Cancer! Yikes!
Hello to all family and friends. I have decided to create this blog page as a means to inform and share with everyone my progress through this new trial. I will try to give you some background as well as share updates from time to time.
We do SO APPRECIATE all the prayers and words of encouragement and acts of love and kindness that have been shown to Pam and I (and Sara) during these last few trying weeks. God has been so good to us and we bless and praise Him for the kindness shown by all.
I have decided to do this chronologically, with The Run Up to Diagnosis at the bottom and the latest news at top. So if you want to read from the start, scroll to the bottom to begin.
Friday, October 12 – Post surgery check up
Friday we had an appointment with the surgeon to check up on my progress. To say it all quickly, I am doing excellently. She was very pleased. My incision has healed well, and my strength and color have returned. While the leg remains a problem, the current course of treatment should resolve that. She wants follow up visits to check me out very 3 months through this next year, and then twice a year for the following year. And of course I am to begin a chemotherapy regimen soon, as soon as I am sufficiently recovered.
We have two appointments scheduled this next week with oncologists to investigate the chemotherapy treatment options and make a decision. While it is not something that I want to do, my surgeon is requiring it as a precautionary procedure lest there should be any rogue cancer cells floating around my body. As it turns out the cancer had metastasized to the lymph nodes, but there was no sign it had spread further. The chemotherapy treatment then, we are told, is just a precautionary procedure to scorch the landscape and kill any rogue cells that may be floating around undetected.
Monday, October 1 – Start Recovery at home.
As I came home I was admittedly pretty whipped. I was physically exhausted from the anemia, the surgery, and the difficulty of going days without food. But it was awfully good to be home. And Pam was wonderful, as she had been through every step of this experience. She attended to my every need, and allowed me to just rest and sleep. And for the first several days I did just that. I rested and ate my low-fiber diet and tried to regain my strength. As it turned out, I rested too much. Toward the end of the first week I developed some real, severe pain in my right leg when I would walk or stand on it. It felt swollen and hurt most of the time. A consultation with the surgeon and a trip back to the hospital was ordered for an ultrasound exam of the leg. As it turned out, I had developed blood clots in my lower leg below the knee. We were prescribed some blood thinning medicine; a daily shot to jump start the process and a daily pill. Gradually that has helped, though today (October 13) my leg is not fully recovered. We have had two follow-up appointments to check my blood and it has gotten to the desired thinness. I am off the daily shots but continue with the daily pill. The expectation is that the clots will dissolve of themselves with time. And I must say that daily it seems to be better, though as I write my leg is still not normal.
Hello to all family and friends. I have decided to create this blog page as a means to inform and share with everyone my progress through this new trial. I will try to give you some background as well as share updates from time to time.
We do SO APPRECIATE all the prayers and words of encouragement and acts of love and kindness that have been shown to Pam and I (and Sara) during these last few trying weeks. God has been so good to us and we bless and praise Him for the kindness shown by all.
I have decided to do this chronologically, with The Run Up to Diagnosis at the bottom and the latest news at top. So if you want to read from the start, scroll to the bottom to begin.
Friday, October 12 – Post surgery check up
Friday we had an appointment with the surgeon to check up on my progress. To say it all quickly, I am doing excellently. She was very pleased. My incision has healed well, and my strength and color have returned. While the leg remains a problem, the current course of treatment should resolve that. She wants follow up visits to check me out very 3 months through this next year, and then twice a year for the following year. And of course I am to begin a chemotherapy regimen soon, as soon as I am sufficiently recovered.
We have two appointments scheduled this next week with oncologists to investigate the chemotherapy treatment options and make a decision. While it is not something that I want to do, my surgeon is requiring it as a precautionary procedure lest there should be any rogue cancer cells floating around my body. As it turns out the cancer had metastasized to the lymph nodes, but there was no sign it had spread further. The chemotherapy treatment then, we are told, is just a precautionary procedure to scorch the landscape and kill any rogue cells that may be floating around undetected.
Monday, October 1 – Start Recovery at home.
