August 18, 2008
Bad Health Year
| I'm having a bad year in the health department. Had Scarlet Fever in March. Torn meniscus in knee in May. Diverticulitis (serious colon infection) in July. During the CT scan at the ER for the diverticulitis, they found something in my bladder that didn't look right. So... 3 weeks later, once recovered that, I went to a urologist to get checked for bladder cancer. Last Monday he removed 2 tumors from the bladder, one was 2 to 3cm and the other not much more than a speck.  I am a very lucky guy. The cancer is localized inside the bladder, and does not appear to penetrate into the muscle tissue. It's very treatable and survivable. Most of the time this kind of cancer isn't discovered until you start peeing blood and by then the cancer is much harder to cure and quite often fatal. I am lucky, huh?   Oh... yeah... and when this is surgery is cleared up (next month?) I'll go in for a colonoscopy to check and make sure my colon is OK, too. Joy.  Still... I am way better off than a lot of people. Other than being sore, tired, bored, and restless, I'd say I have nothing to complain about. I must say, the staff at Beloit Memorial Hospital are outstanding! Each and every one of them, without fail or exception, did an awesome job helping me through all this... from the ER in July to the "Special Care" wing last week! THANKS FOLKS!!!  And - more on the bright side - I'm not in Iraq.   |
