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 A blog of no uncertain musings. What goes on in my mind is often a source of wonder to me. |
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My mind and my life are wonderous things ... as are yours, I'm sure. I have more slips of paper and pages of notebooks with musings and thoughts than I really know what to do with. Someone, actually several someones, have suggested I start a blog ... or a journal as a means of focusing some of this mental energy. To be honest, I don't even know what the difference between a 'journal' and 'blog' is--or if there even is a difference. Read on, my friends, and you can judge for yourself whether it even matters. And so....  I'm JACE. Yep ... that's me! And somewhere in all my writings my last name may be posted. But I'll just leave it at Jace for right now. I'm 70 years old and heading full tilt to 71. It's strange that while I'm going through some rather serious medical issues, I still consider myself to be in the prime of my life--pretty good shape physically AND mentally, though I don't run for competition anymore  . I love to ... dang, if I put this stuff here, I won't have anything for my blog.Guess you just have to be patient until such stuff leaks out.  Perhaps 2025, having embraced my retirement, will see more participation in my journaling efforts. Well, one can hope.... |
Some of the information cited below may be disturbing to read. Proceed with caution. Background. See "Some Results Still Pending"  My surgery was a radical Nephrectomy completed using robotic surgery techniques. Robotic surgery is less invasive than opening a person up using four small 3/4" incisions and one 3-4" incision near the belly button to remove larger items. This type of surgery assured an easier recovery period. The surgeon removed my right kidney, the tumor about the size of a small fist and a lymph node. He told me the following day that the surgery was a success, and that he expected a good prognosis from Pathology, which may take a week. I was encouraged to know that my surgeon had only one kidney having donated one to his sister many years ago. I figure I had two kidneys for 70 years; I could do the next 30 (or so) with one kidney. Yesterday, I received a call from my surgeon's nurse with the pathology results of my surgery. I had gone online and read the results but could make no heads or tails of the med-speak. My results are good in that I can expect to live normally. One thing she said surprised me. My condition ensured I was eligible for immunotherapy (Oncology Dept.). That surprised me as I had been scheduled for immunotherapy before my surgery. This therapy is not chemo or radiation, but uses a curated drug designed to shrink the tumor so it might be surgically removed safely. As the tumor was attached to my right kidney, there was a possibility it may have invaded the inferior vena cava, which carries blood from the lower part of the body back to the heart. A chest x-ray was ordered to see if the cancer had spread into my lungs. It had not. Thus, my Urology Team and my surgeon decided surgery was the better option initially followed by the immunotherapy to ensure the cancer is completely removed. That meeting with Oncology will be next week. I am encouraged. |
| I'd been told by a couple medical professionals and others who had gone through surgeries that people don't dream under anesthesia; they're put into a deep sleep. That wasn't a concern to me as I seldom dream. After I awoke from my surgery, I do indeed NOT remember having dreamed. HOWEVER, since then, I have had the weirdest dreams. At least I feel I've been dreaming. Yet, I can't recall anything of note to write down. They wisp away as I try to recall them. It also seems to me that my dreams span the waking moments when I have to get up to pee several times a night (a side effect of having to drink two to three liters of water a day to flush my system of the anesthesia). Frankly, I'd just as soon not dream. I tend to wake up more tired than when I don't dream. QUESTIONS for anyone who's undergone full anesthesia: Do you remember dreaming while under? Did you have crazy dreams in the following week or two? |
| As I move into my second full day from the hospital, I'm learning a few things about myself. Normally I like to go for a walk each day. Now that it's a requirement for my recovery, not so much. I guess I'm stubborn and don't like being told I have to do something. My attempt at exercise this morning showed me two things: I grossly underestimated the toll my surgery took on my body. I managed 750 steps (according to my phone), and that really did me in. I wanted to do more (like yesterday doing 1300). I woke up this morning feeling a bit out of breath and in pain. But I didn't listen to my body saying, "Take it easy today." I had to get at it. I feel bad that I can do the things around the house that I'd normally do. Doctors placed a 10-lb limit on what I could pick up ... right now that seems generous. I couldn't take the full clothes hamper to the laundry room. Nor back to the bedroom to be put away. My wife is about to witness the many things I do without being told. Oh yeah, she prods me occasionally, but not that often. Because of the type of surgery I had, I'm required to do a breathing exercise. I must inhale into a plastic apparatus called the Voldyne 4000. Inhaling raises the plunger as far as I can AND as often as I can during the day. It's designed to keep me from getting pneumonia, a common complication from my surgery. As with most people who must do some post-op physical therapy, I dislike it ... a lot. At least all this therapy can be done at home. |
| I'm back having survived my surgery. I got a good report from the surgeon. But the Pathology results won't be available for a week or so. The Next New worry is coming quickly, I suppose. A couple of things that occurred to me during my 4-day stay in the hospital. The first thing: hospital food is to die for. I mean it--it will kill you. The only way I could survive was not to eat it. The juices, ice cream and fruit cups were good. At least they allowed food to be brought in. The McDonald's cheeseburger tasted fabulous. Of course, there's the part about this nurse or that aide coming in every two hours to take vitals. That is true. Of course, to help keep me awake, I administer the drugs every 15 minutes by pressing a pump. I could just press button repeatedly. But they told me if I did press it repeatedly, the machine would lose track. True? False? Who knows? Since I've never been hospital before I really had no frame of reference when asked something like "what's your pain level right now on a scale of one to ten. I figured five would be average. Since I seem to have a high tolerance for pain, I used five a lot. I think it bugged the nurses a bit. Finally, after all the cutting and stitching and food and pain, I never got "the ride" in a wheelchair. Every procedure my wife experiences merits a ride in a wheelchair. I'm waiting in the hospital entryway with the two bags of personal item and things the staff let us take. I'm not allowed to carry these bags--medial restriction, which she knows. She drives up and starts honking the horn for me to get into the car. I tell the big guy next to me that she forgot I can't carry anything weighing more than 10 lbs. He picked up the bags walked with me to the car. I've never been one to dwell on melancholy. But I have to say my anxiety level has been pretty high; it's likely to remain high until I hear the pathology report and know what to do about my life.  |
| I visit the "Noticing Newbies" forum daily, making time to welcome our newest members. I usually suggest they complete their Bio-Block and Biography tabs so other members with similar interests can find them. Today while writing this blog, I re-read my intro to this Blog, and realized it's out of date. I suppose any time one incudes an age, it's bound to be outdated soon. That got me thinking about the rest of my biographical information. While I visit my Port every day, I seldom read what I wrote about myself. Complacency, I suppose; laziness, even. Time to update. How often do YOU update your biographical information? |
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