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Anyone 'cured' prostate cancer with....

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G

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I have to ask how you lost her.... i lost mine once when she chased some pigs up into the hills with her buddy, the longest they have been gone was 5 nights. im hoping those days are gone because its painful waiting. i wanted to hike the area but a professional dog finder, haha responded to our craigslist and told me that the scent trails would confuse them and just to wait.... they showed up 5 miles apart, mine where they left from and my then girlfriends dog made it to her house...

rivers are wonderful i do miss them. i hope you find that nature to get into as soon as can. nice to hear your dogs are waiting patiently and missing you just enough.

Edit: i hope and would bet missy made it to good people.
 

Weezard

Hawaiian Inebriatti
Veteran
You read well M.E..
Updates arew welcome but, personally, I want some more wild moose tales. :)
 
G

Guest

Just got back a bit ago from 3.5 hours at the ER. After a disagreement, my heart rate had flown up to 115 bpm, & I soaked the sheets like I'd just gotten out of the shower w/no towel. Chest 'pings' (1 or so on 10-scale for pain) and another 6 or 8 symptoms of varying significance.

Did an EKG ($$$$$$), chest x-ray, and enough blood samples that I thought we might be needing a transfusion (sarcasm), and the end result, aside from likely blowing our medical budget out of the water, was the residents I spoke with near the end, seemed to think it was anxiety; it wasn't....trust me. Just cause something can't be better identified, doesn't mean it's not real or there. The search may go on, or not.

Back at the room now, and depending on what happens with insurance, I'm pretty certain we racked up $1,000's in bills tonight alone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cudme, we'd been heading down the Alaska Hwy (a friend & I) in my '64 Ford short-bed step-side, and around -55 (55 below 0) south of Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, the heat/defrost fan in my truck went belly up, so we put some -40 sleeping bags over our laps, with the pups underneath in the middle, and put on our extreme gear, rolling down the windows to keep the windshield free of frost from our breath.

Down near Coal River, south of Fireside, B.C. we pulled in, my friend snagged a pending ride with a guy who was holed up there waiting for an axle he'd broken on a pot hole, and I got connected with the son of an older Brit pensioner, who had a cabin behind the old Fireside Inn lodge, that had burned down the year before; they agreed to help me out until I could get back up to Watson Lake, Y.T. for either a new fan motor, or one from a wrecking yard. (Found one at the wrecking yard, and made my way up there a day or so before Christmas).

I was at the old gent's cabin, and had replaced the fan motor, when I made the ignorant choice to stick in a new distributor I had brought w/me (piece of shit was non-functional right out of the box), and while I was dinking with that job, I had let Missy out of the truck to run a bit; Elkhounds are hard-wired hunters. She'd spent a couple nights in the truck there, and I'd pondered whether or not she was upset, and there'd been and old, lone, black wolf, hanging out down on the river, below the old fellow's cabin, that a local trapper seemed to think might've gotten to her, as a result of her getting into a trap he'd left for the aging lone wolf, but I didn't buy it; there was no collar or tags to be found among the carnage there, and wolves don't typically eat metal, whether buckles or tags. The old trapper's story conflicted with the evidence, as well as conflicting with others' reports, so I called BS. Not out of optimistic delusion or oppositional attitude, but due to the issues referenced.

She disliked uniform cops, bears, and any other perceived threats I encountered; not because I'd trained her to, but experiential reality, closer to home. When we hitch-hiked N America together, many times, my harmonica tickled her ears, and despite her size, she would drag a 70-lb. pack on a choke collar to get away from the toe of a Hohner Melody harp in G, or to get AT a uniform cop. The dryer valve/fan that releases pressure in a semi-truck also drove her bonkers, and I'd cradle her in a basket-hold, when we caught rides in such vehicles, in anticipation of that pressured hissing sound. If she growled at occupants of a potential ride, we didn't get in. She read people better than I do, and that's saying something. She was a good dog, a good friend, and more. We saw tens of thousands of miles together. And I had to leave w/o her. Shameful moments that fucked me up bigly.

Thank you for your optimism re. better endings to her story. One of those 'hope moments.'

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Thanks, Weez. I get tangential at times, and focus on minute details, but when things connect with past or current adventures, I often add them. My bet is there'll be some more coming..
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Etta James, Live, Montreux Jazz Fest, 1975

'I'd Rather Go Blind'

​​​​​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZt1xKtPbUQ
 
G

Guest

Thanks, buzz.

Early this AM, all the incisions we can see (all, but for the bandaged wound that has the wound drain tube) are good color, with no visible evidence of infection AT the closed incisions, but the pain levels, at every site, to include the drain's location, are off the wall with hat feels like inflammation 'on fire'. Possibly contributed to by the amount of 'up time' & movement related to the trip to the ER.

