Hello All,
Welcome Back to the Journey.......... Maybe it is the blessing of the season of Lent that has finally driven me. Or possibly it is that blogging will help save me from SHOOTING MYSELF OVER THIS WEATHER!!!......or maybe and probably just that I've finally gotten off my butt from little 2 month siesta here and get back to some things, for here specifically blogging.
It is nice to be back boys and girls and yes......it has been a while. This was really part of the plan to jump off this cancer train for a while....almost all parts of it that were not necessary to maintain my long-term care. But with that said....I never intended to not blog for a whole 2 months now. Stay away from doctor's appointments for 2 months, YES that was planned. Woulda/coulda/shoulda blogged before this since my last one on February 15th, but at this point.....it is what it is. I guess in many ways I didn't feel like I might not have had much to say....No pulling of Tubes, No Scans, No taking of pill after pill, No necks oozing puss, (See....didn't you miss this shit???) etc......No I still do have much to say that goes on today and many things I still want to write from the heart about the journey as surely it continues. But in many ways my life is getting some normalcy back to it over the past 2 months. But then again, that's really bullshit because in HARSH REALITY, my life will never been 100% the way it was before June 8th of last year. But with that said.....and as hard as this is to believe, in some ways, MY LIFE IS BETTER!!! Say what???.....see if I can get there a little bit today.
When we last left off with Mr DogZog......Well my last mailing list correspondence was not via a Blog, but by way of Blackberry e-mail to all of you when I got my 2 negative biopsies on February 16th. My next scan, follow up with the Radiation Oncologist and with my Surgeon would now not be until mid-April. 2 months off. Felt like a kid when school gets out. But not so fast......there is a problem with the ongoing Thrush that my Surgeon wanted me to be evaluated for the possibility of doing HyperBaric treatments....can you say Michael Jackson? HyperBaric???.....just hopefully I don't have to sit around with a pet chimp and teenage boys while wearing a sparkling glove if I do it, ala....the late MJ. Before I could do this, it requires an eye exam + the HyperBaric consult. Then there is what I affectionately call..."the DIZZY Doctor". Now I'm sure this doctor went to school and spent $100,000+ to not be called the "Dizzy Doctor". But for me, that is what he is. So to try and solve my Vertigo problem, we want Dave to take a hearing/balance test + a consult with my friend.....yes, THE Dizzy Doctor. So I exhale thinking I've got 2 months of no doctors and in the span of 2-3 minutes, I've got 4 appointments I need to schedule. YUK!!!
So I was pleasantly surprised and did not push back at all when scheduling could not get any of these appointments until......mid-April. Now come mid-April I was gonna get hammered with appointments. All of the follow ups I mentioned + a follow up with my dental specialist and other standard" follow ups with my docs at UPenn would bring the follow up appointments come mid-April to ten (10). More YUK!!! Captain Co-Pay would be back in full swing come mid-April for sure. So while I wasn't particularly looking forward to where we are right now, mid-April and the 10 follow up appointments, I was VERY MUCH looking forward to 2 months without seeing any doctors. Now we know that I've taken sooooo many medicines and seen soooooo many doctors, that I really couldn't go 2 months without seeing some kind of medical person. Goodness gracious if I went that long, Horizon would be sending me friendly Co-Pay reminders....." hey good friend, we haven't seen you a while".....type of thing.
But fear not Horizon....I had to stay on the Co-Pay train and had visits with a new GP, my Cardiologist and 2 trips to the dentist. Can't make any dentist jokes here though, as my dentist is on this distribution list!!! Additionally to these visits and really the only one related to the cancer recovery.....is going to PT for Lymphedema. These visits were twice/week, but now down to once/week, not due to it getting any better, but frankly due to the Co-Pay, price of gas and the miles traveled to get there. The affordability factor is only once/week. So.....as to the GP and Cardiologist visits you ask......passed with flying colors with all blood work and my weight (OFFICIALLY down >50lbs but <60lbs since March 2010) and blood pressue are so good, that my doctor might lower my BP meds come next visit. "Yeah baby".......
As to the ongoing Lymphedema, it continually reminds me of one word I've come to dread over these past 10 1/2 months......CHRONIC. My Lymphedema is chronic. My right side face numbness is chronic. My drier-than-normal mouth is probably chronic. My fluoride deficiency is my teeth is chronic. I'm hoping that the Thrush in my mouth is not chronic, but I've had it since mid-October and still yet......nobody can figure out how to completely cure it. Now mind you I don't have any problems swallowing, there are still some things that are very difficult. It still very difficult to eat harder foods...hard bread, chips, etc.....More so it is difficult to withstand spicier foods. This is the one I hope to heck they can fix because a life without Hot Buffalo Wings and Beer.....well......need I say more about the David D you all know??? It is also still difficult to eat certain foods unless rinsed down with a liquid. And while not a food, on sporadic Sundays I get to experience my toughest swallowing task as a result of my dry mouth. The hardest thing to get down is communion. It is extremely hard without the help of the Blood of Christ to wash it down. Now I'm sure Matthew and Luke and John don't have a scripture written for this, but it is a struggle on those days, like this past Sunday when the holy wine was not available in my section of the church. Don't think they would take very well to me turning Sunday Mass into a BYOBOC affair......Bring Your Own Blood of Christ. Yeah.....don't think that would go over very well.
Speaking of church and not going over well, as I've tried to continue my recovery, I'm trying to "diversify" in the prayer department, not asking for the same things over and over. Holy Week is upon us Christians and I was thinking of trying this one out at Easter mass tomorrow. Tell me how you think it would fly.........
Dear Lord,
Yes, your faithful servant David D here Lord. Just wondering your holiness, if you could help out here. I know you had that thing about turning water into wine. I was wondering if you could lend the touch to help turning my unpaid hospital bills into a winning Mega Millions ticket? Now it doesn't have to be like real MEGA Millions, just anything Mega would be fine. Can you get back at me on this?
Your faithful servant
David D
So I'm not really counting on this one working......what do you think?
Still with so many other things to say, I'll leave on that note of my pending Easter prayer + one other thing. I mentioned earlier that in some ways my life is better than it was. Possibly for many of you who know me, talked me and have seen me that would be incredibly hard for you to believe. Goodness all you would have had to do was follow this blog and it would be hard to believe that. But it is the sense of......."I'm so glad to be here today and well enough to".......kind of things. You know how nice it is to just watch the sun set? Things when you're sick you ponder if you're ever gonna see.....Arianna's prom, our 1st college visit with Arianna, (BTW.....Penn State last Friday and VERY nice!) seeing Josh walk in the door with glasses, getting Josh's report card of 3 A's and 3 B's and then having him put his hand out for a cash reward, getting to see everyday Matt's continued independence and growth into becoming a young man or getting the annual "when our we going back to Disney" speech from him......all things that hopefully I'm smart enough to soak in and allow myself to enjoy them unfolding---Grace and I together. So if you see a guy at the boardwalk or at the Brick Reservoir or just at the side of the road.....aimlessly staring at a setting sun this summer, it just might be me a crazy person......but also might just might be me......OK, same thing....I know!!!
Happy Passover and Happy Easter depending on your tribe.
God Bless,
David D
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