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#11
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - December 04, 2021, 10:06:04 AMThanks Del. See you on the other side. Feeling like I've got a bit of a cold about me, so I'm strangely hoping it doesn't come to anything and I can still have my op. The alternative messes up a lot of plans for next year. Fingers crossed. 
#12
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by delboy - December 01, 2021, 09:31:22 AMHi Ed
As you say, hopefully this is a good thing, albeit in a strange way. All the best for Monday and a quick and solid recovery!
Derek
As you say, hopefully this is a good thing, albeit in a strange way. All the best for Monday and a quick and solid recovery!
Derek
#13
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - December 01, 2021, 04:54:06 AMFinal update. I'm booked for surgery on Monday to remove a portion of my lung. I was hoping I'd get away with it, but no such luck. Apparently the 5mm lesion is slightly bigger since the last scan. The rest have stayed the same. Hopefully that's a good thing. There's a specific growth rate for certain types of cancer and I'm thinking if the rest have stayed the same it may be a good sign.
Anyway, assuming I survive the op and don't stroke out, I'll see you on the other side. If I don't see you before, have a good Christmas.
Anyway, assuming I survive the op and don't stroke out, I'll see you on the other side. If I don't see you before, have a good Christmas.
#14
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - November 20, 2021, 11:12:10 AMNice one, Del. Keep up the good work. I thought about doing NaNoWriMo a few times, but that was as far as I ever got. I hope it goes well for you. I think it will -- you've got a writer's bones, which you've proved abundantly over the years.
#15
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by delboy - November 19, 2021, 06:11:14 AMHey Jerry. Good to "see" you. Sorry to hear about your father. Mine passed away earlier this year, too. It's tough and sad times for everyone it seems. Let's just all hope that things get better across the board. And, Ed, still got my fingers crossed, buddy. If positive thoughts can help then they're already on their way.
In other news I've decided to have my first ever go at NaNoWriMo this month. I've always sort of looked down on the concept before, but I've not been writing much this last year (just a few short stories) and I was interested to know if the desire, the commitment, and the discipline was still there. I'm pleased to say that it's a triple yes. It's going really well and I've written every day and am currently on about 36k words. I didn't pal anything, I just dived in and started writing, but the story has come together really nicely and I've been really enjoying it. It's taken a lot of time and effort, and in a way I'd forgotten how hard the actual doing was, but I shall continue on after November and will try and finish the draft, and then we shall see...
Regards
Derek
In other news I've decided to have my first ever go at NaNoWriMo this month. I've always sort of looked down on the concept before, but I've not been writing much this last year (just a few short stories) and I was interested to know if the desire, the commitment, and the discipline was still there. I'm pleased to say that it's a triple yes. It's going really well and I've written every day and am currently on about 36k words. I didn't pal anything, I just dived in and started writing, but the story has come together really nicely and I've been really enjoying it. It's taken a lot of time and effort, and in a way I'd forgotten how hard the actual doing was, but I shall continue on after November and will try and finish the draft, and then we shall see...
Regards
Derek
#16
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - November 10, 2021, 05:39:41 AMHi Jerry, thanks for the kind words. Sorry to hear about your dad. He went way too young, and that must be tough to reconcile. I don't know which is worse, for your brother to be there and have to cope, or for you not there at the time and hearing about his passing later. Awful either way. I'm guessing you're still in shock. Truly awful for your mother as well. I'm guessing they were together quite a few years. I can't imagine life without my wife we've been together so long.
What struck me for the first time, years ago, when my grandfather died, the first time anybody I knew and loved had died, was how the rest of the world just carried on like nothing happened. It was so massive to me, travelling to his funeral in a car, while people on the streets carried their shopping bags, chatted and laughed, and carried on with their lives, oblivious to what had happened. We all carry on with our lives with people dropping like flies around us. I wonder why it doesn't freak us out more in our day to day. It's horrific when you stop and think about it. As you say, we are fragile.
Had my consultation with the surgeon last week at the BRI, an old dingy hospital, creaking at the seams. It smelled of disinfectant and beef stew. Quite a shock after being in Southmead, which is brand new, light and airy, massive atrium lobby with concessions and a musician playing a grand piano in the mddle of a vast expanse of terrazzo floor. The news is, my consultant back at home dropped the ball again. No surprise there. I'm supposed to have a scan every three months and my last one was four months ago. The surgeon said it was too old to decide whether he operates or not. Apparently I've got three 'nodes', two in my left lung and one in my right. The right one got smaller between the two previous scans, one other stayed the same size and the third got bigger. He said if it wasn't for my history they wouldn't bother about things this size, 2,3 and 5mm. I've got a scan tomorrow and if nothing has grown bigger I'm off the hook for the time being. If something has grown, they will go in through my ribs under my arm about half way down my chest and do a partial lobectomy. The worst part is they have to guess, based on the scan results, where the growths are and cut out those sections of lung. The scan is taken with your lungs full and the operation is done with the lung blocked off and deflated. He played down the risks to a very small percentage of chance, but the words that stick in your brain are, "You may not survive the operation." Other risks include a blood clot to the brain. There's also a risk the rest of my life may be what they term a 'managed decline'.
