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CANCER: An Uncensored Journey

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Bill Sable	Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 2:11 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	Hey, now... I have to admit that I've posted rather little of substance of late. The reason: I seem to have hit a "wall" in terms of my energy levels and/or the healing process and recuperation from the effects of chemo. It has been all I can do, pretty much, to drag my butt to work, get the job done, and take care of such business as is necessary to get through it. An odd sensation for someone with generally more energy than a cinder block....but I'm feeling better the last couple of days, so perhaps this, too, will pass. Damn well better...got stuff that needs to get done.
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Bill Sable	Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 6:16 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	I guess it is possible to be busy and really tired all at the same time. Go figure. But there are a couple of new items to share with you all who have undertaken this little journey with me. First...another addition to the "'Scope for Men" Club. We have a new crew member in the shop who, at age 50, was hesitant to get the scope. We talked about it, my disease/etc. and the procedure. He got scoped...and was found to be entirely negative on all fronts. Second...through other parties, CPMC (California Pacific Medical Center)where I had all this fun has contacted me about doing a story for their quarterly magazine, especially re the participation of my crewmembers in helping me (and tolerating me!!) through the months of treatment. Text and photos. Could be interesting...and I get an opportunity to say "Thank you" to all the folks who made continuing to live a probability rather than a possibility. Get the 'scope, people.
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Bill Sable	Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 3:39 am
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	My profound apologies...I cannot believe it has been a month since my last post. There are some reasons and some new developments. Part of the reason has been the annual effort to prepare the house for winter...which, for example, found me way, way, way up on the roof doing some window-caulking yesterday. an interesting experience as I still have a touch of chemo-produced vertigo. Further, a friend of mine is running for SF Supervisor for my neighborhood, Chris Jackson, whom I met when he and I were working with Young Workers United to get the Paid Sick Leave Ordinance passed in SF...a really good man. So, I've been walking precincts for Chris. Further still, Siggy was in town... Anyway, enough already....New developments... Safeway has begun to stock the absolutely awesome, very manly, incredibly sexy new line of DEPENDS for les hommes---stripes, patterns, etc. Encroyable!! and they work just as well. Just another "Rod Stewart" moment. Also, just spent some time last PM being interviewed by a writer for CPMC re an article regarding colonoscopies/preventative screening for colo-rectal cancer. I mentioned this site (Hi, Katherine..!!!) and basically covered all the material, in brief, that we have discussed here for the past couple of years. If and when, I'll pass it along.
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SharynS	Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 4:23 am
Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 2883 Location: the 'puter	Hi Katherine. Shoot I can't believe I've been back 3 weeks already! For those inquiring minds who need to know, I can tell you that WJ is looking as fit and healthy as they come. I have to say surprising given what he's been through, not surprising if you've met him. You're an inspiration WJ, plain and simple an inspiration. _________________ Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself. - Salman Rushdie
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Bill Sable	Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 3:07 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	Well, thanks, Siggy...but I believe the word is "perspiration".....I just do the work, that's all.
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Bill Sable	Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2010 3:53 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	Kindly forgive the irony surrounding this post - I'm sure that I've addressed the issue, if only in a vestigial manner, in previous notes, I just do not recollect if I've done so in any detail. The issue is "chemo brain" and the reason I bring it up is due to a fine article on the subject from MayoClinic.com "Chemo brain is a common term used by cancer survivors to desrcribe thinking and memory problems that can occur after cancer treatment" i.e. chemotherapy, radiation, and other therapies including surgery. Symptoms may include: being unusually disorganized; confusion; difficulty concentrating, finding the right word, learning new skills, multitasking; fatigue; feeling of mental fogginess; short attention span; short-term memory problems; taking longer than usual to complete routine tasks; trouble with verbal memory such as remembering a conversation; trouble with visual memory, such as recalling an image or list of words. Having written the Grocery order on the CPS header and the CPS order on the Grocery header a couple of sdays ago, I was concerned...until one of our other clerks did the same thing yesterday...so, not a "chemo-brain" moment necessarily. However, I have found myself with some of the listed symptoms since the end of chemo and, as well, with a shorter temper than I have had...much quicker on the trigger, so to speak. it is hard to estimate whether this is a part of the 'chemo-brain" effect or the piled-up frustrations of cancer/treatment/healing and all that goes with it. But these things do exist. Thet are real and they can be avoided by getting a colonoscopy. If you have not done so yet, do it --- make the appointment today.
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Scott Schroeder	Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2010 6:29 pm
Joined: 20 Dec 2007 Posts: 383 Location: Some where on the mountain	Bill Sable wrote: However, I have found myself with some of the listed symptoms since the end of chemo and, as well, with a shorter temper than I have had...much quicker on the trigger, so to speak. it is hard to estimate whether this is a part of the 'chemo-brain" effect or the piled-up frustrations of cancer/treatment/healing and all that goes with it. Or it just could be that your half Irish? Takes one to know one WJ BTW, Heather says thanks for the info. _________________ I will believe corporations are people when Texas executes one!
