Meadowmufn

There's a female or juvenile rose-breasted grosbeak in there, that might be one of your unknowns. The very last one looks like maybe a female Junco of some sort.

Doh! Flash! I hope you don't get a tummy ache, sweetheart. Graham crackers and marshmallows can't be good for you. We once had a dog that at a whole chocolate orange, sneaked it off the table, and didn't even get an upset stomach. Fortunately it was milk chocolate and not dark chocolate.

Hope you're feeling better soon, Roger. I've already been sick enough for all the rest of you this year, so nobody else is allowed to get sick. Ok?

So, I got the pathology report from my surgery. In addition to confirming they got all of the tumor, it also showed the tumor was a grade higher than the first biopsy back in March, meaning it had become more aggressive and faster growing. SO GLAD they got it all! I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't insisted on that endoscopy back in December.

I love the smell of a real wood fire. Most fireplaces are gas, nowadays. Did anybody bring fixin's to make s'mores?

You know how breast cancer has a pink ribbon and other cancers and diseases have other color ribbons? Well, neuroendocrine cancer is so rare, it shares a ribbon with other rare cancers and diseases. It is the zebra ribbon. It comes from the medical saying "when you hear hoof beats, think horses not zebras”. It means to look for a common diagnosis instead of rare one given a set of symptoms. Well, neuroendocrine cancer is certainly a zebra. There are only 12,000 cases diagnosed in the US every year and 170,000 people currently living with it. It accounts for only 0.5% of all cancer diagnoses. And of neuroendocrine cancer cases, only 2.6% occur where my tumor was located. That's a little over 300 cases like mine a year out of a population of 300+ million. So, my case was rare indeed. I am very fortunate and very blessed that I had a good outcome.

I want to say thank you to all of you for lifting my spirits and being here for me during this ordeal. I've been overwhelmed by the support I've gotten here and everywhere. It's true what they say that when you have cancer, your family and friends have it too. It touches everyone. But everyone rallied around and we're done with cancer.

Sorry I'm a little late folks. Wanted to make sure my sore throat was healed up before I tried some of that sh....water. That sh...water can burn your throat sometimes. LOL!

Guys, the surgeon called tonight. He said the biopsies show that they got it all! I'm cancer free! He said I can do a follow up endoscopy with my regular gastroenterologist in a year. I am SO HAPPY! Now, if my sore throat would go away, that'd be just peachy.

Surgery’s done. All went well. Surgeon thinks he got it all. Will follow up with an endoscopy in 6-12 months to double check. Home resting now. Feels like Maudine kicked me in the chest, but that should go away soon.

Just 2 1/2 days!

I had a co-worker who had a spider bite. It got really bad, really quick. If it doesn't improve in 24 hours, you need to see another doctor. They put her on prednisone and other drugs. It progressed to a nerve disease and the only thing that cured her was electroaccupuncture. Not saying that'll happen to you, but you really need to push for treatment on this if you don't improve!

Hi folks! Just checking in. I have felt pretty horrible the last few weeks, blood sugar and GI issues. Saw my doc yesterday and she helped me sort a few things out. Stocked up on a ton of Gatorade for the electrolytes. Feeling better today. Can't wait until next Tuesday is over and I can get on to recovery!

Well, if all goes well, I will be cancer free two weeks from today (June 4th). My surgery is all scheduled.

More good news! The surgeons are opting for the less invasive surgery. The resection for that area is risky and my situation doesn't warrant that kind of risk. They're confident they can get all the cancer with an endoscopic surgery. Just waiting for the surgeon's office to call and schedule the surgery now.

Ooh! Please do! That'd be great to have HazzardNet represented there. It's been a long time since I've been well enough to get out to a Dukes event.

We also get occasional visits from these guys, Band-tailed pigeons, largest pigeons in North America.

We get pileated woodpeckers in our backyard fairly often. We can hear when they land on the suet feeder. CLANG! LOL. We also get downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, and lots and lots of flickers. I often get woken up to flickers drumming on our siding, which is fiber-cement for that very reason....

The surgeon's nurse called today to set up an office visit for next Monday to discuss the surgery. Can't wait until this is all over with!

Cooter's is a must if you're a Dukes fan.

Kyle still does the charity ride. He kicked off this year's ride right here near my town on Friday. It was in all the local papers.

There were even at least 2 reviews that said "he saved my life!", so that's a pretty great testimonial.

Thanks. I really appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers. It really boosts my spirits. Quick little update. My oncologist called today. He sent my scan results to a surgeon and I should be meeting with the surgeon soon. I looked the surgeon up on the internet, 5 stars everywhere I look, so that inspires a lot of confidence. I'm in good hands. Spirits are high, though right now I'm not feeling so great. Hopefully a good night's sleep will help.

Well, shucks.

AOL chat! Those were the days! That was such a good time for the DOH fandom. It's amazing how many people have come to me and offered an ear to listen and answer questions since I have gone public with my diagnosis. And, surprisingly, they're all people with GI cancers like I have (though not the exact same type of cancer). I think I'm good for now, but thank you for the offer and if I have questions or need to talk, you'll hear from me!