Well Gang I didn't follow-up as I had projected on the evening of the 2nd but did want to let the masses know what transpired with Dr. Fine and his staff on the 3rd of November.
Bottom-line, no new change to tumor as I had hoped and shared and although the PET scan taken while I was in the hospital in late September did show some oddities Dr Fine and his staff believe it's most likely related to the partial seizure I had. Oh btw they did confirm/validate based on how I described my behavior those days within the hospital I mostly likely did have a partial seizure despite how subtle it may have appeared. Additionally, they did share the tumor is the key catalyst to having seizures and now that I'm on the anti-convulsant medication (Keppra) they believe as long as I stay on it and don't stray from taking it I should continue to do well. Anti-convulsant...makes it sound as if I'm really all screwed up..but I can attest I feel fine..
Anyhow, Fine's staff shared the treatment plan will remain the same which is the serial MRI every 3 months with the addition of a PET scan done on the same timeline. The doctors did share the PET scans are helpful but the MRI's provide them the most detail on what is going on in my noodle.. If I remember correctly they seem to think the PET scan should revert back to the baseline PET done back in April prior to my surgery and which will further validate the seizure..so 3 more months..
4-5 November..
Getting to and from work this week has been difficult with Jen out in sunny Hawaii snorkeling and working on her tan. I originally thought when I was told I couldn't drive for six months it was going to be pain to get to and from work but working for Jen and her desire to help Kristine and I made the first month seem like it was no big deal. She replaced Maj Brian Rideout who I have the utmost respect for and she has her own style of leadership and has reached Rideout status in her own way. I was able to get rides amongst the medical appointments but with Jen and I on the same team my day is not as rushed because we are both work-aholics and I don't feel as rushed as I did this week to leave at certain times.
My best friend from high school (Scott Hooper) was in this area this week getting some training for his job and was able to stay another day and spend time with Kristine, kids and I. We convinced Scott to join us and freeze Friday night as we watched the Edison football team get defeated by our rival school.. It was good to reminisce with you old friend although, we can never make up for lost time it was good to see you and share old stories. I may have left Krum but I've never forgotten what you and few choice others did for me to get me to the other side. I'm proud of you and Donna for what you've each accomplished and will make a more concerted effort to keep in contact with you. I love you brother!!!
After we dropped Scott off at airport, Caraway Clan got all dressed up in formal dresses and black tie tux's to attend the Marine Corps Systems Command Ball. We also had as our guests Ken, Mary, and Michael (Jake's pal) Counts join us... I hope you folks enjoyed the evening. It's important to note for the readers their oldest son Chris is a young Marine Sergeant grunt currently serving in Afghanistan.. Chris, stay focused, keep your head down and get home soon Marine..we all miss you and are very proud of you. Ken and Mary also have a daughter Caitlin who is a senior at App State that plays field hockey. Unfortunately the same weekend I had the seizure Cait tore her ACL/MCL while playing. Cait hope your knee is healing and just make sure your not pushing it...I understand the desire to feel normal but if you want it to regain full strength let it heal appropriately. (I know I need to follow my own advice):-)
Well gang that covers it as Sunday football is preparing to start.. Go Colts.. what do the ESPN analysts know??
Scott if Jerry Jones ever sells the team I'll be back..
Always Faithful,
"The Gunny"
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Gunny's Post MCM update Nov 2nd
Hey Gang,
Well my fifth consecutive running of the Marine Corps Marathon is done. The run was held on the 31st (Halloween). I want to publicly give Thanks to Bill Rysanek a peer but more importantly a good friend who ran with me side by side the entire way and although I know I would have finished without him he was instrumental in getting us to our finishing time. He is a very strong runner and if I had listened to him before we started we probably would have broken the 4 hour mark.. official finishing time for us was 4:03:55.. finishing a marathon is an accomplishment and I'm happy knowing I did it this year within 6 months of having brain surgery and my recent "complex partial seizure".
Additionally, I want to Thank Brian (friend and mentor) and his wife Emily for their support to "The Gunny's Team" and more importantly a big congrats to Emily for completing her first marathon..,.job well done..and hope to see you out there again.. the pain eventually goes away and hope you now have the marathon bug...
As I mentioned earlier I persuaded Bill that I wanted to shoot for a 3:40 finish and for 20 miles we maintained an 8:24 min per mile pace but after 20 miles I started to feel it and the last 6 were nothing more than just hanging on and finishing..which was never in question.
I ran into GySgt Jeff Cooper, another good friend, who is currently stationed in Okinawa but I guess is attending a school here in DC standing amongst the crowd between 23 and 24 miles,..what is significant about this encounter is that I convinced Jeff and another mutual friend Jason to run the inaugural Marine Marathon in Afghanistan last year.. Jeff was funny because when we first were contemplating doing it we'd go out for a PT run of 3-4 miles and about half way through it all he would just say screw it and walk back to the base camp.. I was able to twist his arm hard enough to get Jeff to join Jason and I run it at Camp Leatherneck/and Camp Bastian. Jeff is a small person but strong as a mule when he needs to be and surprisingly enough he ran a respectable 4:04:33.. so after seeing him in the crowd and stopping just long enough to shake his hand seeing him gave me the motivation to keep pushing because I knew if I didn't beat his time from last year I'd never hear the end of it.. Anyone that knows Jeff in our Marine Corps circle understands he is a joker..and I would have never heard the end of it.. 38 seconds Jeff..you were so close but even with a tumor I still have what it takes...
Anyhow, I digress..as I mentioned I persuaded Bill to run a pace for 3:40 and if I would have just listened at the start and held back a little more in the beginning we probably would have broken the 4 hour mark..
Kristine and Maddie hopped the Metro around the Virginia and DC areas tracking me along the course..it is always fun to recognize a familiar face in the massive crowds..ladies you'll never know how much your support means.. For those who are asking what about Jake my son..well I know he was there with me in spirit, based on how cold it was, the large crowds and the length of the day we made a decision to let him stay at home and do laundry...may not seem fair but considering how he and Kristine are so much alike he would have pushed her buttons and made it no fun..btw he did a great job with the laundry...Thanks Lil Man... I love you...
I have my second quarterly appointment with Dr. Fine tomorrow and looking to forward to hearing what he has to say about my recent hospital stay and results from the PET scan plus the serial MRI I had yesterday.... I don't believe the tumor has grown, no new bleeding, or movement, but the PET scan may show otherwise so I'll update tomorrow once I know what the next steps are in my future.
Always Faithful..
The Gunny
Well my fifth consecutive running of the Marine Corps Marathon is done. The run was held on the 31st (Halloween). I want to publicly give Thanks to Bill Rysanek a peer but more importantly a good friend who ran with me side by side the entire way and although I know I would have finished without him he was instrumental in getting us to our finishing time. He is a very strong runner and if I had listened to him before we started we probably would have broken the 4 hour mark.. official finishing time for us was 4:03:55.. finishing a marathon is an accomplishment and I'm happy knowing I did it this year within 6 months of having brain surgery and my recent "complex partial seizure".
Additionally, I want to Thank Brian (friend and mentor) and his wife Emily for their support to "The Gunny's Team" and more importantly a big congrats to Emily for completing her first marathon..,.job well done..and hope to see you out there again.. the pain eventually goes away and hope you now have the marathon bug...
As I mentioned earlier I persuaded Bill that I wanted to shoot for a 3:40 finish and for 20 miles we maintained an 8:24 min per mile pace but after 20 miles I started to feel it and the last 6 were nothing more than just hanging on and finishing..which was never in question.
I ran into GySgt Jeff Cooper, another good friend, who is currently stationed in Okinawa but I guess is attending a school here in DC standing amongst the crowd between 23 and 24 miles,..what is significant about this encounter is that I convinced Jeff and another mutual friend Jason to run the inaugural Marine Marathon in Afghanistan last year.. Jeff was funny because when we first were contemplating doing it we'd go out for a PT run of 3-4 miles and about half way through it all he would just say screw it and walk back to the base camp.. I was able to twist his arm hard enough to get Jeff to join Jason and I run it at Camp Leatherneck/and Camp Bastian. Jeff is a small person but strong as a mule when he needs to be and surprisingly enough he ran a respectable 4:04:33.. so after seeing him in the crowd and stopping just long enough to shake his hand seeing him gave me the motivation to keep pushing because I knew if I didn't beat his time from last year I'd never hear the end of it.. Anyone that knows Jeff in our Marine Corps circle understands he is a joker..and I would have never heard the end of it.. 38 seconds Jeff..you were so close but even with a tumor I still have what it takes...
Anyhow, I digress..as I mentioned I persuaded Bill to run a pace for 3:40 and if I would have just listened at the start and held back a little more in the beginning we probably would have broken the 4 hour mark..
Kristine and Maddie hopped the Metro around the Virginia and DC areas tracking me along the course..it is always fun to recognize a familiar face in the massive crowds..ladies you'll never know how much your support means.. For those who are asking what about Jake my son..well I know he was there with me in spirit, based on how cold it was, the large crowds and the length of the day we made a decision to let him stay at home and do laundry...may not seem fair but considering how he and Kristine are so much alike he would have pushed her buttons and made it no fun..btw he did a great job with the laundry...Thanks Lil Man... I love you...
I have my second quarterly appointment with Dr. Fine tomorrow and looking to forward to hearing what he has to say about my recent hospital stay and results from the PET scan plus the serial MRI I had yesterday.... I don't believe the tumor has grown, no new bleeding, or movement, but the PET scan may show otherwise so I'll update tomorrow once I know what the next steps are in my future.
Always Faithful..
The Gunny
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Gunny 19Oct-27Oct
Faithful Followers..
The last two days at work..no the last month if not longer have been as hectic as they've ever been. When I was on a different program I worked hard but this new effort is truly testing me and my co-workers. I've got my Dad and other friends telling I need to slow down but I can't. I understand I'm sick but as I've said in the past I don't intend to let this define me. Not to mention I feel whole when I'm working. The difference between what I'm doing now and what I've done in the past is the level of oversight we currently have being directed our way. The efforts we are looking at providing to operational forces is truly leading edge technology and I'm excited about it if we can get all key players to align and work to a common goal.
I started this posting on the 19th and as the aforementioned paragraph states I am engrained in my work. But based on the Marine Corps Marathon being this Sunday and me finally getting the second version of the "The Gunny's Team" t'shirt finally screen printed..I needed to make some time to get this on line.. Plus solicit for more assistance in my fundraising efforts.
Before I get to far down the path.. I do want to update my goings-on for the past week as best as I can remember..
Most importantly is the kids had their homecoming weekend this past weekend. Football was Friday and Saturday was the big dance... Maddie had a date and had been asked in grand fashion weeks earlier and as for Jake he waited until Thursday to ask a young lady. Now the fun part was Friday Jake decided to be a horse's butt in school which I won't go into details but it was good enough that warranted his mom and I to punish him. Luckily for him he had a date or he may not have gone to the dance either. Nonetheless, both kids went with their respective dates and based on what they shared a good time was had by all.
Sunday was a lazy day watching football and doing regular chores..
Monday and Tuesday though it all started back over again.. First thing Monday I spent going to a VA medical appointment as part of the med board process then had Kristine drive me down to Quantico for work which was a day and half summit for the effort we are currently pursuing. Needless to say very long days but by the end of Tuesday we came away with some much needed information so we can continue to move forward and develop a critical path to get us there..today was no different of being stuck in more meetings and away from the office..hence why I'm finally getting around to this at this late hour.
I've attached some photos to this post which depicts the new t'shirt. As a reference, both kids are wearing adult smalls.. Jake is 5'10 and weighs 150..and Maddie is 5'6..
If any of you are interested in getting one please leave a comment with how many you want, size, and an address. Kristine has a paypal account for Ebay which we are exploring to determine if it can be used to pay for you order. If interested and want to support, the money will go towards the fundraiser.. Shirts are $20 each or 2 for 30. If you order 3..you'll still have to pay one @ the $20 dollar rate but would get the other 2 for $30.
Always Faithful
The Gunny
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Gunny 16Oct10
Well the last two days have been pretty hectic. Yesterday I got to spend the whole day enjoying the VA/MD/DC transit systems as I maneuvered from two separate locations attending two medical appointments. First appointment was a follow-up from my recent readmission to the hospital. It didn't start off well as I arrived and they had me scheduled for the 18th but it showed that appointment had been canceled and rescheduled to the 25th. Needless to say I was already not happy with my diagnosis a couple of weeks prior and the fact that I can't currently drive this just made matters worst. I went down stairs to WRAMC patient advocacy office and explained the situation and shared I expected to be seen..the young lady which helped me has a difficult job because I'm not sure how many times a day she has to deal with patients that are unhappy and although I was not angry with her I did express my dissatisfaction with the current situation. She has been well trained and was able to get me to relax and said she would get me in to see a doctor but needed to know how long I could stay before I had to leave to make my next appt downtown DC.
She came through as promised and I went back to the 6th floor where I would be seen by a different physician new to my case but was very thorough with going over my history as well as giving me a better understanding of what the tests (EEG and PET Scan) which were conducted when I was readmitted. Although the MRI images didn't show any changes it appears the PET scan did show some changes from the previous scan done back in April before I had the surgery. The doctor advised since I'm being followed by Dr. Fine at the NIH he wasn't going to make any recommendations or assessments without letting Fine see the PET images first. So for the next two weeks I'll be on pins and needles as I wait to see Dr. Fine and his staff again. I'm not going to speculate but it is quite possible treatment beyond the serial MRI monitoring will now change to chemotherapy but only time will tell.
From there I went to a bistro near the metro station and did some work while I waited for a couple of hours before my next appointment which was at the VA Medical Center. These appointments are only for their doctors to confirm all conditions I'm claiming for VA compensation. Once these appointments are completed all the reports are compiled and then presented to a medical board which is what I'm going through currently to determine if I go out on retirement as planned or be medically retired. Not much difference between the two and the key reason I asked to be med boarded was to have the VA and government to determine what my VA rating would be which does have some monetary value. Kristine dropped me off at the metro at 07:15 and Maddie would pick me up at 5:20..a long day.
Maddie and Jake and some of there friends would go to the high school varsity game. Beforehand though they were all at the house and it truly is enjoying to interact with them all. I can't be more proud of Maddie and Jake's accomplishments to this point and the choice of their friends.
Today, I participated in the Eagle 5K which is a fundraiser for Maddie's cross-country team..it's with sadness and joy that I must admit Maddie has dethroned her "old man" in running. I ran a respectable time 22:55; however, Maddie ran 22:30 on Wednesday during a cross-country meet. Afterwards I would leave from the school and do another 12 miles to get my necessary long run of 15+ miles scheduled as part of my MCM training plan.
