Wow it doesn't seem possible that it has been 2 weeks since I updated this, but I've got too much great news to report to let things slip another day.
I have purposed in my heart that I would keep this updated more regularly but you know "Life Happens!". There is always something to fill in our time even if it is nothing, right?
So Thursday August 4th I showed up at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester at 6:45 AM (affiliated with the Mayo Clinic) with the intention of having shunts put into both kidneys (called a nephrostomy) which drain fluid directly to drainage-collection bags. I actually think that whoever invented cargo pants must have had this operation, because they work perfectly to hold the bags without them being so "in-your-face". They checked me into a room and Sherry and I were fully expecting to stay there through Friday.
The surgery went without a hitch (I don't remember any of it) and by 10ish I was back in the hospital room, feeling really good. Sherry and I took a long walk around the entire floor of the hospital (which is huge) and the Dr. and nursing staff were so pleased with my progress they sent me home. First they gave me a bunch of supplies. One set of drainage-collection bags for daytine usage (each bag holds about a pint of fluid) and a different set of bags for nighttime (each holding about a quart of fluid). It takes a bit of getting used to and presents somewhat of a challenge when sleeping but I got the knack pretty quickly.
It is the Dr's. hope that the hormone shot will shrink the size of the lymph nodes in my abdomen and reduce my PSA from 8,300 and that the surgery will restore full functionality to my kidneys and relieve the jaundice and the incredibly pesky itching. That combined with the knowledge that one of the many provisions of the New Covenant (Testament) is that Jesus took all of our sins, sicknesses and diseases on the cross so that we don't have to makes it a sure bet that I am healed.
Friday evening Sherry, I and the girls (and each one brought a friend)and the dog headed up to the Luck/Cumberland WI area to stay at my boss Norm's cabin. What a great place to get away and just chill (Thanks Norm!!!!!). I spent a good bit of time that weekend figuring how to work with this newfangled plumbing of mine. We did a bunch of hanging-out, some four-wheeling, had a great time watching hummingbirds feed at the feeder on the porch. Of course the girls stayed up until all hours talking, playing guitar hero, etc. and before we knew it it was Sunday afternoon and time to head back to reality.
Monday the 8th it was back to business as usual. I headed into work and began the process of wading through emails and getting back "into-the-game". It felt good to be back to work, get caught up and everyone said I looked 100% better, not as yellow (less jaundiced). I worked all week on a somewhat reduced work day since it takes a while to get the plumbing squared away and to do all of the other prep work necessary first-thing in the morning. Everyone said I looked a little better each day (I'm guessing I must have looked HORRIBLE prior to getting the nephrostomy) and I felt a little stronger each day as well.
The weekend was really chill, nothing very eventful, went to church Sunday morning relaxed in the afternoon and got to bed early so I'd be ready for the week. I worked Monday the 15th and Tuesday the 16th and Tuesday night Sherry and I and the dog (the girls stayed at some friends (Thanks Kari and Jordan)) headed to Rochester so we could be at the Mayo Clinic early this morning Wednesday the 17th.
So we got up early, Sherry's Dad Gil dropped us off at the appropriate Mayo building and at 8:15 I was giving my first vial of blood. At 9:30, I was getting a shot of radioactive dye for a bone scan and Sherry an I went and had some breakfast. After breakfast we had a few hours to kill before the bone scan (the dye needs about 3 hours to get where it needs to) so we went to the Plummer Building which houses the archives and kind of Mayo Museum.
Many of you wouldn't know that my grandfather (my mother's Dad), Dr. Samuel Franklin Adams, was a doctor at the Mayo Clinic (my Mom was born in Rochester, MN before moving to White Plains, NY). He entered The Mayo Foundation as a fellow in 1921 and left the Mayo Foundation in 1931 following 10 years of dedicated service and research. My grandmother often told the story of him administering the FIRST shot of insulin to a human patient. It was a farmer from the Rochester, MN area who was found in a diabetic coma, he administered the shot and the farmer sat up and returned to his fields that afternoon. She said it was truly a miracle!!!! There is some correspondence in his file at Mayo with Dr. Best (of Banting and Best fame) who did most of the pioneering work in the development of insulin. Quite fascinating stuff. His bibliography cites 22 different items published in various medical journals. While most all of his published works dealt with diabetes, insulin, diet etc. Sherry found it very interesting that he had one article entitled Carcinoma of the prostate gland with early and extensive metastasis to the cervical, axillary and inguinal lymph nodes!!!! Interesting. Anyway my grampa, Dr. Adams, died in September of 1933 of pneumonia, quite ironic don't you think?
