THE GROUNDHOG and THE FENCER (Part 2)

The FENCER.......

Ahhhhh the tale of the Fencer to tell as we left off from the Groundhog.......and The Fencer DOES have a tale to tell........

EDITOR'S NOTE: As a short digression......a review of the calendar you will see that my radiation sessions have begun. After an entire weekend of angst and anxiety over day one, I got through it, but more on those details in my next blog when I recap Week #1 of Radiation.

For now, everyone wants me to tell the tale of THE FENCER......which begins at my initial radiation set up appointment on August 13th at UPenn and continued for a second and final set up on Friday August 27th. WOW.....what 2 days of fun these were......NOT!

Through this journey you soon learn things that you would not normally know about cancer and it's treatments. One of those learnings was "tattoos". You see it seems when you get radiation your body is marked with either some special type of medical Sharpie or a regular Terrell Owens type of Sharpie. These "tattoos" are target points for the actual radiation and provides the technicians a "road map" of where your treatment takes place. But unfortunately when radiating on your neck or throat or face---places visible to others when wearing normal clothes---the tattoos have to be provided in a different form. Enter reason #1 for what the radiation team affectionately calls.........

"THE MASK"

The second reason for needing "THE MASK" for Head and Neck cancer patients is that during radiation the treatment area must remain 100% and I mean 100% still. To accomplish this the mask is BOLTED to the table.....oh yeah, bolted to the table. Now I'm going to be INSIDE this mask of some kind or other and it is going to be BOLTED down during the radiation treatment. It's gonna form-fit to my face and I'm gonna be lying there in the radiation treatment form of a straight jacket. If the "bolted to the table" part isn't fun enough, when I went in for set up, I was thinking this mask can take many forms..................what will this thing look like. I had some ideas.........

Now I got a pretty good feeling that this thing won't be as fun to wear for 30 sessions as "THE MASK" like Jim Caray got to wear. No, Jim Caray doesn't even have a sense of humor this sick and even though my sense of humor is good, even I couldn't wear some of those clothes.....especially that hat!!! So then I'm thinking.......Clarice, Clarice, where are you Clarice.......It's gonna be like the "Silence of the Lambs" mask.....albeit without the wire as I was surely not planning on biting anyone....at least not in the beginning. So it's Hannibal Lecter I'll be---should I say, look like for 6 weeks. I've gotta get my accent down, I've gotta recall all the lines from the movie, I've gotta say to every nurse I see....."Helllllllooooooo Clarice". No there ain't gonna be any Hannibal Lecter sightings at UPenn........ a big Strike 2 on the "Silence of The Lambs"!

So I strike out with Hannibal and all the movie lines I could have incessantly said over and over for 6 weeks to the technicians. (I'm sure they're all happy about this) Now I need to get a better idea as I'm almost heading back to get fit up real soon....."What is this mask really like?" So the nurse tells me unlike Jim Caray and Hannibal it is a mask that has to cover all the way over the top of your head and also cover both of your ears. OK.......we're in Philadelphia, so now...

I GOT IT......I GOT IT!!! It's the Bernie Parent hockey goalie mask circa 1974+ when the Flyers won their 2 Stanley Cups. I'm gonna look like Bernie for 6 weeks. Bernie, Bernie, Bernie......Finally this is what "THE MASK" is gonna look like.......plus my good friends the Carr Brothers are gonna be elated!!!

So I head back to the room where they are gonna make my mask. Vicky and Angie are gonna take good care of me. I tell them the straight scoop---nothing shocking to many of you---that I am a very impatient person and if I'm impatient and in a place where I can't move......well that is gonna turn the anxiety level WAY UP. We all agree for this set up session which could last for 45mins, that I take a little something to take the edge off. They tell me many people do as they get claustrophobic with the mask. While not moving is not gonna be good for me, I've worn a goalie mask playing hockey for years.....that mask should be no problem.