As I came home I was admittedly pretty whipped. I was physically exhausted from the anemia, the surgery, and the difficulty of going days without food. But it was awfully good to be home. And Pam was wonderful, as she had been through every step of this experience. She attended to my every need, and allowed me to just rest and sleep. And for the first several days I did just that. I rested and ate my low-fiber diet and tried to regain my strength. As it turned out, I rested too much. Toward the end of the first week I developed some real, severe pain in my right leg when I would walk or stand on it. It felt swollen and hurt most of the time. A consultation with the surgeon and a trip back to the hospital was ordered for an ultrasound exam of the leg. As it turned out, I had developed blood clots in my lower leg below the knee. We were prescribed some blood thinning medicine; a daily shot to jump start the process and a daily pill. Gradually that has helped, though today (October 13) my leg is not fully recovered. We have had two follow-up appointments to check my blood and it has gotten to the desired thinness. I am off the daily shots but continue with the daily pill. The expectation is that the clots will dissolve of themselves with time. And I must say that daily it seems to be better, though as I write my leg is still not normal.
Tuesday, September 25 - Monday, October 1, The Hospital Stay
Having never spent any time in the hospital I was unsure what to expect. The remainder of Tuesday and for the next couple of days I slept much of the time. I was quite comfortable with warm blankets, and everyone waiting on my every need. Not too bad a deal. Every morning at 6 AM they woke me to do a blood draw, not a pleasant experience. And around 8 AM each day a nurse would begin the daily ritual of checking my vitals. This was done maybe 4 times a day.
I had lots of visitors, almost too many. I was pretty weak and just the effort to carry on a conversation was difficult. But it was wonderful to hear from family, and friends and Christian brethren of their love and encouragement and prayer support. God was so good to us.
The hospital stay was pretty uneventful. Of course there was the challenge to get out of bed and walk that began Wednesday, the day after surgery. And I developed a very severe rash over my entire back, a reaction we believe to the pain medication I was on. That was most difficult. It itched and burned terribly, but it hurt so to try and move into position to scratch it or put some ointment on it, that for the most part I lay and endured it. Pam was wonderful though and did manage to find some ointment and get me some relief, though the rash continued even until after I was home.
The most difficult part of the hospital stay, something I had not expected or foreseen at all, was the deprivation of food. Because my digestive tract had been cut apart and stitched together in somewhat a shorter fashion, I was unable to eat anything (ANYTHING!) until, I was told, the colon wakes up from the surgery. I would know when it had awakened when I first passed gas. That could take several days. I was allowed ice chips. Now mind you, I had eaten last on Monday evening at 9 PM. It was now Wednesday, and then Thursday, and then Friday, and I was not given anything to eat while we waited for the magic sign. I felt like I was starving. Finally on Saturday they allowed me “clear liquids only”, i.e. Jello, broth, etc. Not really satisfying, but at least something! And then on Saturday evening the anticipated event happened! On Sunday, seeing that I had handled the clear liquids OK, and my body had yielded the appropriate sign, I was allowed to resume a low fiber diet. Sunday evening I had baked Halibut, and it was wonderful! We were allowed to return home on Monday, October 1. I had lost 15 lbs from my stay in the hospital. Now granted I could stand to lose the weight, but this is not a method I would ever have chosen.
Tuesday, September 25 - Surgery Day
The surgery time was moved up. We were told to check in to Good Samaritan Hospital about 10:15 AM and the surgery would be around noon. Nothing to eat, not even coffee, from midnight the previous night. I had my last food at 9 PM the evening before. Missing your morning coffee is not a good way to start the day, but orders were orders.
We checked in at admitting and took a seat in the waiting area. Laura Wellington, my cousin, joined us for moral support, especially for Pam. After what seemed a long wait an aid showed up and directed us to the floor and the nursing preparation station. I stripped to a hospital gown, and stretched out on the bed that would be my ride to the operating room. I received an IV plant, and began to receive fluids to keep me hydrated. They checked my vitals.
We had so many friends show up at this time. Tricia Brown came to encourage and support us both but especially Pam. Two dear Christian brothers showed up along with Pastor Cavin and his wife Marsha from church to encourage us. We prayed and read Scripture and waited.