I've been trying to take only ONE 500mg acetaminophen every 6 hours, & ONE 5mg oxy/day at later bedtime, but.... not sure I can stick to that today; just gobbled 2 of the 500 acetaminophen, a half-hour earlier than scheduled, after taking a single 500 mg last night @ midnite, and contemplating doing a 5 mg oxy this AM as well, which would be a first for day-time use since surgery.

The oxy, even in lighter dose, can contribute to constipation, and any bearing down with the use of abdominal muscles at this time would feel like... something unwelcome. So, holding off for now.. but....

Still not touching the heavy-weight Ibuprofen.

Gonna' try & go back to sleep in a moment.

Who lit my gut on fire????!! (That's about what the incision sites feel like this morning).
 

tobedetermined

Well-known member
Premium user
ICMag Donor
Take the meds if you need to. Oxi sucks but if you need them, use them - with a stool softener. You seem to grade pain meds in the same order that I do . . . with a hammer of Ibuprofen somewhere in the middle of the mix.
 
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G

Guest

Take the meds if you need to. Oxi sucks but if you need them, use them - with a stool softener. You seem to grade pain meds in the same order that I do . . . with a hammer of Ibuprofen somewhere in the middle of the mix.

Thank you, tbd.

I tend to look at nearly ALL drugs anymore, through the lens of my own understanding of the associated risks vs. benefits, and I've found that many OTC drugs/supplements and/or Rx drugs sometimes are more capable of inducing nasty issues than many scrutinized street drugs.

With that in mind, and family members' demises associated with some of them (acetaminophen & my mother's lethal OD as an example), I tend to be more wary of them than years ago, especially as my body ages.

I successfully dodged taking the Oxy, but took a couple of the acetaminophen, and laid in the recliner in our room with a blanket, as it also (the recliner) assisted in dissipating the bit of sinus congestion I was developing.

(Can't recall who it was in this thread that proposed such a sleeping position as a possible answer for such things, but they were correct. Thank you to who ever had posted that; it really works!)

Incisions are no longer 'on fire'. Thank the Cosmos!!!! And the beginnings of sinus issues are gone, too!!!

If the Doc or his PA/NP/whom ever would give me a thumbs-up on my thc extracts I brought with me here, I could sleep longer through the night, too. But that may come to pass this Tuesday or Wednesday.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pink Floyd, Live, remastered

'Time'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG2tZNOQWAA
 
G

Guest

Do you have access to ice packs? It may help with the pain of the incision sites.

Thank you for the suggestion, buzz. Several days ago we'd discussed using 1-lb. bags of organic frozen asparagus and green beans as ice packs. We've done such things before, but the idea hadn't reoccurred to us last night. Burn-out, depression, conflict, crises, etc., have all interfered in our collective thought processes.

But it's an excellent idea, and I'm nearly positive the need will rise again. :)

Breakfast (late) was 7-gran hot cereal with 1-1/2 organic Turkish apricots chopped up in my cereal, and about a 1/4-cup of unsweetened almond milk over it, with a cup of raspberry zinger tea.

I'd stated earlier that cancer seems to be a reset button of sorts, in many ways, and the toll of this ordeal, coupled with lots of log-term patterns of less than functional communication may not bode well for the future. We'll see. We'll either finally make changes in our ways of being, or the reset might be much greater than initially thought. I'm low on energy, and acceptance of less than functional

Less than 48-hours 'til I'm supposed to get my 2 tubes pulled. Unless they see reasons to keep them in. I hope not.

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Pink Floyd, Live, remastered

'Comfortably Numb'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi7cuAjArRs

'The Great Gig in the Sky'

​​​​​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3zwKgz8hsI
 

buzzmobile

Well-known member
Veteran
Frozen peas or corn work well too. Healing takes time. I have been told it takes 6 weeks for the effects of anesthesia to wear off.

Breakfast sounded good to me.
;)
 
G

Guest

Thanks, folks. Another mild scare, waking up from a deep nap; felt like someone had slipped me a 714 or so, like I was seriously sedated. Laid there for a while. Had felt 'other-worldly' upon laying down, but had a 'normal' temp; 98.6, though I've been running a bit cooler than that, typically.

My wife felt my forehead with her hand, and initially thought I was still 'normal'. (There's a number of folks who might debate that I've ever been normal).

We got out the thermometer, and took my temp, & it was 100.2; discharge instructions, post-op, indicate anything over 101.5, I need to phone the triage nurses on-call. First 'fever' I've seen since this rodeo began.