So Vicky says, "you wanna see the mask?" Sure I say. They then proceed to show me what I tell everyone looked EXACTLY like the end of a pool skimmer. Blue plastic outside rim around a square piece of mesh. Like the dope that I am, I ask....."Where are the eye holes? Where is the mouth hole?".........and the fine nurses of UPenn replied that there were neither.......and then they proceed to tell me that I am going to lay flat on this bed and take as the handout says..."a mesh-like sheet of plastic will be warmed up in a water bath which will allow it to be shaped over your head, neck and shoulders. As it cools, it will harden to hold your head, neck and shoulders in the same position each time the mask is put on you for treatment." Surely let us also not forgot that besides the mask being bolted to the table, my shoulders are bolted into place as well. Ohhhhhhhh......for someone as impatience and can't sit still for 5mins, this is......is......well.....is NOT gonna be a very fun 30 sessions of this. But hey.....even though you can't get up and dance, they'll play music for you!!

So thus Part II of this blog has come full circle......."The FENCER" has been born. I'm figuring since I'm still unemployed, when the radiation is done I can take my mask (they let you keep it) and go to Medieval Times and interview for a job. Hey....I'll come equipped with my own fencing mask!

The journey continues........boy, does it ever........

Best Regards and God Bless all of you!

David D

THE GROUNDHOG and THE FENCER (Part 1)

