Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in George's LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
12:25 am	there went my Government bonus Today was an adventure.... I had previously made an appointment for an oil change and an NY Inspection for the Jeep. The inspection had to be done by the 30th. So despite all the Friday afternooon changes and the addition of Oxygen, I decided to go ahead. I dragged this 'portable' tank downstairs (tis the size of a scuba tank and is way heavy) not very portable in my definition. I get it loaded into the Jeep and off I go to the dealership. They were way cool there and helped me get the tank out of the Jeep right on time at 10am. I am off to the waiting area feeling way dumb but almost finished. So Jeff comes out after 15 minutes, says "you need a license plate bulb" and we found a screw in one of your tires which I know about, no scam or anything. I say "thumbs up" to fixing it and says 30 mins and you are done. Except he is back in 10 which means bad stuff. The screw is really a bolt and about 6" long and went in flat-wise, completely wrecking the tire. We have 2 options... either swap the 'screw' tire with the spare tire which barely passes me thru inspection and leaves me with no spare tire or replace all 4 tires. With my luck, I can't be driving with no spare so I bite the big one and say get me 4 new tires. He warns me "17" tires are big $$$$ which I know. He says an hour to find them at one of the suppply warehouses, get it to the dealership and install. And I am already hurting from the 30 minute wait. They hustled for me and it was done at 12:30pm. $600 for the 4 new Goodyears and $75 for the inpection, OC and light bulb. Ouch, ouch, indeed. There is my economic contribution. They went out of the their way to help make loading the oxygen easy and I was off for home. Straight home.... no stopping for any errands as I had planned. I get home and decide to leave the tank in the Jeep and just come up stairs with no oxygen, same as I had every day before Saturday. Big difference now, I am addicted to the stuff. It was awful..... felt lilke I was gonna expire & took forever. I have to get a better portable tank set-up asap. But now I have new safe tires. Not sure who will be driving it over the next few weeks & months but at least they will be safe. Thanks for the tires Mr Bush! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
12:49 pm	well I am off to see the Russian doc, my oncologist. No procedure or anything just a check in, should be interesting as always. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, May 23rd, 2008
8:49 am	Happy TGIF! I am off to get my lung needle drained.... we shall see if it works, I sure hope so. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, May 19th, 2008
10:50 am	My apologies for not posting here sooner.... just been rather discouraged. So what did the lung doc say on Wednesday? He said... "we are done with you, no new lung tube or treatment". Another tube is too much of an infection risk in his opinion and I agreed with him after he explained how much of a mess an infection in the chest wall or lung would be. So he shipped me back to the Oncologist and that was it. Not what I was expecting at all. I am off work until at least the 29th of May, the plan now is just rest & relax and heal up. Easier said then done alas.... My chest tube spot still hurts and interferes with sleep and sitting, Percacets help but I try not to go overboard on those. I have noticed some easing of the pain lately so perhaps that is a good trend. My feet are still swollen from all the IV fluids while in the hospital, it makes walking any distance slow & painful. I still have the annoying cough and hoarness to my voice... makes talking on the phone nearly impossible. So I am a wreck........ Today I am going to attempt a visit to the dentist, it is just for a cleaning but I have rescheduled it once already so I want to get it done now. I think I can get thru it. Then Tuesday afternoon I see the Oncologist and maybe get a plan for what we are doing the next few weeks. Off I go............. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008
8:15 am	sorry I have not posted this last week. I did get my 2 pints of new blood (O-positive for Claudia) last Wednesday that seemed to help a bit. Since then I have been taking my Percaset and dealing with the side effects of that stuff. I need it to sleep but have to take two other meds to keep things 'moving'. It is a not so delicate balence. Today I am going to see the Thoracic surgeon for my follow-up.... hopefully there will be a plan of action... maybe a new chest tube. I don't know. I was hoping to go back to work tomorrow but at this point I can't see that happening: no energy, still hurting from the surgery etc. We shall see what Doc Raymond says in 2 hours. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008
6:58 am	Been home for 2 full days now and have been pretty much miserable. I am taking Percosset for the pain from the former chest tube spot. No buzz or high but one pill does get me thru about 4 hours. It only hurts when I lean against it ot lie down but that happens often. And really hurts too... The visiting nurse people have been out to see me on Monday & Tuesday, they are very nice but I hate re-explaining my story especially when my voice is so awful. They won't be back until Friday. I am still waiting for the Thoracic surgeon to get back in town so we can schedule the '2nd tube' procedure. Today should be interesting, the Russian doc called on Tuesday morning, they were concerned about my red blood cell count and want me to get a transfusuion. So I asked why that "number" was not a priority in the hospital when they did the blood test? They didn't know.... but anyhow I did a little prep work for it yesterday at the lab and this morning I am off to get my 2 pints. Should take most of the day. Fun stuff indeed. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 4th, 2008
