Trip to Univ of Chicago Medicine
Round two of second opinions yesterday. If you get two second opinions does one of those become the Third Opinion? I'm open to your opinion on this :)
We went up to University of Chicago Hospital and met with Dr. Blaise Polite. I had read his bio and opened our conversation with this question...."Why would anyone take Greek as a second language?" He chuckled, knowing I must have done some research on him and informed me he has Greek heritage. When I told him I did as well we became fast friends.
Dr. Polite is a very smart man, that is evident. And he understands colon cancer, that is clear as well. He offered many suggestions on what can happen next, perhaps as soon as 3 or 4 weeks from now. I very much appreciated his sense of urgency.
One thing I have come to realize. This may not be about finding a cure. This is more about extending the time I have. We have heard everything from 2 months to two years from the doctors. Dr. Polite talked in terms of 4-5 years. That's refreshing.
So it was a day well spent for sure, thanks for my sister Kristina for twisting my arm to go and sister Karen for taking me. Also thanks to Matt Purnell for doing the driving from CU to the south side and back.
On a personal side I had lots of company in the past week. Cousin Amy and her two kids Garrett and McKenzie, Cousin Dana and his son Brandon and Patrick Jiang, who was the first student from China I hosted. It was so much fun to see everyone and catch up.
I also committed to producing Oklahoma for the Champaign Urbana Theater Company this summer. Director Stephen Fiol asked me. Talk about great medicine, Steve is just a joy to be around . My summer calendar is filling up and that's great medicine. FYI, if you are reading this I may need you help covering expenses for the show, open your wallets :) It's tax deductible!!
We went up to University of Chicago Hospital and met with Dr. Blaise Polite. I had read his bio and opened our conversation with this question...."Why would anyone take Greek as a second language?" He chuckled, knowing I must have done some research on him and informed me he has Greek heritage. When I told him I did as well we became fast friends.
Dr. Polite is a very smart man, that is evident. And he understands colon cancer, that is clear as well. He offered many suggestions on what can happen next, perhaps as soon as 3 or 4 weeks from now. I very much appreciated his sense of urgency.
One thing I have come to realize. This may not be about finding a cure. This is more about extending the time I have. We have heard everything from 2 months to two years from the doctors. Dr. Polite talked in terms of 4-5 years. That's refreshing.
So it was a day well spent for sure, thanks for my sister Kristina for twisting my arm to go and sister Karen for taking me. Also thanks to Matt Purnell for doing the driving from CU to the south side and back.
On a personal side I had lots of company in the past week. Cousin Amy and her two kids Garrett and McKenzie, Cousin Dana and his son Brandon and Patrick Jiang, who was the first student from China I hosted. It was so much fun to see everyone and catch up.
I also committed to producing Oklahoma for the Champaign Urbana Theater Company this summer. Director Stephen Fiol asked me. Talk about great medicine, Steve is just a joy to be around . My summer calendar is filling up and that's great medicine. FYI, if you are reading this I may need you help covering expenses for the show, open your wallets :) It's tax deductible!!
My thanks to all for their friendship and support. I'm blessed to have you all in my life.
March Madness .... well not so mad!
Sorry it has been a while since an update. And guess what, this update is from me! Yes the patient lives. And I must say I'm doing well. It's March 18 today and I'm feeling really good. Oh I had my second of maybe 12 chemo infusions on Wednesday. I go every other week. The infusion takes about 4 hours all in. Then I get to wear a chemo bag for two days while the meds keep pouring in. It's not too bad. Side effects come on the weekend which is manageable.
So let's get to what is important. This week I'm feeling better than i have since November. I'm getting stronger and eating better than I have in a long time. I've been working myself back to a full day at work. I'm so lucky to have a supportive boss and co-workers. Everyone understands that it takes time. And by not overdoing it I'm getting back stronger and faster.
I've been setting some goals as well. If you know me you know sitting still in not an option. I'm eager to start lifting weights again, play golf, work on CUTC shows, help on Habitat Builds, etc. I need to get moving. Trust me I realize I'm not close to being cured and I may never be cancer free. But attitude is great medicine. And I have always had attitude :)
In the meantime, know I"m getting better. I appreciate the support and Guanheng and I love the meals too! Cooking is hard, just because of the aromas. So a meal delivered once in awhile is a night of peace for me!