I have a ritual of sitting in a tub of ice water to help keep swelling down after long runs beyond 13 and today was no different; however, it was a cold day and I've had a chill most of the day.
Kristine and Maddie went to Anne Arrundel Mall to get my baby girl a homecoming dress. One Caraway has a date while the other is looking for one..he's such a good looking young man but his mouth is a turn-off to many of the girls.
Tomorrow will be spent doing chores and watching our Colts take on the Skins and give them a scalping unlike what the Cowboys tried to accomplish on Week 1..
Take care and 'Always Faithful'
JD
She came through as promised and I went back to the 6th floor where I would be seen by a different physician new to my case but was very thorough with going over my history as well as giving me a better understanding of what the tests (EEG and PET Scan) which were conducted when I was readmitted. Although the MRI images didn't show any changes it appears the PET scan did show some changes from the previous scan done back in April before I had the surgery. The doctor advised since I'm being followed by Dr. Fine at the NIH he wasn't going to make any recommendations or assessments without letting Fine see the PET images first. So for the next two weeks I'll be on pins and needles as I wait to see Dr. Fine and his staff again. I'm not going to speculate but it is quite possible treatment beyond the serial MRI monitoring will now change to chemotherapy but only time will tell.
From there I went to a bistro near the metro station and did some work while I waited for a couple of hours before my next appointment which was at the VA Medical Center. These appointments are only for their doctors to confirm all conditions I'm claiming for VA compensation. Once these appointments are completed all the reports are compiled and then presented to a medical board which is what I'm going through currently to determine if I go out on retirement as planned or be medically retired. Not much difference between the two and the key reason I asked to be med boarded was to have the VA and government to determine what my VA rating would be which does have some monetary value. Kristine dropped me off at the metro at 07:15 and Maddie would pick me up at 5:20..a long day.
Maddie and Jake and some of there friends would go to the high school varsity game. Beforehand though they were all at the house and it truly is enjoying to interact with them all. I can't be more proud of Maddie and Jake's accomplishments to this point and the choice of their friends.
Today, I participated in the Eagle 5K which is a fundraiser for Maddie's cross-country team..it's with sadness and joy that I must admit Maddie has dethroned her "old man" in running. I ran a respectable time 22:55; however, Maddie ran 22:30 on Wednesday during a cross-country meet. Afterwards I would leave from the school and do another 12 miles to get my necessary long run of 15+ miles scheduled as part of my MCM training plan.
I have a ritual of sitting in a tub of ice water to help keep swelling down after long runs beyond 13 and today was no different; however, it was a cold day and I've had a chill most of the day.
Kristine and Maddie went to Anne Arrundel Mall to get my baby girl a homecoming dress. One Caraway has a date while the other is looking for one..he's such a good looking young man but his mouth is a turn-off to many of the girls.
Tomorrow will be spent doing chores and watching our Colts take on the Skins and give them a scalping unlike what the Cowboys tried to accomplish on Week 1..
Take care and 'Always Faithful'
JD
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Gunny's Fight Part II (12Oct10)
Hey Gang,
As promised I'm writing to provide you a link to the website for my latest fund raising event. It can be found at the following URL:
http://fundraising.livestrong.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=325373&lis=0&kntae325373=DE0FAAE120434FE1890EC4DFB92013BA
On that site you can make a donation and also go to "The Gunny's Team" page. As soon as I get the shirts screen printed I will provide pics on this site and will take orders..all monies received will go towards the foundation I'm supporting.
Because I can't drive for another 5 1/2 months due to the seizure...I had to work from home for the first half of the morning and then spent the rest of the afternoon commuting the VA/DC transit systems to get to the VA Med Ctr. The appointments are routine in nature and only meant to confirm the claims I'm submitting compensation from the VA are in fact valid and since I'm going through a MedBoard process they are not only investigating the tumor but all aches and pains I've submitted as pre-existing conditions. Today's appointment was with podiatry and as it would turn out my feet are all jacked up..hammer toes, high arches..(go figure), heel spurs, plantar fasciitis...but I refuse to quit running.
I'm going to digress for a moment..ironically I was diagnosed with this last finding the same weekend after I returned from the OAG....it was good to see so many people within the community; however, I had this same experience the weekend after the spring ESAG which occurred in April and two days later I was diagnosed with the brain tumor. Not sure what the message is here but I wouldn't change one thing and glad I've had the opportunity to see many peers/colleagues and friends..
Once again please pass the word on the blog and the link to the foundation website..
23K in three weeks was impressive in April/May let's do it again and reach the 30K goal and give me the motivation to finish this 26.2 strong..
Always Faithful...The Gunny
As promised I'm writing to provide you a link to the website for my latest fund raising event. It can be found at the following URL:
http://fundraising.livestrong.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=325373&lis=0&kntae325373=DE0FAAE120434FE1890EC4DFB92013BA
On that site you can make a donation and also go to "The Gunny's Team" page. As soon as I get the shirts screen printed I will provide pics on this site and will take orders..all monies received will go towards the foundation I'm supporting.
Because I can't drive for another 5 1/2 months due to the seizure...I had to work from home for the first half of the morning and then spent the rest of the afternoon commuting the VA/DC transit systems to get to the VA Med Ctr. The appointments are routine in nature and only meant to confirm the claims I'm submitting compensation from the VA are in fact valid and since I'm going through a MedBoard process they are not only investigating the tumor but all aches and pains I've submitted as pre-existing conditions. Today's appointment was with podiatry and as it would turn out my feet are all jacked up..hammer toes, high arches..(go figure), heel spurs, plantar fasciitis...but I refuse to quit running.
I'm going to digress for a moment..ironically I was diagnosed with this last finding the same weekend after I returned from the OAG....it was good to see so many people within the community; however, I had this same experience the weekend after the spring ESAG which occurred in April and two days later I was diagnosed with the brain tumor. Not sure what the message is here but I wouldn't change one thing and glad I've had the opportunity to see many peers/colleagues and friends..
Once again please pass the word on the blog and the link to the foundation website..
23K in three weeks was impressive in April/May let's do it again and reach the 30K goal and give me the motivation to finish this 26.2 strong..
Always Faithful...The Gunny
Monday, October 11, 2010
New information from the "The Gunny"
Hey Gang,
The 'mad blogger' is back..
Long time...4 months to be exact since I last posted an update. Primarily because I was on what I believed to be on a long road of healthy living again. I've had lots of folks call/email or pass through other friends that they check the blog but noticed I hadn't updated. I just wasn't sure what to write and not for sure you wanted to track my every day happenings. For those who have been monitoring the site thanks I tend to forget this not only affected me and my family but all of you as well because of the bonds/friendships we have developed over the years and I'm truly humbled.
I wish I could tell you I'm writing today to catch you up on the past 4 months unfortunately it appears I've had a small setback. On the 18th of Sept I was readmitted back to Walter Reed Army Med Center (WRAMC) for observation. The previous evening I had a headache like I hadn't experienced ever!! I must admit it was a pretty stressful day at work which was weighing heavily on my mind while I stood and watched the Edison varsity football game play that evening. As the game was winding down I was helping Kristine move tables back into the concession stand which as a member of the boosters club supports all home games by working..anyhow I explained I had a headache behind my left eye and since I was wearing contacts I was going to head home because I just didn't feel good and get my contacts out.
Maddie and Jake were both at the game but with Maddie driving and has her own wheels I knew she was good to go; however, Jake's best bud 'Michael' who plays on the Varsity was staying with us for the weekend while his parents went down to Boone, NC (Appalachian St) to watch Caitlin play field hockey. As it would turn out it was not a good weekend for either Cait or I..more on that to follow. Anyhow, as I was telling Kristine I was leaving and making sure she had the boys I was having difficulty getting Michael's name out..neither of us thought much of it at the time. Came home got my contacts out and laid down with TV on and easily fell off to sleep, which I had a good nights sleep. Unfortunately the next morning I still had a headache but not as sharp.. night before it was reaching an 8 out of 10 scale and the next morning it was only a 2-3..decided at that time to take some Tylenol but all we had was Tylenol PM which just knocked me out.. Kristine woke me up at noon because she didn't want me to sleep the day away. I must admit I was still pretty groggy but the headache had subsided....conscious decision was to lay around and watch college football. Kristine would lay around and nap while I watched games; however, as we prepared dinner that evening my headache was returning but not at level it had the night prior; therefore, we decided it was wise to head up to WRAMC to get checked out based on my recent history with the tumor.
We checked into the ER and for those of you know Kristine she doesn't mess around and I felt sorry for the charge nurse because she was quick to point out get the lead neurologist down because there was going to be little they could do. I settled her down and let him go through the procedures just for him and the lead ER doc to inform us they were awaiting the neuro dept to send down a representative. ER charge nurse was a good guy and realize he has a bureaucratic process he had to follow..you have to love the bureaucracy which is meant to make our lives easier but in reality it doesn't. Anyhow, the doc came in ran me through a series of tests and based on my history thought it would be best to admit me for observation.
I got wheeled up to a familiar ward (58), changed into their sexy garments, and given an explanation on what to expect that evening/early morning hours which included an MRI to make sure the "Tumor" was not growing or exhibiting any new changes or bleeding.
You can all breathe easier "tumor" is just as it was on May 17th during my first MRI after surgery and my first quarterly MRI on August 2nd.
Here is where the story really begins.. During my wait to be seen by an ER doc there were key words that are often said by patients, nurses and docs alike. As Kristine and I sat there I wondered aloud if there had ever been a thesis paper ever written on doing a study of a study..or something to that effect. Kristine remembers having that discussion and it made sense at the time but for the life of us both we really can't remember what I was referring to. Meanwhile after admission I made a conscious decision to stay up and watch movies since I knew they would come get me in the middle of the night for the MRI which of course they did at 3 a.m. Even on the way down I was talking to the wheel chair attendant I had a great idea and even shared the same sentiments with the MRI tech..as I look back on it I really wish I could remember what I was trying convey..the reasons why will be explained in context here shortly.
After my return from the MRI I continued to watch classic movies "Charlie Wilson's War" and "Coyote Ugly" :-). As I watched the movies I was enjoying the sarcasm and irony being displayed and in the process put an email together for my last supervisor Brian Rideout to let him know I was back in the hospital but also to share my good idea about a great thesis topic..which unfortunately I can't remember nor did my email to him in which I sent at 7:10 Sunday morning make much sense which would later add more fuel to the doctor's fire and his diagnosis.
I would continue to stay awake Sunday. Kristine and Madalyn came to see me and visit and we walked down to have lunch in the cafeteria. I had all my cognitive skills, know who they are, can carry on a conversation and found myself extremely witty. I found myself trying to show and explain away that I was okay to Kristine and Maddie and as it would turn out only frightened them more. Hindsight being 20/20 it is my belief I was probably going through a stage of delirium due to the lack of sleep over the past 24 plus hours and despite how funny and witty I thought I was being Kristine was done.. For those who know her understand she has a great sense of humor; however, when she is done she will let you know. I didn't heed those warnings and kept on pushing my humor..all the while all I was trying to do was demonstrate I had all my faculties about me and that we were just being overly cautious. Kristine and I have an ability to get our sick sense of humor but for whatever reason she wasn't having any part of it this day. Maddie did find me humorous at first but when I continued to push her to her limit I didn't realize I was alienating them and what further repercussions lay ahead.
I didn't get a visit from the neurologist and his team of residents until later that afternoon (4:00) and just before he came into the room Kristine was able to grab him and share her concerns and what she perceived to be weird behavior on my part. That behavior was the overuse of making PUNS and finding hidden meanings like you would in a personalized license plate. I just couldn't let it go though.. I also misused the word "moniker" which I was describing as a play on words..although no-one not even the docs corrected..not sure if they knew the meaning or just agreed and continued to make their diagnosis. Despite no changes to the Tumor they made a pre-determined diagnosis that I had a "complex partial seizure". I didn't seize up and hit the ground, try to bite my tongue off, uncontrollable itching or eye blinking which is common to what most folks believe a seizure is.. Anyhow they brought in the on-call EEG tech to hook me up to the machine and get brain waive measurements to rule out or confirm the seizure. Docs would come back in later Sunday evening as I was finally starting to doze off just to tell me they were going to leave me hooked up overnight because the results at the time were inconclusive. There were some irregular brain waive spikes but he couldn't 100% confirm that I had a "complex partial seizure" and it was a good possibility the spikes were a result of me currently having a tumor, the recent surgery I had and/or the scarring as a result of the surgery. After a full night of further observation while being strapped to the EEG machine the results were no different nothing significant and nothing glaring that proved without a doubt I had a seizure. Needless to say the lead neurologist was not going to be swayed from his original diagnosis and was basing his findings based on his experience. I argued and expressed I didn't buy into the findings; however, he was quick to use my own experience as imagery analyst in making difficult calls on satellite imagery based on previous experience and expertise over a long period of time.
Now comes the difficult part of why I'm struggling with this finding and recent setback. Because I'm in the military and now diagnosed with a seizure my driving privileges were taken away for 6 months. Plus I get to take an anti-seizure medicine called Keppra which could have some harmful side affects and although I shared my concerns about them the medical team explained it was the safest medicine on the market and that this is drug companies being overly cautious which I believe the docs at this time are being as well. This team of doctors at WRAMC are a different crew than who dealt with the original finding and conducted the surgery.. Dr. Cooper is a neurosurgeon..while Dr. Cannard is a neurologist and he just never established good bedside manner with me and coupled with the news and restrictions he placed on me I'm going to be a little mule headed for the time being.
I'm still working with an unknown retirement date because I'm now going through a Medical Evaluation Board to have the VA provide me disability rating if one at all plus determine if I should be medically retired or since I've already reached 20 to go ahead and retire. It's a process and what I once thought was going be completed by end of year my last medical appointment isn't until 23Dec10 so I don't envision the MedBoard to review my package until sometime in late January and issue the finding until February..at which time I can then determine how many days of leave I have remaining on the books plus permissive TAD and all other benefits I can take advantage of and resubmit for my exit day..which will have to be the last day of a month but at this time I'm not sure what month.
