Chapter 3.4

Wednesday, November 20, 2013.

     (Sorry that it has taken so long to get this posted.  We have had much going on this week.)

We finished the radiation treatments yesterday.  After the treatment, we had a chance to talk to the radiation oncologist.  Normally that would have been Dr. Hitchcock, but she is out of town, so we got her partner, Dr.  Kristine E. Kokeny.  She was very polite and answered the questions that I had.  And one question led to another, until I finally asked her to tell me what "stage 4 cancer" really means.  She said basically the same thing others have said, namely that this is not curable, and that the doctors will do whatever they can to forestall the inevitable, while trying to preserve a reasonable quality of life.  She also showed us where they had been radiating. The cancer is right in the middle of one of my vertebra half way up my spine.  It is like a circle inside another circle. Now I understand why Dr. Hitchcock said that if we waited too long before treatment, the cancer could grow and produce a fracture. The tumor would grow and put enough pressure on the spine it would pop the bone from the inside.  She said that we should not really notice much difference in my symptoms for a week or two, but that the tumor should shrink some. In any event, it likely will not grow any more, and at the size it is now, does not pose a real threat to anything.  So we are through with the daily runs to Huntsman.  We will go back in a few weeks to visit Dr. Grossman and see if we want to start up chemo again, or what the next steps will be, but for now, a reprieve.

Today did not seem like much of a reprieve however, because we had an appointment with Dr. Day, (on 53rd South) who has been treating my atrial fibrillation for the last several years. I was out of flecainide, which regulates my heartbeat, and there were no more refills without this visit.  That having been taken care of, he took notice of the edema in my legs and prescribed a diuretic.  So I get off the chemo pill for a few weeks and get another one added to my list.  But I am fortunate; some folks I know take many more pills everyday than I have to.  

The pain associated with the bone cancer seems to be manageable, and my schedule is such that I get to take a nap pretty much whenever I want.  I am also able to work on my bucket list, which right now is to do stuff around the house, like repair the storage bins downstairs or change a light bulb, so life is good.  Speaking of bucket lists, etc., I failed to mention that although the doctors do not want to talk about time frames, the last two prescriptions I have received provide enough pills for a year.  Some prescriptions have been for only 90 days or so.  Moreover, for the last four years my parking permit at the Church office building has been good for only six months, after which I have had to renew.  This time it is is good for one year.  I choose to assume there is a message in these events that give me a little more time for my bucket list.

I feel richly blessed, and feel the effects of prayers in my behalf.  I want to be worthy of those prayers.  I know the Lord loves His children, and that you and I are included in that group.  I receive a lot of support and love from the brethren I have the immense privilege of working with here at church headquarters as well as from my wife.  There really is something to the gospel of Christ; it actually works if people will apply its principles in their lives.