Thank you all for your prayers, you support. I'm so lucky and truly blessed.
April 14 update
Yesterday was chemo session #4. It's amazing how simple it is. Go in, get comfortable, and they plug you in and fill you with meds. Before you know it you are back home. I always bring a movie and yesterday was "Oklahoma". The movie starts with "Oh what a beautiful morning" That was really true. Lab tests came back with even better results than two weeks ago. My scores are nearly normal for cancer detection and nutrition. All indicating the chemo is working and the surgery designed to help me eat/retain vitamins, is all good.
The past two weeks have been fun. I saw two musicals, Fiddler on the Rood with one of my former actors Timothy Purnell at Uni High in town and then A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum with two more of my favorite actors, Ryan Gossett and Alec Campbell and all time favorite director Suzanne Aldridge at Centennial High School. Both shows were wonderful. I'm producing Oklahoma this summer and hope all will audition and be in the show.
No real issues with side effects. And I started lifting weights again, That's a milestone for sure.
I overbooked this weekend, working on a Habitat project with guys from my fraternity Saturday and then facilitating an I-Program for the UI Leadership Center on Sunday. Sunday after chemo is normally my "bad day" so hopefully I won't feel too tired. Oh well, bad planning on my part but I know it will be energizing. So hopefully it all balances out.
Many thanks to Jean Huddleston and Linda Finfrock for bringing meals this week. It's so helpful to have meals on chemo weeks as it's really hard for me to cook the day of and the next few days after chemo. My appetite is good but the smells really get to me.
My love to all who are supporting and praying for me! We are making progress.
So let's get to what is important. This week I'm feeling better than i have since November. I'm getting stronger and eating better than I have in a long time. I've been working myself back to a full day at work. I'm so lucky to have a supportive boss and co-workers. Everyone understands that it takes time. And by not overdoing it I'm getting back stronger and faster.
I've been setting some goals as well. If you know me you know sitting still in not an option. I'm eager to start lifting weights again, play golf, work on CUTC shows, help on Habitat Builds, etc. I need to get moving. Trust me I realize I'm not close to being cured and I may never be cancer free. But attitude is great medicine. And I have always had attitude :)
In the meantime, know I"m getting better. I appreciate the support and Guanheng and I love the meals too! Cooking is hard, just because of the aromas. So a meal delivered once in awhile is a night of peace for me!
Thank you all for your prayers, you support. I'm so lucky and truly blessed.
April 14 update
Yesterday was chemo session #4. It's amazing how simple it is. Go in, get comfortable, and they plug you in and fill you with meds. Before you know it you are back home. I always bring a movie and yesterday was "Oklahoma". The movie starts with "Oh what a beautiful morning" That was really true. Lab tests came back with even better results than two weeks ago. My scores are nearly normal for cancer detection and nutrition. All indicating the chemo is working and the surgery designed to help me eat/retain vitamins, is all good.
The past two weeks have been fun. I saw two musicals, Fiddler on the Rood with one of my former actors Timothy Purnell at Uni High in town and then A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum with two more of my favorite actors, Ryan Gossett and Alec Campbell and all time favorite director Suzanne Aldridge at Centennial High School. Both shows were wonderful. I'm producing Oklahoma this summer and hope all will audition and be in the show.
No real issues with side effects. And I started lifting weights again, That's a milestone for sure.
I overbooked this weekend, working on a Habitat project with guys from my fraternity Saturday and then facilitating an I-Program for the UI Leadership Center on Sunday. Sunday after chemo is normally my "bad day" so hopefully I won't feel too tired. Oh well, bad planning on my part but I know it will be energizing. So hopefully it all balances out.
Many thanks to Jean Huddleston and Linda Finfrock for bringing meals this week. It's so helpful to have meals on chemo weeks as it's really hard for me to cook the day of and the next few days after chemo. My appetite is good but the smells really get to me.
My love to all who are supporting and praying for me! We are making progress.
