March 2, 2009

I discovered early on that telling the same grim story over and over was somewhat depressing. I think that I would rather spend my energy interacting with family and friends about fun stuff..... where are you, what are you doing, good jokes, stories, and gossip.

As always, I welcome all comments, e-mails, and phone calls.

A brief history:

I went to a clinic early in Jan. thinking that I had a minor urinary tract infection, but found out early in Feb that I had bladder cancer. Looking back, I could trace some symptoms back about two years..... I know that I should have been more diligent regarding these symptoms, but.....

At first, things seemed pretty grim, 80% of my bladder lining was covered with tumors. The Dr. felt that it was unlikely that the bladder could be saved, and if the cancer had invaded the bladder muscle, I had a 50% chance to survive 3 years. I thought it was a death sentence.

I had surgery on Feb. 16. I won't go into the details, but that Dr. boldly went where no man had gone before, with tools that would be illegal to use on a terrorist. The Dr. could not get all of the cancer, and still felt that the bladder could not be saved.

Then..... Feb. 23, good news. The lab examined the samples, and declared that the cancer had not invaded the bladder muscle. The Dr. now thinks that the bladder may be saved, and recommends another unspeakable procedure. If the remaining cancer can be removed, I can likely live a reasonably normal life.

I traveled to Pa. to be near my family, and to seek treatment with the specialists in Pittsburgh. I have an appointment on Wed. March 4.

I cannot end this history with out giving thanks to my family and friends. I was, and continue to be, humbled and overwhelmed with the caring and kindness that I received. My perspective has been forever changed.