To my family and my friends.
Howdy folks,
Sorry it took a little longer to get back to you this time around.
I was doing so good two days before Thanksgiving I hardly could believe it. And I must say, I was beginng to think this operation recovery was going to be a breeze.
Then the day before Thanksgiving hit. Wow, I'm not sure that I have ever felt such fatigue in all my life. And, yup, I have been fatigued before for various reasons. I would have a good long sleep and could shake it off pretty good. But, I guess that was then and this is now. I will shake this fatigue as soon as I am able.
I need to be all I can when I start radiation treatment and it looks like that's next Tuesday 12/08/09. Still not sure what the date will be to start chemo, but it will be sometime after I start radiation.
Good news, the Veterans Medical Administration has approved the "FEE BASIS", so it all a "GO" for me to recieve radiation at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital. What a relief. I can only imagine how long the ride would seen back and forth to Boston or Albany, NY 5 days a week for 8 weeks. And to top it off I would still have to go to the WRJ Vermont VA Hospital for chemo treatments. But now, easy goes it, the Vermont VA Hopital and Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital are only about 10 minutes apart from each other and both are abot 40 minutes from my home.
I stated in an earlier post how glad I was that my cancer was a type that didn't spread from 1 generation to the next. And it is pretty much the case, however, since the surgery and all the pathology lad work, it turned out that I didn't have Thymoma a type of cancer of the Thymus. The Thymus cancer I have is called Thymic Carsinoma. It's a nastyier beast with bigger teeth and among some of it's uglier traits it also has the ability to spread to next generations through a predisposed gene. So, I have an appointment (also at Hitchcock Hospital) to find that gene and see if I have it, if yes, then my kids get checked, if yes for them than my grandkids get checked and so on untill it checks negitve for my posterity. As I recall if it checks as yes a yearly chest X-ray will be the safety net to catch any ativity of thymus cancer, and hopefully in it's very early stage. At least the safety net is a painless quick and simple tell for the followup for my kids, and that's only if I have the gene. I'm hopeing that I don't have the gene. Other than the gene, the Doc's all say that they just don't know where Thymic Carsinoma comes from or what causes it. I must have watched to many science fictions in my life, I can't seem to understand why there is such questions in the medical field. But then again, I pretty much live in the world where repair you need to do is at the Harley shop, Auto shop, Home Depot or Wal-Mart. lol
I had my Surgery check-up on 12/01/09, had all the stitched removed and a general once over. My 3 extra belly bottons where the chest tubes came out don't look so much like belly buttons anymore. Now they look more like a squirrel bit me real hard in 3 places before it got away. lol The big scar is looks to be healing good but I have lots of numbness on my right brest area. The Doc said it will come back. I also have a severe pain on my right lower ribcage from my frentic nerve (part of the diaphram). When it acts up it's very hard to breathe in and I loose a few points on the stupid suck air in gadget. I stopped taking pain meds the other day, but last night I took one and "wow" I sleep a little better once I fell asleep. I guess I take them for a few more days now and stop again latter. I really do enjoy a full night of sleep, or at least 4 hours worth of shuteye. lol
My right lower lung, where I had a wedge removed is doing good and with all the hacking and wacking that went on in my chest, all and all it feels pretty good. My chest musles and sternum and ribs that were cut are still pretty sore. Especially when I cough, sneeze or even yawn. I still have a hard time reaching up for anything so once I get it, I leave it down. lol I still bring up some phlegm several times a day, the good news is it's getting less painful, easier, less frequent and it's clear.
This past Monday a friend, Kevin, brought me and Sue for the ride to see the Surgent in boston. A little over 3 hours there, poor Kevin rode about an hour just to get to my house first. (THANKS AGAIN KEVIN!!) The way home seemed much longer because we stopped for a bite to eat. I think I slept a little on the way home. A song that comes to mind every time I go to Boston or other big cities is, "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" . I was good to get home. Since then I have had a hard time even gettin out of bed or the recliner. I'm just so tired and week. I need to get my bitt in gear and walk til I drop, well, maybe not drop, but more like a controled landing into an easy chair or bed maybe. lol
That's all I can seen to remember right now, but I'll check in again soon.
thanks again for all your thought and prayers
Dad, Sam, chappy
PS: the twins and Mama are doing good!!
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Topic: I might be down, but I'm not out! (Read 320526 times)