September 2, 2019 - "Putting It Out There"

I've been kind of slow to talk about this, for a variety of reasons but I thought I'd outline what's been happening to me since I promised more than a few people that I would do so.

Back in March, due largely--I believe--to my immune system being compromised, I fell victim to herpes zoster (Shingles) for the better part of six weeks. The pain was horrendous, and the medication I took was very strong, so I may have masked something else that was happening at the same time. By mid-May, I was done with shingles and commenced to do some things that were on my list, including a trip to Chicago to do a deposition in a wrongful death lawsuit involving my deceased wife and a trip to California to do some recon on an annual Music Jam that I felt was going to eventually become a very big and important event. I was on four planes in less than a week. Sometime after I was done with the trips, I had discomfort in my upper right lung, which felt to me to be an infection or something. About mid-June, I finally got to see my PCP for my annual physical. She is the most trusted doctor I've ever had and believes in my gut feelings, so she concurred that even though I am the very picture of health, due to my Vegan-type lifestyle, I may have nevertheless gotten some infection along the way during my trips. Even though all my tests came up stellar, including an "underwhelming" EKG test, she prescribed a Z-Pack (azithromycin) for the suspected infection. It ended up not doing much for the discomfort, and when the chest x-ray came back showing a "mass" in the lung--where the discomfort was, my doctor ordered a CT scan (with dye) to examine it more thoroughly. It was then that I commenced to doing my research. By the time the results had come back and my doctor herself called, I was already prepared to hear what she would tell me.

The mass was larger than something that would normally be considered to be benign or a "nodule"; it was suspected as cancer and I was referred to a thoracic surgeon that my doctor trusted, with the caveat that should anything feel or sound wrong to me to just abandon that path and come back to her to try something different. Basically, she empowered me and confirmed that she trusted my gut.

Because of my history of smoking (27 years ago I quit after thirty years of smoking) the thoracic surgeon said he'd probably surgically remove the mass, but wanted to find out more about it. He ordered a PET scan (radioactive glucose) and a lung volume test. It started to become clear that everyone assumed I had lung cancer and wanted to see how far it had progressed and if it had spread, as well as testing to see how capable I was at recovering from lung surgery. I waited two weeks for the call back after the tests. 

When the surgeon's office liaison called me, she said he wanted to do one more test and then see me for consultation. She didn't know what the test was for or much about it. When I got off the phone, I went straight to the internet and found that the test was normally used to test for a pulmonary embolism. After some more study, and discussion with knowledgable people, I realized how unlikely it was for a renowned surgeon to set a test for three days later and a consultation for seven days after that if I was in that kind of immediate danger, which a blood clot in the lungs would be. So now, it seems likely that he wants to get one more look at the growth of this mass, blood flow, and God knows what else before he makes his suggestion(s) to me. Tomorrow is the test. The following Tuesday is the consultation. I didn't want to worry my trusted friends, but I didn't want to keep them in the dark either. So now you know what I know.

The pain in my right lung area is increasing with regularity, and I can't imagine this problem to be anything that has been discussed yet. On the other hand, I can't say anything for sure. I'm actually in the dark now, whereas I thought I was really clear a few days ago. Life will teach you, won't it?

I intend to keep everyone posted. Maybe see you Wednesday at S.V. Noon (EST). I hope to have good news by then.

Love and blessings, 

Grateful Ken

A Whole New Part of The Adventure

In May of 2019, after enduring The Shingles (Herpes Zoster) for nearly six weeks, I finally took some time and made it out to Happy Camp, CA  to do what I call "recon" on a yearly musical event that I felt was going to finally pick up steam and perhaps become something of a National Event, such as The Monterrey Pop Festival (1967) and Woodstock (1969). As an aside, I think it will.

I flew four times at the end of May, and by mid to late June I started to feel as if I might have picked up a slight infection or something in my pleural cavity, particularly on the upper right side of my chest. Since my yearly physical was due, I made the appointment and by mid-July had another great physical, with the addition of a Z-Pak (antibiotics) for the supposed infection.

When the x-ray came back showing a "mass" in the upper right lung, a CT Scan was ordered, and when the results from that came back, things got serious quickly. I hesitantly started sharing with close friends and loved ones only, but soon began opening up for some reason. Eventually, I would be writing two or so emails a week, to up to 40 people on a Blind Carbon Copy List, to comply with the many wishes to be "kept in the loop".

I have decided to post these all here, to share the story with others and perhaps make a difference in some lives. Mine has become more peaceful, hopeful, and full of Gratitude.

The saga begins to be shared via email in early September, as far as I can tell. I will try to keep this all in order so that readers can either catch up or look up a certain entry or entry time with greater ease.