An Elusive, Complicated Bugger!

In the interest of transparency this edition will share my current struggles and direction as we know it.  The last few weeks have been filled with medical consults and scans.  Cancer is an elusive and complicated bugger that morphs in more ways that Mitt Romney. 

The main issue is the spread to the bones --  the pain the lesions cause and the course of treatment.  This is not the worst pain I’ve experienced (chest surgery and a 6 month battle with mega kidney stone top it), but it is debilitating.  I move like a 100 year old.  So the issue is pain management.  We’ve ratcheted up to a morphine patch that I just put on 12 hours ago and will take another 12 to fully kick in.  I did have a pretty good night last night; slept more that I had in weeks.

Of course, the long term use of morphine is not attractive so, what’s up on the treatment side?  I’m starting two additional drugs.  One is to strengthen the bones because cancers invades and deteriorates them, the other is another chemo drug that will begin after radiation.  I saw a spine and a long bone orthopedic specialist.  Had my vertebrae and/or femur deteriorated and at risk of breakage?  -- Major complications!  If so, surgery with metal implants would be necessary.  So, as has been our experience traversing the dark trails, God’s grace is always active.  I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy to say that in both of those places there is not yet bone deterioration!!  That is a tremendous thing to be thankful for, and we are.

So, nice guys as they are, I was happy to say goodbye to the surgeons.  So now it is hello to the radiation oncologist with a consult next Wed.  With him we will determine how many of these lesions will be zapped with radiation.  Our hopes and prayers are that this treatment will reduce pain and that the new drugs will reduce the cancer tumors.

I continue to be more than pleased with the Block Center.  Such caring and knowledgeable professionals!  Yesterday was chemo day but those are not bleak days – in fact, another evidence of God’s grace is that these chemo days give me an uplift, not a downer.

Along that line my precious family and friends continue to be amazing blessings.  Susan found us a wheel chair to borrow and Sunday afternoon our little brood spent Sunday evening on the Lakefront from the 12 st beach to Millennium Park.  My wife -- she strong like bull!!  That was great fun.  It was great to be mobile but very strange to be in a wheel chair.  Man if I l only had a segway!! :-)   I do like having a handicapped parking permit though!!

You know the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for”?  I was reflecting with a nurse that I battled all my life with weight and often thought, “Man I wish I didn’t have a desire to eat.”  Well that wish came true!  I used to live to eat, now I only eat to live.  It is a chore and such a weird deal not to ever be hungry.   At the worst of my fatness I was 265 lbs years ago.  Yesterday I weighed in at 165.5lbs (40 lbs were intentional, the rest a spinoff of the battle.)  Think about that – I have.  So another prayer request is that I will eat more to get my weight up to 175 – 180.

I’ll finish with telling you of another joy in my life.  Cy (who will be 8 yrs old tomorrow) and I have developed a tradition.  We read a Harry Potter book together and BEFORE we see the movie (currently on book three.)  The reading times (averaging twice daily) are great times for cuddling and fun interaction.  BUT, of course, one thing leads to another so now the birthday Lego requests are HP centered.  Hogworts is not cheap!!

I lied, I’ll really finish with a request: do you know of a mobility scooter hanging around someplace getting dusty?  Circle is such a big facility that in my condition I can no longer transverse.  With a scooter I could get around a lot of it.  I pray this is a temporary condition so I don’t want to buy one, nor can we afford to.  I also figure that there are a lot of these things around.  If you know of a possibility please shoot me an email: glenk@circleurban.org.

Blessings and thanks for the support

glen