I'M JUST A BIG "CUT-UP"

I went back down to Houston last week and went through the examination process again, and even though the results were exactly the same as they were last time, and even though they cancelled the surgery last time because of the results, they are going to go ahead with the surgery now. I love MD Anderson, but this was one wasted trip - the first one - and it does get to be expensive to just run down to Houston and spend three or four days in a hotel. But on the other hand, the expense is small in relation to the big picture I guess.

I will go back around the first of March and will go through the whole examination process again, including the CAT- Scan and other tests related to the cancer - just to make certain there is no new evidence of cancer. I believe the surgery is scheduled for the 6th and it will start with my cancer surgeon going in to examine things from the cancer surgery - and as he put it; "clean up anything that needs to be cleaned up". I got the impression that he is missing a couple of tools of some kind and wants to see if they might be inside me somewhere. He did remove a good part of my stomach and re-arranged some of the pieces that were left and tried to hook them all up together and get them to function. I guarantee they were not compatible and working together at first. I get this mental picture of duct tape and bailing wire and maybe some small timbers propping things up down there inside me. To be honest - it has sure felt like something like that is down there at times.

When my cancer surgeon is finished - the plastic surgeon is going to come in and make me beautiful - I guess. I get some mental flashes of this process also. Maybe I am going to have a clear plastic stomach so they can examine me easier in the future. Just get some windex and clean off the plastic and look right in. They can watch all the little corpsuckles or - whatever is down there - and make sure they are functioning properly - hopefully marching in step, or whatever they do. They can even see what I had for lunch. No more cheating on my diet. "Don't tell me you had fruit and vegetables for lunch. We see Potato chips, a Big Mac and a taco - who are you trying to fool?"

I guess this surgical experience should be tinker-toys compared to the cancer surgery which lasted almost ten hours, but I am more apprehensive about this one than I was about the cancer surgery. Ignorance is bliss - and I didn't know what to anticipate for the first surgery. I was just fat, dumb and happy about the whole thing. I still don't know what the surgery was all about, but I do have some vivid memories of what the recovery was like - and those are not pleasant memories. I just wish there was some kind of pill I could swallow that would straighten all this out without going through this cutting and recuperation process. But on the other hand, it wasn't too many years ago that they didn't even have the ability to do what they have done for me - so I am very lucky and grateful.

When I was down in Houston, I was reminded - once again, just how very lucky I am. Each time I see people who are so much worse off than I am and most of them have a smile on their face and a great attitude. Many of them are young people too. It is hard to imagine a child or teenager or young person in their early twenties going through something that is a lot more serious than I have to go through in many cases.

In the meantime, my good wife is down, or over, or up - in Egypt somewhere. I have no sense of direction - I get lost in Houston, so don't expect me to have any idea of what direction Egypt is from here. I think the first day between flying and waiting in airports she spent somewhere around 24 hours traveling. I am sure that was a hard day and hope that she holds up okay. She still has some small challenges with her hip replacement - but something like that won't ever keep her from doing what she wants to do. I believe there is a nine hour time difference from here to there - so I guess it is already tomorrow there. I might show up at the airport to pick her up on the wrong day - if today is supposed to be tomorrow or tomorrow is supposed to be yesterday - who knows! I should have just given her cab fare I guess.

After spending a few years in the automobile business - I just can't help but to relate myself to some of these cars I see each day. You can buy the fanciest most expensive car they build, but after a certain number of years and miles it starts to break down and wear out. You can fix the engine - or even do an engine transplant - but other parts that may be worn are not always compatible with that new engine. And, even if they are compatible, there are lots of different parts to break down even after you get the engine fixed. I see myself now as having had a major component of my engine fixed, but I know right now that I have a little rust in some areas of the body, need some work done on my under-carriage and springs and probably have some wiring that needs to be patched up or replaced. But fortunately I am not leaking any fluids at this time - except when I barely scrape my hand on something the blood flows like water for several days. The good news is that if I can hold on for awhile - I might even be considered a "Classic" and be worth even more than I am today.

I will probably give you one more account prior to going back to Houston if anything worth reporting happens.

God Bless and wishes for a great 2009!!

AL