Scan Day, Great Day!!

Well, it kinda snuck up on me but it's that time again... So, I'm just sitting here at Karmanos sucking down the contrast so they can take a look under the hood in about 30 mins.

Disease wise, I think I'm still doing well. I've been having a glass of red wine with my dinner lately and besides a little pain in my neck and shoulder (which has been there since the golf weekend) I don't feel any additional pain. My weight is almost back to normal, pushing 175 again finally. Haven't had any night sweats and my lower back where the osseous erosion was taking place in my T-9 thru T-11 hasn't really been a bother along with my retrocrural area on my right side.

While this is all good news, I've had a few instances when I thought all was well only to have a bomb dropped on me. So, as my friend Bekah would advise, expect the worst and hope for the best. The advice has been working so I'll stick to it ;) BTW, Prayers and good vibes for her for whatever comes next on her journey. She's an inspiration and one of our most eloquent advocates as refractory Hodgers. Wish you the best my friend.

As far as life goes, I've been pretty content lately. I stopped the Remeron and my feet went back down (not sure if I mentioned this). They want me to try Cymbalta as it has a dual effect for mood enhancement but most interestingly for me is how it also treats athritis/fibromyalgia and joint pain, all of which I deal with (to different degrees). It get's pretty freaky at night when I want to go downstairs to get a snack and my feet and lower legs send shooting pain up my legs. Thank God for the handrail going down... Once I walk on them for a while though, it seems to dissipate. Anyway, I haven't fully decided if I'm going to try it. I went on some online forums and the side effects seem a bit scary. Most medications that are newer seem to have every side effect told directly to you on those commercials and quite frankly, they do scare you. However, back before pharmeceuticals started showing up so frequently on commercials, there were new drugs coming out with the same if not worse side effects, they just didn't get emblazoned to your brain on the television. I'm going to take a little time and see how I feel...

Wanted to give a shout to my friends Eddie and Annie as they're getting married this Friday! I went to Ed's bachelor party on Friday, he actually chose a Muskie trip on Lake St. Clair through Motor City Muskies! We started off hot, catching 3 walleye, a northern pike and me getting my first Muskie (although it was a baby). From there, it's like someone flicked the switch and the fishing completely turned off. It was nice though being out on the Lake in Canadian waters as the weather was perfect and the water was like glass. Our captain was telling jokes the whole time, keeping us laughing as we tried to hunt down the elusive fish. He was nice enough to offer to take us out next summer for a free half a day to see if we can "get revenge" on the fish as he likes to say. So the rehearsal dinner is tonight and the wedding is tomorrow, should be fun :)


The Detroit skyline off in the distance on Lake St. Clair. Some of the best Muskie fishing in the world!


Captain Miller, Muskie King and joke man





Eddie the bachelor in the stripe shirt

I think it's time to wind this up as I hear Dr. Ram walking down the hall. To be continued...

Well, the news is in and he said that he's pretty sure the only thing left is scar tissue! NO DISEASE EVIDENT!!! This is great news, definitely going to try and savor it. I think there were some good consequences from being sick all that time during the spring. When I started feeling better, I really started to eat a lot healthier making sure I get enough anti oxidants for one to protect my immune system. Also, since I went so long without drinking anything, I pretty much have continued with very little if any alcohol. I have been having a glass of red wine lately with dinner tho again for the health benefits. I've also been really focusing on making sure I get plenty of pro biotics, something I never really concentrated on before. I'm addicted to Chobani yogurts and have been buying this stuff called Kombucha with these little seeds in it. It has three different pro biotics in it as well plus something about trying to crunch those little seeds in your teeth is fun and it's tasty ;) They are expensive though so instead of buying some tasty micro brew, I buy Kombucha or Aloe/Mangosteen(sp?) juice. I'm starting to work out slowly again, minding my back and neck. I did a run around my park with my dog last week and it was pretty intense. It's weird having difficulty catching my breath sometimes... I think it's a combination of being out of shape and all of the scar tissue in my lungs. Either way, I know it's good for me in moderation so I'm going to continue to stay active.

Thank God for feeling Good, I am so unbelievably blessed and don't take a second of it for granted. I am going to enjoy it while it lasts, period.... No time right now to think of anything but right now, ha!

Thanks again for reading,

Chris