Going to Maryland

8/22/08

I sometimes forget to update the Blog on anything buy flying!! Then someone will ask how I'm doing and I jump on it. I'm doing good. I am back to normal, back to work, back to my old self. My side is still numb, but I don't notice unless I'm looking in the mirror. It looks like a love-handle! I will be going back to Johns Hopkins on September 26th and until then I'll be nervous. I guess the worst case is that the cancer has returned and I will have to go through all of this again. That would kill me, but it's still better than losing a kidney. I will do my best to keep you posted.

Thanks again for all of the well wishes.
Jack

7/14/08

I'm trying to keep this Blog about flying and not let my medical issues take over, so I'm just going to update this entry. It's been a few weeks since my surgery and I'm doing better. I still have pain in my side from the expected nerve damage. It seems to be getting better though and the doctor says to give it a few weeks. According to him, I'm physically fine and can resume all normal activities. I don't feel up to much though and so I'm just taking it easy.

It seems the worst thing for me is the car ride when I'm going somewhere. Other than that I'm fine. I go back to Maryland in September for a CT Scan to make sure they got it all. Until then, I'm just waiting. I'm hoping to be in the air again in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes on the Blog!!

Thanks again to all who have sent me comments, emails, etc. This was not a life-changing cancer for me. It did open my eyes, however, on how short life can be. I feel very blessed to have had such a minor brush with it. Kidney Cancer or Renal Cell Carcinoma can be very devastating, if not fatal, if not caught early. Most people have no signs and it's often caught too late. I saw many people in Johns Hopkins that were in very bad shape. I will forever be thankful for the doctors.

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I saw a shirt the other day that I need. It said, "Like I've been hit by a train, and you?". That's me. I'm tired and in more pain than I've ever had in my life. Now the inside of my thigh hurts, which I was warned could happen do to pressure on a nerve.

My wife and I are headed to Maryland - Johns Hopkins Hospital - on 6/23 and I'll have a few CT Scans done and then the procedure will be done the next day. After that, it's just a lifetime of monitoring it. I'm ready... I'm more worried about the hassle of flying there than I am about the procedure!

As far as flying goes, I'm ready, but the winds are keeping my feet planted firmly on the ground. I'm leaving town tomorrow for a quick vacation, but when I return I'll be watching the forecasts for that low-wind day when I can again soar with the eagles (or at least with Tim or Chris!).

That's all for now...

Jack

Update on Me!

Revised on 5/22


I heard back from the doctors and it looks like I'll be heading that way soon. I have a few things to work out, but they think I'm a good candidate!!







Okay, I've received a lot of questions about my health so I guess it's time for an update.

First, I really appreciate all of the concern. It's nice to know people care. I'm even hearing from people I've never met. Gotta love the internet :-)

I went to a Radiologist a couple of weeks ago on a Thursday. He was ready to do a procedure called Cryoablation. This is where they insert a probe through your back into the kidney and freeze the cancer. This is a very easy procedure and you stay in the hospital for about 4 hours. This sounds much better than taking my whole kidney. That would leave me in the hospital for 4 days, two weeks out of work, 6 - 8 weeks for a complete recovery, and a lifetime of worrying about my remaining kidney.

Then, he called me back on Friday to tell me he had discussed this with a urologist and the best thing for me to do was to have the kidney removed and move on with life. If you've met me, you probably already know this pushed me over the edge. I was already stressed and this made me furious.

I told my wife that doctors were idiots and I was going to do nothing at all. I was going to keep my kidney and just have a new CT scan in a year to see if it had progressed. This didn't go over well!! She was concerned that I was making a selfish decision and risking my life. I was irrational for a few days and then I got on the internet and got to work.

So, where does this leave me? I've done a lot of research and found that Cryoablation is the way of the future. I found an artice that says Johns Hopkins University did a study and it's 95% accurate. Even when it doesn't kill all of the cancer, it's slow growing, so they just go back and do it again. I've decided this is what I'm going to do. The doctors no longer have a say! I will travel if necessary to get this done. I believe with all of my heart that I'm doing the right thing.

Here's a link to the article, let me know what you think:
http://www.newsmax.com/health/cryoablation_cancer/2008/03/17/80945.html

Jack