As it turned out, we experienced a long delay in the scheduled time for surgery, and did not enter surgery until 2 PM. I must say I was very calm in the morning as we readied and drove to the hospital. And I remained so pretty much all the time we waited up to the trip to the operating room. The long delay was trying, but everyone was so encouraging, and we continued to strengthen each other in the Lord, so I really was quite calm. The anesthesiologist showed up just prior to to leaving the prep area, explained what was to happen and answered any questions. I was ready. The nurse showed up and with a final, "Are you ready?" and with my affirmation, we began the roll to the operating room.
The big doors swung open and I was rolled into place next to the operating table. I was able to discern that there were perhaps 4 others in the room making preparation. The room was cold and full of equipment everywhere, and there were at least 4 large monitors pointing in all directions hanging over the operating table. No surgeon yet, and no anesthesiologist. They assisted me to move from my comfortable and warm bed to the table. Again they draped me with warm blankets, and began the process of restraining my legs and arms. My surgeon showed up and immediately she engaged me in conversation, asking how I was doing, and telling me they were getting everything set up. The anesthesiologist finally showed up and I joked with him. He had told me while in the prep waiting area that he would meet me at the door and give me something to ease my anxiety (though I was really quite calm). But when he was not there as I entered the operating room and as I was moved to the operating table, he obviously did not follow through. So when he finally entered the operating room, I heard everyone acknowledge him, and I spoke out that he had lied to me. Of course it was just a jest. He quickly came to me and told me he was going to begin giving me.....ZZzzzzzzzzzz.
I woke up in my hospital room. The surgery had been 5 hours. I don't remember the recovery room. Pam was there (wonderfully!) and I was completely relaxed. I didn't feel too bad. Some discomfort in the abdomen, but not really too bad. I was hooked up to IV's for hydration, pain medication, etc. And of course I had an oxygen feed at my nose. I was informed that the surgery had gone very well.
And so I began recovery.
Saturday, September 22
A phone call from the surgeon. While she had not seen the results of the radiology exam she had seen the CAT scan results and they were, in her words, "beautiful". No sign of any spread of the cancer outside the colon. It wasn't the last and definitive word, she would need to see the radiology results to be able to say for sure, but these results were very encouraging. The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, September 25. We should check into the hospital around noon.
Needless to say these words were most encouraging. The thought of surgery was scary enough, but the thought that there might be cancer throughout my body was even more frightening. It was such a relief to get some positive news. We blessed God and steadied ourselves for the surgical ordeal to come.
September 21, Colonoscopy
We were admitted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland for the procedure. We met the doctor who assured us that he would be looking for one thing in the colon, cancer. If he found it he would not proceed further. If there was no cancer than he would do an upper GI tract exam using a similar instrument only going through my mouth to check for stomach cancer, or an ulcer etc. In both cases he assured me I would be virtually asleep during the whole time and not feel a thing. And so it happened. I was prepped and taken into the operating room, covered with warm blankets and made most comfortable. Then the doctor came in, administered the sedative and I woke up in the recovery room. I felt nothing from the procedure at all. No discomfort, nothing. If you had asked me I would not have been able to say that any procedure had been performed on me at all.
But then the dreaded news. Yes, the doctor found colon cancer. No, he had not done the upper procedure at all. Yes, he had already contacted a surgeon and was recommending an surgical procedure to remove the cancer and part of the colon immediately, as soon as the first of the week. While in recovery we met the surgeon who made it a point to come by, introduce herself and answer questions we might have at that time. She also scheduled me for several further tests before leaving that hospital that day to determine whether the cancer had spread to other parts of my body. I had a radiology exam, and CAT scan and a EKG check. I was still pretty groggy through all these procedures so they went fairly smoothly. By the time Pam and I left the hospital that afternoon and headed home we were numb. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. The diagnosis of colon cancer was hard to take, but then there were so many "what if's", scary thoughts that forced themselves into our heads.
Thursday, September 20 - Appointment with the GI doctor
It was nearly a month by the time I could get an appointment with the GI doctor. During that time my symptoms had grown ever more acute. At times I would do the slightest exertion and find my heart just pounding fast and hard. It was a bit scary. Despite it all I continued to work right up until the day of my appointment.
Pam met me at the doctor's office and we had a brief consultation with the doctor. He asked lots of questions but surprisingly did not do any further physical exam. He concluded by saying that this was serious, and we were not going to play around. The cause of my symptoms could be several things, but since colon cancer was, in his words, "the big elephant on the block", we would rule that out first. He scheduled me immediately the next day for a colonoscopy.