In the meantime I get to see Dr. Howard Fine from the NIH at the beginning of November for my next serial MRI if not sooner and plan to ask him to review the findings and determine if he agrees and have one of his neurologists he trust to review and if they agree well then I'm going to treat this 6 months just like a deployment and hope the medicine will preclude me from ever having another seizure. If he doesn't agree then I'm hoping to use him as the renowned expert in the brain community to help coerce Dr. Cannard to reconsider and reinstate my driving privileges. For now Kristine and I get up early and she drops me off about 6 miles down the road where I carpool in with my boss (Jen). She is a new hire to MarCorSysCom and is being more than accommodating for a project we currently are managing we have a very lean team so we get to strategize on our commute down and then on our way home we talk about what we did right or wrong. Jen thank you for letting me to remain in the fight at work although many of you reading this think I've lost my mind and should be relaxing and be trying to get well..it is my gut feeling that I would go nuts just sitting at home wondering what lays ahead. As I said months ago I have no intention of letting the brain tumor define me nor am I going to let this recent setback do the same. I wake up every morning look in the mirror and have a scar that is visible only on the side of my head based on my haircut that reminds me of the tumor plus because I now take Keppra it reminds me I'm susceptible to seizures; however, I use those reminders to stay focused on living and how lucky I am.
Life can all change at a given moment as it did for me on April 9th when I was first diagnosed with a tumor in the head but I'm still alive today and I promise each and every one of you I'm going to live my life to the fullest with no regrets. So as I bring this post to a close I wanted to ask each of you to take a moment and reflect and ask yourselves are you living...don't just go through the motions..enjoy every day for whatever it brings whether it's good or bad..because you never know when the lights will go out.
I will be posting a new blog tomorrow with information on my latest fundraising event..where I will be running in this years Marine Corps Marathon. I know your all thinking I really am nuts but I can't drive because I'm a risk to others but I can PT/run which I'm not near as fast as I've been in past years but I'm doing this because I set this as a goal back in April and now even more determined after my recent diagnosis.
Please pass the blog site to all your friends/co-workers to help out and be a part of the "The Gunny's Team"..'I Can Therefore I Will"....
God Bless you all..
The 'mad blogger' is back..
Long time...4 months to be exact since I last posted an update. Primarily because I was on what I believed to be on a long road of healthy living again. I've had lots of folks call/email or pass through other friends that they check the blog but noticed I hadn't updated. I just wasn't sure what to write and not for sure you wanted to track my every day happenings. For those who have been monitoring the site thanks I tend to forget this not only affected me and my family but all of you as well because of the bonds/friendships we have developed over the years and I'm truly humbled.
I wish I could tell you I'm writing today to catch you up on the past 4 months unfortunately it appears I've had a small setback. On the 18th of Sept I was readmitted back to Walter Reed Army Med Center (WRAMC) for observation. The previous evening I had a headache like I hadn't experienced ever!! I must admit it was a pretty stressful day at work which was weighing heavily on my mind while I stood and watched the Edison varsity football game play that evening. As the game was winding down I was helping Kristine move tables back into the concession stand which as a member of the boosters club supports all home games by working..anyhow I explained I had a headache behind my left eye and since I was wearing contacts I was going to head home because I just didn't feel good and get my contacts out.
Maddie and Jake were both at the game but with Maddie driving and has her own wheels I knew she was good to go; however, Jake's best bud 'Michael' who plays on the Varsity was staying with us for the weekend while his parents went down to Boone, NC (Appalachian St) to watch Caitlin play field hockey. As it would turn out it was not a good weekend for either Cait or I..more on that to follow. Anyhow, as I was telling Kristine I was leaving and making sure she had the boys I was having difficulty getting Michael's name out..neither of us thought much of it at the time. Came home got my contacts out and laid down with TV on and easily fell off to sleep, which I had a good nights sleep. Unfortunately the next morning I still had a headache but not as sharp.. night before it was reaching an 8 out of 10 scale and the next morning it was only a 2-3..decided at that time to take some Tylenol but all we had was Tylenol PM which just knocked me out.. Kristine woke me up at noon because she didn't want me to sleep the day away. I must admit I was still pretty groggy but the headache had subsided....conscious decision was to lay around and watch college football. Kristine would lay around and nap while I watched games; however, as we prepared dinner that evening my headache was returning but not at level it had the night prior; therefore, we decided it was wise to head up to WRAMC to get checked out based on my recent history with the tumor.
We checked into the ER and for those of you know Kristine she doesn't mess around and I felt sorry for the charge nurse because she was quick to point out get the lead neurologist down because there was going to be little they could do. I settled her down and let him go through the procedures just for him and the lead ER doc to inform us they were awaiting the neuro dept to send down a representative. ER charge nurse was a good guy and realize he has a bureaucratic process he had to follow..you have to love the bureaucracy which is meant to make our lives easier but in reality it doesn't. Anyhow, the doc came in ran me through a series of tests and based on my history thought it would be best to admit me for observation.
I got wheeled up to a familiar ward (58), changed into their sexy garments, and given an explanation on what to expect that evening/early morning hours which included an MRI to make sure the "Tumor" was not growing or exhibiting any new changes or bleeding.
You can all breathe easier "tumor" is just as it was on May 17th during my first MRI after surgery and my first quarterly MRI on August 2nd.
Here is where the story really begins.. During my wait to be seen by an ER doc there were key words that are often said by patients, nurses and docs alike. As Kristine and I sat there I wondered aloud if there had ever been a thesis paper ever written on doing a study of a study..or something to that effect. Kristine remembers having that discussion and it made sense at the time but for the life of us both we really can't remember what I was referring to. Meanwhile after admission I made a conscious decision to stay up and watch movies since I knew they would come get me in the middle of the night for the MRI which of course they did at 3 a.m. Even on the way down I was talking to the wheel chair attendant I had a great idea and even shared the same sentiments with the MRI tech..as I look back on it I really wish I could remember what I was trying convey..the reasons why will be explained in context here shortly.
After my return from the MRI I continued to watch classic movies "Charlie Wilson's War" and "Coyote Ugly" :-). As I watched the movies I was enjoying the sarcasm and irony being displayed and in the process put an email together for my last supervisor Brian Rideout to let him know I was back in the hospital but also to share my good idea about a great thesis topic..which unfortunately I can't remember nor did my email to him in which I sent at 7:10 Sunday morning make much sense which would later add more fuel to the doctor's fire and his diagnosis.
I would continue to stay awake Sunday. Kristine and Madalyn came to see me and visit and we walked down to have lunch in the cafeteria. I had all my cognitive skills, know who they are, can carry on a conversation and found myself extremely witty. I found myself trying to show and explain away that I was okay to Kristine and Maddie and as it would turn out only frightened them more. Hindsight being 20/20 it is my belief I was probably going through a stage of delirium due to the lack of sleep over the past 24 plus hours and despite how funny and witty I thought I was being Kristine was done.. For those who know her understand she has a great sense of humor; however, when she is done she will let you know. I didn't heed those warnings and kept on pushing my humor..all the while all I was trying to do was demonstrate I had all my faculties about me and that we were just being overly cautious. Kristine and I have an ability to get our sick sense of humor but for whatever reason she wasn't having any part of it this day. Maddie did find me humorous at first but when I continued to push her to her limit I didn't realize I was alienating them and what further repercussions lay ahead.
I didn't get a visit from the neurologist and his team of residents until later that afternoon (4:00) and just before he came into the room Kristine was able to grab him and share her concerns and what she perceived to be weird behavior on my part. That behavior was the overuse of making PUNS and finding hidden meanings like you would in a personalized license plate. I just couldn't let it go though.. I also misused the word "moniker" which I was describing as a play on words..although no-one not even the docs corrected..not sure if they knew the meaning or just agreed and continued to make their diagnosis. Despite no changes to the Tumor they made a pre-determined diagnosis that I had a "complex partial seizure". I didn't seize up and hit the ground, try to bite my tongue off, uncontrollable itching or eye blinking which is common to what most folks believe a seizure is.. Anyhow they brought in the on-call EEG tech to hook me up to the machine and get brain waive measurements to rule out or confirm the seizure. Docs would come back in later Sunday evening as I was finally starting to doze off just to tell me they were going to leave me hooked up overnight because the results at the time were inconclusive. There were some irregular brain waive spikes but he couldn't 100% confirm that I had a "complex partial seizure" and it was a good possibility the spikes were a result of me currently having a tumor, the recent surgery I had and/or the scarring as a result of the surgery. After a full night of further observation while being strapped to the EEG machine the results were no different nothing significant and nothing glaring that proved without a doubt I had a seizure. Needless to say the lead neurologist was not going to be swayed from his original diagnosis and was basing his findings based on his experience. I argued and expressed I didn't buy into the findings; however, he was quick to use my own experience as imagery analyst in making difficult calls on satellite imagery based on previous experience and expertise over a long period of time.
Now comes the difficult part of why I'm struggling with this finding and recent setback. Because I'm in the military and now diagnosed with a seizure my driving privileges were taken away for 6 months. Plus I get to take an anti-seizure medicine called Keppra which could have some harmful side affects and although I shared my concerns about them the medical team explained it was the safest medicine on the market and that this is drug companies being overly cautious which I believe the docs at this time are being as well. This team of doctors at WRAMC are a different crew than who dealt with the original finding and conducted the surgery.. Dr. Cooper is a neurosurgeon..while Dr. Cannard is a neurologist and he just never established good bedside manner with me and coupled with the news and restrictions he placed on me I'm going to be a little mule headed for the time being.
I'm still working with an unknown retirement date because I'm now going through a Medical Evaluation Board to have the VA provide me disability rating if one at all plus determine if I should be medically retired or since I've already reached 20 to go ahead and retire. It's a process and what I once thought was going be completed by end of year my last medical appointment isn't until 23Dec10 so I don't envision the MedBoard to review my package until sometime in late January and issue the finding until February..at which time I can then determine how many days of leave I have remaining on the books plus permissive TAD and all other benefits I can take advantage of and resubmit for my exit day..which will have to be the last day of a month but at this time I'm not sure what month.
In the meantime I get to see Dr. Howard Fine from the NIH at the beginning of November for my next serial MRI if not sooner and plan to ask him to review the findings and determine if he agrees and have one of his neurologists he trust to review and if they agree well then I'm going to treat this 6 months just like a deployment and hope the medicine will preclude me from ever having another seizure. If he doesn't agree then I'm hoping to use him as the renowned expert in the brain community to help coerce Dr. Cannard to reconsider and reinstate my driving privileges. For now Kristine and I get up early and she drops me off about 6 miles down the road where I carpool in with my boss (Jen). She is a new hire to MarCorSysCom and is being more than accommodating for a project we currently are managing we have a very lean team so we get to strategize on our commute down and then on our way home we talk about what we did right or wrong. Jen thank you for letting me to remain in the fight at work although many of you reading this think I've lost my mind and should be relaxing and be trying to get well..it is my gut feeling that I would go nuts just sitting at home wondering what lays ahead. As I said months ago I have no intention of letting the brain tumor define me nor am I going to let this recent setback do the same. I wake up every morning look in the mirror and have a scar that is visible only on the side of my head based on my haircut that reminds me of the tumor plus because I now take Keppra it reminds me I'm susceptible to seizures; however, I use those reminders to stay focused on living and how lucky I am.
Life can all change at a given moment as it did for me on April 9th when I was first diagnosed with a tumor in the head but I'm still alive today and I promise each and every one of you I'm going to live my life to the fullest with no regrets. So as I bring this post to a close I wanted to ask each of you to take a moment and reflect and ask yourselves are you living...don't just go through the motions..enjoy every day for whatever it brings whether it's good or bad..because you never know when the lights will go out.
I will be posting a new blog tomorrow with information on my latest fundraising event..where I will be running in this years Marine Corps Marathon. I know your all thinking I really am nuts but I can't drive because I'm a risk to others but I can PT/run which I'm not near as fast as I've been in past years but I'm doing this because I set this as a goal back in April and now even more determined after my recent diagnosis.
Please pass the blog site to all your friends/co-workers to help out and be a part of the "The Gunny's Team"..'I Can Therefore I Will"....
God Bless you all..
Friday, June 4, 2010
23May - 4Jun Gunny Update...
Hello Gang,
I've become a little complacent in making updates but after a few notes today from others wanting an update on my status I felt I owed it to you all who follow this site to keep you informed. Nothing serious from a medical standpoint has happened between the 23rd of May and now but I will update what I feel is important or at least will bring a smile to your face if for nothing more than some humorous stories from my point of view.
23rd - Its Sunday and I make the decision to get up and go to 'mass'. Kristine and I are both up but not going to force her to go if she doesn't want to go (she is still tired from her trip) and both kids are still down so I decide to go it alone today. I was relieved to go and prayed for my family, anyone across the globe who have sent well wishes via cards, emails, supported the 'Race for Hope' and of course my continued good health. Not much bathroom remodeling occurred today except replacing the flang for the toilet which I owe a huge thanks to my neighbor Sean for his assistance. Instead we focused on other house cleaning chores and just relaxed as a family.
24th - More trips to Lowe's to get more supplies for the remodeling job..this is truly getting out of hand or growing beyond my scope/capabilities.. Kristine calls me from work is ready to send contractors to the house to assist but I'm being obstinate and refuse. A good thing was today I got to go on my first run since just before I found out about the tumor on 9 April. I must admit though it hurt from a breathing perspective only and was humbled in the fact I couldn't complete a little more than a 5K. The only positive thing about todays run is Maddie went with me to make sure I didn't pass out or sieze up. Later this evening I have a vein in my left wrist swell up. Rather large knot and has me concerned because it's real close to an area where they had stuck me with one of my four IV's.. Kristine suggests (more like orders) me to get up tomorrow and go get it checked.
25th - No remodeling today because I drive down to Quantico medical to get seen about the knot in my vein. I didn't mention it above but the area where the IV was located plus the hard knot are extremely sensitive to touch. I couldn't get an appointment but they did send out a triage nurse to see me and of course made me feel foolish when she asked if I had every iced it. I explained that I had surgery over a month ago which is why I was concerned but she also explained it could just be I had an allergic reaction to what ever medicine they injected. However, the knot went down earlier this morning and not near as sensitive but it would reappear later in the evening. While at the clinic I decided to make an effort to schedule appointments for a dental cleaning, get my eyes checked out, and also set up an appointment to see my PCM if the lump/knot continues to stick around. Stopped by MCSC and visited for a few minutes but most folks were out to meetings. Maddie and I go out for round 2 of running. Much better day of running so much so we actually went a little further and I was able to make it the whole way and even pushed in certain areas. However, my baby girl is getting stronger and I only hope she realizes her potential. Vein doesn't hurt as bad today which is a postive sign.
26th - Once Kristine and kids left for school I needed something?? from Lowes and made the command decision to bring home a day worker from the group of them sitting out in the parking lot. We get a lot done today by laying all the flooring to include the base flooring, sub floor, and cement board down. Additionally, we start to put up the durarock on in the areas around the tub area.
