Time for a quick update:
I came home from the James on Tuesday. It was nice to be here of course. I cannot level a single bad word regarding the care received at both Adena and the James. Both facilities were outstanding. After a hospital stay I am always left highly impressed with the care given daily by the nursing staff and their assistants. They are truly special people and they must have to deal with some awful patients because without fail I’ve been told I’m a great patient- and I do absolutely nothing for those accolades aside from attempting to not be a nuisance. My only guess is others are often more demanding???? Regardless, I’ve met a lot of fine people recently and have no idea how these special people maintain caring on a daily basis.
If I had been able to eat , even the food would have been satisfactory. No complaints anywhere. I dealt with a number of doctors, all of which were great. The doctor I have seen at the James for the last year and half or so never made an appearance- which is fine with me as I hold a very low opinion of him due to his arrogance and general demeanor. I have no idea why a man with his batting average would be such an egotistical prick. lol. I did make it a point to let the folks know he was a contributing factor in my decision to stop “treatment “.
Yesterday I had appointments with an oncologist that will be doing some radiation on my spine next week. Apparently I’ve acquired tumors that have degraded my spine It will not extend life expectancy but the hope is it will stifle the tumors as is. If I do not do these treatments, it is likely the pain I feel will greatly increase and the likely hood of paralysis increases. The doctors seem to be surprised my spine has not collapsed completely already. That is a blessing and I know it! So, I am even more thankful to God above for that. For any of you that have not had the “mask” made for spinal radiation treatment, be thankful no one has given you a description of that ordeal. lol. I’ll spare the details but it is survivable… but I had my doubts there for a few. lol.
My brother came 40 miles from his home yesterday to drive me to and from the hospital in spite of insisting I didn’t need his help. I can’t express my gratitude as I spent the entire trip puking, both ways. My poor brother was a trooper and it was time well spent between hurls. He really is not the same older brother I fought with at every opportunity through childhood.
I’ve always known the difference between friends and acquaintances. I have a lot of acquaintances. In fact, Seth and others have accused me of “knowing everyone “ At times. But this whole thing has shown me that I actually have a true friend circle that is much greater than I’d have ever taken the time to inventory. It’s been humbling. It’s shown me how amazingly blessed I’ve been in this life. As just one example, I have to mention just what I’ve seen today:
There are several variations of “off label” treatments that the medical cabal has tried to bury. Our own Mickey has reached out with what has been working with he and his wife. I’ve tried some of the easier to work protocols with little success so while I do not fear death, if I can do something to help with quality living going forward, I’ll try. I enlisted the thoughts of my friend Tony who is a naturalist, retired pharmacist, (sold his pharmacy a couple years ago), a genius really, and one of my best bird hunting buddies. Tony has searched out what he believes to be the best “off label “ attack for this cancer. It involves a things most doctors will not prescribe and are not easily tracked down. I sent the list to my family doctor, who is also a personal friend with the backbone to do whatever I want regardless of possible backlash from the cabal. Fortunately I have another close friend who still owns his own pharmacy. Of course we became friends through bird and bow hunting too. So he got a copy of “Tony’s protocol “ early this morning. He started sourcing right away and letting me know what I needed to have Dr.Alex writing scripts for. We have had a long day of texting amongst my “team” all day. And we aren’t done, but things are aligning. I’d be completely lost in this thing if it were not for these friends going above and beyond anything I ask.
Cont…