So now life's on hold with the sword of Damocles dangling above my head again. It's usually a fortnight before I find out the scan results, at the least. Outwardly I'm my old phlegmatic self and I'll take what comes, but there's a definite tension here. I suppose I'm lucky that we are so busy I don't have much time to sit and dwell on any of it.
I hope things get better for those of you facing challenges. They generally do.
What struck me for the first time, years ago, when my grandfather died, the first time anybody I knew and loved had died, was how the rest of the world just carried on like nothing happened. It was so massive to me, travelling to his funeral in a car, while people on the streets carried their shopping bags, chatted and laughed, and carried on with their lives, oblivious to what had happened. We all carry on with our lives with people dropping like flies around us. I wonder why it doesn't freak us out more in our day to day. It's horrific when you stop and think about it. As you say, we are fragile.
Had my consultation with the surgeon last week at the BRI, an old dingy hospital, creaking at the seams. It smelled of disinfectant and beef stew. Quite a shock after being in Southmead, which is brand new, light and airy, massive atrium lobby with concessions and a musician playing a grand piano in the mddle of a vast expanse of terrazzo floor. The news is, my consultant back at home dropped the ball again. No surprise there. I'm supposed to have a scan every three months and my last one was four months ago. The surgeon said it was too old to decide whether he operates or not. Apparently I've got three 'nodes', two in my left lung and one in my right. The right one got smaller between the two previous scans, one other stayed the same size and the third got bigger. He said if it wasn't for my history they wouldn't bother about things this size, 2,3 and 5mm. I've got a scan tomorrow and if nothing has grown bigger I'm off the hook for the time being. If something has grown, they will go in through my ribs under my arm about half way down my chest and do a partial lobectomy. The worst part is they have to guess, based on the scan results, where the growths are and cut out those sections of lung. The scan is taken with your lungs full and the operation is done with the lung blocked off and deflated. He played down the risks to a very small percentage of chance, but the words that stick in your brain are, "You may not survive the operation." Other risks include a blood clot to the brain. There's also a risk the rest of my life may be what they term a 'managed decline'.
So now life's on hold with the sword of Damocles dangling above my head again. It's usually a fortnight before I find out the scan results, at the least. Outwardly I'm my old phlegmatic self and I'll take what comes, but there's a definite tension here. I suppose I'm lucky that we are so busy I don't have much time to sit and dwell on any of it.
I hope things get better for those of you facing challenges. They generally do.
#17
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by elay2433 - November 07, 2021, 08:08:31 PMThat's hella rough, Ed. You appear to be in good spirit, and seem pretty stoic in the face of it all, which is a lot more than some people would be able to muster in such a situation. Good that you've got all your business in order and you've got family behind you. I've run quite a few calls on people in worse shape who don't even have family to lean on. I can't imagine what it's like for you or for them. The reality is, we're all pretty fragile when you think about it. My dad, only 63, not yet retired even, died on October 10th. He never quit. Was doing yard work at my brothers house when he just fell over and never got back up. It's got me looking at everything through a different lens. Hoping the best for you, buddy. You're a good dude, and you've got a lot of learning and wisdom in you from all you years here. Here's to wishing you get to keep on gathering it and sharing it.
#18
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - October 29, 2021, 12:25:43 PMQuote from: delboy on October 28, 2021, 01:56:18 PM
Hang on in there, buddy. Sending positive thoughts your way and keeping everything crossed that it all turns out well.
Derek
Thanks Del, I appreciate it. Cheered me up a bit to see your words. Have to admit I'm feeling a bit apprehensive now. A bit sorry for myself. I've just looked up the route for Tuesday, so that I can be there on time, and I can feel my heart beating faster now. I'll find out on Tuesday how extensive the cancer is and how much lung function I'm going to lose, I guess. I hate the thought of being incapacitated again. I've been lucky until now, I've always been fit and strong. The last op put paid to that for a while, and I'm only now starting to feel back to my old self, almost, but I'm not as strong or as fit as I was last time. This time I might never feel the same again afterward. Might always be weak and short of breath. That's what worries me. It could be like being battered by waves on the shore -- you pick yourself up and get beat down again, and again, and that repeats, sapping your strength until you can't get up again. Scary.
Still, what will be will be. I've got my wife and sons supporting me here, and we have no financial worries. I wonder how people get on who go through these things trying to hold down a job and pay mortgages. It must be awful. We paid our off a while back, and my business will run itself, at least for a while. The people that work for me are capable and good at what they do. I'm just the hub of the wheel that organises things and makes the decisions.
#19
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by delboy - October 28, 2021, 01:56:18 PMHang on in there, buddy. Sending positive thoughts your way and keeping everything crossed that it all turns out well.
Derek
Derek
#20
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - October 25, 2021, 05:44:21 PMGot an appointment a week tomorrow to have a pre op assessment. At least something is happening now. The worst parts are waiting and not knowing the plan. If it's anything like last time it meant the operation was less than a month away, so it might be a crap Christmas this year.
Told my sons today. They took it alright. I suppose they're getting used to it now. I'll put off telling my mother until I've seen the surgeon and know what's going on.
Told my sons today. They took it alright. I suppose they're getting used to it now. I'll put off telling my mother until I've seen the surgeon and know what's going on.