MEDICAL UPDATE:

   We report to the hospital at 11:00 a.m. Lexington time.  Surgery will likely be in the 1:00 o’clock range.  You never know for sure.  Surgeon said it would take 1-2 hours.  After Teresa speaks with the surgeon she will call Amanda Schoonover.  Amanda designed the blog so she will be able to give you an update—in her words.

LIFE UPDATE:

   One more thing I learned this evening.  A Wendy’s frosty can’t compare with a milk shake from the Dairy Queen!

   My times are in His hands—including and especially tomorrow. 

MEDICAL UPDATE:

Met with the surgeon this afternoon.  I had a first to happen.  About two minutes past our appointment time the surgeon’s assistant stuck her head in the door and said, “We are really sorry but are running about 15 minutes behind.  We hate to get off on this foot.”  Are you kidding? 15 minutes wait in a doctor’s office?

Great doctor.  Life, intelligence, spirit (and I believe Spirit).  Matter of fact, to the point, helpful and hopeful.  We don’t really know any more for sure than we did.  Scope surgery, have the tissue analyzed while I am on the table (pathology just across from the operating room), and then do what needs to be done.  He told us some more possibilities—some better than we thought and some not.

We’ll know the surgery time at 9:30 p.m.  (Lexington time) this evening.  We’ll post it then.

Let’s pick the kind of surgeon that you think I might like: Less than 5’9” tall, probably called a husky when he was a kid, lots of laughter, and a steak and potatoes kind of guy!   That’s my surgeon.

All the surgeons here want to look at my leg, which most of you have never seen.  He was very impressed with Dr. Shives' and Dr. Tran’s work.   He noticed the two tattoos on my leg (two dots to set up the radiation from before.)  I told him that I tell teenagers that I have a couple of tattoos.  He said, “Show them your leg and tell them, ‘This is what happens when a tattoo goes bad.’”

LIFE UPDATE:

Some more things I have learned.

1.) Longer the grey hair, the better chance of getting the senior discount.  I got a haircut this morning.  We went back to the same buffet this afternoon where we had eaten yesterday.   Cost was $3-$4 more.   Guess Teresa must have looked too young.

2.) Dietary admonitions for this afternoon: no fruits or veggies, no red meat, no pork.  Are you serious?  I had a carbohydrate overload from mashed potatoes, bread, corn bread, and ice cream.  Well, and more ice cream.  Actually all of the ice cream I wanted.  (When we were checking Teresa’s mom into the nursing home they asked about her mom’s food likes and dislikes.   I told Teresa if she is ever asked those questions and I am in the shape her mom is in, just cross out everything and write in, “Ice cream.  He only eats ice cream.”

3.) There are lots of believers here, in spite of how global this place is.  We have heard “How Great Thou Art” sung in the main lobby and “Amazing Grace” and other hymns played on the piano.  The “ask the question girl” who signed me in told me about her small church just outside of town.  The surgeon and his assistant have the Spirit of Jesus.  Even the vampire who took my blood told me that her brother had returned from a month long mission trip to Taiwan (her home country) and Viet Nam.  

4.) I started a book while I was lying in bed in the middle of the night.  Got up early and headed to the breakfast room so I wouldn’t keep Teresa awake.  I have eight chapters done already—well at least the chapter titles!  I am not sure whether anyone else will ever read it if it ever gets down on paper.

5.) This could be trouble.  I already have the sermon theme for the first Sunday I am back.  Two-three weeks preparation on one sermon.  Oh no!

Thanks for your prayers.   We’ll sure take them tomorrow.

Monday, January 30th, 2012

MEDICAL UPDATE:

We got to the Mayo Clinic late yesterday evening and met with the surgeon’s assistant at 9:50 a.m. this morning.  By noon we had all of the tests done they wanted prior to meeting with the surgeon on Tuesday.

We don't know much more than we did except the following:

a.) If you need a CT scan, have one done at the CB Diagnostic Center on Southland drive.  Folks here said it was an excellent film.

b.) Whatever is going on, it isn't my appendix.  Could be I never had an appendix.  Or I guess it could be that some of you prayed way too much for my appendix and so the Lord just took it.

c.) Staff here is confident that I have something abnormal that needs to be removed.  You can take abnormal for whatever you want to take it.  Unless something changes, they will take a look with a laparoscope on Wednesday, determine by sight what I don't need living in me any longer, remove it, send it to pathology while I am on the table, and then complete the surgery in light of the pathological report.  That is one of the main reasons we came back to Mayo.  I knew it would likely be one surgery here instead of two or more at home.

That's really all we know right now and is likely all we will know until the surgery on Wednesday.  I guess the blood work and chest X-rays could give us some additional information when we see the surgeon on Tuesday.

LIFE UPDATE:

I am a list guy, so here is a list of some things I have learned or have been reminded of:

a.) Cancer changes you, whether it is the threat of it or the reality of it doesn’t really matter.   Cancer makes you live like we all should all the time.  Never should we take a day for granted.  We should do those things we say we’ll do someday.  Do them today or make plans today to do them soon.

b.) I am a far more blessed man than I realize most of the time.  As I sat with the surgeon’s assistant this morning, she looks at my history and she says to me, “You know that you are really fortunate to still be alive 11 years after having sarcoma, don’t you?”  I have known that for a long time.  Hearing it from someone at Mayo brings it home.  I should never complain about anything. 

c.) I need to major even more on the majors.  I need to be more fervent about calling people to Jesus.  I need to make and take time with my family.  Why, I might even take a vacation.  Imagine that.

d.) It has been a light winter here like in Lexington.  Some things:

1.) I have never heard a TV reporter in Lexington complain that our “wimpy winter” was a bad thing.

2.) Calling 43^◦ in January as unseasonably mild is a strange thing.

3.) I couldn’t live in MN.  The Dairy Queens close here from October until March. 

Thanks for your prayers.