My surgery to remove my kidney, and tumor, has been scheduled for December 23rd. So I will probably still be in the hospital on Christmas day. Wish is was some other day, but happy to finally get it scheduled.
I am constantly being struck by the irony of having this happen. While the medical issue is quite significant, I am constantly reminded of being blessed. By all the support friends and co-workers express, getting closer to my family and realizing how precious each minute has become. Living in the moment is what I have to do to keep from being overwhelmed by this situation.
One bright spot. The results from my MRI of my head were normal. No cancer spread to there at this time. That is a good thing.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Bad news from the Doctor
So I have been planning for retirement, possibly in January, 2014. I made an appointment to see one of my Doctor's to try to get a minor problem taken care of before I retire. While there, they did an x-ray and found that I have a large tumor on my left kidney. The Doctor says he is 99% sure it is cancer. What a shock, from taking care of a minor issue, to a life altering diagnosis.
Long story short, I will be having surgery in the next couple of weeks to have the tumor, and my kidney removed. Only after the tumor is analysed will I know what the tumor is and how my future will be impacted.
There is a chance I will be able to enroll in a research study being conducted here in town. They take the tumor tissue, mix it was my white blood cells, re inject the white blood cells into my body and hope that they attack any cancer cells that may have spread from the kidney tumor. I have passed the first step in being accepted for the research study, but have a couple more hurtles to jump before I get the treatment.
I like my life to be uneventful and stable, but of course that is not the case anymore. Hopefully, my life will stabilize once the surgery has been done, the tumor analysed and a better picture of my future develops.
Long story short, I will be having surgery in the next couple of weeks to have the tumor, and my kidney removed. Only after the tumor is analysed will I know what the tumor is and how my future will be impacted.
There is a chance I will be able to enroll in a research study being conducted here in town. They take the tumor tissue, mix it was my white blood cells, re inject the white blood cells into my body and hope that they attack any cancer cells that may have spread from the kidney tumor. I have passed the first step in being accepted for the research study, but have a couple more hurtles to jump before I get the treatment.
I like my life to be uneventful and stable, but of course that is not the case anymore. Hopefully, my life will stabilize once the surgery has been done, the tumor analysed and a better picture of my future develops.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
A book I got for Christmas
My life story.
I got a book for Christmas called something about "Do you remember when". It basically has pages of "fill in the blanks" for things like where I was born, where I went to school and stuff like that. It is supposed to be a book that I fill our and give to my grandchild, so she will know me better latter on after I have passed away. I got to thinking about it and this could be dangerous. Since my grandchild is only 4 years old, I could leave her with all sorts of things to remember about me. The time I singlehandedly saved the Earth from Alien Space Invaders. The time I parted the waters of the river to allow people to walk across. And all the various other wonderful things I accomplished in my life. Could be fun, but would it be beneficial? What should I leave as an inheritance for my grandchild. What family history should I pass along, from generation to generation? Should I pass along only the good things that happened? Would it be helpful for my future generations to not know about the bumps and bruises the family suffered during the course of our lives. Should the struggles be ignored, and only the victories and triumphs related?
As you can see, I am somewhat conflicted about what I should pass on, and what should be forgotten. I think I need to think about this a little more before I start to fill in the blanks.
I got a book for Christmas called something about "Do you remember when". It basically has pages of "fill in the blanks" for things like where I was born, where I went to school and stuff like that. It is supposed to be a book that I fill our and give to my grandchild, so she will know me better latter on after I have passed away. I got to thinking about it and this could be dangerous. Since my grandchild is only 4 years old, I could leave her with all sorts of things to remember about me. The time I singlehandedly saved the Earth from Alien Space Invaders. The time I parted the waters of the river to allow people to walk across. And all the various other wonderful things I accomplished in my life. Could be fun, but would it be beneficial? What should I leave as an inheritance for my grandchild. What family history should I pass along, from generation to generation? Should I pass along only the good things that happened? Would it be helpful for my future generations to not know about the bumps and bruises the family suffered during the course of our lives. Should the struggles be ignored, and only the victories and triumphs related?
As you can see, I am somewhat conflicted about what I should pass on, and what should be forgotten. I think I need to think about this a little more before I start to fill in the blanks.
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