So back to our story, at 12:30 I went back to have my bone scan and when that was completed we had about 3 hours to burn before all of the test results would be in and we would meet with the urologist. So Sherry's high school friend Kathy came and picked us up and took us back to her house to relax for a few hours before the Dr. appointment.
We went back to the clinis at about 3:30 and by about 4:30 the Dr. finally had all the test results in and we sat down with him. Here is what we found out:
1) The bone scan showed no evidence of metasticized cancer into the bones. Praise the Lord!!! My Dr. was absolutely shocked by this as he was sure we would find it in the bones.
2) All important numbers in the blood analysis are moving in the correct direction (improving), meaning that the nephrostomy and the hormone treatment are doing their job.
3) Kidney function is rapidly returning to normal. His comment was that if I had waited another week there would have most likely been permanent damage to the kidneys.
4) Everything is going just as he had hoped. We will wait and see what impact the hormone therapy has on the lymph nodes. He mentioned that there is a one in a million chance that the hormone therapy will eliminate all signs of the cancer. I am going to believe for that option!!!
5) I will return on September 9th for a Chest and Abdomen CAT scan with contrast, ongoing blood samples to monitor progress and to get the next 30-day hormone shot.
So until then I am to just sit tight, continue getting lots of rest and eat "right" and we will see what miracles the Lord has in store on September 9th.
What I know as of today is the report I received COULD NOT have been any better!!! We are on the right track!!! Soooooo...please keep up your prayers
it isn't time to let up yet. In fact let's double-up on prayer so that the report on September 9th is even more positive.
A big shout-out to you all for your prayers, support, phone calls, emails, texts, etc. I appreciate each and every one of them!!! I do my best to get back to you in a timely manner but please accept my apology if it has taken me awhile to respond to you, forgive me! It has been a busy time to say the least. Hang in there and I'll get to you as soon as I can.
All My Best,
PD aka Bucky
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
I'm Back
Hello All!!!! I'm Back.
WARNING, this particular Blog entry will be long in order to catch y'all up on the events of the past month. In the future I will do entries every day or two and they will be short and sweet. Thanks for hanging with me. I really cherish your calls, thoughts and prayers. PD aka Bucky.
The whole Bucky Festoon thing is explained in an earlier blog post
Things have changed a bit as it pertains to my health. I figure this is the easiest way to communicate the information to the largest number of people without having to repeat it over and over. The number of phone calls, people who visited me in the hospital last week, Facebook posts (Sherry's, I'm still a holdout from all things Facebook)and the generally overwhelming show of love, support and prayers brings tears to my eyes. Thanks to everyone, you are all an incredible blessing!!!!!!!
Now onto the details. For those of you who are mostly up to date this will repeat quite a bit so bear with me. The last week of June I was on a business trip for four days. It is always a challenge for me when I'm away from home to eat properly and maintain the routine I follow when I'm home. 2 days into the trip I started feeling some stomach type problems, so I began avoiding the conference food and eating better and this passed. I got home Thursday night June 30, unpacked, repacked for a week in Indiana (at my brother and sister-in-laws) and left for an overnight in Rochester, MN at Sherry's parents (where we dropped off the dog). Friday morning at 3AM (because we are on vacation and have to get going early in order to savor every possible restful moment)we got up, got the car packed and headed to Bremen, IN where my brother Bruce and his wife Adelle live.