Twice in previous years during physicals it had been recommended to me that I have a colonoscopy done, and in both cases I found an excuse to avoid what I had heard was a very unpleasant experience. But no longer. Thursday, September 20 before leaving the doctor's office it was prescribed, and I picked up at the pharmacy, a large gallon jug of minerals and told that I had to add water to the jug to make a gallon of liquid, and drink the whole thing in a fairly short time. There were instructions that I was to follow carefully.
For those of you who have been through this process, you know exactly what I am talking about. It is an experience one does not easily forget. For the uninitiated, let me say that the drinking of this gallon of very unpleasant liquid intended to clean out your bowel in a short time, is the most unpleasant experience, and even worse than the actual colonoscopy procedure. That afternoon I began the process. After 2 or 3 glasses I remarked to Pam that I did not think I could do this. She assured me that I could. Apart from a rapid feeling of being excessively bloated, the unpleasant aftertaste from each glass of this liquid was most nauseating. We finally found that taking a piece of gum and laying it unwrapped on the table and ready at hand after each glass of liquid, and then before finishing the last gulp of the liquid from each glass picking up the gum and quickly putting it in my mouth, that seemed to make the process manageable. The burst of flavor from the gum would overpower the nauseating taste of the liquid and make the whole process manageable. An 8-10 ounce glass of this liquid every 10 minutes until the gallon was gone....whew, it seemed like the gallon would never be half empty, and then when it was, ugh! still half way to go. But finally the deed was done, and I had only to await the unpleasant but certain consequence. Without going into any details suffice it to say I went to the colonoscopy appointment the next day with a clean, shinny inside to my colon. :)
Friday, August 24 - The First Doctor's Appointment
With the recommendation of our Pastor at church we found a very good doctor in SW Portland and made the appointment. He did a very thorough physical exam, asked lots of questions and listened to my complaints. I told him the issue of shortness of breath that I was having and asked him straight up, was this normal for one my age and growing older, or was something else going on. After his exam and our discussion, he replied that he was confident that my symptoms were not normal, that I should age more gracefully, and that he would begin the search to find out what was wrong. The first step a complete blood work up and urine analysis. I gave both at his request and waited for the results.
A week later he called with the results. All my organs and systems checked out very well. I was in great shape with one exception...I was very anemic, having just 50% of the red blood cells in my body that I should have. That explained the shortness of breath. My body was unable to oxygenate itself quickly since the red blood cell count was way down. BUT the cause of the anemia was unknown. He would refer me to a GI doctor for further followup to determine the problem. He was convinced that I had a loss of blood somewhere in my intestinal tract. Perhaps an ulcer, perhaps colon cancer, or other causes. "No use to speculate", he indicated. "We will find the cause and then go from there." He scheduled me for follow up with an internist.
To have this response from a doctor that I had quickly grown to respect, was a bit disconcerting to say the least. He indicated there was definitely something wrong, and all the possible 'somethings' were serious sounding. But as the doctor had said, no use jumping to conclusions. Nothing to do but go to the next appointment and see if we can't find out with certainty what is going on.
The Run Up to Diagnosis
Cancer does not run in my family. In fact apart from a rather unusual case for my younger brother Jeff a couple years ago, I can think of no one of my immediate relatives who has had cancer. That's point one. Point two is that I have always enjoyed very good health. God has been very gracious to me over the years and I have never spent a day in the hospital for anything. The most severe injury or sickness that I can remember is when in HS I was showing off to my younger sister and dropped a barbell on my arm and broke it rather severely. Apart from that I have not known sickness. So, with points one and two, it is perhaps not surprising that I had developed a rather callous indifference toward my own health. I have not been one to run to the doctor with every sneeze or minor problem usually feeling confident that my body would correct the problem naturally in most cases. And as I said, to my present age, this had been the case.
