We all love you, Dude.
While it is implied, I feel like it should be said… this is your life and
no one gets out alive, of course. Doctors are just advisors and you need
to make the decisions that are best for you. You are blessed, in many
ways, some hard to appreciate, to have a certain ultimate awareness of your
limited time on this earth.
One of the reasons I chose the hospice service for Patty was the nurses
smocks didn’t say hospice on them. I’d still forget and a couple of times,
in talking with the nurse Patty would follow our conversation and
eventually blurt out “you mean I’m terminal?” It was new and fresh every
time and hurtful without resolve or insight for her that might lead to some
sense of peace.
She had great doctors, but with mets to her liver, lung and spine they
wanted to do chemo and with her not able to understand the suffering I
wasn’t willing to put her through it. I did take her for radiation of T11
that had a compression fracture but they were so focused on that they
missed that her pelvis was riddled with cancer.
The night before she died she was in obvious discomfort and pain and the
nurse said he’d given her all he was legally allowed to!! NOFUCKINGSHIT?
I took a few morphine pills and crushed them with a tablespoon of vermouth
to give her and it visibly eased her.
I’m just saying this as a way of pointing out the medical community/pros
don’t always have the best perspective about what you need. At some point
you’ll have to decide what’s best for you, take their advice and weigh it
against the reality of your (and Janice’s) cost for another year or month
of life, quality vs quantity I guess.
Go ahead and shoot the messenger if it’ll make you feel better ;’) I’ve
cried at your news like I haven’t in a few years.
Love you and god’s blessings in this ultimate struggle.
Kevin
On Sun, Aug 15, 2021 at 23:35 Mark <mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Love you man, great attitude to take, you’ve got a legion of support
behind you! You can do this especially the alcohol part.
What’s your hat size, view this as an excuse to be outrageously
fashionable, I’ll send you one<g>. Damn I’ve envied your hair it’s so
amazingly thick….it will grow back!
We’ll get you through this!!
Mark
Dick22
I have been diagnosed (AGAIN) with prostate cancer, but this time it is
more wide spread and aggressive. I have 8+ lesions on my spine and pelvis
(which is causing me a low level of pain in the neck and lower back. The
lesion on my lower back is 3.8cm, which is the largest.), at least what we
know of now. My PSA jumped up from 13.90 on 7/29 to 20.06 on 8/12…that’s
when the alarm bells went off. I had an Axumin Pet scan on 8/10 that
verified “we have a problem, Houston!”.
Having a follow up total body bone scan on Aug. 18th. The Pet scan only
covered the area of my body around the spine. The bone scan will go from
tip of toes to top of head to find out if it has spread to any areas not
covered by the PET scan.
I will start my chemo on Aug. 19th, which I will be treated every 3 weeks,
for a total of 6 treatments, till Dec. 2nd. The week after each chemo
treatment, I have to get labs done so they can track progress (or lack
there of). Each treatment will last about 4 hours, except the 1st which
will be 6 hours. They start slowly to verify I can tolerate it and don’t
have any severe adverse side effects. I’m sure I will have some during the
treatment period, how many and how severe are undetermined now. More
details to follow…If you want to hear them?
I will also get an estrogen shot (to slow the growth down…which has its
own side effects, like crying when those damn ASPC commercials come on for
donations, while my breasts grow and I gain weight!) and a shot of some
medicine to strengthen my bones. None have cracked yet…
I will lose my hair within 6 weeks. Anybody need extra? You pay for
shipping. Will probably shave it off when it starts falling out in chunks.
Supposed to come back after beating this beast and could be a different
color (red?) and/or curly. Maybe I should get a tattoo on my head once the
hair is gone???? Any ideas? This should be interesting.
I have to have someone drive me to and from the treatments because it has
alcohol in it. Should be an interesting buzz???? Wondering if I should
bring some of my “extra” potion (Angel’s Envy?) to enhance the treatment?
Additionally, I can expect to be weaker and tired a lot more. I am already
experiencing that now. It’s a bone cancer and is attacking the bone marrow,
which makes the red blood cells.
It seems that I am one of the lucky 5% of prostate patients that have
these type of issues from the original diagnosis. Lucky Me?
I have a GREAT set of doctors along with the entire Norton Cancer Institue
organization. I feel very confident that if there is a way to beat this
beast, they will find it!
While my support network from family and friends has been great. I will
need to lean on you all to help me get thru this and to help keep my
spirits up. I don’t think it will be easy. It's hardest challenge I have
ever had! I have had a gifted life so far…details to follow.
BTW…During the interview with the nurse about what’s going to happen, she
asked me “Can I tolerate alcohol?”, which is in the chemo, I told her of
“Yes I can, I’m very practiced in tolerating alcohol!”
Thanks for your continued support during these difficult times!❤️
Love You all,
Rick “Fat Bastard” Littrell
Cell: 502.694.0557 | RickL@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.twitter.com/RickLittrell
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ricklittrell
