I thought I had posted this last week: 12/21/14 OUT AT LAST! I’m Ba-a-a-a-ck! Oh what fun it is to channel Jack Nicholson. I’m de-institutionalized at last, back in my [temporary] own home on Castro St. It’s been a long time since last dispatch, and I apologize, but I couldn’t get/send email from the hospital. My surgery on Nov. 17 was declared successful by my surgeon, cancer resected, got it all, good margins, some lymph nodes positive, others negative. This is not the final word regarding any further treatment, tho; I’m anxiously awaiting such word from the docs. I had a seriously rough time in the hospital: not so much pain in the traditional sense, but extreme discomfort for days and nights on end; poor sleep, nausea, hiccups, NG [nasal-gastric] tubes into my nose and down my throat, seriously bloated stomach, feeding thru a tube, and more. It wasn’t just the intensity it was the constancy that was so hard to take. Lots of time for self pity, self reflection, asking the hard questions. The main problem: my newly shaped and plumbed stomach [switching channels from Jack to my stomach now:] waking up now; hey, where am I, what’s happened, what time is it? Oh yeah, I remember, I’m Bill’s stomach, tho I seem to be a bit diminished. OK, onward. Here’s clear liquid breakfast coming down the pike. I know how to handle this: secrete some digestive juices, a little of this, a little more of that, mix lightly, send it on its way, I been doing this for 74 years, nothing to it! [secrete, secrete, mix, mix] Hey, WTF? something’s changed! Lunch will be here soon, but breakfast is still here, clogging up the works! Where am i going to put it? I seem to have lost my touch! WTF? Gee, it gets a guy thinking about things: I don’t care WHAT the Buddha said, why do things have to change? What am I? Who am I? What is my purpose? What is the meaning of life? I’d better get my ass in gear or they’ll come back and open me up again!” [back to Bill] Meanwhile the hiccups worsened, and were more or less constant 24/7, misery continued. The fix turned out to be another NG tube insertion, one of the most unpleasant experiences possible, but it worked. I stopped eating/drinking anything,mthe tube drained my stomach,, which calmed and had chance to reboot. After 24 hrs, the tube is removed, throat is sore, hiccups are gone! Stomach bloating gone. They started me back on clear liquids, and stomach does its job, moving things along like it’s s’posed to! My only regret: I never heard what the answers were to the big questions! [rimshot] After that, I transitioned slowly into pureed diet, and was parolled on Monday Dec 8 to a half way house, the Jewish Home, formerly the Hebrew Home for the aged, now also a skilled care nursing facility rehab center. There I had lots of PT, OT, and ST [the latter is speech therapy, turns out I needed lessons in swallowing!] The therapy was all good and helpful, tho the food was truly awful. And yesterday, Saturday, I came home. Dian, my ex-wife, flew down from Portland and has been taking good care of me, cooking, cleaning, helping in many ways; I am very grateful. Taking over from Dian next week will be my dear friend Lisa, coming out from Santa Fe, and then my wonderful daughter-in-law, Marianna. This will get me through this initial period. Afterward, I may be asking some of you to help me fill in the spaces, tho by that time I hope to be fairly independent. All one step at a time. Thanks again for all your messages, keep the faith! Love, Bill
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:08:50 +0000
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