And then the symptoms, or lack of them. Prior to my diagnosis I had no symptoms - except one. Over the last 8-10 months (as I look back on it) whenever I would exert myself - chopping firewood, hiking a steep river bank while fishing, digging in the garden, etc. - I would find that I tired and got breathless quickly. It started very gradually and got more acute with time. I attributed it to being out of shape and growing older. I had never grown old before, and so assumed this was just part of the process. I had no other symptoms. However, it got to the point that even to push the lawn mower over our small lawn I would have to sit down and catch my breath two or three times. Ignore it as I might like to, I had to admit that something was wrong. This was more than simply being out of shape, and this was not me.
And so with my loving wife's encouragement, I made the doctor's appointment for a physical.
Having never spent any time in the hospital I was unsure what to expect. The remainder of Tuesday and for the next couple of days I slept much of the time. I was quite comfortable with warm blankets, and everyone waiting on my every need. Not too bad a deal. Every morning at 6 AM they woke me to do a blood draw, not a pleasant experience. And around 8 AM each day a nurse would begin the daily ritual of checking my vitals. This was done maybe 4 times a day.
I had lots of visitors, almost too many. I was pretty weak and just the effort to carry on a conversation was difficult. But it was wonderful to hear from family, and friends and Christian brethren of their love and encouragement and prayer support. God was so good to us.
The hospital stay was pretty uneventful. Of course there was the challenge to get out of bed and walk that began Wednesday, the day after surgery. And I developed a very severe rash over my entire back, a reaction we believe to the pain medication I was on. That was most difficult. It itched and burned terribly, but it hurt so to try and move into position to scratch it or put some ointment on it, that for the most part I lay and endured it. Pam was wonderful though and did manage to find some ointment and get me some relief, though the rash continued even until after I was home.
The most difficult part of the hospital stay, something I had not expected or foreseen at all, was the deprivation of food. Because my digestive tract had been cut apart and stitched together in somewhat a shorter fashion, I was unable to eat anything (ANYTHING!) until, I was told, the colon wakes up from the surgery. I would know when it had awakened when I first passed gas. That could take several days. I was allowed ice chips. Now mind you, I had eaten last on Monday evening at 9 PM. It was now Wednesday, and then Thursday, and then Friday, and I was not given anything to eat while we waited for the magic sign. I felt like I was starving. Finally on Saturday they allowed me “clear liquids only”, i.e. Jello, broth, etc. Not really satisfying, but at least something! And then on Saturday evening the anticipated event happened! On Sunday, seeing that I had handled the clear liquids OK, and my body had yielded the appropriate sign, I was allowed to resume a low fiber diet. Sunday evening I had baked Halibut, and it was wonderful! We were allowed to return home on Monday, October 1. I had lost 15 lbs from my stay in the hospital. Now granted I could stand to lose the weight, but this is not a method I would ever have chosen.
Tuesday, September 25 - Surgery Day
The surgery time was moved up. We were told to check in to Good Samaritan Hospital about 10:15 AM and the surgery would be around noon. Nothing to eat, not even coffee, from midnight the previous night. I had my last food at 9 PM the evening before. Missing your morning coffee is not a good way to start the day, but orders were orders.
We checked in at admitting and took a seat in the waiting area. Laura Wellington, my cousin, joined us for moral support, especially for Pam. After what seemed a long wait an aid showed up and directed us to the floor and the nursing preparation station. I stripped to a hospital gown, and stretched out on the bed that would be my ride to the operating room. I received an IV plant, and began to receive fluids to keep me hydrated. They checked my vitals.
We had so many friends show up at this time. Tricia Brown came to encourage and support us both but especially Pam. Two dear Christian brothers showed up along with Pastor Cavin and his wife Marsha from church to encourage us. We prayed and read Scripture and waited.
As it turned out, we experienced a long delay in the scheduled time for surgery, and did not enter surgery until 2 PM. I must say I was very calm in the morning as we readied and drove to the hospital. And I remained so pretty much all the time we waited up to the trip to the operating room. The long delay was trying, but everyone was so encouraging, and we continued to strengthen each other in the Lord, so I really was quite calm. The anesthesiologist showed up just prior to to leaving the prep area, explained what was to happen and answered any questions. I was ready. The nurse showed up and with a final, "Are you ready?" and with my affirmation, we began the roll to the operating room.