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Bill Sable	Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:22 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	Well, yes, actually.... one-quarter Bushmill's, one quarter Jameson's...the other half is strong coffee, cream and sugar. ask Siggy.
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SharynS	Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:12 pm
Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 2883 Location: the 'puter	Yeah, and being the shy introverted guy that he is WJ didn't tell anyone he's been published. Risking copyright infringement because he also didn't tell anyone where to find print, here's his story in pdf eh Quote: William Sable wants to make sure others get that information before he did. “Don’t put it off getting screened because you are fearful or embarrassed,” said Sable. “The exam is easy. Cancer is not." Breaking the Silence About Colon Cancer _________________ Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself. - Salman Rushdie
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Bill Sable	Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 3:25 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	Well, now, Sharyn...not exactly the case: my experience but not my writing. The article was written by Catherine Jacobs for publication in the CPMC quarterly magazine or on the CPMC website called MyLifeStages.org Catherine is a much better writer than I will ever be...I just sort of mash the buttons at random. Catherine mentioned that the site is especially oriented towards issues of women and cancer. I guess what caught her (their) attention is/was the role that women have played in my own cancer treatment, the "Team": Shirl, my sister Patricia RN, the crew at the store. One other thing has developed from the process of being interviewed for the article. One of the folks at CPMC apparently want to discuss my post-op experiences with an eye towards improving the level of information and assistance patients may receive after ileostomies and ileostomy reversals. What people need viz. equipment, the lack of proper gear in some cases and how to improvise, what they can expect for the conduct of their lives. Case in point: one the the absolute best things I received (thank you, Shirl..!!!) was a mombeau-sized package of white terrycloth/cotton little (facial??) towels. Always thought they were a waste of time...Wrong.!!! Very useful in the necessary process of keeping things sanitary. A couple of dozen of these bad boys and you can get through anything. Ileostomy's answer to duct tape and WD-40.
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Bill Sable	Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 4:54 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	Thankful things thought while cooking Thanksgiving thurkey.... Colonoscopies CAT scans da Vinci robotic systems Anesthesia, especially the "I forgot it ever happened" drug Charmin toilet paper ginseng those little white towel-ly things I got from Shirl surgical gloves - and the fact that Safeway now carries them medical insurance, without which I would be mulch ileostomies ileostomy reversals really comfortable new turbo-charged toilets (thanks, again, Shirl!!) Depends ...and friends who come to dine among many other things
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SharynS	Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 5:23 pm
Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 2883 Location: the 'puter	It is for sure the little things that make life worth living and the turkey taste like more. _________________ Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself. - Salman Rushdie
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Bill Sable	Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:11 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	A thing or two to report...not wholly welcome. The good news: another one of my co-workers will be going in for a preventative med colonoscopy. one for the "win" column. On the other hand, my recent bloodwork indicated higher CEA (cancer marker) levels. Consequently, I have another CAT/PET scan scheduled for next week. The Doc says it is "purely precautionary", an assessment I do not disagree with. Still...a decrease in CEA levels would have been nice. It ain't over 'til its over...so get the scope, people.!!
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Bill Sable	Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:11 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	Some things just do not mix. Do not drink and drive. Do not drive while "texting" or, pardon, even running off at your mouth on the cell phone unless you have a hands-free doohickey. A new one: do not (repeat: not) mix bowel incontinence and two pints of barium contrast (pina colada-flavored) on an empty stomach. If they compel the mixture, please advise nuclea medicine techs that bowel incontinence is an issue (as I did, 'twas the honorable thing) and find out where the nearest restroom is. or not. I have not yet received the other results from the PET/CT scans.
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Bill Sable	Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 4:09 pm
Joined: 14 Feb 2009 Posts: 259	Well, now, as Merle Haggard used to sing about driving trucks..."There Ain't No Easy Run". A great and honest song...and an appropriate preamble for some news, not necessarily great news. The PET/CT indicated the spread of cancer cells to a couple of dozen lymph nodes (bad news)although no major organs are affected (good news). Surgery cannot solve the problem; too many places and the cells would remain in the blood (as they did after the intial surgery) so another and more intensive round of chemo-therapy is indicated...the big(ger) guns, Folfox4 plus Eloxitin (of fond memory ) and Avastin. Basically, these will weaken the existant cells and then firewall them so that they cannot spread further. That's the theory. As usual, I will keep you posted as to the reality. The program is 4 days with IV's in the hospital followed by a 2-week period without chemo; then 4-days/2-weeks in 3 more cycles...basically about three months worth. I am thinking about a new "reality" TV show to be called "Blowing Chow" starring, well, moi, to b precise. Any thoughts? "Extreme Nausea" as a sporting event. Hell, if I thought it would do some good, I'd puke for posting on UTUBE. People, cut the damn crap...get the scope. More soonest...and thanks to you all.
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CANCER: An Uncensored Journey


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