The Second UCLA Suegery

I think it was around 2:30 in the morning when we set out for UCLA, We had the whole Family, Derek, Tisha, Kristen, Dakota, Sandi, and Kelli . I vividly recall having my last cigarette and my son hurrying me. I don't regret that, and as they tell me all went very well during the surgery. So well that I did not need any time in the ICU, off to the main head and neck ward. I do not remember that.

I do remember waking up in the ICU after, I am told, trying once again to leave the hospital, as I was not being, in my mind, cared for properly. As cohearance came back into my world I was told that I had almost coded and they moved me to the Icu. Really not a place to sleep and recover, they wake you throughout the night food, blood, temperature,blood pressure, Medicationand on and on. I think I was there for 4 days and then back to the main floor. I had a room with 3 other people. Only 2 when I first arrived. Then you have Dr.s and Students coming in the am and pm doing there roundsIN the ICU they have some very Buff Men that are the roving lift team Who change a patients position if that can't do it for themseves. Very Very nice young men doing volunteer work.

Now that is why I was watching the Super Bowl at UCLA. That was a great game, and I think I slept well that night. I knew I could get back to that question. They released me on election day in the mid morning. They wheel you down to your vehicle and it was quite chilly that morning. A kind ambulance attendant brought me a blanket, Derek pulled up and with a little help I got into the car. The trip home was a maze of thoughts. I can't talk and I'm very weak and its Election Tuesday. No one except myself was up to stop first at the polling place, so we went home. My wifes brother and his wife were there and they were a great help in those very difficult first Days home> I remember I was addament about voting in the primary and finally Joyce took me to the polls. We voted and went back home. That tired me out completely. but felt very good about voting.

February flew by with more appointments than I care to remember, but I was getting stronger and the news so far was good. I can not talk very well, certainly not with my normal vocabulary, I eat through a tube and am never hungry, but I greatly miss the taste of everything I love to eat. By the start of May I was out in the garden with shirt off doing chore and feeling pretty good. Mid-M ay my wife became concerned about a wound that was not healing from the surgery, so much s that she forced me to go to an Urgent Care Center. The place on a friday evening was empty. The doctor took a look and said He thought I had some kind of infection nd That I should go immediately to the ER. Well that was not going to happen He gave us a prescription for an antibiotic.and we went HOME.

The following Saturday am my wonderful wife drug me to the ER at Community Memorial Hospital. Very few people there so we were seen very quickly. The Dr. gave me the once over and was about to release me when Joyce said the urgent care Dr had reccomended I have a Pet Scan. With that the Dr. set me up for a scan, an hour or so later the deed was done when the Dr. returned he shot me with a powerful antibiotic that hurt , they also put a stint in so the antibiotic could be administered again the following day, and oh by the way, there is a tumor there.

Flattened would be a word well describing the emotions that went through my wife and I. We were both wide eyed and unbelieving of what we were being told so off the cuff. We returned the next day to a very long wait in the ER to get my second of two Antibiotic injections. We had not talked at any great length well we absorbed this new information. I know when my name was called I acted out, saying My god there is someone back there. There were cheers around from the waiting patients. I should never have done that. I think I was just venting. We were attened to and sent home.

We already had an appointment to see my primary Surgeon, Dr. Blackwell, on the upcoming Tuesday . UCLA was calling again, I hate that trip, I've done it so very many times, and this trip was not any better. Into Bldg 200 across the street from the Main UCLA Hospital, and up to the 5th floor we went. Ann, the grouchy ,but very sweet and caring, nurse led us to Examination room and within a short time Dr Blackwell entered with an intern in tow. We handed over a copy of the scan which he studied for a moment, then doned his reflective head piece and Announced "Open please " . In a short time he called in the other surgeon that did my operation, back in January, he too took a look see. They both agreed that Surgery was NOT an option as the tumor was too close to my carotid artery and all that they had read about or done ended in a stroke or death. Options became Radiation (Which had been ruled out after the January operation due to the amount of Rads I already was Loaded with) and Chemo therapy. The drive home was not Pleasant.

We called our Family Dr. and he sent us back to the Radiologist and a Chemo Dr. Appointments were set up first with the Radiologist. Dr. Rodnick, with Cabrillo Radiation and Then with Dr. Zang and Ma Chemo Dr's. Almost the whole family fell out for the meeting with Dr. Rodnick, about a week later. With great trepadation we entered his exam room . What flowed from Dr. Rodnicks mouth to our ears was pure sweet music. He and Dr. Fogel had put togeather a plan, an aggresive attack on the growing canerous tumor that combined 2-a-day radiation treatments and once a week chemo treatment. They said they were going to beat me to a pulp, and see what came out. We next went to see the Chemo Dr. he laid out the different foms and types of therapy available andd we made our pick Erbo something, to start the following week. Radiation was to start after the 1st week of Chemo.

Well in the mean time I was to get blood Drawn ,another Pet Scan, and be fitted for a radiation mask . In looking back on that time I'm surprised that I was able to do it. I would not have been able without the love and support of Family and friends. Literally in some respects the held me up. I knew I was not ready to succum to cancer, and so the fight was on. The first week of Chemo, a Thursday, I with my wife entered the treatment room, about 7 Lazy-Boy Recliners, We had already met the charge nurse, as she had worked with my wife,she sat me in a recliner and inserted a needle into my hand. I was stuck there for the next 4 + hours. Fortunately I had my wifes laptop and a stack of movies. The time went by and my wife showed up to pick me up. I can't say I felt bad that first evening or even the next day . I know my energy level was down but that was true before the start of the chemo. I was to start Radiation the following tuesday.

Tuesday came and I recalled the first time expierence with radiation some 8 + years ago. This time I was led to a different room. My head postioned with the use of the mask in fixed posture that was not very comfortable. The treatment took much longer than I remembered, and the machine changed positions several times, rotating around me that too was new. At 9:30 am is home, but had to return there at 3:00 pm for the second treatment. I know that for the first 3-4 weeks the first time I felt fine after that I was depressed and drained of energy. However this time the energy loss came sooner as well as the depression along with, an extremely sore and ulcerated mouth.