My fighting Cancer with a teenie weenie stick-Part 3

He approached me, looked at me and said he had bad news...there was a blemish found in the ultra sound.  It was about 1.5cm and instead of the right kidney it was on the left kidney.  However, it was not clear if it was a mass or fluid...thus it could be a cyst.  However to be sure...I needed to get the dreaded...here it comes...MRI.  This means another iv...contrast thru my veins...that warm wet feeling as the machine takes pictures.  They scheduled it.

I remember the doctor looking over me in my hospital room.  He looked at me and confirmed that they got the cancer and it was malignant.  I sighed a sense of relief though it was disappointing to hear it was cancerous.  I was lucky, it was caught early and I was going to be around to live another day.  Though I would be watched via X-rays and ultrasounds.  

I got to radiology.  They put on this gown...put an iv in my arm...pushed me thru this tube.  It was a tiny thing.  It squeezed me in...the headphones slipped down...no music just noise.  Breathe...stop breathing...hold it...17 seconds...we have 28 minutes of pictures to go...how do you feel?  Breathe...deep breath...hold it...this time 20 seconds...on and on and on.  Then they pulled me out of the tube...which I did not think there were gonna easily get me out.  On top of me there was some sort of lead square thing.  My hands and feet fell asleep...I hated every second of this thing.  As I closed my eyes through the MRI process...I thought to myself...it will pass...it will pass and I will go home...I was playing mind games with myself to endure the dreaded MRI.  Nothing lasts forever.

The doctor walked in and said the MRI came out ok but if it was cancer...it is in a location that may be difficult to get to.  He said because of its location, deep into the kidney, it would be tricky. Would I be ok with them removing my left Kidney.  Hell no!  I was more polite than that but NO...I only have two but if God had given me three, then maybe ok.  But I only have a less than normal sized spare and I did not like the idea of losing a Kidney.  It's like separating twins at an orphanage.  NO.  I was not about that.  He then referred me to my original surgeon.  

My hospital stay was uneventful.  I left after a week, had some problems with pain meds but got it all straightened out later.  I did get tired more often and easier.  It took every bit of the 6 weeks to recover and even after that I was still getting tired--my body was building up its stamina but surgery can be a challenge to recover from.  I did not want to go through this again.

So, Dr Park, my original surgeon looked at the MRI and concurred but he too wanted to wait to see if it would grow a little more so that it could be extracted safely without removing the kidney.  So we gave it three more months...and then off to the MRI.  That little tube that gives you a sense of entrapment.  The MRI is the one thing an illusionist cannot escape from.  

Part 4 tomorrow.

My fighting Cancer with a teenie weenie stick--PART 2

I sat on a chair in his office. Looked around.  Just thinking, "What did he find in the ultra sound?  He is probably just going to confirm that I have diverticulitis, which is what I told him already.  Why don't these doctors ever believe me.  I have been having these episodes since 2003.  I know when they are about to happen and they should just trust me."  The door opened and he walked in with a folder.  He opened it and then said, "I have the results of your ultra sound and it does confirm your diverticulitis--there is some swelling but the report also says they saw a small spot in your kidney."  Wha...Waiiittt a minute!  Small spot--kidney...what?  "What does that mean?"  He looked at me and said...not too sure it could be cyst or blemish...we need to take a closer look so we need to have an Cat Scan done.  "Ok"...and he scheduled it for me.

The gurney made very little noise as they wheeled me away...down the hall...the breeze...and then they wheeled me into a room.  It was cold and had plenty of lights.  There was about 3 people in the room and doctor had not arrived yet.  He did see me earlier when I was getting prepped.  They moved me to the operating table...and then began the sedative...and had me count backwards...100...99...98...

The Cat Scan is not too bad.  They had me drink this stuff...and I am one of the few people in the world that actually likes the drink. There was a lady in the waiting room that had been sipping the contrast drink for about an hour and they were worried that she may have to start over again.  I drank mine quickly and I was ready for the Scan.  They took me to a room in the back and put me in this room.  It was loud but not too annoying.  They took the pictures they needed...piece of cake.

Here I was again, in my doctors office.  Waiting for the results of the CT.  He walks in with my folder...and says that the scan showed a spot and believed it may be cancer.  Cancer.  A six letter word that would forever change my life...and become a part of my life for years to come.  It would be a word that would roll off my tongue like a watermelon seed.  A word that would find a permanent spot in my eardrum and ring inside my head day in and day out, like a broken bell from a gone haywire cuckoo clock.  Cancer?  A not so pretty word that would change my physical being...and deform my right kidney for the rest of my life.  So off I was to a Urologist.

As I lay unconcious...a robot called the DiVinci whirred and zipped in and out...cutting and probing...slicing and dicing.  My doctor sat in a cube like thing...using joysticks to manuver the device to cut...go inside my body...cutting...cauterizing and removing 25% of my right kidney.  Removing a 1.5cm tumor that ended up being a malignant cancer.  I was forever changed.

