Ramen

Sword of Damocles - Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677)

Yesterday went very well. Not out of the woods entirely but got extremely good news on the kidney front, the fourth diagnostic test, the MRI with i.v., did not show the anomalies present in the prior catscans and renal ultrasound.

Maybe I dodged a bullet? We, or should I say my doctor, still need to do a lot more analyzation and comparison to be sure of what is going on there but I will take any hope I can get at this point.

The bladder tumors were removed without too much incident. They still need to go through pathology. It is apparently very difficult to gauge their depth because the bladder morphs during their removal. But no matter what, I still have my bladder and that is what was most freaking me out, that and the kidney.


The Doctor agrees with me that going back on B.C.G. would be our best course of effort. I was part of the first study when I first developed bladder cancer thirty four years ago and it seemed to really help me. Unfortunately there is a worldwide shortage and it is in very short supply. Bacille Calmette - Guerin is a tuberculin vaccine and an excellent immunotherapy agent.

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I was given a couple oxycodone before my discharge. I hate pain medication but didn't feel like arguing. Was up for a big block of the night, narcotics really interfere with my sleep cycle. Can't drive for twenty four hours, sporting a catheter for five days, need to start my antibiotics but CVS never got the order. I developed prostatitis during my nephrectomy and it was one of the most painful episodes of my life. Need those antibiotics.

So I am chilling out today, a lovely breezy morning at this point.

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I like my doctor Saad Juma. He has the worst patient reviews of any doctor I have ever seen but I like and respect him. If you were to believe the online commenters who said to run and not walk away, that the guy was an arrogant prick who was always late, you would think I needed to have my head examined. There was just something about the guy I liked instantly, from one supposed prick to another. He seemed plenty nice to me.

He was my late urologist John Griesman's personal urologist and that means a lot to me and he also worked with my other urologist, Joe Schmidt, who was the teaching urologist at UCSD.  Plus he is a world renowned expert in many subfields including female reconstruction, which is not germane in my case but still impressive.

Funny, an Iraqi, he was also schooled in Canada. Coincidentally, almost all of my doctors have always been Canadian. When I started calling around for a Doctor I sheepishly asked Genesis if they had any Jewish doctors available? Strange, clannish question on my part but I am being straight with you. Anyway they said, "No, Cohen's busy, but we do have an Iraqi Arab." "Done," I said. I like him, competent, smart, direct and straight. I see why John wanted to hire him and why my Doctor Seymour Myers recommended him.

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The nurse asked me if I had a religious preference. I told her that I was a follower of the most holy flying spaghetti monster. She said she had never heard of it and Leslie explained that I was a pastafarian. She thought that I had lost my noodle. Funny that this was online today.

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Thanks to all of you well wishers. Not taking calls today but I really appreciate your support and am feeling extreme relief, especially with the ray of hope on the remaining kidney.

Love,

Robert