Surgery and Radiation

March 29, 2026 in Update

I was 23 the first time I was “put under”. It’s a fun story to tell. I broke my wrist snowboarding (remember that one Big Shooter?). But that’s not the fun part. The fun part was when the orthopod walked in to my exam room. I was sitting on the exam table and my wrist x-ray was all lit up on the wall. He walked in and took a quick look at me to say good morning. And then he looked at my x-ray and yelled “Jesus!”. Now I never could find the good Lord in that x-ray. Maybe the…

90 Percent Me

March 19, 2026 in Uncategorized

I didn’t actually do the calculations. But finger wise I’m a 9 out of 10. And thinking about it, I don’t have my own blood. I waved bye bye to that a long time ago. So while I may be more than 90% me at the moment I’m also definitely less than 100% me. Whatever it is I am, I’d like to stay at this percentage for a long long time. Quality Time With My ThumbFor the last few weeks I’ve told Lindsey I was spending quality time with my thumb. That might be playing a Nintendo Switch. That might…

Busy, Busy, Busy

March 19, 2026 in Update

*This blog is actually from March 11th. But it didn’t post so I’m sharing it now. I’ll also get another post out tonight about my surgery and how things are going. Not having a left thumb is wild. Busy, Busy, BusyLast week at this time the only thing on the agenda was the thumbectomy on Thursday. Then I got a few calls and sent in a few questions and all of a sudden the week lit up. PET Scan III had a PET scan in mid January. It was the one that revealed the polymorphous adenocarcinoma tumors in my neck…

The Big Announcement

March 9, 2026 in Update

I have some news to share. It’s something I’ve known about for a while now. I’ve just been holding it in. Somehow saying it out loud makes it a bit more real. But it will be really real in a few days, and there will be no hiding it. I’ve mulled this post over in my mind multiple times. How exactly do you introduce a topic like this? And maybe once you find out what the topic is, you won’t think this is a big deal at all. For me I think it’s the most daunting thing I’ve faced in…

Radiation and Random Thoughts

March 3, 2026 in Uncategorized

It’s been a week since my appointment with the Radiation Oncologist, Dr. K. Thankfully not the same Dr. Kay from the (imo) disappointing final season of Stranger Things. My Dr. K is Dr. Teessa Perekattu Kuruvilla. Not that Kuruvilla is too hard to say. She just calls herself Dr. K so that’s what I do too. Maybe Kuruvilla sounds too similar to Cruella De Vil and she’s a dog lover or something so she just uses Dr. K. Who knows. Confirming What We KnewThe visit itself was pretty straightforward. We just had more information now which confirmed the original plan.…

Surgery Follow-up Visit

February 23, 2026 in Uncategorized

Did you know that “follow up” is only spelled “follow up” if it is a verb? Otherwise, when it is a noun or adjective you should spell it follow-up. Things like this make me wonder what the hell people were thinking as the English language developed. Like no one is reading a sentence and going “they spelled follow-up like it is a noun, but I think they meant it to be a verb. I’m so confused, and now I can’t figure out what to do.” There are many things on my list of what to do if I should ever…

This Week’s Happenings

February 18, 2026 in Uncategorized

There really isn’t too much going on this week. Rest and relaxation would almost be a good way to sum it up. Except relaxation is a bit difficult when it feels like you are swallowing razor blades at times. So it’s more like rest and grimacing. Or rest and clenching. Or rest and whimpering. You get the idea. One Week Post DischargeA week ago today I was discharged. Part of the discharge process was a swallow study. The intriguing thing is there is no good way to look at your throat. This isn’t one of those “Open up and say…

How We Got Here – Part 1

February 15, 2026 in Background

In my first post I mentioned that I would take some time to catch everyone up on what has been going on. In the moment, there was really only time to say “I have cancer”. Well two metastatic cancers. But, either way, not enough time to explain. So this will be the first of a few posts to fill everyone in on the past few months and a little beyond. I Kissed a ToadAnd the damn thing didn’t even turn into a prince. Well, there was actually no toad and no kiss. But what there was was a wart. Or…

Homey Don’t Play That NG Tube

February 14, 2026 in Update

I’ve been out of the hospital for a few days now. It’s all kind of a blur. And that’s not just the narcotics talking. Mostly because my narcotics don’t talk. They are more like the paint a pretty picture and stare at it narcotics than the kind that talk a lot and help you hit on an ephiphany every so often. Mostly the narcotics just make text a bit blurry and give me vivid dreams. Oh, and take the pain away for the most part. Taking away the pain is key. The PainDr. Sim, my ENT doctor, said post surgery…

Let’s Not Do That Again

February 12, 2026 in Update

You know how you read about something. Study it a bit and think you know what to expect? Ya, I got an F on TORS. Unless we are grading on a curve. Then at least it was a high F, but an F none the less. Some of you have seen updates from Lindsey on Facebook. Others might be wondering what is going on. For the latter group, the good news is you missed the worst part. Well that and me flipping off the nurse. But first let’s dive into my tongue. You Can Tell a Lot About a Man…