I have been out of commission on Facebook due to some unfortunate and mysterious events recently. As some of you already know, I have been under chemo therapy due to my very early stage of stomach cancer. Well, on a Saturday, Greg, my second son took me in to Vallejo chemo infusion clinic for hydration. And I passed out in the mid of hydration. I was told that my heart beat was arrhythmic and up to 170 beats/minute. At times, I went into convolutions and I spent 11 days in the ICU at Vallejo Kaiser, totally unconscious for the first 5 days. I also had a severe infection with some gram negative bacteria and doctors there had a hard time figuring where the infection came from, By the time I was conscious, there were multiple IVs in me and I was given blood regularly. Apparently I was rather incoherent. After 11 days, they sent me home. At home, I started to walk round with a walker and taking multiple anti-biotics. Many of which were just speculations since most bacteria cultures came back negative. The following week I had a PET scan (positron emission tomography) in the Walnut Creek Kaiser and the results were all negative. The tumor in my stomach is all gone and it has not spread to any adjacent organs or lymph nodes. My oncologist also left Kaiser that weekend to join a company based in Berkeley doing clinical trial. Consultation with my primary doctor and a self appointed oncologist, and with my younger brother, all yielded the opinion that I should have surgery to cut half of my stomach out to ensure that I would survive longer (nobody could say how long though or anything for sure). Once one has cancer, the doctors will never say that your are totally cured and if one survives the first 5 years, then you are in remission but still not cured. Now, I’m at a cross road of having to decide whether to have surgery or take the homeopathic approach and let nature takes its course. Fear of dying is not a mental pre-occupation in me currently. The quality of life is my most concern. Having almost died after 2 cycles of chemo, a severe stomach surgery (stomach and pancreas are rated some of the highest risk and very time consuming surgeries). I may develop some serious side effect due to surgery. I was told that my stomach would be down sized to the size of a mango and it would stretch throughout time and grow bigger. However, I have to develop a different eating habit (like multiple times of small meals and stay away from a variety of food). Some of these issues will unveil themselves in the next couple weeks when I meet with a new oncologist and the surgeon. I’m not optimistic meeting with the surgeon though since they always want to operate. I still remember June’s rheumatologist used to say, “never trust a surgeon, they are like carpenters, always want to cut you up” We are all going down to Westlake Village (north of L.A. on the Hwy 101 LA, above Malibu Beach) of to spend Thanksgiving with Lucien’s family. It will be a big family gathering, since my whole family and Joanna’s whole family will be there. I have not seen Grayson, my grandson since they moved down to LA. He has grown a lot and is in the Amgen’s Day Care every work day. I’m sure we will have a grand time there. Happy Thanksgiving to All of You!
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 17:33:53 +0000
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