Next round for cancer plus RETIREMENT!

Well, less than a year later I am  back in the chemo lounge at Kaiser Hospital to get rid of stuff shown in a PET can. Some lymph nodes are effected and some cancer in my liver. Just when I was thinking it was all over. I am in the second round of three chemo treatments and the doctor thinks it will work. It is the same cancer as before and not a new liver cancer, so that is good.

I also retired from the City of Los Angeles on June 27 and will have fun after and in around the chemo lounge visits. Monday we went to Ruby's in Redondo Beach and that was nice. Had lunch with a friend of my sister Marilyn and we compared cancer stories and chemo stories but otherwise enjoyed lunch and LIVING with cancer.  I have discovered that having "good days and bad days" is that the good days have to be enjoyed and let the bad days just go by and get out of the way.

I  think in between chemo we might  go down to San Diego to see the zoo and Sea World.  After that maybe a trip up north to some of the towns north of Los Angeles.

Retirement is nice. I always thought it would be nice to get a pay check but not have to get up at 5:30am to get to work where I have to WORK. I don't even have to go to pick up a check, I get direct deposit.  How sweet it is! 

I have added Laurie and Mike P. to my prayer list and hope that helps them. 

wedding picture

Wedding April 13, 2014

 

At West Hollywood United Church of Christ.  33 years and one day after wedding in West Hollwood  Presbyterian Church. Second wedding with a marriage licence.

 

Wedding pictures

wedding pictures

Wedding pictures.

 

JOINING AA

Joining AA is like stage diving at a rock concert.

Helpful hint

A friend at an AA meeting said he tried to control his drinking by only drinking on days with a "y" in them.

Car blocking driveway

An AA friend of mine left to go to a meeting and  found someone had parked their car blocking his driveway with all the windows open. He slowly inched his car around the car, thought about putting a nasty note on the windshield,  but got out and dropped an AA meeting guide through the window on the front seat, and drove to his meeting.

I finished my 4 rounds of chemo on August 1 and had a PET scan on August 20 to see the results of the chemo.  On September 12, yesterday, I finally got the results of the PET scan. There is no trace of cancer in me and I am again CANCER FREE.  I have been on disability for about 5 months and can go back to work on Monday.

I had two big helps in this ordeal (in addition to God of course, and AA) - my partner of 33 years Tony and my new addition to the family - Toni, a white 3 month old chihuahua puppy. Toni was my "service animal" and kept me too busy playing with her to feel sorry for myself. 

Now  I will do the 6th annual Disability Art Show and then think about retirement, etc. 

Another Surgery

Well, I had a cancerous mass in my right kidney so I had to have a kidney removed April 9th and am mostly recovered from that, some 6 weeks after the surgery. However, they removed 15 lymph nodes, of which 12 were cancer. Since they couldn't remove any more and were not sure there were any, I have to chemo.

Yesterday I had my first treatment at the chemo lounge at Kaiser Hospital in Hollywood and it lasted about 2 1/2 hours because that had a whole bunch of people - nurses, pharmacists, etc. telling me what to expect and to sign a bunch of things.  Next time it should be less than an hour.

It is now 4 pm on the day after chemo, 25 hours after I left the Chemo lounge, and I don't have any side effects. WHOOPEE!!!!!   One down eight to go.

I hope this all goes as well as the first time. 

All of this seems bad but it isn't. That is one of the things I learned in AA. I do have good doctors and they are optimistic and a wonderful life partner who is there for me 24/7. And I have a Higher Power who has been with me for many years.  She  got through two major surgeries and am OK this time. Plus I didn't die of alcoholism at age 40 or so, and turned 74 this year. Great results of turning things over to God, I would say

My plans don't always work out

Well, my plan for this year was to find out that I was cancer free for five years  but that isn't what happened. The CT scan showed a mass in my right kidney and I will have a biopsy surgery March 5th to be sure it is cancer (probably is) and then deal with it. 

 I am pretty sure what happened - my kidneys were talking one day and were really upset that my bladder was getting so much attention that they had to get into the act.

The surgeon may be able to take out the mass with the less invasive surgery March 5 but he didn't think so. I would probably have to have surgery to remove the kidney. It this keeps happening I am not going to have much of the original body parts, at least in the same places.  I wonder if I will walk lopsided with the removal of the weight of the kidney on one side of my body. Oh well.

Meanwhile I am grateful to be alive and sober and able to deal with these things. A dear friend of mine -Jennifer Robin- died a couple weeks ago of cancer.  She had long time sobriety and enjoyed life.  She was my hero (still is) and I listen to her CDs on my iPod all the time.

I am also grateful that age 61 I found out what I wanted to be when I grow up - working for the Department on Disability. Better late than never!

National Day of Service January 21, 2013

Photos from National Day of Service in honor of the inauguration of President Obama and Martin Luther King Day at Washington Irving Junior High School in Glassell Park, California. I am not in these pictures but I was in a group of 5 cleaning trash and leaves and applying mulch around several trees across from where the lockers were being painted.   A ground of over 200-300 showed up and painted the school, cleaned the grounds and moved old unused books and supplies from the classrooms to dumpsters. Also it was a celebration with music and dancing with all groups represented - Caucasian, Asian, African American, Pacific Islander, etc. Also Latinos and Latinas, gay and straight, old and young.

National Day of Service - Glassell Park Elementary School

January 19, 2013

Thoughts

Things all work out in the end. If they haven't worked out, it isn't the end.

Sayings

Alcoholics are the only people who applaud themselves for running out of a burning building.

Alcoholics Anonymous works because everyone isn't crazy at the same time.

Palisades Branch Library Art Exhibit

Me at work

Valley Plaza Library Art exhibit

More stained glass

Stained glass in living room.

Main Library Los Angeles display cases

These are part of the Disability Art Exhibit now in the Main Los Angeles Public Library. All of the artists were part of the City's DEAFestival 2011 art show.

Disability Art Show at West Valley Regional Branch of L.A. Public Library

This Disability Art Traveling show is at the West Valley Regional Branch of the L.A. Public Library at 19036 Vanowen Street, Reseda and will be on view for the months of March and April 2012.

These works of art include several deaf artists from the DEAFestival Los Angeles art contest, with the great help of Councilmember Tony Cardenas and from Richard Ray, ADA Coordinator and Coordinator of Deaf Services for the City of Los Angeles Department on Disability.