at 2101 Tebeau St., Waycross. (Check him out HERE.) Said they would be coming over “on Tuesdays”. They are using the old “Renue Plastic Surgery Building” on Tebeau. We reviewed my case and he looked at all the imaging I brought in. He reviewed thoroughly the role of radiation in cancer treatment. Bottom line in my case: I am showing very few symptoms such as back pain and shooting pain down the legs, no severe coughs, headaches, etc. at the moment. Dr. Jamieson concurs with the plan to begin chemotherapy and bring radiation into the mix should I begin to develop more symptoms, etc. Hopefully I’ll get some positive results from the chemotherapy. Anyway, he agreed to be “on the team” now and will follow me along and stands ready to help. That is a good thing. I like him a lot. Another guy who speaks directly to you and honestly about the situation presented to him. Plus he went to medical school at Virginia and did his residency at Duke. Basically another old hometown boy on the team. That's got to be a good thing!

8:35 p. m.: Should have known things had been going too smoothy to hold up. I was at the "famous" Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville last Friday, June 19, 2009 to consult with Dr. Elizabeth Johnson. She was nice enough when talking to me but I wonder if she has given me another thought after I left. They made damn certain that I understood they don't take Medicare and that they would charge what they want to and I could recover what I could on my own from Medicare and insurance. Moreover, she spent some time testing my interest in a clinical trial they were running, at my expense, of course. She also promised to have a report with her recommendations back shortly, including a promise to have her Pathology folks to look at my slides I had taken to her to see if they concurred with the findings here. Probably wouldn't cost more than a few hundred dollars at most she assured. She even went so far as to give me a number (904-953-7290 'press #2 on the menu,' she said) and asked me to call them if I had heard nothing in a week. Today! Fair enough. Having heard diddley shit from them, I called today. Got some bimbo on the 'phone in that department who wouldn't let me talk with anybody in charge who might answer my question(s). Said she would have Dr. Johnson call me. I waited all afternoon by the 'phone. Nothing! I bet their bill is prompt enough! Good luck in collecting anything if you don't get those reports back to me!

June 29, 2009: Girl named Jennifer from Dr. Johnson’s office at Mayo called this morning; said Dr. Johnson had told her to call and give me the reports I was seeking. Asked if she would send me written copies of both the pathology and Dr. Jonson’s report -- also told her that Dr. Wade in Waycross had already received the path report confirming the findings here and I would get that in time, but asked her to send the two reports to me anyway as they had promised. Said she would. (These two reports did arrive two days later.)

Now for the 1st Chemo treatment. Liar, liar, pants on fire comes to mind! They told me it would take about 2.5 hours. Reported promptly for the appointment at 9:30 a. m. Office run over with patients. Slap full and still coming in. Didn’t get called in until 10:35 a. m. Blood work, affixed IV to port and met with Dr. Singh. He reviewed everything with me again and they put me in a room where he could watch me as he walked by from room to room, which he did. First, they gave me a bunch of pre-chemo meds, anti-nausea stuff, steroids, Benadyrl, Tagamet, etc. Then they gave me the poisons: Carboplatin and Taxol, and threw in some Zometa, I think. Don’t hold me to the spellings of these drugs. Anyway, folks, 2.5 hours was one of the most gross underestimations I’ve ever encountered. Wonder if this is just a little white lie they tell to keep folks from running? No big deal; what else did I have to do? Anyway, I didn’t leave until 5:15 p. m. Honest! 7 hours & 45 minutes. Now that’s a long time to sit just twiddling your thumbs! I’m taking a picnic basket and a cooler and a couple of books next time; I asked if the office had a wireless Internet connection. Girl said she didn’t know. Anybody know? I was ill prepared, but there is some goods news.

So far so good. The chemotherapy, in my case, has so far been a piece of cake. Am not sick. Do not feel bad. Have had no nausea, no headaches, nothing I was expecting. At least not yet. I can stand that, no matter how long it took. Came home and ate like a horse -- including a bunch of fruits and oatmeal and stuff Dr. Bellecci has come up with. Have asked for a “slow day” next week. I do this once per week for three weeks; that constitutes a cycle, as I understand it. After that, again as I understand it, they reassess and see if anything has been accomplished and make any necessary adjustments.

Final note: just as the sun was setting and I was finishing up the first treatment and fixing to ride off into the sunset, a girl came in and read two pages of “consent for chemotherapy”, word for word, which said I might die from it, that it might not help me anyway, probably wouldn’t cure me, and that I could quit anytime I wanted and so forth and so on. They really don’t know who they’re dealing with! Anyway, I signed and asked for a copy of it when the Dr. signed it. I intend to frame it and have it prominently displayed in front of my 80th birthday cake!

July 1, 2009: Things still good. Had a little anginal pain last night right in the middle of "Saving Grace", but that's not unusual for me; I have it infrequently for no apparent reason (remember, I have CAD disease with heart by-pass in 1981) and there is no reason to believe it is related to the chemo; besides, a nitro under the tongue and it went away almost immediately. Nevertheless I advised Dr. Bellecci and will mention it to Dr. Singh next week. Back feels better than it has felt in a couple of months. Run Big C, you loathsome bastard. Run for you're life!

July 2, 2009: Well, I was going off tackle and a Big C linebacker stuffed me and knocked the ball loose. It was a jolt coming from a sissy and all. But I just wasn’t holding the ball properly, I guess. I shouldn't have dropped it. Went in for an EKG this afternoon following the episode of angina mentioned above. Seems I’ve gone into Atrial Fibrillation again. Heart rate is not too rapid; today’s EKG heart rate was 93. I generally run between 65 and 75. Feel fine, but Dr. Bellecci says I’m definitely fibrillating. She talked with Dr. Singh. Seems Taxol, one of the two chemicals comprising my chemotherapy, is notorious for kicking off the A/Fib, especially in folks like me who might be predisposed to it. I’ve had it in the past but haven’t been bothered with it in a long time. But it’s back. The doctors have put me on Coumadin (I don’t know for how long). I have to have six (6) shots of Lovenox (whatever that is!) 12 hours apart as I begin the Coumadin; they gave me the first shot at Convenient Care this afternoon and Dr. Akram’s nurse taught me how to give the remaining five shots to myself. That should be fun! I’ve never given myself nor anybody else an injection in my life, but it looks simple enough. I’ll get it done. Wife says she will do it. Don’t believe I want her to have to get up at 5 a. m. and do that; I’ll try to handle it myself! The wife is grumpy if she has to get up early! Call me needle man!

July 3, 2009: First self-administered injection of Lovenox this morning at 5:00 a. m. Cakewalk. No problem! Get a lab check Sunday at hospital; see Dr. Singh on Monday. God Bless America! God bless our troops! No incumbent re-elected to Congress; strigent term elections now!