Sunday, September 17, 2017

Back in the 20th century


It was early march in northern Saskatchewan. It was after midnight when Mom called for mrs gurgly. The hour was late, the roads were in poor condition. I was her third , and she felt confidant. And then it happened, I arrived on earth from out of nowhere on march 3,1949.  Tough little bugger . Here I am still kicking in sept, 2017.

Wednesday, March 08, 2017

 It's been about a week since I got the news.  Those 
Two spots on my liver. Well as it turns out , they've gotten bigger.  I've been through the tests, and even
Without a biopsy they know it's the same kind that was growing on my pancreas. I ask him how big they are and he holds his two fingers about an inch apart for the bigger one and slightly less for the smaller one. So now what. I've been here before, twice as a matter of fact. I don't want this again . It takes a heavy toll on
The mind and starts to reflect in every day living. It's never far from your thoughts.

Three options I'm told. Surgery is the usually most successful option. Next a procedure he calls ablation, where they attack the tumours with needles and try to destroy them. Third , we can do nothing, and see where they go.  I can't live with the latter , so I need some kind of advice for a shot at surviving a bit longer.  He suggests ablation surgery and I agree, it's a place to start  I wonder why he tries to steer away from surgery, and I think he fears going in and finding something he doesn't like. So now I wait for the call. This is one of the things that leaves you in a stressful frame of mind. No long term plans, just wait.

This form is rare. 1 out of 100,000 will get this type.  It doesn't respond very well to chemotherapy.  Not sure about radiation therapy. But all I know is the  fight is on, and I need to get started. I'll see my family Doc this week and see what kind of advice he has for me . I already know of course, I've heard it before.  Keep moving, stay focused, don't give up and stay in touch with my God. The surgeon offered me a glimpse of what I could expect for time. He said I've got years left in me. I have to take that for all that it could mean. 


Monday, March 06, 2017

Germany's Ãœbergutmenschen get their death wish: Over 7 million lumpen migrants -- incl. uncounted family members -- have already received a meal ticket for life, and that's just for starters



Sunday, November 06, 2016

Bluebirds

http://youtu.be/6nK-XWeLmtA

Go time.

Nov 24 ,  be there or be square. Sign in at 8:00 am.  Nothing to eat or drink after midnight. Blood work done no sooner than three days before the big day. I am a little apprehensive.  Been here before and I know the drill, but it just doesn't get any easier. November 14, sit tight for a phone call, the nurse will ring and take down all the particulars, my drug list with all that they treat.
Thursday Nov 17 its a half day at the Foothills doing the pre admittance physical. I've been here before so I got the routine down pat, but my anxiety level is high this time. These battles are ugly
and as I age they become harder. So wish me luck and say a good word.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Jade Ribbons



 It's been about a week since I got the news.  Those 
Two spots on my liver. Well as it turns out , they've gotten bigger.  I've been through the tests, and even
Without a biopsy they know it's the same kind that was growing on my pancreas. I ask him how big they are and he holds his two fingers about an inch apart for the bigger one and slightly less for the smaller one. So now what. I've been here before, twice as a matter of fact. I don't want this again . It takes a heavy toll on
The mind and starts to reflect in every day living. It's never far from your thoughts.

Three options I'm told. Surgery is the usually most successful option. Next a procedure he calls ablation, where they attack the tumours with needles and try to destroy them. Third , we can do nothing, and see where they go.  I can't live with the latter , so I need some kind of advice for a shot at surviving a bit longer.  He suggests ablation surgery and I agree, it's a place to start  I wonder why he tries to steer away from surgery, and I think he fears going in and finding something he doesn't like. So now I wait for the call. This is one of the things that leaves you in a stressful frame of mind. No long term plans, just wait.

This form is rare. 1 out of 100,000 will get this type.  It doesn't respond very well to chemotherapy.  Not sure about radiation therapy. But all I know is the  fight is on, and I need to get started. I'll see my family Doc this week and see what kind of advice he has for me . I already know of course, I've heard it before.  Keep moving, stay focused, don't give up and stay in touch with my God. The surgeon offered me a glimpse of what I could expect for time. He said I've got years left in me. I have to take that for all that it could mean. 

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Ablation, my option.