11:21 pm	Finally home I got home about noontime today, my apologies for not posting sooner but I was so out of it. Came home with an awful throat flem & nagging cough that has really affected my voice. my back hurts from the chest tube spot too but I choose NOT to fill the vicodyn scrip they gave me. I can deal with Tylonel for now. Some other aches & pains too. I ate great while in the hospital, they actually do it "room service" style for each meal. You call in your request, everything is your option from the main meat or sandwich, fruit, desert, drink and so on. Very high quality food too. I was quite impressed.All the people at Strong were great, the techs, RN's, food service folks, room cleaners, the dozens of med students, docs & surgeons. I had my lung surgeon, respratory care and pain experts waking me up all the time. The initial lung surgery with the chest tube went well but the lung unfortunately did NOT re-inflate fully to attempt the talc-powder resticking process. Just would not have worked. So the wednesday thru saturday period was spent just observing things. The plan is now to install a more permenant chest drain tube so I don't have to do the needle thing every week. That would be an 'in-office' procedure. I would get help from the a visiting nurse then do the draining on my own after that. Hopefully it works............. I heard that some folks had trouble calling my hospital room.... that is very strange and I apologize. But thanks much for trying anyhow. Tomorrow I see the Russian oncologist, my regular 3-week appointment, it should be interesting to see what she has to say about the surgery etc. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 28th, 2008
7:10 pm	Well I passed the pre-opt tests this morning although I was really sore & hurting after a night with minimal sleep. Very nice RN's and PA's. I am scheduled for 9am tomorrow although I will likely be there way early to make it easier on my ride. The procedure is supposed to last about 90 minutes. So hopefully this works out and solves my immediate issues. I will try to keep people updatd. Hopefully I will be home in 3 to 4 days. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
6:32 am	6 days until a 'procedure' well yesterday turned out different then I expected. Headed over to the hospital about noon-time, Strong Hospital is the "big-time university" hospital so the place is hopping, 6-story parking garage and I ended up on the 5th floor. I hate parking garages..... grrrrr. I meet with Doc Raymond, he goes over my fluid issues and his suggestion is to do a "Pleurodesis". Pleurodesis uses a sclerosing agent that causes inflammation and scarring on the pleural surfaces so the parietal and visceral pleura adhere. This closes the space, so fluid cannot accumulate. It is in-patient, probably a 3 day stay mostly spent watching you recover from the chest tube etc. Works about 90% of the time so it seems like a good idea to me. Tentatively scheduled for April 29th, I will find out more details later this week. So we are all done.... but wait I ask the doc, I don't think I can hold out another 7 days like I feel now, can I get scheduled up at the other hospital to be drained sometime this week? He pauses... thinks a minute and says "we can do that here, right now". Damm!! But 1st I have to go downstairs to get an x-ray.... that was fun as I had no clue where I was going and the place was packed. But we got that done then back upstairs and he did the drainage. Well his resident did it, like only her 2nd time so it was shakey but they got out 1.4 liters. It took about an hour... so I had the doc in & out, his resident and an RN for a totally unplanned procedure. I thought that was way cool of them as they could have totally said... come back tomorrow or we will set up an appointment. When we were done, it was back downstairs for another x-ray then they finally let me go. I was there over 3 hours..... wow, I guess I got my $20 co-pay worth on this one. I feel somewhat better so it was worth the hassle and I hope this deal next week fixes the fluid issue so I can concentrate on the other stuff. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
11:43 am	off to the Thoracic dude tis time to go see the Thoracic surgeon to see what he has in mind for a more long-term fix to my lung fluid situation. I am all 'filled up' again.... I tried to get the Oncologist to set up my 4th drainage but the office said to wait to see what Dr Raymond wants to do. That makes sense but hopefully I can last that long... it is bad this time around. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 17th, 2008
6:45 am	On the new poison! Well I started the new poison (aka chemo drug) on Wednesday, time will tell the side-effects, the 1st one took about 3 weeks before the 'nasties' started to kick in. The 3rd drainage went okay, hurt more then the previous two, not at the needle site but a general ache while breathing. I also did something stupid... I read my "notebook" with all the stats and notes that are for my last 3 hospital visit. It had some reports in it that were rather discouraging, things that have not been explained to me or even mentioned by the Oncologist or the regular doc. So that left me rather depressed... (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
6:49 am	Happy Tax Day Well I got thru yesterday's visit to the Oncologist, this was the longest time I've spent there, lots of poking and back tapping and looking at my blood oxygen levels. Bottom line is tomorrow I have to go get drained again, I think I can hold out until then as I now understand the symptoms and what is going on. Then next Tuesday I go to see the Thoracic surgeon to discuss some long term fixes to the fluid issue. Something needs to be done as this is really effecting me & making me depressed. I did get in 4 hours of work and hope to do a full day today if I don't run out of energy. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, April 14th, 2008
7:19 am	Mondays.......... Well I am off to see the Oncologist this morning.... I should be able to start the new chemo medicine on Wednesday as I got the shipping confirmation info late on Friday from the drug company. I am actually excitied to try this new "poison"... hopefully it has less side-effects. My breathing or rather the inability to is getting worse again... I am getting tired of this problem. I probably need more fluid taken out.... grrrrr. I did get my taxes finally done & mailed on Friday. No reason for my laziness except I didn't feel like putting the effort into getting my $13 refund. That buys a month of somebody I suppose! :) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