Now 4 years later, Cancer free...I went for my yearly check up in March 2012.  My usual xray and ultra sound.  I have had so many xrays and ultrasounds that I have lost track of which was which. Here I was in the Urologists office...next year would be my last test. The year before I had to pay for it out of pocket, even though I was unemployed because I would rather risk the financial hit than not keep up with the tests.  One year later and $1600 (I am paying monthly)...another test--this time I have insurance.  I am in my doctors office and he is going to come in and once again give me a clean bill of health and send me on my way.  The door opened and he smiled, greeted me and began to speak.

Part 3 Tomorrow...

My fighting Cancer with a teenie weenie stick

Four years ago, I sat on the edge of a narrow gurney type of bed.  It had a sheet draped over it's thin blue cusion and wheels so it would take me to the surgery room.  I was given some thin leg hose to put on, which is pretty tough to get over my feet and over both my legs.

The night before, I slept in the basement of my home due to having company and giving up my room to my Mom.  The basement, by the way was freezing--since it was only February in Missouri and it was a pretty cold winter.

Once I got the hose over my legs.  I lay down waiting for whatever was next.

A couple of months prior I had a diverticulitis episode and decided to switch doctors--to one that was nearer to my home.  I knew I would miss my old doctor cuz we got to become pretty well acquainted over the years.  I went to this new doctor--expecting him to give me the usual blood work and anti-biotic.  When he walked in and I explained what I was having, he ordered the blood test, and xray and then he would determine the type of antibiotic he would give me.  "Hmm", I thought, "this was gonna be harder than I thought".  He then had me schedule an ultra sound.  By the way--my blood work came back normal and the xrays showed nothing--they never do but the pain from diverticulitis is very extreme.  He did prescribe the anti-biotic.

The nurse came into my room--I have been here since 5:30 am--she took a look at the hose and said it looks good.  Then they were going to get the iv setup on my arm and give me some saline via iv.  That's what they do before they start the sedatives and the other stuff to put me to sleep.

The technician doing the ultra sound...pressed, pressed...then took a picture.  Pressed, Pressed..then another picture.  The cold gel they use was getting all over my stomach as she continued to press and take pictures.  After she was done, I wiped the stuff off of myself and went home.

I hate getting iv's...the stick hurts, regardless of what they tell you.  The drip is started and as I am lying there--there is some niceness from the nurses...and they begin to wheel me toward the surgery room.  I can feel a slight breeze as they push the gurney down the hall.  I am just a few minutes away from experiencing the surgery that has been on my mind for the last month and a half.

I was at home when my cell phone rang.  It was my primary doctors nurse.  She says the doctor wants me to come in tomorrow to see my doctor.  He wanted to deliver the result of the ultra sound himself.  When you get a call from your doctor...to come in...rather than the other way around...it is not good news.  And so I went the next day...

Part 2 tomorrow

Strict Constitutionalists...we know your game.

For years, the right wing of the Republican party has enveloped itself in the constitution...so far they have gone as to call the document "sacred". They even carry it with them everywhere they go, this is only for show, but when it comes to recite it or refer to it they get it wrong most of the time.

So, what is strict constitutionalism. Strict constitutionalism leaves no room for ideas. Everything must adhere to it--thus making amendments in the constitution moot. It is well known that Supreme Court justices who practice strict constitutionalist theory will typically legislate from the bench--citing the constitution to overturn Congress. However, justices who are not strict constitutionalists will typically defer to Congress unless it violates any of it's articles or amendments. However, the articles are the most important in regards to how the government is supposed to govern and how federal law supersedes state law. Plus it also provides guidelines on how states are to interact with each other.

So, don't be fooled when you run across a politician that criticizes Supreme Court rulings or rulings from the judicial as not being what the founding fathers intended. The reality is that the founding fathers left room for change and even anticipated amendments to the constitution to be added. The founding fathers had no inkling of what society would be like three or four hundred years later but they were progressives that knew change was coming and they designed a government that was willing to adapt. Those conservatives or strict constitutionalists want to turn back the clock and stick to original document so much that they are willing to erode the freedoms earned in the last 300 years. They want things to be like they were in simpler time, when only those with property voted and anyone of color was subjugated and oppressed...a time when a huge industry was...slavery.

Strict constitutionalists are not only throwbacks to that way of life...but they are people who disguise themselves as reasonable, when in reality they want to bring back a time when only the elite ruled and everyone else served them. They want to go totally against what the founding fathers wanted...they are only interested in destroying the progressive movement that has propelled us forward.

Change is here...but it's not what you expected...

Yesterday, the day after Usama Bin Laden was killed the results of the midterms were never clearer as a teacher in Texas demonstrated. The Headline read:

TX Teacher Suspended After Telling Muslim Student 'I Bet You're Grieving'

The male teacher decided to deride a Muslim student through insults and traumatizing her to espouse his political views. The result, a traumatized and hurt student...and his suspension pending an investigation. Hopefully, he will be fired and will never teach in school again. However, it does not end here as we have seen around the country.