I continued eating the best I could and taking all of my supplements (about 100 pills throughout a day, in addition to homeopathics and other liquids)and felt fine through Sunday July 3rd. On Monday (the 4th)I started itching all over my body, like the worst case of poison ivy you can imagine or 10,000 strategically placed mosquito bites. The itching was so bothersome I just couldn't stop scratching and would scratch until I bled, then move to another spot and repeat. Some of this continues today although I have been taking medications to try to minimize it.
On Tuesday I was in the hot tub with Sherry and she said "are your eyes yellow?" I, in denial, said "of course not". Minutes later however I looked in the mirror and the whites of my eyes were indeed yellow, indicating early stages of jaundice. We stayed in Indiana through early Saturday morning, trying to control the itching with Benadryl, lotions and an occasional apple cider vinegar wipedown (I smelled like Olive Garden) but it wasn't working very well. By Saturday morning I also had a full blown gout attack in my right big toe. Because of the itching I hadn't had a good nights sleep in 4 or 5 days, so I was ready to head home to my own bed. Thankfully my brother had some gout medicine which enabled me to get through the next few incredibly painful days.
On Saturday (July 9) my appetite was non-existent which didn't help matters. I just wanted to get home. We got home, ordered pizza which I ate some of (even though I hadn't had any in several months)and I began my detox regimen* and juicing** (Gerson Therapy), but I had no energy and felt really lousy. I did not sleep well (a result of the itching and coffee enemas***) and at 3AM I lost my dinner, felt terrible but somehow managed to get a few hours sleep. On Sunday I really began pressing in with prayer and reading the Bible and in particular F.F. Bosworth's Book, Christ the Healer but I wasn't feeling any better. No energy, severe itching, gout hurting incredibly and very tired. This was probably my low point!!!
* detox regimen - a combination of coffee enemas***, ionic footbaths and lymph drainage using a special machine called a light beam generator.
** juicing - drinking raw, fresh, homemade organic juices (carrot, carrot/apple and green (using a specific mixture of green vegetables (a la Gerson Therapy))
*** coffee enemas - a technique which uses organic, caffeinated coffee for enemas which stimulates the liver to open up the bile ducts and release accumulated toxins into the intestinal tract.
I didn't feel well enough to go into work on Monday so I worked from home and hit the juicing and detox as hard as I could. Obviously it is impossible to follow the Gerson Therapy at work. By Monday night I was feeling much better so Tuesday I went into work. I didn't scare anybody too badly with my yellow tinted skin (think really bad spray tan) and yellow eyes but by the end of the day after not detoxing and juicing all day I was exhausted and could barely drive home. Wednesday morning I called into work and asked if I could work from home through Friday (July 15)in order to continue working the Gerson Therapy which was having some success (although when I laid down the itching intensified and the gout was really flaring up and hurt like crazy). In addition Sherry and I agreed that if I wasn't feeling (and looking) better by Friday we'd go to the doctor.
On Wednesday morning at 3 AM (between naps) I was reading Christ the Healer and I had a spiritual revelation (which seems foolishly simple as I write this). It was as if a switch was flipped inside of me or a bomb went off in my spirit. All of a sudden I realized that "I WAS HEALED", 2000 years ago. It didn't matter what color I was (yellow), how much I itched, how much my toe hurt, etc., etc., etc. I had been healed. Not, I am presently being healed or I will be healed at some time in the future, I WAS HEALED!!!!! It was incredible. I realized everything our five senses pick up in the natural was first birthed (or came into existence) in the spirit world. The realm of the unseen. "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed)of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed by the senses]. (Hebrews 11:1 AMP)
On Friday, although I felt much better, had a great deal more energy, etc. I didn't look any better, nevertheless, we agreed to give it a few extra days and see a Dr. if things didn't change by Monday. By Monday I continued to gain strength and generally felt better and the gout pain was slowly subsiding, but I still had the jaundice and itching so in the afternoon we prepared to go to the hospital to have blood work done and get a medical opinion. At 3PM I got a call from the Naturopathic Dr. I had been working with and she indicated that she could order whatever blood work we wanted and wouldn't have the expense of the hospital. So we switched gears, headed to the lab got the blood drawn and Sherry and I went out for a nice organic dinner.
