Day 1 - And So The Journey Begins

Yesterday, August 23, 2010, Mel and I arrived at MUSC's Ashley River Tower at 7:00am so that I could have an Endoscopic Ultra Sound of my stomach. This test was ordered because of a 6 cm polyp that was discovered during a previous Endoscopic foray into my GI track. The Docs got a piece of the polyp but they weren't convinced they had the whole story and wanted a better look. The EUS would afford them the opportunity to see through the stomach lining and into the tissue beyond.

We were registered quickly and taken back to the prep/recovery area. An IV was started and some blood was taken for labs. Everything was going as planned until the labs came back. It turns out my hemoglobin was too low (6.2) for them to do the procedure. The EUS would have to wait until after I could get a couple units of blood transfused into me. The good news from the labs was that my kidneys were working well enough for me to not need dialysis (for those who are keeping score, I haven't needed dialysis since last Wednesday - yeah!) At first the plan was to admit me to the hospital for the transfusions and do the EUS the day after but Mel put her foot down and said, "No." She made them figure out a way to do everything as an outpatient (thank God she was there.) And, in fact, once they had done as she requested, it turned out that I could get the blood I needed and still have the procedure done on the same day. So I sat for about three hours in a most uncomfortable reclining chair while the blood slowly dripped into my veins. For those of you who have never had a transfusion, let tell you that there is no better drug for making you feel better, stronger, healthier than human blood. It really is the elixir of life. Before my transfusion I could barely make it from the wheel chair to the recliner - afterward I felt like I could jog back to the waiting room. Great stuff blood - those vamps know of whence they speak.

But the transfusion is not the reason for this diatribe. No the real story lies in the results of the EUS. The procedure itself went quite well. I was put under a general anesthesia (thankfully) and the whole thing came off without a hitch. The procedure took about an hour from beginning to end and this afforded the doctors plenty of time to poke and prod and snap pictures and buy souvenirs and try to find a reason to justify this little trip into my digestive tract. As it turns out, the doctors did find something. Just beyond the lining of the stomach and under a layer of muscle is a layer of cancer cells. They took a biopsy and we'll hopefully know more in the very near future. It is quite possible, and most likely, that this stomach cancer is the reason I've been having so much trouble with my stomach. Now I'm in a holding pattern waiting to hear from the Oncologists so we can develop a plan of attack. Generally the protocol is to try and shrink the cancer and then remove it surgically. Thankfully at least my kidneys seem to be rejuvenating themselves (knock on wood - please!)

I've fought the big C twice before and won but I was a much younger man then. I'll fight this as fiercely as I can but, to be honest, I'm not sure how much fight I've got left. Sometimes, when you dodge a bullet, you end up leaning into another one - one that takes its time manifesting its injury.

Keep the good thoughts and prayers coming. Mel and I are really going to need them. And for those of you in the Charleston area who want to lend a hand in some way - I could use some help finding weekday rides to and from the hospital so Mel doesn't have to give up any more of her vacation time.

Be well.