Busy Week

A lot has happened since my last post. On Wednesday, Michelle took me to the IMC for some lab work. I am so impressed that a hospital that large can keep things moving so well and get people in and out as quickly as they do. The lab work was very smooth until the very end. The lab tech pulled out the needle and blood went flying everywhere. We were in a fairly small area but my blood hit opposite walls. I had to chuckle. It was very funny. The poor tech was very nervous and had to immediately change gloves and try to clean everything up but I found humor in the situation.

On Thursday, I went in at 8:45 am for my biopsy. Unfortunately, the lymph nodes close to the surface were not affected so they had to use a needle to get the samples. This procedure scared me to death. The idea of a needle going 5 or 6 inches in me to get a sample did not thrill me at all. They also took a lot of blood and my INR (a reading that tells them how quickly your blood clots) was at 1.7 and they wanted it at 1.5 or below. The good news is that they still proceeded with the procedure.

They finally took me back to the CT scan area. The doc pulled me into another room to take another look at my previous scan. He explained where he was going to target and why. I then went back and they started prepping for the procedure. They cleaned the area, they attached a grid to my back to help them pinpoint the entry point and trajectory. When it came time to start, they gave me a little verced, just to make me not care that much about what was going on and they also gave me some narcotics to help with pain.

I'm grateful to report that the procedure went so smoothly! The doc showed me the samples and it looked good to me...what do I know? :)

Had a rough day for the rest of Thursday. Coming off of those drugs wasn't fun. The good news is that I felt great today. I had visits from 3 great friends today. One has been fighting cancer for almost 3 years. He really helped me understand what was coming and didn't sugar coat what he had been through. It was great to pick his brain about his family and how to help them as well. Thanks Stew!

The next visitor was actually for Michelle. She and her husband have been through a lot and she knew that the wives need as much, if not more, support than the sick person.

Finally my good friend Paul came over with some chocolate chip cookies. He is a very dear friend and we talked about the cancer but then we talked about other things. I really appreciate this good friend and his sweet wife!

For the rest of you, don't be afraid to ask questions. I put this out there so people could keep tabs on what is going on but don't feel like you can't call. I've always been a big believer of surrounding yourself with friends and family in times of trial. Believe it or not, I feel blessed tonight. I'm so grateful for my knowledge of Jesus Christ and I know that he is truly the only person that knows exactly what I'm going through or will go through. He loves us! I know I'll beat this as that has never been a question with me. I'm so grateful for my loving wife and family. Michelle is my rock and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have her as my wife. I definitely married up! :)

Thanks for the continued thoughts and prayers. You'll never know how much that means to me and I feel them.