27th - My new found day worker comes back today and just when we are about to get ready to start back to work in my bathroom we notice water in the corner of the new flooring we just layed. Additionally, I have to go grab Jake by 10 to get him to an orthodontist appointment. I have to send my worker away until I get home which I believe will be around 12 but as fate would have it I didn't get home until after 13:00 in the afternoon. Before leaving though we take a look at the tiles in my sons bathroom and notice there is a small area missing grout. I decide to put new grout over the area and let it dry. After about 4 hours I poor more water over the area and it appears my analysis was correct. In the meantime we start to puddy up and sand areas in the MBR but some of the mud is taking to long to dry so we call it quits around 4:30.
28th - I get up early to clean up the walls from all the sanding and start to prep for painting. Additionally, I make a call to the Jimenez construction crew which re-did my entire basement area after our sump pump died on us during a heavy rain storm. My helper starts to paint but we can't go much further until I get the tub in so I can finish putting up the durarock. Later that day the Jimenez brothers show up to take a look at Jake's bathroom plus I ask them to take a look at mine.. they give a price and after a quick call I talk to Kristine about it via phone and we agree it's the best thing to do.. my days of bathroom remodeling are over.. :-)
Kristine's friend Sarah Tozer graduated from Law school today and a party was being held in her honor at her bosses house so Maddie and I clean up and join them over there Friday evening.
29th - Clean up day around the house in preparation for the long holiday weekend. Acting PMIntel/Dan Fitzgerald is having a bbq which we are going to attend. Dan and Daryl have a beautiful home in Montclair overlooking a lake. Col C, Maj Rideout and his family plus him Mom, Maj Lockner and his girls were also there. It was good to visit them and with the large trees along the lake made the afternoon a great day.
30th - When I wake up, I tell Kristine I'm going to mass and without any urging from me she gets up and showers and goes with me. My prayers to have her join me are working..now I need to reach down and be the parent I can and make my kids go with us but they are also at an age where I don't want to drive them away from the church. Our good friends the Ken/Mary Counts invite us over for dinner..another good meal and great comraderie.
31st - Memorial day..God Bless all veterans who have served or currently serving and for those who have gave the ultimate sacrifice Thank you..
The Jimenez brothers show up today and immediately make great strides..I must admit I'm relieved to have them save me from my own stubborness.
1st..Just sitting around helping where I can with the Manual and Alex and running errands.
2nd.. Last day of convalescence leave.. I finally get to go back to work tomorrow.. I'm excited but won't deny had I not been dealing with the tumor sitting at home getting paid wouldn't be a bad gig..would get old but it was nice to experience and ready to jump back in..
3rd... Have meeting first thing with Maj Rideout and CW05 Toscano to put some thoughts down for ADIRINT/DIRINT for a brief which will be presented to SECDEF..chance to hopefully make some serious changes in the acquisition process especially for IT equipment which is metamorphs every 6-12 months..while 5000.2 is meant for ships/planes and large ACAT I programs. Spent my entire day at C4T but gave me a chance to catch up on lots of old email while I was away.
4th.. Went to hospital point today to print out my orders and agenda for the GEOINT conference I'm going to attend next week. In addition Gy Jourdan asked me to join him and MGuns Allwerdt on putting together some ideas to revamp the 0241 MOS roadmap.. I can honestly say we discussed some items but then we broke for lunch and then I had to leave them to go join the TRIAD for a MCISR-E Roadmap mission analysis discussion.
I want to send out congrats to LtCol Scott Camden for being selected as the next program manager for PM Intel.
Additionally, I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks to all who supported 'The Gunny's Team' and pledged funds on our behalf. I would like to extend a special thanks to 'SPECTRUM' and Ms Gretchen Garnett for taking time from her busy schedule today to make contact with Maj Rideout to find out about my status.
I'm going to bring this to a close finally to get some sleep. I have a long day tomorrow..taking Maddie to her SAT testing site and then have to get her home so she can get ready for a prom she is attending..
God Bless you all..
JD
I've become a little complacent in making updates but after a few notes today from others wanting an update on my status I felt I owed it to you all who follow this site to keep you informed. Nothing serious from a medical standpoint has happened between the 23rd of May and now but I will update what I feel is important or at least will bring a smile to your face if for nothing more than some humorous stories from my point of view.
23rd - Its Sunday and I make the decision to get up and go to 'mass'. Kristine and I are both up but not going to force her to go if she doesn't want to go (she is still tired from her trip) and both kids are still down so I decide to go it alone today. I was relieved to go and prayed for my family, anyone across the globe who have sent well wishes via cards, emails, supported the 'Race for Hope' and of course my continued good health. Not much bathroom remodeling occurred today except replacing the flang for the toilet which I owe a huge thanks to my neighbor Sean for his assistance. Instead we focused on other house cleaning chores and just relaxed as a family.
24th - More trips to Lowe's to get more supplies for the remodeling job..this is truly getting out of hand or growing beyond my scope/capabilities.. Kristine calls me from work is ready to send contractors to the house to assist but I'm being obstinate and refuse. A good thing was today I got to go on my first run since just before I found out about the tumor on 9 April. I must admit though it hurt from a breathing perspective only and was humbled in the fact I couldn't complete a little more than a 5K. The only positive thing about todays run is Maddie went with me to make sure I didn't pass out or sieze up. Later this evening I have a vein in my left wrist swell up. Rather large knot and has me concerned because it's real close to an area where they had stuck me with one of my four IV's.. Kristine suggests (more like orders) me to get up tomorrow and go get it checked.
25th - No remodeling today because I drive down to Quantico medical to get seen about the knot in my vein. I didn't mention it above but the area where the IV was located plus the hard knot are extremely sensitive to touch. I couldn't get an appointment but they did send out a triage nurse to see me and of course made me feel foolish when she asked if I had every iced it. I explained that I had surgery over a month ago which is why I was concerned but she also explained it could just be I had an allergic reaction to what ever medicine they injected. However, the knot went down earlier this morning and not near as sensitive but it would reappear later in the evening. While at the clinic I decided to make an effort to schedule appointments for a dental cleaning, get my eyes checked out, and also set up an appointment to see my PCM if the lump/knot continues to stick around. Stopped by MCSC and visited for a few minutes but most folks were out to meetings. Maddie and I go out for round 2 of running. Much better day of running so much so we actually went a little further and I was able to make it the whole way and even pushed in certain areas. However, my baby girl is getting stronger and I only hope she realizes her potential. Vein doesn't hurt as bad today which is a postive sign.
26th - Once Kristine and kids left for school I needed something?? from Lowes and made the command decision to bring home a day worker from the group of them sitting out in the parking lot. We get a lot done today by laying all the flooring to include the base flooring, sub floor, and cement board down. Additionally, we start to put up the durarock on in the areas around the tub area.
27th - My new found day worker comes back today and just when we are about to get ready to start back to work in my bathroom we notice water in the corner of the new flooring we just layed. Additionally, I have to go grab Jake by 10 to get him to an orthodontist appointment. I have to send my worker away until I get home which I believe will be around 12 but as fate would have it I didn't get home until after 13:00 in the afternoon. Before leaving though we take a look at the tiles in my sons bathroom and notice there is a small area missing grout. I decide to put new grout over the area and let it dry. After about 4 hours I poor more water over the area and it appears my analysis was correct. In the meantime we start to puddy up and sand areas in the MBR but some of the mud is taking to long to dry so we call it quits around 4:30.
28th - I get up early to clean up the walls from all the sanding and start to prep for painting. Additionally, I make a call to the Jimenez construction crew which re-did my entire basement area after our sump pump died on us during a heavy rain storm. My helper starts to paint but we can't go much further until I get the tub in so I can finish putting up the durarock. Later that day the Jimenez brothers show up to take a look at Jake's bathroom plus I ask them to take a look at mine.. they give a price and after a quick call I talk to Kristine about it via phone and we agree it's the best thing to do.. my days of bathroom remodeling are over.. :-)
Kristine's friend Sarah Tozer graduated from Law school today and a party was being held in her honor at her bosses house so Maddie and I clean up and join them over there Friday evening.
29th - Clean up day around the house in preparation for the long holiday weekend. Acting PMIntel/Dan Fitzgerald is having a bbq which we are going to attend. Dan and Daryl have a beautiful home in Montclair overlooking a lake. Col C, Maj Rideout and his family plus him Mom, Maj Lockner and his girls were also there. It was good to visit them and with the large trees along the lake made the afternoon a great day.
30th - When I wake up, I tell Kristine I'm going to mass and without any urging from me she gets up and showers and goes with me. My prayers to have her join me are working..now I need to reach down and be the parent I can and make my kids go with us but they are also at an age where I don't want to drive them away from the church. Our good friends the Ken/Mary Counts invite us over for dinner..another good meal and great comraderie.
31st - Memorial day..God Bless all veterans who have served or currently serving and for those who have gave the ultimate sacrifice Thank you..
The Jimenez brothers show up today and immediately make great strides..I must admit I'm relieved to have them save me from my own stubborness.
1st..Just sitting around helping where I can with the Manual and Alex and running errands.
2nd.. Last day of convalescence leave.. I finally get to go back to work tomorrow.. I'm excited but won't deny had I not been dealing with the tumor sitting at home getting paid wouldn't be a bad gig..would get old but it was nice to experience and ready to jump back in..
3rd... Have meeting first thing with Maj Rideout and CW05 Toscano to put some thoughts down for ADIRINT/DIRINT for a brief which will be presented to SECDEF..chance to hopefully make some serious changes in the acquisition process especially for IT equipment which is metamorphs every 6-12 months..while 5000.2 is meant for ships/planes and large ACAT I programs. Spent my entire day at C4T but gave me a chance to catch up on lots of old email while I was away.
4th.. Went to hospital point today to print out my orders and agenda for the GEOINT conference I'm going to attend next week. In addition Gy Jourdan asked me to join him and MGuns Allwerdt on putting together some ideas to revamp the 0241 MOS roadmap.. I can honestly say we discussed some items but then we broke for lunch and then I had to leave them to go join the TRIAD for a MCISR-E Roadmap mission analysis discussion.
I want to send out congrats to LtCol Scott Camden for being selected as the next program manager for PM Intel.
Additionally, I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks to all who supported 'The Gunny's Team' and pledged funds on our behalf. I would like to extend a special thanks to 'SPECTRUM' and Ms Gretchen Garnett for taking time from her busy schedule today to make contact with Maj Rideout to find out about my status.
I'm going to bring this to a close finally to get some sleep. I have a long day tomorrow..taking Maddie to her SAT testing site and then have to get her home so she can get ready for a prom she is attending..
God Bless you all..
JD
Sunday, May 23, 2010
14-22 May Gunny Update
So much for keeping up with my postings but I'm sitting here watching "Tudor's" with Kristine and Jake and decided to use my time wisely and update what has been going over the past 10 days..
On my last posting I mentioned the 14th I would have my baseline MRI. However, before I did I met with a new friend I have developed since I was diagnosed with the brain tumor. Jillian has been a part of the "Race for Hope" since it's inception. She lost her father to a GBM tumor and along with her family made a committment to continue supporting the race and any other function which will help us find a cure or at a minimum provide options to doctors on treatments for patient. I had to go to WRAMC beforehand for some blood tests the chemo oncologist ordered. Once done I headed to Bethesda to meet Jillian for the first time..although we met up for lunch and had plenty of time before I headed to NIH we never ordered lunch because we just connected real well and spent the entire time chatting it up. She is someone I plan on leaning on for fund raising ideas but more looking forward to developing a strong friendship with Jillian and my family.
I left in time to get to NIH for my baseline MRI and went through the process of getting an IV put in me so they could put dye in my body during the MRI. I have to admit they stuck me real close to where blood had been drawn the day before so it goes without saying my arm was sore. Had to wait my but once I got in, it was pretty routine and once in the tube I slept while it the machine did it's thing. Note to self, on my next scheduled MRI I won't accept a 1400 or later time because of traffic around here in the beltway..although it being a Friday probably just made it even worst.
15th - So after some further discussion with Kristine we made the command decision to remodel the entire bathroom. I must admit I was shocked she was willing to do it but it will give me something to focus on while I sit at home by myself until I return back to work on the 3rd. We went to Lowes and picked out the tile for the flooring and walls plus picked up necessary tools I'm going to need.
16th - We get up have breakfast, then Kristine and I get our work clothes on to start our bathroom remodeling project. I have to admit when we started this I didn't realize how much stuff (crap) we had in that little room. Needless to say we emptied it out and started ripping up the flooring and tearing down the walls. After lots of effort finally was able to get the wash basin removed and although I had turned off the water at the shut off valve I had a leak on the hot water valve. Went to back to Lowes which is becoming a recurrent trip over the coming days.. Needless to say the one I bought didn't work and had to return because if I didn't I was going to have to be up every hour to empty out the bucket I had in place or I was going to cause a bigger mess in the basement area we just had remodeled 3 weeks ago. Anyhow, I purchased 5 feet of tubing which I placed over the nipple and then ran the other end of the tubing into the toilet.
17th - Finished pulling all the tile from the walls of the tub and went out to Home Depot since Lowes didn't have the shut-off valve I needed. Found what I needed and then went back to Lowe's to pick up durarock (cement wall board) I need to complete the project. Maddie was suppose to have her District softball game tonight but weather remains dreary/raining and cool and so it's been cancelled. Ripped out some drywall that needs replacing but I'm trying to be careful because I don't want to rip out more than I need to. Since Maddie doesn't have a game plus me being at home I'm on the hook to cook dinner as well so my day of remodeling is cut short.
18th - Early rain today but it quits early; however, dreary and cool so Maddie's game is cancelled again. I start working on getting up the sub-flooring and trying to avoid the destruction of the base flooring. Also had to read up on how to remove a toilet..an easy task but nasty endeavor. Once done and got it out the sub-flooring around it was all rotted out.. Finally got all the subflooring out and then noticed I was going to have to replace a section of the base flooring. In addition, I'm going to have to pull the tub out now..this project just keeps getting bigger by the day.. uuugghhh!!!
19th - Kristine left for Dallas today to take a class for an advanced property mgmt classification..going to miss her and especially on the 21st which is our 19th wedding anniversay. Kristine and I have grown up together and we both will tell anyone that marriage is a second job and we won't deny there have been some rough patches along the way but it has only made us a stronger couple. Kristine, I love you and glad we've made it this far and look forward to many more ahead of us. Maddie's district softball finally was played but unfortunately we ran out of inning's and lost the game.. We also found out this week Maddie was selected as "honorable mention" for district honors.. Maddie, your mom, Jake and I are so very proud of you..