The sad thing is that there are states like Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas and others in the sunbelt that have been taken over by Republican extremists who are ok with this type of behavior. They want to change historical accounts in textbooks, profile everyone who is of color or dress differently than the rest and while I hear people from those regions express the desire to change the dynamic in their states--its unfortunate they do not have the power to make any changes immediately. They are against a power system by these extremists who are now trying to pass laws to suppress the vote. In Missouri for example, a redistricting law eliminating democratic seats was vetoed by the Governor but overturned by a Republican veto proof legislature.

Other politicians are expressing a desire to change the voting age to 21 because they believe younger voters tend to vote democratic and believe these younger voters don't know what they are doing--but they know what they are doing in a military uniform at that same age and are eligible for the draft.

Folks the mid terms had consequences...liberals stayed home, progressives did not show and young people ignored them...now voters are suffering in the south and midwest. Wisconsin taught us that extreme thinking conservatives have taken over the GOP...and guys like this teacher in Texas are now emboldened to say what they want and vilify anyone they want--even our children.

One more step...

As the days wind down for 2009, the question that is entering the political mind is "what has President Obama accomplished during his first year?"

Many will point to the Stimulus package, while others will point to the equal pay equal work act. Others will point to town halls, bigger government and bailouts.

He has done all of these. This is probably the most active President in years. He has built a reputation for being a President willing to tackle a large number of tasks, chew gum and walk to Air-force One at the same time. While President Bush spent nearly 30% of his term on vacation--our current President has not been that inactive.

The Health care bill will probably get through the Senate...though weakened by the opposition and moderate democrats and the President's next big task...a jobs bill. Next year a Jobs bill and Afghanistan will be his top priorities.

The Republican minority don't have the votes to stop him but they have moderate democratic allies who are willing to slow him down. This President will need to work fast and furious next year, a mid-term election year, to get some of his agenda accomplished. If the Senate picks up just one seat in the Senate...expect little to get done in 2011 thru 2012.

The opposition will have a filibuster minority and will embolden moderates to help. Harry Reid will probably be forced to change majority rule to 55, thus making it necessary for a filibuster to get 45 votes--rather than the current 40 votes.

I think Harry needs to even go further and change the rule to say that 51 votes can get legislation passed--thus making 49 the magic number for filibuster. Wow, majority rules...who would have "thunk it", the Senate actually working like a democracy.

So, has it been a good year for the President--I would say it has. His agenda has picked up steam though it has hit some bumps...but next year will be the watershed moment for his Presidency. Hopefully, he will unfurl the sails and hit minimal headwind as he heads towards the end of 2010. However, watch for the storm in November--it may just turn that sail boat into a dingy for 2011.

All or Nothing

Enough already! Progressives, this all or nothing mentality is injurious to our nation and the uninsured. There are those that say President Obama needs to take an LBJ stance and twist arms to get a progressive Health Care Reform bill out of the Senate. Then they go and talk about FDR and how made some tough decisions during a crises and changed the national culture by moving forward with the "New Deal". However, its time to look at today's political climate and realize that if FDR was in office today...getting Social Security passed would be much more difficult today.

Back in 1934, FDR had a democratically controlled Congress. Democrats were in line with him...no one, not even moderates, were against his agenda. However, he called Congress into special session and made them pass 15 pieces of legislation during three months of being holed up in Congress. Secondly, Republicans were willing to work and put their name on the legislation by voting for it. In today's partisan environment, Republicans won't vote or consider Health Care Reform and conservative democrats have reservations about voting for the bill, despite thousands of uninsured in their districts and states.

Obama's Congress is nothing like FDR's and getting legislators to work for the countries best interest is hard to find. Only one Republican in the House voted for the bill. Thirty-nine Senators in the Senate, all of them Republican have sworn to vote "no". One Republican is thinking about it and about a handful of conservative Democrats are wavering against it--one has even declared that he may block the Senate legislation from being voted on.

Give President Lyndon Johnson credit for knowing one thing: delaying legislation and just letting it sit on a desk allows opposition to organize against it. He pushed and twisted legislators to get to quickly on the floor for a vote. Obama was aware of this bit of history and tried to get it through by setting deadlines--but unfortunately Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid didn't learn this lesson or take the President's deadline seriously enough to push it through. Thus, we got the town hall meeting "shout downs', the death panel arguments and millions of dollars spent on opposing advertising. The opposition was allowed to organize.

Due to false arguments and opposition organization, the legislation is watered down...it's not progressive enough and now one House Democrat has thrown the legislation into jeopardy.

However the consensus for the legislation is that, while it is not bold enough, it is something that will still be historic.

Progressives need to continue the fight but don't make it a "all or nothing" proposition. Why? Because this may be the last time Health Care Reform will get this close to passing both Houses. If it fails again, it will take two or three generations before our politicians take it up again. If it fails again, you will see moderate democrats become an extinct species and the partisanship fever will continue to get hotter and hotter.