Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Chapter 55
August in Medicine Hat, early morning at Tim Hortons to grab a coffee and a fritter for my drive to Maple creek to see a couple of sales calls. Walking back to my sales van when I stop for a smokers hack. I bring up some bright red blood with my smokers junk. Now this will give anyones mind an excuse to imagine all that is to be imagined. All day thoughts were running thru my mind.
That evening back in Calgary in the clinic, The Doc sends me for an Xray and tells me to bring it back from the lab myself. I do it , and we look at it together. She points out an area just above and to the left of my heart, and says there is obviously a mass of some type there and that I should prepare myself for what she believes will be bad news. . She sets all the wheels in Motion for me and next six months are a struggle For me to try and stay in the land of the living.
Dr Grondon , a young surgeon recently here from Boston, looks at me and tells me he has done this too many times to count. First he says we will schedule ct scans and see exactly where and how big it is. Having done this , next up its to the o/r for a biopsy to confirm. So Im in the foothills for a couple of days for the tests . Later he gives me the news. It is cancer and the tumor looks like its been there for about a year. Stage 3 he tells me, wrapped around the aorta. Not all bad news he tells me. The cancer doesn’t appear to have spread to the lymph nodes. He cannot operate to remove it. So he shuffles me over to the Tom Baker Cancer clinic.
The intern sat across from me and asked me what it was I wanted from them. Off guard for a minute I thought, what do I want? Off course it’s simple. I told Him I needed all the help I could get. This is one battle I can’t fight by myself.
Doctor Bebb one of my oncologists, kneeled in front of me as I sat numbed in a trance and said John, our chances of beating this are slim, slim indeed. He was british and always seemed to in a hurry to get something done. I was in a state of disbelief. All those years of being invincible were coming to a rapid and rather disconcerting end. I’d heard of a lifetime of smoking killing people, but that would never happen to me.. Right?
They work in teams and next to walk in was Dr Colum Smith. He looks at me and then Dr Bebb and asks him if hes told me yet. Told me what I ask. You also have a spot on your Liver that we’re concerned about he tells me . This plot is getting too thick . I ask Dr Smith what he thinks of my odds and he gives me my one ray of hope.. I think its possible he tells me. First were going to do an mri and get a clear picture.
Dr Smith was and is a big advocate of clinical trials. He convinced me to enter the one just under way. It was a combination of Chemo and radiation therapies. They laid out the battle plan for me did all the body mapping so they could aim the beams of radiation with pinpoint accuracy..
Radiation in the mornings and Chemo in the afternoon. After a few weeks and the results starting to come in. The tumor was shrinking. It was a new lease on life for me. Every day I wake, I say to myself. I know I’m not immortal, but its not gonna happen today.
At one of my visits with Dr Bebb , He tells me to get my blood pressure checked. Says it would be a shame To lose me to a heart attack after getting such good results from my cancer treatments.
I was diagnosed in late august of 05 and went thru my last treatments the first week of January 06. I’ve been to see my oncologist Dr Pinellas ( Dr Smith moved to Australia ) every six months since. The last visit he tells me not come back for a year and to go out and celebrate.
Im telling you all this because I sense what you are going through. While you’re right it is an ugly disease, how you react to it , your attitude in the battle to beat it and the team you have on your side are all so important in determining the outcome. DR Smith was definitely a factor for me. He is now back in Canada Working for the Saskatchewan Cancer board in Saskatoon. My oldest daughter gave me one year rosary with St Peregrine ( the patron saint for cancer patients ) that I took to every radiation and chemo treatment. God’s help is there whether you ask for it or not.. I asked. Remember this.” the will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.
That evening back in Calgary in the clinic, The Doc sends me for an Xray and tells me to bring it back from the lab myself. I do it , and we look at it together. She points out an area just above and to the left of my heart, and says there is obviously a mass of some type there and that I should prepare myself for what she believes will be bad news. . She sets all the wheels in Motion for me and next six months are a struggle For me to try and stay in the land of the living.
Dr Grondon , a young surgeon recently here from Boston, looks at me and tells me he has done this too many times to count. First he says we will schedule ct scans and see exactly where and how big it is. Having done this , next up its to the o/r for a biopsy to confirm. So Im in the foothills for a couple of days for the tests . Later he gives me the news. It is cancer and the tumor looks like its been there for about a year. Stage 3 he tells me, wrapped around the aorta. Not all bad news he tells me. The cancer doesn’t appear to have spread to the lymph nodes. He cannot operate to remove it. So he shuffles me over to the Tom Baker Cancer clinic.
The intern sat across from me and asked me what it was I wanted from them. Off guard for a minute I thought, what do I want? Off course it’s simple. I told Him I needed all the help I could get. This is one battle I can’t fight by myself.
Doctor Bebb one of my oncologists, kneeled in front of me as I sat numbed in a trance and said John, our chances of beating this are slim, slim indeed. He was british and always seemed to in a hurry to get something done. I was in a state of disbelief. All those years of being invincible were coming to a rapid and rather disconcerting end. I’d heard of a lifetime of smoking killing people, but that would never happen to me.. Right?
They work in teams and next to walk in was Dr Colum Smith. He looks at me and then Dr Bebb and asks him if hes told me yet. Told me what I ask. You also have a spot on your Liver that we’re concerned about he tells me . This plot is getting too thick . I ask Dr Smith what he thinks of my odds and he gives me my one ray of hope.. I think its possible he tells me. First were going to do an mri and get a clear picture.
Dr Smith was and is a big advocate of clinical trials. He convinced me to enter the one just under way. It was a combination of Chemo and radiation therapies. They laid out the battle plan for me did all the body mapping so they could aim the beams of radiation with pinpoint accuracy..
Radiation in the mornings and Chemo in the afternoon. After a few weeks and the results starting to come in. The tumor was shrinking. It was a new lease on life for me. Every day I wake, I say to myself. I know I’m not immortal, but its not gonna happen today.
At one of my visits with Dr Bebb , He tells me to get my blood pressure checked. Says it would be a shame To lose me to a heart attack after getting such good results from my cancer treatments.
I was diagnosed in late august of 05 and went thru my last treatments the first week of January 06. I’ve been to see my oncologist Dr Pinellas ( Dr Smith moved to Australia ) every six months since. The last visit he tells me not come back for a year and to go out and celebrate.
Im telling you all this because I sense what you are going through. While you’re right it is an ugly disease, how you react to it , your attitude in the battle to beat it and the team you have on your side are all so important in determining the outcome. DR Smith was definitely a factor for me. He is now back in Canada Working for the Saskatchewan Cancer board in Saskatoon. My oldest daughter gave me one year rosary with St Peregrine ( the patron saint for cancer patients ) that I took to every radiation and chemo treatment. God’s help is there whether you ask for it or not.. I asked. Remember this.” the will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)