The GROUNDHOG... It is yet another day before I go to the doctor and it is yet again that I'm doing a new journal entry.....this time a direct entry to my revised blog sight. Ooohhhhh, Ahhhhhhh.....!!! Before you think I'm social media savvy, please know that I am still the only person under retirement age without a Facebook page. My Mother-in-Law has a Facebook page, but yet I still do not. Now if my dad ever got a Facebook page (for those of you that don't know my dad, this is very funny I promise you!) Sorry I digress........ As usual, at least for me, so much has happened since I last visited with all of you. First about tomorrow, I don't just have 1 doctor's appointment or even 2 for that matter.....I've got 3 doctors (kind of) appointments, none with any of the cancer docs. I'm already putting Obamacare to good use. Tomorrow's schedule: 8:00am Rheumatologist @ UPenn 2:00pm Physical Therapy (Lovely Lakewood, NJ) 3:00pm Cardiologist (Making sure I can survive all this!) The Rheumatologist is an appointment that has been scheduled since in the hospital during my 2nd surgery. You'll recall---and surely I cannot forget---when I had the MAJOR gout blowup. The Cardiologist is just my regular quarterly appointment to monitor my high BP, but Ive got much more to discuss tomorrow than just high BP. The Physical Therapy sessions I started last week. My surgeon warned me prior to the surgeries that it would be very likely that I would develop shoulder weakness after the neck dissection. The trauma to the nerves in the neck area and shoulder have rendered my right shoulder pretty useless. When you feel discomfort picking up your coffee mug, tossing poker chips or even typing like now, it is time for some therapy. My baseline testing last week confirmed that for sure as my right shoulder is far behind my left and has actually started to get atrophied in certain parts. So starting tomorrow it is 3 appointments/week until I can get back to 100%. This is gonna coincide with my other routine to keep me very, very busy. Oh yeah, speaking of that, back to THE GROUNDHOG part......... Being from Western Pennsylvania the Groundhog was always a big deal on February 2nd every year. But for me, my day this year came not on February 2nd, but August 2nd. It was that day that I wrote last in my journal and also the day of my consultation with the Radiation Oncologist. Well he saw my shadow that day but instead of 6 more weeks of winter, I get to go through 6 weeks of radiation. My start date is next Monday August 30th---each week Monday-Friday---for 6 weeks and before you may ask the question, I am going to do the radiation at UPenn and go back and forth each day. Like my surgeon Dr. Weinstein, I got a very good initial feeling and a felt a good sense of trust with my Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Lin. Just like my surgeon, I wanted a good chemistry to happen and it did, especially since we are gonna spend 6 weeks together. Plus he went Michigan so my niece Nicole should be pleased. With that said, I'm sure hoping Dr. Lin doesn't perform as poorly as Rich Rodriguez has at Michigan or I'm in BIG trouble! Well Dr. Lin quickly dashed any glimmer of hope I had of avoiding radiation. VERY quickly. Very simply...the tumor on my neck has just gotten too large (reminder....scanned at 2.5cm but actually 4.2cm at removal) and for a tumor that large, radiation is pretty much a mandatory part of treatment. The doctor feels that microscopic particles could be present and undetected for now, having escaped the enlarged, encapsulated tumor and this would cause problems down the road. Now.....if the tumor was 2.5cm as originally thought, I could be sitting here today not preparing for this 6 weeks of absolute fun I am about to embark upon. But again, it was too large---which frankly is not easy to type---and thus to radiation I must go. So they will be fully treating the right side of my neck and also to a lesser degree doing the left side of my neck as well. Why the left side? This is where undetected particles could drift to and the doctor wants to cover all bases. The good news? My doctor is so satisfied with the results, margins and testing in and around the area of the tonsil tumor that he feels full confident that this area is CLEAN and needs no radiation. This to me is GREAT news as not only am I batting .500 in ridding myself of the tumors of cancer poison, it also allows me to avoid radiation in an area that would cause some more SERIOUS side effects. Oh yeah, the side effects. To that degree I should be OK---meaning mostly normal lifestyle for the first 2 weeks of radiation. The heavier effects will be present in Weeks 3 thru 6. What side effects am I in for??? The WORST of all will be dry mouth as a result of blasting my salivary glands. This will be with me for probably at least a year with the very real possibility that I could deal with this for my entire lifetime. So while I'll not only have to carry a bottle of Poland Spring around with me everywhere, the lack of natural saliva will also render some foods very difficult to eat without drinking water along with it. Items that require a good deal of chewing---steak e.g.---will be an adventure. What other temporary fun is ahead of me???......Mouth and throat sores, lack of appetite, swallowing....difficulty at best, not being able to at worst, the feelings of "sunburn" inside my mouth, dryness/leathery type of skin on my neck, overall fatigue......need I go on??? Probably throw in some days of complacency and lack of motivation for good measure as well. BUT....BUT....it's only 6 weeks---30 sessions out of what I'm hopeful to be a long life ahead. An easy trade-off for me. Like I wrote in an earlier entry, I knew all of this going in and the Good Lord and I already had these discussions on what I'd trade or give up or deal with to have him give me the physical, mental and emotional power to heal. Now I'm gonna live up to my end of the bargain. Take the treatment, deal with it and not complain. As I'm very well known for saying....."it is what it is".....and I just gotta suck it up and deal with it. Case closed. So I put daily Radiation along with 3 days/week of Physical Therapy and I'm back to my full-time job again, that of being a cancer patient. And as it was while I was in the hospital, I'm gonna listen and do as I'm told to be the best patient I can be. Until Part 2 when I elaborate more about "THE FENCER", The Groundhog for now goes back into hiding...... Best Regards and God Bless, David D

POST SURGERIES---NEWS from the DOCTOR

Created and sent via e-mail August 2nd.......

Dear Family and Friends,

EDITORS NOTE:

I've been trying and trying and trying to get this note out to all of you, doing it bit by bit. I AGAIN find myself sending out a new journal entry the NIGHT BEFORE a very important day in my journey. Monday morning at 10:00 I am consulting with the Radiation Oncologist. While I'm anxious and nervous, I must be prepared for what he might have to say. Be assured that I will be and I will take his recommendation for treatment. As much as I've not looked forward to this over the past 3+weeks of my post-surgery recovery, I know the day is here and necessary as I take further steps to recover.

So for GOOD LUCK...I again send out a journal update the night before a BIG DAY. Below please find my medical update that I've did bit by bit over the 2+ weeks of recovery. ENJOY!!!

Welcome back to the journal of the David D Cancer Journey. Volume #5. Yes I have taken about a 2+ week hiatus from this as I was going and going and going......it was time my body and my mind wanted to just shut it down over the past 2+ weeks.