Tuesday morning, first thing, I got a call from the Naturopath saying my blood numbers were all out of whack (the lab has to call the Dr. when results are this dramatic so that they can act immediately)and I should head to the hospital ASAP. I gave her the hospital fax number and asked her to fax the results to the ER. So, Sherry and I and Pastor Tim (who had stopped by the house to pray with me) jumped in our cars and headed to Burnsville (Fairview Ridges Hospital ER). On the way the naturopath called me to report that my PSA (prostate specific antigen, a possible measure of prostate cancer probability) was 8,279 (normal range is 0.0-4.9). I replied that "this is a new personal best!" she didn't think it was funny. My feeling is that you have to laugh when you can. After all "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine". It took the better part of an hour to get me into an ER room, then they wouldn't really start anything until a payment counselor made sure my insurance was good, verified the coverage(s) and demanded payment for about 15% of the high-deductible for the policy we have. Once that was taken care of, well, let the billing begin. That even allowed them to turn on the TV in the ER. My how far we've come, I can't wait to see the improvements in the system once Obamacare kicks in!!!
In the ER they drew lots of blood (to compare with the faxed-in results), sent me for an ultrasound of the abdomen and pelvis and sent me for a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis (for anyone that cares they couldn't use contrast since I had compromised kidney function). The blood work showed some improvement, the ultrasound showed normal gallbladder (no stones), normal liver, spleen was unremarkable, the pancreas and other organs couldn't be seen because they were obscured by several enlarged (up to 6" x 4.5") lymph nodes. They felt that the partial blockage of the bile duct and tubes running from the kidneys to the bladder was caused by the enlarged (cancerous) lymph nodes in the abdomen. The CT scan verified that the liver, spleen, pancreas, adrenals and kidneys are all good (unremarkable), but, again felt that the jaundice is caused by the enlarged lymph nodes pressing on the bile duct and the kidney drainage tubes. At this point they admitted me to the hospital, gave me the all-the-rides-you-can-take wristband and wheeled me up to my room.
Once I was in my room the hospital Dr. saw me and recommended a group of specialists be brought in to best facilitate diagnosis and treatment(GI, Urologist and Oncologist). I must say that the interaction(s) with this group was less than stellar during the 3-1/2 day stay. Communication was poor or nonexistent, solid diagnosis and a treatment plan still hasn't happened. There was early talk of using stints or shunts in order to provide for good kidney and bile duct drainage. It seems that the blood tests they ran were getting steadily better so they opted not to do the stints/shunts but no one communicated that to me. Because of the indecision (and the possibility of surgery) they had me on a complete fast (not even ice chips) for a good bit of the time, occasionally they'd lift that and allow me to eat a meal. By Thursday (July 21) I was frustrated to say the least. Despite numerous medications, preparations, lotions, potions, etc. I was still itching,not sleeping particularly well, not eating well (although I had a good appetite)was still yellow and their team didn't seem to have any sense of urgency regarding diagnosis and treatment. So on Wednesday night I suggested that they do a biopsy of the enlarged lymph nodes and maybe we could start there.
On Thursday morning they conducted the biopsy and said it would take 4-5 days to get the results. On Friday I suggested they release me from the hospital since they really didn't seem to have a clear solution to anything and I might as well itch, and not sleep well at home. So I was released Friday afternoon with a fistful of prescriptions and told to follow-up with the Dr.'s Monday (July 25). They gave me four prescriptions: an antihistamine for itching (which seems to have moderate to poor results); a well-known pain med, I suppose to keep the gout under control (since they didn't want to give me any other gout medications because of their effect on the liver), an anti-convulsant and neuropathic pain agent (again it must be for the gout). I haven't had a single seizure since I started the medication (of course I haven't ever had a seizure). Finally the coup de gras, a tricyclic antidepressant used to treat depression, which I have never had!!!! Go figure, its no wonder our medical system gets such a bad rap.