20th - Today was a tough day..I have head aches.. not a head ache but sharp pains so not much getting done in the bathroom.. Kristine is gone so she can't nag to much.. :-)
21st - Not much going to get done in the bathroom again because there is a going away luncheon for my friend and my old contract project lead (Brian P) down in Stafford.. and then the kids and I also have tickets for the Nats/O's game..we also take our other son with us.. Mike Counts.. Between he and Jake those two young men have kept Kristine on our toes over the years... They have nicknames like "peaches and cream" and one that I won't share on the net but needless to say each summer they do something we get a laugh at much later but when we first find out I want to strangle them both. Fun day today.. Happy Anniversay Babe..hope your having fun in Dallas..
22nd - I get up early to get back to work on the bathroom..plus with Kristine coming home I need to show some progress :-).. I have a neighbor that is a general contractor and ask him over to give me some tips..plus I've been struggling for a few days to get the drain out of the tub..so I can get it out to get to the base floor. My neighbor comes over takes the special wrench along with my large ratchet and breaks it free with one turn..talk about feel foolish. Maddie decides to join me today and actually was a big help.... got the tub, cut out sections of the drywall that needed replacing, and actually was able to cut out a section of the base floor....Mom (Kristine) gets home..glad she's home but she is tired..appears she had some fun the night before and then with an early morning to catch her flight she is feeling the effects of not doing this more than once or twice a year..
On my last posting I mentioned the 14th I would have my baseline MRI. However, before I did I met with a new friend I have developed since I was diagnosed with the brain tumor. Jillian has been a part of the "Race for Hope" since it's inception. She lost her father to a GBM tumor and along with her family made a committment to continue supporting the race and any other function which will help us find a cure or at a minimum provide options to doctors on treatments for patient. I had to go to WRAMC beforehand for some blood tests the chemo oncologist ordered. Once done I headed to Bethesda to meet Jillian for the first time..although we met up for lunch and had plenty of time before I headed to NIH we never ordered lunch because we just connected real well and spent the entire time chatting it up. She is someone I plan on leaning on for fund raising ideas but more looking forward to developing a strong friendship with Jillian and my family.
I left in time to get to NIH for my baseline MRI and went through the process of getting an IV put in me so they could put dye in my body during the MRI. I have to admit they stuck me real close to where blood had been drawn the day before so it goes without saying my arm was sore. Had to wait my but once I got in, it was pretty routine and once in the tube I slept while it the machine did it's thing. Note to self, on my next scheduled MRI I won't accept a 1400 or later time because of traffic around here in the beltway..although it being a Friday probably just made it even worst.
15th - So after some further discussion with Kristine we made the command decision to remodel the entire bathroom. I must admit I was shocked she was willing to do it but it will give me something to focus on while I sit at home by myself until I return back to work on the 3rd. We went to Lowes and picked out the tile for the flooring and walls plus picked up necessary tools I'm going to need.
16th - We get up have breakfast, then Kristine and I get our work clothes on to start our bathroom remodeling project. I have to admit when we started this I didn't realize how much stuff (crap) we had in that little room. Needless to say we emptied it out and started ripping up the flooring and tearing down the walls. After lots of effort finally was able to get the wash basin removed and although I had turned off the water at the shut off valve I had a leak on the hot water valve. Went to back to Lowes which is becoming a recurrent trip over the coming days.. Needless to say the one I bought didn't work and had to return because if I didn't I was going to have to be up every hour to empty out the bucket I had in place or I was going to cause a bigger mess in the basement area we just had remodeled 3 weeks ago. Anyhow, I purchased 5 feet of tubing which I placed over the nipple and then ran the other end of the tubing into the toilet.
17th - Finished pulling all the tile from the walls of the tub and went out to Home Depot since Lowes didn't have the shut-off valve I needed. Found what I needed and then went back to Lowe's to pick up durarock (cement wall board) I need to complete the project. Maddie was suppose to have her District softball game tonight but weather remains dreary/raining and cool and so it's been cancelled. Ripped out some drywall that needs replacing but I'm trying to be careful because I don't want to rip out more than I need to. Since Maddie doesn't have a game plus me being at home I'm on the hook to cook dinner as well so my day of remodeling is cut short.
18th - Early rain today but it quits early; however, dreary and cool so Maddie's game is cancelled again. I start working on getting up the sub-flooring and trying to avoid the destruction of the base flooring. Also had to read up on how to remove a toilet..an easy task but nasty endeavor. Once done and got it out the sub-flooring around it was all rotted out.. Finally got all the subflooring out and then noticed I was going to have to replace a section of the base flooring. In addition, I'm going to have to pull the tub out now..this project just keeps getting bigger by the day.. uuugghhh!!!
19th - Kristine left for Dallas today to take a class for an advanced property mgmt classification..going to miss her and especially on the 21st which is our 19th wedding anniversay. Kristine and I have grown up together and we both will tell anyone that marriage is a second job and we won't deny there have been some rough patches along the way but it has only made us a stronger couple. Kristine, I love you and glad we've made it this far and look forward to many more ahead of us. Maddie's district softball finally was played but unfortunately we ran out of inning's and lost the game.. We also found out this week Maddie was selected as "honorable mention" for district honors.. Maddie, your mom, Jake and I are so very proud of you..
20th - Today was a tough day..I have head aches.. not a head ache but sharp pains so not much getting done in the bathroom.. Kristine is gone so she can't nag to much.. :-)
21st - Not much going to get done in the bathroom again because there is a going away luncheon for my friend and my old contract project lead (Brian P) down in Stafford.. and then the kids and I also have tickets for the Nats/O's game..we also take our other son with us.. Mike Counts.. Between he and Jake those two young men have kept Kristine on our toes over the years... They have nicknames like "peaches and cream" and one that I won't share on the net but needless to say each summer they do something we get a laugh at much later but when we first find out I want to strangle them both. Fun day today.. Happy Anniversay Babe..hope your having fun in Dallas..
22nd - I get up early to get back to work on the bathroom..plus with Kristine coming home I need to show some progress :-).. I have a neighbor that is a general contractor and ask him over to give me some tips..plus I've been struggling for a few days to get the drain out of the tub..so I can get it out to get to the base floor. My neighbor comes over takes the special wrench along with my large ratchet and breaks it free with one turn..talk about feel foolish. Maddie decides to join me today and actually was a big help.... got the tub, cut out sections of the drywall that needed replacing, and actually was able to cut out a section of the base floor....Mom (Kristine) gets home..glad she's home but she is tired..appears she had some fun the night before and then with an early morning to catch her flight she is feeling the effects of not doing this more than once or twice a year..
Thursday, May 13, 2010
7-13May Gunny Update..
Hello All,
I've been negligent in updating the blog. Therefore, I'm going to try and make an update for what has happened over the past week.
7 May....it was a sad/but also a day of celebration for one of our own.. Col Chudoba was officially retired this day. He hasn't left our MC Intel though because he was recently selected as the A-DIRINT.. His ceremony was well done and his remarks were well received. I must admit I was taken aback when he paid tribute to me and my current situation... Sir you are an inspiration and best of luck with your new position. Additionally, I put my Dad on a plane and sent him back to Texas it was sad to see him leave but he had been here since the 10th of April..
8 May....Maddie my daughter was asked to the Sr. Prom on the same day as my surgery, so we spent a good portion of the day helping her look for a dress. Unfortunatley, I got tired around 3 in the afternoon and had Kristine and Maddie drop me off at home before they headed out to Tysons.. I must admit that was a good thing because by the time they got home later in the day Mom was in a tizzy.. My kids don't realize how spoiled they really are and Mom was done although Maddie got the dress she wanted..not sure how that all worked out :-)
9 May...got the family up and we went to Mass and since it was Mother's Day we went out for lunch to a Mexican restaurant called "Chevy's".. we also went over to some close friends..Ken, Mary, Chris, Caitlin, and Mike Counts for dinner that evening.. 1st Margarita since before my surgery..it was awesome but kept it to one although I wanted more..
10 May... First day at home by myself since all this happened.. Received a phone call from Nancy Saxon the nurse practitioner for Dr. Cooper letting me know the 2nd pathology report was received and asked to come to up to WRAMC. Called Kristine at work and let her know and told her I'd call her once I got the report. I needed a shower and by the time I hit the road I got an email from Kristine telling me she would me at WRAMC. Thanks babe for being there... Once there we got to see Dr. Cooper and he explained the second report did confirm the tumor is a WHO grade II "oligodendroglioma" and it has some chromosome traits which chemotherapy alone would be a good option. I explained I had been to the NIH and met with Dr. Howard and explained the options for treat he suggested and what we had chosen and he was in concurrence at this time. He did however want me to see a chemo oncologist which I met today (13May)..
11 May... Busy day today... had to do grocery shopping, finish and fold laundry.. worked on a leak in our master bathroom but in the process made a mess of the tile.. Long day but productive day although it took me 2 plus hours at the commissary..
12 May... Still getting up early but once kids and Kristine left for work I decided to get back in bed and get some much needed rest. When I got up I called Kristine to explain I wasn't going to be able to finish the bathroom repairs due to some soreness and extreme fatigue.... Maddie doesn't have a fourth block class so she comes home early and I decided to take her to lunch as well as pick up a water board backing for my shower..although I won't do anything until Saturday. Maddie and Jake both have their final softball/baseball games. However, since Maddie is on varsity she will play in the district tournament and hopefully beyond. Jake on the other is done and now focusing on getting "swoll" for football in the fall.. I must admit I'm impressed with his desire to get big over the past few weeks and based on him going through a growth spurt at the moment I think he will be a big boy.
13th.. Went up to WRAMC to meet the chemo oncologist and he just provided me some additional information and was pleased to hear I have met with Dr. Howard and he too is in concurrence with our "careful watch and see" approach. Drove down to Quantico and met with my old TEG team and then caught up with Capt Mok at a meeting on some initiatives we are exploring for Rapid Prototyping..but it appears this was lacking in what we would be interested in. Got home around 3:30 -4:00 and was exhausted more because I was up until the wee hours of the morning and on the road by 0710 to make my 0900 appt..so I tried to take a nap but not with much success.
I have my baseline MRI scheduled tomorrow and will provide a new update later tomorrow night..
Take care and God Bless..
JD
I've been negligent in updating the blog. Therefore, I'm going to try and make an update for what has happened over the past week.
7 May....it was a sad/but also a day of celebration for one of our own.. Col Chudoba was officially retired this day. He hasn't left our MC Intel though because he was recently selected as the A-DIRINT.. His ceremony was well done and his remarks were well received. I must admit I was taken aback when he paid tribute to me and my current situation... Sir you are an inspiration and best of luck with your new position. Additionally, I put my Dad on a plane and sent him back to Texas it was sad to see him leave but he had been here since the 10th of April..
8 May....Maddie my daughter was asked to the Sr. Prom on the same day as my surgery, so we spent a good portion of the day helping her look for a dress. Unfortunatley, I got tired around 3 in the afternoon and had Kristine and Maddie drop me off at home before they headed out to Tysons.. I must admit that was a good thing because by the time they got home later in the day Mom was in a tizzy.. My kids don't realize how spoiled they really are and Mom was done although Maddie got the dress she wanted..not sure how that all worked out :-)
9 May...got the family up and we went to Mass and since it was Mother's Day we went out for lunch to a Mexican restaurant called "Chevy's".. we also went over to some close friends..Ken, Mary, Chris, Caitlin, and Mike Counts for dinner that evening.. 1st Margarita since before my surgery..it was awesome but kept it to one although I wanted more..
10 May... First day at home by myself since all this happened.. Received a phone call from Nancy Saxon the nurse practitioner for Dr. Cooper letting me know the 2nd pathology report was received and asked to come to up to WRAMC. Called Kristine at work and let her know and told her I'd call her once I got the report. I needed a shower and by the time I hit the road I got an email from Kristine telling me she would me at WRAMC. Thanks babe for being there... Once there we got to see Dr. Cooper and he explained the second report did confirm the tumor is a WHO grade II "oligodendroglioma" and it has some chromosome traits which chemotherapy alone would be a good option. I explained I had been to the NIH and met with Dr. Howard and explained the options for treat he suggested and what we had chosen and he was in concurrence at this time. He did however want me to see a chemo oncologist which I met today (13May)..
11 May... Busy day today... had to do grocery shopping, finish and fold laundry.. worked on a leak in our master bathroom but in the process made a mess of the tile.. Long day but productive day although it took me 2 plus hours at the commissary..
12 May... Still getting up early but once kids and Kristine left for work I decided to get back in bed and get some much needed rest. When I got up I called Kristine to explain I wasn't going to be able to finish the bathroom repairs due to some soreness and extreme fatigue.... Maddie doesn't have a fourth block class so she comes home early and I decided to take her to lunch as well as pick up a water board backing for my shower..although I won't do anything until Saturday. Maddie and Jake both have their final softball/baseball games. However, since Maddie is on varsity she will play in the district tournament and hopefully beyond. Jake on the other is done and now focusing on getting "swoll" for football in the fall.. I must admit I'm impressed with his desire to get big over the past few weeks and based on him going through a growth spurt at the moment I think he will be a big boy.
13th.. Went up to WRAMC to meet the chemo oncologist and he just provided me some additional information and was pleased to hear I have met with Dr. Howard and he too is in concurrence with our "careful watch and see" approach. Drove down to Quantico and met with my old TEG team and then caught up with Capt Mok at a meeting on some initiatives we are exploring for Rapid Prototyping..but it appears this was lacking in what we would be interested in. Got home around 3:30 -4:00 and was exhausted more because I was up until the wee hours of the morning and on the road by 0710 to make my 0900 appt..so I tried to take a nap but not with much success.
I have my baseline MRI scheduled tomorrow and will provide a new update later tomorrow night..
Take care and God Bless..
JD
Thursday, May 6, 2010
6 May - The Gunny
Today was uneventful. I really took it easy today and did a few chores around the house but nothing to taxing. I did receive a call from Sandy of the NIH informing of the first scheduled baseline MRI which will be next Friday the 14th in the mid-afternoon. Then my second and first quarterly MRI goes at the end of July..
As I pointed out in yesterday's posting I won't deny I'll be nervous each time I head north for the MRI's and next Friday is no exception. I find it important to express the "tumor" is present but at this stage it is the belief of Dr. Howard and his staff we just take a very careful approach and see how long I can go before we see any changes.
On a lighter note, Kristine and I took some time this evening and walked our dogs Titan and Maka for about 45 minutes. I think they were more tired than either of us. I'm going to sign off for now because I have to be up and out the door by 0500 to get my Dad to Reagan Nat'l airport so he can make his way back to southeast Tx....he has been here since the day I was first admitted to WRAMC on the 9th of April. Thanks "Old Man" for being here and helping out the family during our time of need and will see you again soon.