The big doors swung open and I was rolled into place next to the operating table. I was able to discern that there were perhaps 4 others in the room making preparation. The room was cold and full of equipment everywhere, and there were at least 4 large monitors pointing in all directions hanging over the operating table. No surgeon yet, and no anesthesiologist. They assisted me to move from my comfortable and warm bed to the table. Again they draped me with warm blankets, and began the process of restraining my legs and arms. My surgeon showed up and immediately she engaged me in conversation, asking how I was doing, and telling me they were getting everything set up. The anesthesiologist finally showed up and I joked with him. He had told me while in the prep waiting area that he would meet me at the door and give me something to ease my anxiety (though I was really quite calm). But when he was not there as I entered the operating room and as I was moved to the operating table, he obviously did not follow through. So when he finally entered the operating room, I heard everyone acknowledge him, and I spoke out that he had lied to me. Of course it was just a jest. He quickly came to me and told me he was going to begin giving me.....ZZzzzzzzzzzz.
I woke up in my hospital room. The surgery had been 5 hours. I don't remember the recovery room. Pam was there (wonderfully!) and I was completely relaxed. I didn't feel too bad. Some discomfort in the abdomen, but not really too bad. I was hooked up to IV's for hydration, pain medication, etc. And of course I had an oxygen feed at my nose. I was informed that the surgery had gone very well.
And so I began recovery.
Saturday, September 22
A phone call from the surgeon. While she had not seen the results of the radiology exam she had seen the CAT scan results and they were, in her words, "beautiful". No sign of any spread of the cancer outside the colon. It wasn't the last and definitive word, she would need to see the radiology results to be able to say for sure, but these results were very encouraging. The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, September 25. We should check into the hospital around noon.
Needless to say these words were most encouraging. The thought of surgery was scary enough, but the thought that there might be cancer throughout my body was even more frightening. It was such a relief to get some positive news. We blessed God and steadied ourselves for the surgical ordeal to come.
September 21, Colonoscopy
We were admitted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland for the procedure. We met the doctor who assured us that he would be looking for one thing in the colon, cancer. If he found it he would not proceed further. If there was no cancer than he would do an upper GI tract exam using a similar instrument only going through my mouth to check for stomach cancer, or an ulcer etc. In both cases he assured me I would be virtually asleep during the whole time and not feel a thing. And so it happened. I was prepped and taken into the operating room, covered with warm blankets and made most comfortable. Then the doctor came in, administered the sedative and I woke up in the recovery room. I felt nothing from the procedure at all. No discomfort, nothing. If you had asked me I would not have been able to say that any procedure had been performed on me at all.
But then the dreaded news. Yes, the doctor found colon cancer. No, he had not done the upper procedure at all. Yes, he had already contacted a surgeon and was recommending an surgical procedure to remove the cancer and part of the colon immediately, as soon as the first of the week. While in recovery we met the surgeon who made it a point to come by, introduce herself and answer questions we might have at that time. She also scheduled me for several further tests before leaving that hospital that day to determine whether the cancer had spread to other parts of my body. I had a radiology exam, and CAT scan and a EKG check. I was still pretty groggy through all these procedures so they went fairly smoothly. By the time Pam and I left the hospital that afternoon and headed home we were numb. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. The diagnosis of colon cancer was hard to take, but then there were so many "what if's", scary thoughts that forced themselves into our heads.
Thursday, September 20 - Appointment with the GI doctor
It was nearly a month by the time I could get an appointment with the GI doctor. During that time my symptoms had grown ever more acute. At times I would do the slightest exertion and find my heart just pounding fast and hard. It was a bit scary. Despite it all I continued to work right up until the day of my appointment.
Pam met me at the doctor's office and we had a brief consultation with the doctor. He asked lots of questions but surprisingly did not do any further physical exam. He concluded by saying that this was serious, and we were not going to play around. The cause of my symptoms could be several things, but since colon cancer was, in his words, "the big elephant on the block", we would rule that out first. He scheduled me immediately the next day for a colonoscopy.
Twice in previous years during physicals it had been recommended to me that I have a colonoscopy done, and in both cases I found an excuse to avoid what I had heard was a very unpleasant experience. But no longer. Thursday, September 20 before leaving the doctor's office it was prescribed, and I picked up at the pharmacy, a large gallon jug of minerals and told that I had to add water to the jug to make a gallon of liquid, and drink the whole thing in a fairly short time. There were instructions that I was to follow carefully.