YES it has been a while since I last corresponded. YES I've got BIG news to share. YES I've got so much else to tell that has been built up in my simple mind over the past 2+ weeks since I last wrote and updated all of you. But for today, I just wanted to update all of you on the status of the medical end of my journey........and of course, let's keep the good news coming!!!

Without a doubt I've hopefully just gotten through the most traumatic 48 days of my life---Friday May 28th being my initial visit to the EENT which got all of this rolling until my follow up visit on July 14th. I wanted to update all of you on my doctor's follow up visit from July 14th. This is where I last left off in my writing, putting out a journal entry the night before for good luck as writing the night before both surgeries seemed to be lucky for me. So as I said before, let's see if the the 3rd time could be a charm........and WOW was it!!!!!!!

My follow up was to review my pathology from the 2 surgeries, discuss radiation/chemo treatment moving forward and while I was there, hopefully get my lovely drainage tubes and staples removed. Surely Grace my home nurse was hoping for those drainage tubes to come out........but NOT AS MUCH AS I DID!!! Well before I saw the doctor, the nurse came in first. After hello the first words out of her mouth are......"isn't it great that you don't need radiation". And in one of those extremely rare times that my mouth is open and either words are not coming out or food or beer not going in, I'm like.....HUH? She noted that my reaction was one of not jumping up and down for joy, but utter disbelief and she was correct. Prior to this, everything I was told was that 2 treatments of 3 were needed to help eradicate the cancer. Pick any combo of the 2, of Surgery, Radiation, Chemo. All medical folks agreed that at least 2 of the 3 forms of treatment were absolutely needed. Sometimes all 3 were needed, but never, never, never just 1 of them.

So while I'm in disbelief over that, the fun is gonna begin and this lovely woman turns from nice mild-mannered nurse to the ultimate pain inflicter. So the tubes are gonna come out first and then the staples. So now I know when someone says......."I've never had this done to me, but people tell me it just burns"....Well that should have been almost as believeable as a woman telling a man that she knows what it feels like to get kicked in the nuts. JUST BURNS......just burns my ass, just burns!!! So next I get........"Count to 3, hold your breath and I'm gonna yank them out".....Seriously, now does the America Medical Association ever publish a proper procedure where the word YANK is used in medical performance? So I know, this ain't gonna be good for old Davey boy. In the span of about 2 minutes and 3-4 sentences this nurse has made me completely forget about the positive possibility of not needing radiation.

Well incredibly Tube #1 did just that it burned.....for about 5 seconds before the not so comfortable pain set in. After a few minutes, it was time for Tube #2. And hopefully I'll live to be 100 and if I do.....just the thought of Tube #2 will give me the chills and goosebumps. I will say, she did "warn me" that the 2nd tube was the longest and furthest into my skin. That didn't matter. She YANKED that thing out and I screamed like Mel Gibson on those RadarOnline tapes screaming at the Russian ex-girlfriend. Not sure, but I think a little old lady from Delaware called to complain about the noise. Holy Lord save me from that pain again. I literally thought she ripped my Adam's Apple out. So when the screaming was done, then it was time for the 49 1/2 yr old man to start crying like I was a 11/2 yr old. You ever want me to stop dead in my tracks, just say......"Hey Dave, remember Tube #2"?......

OK, so I call time out, make a call to the bullpen, take 2 Percosets and then relax for a few before we decide to move on to Tube #3 and oh yeah, the 23 staples as well.

So now my new BFF Dr. Weinstein comes in and gets a nice chuckle out of my "tube adventure" and what are his first words after hello...you got it......"You don't need radiation. There are NO traces of cancer in your body". Yes even though the nurse said no radiation, my utter disbelief continues and now to an even greater degree because the doctor has so forcefully said to me, NO cancer in my body. My thought right then and as I told Grace on the way home........'How can on June 15th I find out I have cancer in 2 parts of my body and maybe more........and go from that to you have NOT even TRACES of cancer just 30 days later"?....again I was stunned.

