Friday April 29

Today I picked up the first chemo prescription from Weis.

Sue had taken it down to the Pharmacy to have it filled and a few hours later we got a phone call from a nice young man who asked me; “Mr O'Grady this prescription is going to cost six hundred and fifty dollars, do you still want it?”

Wow! In that innocent question I realized that at least for now I could afford a life and death prescription, how about all of those who did not have six hundred and fifty dollars to fork out?

Then today, when I went to pick up these potentially life saving drugs, the Pharmacist asked me if anyone had talked to me about the cost; I of course replied that I had and also mentioned that my Personal Cost of Living Index (PCLI) has risen somewhat drastically over the past two weeks.

On other matters, I have to admit that I watched the “Royal Wedding” up until about 7:00 A.M. When I had to head out on an installation.

In all honesty it totally reminded me of my wedding except for the following.

I had more hair then the groom

Didn't have the Rolls Royce s

Didn't have 1900 guests at the wedding

Didn't need to spend fifty five million on security

Didn't get married in a cathedral

Didn't have the “Queen Mum” in attendance (although my Mum is our Queen”)

Didn't have three billion people watch me on TV

Other then that boys and girls......... Just the same

And..........My Wife.........Just as beautiful

Later....... Mike

Tripping

Yesterday while on a routine five mile trail run I tripped and fell hard into a nice garden of “trail rocks”

Everyone knows that right after you fall you may bounce up, hurting a bit but continue on anyway. Call it endorphins, adrenaline or just pure stupidity it works..but that nagging feeling of ... How will I feel in the morning looms large.

This morning, felt like someone worked my right side with a baseball bat.

However even more is at stake now, in the full length mirror I dropped my tight-y white-ties and looked at my right hip to see if my new tattoo” was still there or if the black and blue obscured it. To my relief my “new marks” are a couple of inches down the way.

Lucked out again!

Mike

April 28th "The Question "

Last night a bolt of lighting lit up our room, turning on my clock radio and waking me up. Of course, instead of getting back to sleep my mind wandered and I focused on one question asked by a Doctor's assistant, “Well have you made your decision yet?”

When she asked, it took a microsecond to understand what she was really asking. “Are you going to proceed with treatment?”

My reply to her was “There has never been a decision to make”. It then dawned on me that through all of the sessions with the docs neither Sue or I have ever asked, “What are My Chances”. 

Mike 

The Simulation April 27th

Today was a good day, too bad you have to meet a whole lot of really great people because your ill.

Anyway, got in a three mile run with Molly (a.k.a Fat Dog), quick shower and I was ready at 9:00 A.M. for my Barium Sulfate Suspension Smoothie (Banana Flavored) Yummy. I keep reading about side effects of everything I'm taking, or will be taking  and think how cool would it be if this stuff could make you glow at night for a couple of hours. Certainly would be a Halloween hit.

So today I spent time with Patrick, the man who hopefully shall be the only one to ever give me a Tattoo, actually three. One on each side of my ass and one near the top. When I found out I was going to be bearing Tattoos I asked if it was possible get something cool instead of the "Plain Dot". (Mom, Susie perhaps) Well the dot is the standard procedure but Patrick agreed to give me the special "Micro Dot". Of course they are really small, sort of like the 10 commandments inscribed on some small Zirconium Stone and advertised on Home Shopping Network.


Unfortunately, I forgot to ask what three Micro Dots I got.

Standing in front of a mirror didn't help either, I can't twist and turn enough to read my ass with a magnifying glass and trying to use two mirrors.... well I can't read backwards either.

So lets assume for the moment that I've got so great stuff I'm carring around on my Bum.

Later .... Mike

The Treatments

So here it is in a nutshell.

Six weeks of chemo and Radiation followed by one to two months off as the tumor in the rectum shrinks. This will be followed by surgery at St. Josephs Hospital in Baltimore MD followed by IV Chemo for as yet an undisclosed amount of time.

With luck the Surgeon, Dr. Howard Berg, will create an artificial Rectum so that I will only wear a bag for a period of three to four months.

Lesson learned the hard way that I hope none will repeat. I didn't think a little bleeding, intermittent as it was a big deal.

Was it Good For You

April 22, 2011

Poor Sue used her entire spring break accompanying me to various doctors, all of who had me drop my underwear to my knees to shove an instrument or a finger up my ass. So today, after the doctor left and I got dressed I asked Sue, "Was it Good for You Too?"

To which see answered, "I like to watch. " (An obscure reference to A Peter Sellers Movie.)

The Phone Call

April 11th 2011

The phone rang and it was Dr. Yang on the other end. We exchanged some chit chat about the weekend. I mentioned that my son Patrick has just completed his run as the Phantom in Thomas Johnson's High School's Production of Phantom of the Opera.

Then came the long pause and the words I did not want to hear, "Mike it's cancer, I'm sorry".

I hung up the phone in a state of shock but feeling little until I started shivering as if the office temperature had just dropped thirty degrees.

Ultra Sound

Wednesday April 13, 2011 

I was calm and collected, surprising so as I walked into the examination room. Penny, a small black woman who assists Dr. Akbari must have seen my wide eyes as I looked at the device they were about to use on me.

Penny touched me on my shoulder and said, "Don't Worry Honey we're not putting all of that in you". 

Yikes