4:59 pm	well I survived Drainage #2, it went rather easy as I knew what to expect and I was done in about 2 hours. Just one ouch of the 1st needle although I think the sharpie pen marking the spot might have hurt more. :) They drained off 2 liters again... was it a miracle cure? Not quite, I still feel somewhat cruddy and have a hacking cough but the shortness of breath is much faded and the fatigue level seems to be back to a more manageable level. Even though I was done fairly early I choose to take the rest of the day off just to relax & recover. I have to work on taxes too... damm NY state won't let you do it online so it is the old pencil method still. Grrrrrrrrrr (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 7th, 2008
9:20 pm	Back to the hospital I go.... After 4 days of dealing with increasing fatigue, shortness of breath and assorted aches & pains, I talked to my Oncologist's office. They agreed it sounds like I need another lung fluid removeal so I am heading back to the radiology/ultrasound folks at the hospital Tuesday morning to see if they can poke and prod me back into shape. I sure hope this helps for longer this time... I need a fix as I feel miserable. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
10:09 am	Well I survived yesterday's procedure..... overall it was not bad. Just the usual prep-work fun in the waiting area but I had a very nice RN. The 'drainage' part didn't hurt at all except for the initial novacaine needle in the lower back. They used ultrasound to find the right place to poke, I wanted to see the picture but it was too far behind me. They drained out 2 liters of fluid. Damm... that is a lot.... I feel somewhat better... much less shortness of breath and a little better color I think. I still have a nasty nasty cough but it feels different, more like a normal bad cold. After the procedure they took x-rays then 'watched' me for about hour before I was set free. Then it was off to the Ct-scan place, about a 1/2 mile across the hospital campus. That was no big deal. I was home by 1pm. About 5pm I got a call from the Oncologist's office, they want me to come in Monday at 1pm so she can go over the ct-scan and other test results. I don't see any way that it can be "good news" with her wanting me in so soon. We shall see... I keep telling myself that there is no sense in worrying, it is what it is and I will go forward with what new information she has. But still scarey.... I think I have to miss work on Monday, no sense driving an hour to get in just 3 hours of work then racing back for the appointment. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, March 28th, 2008
2:31 am	I know I have not posted in forever...... just had nothing positive or optimistic to write about. The last 3 weeks have been awful with a cough that wouldn't quit, aches & pains, and an increasing fatigue. And in the last 10 days.... a real scarey shortness of breath after I did any type of exercise. Reminded me way too much of how I felt back in July before they stuck me in the ER for an emergency blood transfusion. Did I call any of my 3 doctors? No..... because I am stubborn idiot. And I knew I had an appointment with the Oncologist today and the primary care doc on 4/2. I figured one of the 2 would fix me up. So I saw the oncologist today... right away from the blood work and initial exam they knew I had a problem. It is called a "pleural effusion" http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000086.htm too much fluid between the lung and the membrance that lines the lung cavity. So the lung doesn't inflate properply and you don't get all the oxygen you need. The fix is a lung needle to draw out that extra fluid. So I have that "procedure" scheduled for Friday at 10am. Just an out patient 2-hour thing but still a "pain in the ribs/back". Hopefully that will fix me up. So Happy TGIF and needles to me!!!! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, February 25th, 2008
7:02 am	Mondays......... grrrrr. I did survive the 1st two days at work, everybody was very nice to me and they are letting me take things at my own pace. No real bad effects except for being exhausted. I left both days at 3pm and will likely continue that this week. Today looks nice but we have winter storm warnings for Tuesday... yuck! (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
12:25 am	Back to work I go...... Well tomorrow is the day.... back to work I go... this should be interesting especially since the office moved in November so same people but new location. I visited there once at Christmas time but still almost like starting a new job after being out for 5 months. I don't know if I can last for a full 8 hours at first, we shall see what they have in mind for me. And of course it is snowing tonight. Maybe 4" by morning: arrgghhh... Am I ready to go back? More or less.... I have been getting rather bored these last 10 days so office time will help. But if the Thoracic surgeon says "lung surgery" this could be a short stint. All I can do is see what happens. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, February 18th, 2008
8:27 pm	Well I survived the endoscopic ultrasound biopsy...... the results should be in a few days and that will help the Thoracic surgeon decide what the next step will be. I got about 2 hours of real sleep with having to be at the hospital at 7am but the test went very well. The doctor's assistant was great as she did all the IV and prep work and went over my history. Not a "10" but reminded me of an old friend who used to be on dreamnet and really made the experience bearable. Just very sweet & pleasant while being extremely knowledgeable. She warned me that I might be awake for the initial part of the 'scoping which was slightly scarey but I remember nothing after the 'magic drug' hit the IV tube. Poof!! I barely recall the time in recovery after I woke up and my ride home. I snoozed from about noon until 6pm and am now more or less normal. Hahahahaha..... whatever that might be... (Comment on this)