The weekend passed unremarkably. After 4 weeks of itching and yellow skin and eyes I am no closer to a solution. The gout seems to be under control. I feel as if some (perhaps all) of the medications are unnecessary. I don't really have a Dr. who will take charge, get a full diagnosis and help develop a solid treatment plan, but, I will continue to look for one until I find them. Other than the itching and jaundice I feel fine, no pain, urine and bowels are just fine (sorry for the graphic detail), appetite is great. In the last few months I am down to 177 lbs. probably a bit too skinny but it feels great.
I will pick up the next blog entry with Monday July 25, "looking for Dr. Goodguy", adventures in getting appointments with busy MD's at some of the midwests finer medical establishments. Or, does it really take 3 weeks to get an appointment with a Dr. or do they do that so that you think they are incredibly busy. Sorry if I offend any Dr.'s.
My heartfelt thanks and blessings to everyone who has been: praying for me and/or my family, thinking of me, visiting the hospital, calling my cell numerous times and still haven't heard back from me, hanging out with me, giving gifts, loving on me and/or Sherry. Thanks and Thanks again!!!!!
To Sherry, Braden, Brileigh, Breanna, Joe and family, Mom & Dad, Gil & Elaine, Bruce & Adelle & Family, Steve & Faith & Family, Doug & Pam & FAMILY, Tom & Leah & Family. God Bless You Every One. I am a blessed man!!!!! And a better man because you're in my life.
All Love,
Paul
WARNING, this particular Blog entry will be long in order to catch y'all up on the events of the past month. In the future I will do entries every day or two and they will be short and sweet. Thanks for hanging with me. I really cherish your calls, thoughts and prayers. PD aka Bucky.
The whole Bucky Festoon thing is explained in an earlier blog post
Things have changed a bit as it pertains to my health. I figure this is the easiest way to communicate the information to the largest number of people without having to repeat it over and over. The number of phone calls, people who visited me in the hospital last week, Facebook posts (Sherry's, I'm still a holdout from all things Facebook)and the generally overwhelming show of love, support and prayers brings tears to my eyes. Thanks to everyone, you are all an incredible blessing!!!!!!!
Now onto the details. For those of you who are mostly up to date this will repeat quite a bit so bear with me. The last week of June I was on a business trip for four days. It is always a challenge for me when I'm away from home to eat properly and maintain the routine I follow when I'm home. 2 days into the trip I started feeling some stomach type problems, so I began avoiding the conference food and eating better and this passed. I got home Thursday night June 30, unpacked, repacked for a week in Indiana (at my brother and sister-in-laws) and left for an overnight in Rochester, MN at Sherry's parents (where we dropped off the dog). Friday morning at 3AM (because we are on vacation and have to get going early in order to savor every possible restful moment)we got up, got the car packed and headed to Bremen, IN where my brother Bruce and his wife Adelle live.
I continued eating the best I could and taking all of my supplements (about 100 pills throughout a day, in addition to homeopathics and other liquids)and felt fine through Sunday July 3rd. On Monday (the 4th)I started itching all over my body, like the worst case of poison ivy you can imagine or 10,000 strategically placed mosquito bites. The itching was so bothersome I just couldn't stop scratching and would scratch until I bled, then move to another spot and repeat. Some of this continues today although I have been taking medications to try to minimize it.
On Tuesday I was in the hot tub with Sherry and she said "are your eyes yellow?" I, in denial, said "of course not". Minutes later however I looked in the mirror and the whites of my eyes were indeed yellow, indicating early stages of jaundice. We stayed in Indiana through early Saturday morning, trying to control the itching with Benadryl, lotions and an occasional apple cider vinegar wipedown (I smelled like Olive Garden) but it wasn't working very well. By Saturday morning I also had a full blown gout attack in my right big toe. Because of the itching I hadn't had a good nights sleep in 4 or 5 days, so I was ready to head home to my own bed. Thankfully my brother had some gout medicine which enabled me to get through the next few incredibly painful days.
