Saturday, February 20, 2010

Fiddler on the Roof


Tonight I was able to take my loving wife to a great play and one of our favorites. Fiddler on the Roof. It was playing at Hale Centre Theatre in SLC and they do a fantastic job of every performance they put on. This one was no different. It was incredible. We had front row tickets which I had purchased a few months ago as a surprise for Julie.

What a great night it was. We both had a wonderful time and I was lucky enough to have the energy and ability to stay and watch it uninterrupted.

If you live in the area and get a chance, it is well worth the cost. I don't even remember what I paid for the tickets but I would go see it again any time.

I feel great and have been doing fine. I know there are a lot of people that check this Blog to see how I am doing and just know that I love you all and am doing great for now. I plan on keeping it that way for a long time to come.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

A Post from Another Blog

I thought I would share with all of you a post from a Blog that I follow. Tami is writing a book about several cancer survivors and is including me in her book. It will be out this spring and I am excited to be part of it.

You can read the post by going to

www.tamiboehmer.com

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Friday


This past Friday, my son in law Matt arranged for me to go meet BYU Basketball coach Dave Rose. Coach Rose has Carcinoid Cancer like myself but his surgery was a year later than mine. He is one of the very few out there that know exactly what I am going through because having Carcinoid Cancer is so different than any other cancer.

We were told that he would be able to spend 15 minutes with us but had a very busy schedule. We got there a few minutes early and after a few minutes he came out of his office and greeted us and took us back to his office. We sat and talked for 15 minutes which quickly turned into 30 minutes and then his secretary knocked on the door and reminded him that his coaching staff was waiting for him to go over the game plan for their upcoming game. He nodded his head and closed the door and waved her off and continued talking with us. our 15 minutes turned into 45 minutes as we talked about both of our situations and the way life changes. I wont go into details about the conversation out of respect for Coach Rose, but we really connected and it was a time that I will cherish and never forget.

At the end, we took pictures and he presented me with a BYU shirt, poster of the Basketball team (signed by the team) and then he handed me a BYU basketball also signed by the team. That ball is incredible and will stay with me for the rest of my life. (years....)

Thanks to my son in law for setting this meeting up, and a special thanks goes to Coach Rose for turning 15 minutes into a great meeting and connection that I will cherish. He is truly a great man.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Thursday Feb 11th 2010

I thought I would just make a quick post today and let everyone know that I am doing pretty well all things considered. Today started out rough but then I started feeling better. By the time the day was over, I was exhausted and ready to come home and crash. The good news is that tomorrow I have taken the day off so it will give me some time to get some energy back.

The past few days have really been emotional for me. I have found myself in conversations and all of a sudden I break out crying. I just feel so blessed and lucky for the friends and family that I have. You might never understand that, but if you are reading this, it is very likely that you are one of the ones that has affected my life in such a positive way.

I thank you all for being there for me. It means more to me that you can dream of.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

CT Scan Today

The past few days I have been having some pain in my "gut" area on the right side that has been unbearable and I finally broke down and called my oncologist and told him, he said I needed to go in for a Chest X-Ray and a CT scan.

I did that today and then a few hours later he called me back to give me the news.

the GOOD NEWS..

He said that my scan and X-Ray look great and that my tumors are smaller than before which is great. He then explained that the pain I have been feeling is from my Liver repairing itself from the treatments that have been done on it. The Liver itself doesn't have nerve endings, but the membrane that surrounds it does and that it being stretched as it repairs itself. As it stretches, it is causing the pain. Not unusual and nothing to worry about. The Dr. is giving me some pain killers to take while this happens but once it stops, it will be good to go. The really good news is that everything still looks clean. I couldn't have asked for better news. It looks like 3 more months of free time before the next CT scheduled appt. Life is Great. !! And I am blessed.