For those of you who have been through this process, you know exactly what I am talking about. It is an experience one does not easily forget. For the uninitiated, let me say that the drinking of this gallon of very unpleasant liquid intended to clean out your bowel in a short time, is the most unpleasant experience, and even worse than the actual colonoscopy procedure. That afternoon I began the process. After 2 or 3 glasses I remarked to Pam that I did not think I could do this. She assured me that I could. Apart from a rapid feeling of being excessively bloated, the unpleasant aftertaste from each glass of this liquid was most nauseating. We finally found that taking a piece of gum and laying it unwrapped on the table and ready at hand after each glass of liquid, and then before finishing the last gulp of the liquid from each glass picking up the gum and quickly putting it in my mouth, that seemed to make the process manageable. The burst of flavor from the gum would overpower the nauseating taste of the liquid and make the whole process manageable. An 8-10 ounce glass of this liquid every 10 minutes until the gallon was gone....whew, it seemed like the gallon would never be half empty, and then when it was, ugh! still half way to go. But finally the deed was done, and I had only to await the unpleasant but certain consequence. Without going into any details suffice it to say I went to the colonoscopy appointment the next day with a clean, shinny inside to my colon. :)
Friday, August 24 - The First Doctor's Appointment
With the recommendation of our Pastor at church we found a very good doctor in SW Portland and made the appointment. He did a very thorough physical exam, asked lots of questions and listened to my complaints. I told him the issue of shortness of breath that I was having and asked him straight up, was this normal for one my age and growing older, or was something else going on. After his exam and our discussion, he replied that he was confident that my symptoms were not normal, that I should age more gracefully, and that he would begin the search to find out what was wrong. The first step a complete blood work up and urine analysis. I gave both at his request and waited for the results.
A week later he called with the results. All my organs and systems checked out very well. I was in great shape with one exception...I was very anemic, having just 50% of the red blood cells in my body that I should have. That explained the shortness of breath. My body was unable to oxygenate itself quickly since the red blood cell count was way down. BUT the cause of the anemia was unknown. He would refer me to a GI doctor for further followup to determine the problem. He was convinced that I had a loss of blood somewhere in my intestinal tract. Perhaps an ulcer, perhaps colon cancer, or other causes. "No use to speculate", he indicated. "We will find the cause and then go from there." He scheduled me for follow up with an internist.
To have this response from a doctor that I had quickly grown to respect, was a bit disconcerting to say the least. He indicated there was definitely something wrong, and all the possible 'somethings' were serious sounding. But as the doctor had said, no use jumping to conclusions. Nothing to do but go to the next appointment and see if we can't find out with certainty what is going on.
The Run Up to Diagnosis
Cancer does not run in my family. In fact apart from a rather unusual case for my younger brother Jeff a couple years ago, I can think of no one of my immediate relatives who has had cancer. That's point one. Point two is that I have always enjoyed very good health. God has been very gracious to me over the years and I have never spent a day in the hospital for anything. The most severe injury or sickness that I can remember is when in HS I was showing off to my younger sister and dropped a barbell on my arm and broke it rather severely. Apart from that I have not known sickness. So, with points one and two, it is perhaps not surprising that I had developed a rather callous indifference toward my own health. I have not been one to run to the doctor with every sneeze or minor problem usually feeling confident that my body would correct the problem naturally in most cases. And as I said, to my present age, this had been the case.
And then the symptoms, or lack of them. Prior to my diagnosis I had no symptoms - except one. Over the last 8-10 months (as I look back on it) whenever I would exert myself - chopping firewood, hiking a steep river bank while fishing, digging in the garden, etc. - I would find that I tired and got breathless quickly. It started very gradually and got more acute with time. I attributed it to being out of shape and growing older. I had never grown old before, and so assumed this was just part of the process. I had no other symptoms. However, it got to the point that even to push the lawn mower over our small lawn I would have to sit down and catch my breath two or three times. Ignore it as I might like to, I had to admit that something was wrong. This was more than simply being out of shape, and this was not me.
And so with my loving wife's encouragement, I made the doctor's appointment for a physical.
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