Using Technology to Battle Cancer

Chapter 3

Using Technology to Battle Cancer

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Connie and I stopped at Dearborn County Hospital in Lawrenceburg to pick up my CT/PET scan information that was saved to a CD. We then drove into Cincinnati along Rt. 50 enjoying the river views. Something about the Ohio River scenery is very calming.

We arrived a couple of hours early to the University of Cincinnati (UC) Barrett Cancer Center in order to drop off the information and eat an early lunch before my afternoon appointment. I think I ate more from nervousness than I did for hunger. We shared a turkey sandwich and large cup of coffee. How's that sound? Drinking coffee while I'm a nervous wreck. Hey, I like the caffeine affect!

All I can say is that I am extremely impressed with the staff and facilities at UC Health  . God does work in strange ways. I felt that angels were there to help everyone who came in the doors.

I met with Dr. Yash J. Patil, who is the director of the UC Head and Neck Cancer Support Group. Dr. Patil agreed with Dr. Robert Schrimpf that the cancer appeared to be in the early stage and that it was very treatable. I was starting to feel a bit better already. As Bob Schrimpf informed me earlier, I then got two options: surgery or chemotherapy & radiation. Dr. Patil would make a final recommendation after he consulted with the Tumor Board tomorrow but he felt that surgery would be the better of the two options.

Due to the difficulty of where the cancer was located, Dr. Patil stated that the surgery would involve the use of a robot. COOL! I was also asked if I'd be willing to participate in their research that could lead to further developments in treating cancers. If the data from my cancer can help others, why not!

The next several weeks would involve regular communication with Dr. Patil's office and my own "campaign" to get the surgery approved by Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Chapter 2

Throat Cancer

May 9, 2014

Dr. Schrimpf called to inform me that he wanted a PET/CT scan on my entire body. He explained that the lump was cancerous but he believed that it was very treatable. He promised that his Cincinnati office would be calling shortly to schedule the scan. He tried to downplay the seriousness of the diagnosis but I could tell in his voice that he wasn't pleased with the results. He wasn't pleased?! What the hell. Bob, how in the world can I have cancer? I'm healthy, I'm not losing weight except the stress related fat since I decided to retire. I felt that I was in great shape!

By the end of the day, his office manager called to schedule the scan for May 14 at Dearborn County Hospital in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. I was to expect a 1 to 2 hour scan and I was not to eat any carbohydrates prior to the scan. I tried to keep myself thinking positive. It's incredible how different your mind starts to work when you get a diagnosis of cancer.

I've spent my life as an educator, trying to do the best that I could to provide the best possible educational opportunities for my students. That idea didn't always sit well with some parents and Board members. Sometimes, their political ambitions and selfish motives got in the way of what was best for the students. 

However, I always worked hard to meet the needs of my students and their families. Now, instead of thinking of others, my mind starts to shift towards thinking of how to help myself. I feel uncomfortable with this shift of thinking.

May 14, 2014

Arriving at the hospital 30 minutes prior to the scan I tried to remain positive as I chatted with the staff and completed the check-in process. I was ushered into a small room and given an injection of radioactive dye. An hour later, after the dye had a chance to spread through my body, I was lying on an uncomfortable table sliding through a large donut shaped machine. It was almost 2 hours before they completed the scan.

The two staff members were helpful and promised to get the results to my doctor within a week.

May 15, 2014

I spent the day babysitting for my granddaughter, Mallory, and tried not to think about my cancer. That was difficult but playing games with Mallory kept me busy and the time passed quickly. By 3:00 p.m. I was at daughter's house waiting for my oldest granddaughter Alys. My wife Connie arrived shortly after Alys got off the bus. We all headed to Dr. Schrimpf's office for my follow-up visit.

As usual, JoAnne kept us laughing and we had the pleasure of meeting and talking with a couple other patients. Alys and Mallory played with the toys until our son and daughter came to pick them up. Connie and I then went to have a serious talk with Dr. Schrimpf.

I was surprised when he stated that he had the results of my scan from yesterday already! He was pleased that the cancer had not spread beyond the base of my tongue. As he checked my throat he stated that he would guess that I would need to endure both chemotherapy and radiation. He knew some doctors at the University of Cincinnati that he wanted me to see. He suggested that I speak with them prior to starting any treatment. They were part of a cancer team and they would be worth the expense of putting together a plan of attack.

I was still in a bit of shock from the initial diagnosis but I listened intently to his advice. He stated that this could be a six to eight week round of treatments. I would most likely lose my hair, beard as well as some of my sense of taste. It was not going to be a walk in the park but he was confident that I could beat this unexpected guest. As Connie and I drove home I decided to make some phone calls.

May 16, 2014

Today was busy with telephone calls. Connie and I decided to be as proactive as we could so when we didn't hear from Dr. Schrimpf's office, we called them to ask if they had contacted Dr. Patel at U.C. They had and were waiting for his return call. Dr. Bob was on the case!!

By the end of the day, both doctors' offices called to confirm an appointment for Wednesday afternoon, May 21st. I was glad that we were being aggressive. I wanted this unexpected guest gone, the sooner the better. 

I decided to now try to keep myself busy in my woodworking shop and meeting with a Task Force working with the Sister's of St. Francis, in Oldenburg. I also let my pastor know of my illness and he asked that I catch him after Saturday evening liturgy.