So the doctor proceeded to tell me that the margins around both surgical areas of tumor removal---tonsil and neck---are clear of any traces of cancer. I was (and still am) more worried about the neck tumor more, mostly due to the facts of the robotic surgery and smaller size of the tonsil tumor seemed to much easier to clean out that tumor completely. But the neck one worried me more. The doctor tells me they removed 65 other nodes and all are clear of cancer. GREAT NEWS all of to this point and even one more morsel of GREAT NEWS........NO CHEMO. Based on the success of surgery, negative margins and lack of cancer in any of the nodes, Chemo is an ABSOLUTE NO. Personally, this one did put a smile on my face and allowed me a deep exhale. I would have and will do anything going forward I have to do to fight the fight and win the battle, but I had a goal of beating this without Chemo. For now, I've had success on the Chemo end, but what about the radiation thing???............

But surely you know it never seems to be 100% of great news. Looking at the Pathology further and speaking with the Pathologist while I was there, it seems the neck tumor was actually significantly much larger---like 68% significantly larger---than what was originally discovered on my scan. It was measured at 2.5cm on my scan prior to surgery and pathology post-surgery recorded it at 4.2cm. That size of tumor is alarming. Now the scan took place on June 11th, but to grow that much by July 6th is virtually impossible. So this is of a concern to the doctor and of course, more troubling to me.

So while mostly all of the news was GREAT NEWS and the diagnosis short-term and long-term are good, my doctor suggested to have Monday's consultation. As I noted earlier, I always believed 2 therapies would be needed for full eradication and recovery. For me, it was going to be surgery and radiation, so I was fully prepared for this process. The doctor felt the consultation and possible treatment would allow me to cover all bases. Good or bad, I am now in the driver's seat for the time being on how I want to treat myself. It some ways that is what makes tomorrow's consultation scary for me and why in some ways I've dreaded the day. If I choose correctly life is easy. If I choose wrongly---I know myself---I'll be torturing myself through second-guessing as long as I can imagine.

But less than 12 hours from now, I'll probably know what I am doing for my short-term cure that will impact my long-term survival. I'll do my best to update all of you on what will be in store for me. Until then.....

Oh yeah and BTW........almost forgot. After the 2 percosets, taking out Tube #3 and 23 staples.......a piece of cake!!!

Be Well and God Bless,

David D

WILL THIRD TIME GIVE the SAME CHARM???

Created and sent via e-mail July 14th......

Dear Family and Friends,

This is my 4th installment of my running log and giving all of you a peak into my life right now since being diagnosed with cancer. Both installments #2 and #3 were conveniently written the day/night before my 2 surgeries. So as both of those surgeries has gone good or even better than the surgeon wanted, I figure I need to write this Volume #4 tonight as I have a follow up appointments with both the Surgeon and Speech Pathologist on Wednesday. So before I go to see these doctors tomorrow, let me tell you what my life has been like, specifically since last Monday July 5th...............

What an UNPLEASANT surprise I had when I awoke that morning. No it was like going back to teenage days and a fun morning surprise like that, noooo I woke up to find that my body BLEW UP with GOUT in not one, not 2, but 3 different places in my lower body. I'm 24hours from my 2nd major surgery and I've got gout, so my luck surely has changed right? What I found out later in the week while in the hospital was surgery is trauma to the body and stress created can trigger gout flare-ups in people like me who have it. But why almost 1 week after my 1st surgery did it show up. While in the hospital and then up until Sunday of my rehab at home, I was taking steroids to counter swelling in my throat. The steroids prevented the gout from flaring up, but once I took my last pill on Sunday, the next day gout returns.

But even through the pain and having to wake up at 4:00am, I MUST stay up until Midnight as it is my youngest, Joshua's big 13th birthday on Tuesday July 6th---the worse part of the surgery timing, but nothing any of us could do. Josh made it to about 11:50, but I woke him up to give a big hug and kiss and send him to bed. It made me feel so good to do this as I felt SO bad to be fowling up his birthday......but I'm confident if you know Josh, he'll pull this out from time to time to make me feel guilty.