On Saturday (July 9) my appetite was non-existent which didn't help matters. I just wanted to get home. We got home, ordered pizza which I ate some of (even though I hadn't had any in several months)and I began my detox regimen* and juicing** (Gerson Therapy), but I had no energy and felt really lousy. I did not sleep well (a result of the itching and coffee enemas***) and at 3AM I lost my dinner, felt terrible but somehow managed to get a few hours sleep. On Sunday I really began pressing in with prayer and reading the Bible and in particular F.F. Bosworth's Book, Christ the Healer but I wasn't feeling any better. No energy, severe itching, gout hurting incredibly and very tired. This was probably my low point!!!
* detox regimen - a combination of coffee enemas***, ionic footbaths and lymph drainage using a special machine called a light beam generator.
** juicing - drinking raw, fresh, homemade organic juices (carrot, carrot/apple and green (using a specific mixture of green vegetables (a la Gerson Therapy))
*** coffee enemas - a technique which uses organic, caffeinated coffee for enemas which stimulates the liver to open up the bile ducts and release accumulated toxins into the intestinal tract.
I didn't feel well enough to go into work on Monday so I worked from home and hit the juicing and detox as hard as I could. Obviously it is impossible to follow the Gerson Therapy at work. By Monday night I was feeling much better so Tuesday I went into work. I didn't scare anybody too badly with my yellow tinted skin (think really bad spray tan) and yellow eyes but by the end of the day after not detoxing and juicing all day I was exhausted and could barely drive home. Wednesday morning I called into work and asked if I could work from home through Friday (July 15)in order to continue working the Gerson Therapy which was having some success (although when I laid down the itching intensified and the gout was really flaring up and hurt like crazy). In addition Sherry and I agreed that if I wasn't feeling (and looking) better by Friday we'd go to the doctor.
On Wednesday morning at 3 AM (between naps) I was reading Christ the Healer and I had a spiritual revelation (which seems foolishly simple as I write this). It was as if a switch was flipped inside of me or a bomb went off in my spirit. All of a sudden I realized that "I WAS HEALED", 2000 years ago. It didn't matter what color I was (yellow), how much I itched, how much my toe hurt, etc., etc., etc. I had been healed. Not, I am presently being healed or I will be healed at some time in the future, I WAS HEALED!!!!! It was incredible. I realized everything our five senses pick up in the natural was first birthed (or came into existence) in the spirit world. The realm of the unseen. "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed)of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed by the senses]. (Hebrews 11:1 AMP)
On Friday, although I felt much better, had a great deal more energy, etc. I didn't look any better, nevertheless, we agreed to give it a few extra days and see a Dr. if things didn't change by Monday. By Monday I continued to gain strength and generally felt better and the gout pain was slowly subsiding, but I still had the jaundice and itching so in the afternoon we prepared to go to the hospital to have blood work done and get a medical opinion. At 3PM I got a call from the Naturopathic Dr. I had been working with and she indicated that she could order whatever blood work we wanted and wouldn't have the expense of the hospital. So we switched gears, headed to the lab got the blood drawn and Sherry and I went out for a nice organic dinner.
Tuesday morning, first thing, I got a call from the Naturopath saying my blood numbers were all out of whack (the lab has to call the Dr. when results are this dramatic so that they can act immediately)and I should head to the hospital ASAP. I gave her the hospital fax number and asked her to fax the results to the ER. So, Sherry and I and Pastor Tim (who had stopped by the house to pray with me) jumped in our cars and headed to Burnsville (Fairview Ridges Hospital ER). On the way the naturopath called me to report that my PSA (prostate specific antigen, a possible measure of prostate cancer probability) was 8,279 (normal range is 0.0-4.9). I replied that "this is a new personal best!" she didn't think it was funny. My feeling is that you have to laugh when you can. After all "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine". It took the better part of an hour to get me into an ER room, then they wouldn't really start anything until a payment counselor made sure my insurance was good, verified the coverage(s) and demanded payment for about 15% of the high-deductible for the policy we have. Once that was taken care of, well, let the billing begin. That even allowed them to turn on the TV in the ER. My how far we've come, I can't wait to see the improvements in the system once Obamacare kicks in!!!
