I'll Give You a Break

I’m going to give you a break from my death talk. Here’s a medical update. Several weeks ago I saw a surgeon who concurred with my diagnosis. I have a hernia. He said it was a pretty bad one. Since then I’ve had several more episodes with it and each one seems to hurt more than the last. So I’m going to get it fixed. And even though I was the one to diagnose it I’m letting the surgeon do the repair. At first Dr. George (the Chemo Kaiser), did not want me to have surgery. She said she could fix it by doubling up on my chemo doses. Just kidding. She said it was not a good idea to have an open wound while on chemo. But when I explained to her how bad it was she gave in. But it had to be carefully coordinated with the chemo. The surgeon recommended it be done two weeks after a treatment and two weeks before a treatment. So it will be done next week, Christmas week. Some people have questioned my decision to do it so close to Christmas but they fail to realize several things. First, it is very uncomfortable and I want it fixed. Secondly, it has to be coordinated with the chemo treatments so there’s a small window of opportunity. Thirdly, if I wasn’t having surgery Christmas week I’d be having chemo. So now I’ll have 5 weeks between chemo treatments…. Woo Hoo! That in itself is a good thing because I’m at the point where I think I need time off. Unfortunately, while the chemo is keeping me alive by attacking the cancer, it’s also attacking the rest of my body. I’m not sure why, but I continue to lose weight. I’ve now lost more than 100 pounds. Luckily (I guess), I was that much overweight so now I’m about normal. But I’m still losing and I don’t know when or if that will stop. Of greater concern to me however is the neuropathy which is getting worse. Frankly, I don’t see much point in prolonging life if that life has to be spent unable to walk or use my hands. So I’ll have the surgery and then deal with that lousy balancing act between quality and quantity of life. In the meantime, have a great Christmas and holiday season. Carry on. ---------------------------------------------------------