Took my 6:00 P.M. acetaminophen, x's 2, and got out the electric razor, to prep my stubbly face for a shave w/ the regular razor, in case we need to go back in, so the GVS P-100 Elipse half-mask can get a good seal, if out & about.

After shaving, we read my temp again; down to 99.3.

Not over the bumps yet, but sighed in relief re. not needing to go out into 'the jungle' again.

Prompted a discussion re. the body's struggles in healing, and the role of a raised temp. Not always about infections or viruses/bacteria. Possibly just the body taking life seriously.

Chest x-rays came back, and logged in my portal notes; seems my aorta is calcified. Likely age, among other factors. Something for down the road a piece if I'm still vertical when it comes time.

My energy's still off, so I'm headed back to Slumberville.

Left a message last night, on my oldest son's voice mail, reminding him of some things, and what ever role karma plays in this life, or the next.

Younger son's doing a fine job tending the homestead, and has begun replacing the rear axle u-joints on 1 of our 4-wheelers.

Both boys raised by me; 1 with a conscience, integrity, honor, and courage, the other... Well..... The other means well, but doesn't do well with me addressing his areas in life wherein he's hesitated to own his actions & thought processes.

When I think on it in times of vulnerability, I'm still heart-broken. We all choose our paths to some degree.

I'm out.

Edit: Fever's back up to 99.7; monitoring. Dreading going back in, if it becomes necessary.

------------------------------------------------

John Butler Trio, Live at Crossroads

​​​​​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I6eI7hUruY

Good music!!
 
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Gry

Well-known member
Thanks, folks. Another mild scare, waking up from a deep nap; felt like someone had slipped me a 714 or so, like I was seriously sedated. Laid there for a while. Had felt 'other-worldly' upon laying down, but had a 'normal' temp; 98.6, though I've been running a bit cooler than that, typically.

My wife felt my forehead with her hand, and initially thought I was still 'normal'. (There's a number of folks who might debate that I've ever been normal).

We got out the thermometer, and took my temp, & it was 100.2; discharge instructions, post-op, indicate anything over 101.5, I need to phone the triage nurses on-call. First 'fever' I've seen since this rodeo began.

Took my 6:00 P.M. acetaminophen, x's 2, and got out the electric razor, to prep my stubbly face for a shave w/ the regular razor, in case we need to go back in, so the GVS P-100 Elipse half-mask can get a good seal, if out & about.

After shaving, we read my temp again; down to 99.3.

Not over the bumps yet, but sighed in relief re. not needing to go out into 'the jungle' again.

Prompted a discussion re. the body's struggles in healing, and the role of a raised temp. Not always about infections or viruses/bacteria. Possibly just the body taking life seriously.

Chest x-rays came back, and logged in my portal notes; seems my aorta is calcified. Likely age, among other factors. Something for down the road a piece if I'm still vertical when it comes time.

My energy's still off, so I'm headed back to Slumberville.

Left a message last night, on my oldest son's voice mail, reminding him of some things, and what ever role karma plays in this life, or the next.

Younger son's doing a fine job tending the homestead, and has begun replacing the rear axle u-joints on 1 of our 4-wheelers.

Both boys raised by me; 1 with a conscience, integrity, honor, and courage, the other... Well..... The other means well, but doesn't do well with me addressing his areas in life wherein he's hesitated to own his actions & thought processes.

When I think on it in times of vulnerability, I'm still heart-broken. We all choose our paths to some degree.

I'm out.

Edit: Fever's back up to 99.7; monitoring. Dreading going back in, if it becomes necessary.

------------------------------------------------

John Butler Trio, Live at Crossroads

​​​​​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I6eI7hUruY

Good music!!

Recall having read a good butler is a wonderful asset to have in life.
Should one be so fortunate.
Wishing the best for you.
 

tobedetermined

Well-known member
Premium user
ICMag Donor
so the GVS P-100 Elipse half-mask can get a good seal, if out & about.

The hospital where I had surgery didn’t let anybody in with a respirator style mask - nothing but a blue surgical mask was allowed. I wore mine all the way to the OR table. And when I came alive in Post-op, I had one on, but they had added a spacer so it wasn’t tight on my mouth & nose. We are in the middle of a lockdown again (the virulent 3rd wave) and the hospitals are stressed near maximum. They stopped all elective surgeries three days after mine.
 
G

Guest

The hospital where I had surgery didn’t let anybody in with a respirator style mask - nothing but a blue surgical mask was allowed. I wore mine all the way to the OR table. And when I came alive in Post-op, I had one on, but they had added a spacer so it wasn’t tight on my mouth & nose. We are in the middle of a lockdown again (the virulent 3rd wave) and the hospitals are stressed near maximum. They stopped all elective surgeries three days after mine.