In the ER they drew lots of blood (to compare with the faxed-in results), sent me for an ultrasound of the abdomen and pelvis and sent me for a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis (for anyone that cares they couldn't use contrast since I had compromised kidney function). The blood work showed some improvement, the ultrasound showed normal gallbladder (no stones), normal liver, spleen was unremarkable, the pancreas and other organs couldn't be seen because they were obscured by several enlarged (up to 6" x 4.5") lymph nodes. They felt that the partial blockage of the bile duct and tubes running from the kidneys to the bladder was caused by the enlarged (cancerous) lymph nodes in the abdomen. The CT scan verified that the liver, spleen, pancreas, adrenals and kidneys are all good (unremarkable), but, again felt that the jaundice is caused by the enlarged lymph nodes pressing on the bile duct and the kidney drainage tubes. At this point they admitted me to the hospital, gave me the all-the-rides-you-can-take wristband and wheeled me up to my room.
Once I was in my room the hospital Dr. saw me and recommended a group of specialists be brought in to best facilitate diagnosis and treatment(GI, Urologist and Oncologist). I must say that the interaction(s) with this group was less than stellar during the 3-1/2 day stay. Communication was poor or nonexistent, solid diagnosis and a treatment plan still hasn't happened. There was early talk of using stints or shunts in order to provide for good kidney and bile duct drainage. It seems that the blood tests they ran were getting steadily better so they opted not to do the stints/shunts but no one communicated that to me. Because of the indecision (and the possibility of surgery) they had me on a complete fast (not even ice chips) for a good bit of the time, occasionally they'd lift that and allow me to eat a meal. By Thursday (July 21) I was frustrated to say the least. Despite numerous medications, preparations, lotions, potions, etc. I was still itching,not sleeping particularly well, not eating well (although I had a good appetite)was still yellow and their team didn't seem to have any sense of urgency regarding diagnosis and treatment. So on Wednesday night I suggested that they do a biopsy of the enlarged lymph nodes and maybe we could start there.
On Thursday morning they conducted the biopsy and said it would take 4-5 days to get the results. On Friday I suggested they release me from the hospital since they really didn't seem to have a clear solution to anything and I might as well itch, and not sleep well at home. So I was released Friday afternoon with a fistful of prescriptions and told to follow-up with the Dr.'s Monday (July 25). They gave me four prescriptions: an antihistamine for itching (which seems to have moderate to poor results); a well-known pain med, I suppose to keep the gout under control (since they didn't want to give me any other gout medications because of their effect on the liver), an anti-convulsant and neuropathic pain agent (again it must be for the gout). I haven't had a single seizure since I started the medication (of course I haven't ever had a seizure). Finally the coup de gras, a tricyclic antidepressant used to treat depression, which I have never had!!!! Go figure, its no wonder our medical system gets such a bad rap.
The weekend passed unremarkably. After 4 weeks of itching and yellow skin and eyes I am no closer to a solution. The gout seems to be under control. I feel as if some (perhaps all) of the medications are unnecessary. I don't really have a Dr. who will take charge, get a full diagnosis and help develop a solid treatment plan, but, I will continue to look for one until I find them. Other than the itching and jaundice I feel fine, no pain, urine and bowels are just fine (sorry for the graphic detail), appetite is great. In the last few months I am down to 177 lbs. probably a bit too skinny but it feels great.
I will pick up the next blog entry with Monday July 25, "looking for Dr. Goodguy", adventures in getting appointments with busy MD's at some of the midwests finer medical establishments. Or, does it really take 3 weeks to get an appointment with a Dr. or do they do that so that you think they are incredibly busy. Sorry if I offend any Dr.'s.
My heartfelt thanks and blessings to everyone who has been: praying for me and/or my family, thinking of me, visiting the hospital, calling my cell numerous times and still haven't heard back from me, hanging out with me, giving gifts, loving on me and/or Sherry. Thanks and Thanks again!!!!!
To Sherry, Braden, Brileigh, Breanna, Joe and family, Mom & Dad, Gil & Elaine, Bruce & Adelle & Family, Steve & Faith & Family, Doug & Pam & FAMILY, Tom & Leah & Family. God Bless You Every One. I am a blessed man!!!!! And a better man because you're in my life.
All Love,
Paul
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