SF
JD
As I pointed out in yesterday's posting I won't deny I'll be nervous each time I head north for the MRI's and next Friday is no exception. I find it important to express the "tumor" is present but at this stage it is the belief of Dr. Howard and his staff we just take a very careful approach and see how long I can go before we see any changes.
On a lighter note, Kristine and I took some time this evening and walked our dogs Titan and Maka for about 45 minutes. I think they were more tired than either of us. I'm going to sign off for now because I have to be up and out the door by 0500 to get my Dad to Reagan Nat'l airport so he can make his way back to southeast Tx....he has been here since the day I was first admitted to WRAMC on the 9th of April. Thanks "Old Man" for being here and helping out the family during our time of need and will see you again soon.
SF
JD
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Cinco De Mayo!!! Ole!!
Hey Gang,
Well Kristine and I had an appointment today up at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. When we met with the oncologist at WRAMC on Friday the 30th I asked for a second opinion which he was more than happy to accomodate. Our appointment today was with Dr. Howard Fine and I met with one of his clinical fellow's Dr. Katharine McNicol. Although we got on the road @ 0710 we ran into an accident at the 495 merger and only moved 2 miles in a little more than 40 minutes..gotta love DC traffic. Anyhow, after finally getting to this place..and for those of you who have lived in this area and understand Bethesda Naval Hospital the NIH is directly across the street. What you don't realize is the sheer size of that campus...we had to go through a vehicle security checkpoint where we were forced out of the vehicle and sent into to get a badge. Once we got through that then we needed to find the Clinical Center which again the sheer size of the NIH campus was overwhelming but we finally made our to the building and found parking. Now of course my appointment was set for 0900 and it is now 0900 and I still have to go to admissions to sign appropriate paperwork..they were quick to get me back and provide (me) another badge..and finally sent up to the top floor..(13th) to go to the Nat'l Cancer Institute clinic time hack 0940.
Once up there I met with Sandy Bresnick, Dr Fine's patient care coordinator and was quickly taken back for vitals and further checks and then placed in a room to await my meeting with Dr. McNicol.. She is a local girl who graduated from the UofMaryland and did her residency up at Boston Mass..and recently returned to this area. She came in asked that I share how this all came about which at this point is the same story you've all heard me over the past 3 weeks. She ran me through a series of motor skills tests and then took questions from Kristine and I. She was great and the time seemed to flow and move easily and before you know it was 11:30 or later. She would leave Kristine and I to go view the initial path report and MRI scans I hand delivered for today's appointment. While away Sandy came and moved us to conference room area where Dr's Fine and McNicol would eventually come in to discuss options.
Howard as he refer's to himself is truly one of the best the country has to offer when it comes to Brain Tumor's and although he is a very fit man he looked a little tired but he is also very small in stature..but given what he presented to Kristine and I he is much larger than life and extremely confident in his diagnosis. I must admit I've been blessed to be here in this area while experiencing this and the medical staffs have been superb.. Dr's Cooper, Cardoza, Fine, McNicol, nursing staff from the SICU (Jerry), Sgt Hale, Lt Yamada in Ward 58 and last but certainly not least Nancy Saxon I can't express my gratitude enough "Thank You".... Anyhow, I degress. Dr Fine and McNicol come in and again I get to repeat how this happened and the same questions of no seizures, headaches were not significant it was I just ran into a string of bad luck..
Dr. Howard which I will address him as from this point goes on to ensure Kristine and I are properly educated about what I have. He terms it as a "primary brain tumor" meaning it developed within the brain only and not a "secondary tumor" from somewhere else within the body. He explains there are 3 types of these tumors "astrocytomas, oligodendroglioma, or a mixture of the two". As I pointed out in the blog on the 30th the initial path report shows this tumor to be a "oligodendroglioma" and a WHO level II which for me at my age is the lowest level I could expect. Most WHO I's are found in children.. After further review of the MRI scans and the initial pathological report he is in concurrence with Dr. Cooper. Having come from Boston (Harvard) himself years ago he trusts a pathological doctor by the name of Dr. David Lewis which he is sending tissue to have reviewed and get a second opinion of his own. Dr. Howard is 99.9% sure it is an "oligodendroglioma" and is just as confident the mass has existed in my "grape" for a number of years if not decades.
Now that all the small talk is out of the way he goes on to explain treatment options for me.. A complete resection (surgery) is still not an option at this point but not anything he wouldn't explore in the future if it was required but just as Dr. Cooper mentioned he doesn't believe the rewards are worth the risk at this point and since this is a low grade II tumor I'll use the analogy of not wanting to wake the "sleeping giant". Therefore, he explains there are three viable treatment options.. Radiation in which they would focus on the area of my brain where the mass is located. Dr. Howard mentions there is a small degree of chance of losing some key motor skills but still a viable option. Drug therapy (chemotherapy) and what was good to hear is this procedure offers no risk of damage. There is also a secondary alternative to drug therapy in which the tumor itself has some key characteristics which he is sending off to have tested to determine if it indeed has them..then drug therapy would be another good alternative. The final option was one that Kristine and I hadn't even considered at all..(drum roll) No treatment what so ever!!! Dr. Howard calls it the careful wait and watch procedure.. Again I had no idea this could even be an option and was more shocked and surprised... Based on what he saw from the MRI scans and the first path report and based on his 22 years of medical experience he believes this is truly the path to proceed down. I'll go back to the "sleeping giant" analogy....based on the fact that I stumbled upon the mass he really seems to believe the tumor is inactive. As long as I'm willing to head up to the NIH once a quarter he'll do an MRI scan. He'll start a baseline scan next week but then 3 months later he'll conduct the first one and will continue to do so for 3-4 years on a quarterly basis and as long as there remains no change we'll move to 4 months for 2-3 years and then 6 months.. He seems positive that I'm going to be around for quite some time..and I can't explain the relief and pressure lifted off mine and Kristine's shoulders.
Some of you are probably questioning our approach and may seem to think we are running away from the problem. However, we honestly believe this is the appropriate choice for us at this time. My sister shared with me earlier via the phone that I've always got the option to change my mind..which I get but she needed me to hear what else she had to say and I'll paraphrase "if I were to start radiation I can't change my mind mid-treatment". Something I really didn't give much thought to but looking back on those words they speak volumes.. So I'm on convalescent leave for 28 more days and will sit at home taking it easy so I can return to work and determine what fate lies ahead of me on whether to retire at the end of November of 2010 or ask if they can't extend me to the end of March 2011 for pay purposes (21 years and few days) and allows me to get 3 MRI's conducted and as long as there is no change I can exit with a peace of mind. However, I will discuss with MSgt's Allwerdt/MSgt Smartsy and the retirement branch.
What to expect from me..well as long as the 'sleeping giant' lays dormant I expect to live a very normal life with a primary brain tumor that is malignent although not growing..I still have every intent of continuing to be the voice for this disease and raising funds for the brain tumor foundation.
I ask for continued prayers and support as we traverse what lies ahead. I will be honest every 3 months I will get nervous and as I've stated in the past will be waiting for the other shoe to drop but I am going in with a very optimistic and positive attitude.
So the next step will be to continue to monitor the blog site for a weekly update on my health and goings-on. Be prepared to support my fund raising goals and if your able join me at this years marathon as part of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (Grassroots) team to raise funds for brain tumors, more information on that will follow in the coming days.
Additionally, me and my handlers have found a sponsor for the next round of "The Gunny's Team" t-shirts. They will be of better quality than what we had this weekend and hopefully we can keep the costs down. Your support and following of this blog is truly appreciated and hope you continue to do so.
God Bless You all!!!!
JD
Well Kristine and I had an appointment today up at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. When we met with the oncologist at WRAMC on Friday the 30th I asked for a second opinion which he was more than happy to accomodate. Our appointment today was with Dr. Howard Fine and I met with one of his clinical fellow's Dr. Katharine McNicol. Although we got on the road @ 0710 we ran into an accident at the 495 merger and only moved 2 miles in a little more than 40 minutes..gotta love DC traffic. Anyhow, after finally getting to this place..and for those of you who have lived in this area and understand Bethesda Naval Hospital the NIH is directly across the street. What you don't realize is the sheer size of that campus...we had to go through a vehicle security checkpoint where we were forced out of the vehicle and sent into to get a badge. Once we got through that then we needed to find the Clinical Center which again the sheer size of the NIH campus was overwhelming but we finally made our to the building and found parking. Now of course my appointment was set for 0900 and it is now 0900 and I still have to go to admissions to sign appropriate paperwork..they were quick to get me back and provide (me) another badge..and finally sent up to the top floor..(13th) to go to the Nat'l Cancer Institute clinic time hack 0940.
Once up there I met with Sandy Bresnick, Dr Fine's patient care coordinator and was quickly taken back for vitals and further checks and then placed in a room to await my meeting with Dr. McNicol.. She is a local girl who graduated from the UofMaryland and did her residency up at Boston Mass..and recently returned to this area. She came in asked that I share how this all came about which at this point is the same story you've all heard me over the past 3 weeks. She ran me through a series of motor skills tests and then took questions from Kristine and I. She was great and the time seemed to flow and move easily and before you know it was 11:30 or later. She would leave Kristine and I to go view the initial path report and MRI scans I hand delivered for today's appointment. While away Sandy came and moved us to conference room area where Dr's Fine and McNicol would eventually come in to discuss options.
Howard as he refer's to himself is truly one of the best the country has to offer when it comes to Brain Tumor's and although he is a very fit man he looked a little tired but he is also very small in stature..but given what he presented to Kristine and I he is much larger than life and extremely confident in his diagnosis. I must admit I've been blessed to be here in this area while experiencing this and the medical staffs have been superb.. Dr's Cooper, Cardoza, Fine, McNicol, nursing staff from the SICU (Jerry), Sgt Hale, Lt Yamada in Ward 58 and last but certainly not least Nancy Saxon I can't express my gratitude enough "Thank You".... Anyhow, I degress. Dr Fine and McNicol come in and again I get to repeat how this happened and the same questions of no seizures, headaches were not significant it was I just ran into a string of bad luck..
Dr. Howard which I will address him as from this point goes on to ensure Kristine and I are properly educated about what I have. He terms it as a "primary brain tumor" meaning it developed within the brain only and not a "secondary tumor" from somewhere else within the body. He explains there are 3 types of these tumors "astrocytomas, oligodendroglioma, or a mixture of the two". As I pointed out in the blog on the 30th the initial path report shows this tumor to be a "oligodendroglioma" and a WHO level II which for me at my age is the lowest level I could expect. Most WHO I's are found in children.. After further review of the MRI scans and the initial pathological report he is in concurrence with Dr. Cooper. Having come from Boston (Harvard) himself years ago he trusts a pathological doctor by the name of Dr. David Lewis which he is sending tissue to have reviewed and get a second opinion of his own. Dr. Howard is 99.9% sure it is an "oligodendroglioma" and is just as confident the mass has existed in my "grape" for a number of years if not decades.
Now that all the small talk is out of the way he goes on to explain treatment options for me.. A complete resection (surgery) is still not an option at this point but not anything he wouldn't explore in the future if it was required but just as Dr. Cooper mentioned he doesn't believe the rewards are worth the risk at this point and since this is a low grade II tumor I'll use the analogy of not wanting to wake the "sleeping giant". Therefore, he explains there are three viable treatment options.. Radiation in which they would focus on the area of my brain where the mass is located. Dr. Howard mentions there is a small degree of chance of losing some key motor skills but still a viable option. Drug therapy (chemotherapy) and what was good to hear is this procedure offers no risk of damage. There is also a secondary alternative to drug therapy in which the tumor itself has some key characteristics which he is sending off to have tested to determine if it indeed has them..then drug therapy would be another good alternative. The final option was one that Kristine and I hadn't even considered at all..(drum roll) No treatment what so ever!!! Dr. Howard calls it the careful wait and watch procedure.. Again I had no idea this could even be an option and was more shocked and surprised... Based on what he saw from the MRI scans and the first path report and based on his 22 years of medical experience he believes this is truly the path to proceed down. I'll go back to the "sleeping giant" analogy....based on the fact that I stumbled upon the mass he really seems to believe the tumor is inactive. As long as I'm willing to head up to the NIH once a quarter he'll do an MRI scan. He'll start a baseline scan next week but then 3 months later he'll conduct the first one and will continue to do so for 3-4 years on a quarterly basis and as long as there remains no change we'll move to 4 months for 2-3 years and then 6 months.. He seems positive that I'm going to be around for quite some time..and I can't explain the relief and pressure lifted off mine and Kristine's shoulders.
Some of you are probably questioning our approach and may seem to think we are running away from the problem. However, we honestly believe this is the appropriate choice for us at this time. My sister shared with me earlier via the phone that I've always got the option to change my mind..which I get but she needed me to hear what else she had to say and I'll paraphrase "if I were to start radiation I can't change my mind mid-treatment". Something I really didn't give much thought to but looking back on those words they speak volumes.. So I'm on convalescent leave for 28 more days and will sit at home taking it easy so I can return to work and determine what fate lies ahead of me on whether to retire at the end of November of 2010 or ask if they can't extend me to the end of March 2011 for pay purposes (21 years and few days) and allows me to get 3 MRI's conducted and as long as there is no change I can exit with a peace of mind. However, I will discuss with MSgt's Allwerdt/MSgt Smartsy and the retirement branch.
What to expect from me..well as long as the 'sleeping giant' lays dormant I expect to live a very normal life with a primary brain tumor that is malignent although not growing..I still have every intent of continuing to be the voice for this disease and raising funds for the brain tumor foundation.
I ask for continued prayers and support as we traverse what lies ahead. I will be honest every 3 months I will get nervous and as I've stated in the past will be waiting for the other shoe to drop but I am going in with a very optimistic and positive attitude.
So the next step will be to continue to monitor the blog site for a weekly update on my health and goings-on. Be prepared to support my fund raising goals and if your able join me at this years marathon as part of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (Grassroots) team to raise funds for brain tumors, more information on that will follow in the coming days.
Additionally, me and my handlers have found a sponsor for the next round of "The Gunny's Team" t-shirts. They will be of better quality than what we had this weekend and hopefully we can keep the costs down. Your support and following of this blog is truly appreciated and hope you continue to do so.
God Bless You all!!!!
JD
Sunday, May 2, 2010
2May10 - The Gunny
Hey Gang,
I tried to make a post to Kristine's facebook page earlier but didn't realize you could only use 420 characters and as most of you know I like to be long winded so I made it short and sweet. However, I thought I would follow-up here on the Blog and say some much needed Thank You's...
First and foremost..Sarah Tozer and April Ludtke..words can not express my gratitude for your efforts and helping "The Gunny" find his voice for this disease in addition to helping Kristine keep her sanity throughout these past 22 days..
