FINAL APPROACH - READY FOR LANDING!

Just got back from Houston late last night following a couple of days of restaging tests and consultations. Monday was spent getting chest, abdomen and pelvis X-rays, and in the afternoon the dreaded CAT-Scan. Wednesday we met with the Oncologist and reviewed the results of these tests and the progress to date.

Mary went down with me on Sunday and it was a very good trip - full plane between Albuquerque and Dallas and another full plane between Dallas and Houston, so was a little more cramped than I like. On the return flight last night, we had a direct flight from Houston to Albuquerque with a total of 33 passengers on board. The gate agent threatened us that if we each didn't go round up 5 more passengers we wouldn't take off because the 33 of us couldn't pay for the fuel. But we did take off as scheduled. Coming in when we arrived in Houston, we did decide to take a little different route and got off the Interstate right at the street next to Reliant Stadium, the new home of the Houston Texans. We were lucky that the game had been over for awhile and only a few stragglers were still leaving the stadium. Reliant sits right next to the old Astrodome and I remember when I thought the Astrodome was a giant stadium. You could probably put three Astrodomes inside the new Reliant stadium. It has a retractable roof they close if it is over 90 degrees or under 58 degrees. I suppose the close it for rain too - maybe even snow!

We were so hungry by the time we got there we went to a Tex-Mex restaurant. It was okay, in fact I would have probably appreciated it if I didn't know what real Mexican food tasted like.

Tuesday the X-rays were no big deal and I got through those in quick order. They also took some blood and weighed me. Then we go to the CAT-Scan. I have had four or five CAT-Scans in conjunction with this cancer thing. The ones I had at Presbyterian in Albuquerque - you had to take off your shirt. The one at NM Oncology, you didn't remove any clothing. At MD Anderson, you take off everything - including all underwear, except your shoes and socks. Now they have made one improvement. The last time you had to put on one of those gowns with two flimsy stings in the back and a whole lot of fresh air in the back. I can just barely tie my shoes without help - I am supposed to tie those strings that I can't even find back there? I wanted to overlap the gown and staple it shut, but that was not acceptable. I remember last time I wanted to just kind of shuffle down the hall sideways with my back up against the wall, but that didn't appear to be acceptable either. Now they have replaced the gown for men with trousers and a top. They are flimsy too, but at least it is better than the gown. I feel stupid walking around in the outfit to begin with, then you look down and you have a pair of shoes and socks on. It is like putting a neck-tie on a naked man when he goes to the dentist. Of course, those of you who know me realize I am very modest, very shy and very conservative. Or, you might say I am a coward and a chauvinist pig. Real men don't wear silly flimsy pajamas and no underwear down the hall in public!

The dress code is only one of the unpleasant events leading up to the CAT-Scan. They have this stuff (barium) you have to drink so everything on the inside will show up on the CAT-Scan. They usually have a banana flavor and an apple flavor. They announced they were out of both. Then the lady asked, what I interpreted to be, "Do you want a Barium?" I thought that was a stupid question. Of course I didn't want it - but did I have any choice? I just kind of stared at her and she asked the question several times. I finally realized she was asking; "Do you want a berry one?" So I took the berry barium - as if I had a choice. I was given two glasses - I think each one held at least two gallons, and had to drink those down. Then they sent me into another room where I sat around with other partially naked people in recliner chairs and got this thing injected into my arm so they could put iodine into my body during the CAT-Scan. And, those nice people gave me a little bonus. They gave me one more glass of barium. But I did learn one important thing I had never figured out before. You get a straw and you start sucking and just keep sucking and never take a breath til you reach the bottom of the glass. That way you only taste that nasty stuff once instead of each time you take a sip.

Okay - now we go into the room where they scan for cats. They have all kinds of wonderful instruments they use to tell what is inside of you. I won't go into the details, but there is a reason you don't have any underwear on. Dang - that's humiliating! Why don't they just get a flashlight and look down your throat. At least last time I had three male assistants doing the prep. Surprise! No male assistants - one female type is running the whole show. I am sure she is a very nice lady, but I could visualize her as a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, or perhaps a Drill Sergeant in the Marine Corps. "Okay - Mister, roll over on your side!" If I had known all the little unpleasant exercises I was going to have to endure when I started this whole program, I may have just opted to skip the whole thing.

Finally finished this little exam, got dressed and left that horrible place. Even though I was fully dressed now, for the next few hours I had this self-conscious feeling that I was walking around naked with a pair of shoes and socks on. I just knew everyone was staring at me, laughing at me, pointing to me. No wonder I have crazy dreams and nightmares.

Scott came in Wednesday morning to help keep an eye on me and we picked him up at the airport with me driving the rental car. We had a three way argument about whether I was supposed to turn left or right at the next exit. Actually, it wasn't a three way argument - it was two against one and you can guess who the lone person in the argument was. I won't say who was right, but I could have been right if we were going South instead of North.

We met with my Oncologist in the early afternoon and this is a demonstration of one of many major differences between MD Anderson and Presbyterian. The Oncologist had a complete report including computer graphics on the tests I had the day before. One example of Presbyterian is on two different occasions my wife, Mary, has had an MRI and eleven days later in one case and a week later in another, the MRI had not reached the doctor who was supposed to read it and evaluate what was wrong.

Now the good part! There is a test - I think it is referred to as a CA-19-9 which measures your cancer cells. I don't know what the element of measurement is, but they told me when I first came to MD Anderson it measured 360 - which, according to the doctor, is very high. Because of all the chemotherapy and radiation I have had - plus the fact that I am such a wonderful patient who never violates any of the rules of my diet, exercise, medication and extra curricular activities - the reading has gone from 360 to 30, which I guess is almost a normal reding. And, the tumor was 4.5 centimeters when I started and is 3 centimeters now, and most of the tumor now is liquid with a very small element of cancer in it.

This is fantabulous news to me!!!! We can just skip the surgery - it is almost cured - I can go home and back to my normal way of life. No way Jose!! Between the doctor, my wife and my son, Scott - who by the way is a wonderful son but who has developed a kind of bossy attitude lately - now is the time for surgery. Now that most of these cancer rascals have been killed - we will go in and round up the rest of them and take them prisoner - and I will be cancer free. At least that is the plan.

Actually I think the Oncologist was very surprised at the results (He didn't know I was such a good reliable patient)and he even acted excited about the results. He tried to reach the surgeon, but the Surgeon was in surgery, so the Oncologist said the team would meet today and I was to call the Surgeon for instructions today. They didn't even give me a chance to call. While I was in the airport in Houston, I got a call on my cell phone and they had already made an appointment for me to come back next Wednesday for a pre-operative exam with the Surgeon. It sounds like they are getting ready to sharpen up the knives with the intention of using them within a few weeks. I guess I will go back down by myself Tuesday so I won't have Scott there to take notes to remind me what I am supposed to do and not do. That could be very convenient.

I always worry about the wrong things. For some reason, I have never allowed myself to worry too much about the cancer or the operation. I now worry about how I am going to make it from the airport to the hotel in a rental car without the committee to tell me which direction I am going and whether to turn left or right. I might end up in El Paso. I am also worried about missing out on the International Balloon Fiesta which is coming up in October, and I have a buy one - get one free coupon at McDonalds that will expire if the timing of the operation isn't just right. Dang!

Well, I guess that is all the news I have for now - but it is good news for the most part. They seem to insist they are still going to cut on me, so there goes my chance for a centerfold opportunity in John Deere Quarterly - but that's life.

Love you - God Bless You and thanks for your prayers and thoughts!

AL