Update # 95 Going to Duke!

“Last week I couldn’t even spell Dook Blewdivil and now I are one!”

As you’ll see below, I’ve had my scans. I currently have an appointment with the Duke Oncologist February 15th. I’m trying very hard to get it earlier. According to last month’s numbers my PSA is going up at a rate of 2 points a day. That will put me over 400 by the 15th. The back pain gets worse everyday……not where I want to be. I’m supposed to get a “scary” packet of info on where to go, what to expect, and all that stuff, so I really don’t know yet what is going to happen on the 15th. Stay tuned.

On April 7, 2010 I did a post called “Death and the Questionnaire.” It sorta outlined my feelings about it, death that is. Ya know we’re all going to die; it’s just that we may not agree with the timing! http://bobmingle.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-numbers-continue-to-improve-my-psa.html

As I’ve gotten older, before I even started this mess, I’ve found myself reading the obituaries more often. If you’re in your late 50’s early 60’s you probably do as well…..it’s kinda like reading the tabloids….God forbid you would see someone you know and the older you get the more you see! My parents are just north and south of 90…..they know all of them!

I probably think about death more than a lot of you, but then……I’m “Here” so obviously I would. Anyway, here’s what I find interesting:

The way the obituaries are laid out it you would think people die alphabetically. Do you think most people pick out the picture ahead of time? Sometimes people put up pictures of when they were younger…that’s kinda cool. Well-known people in the area seem to have longer ones….did they write it themselves?

Years from now, when they write my obituary (and we’ll all have one) it has always been my belief that the cause of death will be something other than cancer (something glamorous, like “while saving 3 kids and a Nun from drowning")….But, in the unlikely event I’m wrong, I don’t want my obit to say “He lost his long battle to cancer.” You’ve seen them, you know what I mean. If it gets me I’m taking it with me and as my will says…..I’m going to be cremated! So we’ll see who has the last laugh you son of a bitch!

I had a bone scan on Friday and an echocardiogram on Tuesday. The bone scan was same old same old, but I had never had the echo thing.

I got there 15 minutes early for my 9:15 appointment. I was feeling the real need to eat and asked the nurse if I had time to run down the hall to the cafeteria….she said no……so I shuffled into the huge waiting room which had no magazines, not even Modern Parent, three other people and a TV. Every waiting room has a talker, and this was no different. There was a man sitting there talking about nothing to two bored ladies. Problem was they were sitting in front of and under the elevated TV. My only options were to play games on my phone or go over to the TV, which would mean joining the conversation……I would rather have an enema! I sat there 30 minutes (plenty of time to have eaten) and was finally called back.

I was a little nervous, after all wasn’t it Bill Clinton that went in for a routine test and got whisked away for a triple bypass? I watched the screen on the sonogram and saw my heart beating away. It reminded me of seeing an Ultrasound of my kids.……and I could have sworn I saw a penis!

It was a 15-minute non-event, and I was on my way.

I’m excited about Duke but also know it’s the path of last resort, so it better work or I’m going fishing!

Thank you for the kind thoughts, Spiritual Energy and Prayers.

I’ll be back in touch! B.