off to see the wizard

gone for a few days......

Safe travels there and back, Sea.

Funny...my dad used to sing that whenever we hit the road.

Horrible storm in southern Tn and I just wore out and had to sleep twice at rest stops.....traffic jam in Nashville, and this afternoon after my shots in Chicago.....I am going to sleep at home tonight because I got nothing left to drive back. I hope I can get up early morning and head back to see grand kids, but we had all kinds of wind damage here, and I really need to get home and get to work here.....but I simply do not have energy.....they gave me a new injection for the bone mets, and a bunch of new lab work. I guess I am going to have to hope this will get better, but I was asked to take a 90 minute audio interview on the progression of the disease for Northwestern University. I am excited if my observations will help other patients, but I am too tired right now to see any sunshine in the future......well those grandkids will help. I will talk about some sad observations at the hospital this afternoon......cancer really sucks.

It really does. Sorry bud.

Your grandkids will help.  I hope ya'LL do face time....it is awesome.

Sea, that's awesome that you've been chosen for an audio interview by Northwestern. When will that be scheduled, do you think, and what are the chances we could listen to a copy of it? Maybe you could stipulate your real name not be used.

Hope you get with the grandkids soonest, but seems smart that you're taking things a little slower as/when needed.

Been meaning to ask whether you got over to the New Yorker this past time down here?

I was asked to give an interview for the Feinberg school of medicine at Northwestern. They estimate it will be 90 minutes, and because of the rare nature of endocrine cancer and the slow progression of the disease compared to say Lung cancer, they specifically want symptom progression and my experiences after surgeries, symptoms, and medications. I have gotten on different blogs and learned so much about this cancer over the last eight years, but not so much from the doctors. Their key word for the same is "variable", and when I ask for a time frame....I get that variable answer. I also think there is some interest because it appears I am now stretching my life expectancy beyond the 38 months after metastasis of the liver which is remarkable considering Steve Jobs lived 7.5 years after his first endocrine tumor on his pancreas, and I am going to be nine years in July since they removed my lung with my first tumor. I now know they have used the maximum amount of radiation on my liver, and I will find out on April 13 if they will try some chemo which is generally ineffective on this type of cancer but can give me a six month last stand, but the radio embolization world leader surgical staff says they can repeat it at least once and they are very precise in the application, but there will be hair loss and the usual chemo side effects, and not the success rate of the radiation.

I am awake and preparing to get into the Prius and head back down. I have been using electric chain saws because I have become too weak to use the bigger gas fired chainsaws which I have difficulty now starting, but I have some monster pines I need to bring down and will bring my 18 inch stihl which is a monster in action, but I will need my wife's help to start it. We are going deep into some of the woods now with brush removal, and I am a little nervous because my neighbor has warned me about rattlesnakes he has seen already in his yard. I was shocked because I do not think of rattlesnakes in the Panhandle. and I was hoping for a cooler winter. I think of mocassins and coral snakes, but not rattlesnakes. So I am hoping for some cool nights where they are not so active, and we will try to clear another acre and open up some great views of the bayou. I am excited about every minute of life now, and the funny thing is people are telling me how great I look and how I do not look sick.....my wife just smiles when they say that because she sees the struggles in my mobility and balance now, and people mean well when they say a person looks good, but I was once strong as a bull, and now I am so frail and weak......tired....so very tired, but with the grandkids and friends visiting this weak I plan on resting and enjoying the beach.....who knows......maybe a jellyfish sting cures cancer.

2seaoat wrote: I plan on resting and enjoying the beach.....who knows......maybe a jellyfish sting cures cancer.

If you can't find a jellyfish on the beach just visit Pkr and ask him to sting you.