Saturday, May 17

Connie had a great idea that if I would start a Blog and post some pictures, it may help with keeping me busy and maybe help someone in the future when they stumble across my ramblings. So today, I decided to take a "selfie" with my laptop and then periodically post my mug shot. 

Monday, May 19

I've been waking up by 3:00 a.m. from the pain in my throat and ear. I am still trying to keep to the "over-the-counter" medications. I'd like to stay away from the prescriptions until absolutely necessary. Connie spoke with her brother who went through treatments and didn't use any prescriptions. He's a trooper!

Guess I'll watch the early news and catch up on emails.

Wow, received calls from both Dr. Schrimpf (his wonderful wife, JoAnne), and Debbie from Dr. Patel's office at University of Cincinnati. They wanted to reassure me that they were exchanging medical information in preparation for Wednesday's appointment. 

A Guest Arrives Unannounced

Chapter 1

 A Guest Arrives Unannounced

November, 2013

The first indications that that something was wrong went completely unnoticed. Around Thanksgiving, I started to have a slight sore throat. I passed it off as allergies due to weather changes. 

As some of my readers may remember, the fall of 2013 in the Batesville, Indiana area was damp and chilly. We had already had at least one good round of snow and I recall my granddaughter, Alys, making the comment that she hoped we had have a white Christmas. I was hoping that if we did have snow it wouldn't be much. 

As November faded into December and the days grew shorter my attention was focused in my wood shop. I had requests from my son, daughter and grandchildren for birdhouses (of course, the most challenging patterns). Building a Peterson Bluebird house is not difficult, just challenging in a small, cramped space. It was around this time that I noticed that I was waking up at night with an earache. The sore throat remained, but now it came with a more painful friend. Again, I passed it off as part of living in an old house and allergies. I felt great and I was keeping busy.

January, 2014

By January, 2014 the sore throat was still present but the earache was persistent. My wife, Connie and I discussed whether to enroll in the Affordable Care Insurance (ACI). I argued that we were healthy and I was willing to pay the fine for the first year or so due to the lack of affordable premiums here in Indiana. I believe that the Republican-leaning Indiana government was deliberately trying to sabotage the ACI in any way that they could; even if that meant keeping premiums high for anyone without insurance.

I had already heard the arguments both for and against the Affordable Care Act. As far as I was concerned, I was healthy and wouldn't be enrolling. I would pay my fine and enroll at a later date if premiums became affordable.

By the end of February I started to suspect that I had a tooth problem. The sore throat and earache was only relieved by my reliance on generic over the counter medications. It was then that I decided to get an appointment with Dr. Noel Garcia here in Batesville. He does excellent work and he could get me in quickly. So by the middle of March I was sitting in the dentist chair wondering why I had a sore throat and an earache.

You probably realize by now that it wasn't my teeth. I did need to get an old filling replaced, but Dr. Garcia was confident that my teeth were not at the root of my problem (pun intended). He recommended that I contact an excellent E-N-T doctor here in Batesville, Dr. Robert Schrimpf. I mentioned that my wife and I knew Bob and his wonderful wife Joanne from our years as counselors at Fort Scott Camps. I now was getting concerned.

As I waited for the day to arrive to see Dr. Schrimpf Connie and I decided to enroll in the insurance through the ACI. I think we were both being guided by the Holy Spirit. Our values and beliefs as Catholic Christians has always been a source of comfort and guidance throughout our lives. We didn't realize until the month of May rolled around how fortunate this guidance would become.

April 17, 2014

I arrived a few minutes early to Dr. Schrimpf''s Batesville office. I was immediately greeted by our good friend JoAnne and we had the other waiting patients laughing as JoAnne and I recounted our years as counselors at Fort Scott Camps. At 2:45 p.m. JoAnne ushered me back to one of the waiting rooms.

After exam and consultation, Dr. Schrimpf stated that my ears were clear but he noticed a hard lump at the base of my tongue. He said that it didn't look serious but he wanted to perform some out-patient surgery and have it tested. I was quick to ask that he wait another couple of weeks until my insurance kicked in at the beginning of May. My out-patient surgery was scheduled for Wednesday, May 7th. Connie would be off on that day and she could drive me into Cincinnati for the early morning procedure. No problem correct?

May 7, 2014

Finally! The day of my out patient surgery had arrived. I was looking forward to getting rid of this lump that was giving me my sore throat and pressing on some nerves that was causing the constant ear ache. I would be so relieved. I checked into the recently opened Mercy Hospital just off I-74 at the North Bend Road Exit. The staff was phenomenal! Connie and talked with the nursing staff about the new facilities and I prepared for the surgery. Dr. Schrimpf came in for a final consult before he would meet me in the operating room.

Two hours later I awoke in the greatest mood! Due to the anesthesia, there was no pain in my throat or ears. I felt even better when Dr. Schrimpf came in and cautiously stated that it didn't look cancerous but he was sending it to the lab to make sure. Connie and I told him to feel free to call as soon as he had the results. I was scheduled for a follow-up visit at his Batesville office the following week. I was silently thanking God and asking Him to bless the wonderful staff in the hospital. I was home by lunchtime and feeling so much better now that the pain was relieved.

As my uninvited guest was packed off to the lab, I recuperated at home and worked with my consulting company. I did notice though that my earache had returned by the end of the week. I attributed the pain to the recovery process and once the swelling at the base of my tongue subsided, I believed that my earaches would disappear and become a distant memory.