So I basically crawl into HUP a few minutes before 6:00am as walking is not possible. After my first surgery where everyone was terrific, so nice, so helpful and it went flawlessly well, I'm ready for the same. My hopes for that were quickly dashed. It took not 1 or not 2........but 6 COUNT THEM 6 tries to get my IV going in pre-op. I'm looking at Grace with that nervous smile and she can read my lips even though they are not moving......."WTF are those idiots doing???" Ok, these are the only the people who are gonna manage my anesthesia, why worry. Good Lord, I was nervous already. Thankfully once the IV finally got going, it had taken them so long I was ready to push of to the OR

The neck dissection---which is painful just typing---took about 3 hours. Like Coach Dennis Green infamously talking about the Chicago Bears, my new BFF Dr. Weinstein said basically...."The tumor and surgery was what we thought it was. No more, no less. Just what we expected". I think I've communicated before how "laissez-fare" everyone was about it. But on one hand they all would have been right.....come in.....get cut.....rest up.....stay over one night.....and go home. I basically would have been on that path but for, you guessed it.......the dreaded GOUT. The neck, no trouble, no pain, no worries. The gout on the other hand was giving me HORRIFIC pain and they would not give me any medicine for it until 24hrs passed after surgery. This is the time that needs to pass to get the anesthesia out of my system. So even when that 24hrs was up after surgery and they could give me medicine, it did not help immediately and lead me to stay a 2nd night in the hospital Convenient timing for me was that both days I was in the hospital,

1) Each day it was 103 degrees outside so laying in a cool hospital bed was just fine for me and

2) Each day was World Cup semifinal game.......thank goodness for the World Cup to give me entertainment every day I was in the hospital each visit.

So Thursday mid-day I got home and I bring with me.............

* 3 drainage tubes attached under my skin in my throat and hanging out of the front of neck and ending with suction cups that collect the bloody drainage. It kinda looks like jewelry for a welfare rapper."......I'm Tonsil Cancer rapper and I'd like to say, I got 3 tubes stuck in my neck today......boyyyyyy". OK, a rapper I'll never be, but Flav o Flav probably is more attractive than me right now. So Grace gets the lovely task of draining/cleaning these out 3 times per day. HOPING that these can come out with my follow up on Wednesday.

* Also got to come home with the 9" incision loaded up with 23 staples that while I didn't seem to feel early on, I can feel tighten a little more each day. I thought attached photos (I have them) would be a bit much especially as this looks like a worm....a very FAT worm has landed on my neck from behind my ear over to my Adam's apple. Lovely......

* Also got to come home with a right ear that is totally numb---but like Pink Floyd---it's "comfortably numb". I can't feel it, but I can hear out of it and it doesn't hurt, so hey, what the hell.

* My jaw is probably what has given me the most issues since surgery as the nerves are completely screwed up all along my jaw. I awoke in post-op feeling like somebody shoved a bag full of marbles between my bottom teeth and jaw. That feeling has not gone away. Most of this numbness/pain on my right side---ear, jaw, neck, shoulder, upper arm---is temporary and should dissipate within a couple weeks, but there is also the possibility that some of these could stay and stay for good. Right now I don't know. E.G.....it has taken a while to type this recap as shoulder continues to tire and I need to take breaks.

* Lastly the gout got well once I got home, I must say rapidly. As of this note it is 90% gone with only a little stiffness in my right knee, so thank goodness for that.

Overall all these I brought back home with me I knew about and was ready for. As I've written previously.....I've made my negotiations with God many weeks ago. It it was a numb ear or not being able to swing a golf club or an unbalanced face....I've already signed up for those. It the days and weeks and months and years that I want with Grace, Matthew, Arianna and Joshua and all of you that is my concern. Having a crooked smile from here forward does not really phase me.

So before I end and get ready for my follow up tomorrow, I want to end with a little note. Last installment it was a funny line from my niece. This one isn't a funny but touched me deeply and brought me to tears. Mr Birthday Boy Joshua besides being our youngest is also gonna be our biggest. He's taller than me, but that is about as much to brag about as being the tallest midget in the circus. Besides youngest and biggest, he by far is the Comedic Kid. He's funny and he knows it. A great, great wit he has.