Tumor ablation for liver cancer


Ablation is treatment that destroys liver tumors without removing them. These techniques are used in patients with a few small tumors and when surgery is not a good option (often because of poor health or reduced liver function). They are less likely to cure the cancer than surgery, but they can still be very helpful for some people. These treatments are also sometimes used in patients waiting for a liver transplant.
Ablation is best used for tumors no larger than about 3 cm across (a little over an inch). For slightly larger tumors (3 to 5 cm across), it may be used along with embolization (see next section). Because ablation often destroys some of the normal tissue around the tumor, it might not be a good choice for treating tumors near major blood vessels, the diaphragm, or major bile ducts.
People getting this type of treatment typically do not require a hospital stay. Often, ablation can be done without surgery by inserting a needle or probe into the tumor through the skin. The needle or probe is guided into place with ultrasound or CT scanning. Sometimes, though, to be sure the treatment is aimed at the right place, it may be done during surgery.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)

This procedure uses high-energy radio waves for treatment. The doctor inserts a thin, needle-like probe into the tumor. A high-frequency current is then passed through the tip of the probe, which heats the tumor and destroys the cancer cells. This is a common treatment method for small tumors.

Ethanol (alcohol) ablation

This is also known as percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI). In this procedure, concentrated alcohol is injected directly into the tumor to kill cancer cells.

Microwave thermotherapy

In this procedure, microwaves transmitted through the probe are used to heat and destroy the abnormal tissue.

Cryosurgery (cryotherapy)

This procedure destroys a tumor by freezing it using a thin metal probe. The probe is guided into the tumor and then very cold gasses are passed through the probe to freeze the tumor, killing the cancer cells. This method may be used to treat larger tumors than the other ablation techniques, but it sometimes requires general anesthesia (where you are deeply asleep and not able to feel pain).

Side effects of ablation therapy

Possible side effects after ablation therapy include abdominal pain, infection in the liver, and bleeding into the chest cavity or abdomen. Serious complications are uncommon, but they are possible.

Last Medical Review: 03/31/2016
Last Revised: 04/28/2016

Sunday, October 02, 2016

This Rings True

On the day I die a lot will happen.
A lot will change.
The world will be busy.
On the day I die, all the important appointments I made will be left unattended....
The many plans I had yet to complete will remain forever undone.
The calendar that ruled so many of my days will now be irrelevant to me.
All the material things I so chased and guarded and treasured will be left in the hands of others to care for or to discard.

The words of my critics which so burdened me will cease to sting or capture anymore. They will be unable to touch me.
The arguments I believed I’d won here will not serve me or bring me any satisfaction or solace.
All my noisy incoming notifications and texts and calls will go unanswered. Their great urgency will be quieted.
My many nagging regrets will all be resigned to the past, where they should have always been anyway.
Every superficial worry about my body that I ever labored over; about my waistline or hairline or frown lines, will fade away.
My carefully crafted image, the one I worked so hard to shape for others here, will be left to them to complete anyway.
The sterling reputation I once struggled so greatly to maintain will be of little concern for me anymore.
All the small and large anxieties that stole sleep from me each night will be rendered powerless.
The deep and towering mysteries about life and death that so consumed my mind will finally be clarified in a way that they could never be before while I lived.
These things will certainly all be true on the day that I die.
Yet for as much as will happen on that day, one more thing that will happen.
On the day I die, the few people who really know and truly love me will grieve deeply.
They will feel a void.
They will feel cheated.
They will not feel ready.
They will feel as though a part of them has died as well.
And on that day, more than anything in the world they will want more time with me.
I know this from those I love and grieve over.
And so knowing this, while I am still alive I’ll try to remember that my time with them is finite and fleeting and so very precious—and I’ll do my best not to waste a second of it.
I’ll try not to squander a priceless moment worrying about all the other things that will happen on the day I die, because many of those things are either not my concern or beyond my control.
Friends, those other things have an insidious way of keeping you from living even as you live; vying for your attention, competing for your affections.
They rob you of the joy of this unrepeatable, uncontainable, ever-evaporating Now with those who love you and want only to share it with you.
Don’t miss the chance to dance with them while you can.
It’s easy to waste so much daylight in the days before you die.
Don’t let your life be stolen every day by all that you believe matters, because on the day you die, much of it simply won’t.
Yes, you and I will die one day.
But before that day comes: let us live..-unknown

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Safe

Wait,  it's like I'm falling into a deep well. Time and space is rushing by me . I'm going deeper and deeper into the abyss towards a faint blue sparkling star. The feeling of morphing into a new existence is growing stronger. The darkness is unfolding into a sapphire blue vividly sharp light.
I am so close, when I hear the words. Johnny, don't leave.  I know , I know now for sure, that I'm safe.