To my Marine Corps family (Maj Brian Rideout and GySgt Chris Jourdan) thank you for passing my notes to your friends, family, our Intel community and to "every clime and place" and passing on the "Race for Hope" fundraising site and helping me understand that although we started with some very humble goals that 20K truly became a number which was attainable in such a short time. To others who I have never met before thank you for your support and your generousity is greatly appreciated. To my brethren in Afghanistan, Beale, Okinawa, and everywhere else within the globe "Thank You"...
My solemn promise to each and everyone of you is that I will not quit nor let any of you down for all the support you have provided.
My next goal for raising funds will be this years MC Marathon. As I've stated in a previous blog I intend to raise funds twice a year..the yearly "Race for Hope" and this year it will be the MC Marathon.. I've solicited the Lance Armstrong Foundation "Grassroots" asking if they will help sponsor me and given the fact we have raised 20k in a short 22 days with 183 days remaining to the MCM I'm going to be aggressive and shoot for a 100K goal and I hope I can continue to count on each and everyone of you for your support.
Thanks again for all your efforts and support throughout these past 22 days...
SF
JD
I tried to make a post to Kristine's facebook page earlier but didn't realize you could only use 420 characters and as most of you know I like to be long winded so I made it short and sweet. However, I thought I would follow-up here on the Blog and say some much needed Thank You's...
First and foremost..Sarah Tozer and April Ludtke..words can not express my gratitude for your efforts and helping "The Gunny" find his voice for this disease in addition to helping Kristine keep her sanity throughout these past 22 days..
To my Marine Corps family (Maj Brian Rideout and GySgt Chris Jourdan) thank you for passing my notes to your friends, family, our Intel community and to "every clime and place" and passing on the "Race for Hope" fundraising site and helping me understand that although we started with some very humble goals that 20K truly became a number which was attainable in such a short time. To others who I have never met before thank you for your support and your generousity is greatly appreciated. To my brethren in Afghanistan, Beale, Okinawa, and everywhere else within the globe "Thank You"...
My solemn promise to each and everyone of you is that I will not quit nor let any of you down for all the support you have provided.
My next goal for raising funds will be this years MC Marathon. As I've stated in a previous blog I intend to raise funds twice a year..the yearly "Race for Hope" and this year it will be the MC Marathon.. I've solicited the Lance Armstrong Foundation "Grassroots" asking if they will help sponsor me and given the fact we have raised 20k in a short 22 days with 183 days remaining to the MCM I'm going to be aggressive and shoot for a 100K goal and I hope I can continue to count on each and everyone of you for your support.
Thanks again for all your efforts and support throughout these past 22 days...
SF
JD
From The Gunny's Wife
Just real quick...for those of you that were at the race and took pictures, can you please send them to me? I would like to make a scrap book for this event.
Thank you :)
Thank you :)
From The Gunny's Wife
Today was a great day. We attended the Race for Hope with our family and friends. It was wonderful to see all the supporters that came out and walked with us. It was also very nice to see friends under a different circumstance other then a hospital waiting room. It was good to laugh, catch up and just be around people that are a part of out lives.
The race raised for 11 million dollars and there were over 10 thousand people at Freedom Plaza. It was interesting to see the different T shirts that people were wearing for the loved ones that have passed or continue to fight. The race had a wall of hope that was filled with the young and old and their plights with cancer. The pictures that impacted me the most were the young children and the teenagers. It was sad to see that such a young life can be taken. It makes me thankful that I have had 19 years with JD and hopefully many more to come.
I want to thank all the people that reached out to me since my last post. I have had people share their thoughts with me that have helped me a great deal. I want to thank Connie Hawkins (Sarah Hawkins Tozer's mommy) for the email. It helped me put my feelings in perspective.
The race raised for 11 million dollars and there were over 10 thousand people at Freedom Plaza. It was interesting to see the different T shirts that people were wearing for the loved ones that have passed or continue to fight. The race had a wall of hope that was filled with the young and old and their plights with cancer. The pictures that impacted me the most were the young children and the teenagers. It was sad to see that such a young life can be taken. It makes me thankful that I have had 19 years with JD and hopefully many more to come.
I want to thank all the people that reached out to me since my last post. I have had people share their thoughts with me that have helped me a great deal. I want to thank Connie Hawkins (Sarah Hawkins Tozer's mommy) for the email. It helped me put my feelings in perspective.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
May 1st..
'Race for Hope' is tomorrow gang.. I look forward to seeing everyone that can make it out and support "The Gunny's Team"...We've easily surpassed our 20K goal and Kristine and I are extremely humbled by your generousity and willingness to support.
SF
JD
SF
JD
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Gunny 30Apr10
Hello all,
Well today has been full of continued surprises. I had a wound check this morning at WRAMC where they took out my sutures and Dr. Cooper was able to provide me an early report of 1 of 2 pathology reports and based on these results I have what is called a WHO level II "oligodendroglioma" brain tumor. As bad as it sounds it's a level II tumor and despite Kristine and my own insistence Dr. Cooper refused to provide us any answer as to whether or not it is a benign or malignent tumor. He has always been extremely truthful with us and I can appreciate his unwillingness to provide us that type of answer....we still have to wait for the 2nd report to come back from AFIP but Dr. Cooper and his staff seem confident we have a positive way ahead. He did mention that we would re-send additional tissue to another testing facility if they didn't agree with the first finding but only continued time will tell.
I was then given paperwork to place me on 30 days of convalescent leave and then sent down to see Dr Boyer of the oncology department to discuss radiation and chemotherapy. By this time I've been up since 0430 which Krisitine so eloquently put it in her own posting that I've now become a night owl and early riser..however it is now pushing 11:30 or later and I'm getting wiped out..not sure if it had more to do with finally getting some much needed news which truly just left relieved or if I was just exhausted. Nonetheless, as I sat their and waited with Kristine and my Dad I gradually fell off into a slumber as I waited for Dr. Boyer to finally meet with us.. Once in of course I have to re-hash why and how this all came about and how well I'm doing.. not sure he was thoroughly convinced..plus he tells me I shouldn't be driving given the medicine I'm taking but you can rest assured I listened but no sooner than I left I was back behind the wheel. To some of you I know you expect me to act as such being a Marine and all but in reality this had more with me being who I am and what I expect of myself. Dr. Boyer explained that if I chose radiation I would get a mask made to fit my head and then would go for 6 straight weeks for 30 minutes at time.. I explained I'm a little hesitant and he is going to send me to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to meet a Dr. Fine who is supposedly at the top of the brain tumor community who has a degree from Harvard who will discuss some other options to help me identify other options if there are any?? Should hear back from him sometime next week and looks to be another long week up in Northern Md/Wash DC area... good thing is I get to claim all this via the local travel claims..makes it easy considering i put 80 miles a day when I have to head up.
Gang I'm tired so I'm going to sign off for now but will follow-up more again tomorrow and ask for continued support for the "Race for Hope"..we have made our 20k goal but let's not rest on our laurels for a cause until 21 days ago I really gave no thought to.. Things happen for a reason folks and now that it has I will not rest I promise you all that..
SF
JD
Well today has been full of continued surprises. I had a wound check this morning at WRAMC where they took out my sutures and Dr. Cooper was able to provide me an early report of 1 of 2 pathology reports and based on these results I have what is called a WHO level II "oligodendroglioma" brain tumor. As bad as it sounds it's a level II tumor and despite Kristine and my own insistence Dr. Cooper refused to provide us any answer as to whether or not it is a benign or malignent tumor. He has always been extremely truthful with us and I can appreciate his unwillingness to provide us that type of answer....we still have to wait for the 2nd report to come back from AFIP but Dr. Cooper and his staff seem confident we have a positive way ahead. He did mention that we would re-send additional tissue to another testing facility if they didn't agree with the first finding but only continued time will tell.
I was then given paperwork to place me on 30 days of convalescent leave and then sent down to see Dr Boyer of the oncology department to discuss radiation and chemotherapy. By this time I've been up since 0430 which Krisitine so eloquently put it in her own posting that I've now become a night owl and early riser..however it is now pushing 11:30 or later and I'm getting wiped out..not sure if it had more to do with finally getting some much needed news which truly just left relieved or if I was just exhausted. Nonetheless, as I sat their and waited with Kristine and my Dad I gradually fell off into a slumber as I waited for Dr. Boyer to finally meet with us.. Once in of course I have to re-hash why and how this all came about and how well I'm doing.. not sure he was thoroughly convinced..plus he tells me I shouldn't be driving given the medicine I'm taking but you can rest assured I listened but no sooner than I left I was back behind the wheel. To some of you I know you expect me to act as such being a Marine and all but in reality this had more with me being who I am and what I expect of myself. Dr. Boyer explained that if I chose radiation I would get a mask made to fit my head and then would go for 6 straight weeks for 30 minutes at time.. I explained I'm a little hesitant and he is going to send me to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to meet a Dr. Fine who is supposedly at the top of the brain tumor community who has a degree from Harvard who will discuss some other options to help me identify other options if there are any?? Should hear back from him sometime next week and looks to be another long week up in Northern Md/Wash DC area... good thing is I get to claim all this via the local travel claims..makes it easy considering i put 80 miles a day when I have to head up.
Gang I'm tired so I'm going to sign off for now but will follow-up more again tomorrow and ask for continued support for the "Race for Hope"..we have made our 20k goal but let's not rest on our laurels for a cause until 21 days ago I really gave no thought to.. Things happen for a reason folks and now that it has I will not rest I promise you all that..
SF
JD
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Gunny
Hey Gang,
It's late on the 29th and I felt compelled to put a few lines together for you all as well as Kristine as she is struggling with her own demons through all this. As she mentioned in her own blog today I was able to get out on my own and do some errands by myself. I'm still taking medication but no pain pills....so I was able to drive a vehicle without cause. I actually met the Rapid Prototyping Team (Maj Rideout/Capt Carasco/Capt Mok) and others for dinner down in the Potomac Mills area..it was fun to get out for a little and just try not to think about all of this but a difficult challenge given all that has happened over the past 21 days..
I have a wound check appointment tomorrow morning at WRAMC with Dr's. Cooper and Cardoza I believe and hope to get some news regarding the pathology reports but I'm not holding my breath but you never know. I have to admit I'm hesitant because I truly don't know what to expect even if I do get news about the path reports I'm extremely hesitant about getting bad news.... I can honestly say it's difficult waiting for the other shoe to drop given all that Kristine and I have been through but keeping a very positive and optimistic attitude. Keep your fingers crossed and please continue to say prayers on our behalf.
For Kristine, I got some good advice from a very good friend this evening that enlightened me that I need to continue to treat you as my equal/partner throughout this process and although you feel this has happened to me..it truly has happened to the both of us and I promise not to push you or ask you to hang on any longer but to join hands with me as we walk down this path and lets deal with it together. As my interview stated I'm going to attack this head on for as long as I can and there may be times here in the near future where I need you and others to keep me going..and I know without a shadow of a doubt you will be there for me all the way through this ordeal.
For everyone else the "Race for Hope" is 2 May which is Sunday being held downtown Wash, DC and 100 t'shirts are being printed with "The Gunny's Team and rank insignia on the back of it which we will sale. I have no doubt that all 100 will move quickly that day and I promise you that me and my "handlers" will be looking for a few sponsors to help us get more shirts.. These shirts will cover the folks supporting me and the other teams running/walking that day and I promise you all that are following the blog that I will get more and of better quality but given the amount of time we had to put this together this is the best we could on such short notice. As the interview on Channel 8 news stated I'm a voice for this cause and as long as I can I will put up the good fight.. My goal will be to get many more shirts over the next few weeks/months and specifically for the MC Marathon where I plan to try and raise more funds for the "Brain Cancer Foundation"..so hang tight and more information regarding the shirts will be forthcoming.
I will be launching out mass emails to my email address books both at work and on my home computer asking for continued support to meet our 20k goal which I believe we are only $455 short..but also know we are going to easily eclipse that goal and really want to thank all that have donated for your efforts and please remember this is just a start and hope I can continue to count on you folks at a minimum of twice a year until I get this fund raising down to a science. Your support through this all has been nothing less than spectacular.
Thank You..
The Gunny
It's late on the 29th and I felt compelled to put a few lines together for you all as well as Kristine as she is struggling with her own demons through all this. As she mentioned in her own blog today I was able to get out on my own and do some errands by myself. I'm still taking medication but no pain pills....so I was able to drive a vehicle without cause. I actually met the Rapid Prototyping Team (Maj Rideout/Capt Carasco/Capt Mok) and others for dinner down in the Potomac Mills area..it was fun to get out for a little and just try not to think about all of this but a difficult challenge given all that has happened over the past 21 days..
I have a wound check appointment tomorrow morning at WRAMC with Dr's. Cooper and Cardoza I believe and hope to get some news regarding the pathology reports but I'm not holding my breath but you never know. I have to admit I'm hesitant because I truly don't know what to expect even if I do get news about the path reports I'm extremely hesitant about getting bad news.... I can honestly say it's difficult waiting for the other shoe to drop given all that Kristine and I have been through but keeping a very positive and optimistic attitude. Keep your fingers crossed and please continue to say prayers on our behalf.
For Kristine, I got some good advice from a very good friend this evening that enlightened me that I need to continue to treat you as my equal/partner throughout this process and although you feel this has happened to me..it truly has happened to the both of us and I promise not to push you or ask you to hang on any longer but to join hands with me as we walk down this path and lets deal with it together. As my interview stated I'm going to attack this head on for as long as I can and there may be times here in the near future where I need you and others to keep me going..and I know without a shadow of a doubt you will be there for me all the way through this ordeal.
For everyone else the "Race for Hope" is 2 May which is Sunday being held downtown Wash, DC and 100 t'shirts are being printed with "The Gunny's Team and rank insignia on the back of it which we will sale. I have no doubt that all 100 will move quickly that day and I promise you that me and my "handlers" will be looking for a few sponsors to help us get more shirts.. These shirts will cover the folks supporting me and the other teams running/walking that day and I promise you all that are following the blog that I will get more and of better quality but given the amount of time we had to put this together this is the best we could on such short notice. As the interview on Channel 8 news stated I'm a voice for this cause and as long as I can I will put up the good fight.. My goal will be to get many more shirts over the next few weeks/months and specifically for the MC Marathon where I plan to try and raise more funds for the "Brain Cancer Foundation"..so hang tight and more information regarding the shirts will be forthcoming.
I will be launching out mass emails to my email address books both at work and on my home computer asking for continued support to meet our 20k goal which I believe we are only $455 short..but also know we are going to easily eclipse that goal and really want to thank all that have donated for your efforts and please remember this is just a start and hope I can continue to count on you folks at a minimum of twice a year until I get this fund raising down to a science. Your support through this all has been nothing less than spectacular.
