My life, and my fight with esophageal cancer. I'm winning.
Reclamation!
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I'm reclaiming this blog. It's been a while since I've been here. New computer, new keyboard, new respect for potential built-in followers already on Google's website. Welcome aboard.
23 August 2015 As the title suggests, there’s nothing new here, so if you’re looking for more news, you can go back now. Tomorrow I start the chemotherapy and radiation, and honestly, I’d rather not have to. I’ve been reading the information provided by the doctors, clinical studies, blogs, listening to podcasts (Jesse vs Cancer – not family friendly by any means), and hanging out on some forums, but I still feel like I’m not prepared for this. Despite how many people go through cancer and cancer treatments, it’s a disease that is very isolating. I have no idea what to expect tomorrow, and that’s partly because the treatments are very personalized. Bloodwork is done, and then the drugs are prepared tailored for exactly how you are that day. You may experience neuropathy, you may not. Your hair may fall out, it may not. You may end up with a different color hair after, or curly or straight, or you may not. You could get constipation or diarrhea (but not both) or you may not....
It's hard to believe that it's been 5 years since my last update. I left the job I had then, went and delivered car parts for a while, had my gallbladder out, worked in a residential mental health group home, and now have been a corrections officer at a prison for well over a year. Who would have thought that 8 years after that cancer experience that I'd be getting a face full of pepper spray and wrestling with prisoners? To be fair, I actually haven't had to wrestle with anyone, and there's always backup nearby, but still, it's a far cry from those days where the chemotherapy and radiation treatments made it so I couldn't walk on my own, or when I needed help getting to the bathroom after my surgery. If you've stumbled across this, hang in there. There's hope and a light at the end of the tunnel more often than it feels like there is. We're all in this together.
14 August 2015 July 10: I went in for my upper endoscopy, and possible dilation of the stricture, not a big deal, but it was the first time I had an IV, and the first time I’d had anesthesia. My mother let me know that she often is more sensitive to the anesthesia than they expect, so I let them know that. The anesthesiologist was eccentric (as I expect they all are) but I had complete confidence in him. I asked how long the procedure should take, and they told me the endoscopy would be about 45 minutes, and if they were able to dilate the stricture it would be another 20 minutes. I was looking forward to being able to eat a piece of pizza or a McDonald’s cheeseburger after the procedure. When I woke up, I asked what time it was, and it was only 50 minutes after the procedure had started, so I knew there was no cheeseburger in my future that day. My wife and four kids came in. They had been at the park next door to the hospital for the procedure. The doctor told me that he found...
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