Forgot that I hadn't posted this up. I put a note on Facebook and then got distracted. I'm old, lol. The last follow-up with Rathfoot went both good and bad. Good that when he scoped me he saw no evidence of the throat cancer. Bad that the swelling has returned. For now we are trying 10 days of 20 mg a day of Prednisone, then I got back to 10mg. I've been on 10 for over a year now. I go back I think the 17th or something like that to check and see if that has helped. If it hasn't then he said maybe injecting that stuff again, which equates to surgery and or more HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen) treatments. Radiation... the gift that keeps on giving. It did explain why I am short of breath, especially in the heat. I started out good with the garden but the heat prevented me from continuing good. It did ok though all things considered. We got what we needed and was able to share, so I'm good with that. So far, I can see a slight improvement I think on the higher dose after also a week on it. I really don't want to do the surgery, an open hole in the throat came back to mention, which I will not do. That is my line in the sand. HBOT, I'd rather not. Those trips to Knoxville are long and tiring. I'm not much on that chill pill either than helps with claustrophobia, some kind of anxiety pill. What will happen is what will happen though. We cross that bridge when we get there.
Charlie meanwhile they determined does not have cancer. William said it was just scars and these places on his lungs. I have those too. Actually, it is sort of a trade mark here in east Tennessee. Those born here or who have lived in this area for a while develop these things in their lungs and the doctors don't know why. TVA? Oak Ridge? Who knows, but apparently they are harmless. I guess Tina and Charlie know William will tell everybody because they have never actually said.
Meanwhile, Cody (Megan's boyfriend) and me have worked on the boat. Our first trip out it was embarrassing to say the least, funny to say the most. We noticed 2 men in a Canoe paddling to our right close by the bank. Was he passing us? Yep, they passed us and we were wide open, lol. The next trip we got up to a whopping 11 mph, going down stream, coming back... not so much. That test made us search out why a little more effectively. We changed the prop, put new plugs in, clean the carburetor, set the timing (better). Cody scared the do out of me. We actually passed Bass Boats that were going fast. They are letting the lakes down so a lot of what was water is now land with unannounced hills and debris that are located in places you'd not think about. We got it fixed just in time for winter to be winterized, lol. Come spring though, we will be ready. I bought me a fishing pole (man those things are expensive), a cheaper one, but I'm happy with it. I plan to fulfill (God willing) my goal to fish again after 30 years. Some of my fondest memories are of us all going to the lake with a skillet, cornmeal, salt, and pepper and frying up what we caught right there when I was small. It seemed like it happened a lot but maybe it was rare, either way left a good impression.
This will be one thing off my bucket list. The next is to see the Ga Guide Stones, maybe see out west once. I may sell one or two of our old cars (Denise, if you read this, key word is "may") and buy an A Model. So far, thats my bucket list.
This is my 1000.00 boat with Megan and Cody getting ready to launch. Not new, now fancy, and still needs some work, but it will take us fishing.
Charlie meanwhile they determined does not have cancer. William said it was just scars and these places on his lungs. I have those too. Actually, it is sort of a trade mark here in east Tennessee. Those born here or who have lived in this area for a while develop these things in their lungs and the doctors don't know why. TVA? Oak Ridge? Who knows, but apparently they are harmless. I guess Tina and Charlie know William will tell everybody because they have never actually said.
Meanwhile, Cody (Megan's boyfriend) and me have worked on the boat. Our first trip out it was embarrassing to say the least, funny to say the most. We noticed 2 men in a Canoe paddling to our right close by the bank. Was he passing us? Yep, they passed us and we were wide open, lol. The next trip we got up to a whopping 11 mph, going down stream, coming back... not so much. That test made us search out why a little more effectively. We changed the prop, put new plugs in, clean the carburetor, set the timing (better). Cody scared the do out of me. We actually passed Bass Boats that were going fast. They are letting the lakes down so a lot of what was water is now land with unannounced hills and debris that are located in places you'd not think about. We got it fixed just in time for winter to be winterized, lol. Come spring though, we will be ready. I bought me a fishing pole (man those things are expensive), a cheaper one, but I'm happy with it. I plan to fulfill (God willing) my goal to fish again after 30 years. Some of my fondest memories are of us all going to the lake with a skillet, cornmeal, salt, and pepper and frying up what we caught right there when I was small. It seemed like it happened a lot but maybe it was rare, either way left a good impression.
This will be one thing off my bucket list. The next is to see the Ga Guide Stones, maybe see out west once. I may sell one or two of our old cars (Denise, if you read this, key word is "may") and buy an A Model. So far, thats my bucket list.
This is my 1000.00 boat with Megan and Cody getting ready to launch. Not new, now fancy, and still needs some work, but it will take us fishing.
4 comments:
Wait.... so... Charlie is fine!? You said it in a way that sounded so... "oh by the way..." From your previous posts it sounded like he was in real trouble! Am I mixing something up here? Either way that is amazing news!
I also wanted to point out that I love your last quote "Not new, now fancy, and still needs some work, but it will take us fishing." That's what matters, man! That's what matters. :)
Hey David, Charlie is ok. I think they jumped the gun a little on that. I'm not sure if it was the doctor or Tina that did (she's a nurse), but I'm assuming Tina since they have kind of laid low, lol. His main problem is COPD and radiation damage. I keep thinking about when we jumped the guy and took a sneak peak at the results on my CT Scan years ago and it stated that tumor growth was about twice the size. Once the doctor (Panella) interrogated the scan and results he determined it wasn't a tumor but a large scar tissue mass. Maybe that was the scenario? I know when we saw it Denise cried, I shook Panella's hand and thanked him for the attempt and told him it was ok, we tried. Mostly I remember having the money saved for concrete and a car lift that I decided to buy all new appliances with so Denise & Megan would be ok. lol. Charlie switched doctors too so that might have played a part.
David, I broke this into parts, not sure if it would let me say it all. I misspelled that, not fancy (but it feels fancy). I have a small bucket list, probably a boring one, lol. We have the bike that we seldom get to use, this year we didn't use it. The days that I physically can't ride safely we don't. It's funny, like a check list, neuropathy level, balance, narcoleptic feeling there are thank God warning signs), strength, eyesight. All these have to be decent before I get with Denise and we ride. She loved to fish when she was young just like I did. Cody loves to fish and he and Logan seem to love Megan. We're working on Logan a seat too. He raises his son solo, which I think speaks a lot about him. The boat is something we can do together. We will add a 12 volt cooler for water (and sneak some Dr Peppers in), and a snack. Most of my life I spent chasing the "American Dream" and unfortunately that doesn't usually include God or family time. I cannot fix the past but I can the present, and that will give a good future.
Thank you for the clarification, Anthony. That certainly makes more sense and I'm thrilled that Charlie isn't as bad as you feared.
It's dangerous interpreting stuff meant for the doctor to explain to you. I can tell you that I have had many times in my life where I thought for SURE I had something nasty (because of blood results or what have you), only to find out it was nothing.
It's hard to have perspective on "the american dream" while you're chasing it, isn't it? I know I often have to take a step back to make sure I spend time with my wife and more importantly, with God. Anytime I do that, I always just feel better.
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