Thank You..
The Gunny
From The Gunny's Wife
Today is April 29th and a majority of the family has left. It is the first day that I have had to myself to try to figure this all out. Believe it or not, JD is out running errands.
Tomorrow will have been three weeks when we first had the doctor say to us in the ER of Walter Reed Hospital " I am going to tell you you have a brain tumor and that is all you are going to hear from this point forward" He was not joking.
It is amazing how your life can be turned up side down in a blink of an eye. It was after hearing that we felt that we had been hit by a truck. Now, here comes the difference between JD and I. I am still feeling like I have been hit by that truck. JD on the other hand has picked himself off and started on his journey.
Me---I am still stuck at the ER wondering what is going on. Did you ever see that movie "Up" the cartoon with the old man and he lost his wife? In a part of that movie he encounters a talking dog...but the dog gets distracted every time he sees a "Squirrel". I feel like the dog. Which way do I look and what am I suppose to do next.
JD has never been a morning person and every day since he has been home he wakes up at 5:30 to start his day. It used to be me that woke up the household to start the day. JD would lay in bed and say give me 5 more minutes. Now, I can not bring myself to get up.
The Caraway's had a plan for our life. JD would retire, JD would work in the civilian world, the kids would graduate from high school and go to college, JD and I would move to Texas and start our business.
That plan has changed in the fact that JD now has a calling to be a spokesperson for brain tumors. He has reached out to a few organizations and has done a TV interview. I am very proud of his attitude and his desire for this new found goal, but I am still at the ER room of Walter Reed.
It sounds that I am feeling sorry for myself, but I do not feel sorry, I just feel lost. Everything that I thought would happen in our lives will be different and I just do not know how to adjust or do not know what to do.
Can someone come get me from the ER room at Walter Reed?
Tomorrow will have been three weeks when we first had the doctor say to us in the ER of Walter Reed Hospital " I am going to tell you you have a brain tumor and that is all you are going to hear from this point forward" He was not joking.
It is amazing how your life can be turned up side down in a blink of an eye. It was after hearing that we felt that we had been hit by a truck. Now, here comes the difference between JD and I. I am still feeling like I have been hit by that truck. JD on the other hand has picked himself off and started on his journey.
Me---I am still stuck at the ER wondering what is going on. Did you ever see that movie "Up" the cartoon with the old man and he lost his wife? In a part of that movie he encounters a talking dog...but the dog gets distracted every time he sees a "Squirrel". I feel like the dog. Which way do I look and what am I suppose to do next.
JD has never been a morning person and every day since he has been home he wakes up at 5:30 to start his day. It used to be me that woke up the household to start the day. JD would lay in bed and say give me 5 more minutes. Now, I can not bring myself to get up.
The Caraway's had a plan for our life. JD would retire, JD would work in the civilian world, the kids would graduate from high school and go to college, JD and I would move to Texas and start our business.
That plan has changed in the fact that JD now has a calling to be a spokesperson for brain tumors. He has reached out to a few organizations and has done a TV interview. I am very proud of his attitude and his desire for this new found goal, but I am still at the ER room of Walter Reed.
It sounds that I am feeling sorry for myself, but I do not feel sorry, I just feel lost. Everything that I thought would happen in our lives will be different and I just do not know how to adjust or do not know what to do.
Can someone come get me from the ER room at Walter Reed?
Monday, April 26, 2010
1st Full Day home from hospital
Hello All,
I first wanted to send out a shout out to Chris/Robyn Jourdan, Bill Rysanek, Brian Rideout, and my family members Alex Ruiz, my Dad Selso, my mother-in-law Darda, my Mom Margie and Step-dad John and my best friend from high school Kim Gary for their visits to the hospital yesterday...We also had some visitors last evening at home from Ken/Mary/Michael Counts. .I can't express my gratitude enough for your efforts it was truly appreciated and of course last but certainly not least Kristine who has been my rock and foundation since we found out about this tumor on the 9th of April. Kristine you are simply amazing and I love you for all your support!!!
My first day at home has been uneventful..taking it easy just resting.. I'm taking my prescribed medicine as required except for the pain meds (percoset) which I'm trying to wean myself off of as quickly as possible. I have a follow-up wound check on Friday back at WRAMC to make sure the suture area is healing appropriately. I still can't share enough how anxious I am about waiting for the pathology reports and although Dr's Cooper and Cardoza seem to think the tumor is not as severe as they first suspected I'm keeping an optimistic attitude and just hope that anything less than a WHO IV is what I get for news....Keep the positive power of attitude coming along with strong prayer..
I've had several phone calls throughout the day as well checking up on me and some late visitors tonight (Uncle Maz and Aunt Colleen) on my wifes side of the house. Always good to catch up with them and more amazing is they have been in this area since we were here back in the mid-90s...goes to show how often we take things for granted... I had a good visit with Maz and expressed my overwhelming feelings that I am the voice for this disease...
Try this one on for size.. I meet with Channel 8 news on Wednesday to do a live 6-8 minute interview about this latest adventure.. I'm going to do the "Race for Hope" on 2May10 in downtown DC and although I'm just walking it I'll be there..which is a significant goal all in itself. I'm going to continue to push all to send out the link to the "Race for Hope" and the Gunny's team that we can reach our newly assigned goal of 20K.... I'll be helping a member of our team purchase shirts for the race where we will sale them and turn the funds over that day as well to the race coordinators..Sarah Tozer your efforts are amazing.. Brian Rideout and all others are just as amazing and Thanks seems so ineffective at this time but in reality is all that I can say to express my gratitude..
I also feel compelled to thank my children Madalyn and Jake for your support over these past 2 weeks. I know it's been difficult for you two but I must admit you two have handled it with such grace and I am very proud of you both continue to keep the faith and watch "The Gunny" do his magic...you haven't seen anything yet...Stay focused on your schooling and let me and Mom deal with this....
I will continue to update accordingly. In closing I want to tell all Thanks and please keep the well wishes coming..
Love to you all..
JD
I first wanted to send out a shout out to Chris/Robyn Jourdan, Bill Rysanek, Brian Rideout, and my family members Alex Ruiz, my Dad Selso, my mother-in-law Darda, my Mom Margie and Step-dad John and my best friend from high school Kim Gary for their visits to the hospital yesterday...We also had some visitors last evening at home from Ken/Mary/Michael Counts. .I can't express my gratitude enough for your efforts it was truly appreciated and of course last but certainly not least Kristine who has been my rock and foundation since we found out about this tumor on the 9th of April. Kristine you are simply amazing and I love you for all your support!!!
My first day at home has been uneventful..taking it easy just resting.. I'm taking my prescribed medicine as required except for the pain meds (percoset) which I'm trying to wean myself off of as quickly as possible. I have a follow-up wound check on Friday back at WRAMC to make sure the suture area is healing appropriately. I still can't share enough how anxious I am about waiting for the pathology reports and although Dr's Cooper and Cardoza seem to think the tumor is not as severe as they first suspected I'm keeping an optimistic attitude and just hope that anything less than a WHO IV is what I get for news....Keep the positive power of attitude coming along with strong prayer..
I've had several phone calls throughout the day as well checking up on me and some late visitors tonight (Uncle Maz and Aunt Colleen) on my wifes side of the house. Always good to catch up with them and more amazing is they have been in this area since we were here back in the mid-90s...goes to show how often we take things for granted... I had a good visit with Maz and expressed my overwhelming feelings that I am the voice for this disease...
Try this one on for size.. I meet with Channel 8 news on Wednesday to do a live 6-8 minute interview about this latest adventure.. I'm going to do the "Race for Hope" on 2May10 in downtown DC and although I'm just walking it I'll be there..which is a significant goal all in itself. I'm going to continue to push all to send out the link to the "Race for Hope" and the Gunny's team that we can reach our newly assigned goal of 20K.... I'll be helping a member of our team purchase shirts for the race where we will sale them and turn the funds over that day as well to the race coordinators..Sarah Tozer your efforts are amazing.. Brian Rideout and all others are just as amazing and Thanks seems so ineffective at this time but in reality is all that I can say to express my gratitude..
I also feel compelled to thank my children Madalyn and Jake for your support over these past 2 weeks. I know it's been difficult for you two but I must admit you two have handled it with such grace and I am very proud of you both continue to keep the faith and watch "The Gunny" do his magic...you haven't seen anything yet...Stay focused on your schooling and let me and Mom deal with this....
I will continue to update accordingly. In closing I want to tell all Thanks and please keep the well wishes coming..
Love to you all..
JD
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The Gunny is back on-line!!!!
Hey gang..
Look who's back?? Believe it or not I was released today from the hospital less than 72 hours before being admitted.. I must admit I feel awesome given the severity of the surgery and trying to keep Kristine at ease although she has a hard time believing. We are keeping a positive attitude as we await the results to return from pathology and continue to ask for your prayers and good wishes over the next 2 weeks.
As Kristine has pointed out in her blogs the last few days everything went better than suspected and we can only continue to be hopeful for further good news. It has been a long and tiring 3 days and I'm going to sign off for now but wanted to let everyone I am doing fine and will write more tomorrow...
SF
JD
Look who's back?? Believe it or not I was released today from the hospital less than 72 hours before being admitted.. I must admit I feel awesome given the severity of the surgery and trying to keep Kristine at ease although she has a hard time believing. We are keeping a positive attitude as we await the results to return from pathology and continue to ask for your prayers and good wishes over the next 2 weeks.
As Kristine has pointed out in her blogs the last few days everything went better than suspected and we can only continue to be hopeful for further good news. It has been a long and tiring 3 days and I'm going to sign off for now but wanted to let everyone I am doing fine and will write more tomorrow...
SF
JD
From The Gunny's Wife
It is Sunday, April 25, 2010 and The Gunny is barking orders today. He is feeling well and ready to get out of the hospital. The bandage has been removed and he looks pretty good. He has a blanket stitch from his left ear to the middle of his head. The stitch work looks good and hopefully will not leave a noticeable scar. If it does, I know that he will wear it with pride.
We just found out that he gets to go home today. It seems so early to bring him home. It is unreal that he can feel so good. He is not even on pain meds. Just blows my mind.
Today is a good day and I am very thankful.
We just found out that he gets to go home today. It seems so early to bring him home. It is unreal that he can feel so good. He is not even on pain meds. Just blows my mind.
Today is a good day and I am very thankful.
Friday, April 23, 2010
From The Gunny's Wife
It is 5:30 pm and it seems that we have come full circle. JD is in the ICU eating ice chips and being a chatty cathy with the nurse. It must be the pain killers because the Gunny is sharing stories of the kids. I do not think they would be thrilled.
The nurse is named Jerry and he is very good at what he does. He is wearing a t-shirt with the superman symbol and I secretly think JD is jealous. We all know that he thinks that he is superman. He got a t-shirt this morning from Brian Rideout that said so... Male ego's...where would we be with out them.
At 6:00 am we had our first visitor and then about 10 minutes later, we had family start to roll in to see JD before he went in. I felt bad for the two other guys in the other part of the room. I know that they were trying to sleep.
The nurse rolled JD down to pre-op, he said his good byes to all and in we went. The pre-op room was the holding chamber before the surgery took place. We talked to the doctors. They gave JD his happy drugs and out he went. I hoped it was to a good place. I did try to ask if he needed to share anything with me while he was drugged, but his military brothers took care of him and wheeled him off before any answers could be given.
Now came the waiting game. The waiting rooms are not that big and we had at least 30 family members and friends waiting to see what life would bring. It was a long time to wait. The room was quiet and it seemed everyone was in their own thoughts. It made me wonder what people were thinking at times. Then I looked at my brother in law and he was snoring up a storm. That made me laugh.
He was finally out of surgery and I spoke to the doctor. Dr. Cooper said the surgery went well. He took a 1 cm piece fof the tumor for the pathologist and a little bit more out called debulking. We will know exactly what we are dealing with in 7 to 10 days. This will be the longest and hardest wait of my life. We have a very good chance that the tumor is not as bad as we thought..but it still one of those hold your breath moments.
Everyone has gone home for the night and life has somewhat resumed. Maddie is playing softball tonight and Jake is at the field as well. We hope that Maddie has a great game and plays well.
Years from now when I look back over this moment I will remember a few key factors. One- How scared I was for JD and wanting him to be well. Two- the amount of family members and friends that waited with me and Three- the amount of support that we have received during this time. I think this is the most amazing feeling I have experienced in my life. The pulling together for a person and his family because they care. Who really would have ever guessed, I can say it would not have been me. I am humbled to the point that no words will ever be able to express enough the gratitude for all.
The nurse is named Jerry and he is very good at what he does. He is wearing a t-shirt with the superman symbol and I secretly think JD is jealous. We all know that he thinks that he is superman. He got a t-shirt this morning from Brian Rideout that said so... Male ego's...where would we be with out them.
At 6:00 am we had our first visitor and then about 10 minutes later, we had family start to roll in to see JD before he went in. I felt bad for the two other guys in the other part of the room. I know that they were trying to sleep.
The nurse rolled JD down to pre-op, he said his good byes to all and in we went. The pre-op room was the holding chamber before the surgery took place. We talked to the doctors. They gave JD his happy drugs and out he went. I hoped it was to a good place. I did try to ask if he needed to share anything with me while he was drugged, but his military brothers took care of him and wheeled him off before any answers could be given.
Now came the waiting game. The waiting rooms are not that big and we had at least 30 family members and friends waiting to see what life would bring. It was a long time to wait. The room was quiet and it seemed everyone was in their own thoughts. It made me wonder what people were thinking at times. Then I looked at my brother in law and he was snoring up a storm. That made me laugh.
He was finally out of surgery and I spoke to the doctor. Dr. Cooper said the surgery went well. He took a 1 cm piece fof the tumor for the pathologist and a little bit more out called debulking. We will know exactly what we are dealing with in 7 to 10 days. This will be the longest and hardest wait of my life. We have a very good chance that the tumor is not as bad as we thought..but it still one of those hold your breath moments.
Everyone has gone home for the night and life has somewhat resumed. Maddie is playing softball tonight and Jake is at the field as well. We hope that Maddie has a great game and plays well.
Years from now when I look back over this moment I will remember a few key factors. One- How scared I was for JD and wanting him to be well. Two- the amount of family members and friends that waited with me and Three- the amount of support that we have received during this time. I think this is the most amazing feeling I have experienced in my life. The pulling together for a person and his family because they care. Who really would have ever guessed, I can say it would not have been me. I am humbled to the point that no words will ever be able to express enough the gratitude for all.
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