So when I get home from the hospital he tells me....."Hey did you know I have something none of the other kids have". Really Josh, what is that. "I have a "Frankenstein Dad". It was tough now and then for the kids to see me, well for lack of a better word....deformed. But surely I look in the mirror and what the mirror shows back is not pretty for now. No big deal. The "Frankenstein Dad" thing made me laugh and was a running joke for a few days with us. So last night I go in and we're talking about healing and timing and what I'm gonna look like when and he stands up off the bed, stands next me, puts him around me and says...."Dad, it doesn't matter, I'll love you no matter what you look like". Ran out of the room faster than a woman in Mike Tyson's apartment and found a place to cry my eyes out. See those funny kids, they can floor you from time to time!!!

So I'm off until we meet here again. Wish it was earlier.....possibly I could have hooked up for few drinks with Mummy Mom, Dracula Uncle and Wolfman Nephew......

Best Regards and God Bless,

David D

ROUND 2, READY to RUMBLE

Created and sent via e-mail JULY 6th......

To All,

These 8 days since coming home from the hospital until now have seemed liked 8 months. Once all went well with the first surgery and I checked out last Monday, all I wanted to do was get back for the 2nd surgery, get the other poison in my neck out and then move on ASAP to he next steps therapy.

My week, last week started out on a tremendous high that I didn't go home with a feeding tube. From the second I got into the hospital, I had no intention of taking that tube home with me and beating the odds. Which I did. BUT.....that didn't make matters go as shangri-lai. I rode a roller coaster of pain and trouble swallowing most of the week. My diet was basically 5 Ensures and throw in some yogurt and Jello pudding along the way. I think I saw Bill Cosby in my sleep between the pain and eating so much pudding.

On Friday I went back for a follow up with the Speech Pathologist and had very good results there. From day #1 after surgery everyone said how good my speech was.....and insert all the Dave D talking jokes here. I'll insert mine if you like.....by late Friday into Sunday my jaws ached and ached. I felt my mouth had a perpetual frown to it, because the muscles in my jaw and face were sagging. Actually I think it was from the "tongue therapy"......now how exciting does that sound.....and please no jokes here!!! Actually the therapy disrupted some scar tissue and made a few days not so fun.

The doctor on Friday let me advance to pureed foods which are SO disgusting to look out I really could have used a blindfold. But the problem I immediately developed was I bit my tongue and inside of mouth repeatedly.....and all of you know how that feels. I guess one thing I learned real quick after this surgery is how much goes on in ones mouth and when it gets f'd up, it can get really, really tedious and annoying to even drink a bottle a water.

So tomorrow we leave at 4:30AM and check into HUP (Hospital at The University of Pennsylvania) at 6:00AM. Not sure how long surgery will be, but it is amazing how all the docs on staff and the nurses paint it like you're just plucking an apple from a bucket. They all reinforce what a big deal it is not. "Ahhhh, you come in they cut you, take out the tumor sew you up and then we let you sleep the rest of the day and go home. Easy right?........But I'm still trying to grapple with being cut from my ear to my throat and that "not being a big deal". So by this time tomorrow even if all goes well, I'm sure I'll have one doozy of a scar. Once I get back and settled, I'll send out another update, but surely you can e-mail or text me if you like. You don't know how all of those get well wishes, positive thoughts and prayers sent my way boosted up my confidence.

Also there are too many people to note by name, but all the people who have chipped in my calling me, e-mailing to see how I was feeling, I got my grass cut, my sprinklers fixed, my garbage taken out, my kids watched, rides wherever and whenever I needed them.. I even had mass---this is the one e-mail I got that made me cry) said last Sunday in my honor by a man that I've never met. You all are a special group of people and give me great strength and I will never, every forget that.

So the 2 things I heard most over and over in your e-mails and texts were.....continuous jokes of eating and talking and the irony that the cancer would hit me in an area that impacts my 2 favorite things......talking and eating. One of the other common questions I got most was.........

"You Know Vince Lombardi"?

