Last Thursday morning, May Day, I put on my rain boots and jacket and rode the rails to NYC through the tail end of a 2-day rain. Walking from Grand Central to MSK I noticed how slow I was moving. I have traditionally been one of the faster moving objects on a New York sidewalk but I was rolling at … [Read more...]
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
April 25, 2014 by 19 Comments
. The Good I saw Dr. Bains yesterday and had a chest x-ray at MSK. The good news is that my lung has stayed inflated at 85% over the last week and is stable. I also got my labs drawn and the best news is that my tumor marker (HCG) is "< 2.0 / undetectable"!!! This is a huge milestone and … [Read more...]
Home!
April 17, 2014 by 27 Comments
Yesterday, after my lung decided to stay mostly inflated (85%) when removed from suction, I was discharged and home by nightfall! It feels so good to be here, see the animals, go for a walk by the pond, sleep in our bed, witness the vanguards of Spring, not be woken up every few hours and notice … [Read more...]
Slowly Coming Alung
April 11, 2014 by 27 Comments
I can see the East River, the 59th St. Bridge and Roosevelt Island from the chair in my hospital room. Traffic is not too bad right now, the tide is going out and all is groovy. I am feeling so much better than I was last week and my digestive system is up and running -i am eating regularly and … [Read more...]
Obstruction of Juices
April 2, 2014 by 19 Comments
Not too long after my last post, when I felt out of the gastrointestinal woods, the abdominal pain returned. It gradually got worse until yesterday we checked into urgent care at MSK. A CT scan revealed a bowel obstruction caused by adhesions which are latent side effects from the RPLND. A kink in … [Read more...]
No Sign of the Enemy
March 31, 2014 by 19 Comments
Despite the reservations I share with this fellow in regards to using combat metaphors for cancer it sure as hell sometimes feels like an enemy. And in the past week there have been two very encouraging pieces of intelligence gathered on the enemy’s movements (or lack thereof I should say!). The … [Read more...]
Compare & Contrast
March 24, 2014 by 20 Comments
Yesterday ____________________________________ Today ____________________________________ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKMvUfNICtM (may need to view on the web to see the video above) Hopefully tomorrow my chest drain comes out and I'll be home in short order. Still waiting on pathology … [Read more...]
Good To Go
March 18, 2014 by 22 Comments
Just got the call from MSK with confirmation and final time for tomorrow's surgery: 9:30am arrival, 11:30am slice n' dice. Surgery should be 2-4 hours so if you have any extra white light hanging around feel free to shoot it over my way during that time (68th and 1st, c/o KR). I feel prepared and … [Read more...]
It’s Gonna Be A Lung Day
March 11, 2014 by 15 Comments
Just got scheduled for my open-chest (left) lung surgery for next Wednesday 3/19. It is sooner than we expected but it will be good to get it done and then have only one surgery left (well, the right one will be left to be exact). It will be at the main MSK hospital in the operating room next … [Read more...]
A Party Indeed
March 4, 2014 by 3 Comments
It’s Sunday morning at Equinox Graybar near Grand Central and the roof is being decidedly raised. We walk into the space where maybe a hundred stationary bikes are set up for one of 41 rides nationally as part of Cycle For Survival and it feels like entering a nightclub. The bass is pumping, the … [Read more...]
Once More Unto The Breach
February 28, 2014 by 12 Comments
…make that twice more. It turns out I am going to have two more major surgeries: left lung and right lung thoracotomy. Due to the number and size of the masses in my lungs it has to be old school, non-robotic style. That means slicing between ribs, spreading them open with a mechanical spreader, … [Read more...]
Better Every Day
February 15, 2014 by 10 Comments
Hey lovers! Hope everyone had a warm Valentine’s day yesterday. Good news this week - my tumor marker was down to 4.7 on Thursday and CT scan at the same time showed an approximate 20% reduction in all lung masses as compared to a month ago! They saw some fluid around my kidneys and Dr. Sheinfeld … [Read more...]
Ooooof
January 31, 2014 by 19 Comments
Wow - what a week! A lot of ups and downs. We have been home since Wednesday night and the surgery recovery continues. A week ago at about this time I was coming in and out of consciousness in the the post-surgery recovery room after having just been stapled back up. The surgery was successful and … [Read more...]
Game Day
January 24, 2014 by 26 Comments
Hey Team! So tomorrow is the big day - RPLND + orchiectomy and I’ve got all my stuff for a week in the joint laid out. We’ll arrive at the hospital at 5:45am, the slice and dice should begin around 8am and it should last ~5 hours. If you have a minute during that window sling some good vibes over to … [Read more...]
Goodbye Old Friend
January 17, 2014 by 19 Comments
Next Friday the 24th I go under the knife. I am excited to be getting to this important milestone in my treatment and preparing myself through exercise, yoga, mediation and diet. But as the day approaches I find myself more anxious. I have been trying to get to the root of it. Certainly being … [Read more...]
Adventures In Testicular Cancer 