We wear a surgery mask over the P100s, to cover the exhaust port, to avoid the message of not being concerned for those around us. The airline we fly has banned any ported masks, covered or not, but we wear the 2 masks, along with face shields (mine being heavy duty, by Venom) over those. When they've occasionally announced 'No ported masks' over the PA system in the boarding area, -potentially- as a result of past communications with them, written and voice both, I simply volunteer NO info.

For the hospitals and elsewhere, our mask protocols haven't posed an issue at all.

In my past correspondence with the airline, it quickly became apparent that this was another classic case of refusal to discuss an illogical policy, simply because line workers, even in customer support, will NOT 'push the river' where a long-crafted policy is the focus.

Cynically speaking, my interpretation in such moments has been, "Look, we've spent a LOT of time and $ crafting a policy that hopes to cover our asses for liability & uniformity; we're not about to question the sensibility of that policy, so we can improve it for anyone."

I'd asked them, verbatim, many times, "How is a minimal surgery mask covering a 3" diameter wet mouth, safer than that same surgery mask covering a <1" diaphragmed port, with additional space inside for moist air being exhaled?" I got ZERO response, even when they had said multiple times that a higher-up from customer care would contact me to discuss this.

Bottom line? They don't really want an analysis of the effectiveness of a policy. They want compliance whether the policy makes sense or not, but they mostly want the $$$$$.

--------------------------------

Quick Silver Messenger Service, Live, Winterland, 12/28/1975

'Fresh Air'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNE0CKK71TI
 
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G

Guest

Hang in there, improvements are slow but steady you know

Thanks, sdd.

My fever went up last night to at least 100.3, w/ my face ready for an abrupt outing.

When I woke up a couple different times, I'd sweated the sheets wet enough that we put towels down to go back to sleep on. But when I woke up this morning, my temp was normal, and I felt better than I have since surgery. Literally I felt like my normal self, but for a slight pinching pain at an incision site that had previously not complained much.

Primary concern this AM is the rather slow or no draining into the catheter, which, along with the wound drain, is supposed to come out tomorrow. And there's some mild nausea, that I fear for the potential damage to incision sites, if I wretch hard and tense all those related muscles.

Thanks for your kindness.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Guns 'n' Roses, American Music Awards, 1989

'Patience'

​​​​​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ9Wj1TcdxE
 
G

Guest

Fever came back after nothing more than getting up to use the restroom, and typing 3 paragraphs while I did so. It was accompanied by that 'woozy' 'other-worldly' sense of being.

If I were to guess, I'd say I'm either having a fight between immune system, and post-op infection, or low blood supply.

I'll abstain from posting my opinion re. being discharged from the 1.5 days in the hospital with notably lower hemoglobin and hematocrit counts; the 'new' era of conveyor-belt medicine; rack 'em, pack 'em, and stack 'em, and move 'em on out for the next victim... err..... 'patient' with insurance and/or cash-flow.

Feeling a bit cynical and physically out-of-sorts at the moment.

Wrote through the portal last night, asking if I could get a minor refill of an anti-nausea drug (4 mg Zofran) they'd prescribed at discharge, and they (no name on the reply) wrote back asking if I was actually still having nausea.

NO SHIT!! No, I'm currently bored, and decided to scam you in order to get a non-controlled substance, so I can later market the motherfuckers on the street, when on-line price for 30 of the buggers is all of $4 !!!!!!! <sarcasm, extreme>.

So I politely wrote back and gave them a relatively concise review of the last day or so, after which I experienced..... fucking nausea.

If it escaped anyone's notice, I'll clarify, I'm a bit miffed at some of the ivory tower folks in our culture; as though there's a direct correlation between status, credentials, and a measurable decline in basic common fucking sense!! I'm probably NOT the guy they'd want to invite to dinner tonight....

"Come the revolution..... there'll be some changes!!!"

I'll write back to them shortly to inform the twice-removed folks of the most recent ride through dizziness and puke-ville; though I've managed to avoid actually puking thus far. But the thought of puking into multiple masks in an airport, or while in the air would be FAR less than an ideal circumstance.

Sometimes I wonder how some folks can be so brilliant, yet SO f'ing ignorant.

It's entirely possible, based on symptoms, that I have some degree of internal bleeding going on, or perforations of some sort. On the bright side, if it becomes catastrophic at some point, my wife & youngest son might be in for a BIG pay-day; the hospital's $$$, and my life policy.

<rant off>

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buddy Guy & Tracy Chapman

'Ain't No Sunshine'

​​​​​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neFzQ-vBXm0
 
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