As humor will get me thru this and God knows I needed it this week with pain, lack of eating and an overall sluggish feeling, I give you the line of the week from my dear niece Celeste. She sent me this after I texted folks that I passed my "Speech and Swallow" test last Monday and I would not be going home with a feeding tube........

"Uncle Dave, I'm not surprised you passed a test involving talking and eating. You've been studying for that test your whole life"

PRICELESS!!!

Thanks all and God Bless You,

David D

DAY ONE UPDATE

Created and sent via e-mail JUNE 25, 2010........

Hello All, Greetings from bed 936B at UPenn as I try to fall asleep. I can't thank all of you enough for replying to my journey. Your kind comments, offered prayers and positive wishes have really made my day. Many of you asked to be kept updated, so I am more than glad to do so. I claimed a World Record today....the TORS (TransOralRoboticSurgery) was completed in 14 minutes...a record for this procedure. This was due to the tumor being smaller than expected, it was eve more accessible and needed less cutting area surrounding it. Incredible procedure! It was also great when I woke up to have the doctor tell me....."It couldn't have went any better". Currently I'm only in mild pain and don't feel the slightest bit sluggish. Let's hope this continues. On the funny side......Grace, my bro-in-law and I shared lines from "The Hangover" to pass the time in the pre-op until surgery time. So now it's time for the "Wolfpack on One" to go to bed. THANKS ALL!!!!!! David D

AN UNWANTED JOURNEY, BUT ONE I MUST TAKE........

Created and sent via e-mail JUNE 25, 2010......

Hello All,

Some of you now know the contents of this note, but the majority of you do not. I wish I could call each and every one of you to chat, but I cannot physically or emotionally do so. As you read on, I hope you understand why.

As direct as I can be........I have cancer.

After several weeks of tests and procedures we now know that it started in my tonsil, spread to my neck and for now, is NOT present in any other part of my body.

Before anything else, please know that while it is NOT in its earliest stage, it IS VERY treatable and the doctors have a high level of confidence in my long-term outlook. MY outlook while being completely realistic about my situation is one of confidence, desire to immediately rid my body of this poison and my utmost drive and dedication to get healthy and live life to its fullest for many years to come with Grace, Matthew, HArianna and Joshua.

Incredibly putting this into writing is somewhat therapeutic for me, so plese allow me some more therapy by somewhat recapping the journey so far. Hopefully it can take away many questions that you would ask me or Grace when given the opportunity.

This started with a standard trip to the ENT doctor over what I thought was a swollen gland that would not go away on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend that started 3 weeks of tests, imaging, blood work, scans, x-rays, biopsies, etc......that lead to the final diagnosis last Thursday. It has to be treated with at least 2 out of the 3 options---surgery, radiation, chemo---if not all 3. For now, surgery (2 of them) are on my horizon followed by daily radiation for 5-7 weeks. I've got about 2 1/2 months of a grind ahead of me, but I want to get started ASAP.

I'm going to be treated at U of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philly. Surgery for my tonsil is 9:30AM today (Friday) with the neck dissection currently set for July 6th if all healing from tonsil surgery goes well. My surgeon or as I like to call him......my new BFF......actually invented a robotic surgery (TORS for you internet seekers) in 2004 and both he and his resume---along with the hospital and staff are all very impressive. I believe I am in the best of hands to fix me and make me new again.

I'm also writing because frankly in this case, I'm being very selfish. With 2 hospital stays---1st one 3 days/2nd one 1-2 days, plus down time at home, plus weeks of radiation ahead of me..........I'd really welcome all the texts and e-mails I can get to keep active. Any prayers, good wishes, positive energy you want to throw my way.....I'd surely welcome all I could get. Funny thing is.......and THIS IS FUNNY!!!.....no TALKING and no EATING are on my recuperation list, so you can see the challenge that lies ahead of me.

Again.....I couldn't make all these phone calls as much I would have liked. Even if it is through e-mail, I'd rather you heard this from me as opposed to thru the grapevine. My journey begins now!

Best! David D