VelocityYellowRules!

RIP
You're a Regular King of the Post You're Liked 2 You're 10
Jul 15, 2012
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Fairview, Alberta
VetteCoins
107
Car
2006 Z06
So I ended up back in Calgary on the 19th, I stopped in at Davenport where Steve had been nice enough to acquire me a new rear view mirror for the car. I just installed it tonight and am happy to say unlike when i removed the original one last fall and cracked the window reinstalling it I removed the old one and installed the new one without difficulties! Now I should be less likely to stunt without realizing there is a RCMP directly behind me!

Steve's C7 ZR1 was outside with fin etc. and it looks just amazing. Being yellow doesn't help of course but the car just looks menacing. I had a C7 come up behind me on the QE2 and I was fast to get out if its' way!
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So from there off to my hotel room. The car I ended up parking beside really gave me a chuckle. This old car, with a bolted on steel cargo rack on the bumper, ground grip tires, cargo rack on the roof, police style front bumper, pushed in hood, slew of bumper stickers and best of all the shotgun shell ornaments around the roof cargo rack just struck me as being so funny. Not even a "redneck" Alberta car but from Kansas too. I couldn't find any positive Trump statements anywhere on it though!!!!

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OK so we've done the mirror and the good. Well here comes the bad and the ugly. I'm not sure how many of you who are not following my other threads have read this far and I probably only expect those who know my situation that might be reading this but here goes.

Let's start with the bad then.

So the reason for going to Calgary was to see the doctor who did my surgery back on April 20th. The conclusion, which I think might be generous, is that the treatment was partially successful. Maybe.

Now the ugly.

About two weeks ago we noticed a blemish on the left of my back. The thought is that it might be a tumor. If so, for the first time in two years since the cancer came back we have tumors that are outside of my left arm, something that we had always been confident would never happen and if it ever did move would be a very serious turn of events. Well in the doctor's opinion they are melanomas. Thankfully this was not a surprise for me and having had two weeks to digest this possible turn of events leaves me slightly less freaked out than if I would have learned that news that day.

Now we are being aggressive with these new tumors (one, possibly two of them). This Tuesday, the 24th I go to Edmonton to have the two largest tumors removed from my left arm for a quality of life improvement. At the same time we're going to get these one or two tumors on my back removed and biopsied to see if they are cancer or not. I don't think there will be any surprises here though. If it looks like a tumor, feels like a tumor, well you get it.

It is hard to think that this could be the beginning of the end game for me. Mom was with me so she knows, my gf and son know and mom told dad. Dad is having trouble understanding why this is happening to me. That really isn't an issue for me though. It is what it is. Now the other thing is that the imiquimod lotion that we are treating the tumors with is starting to show some signs of action. This is six weeks in to treatment and last time we went until 11 weeks and yes tumors did die and one even fell right off and the skin flattened out. So we're going to continue to hit them all with the lotion and hope that as time goes on it works that way again. And we'll be watching the location of the two large tumors on my arm and the site on my back especially carefully to make sure if some start to regrow we're all over them.

I find it odd but you know if I died from a heart attack it would suck and everyone is sad. Cancer is a different sort of situation. Yeah, you know I'm probably going to die in 6 months or 6 years, but unlike a heart attack the timing is more uncertain. I take some solace from that. How knows, maybe as the lotion kicks in it will really hold things back. And it appears we're going to continue with the original PEMBRO treatment as well. I don't think it is working but my lead doctor thinks it is preventing it from spreading any faster than it is. I hope he is right.

Anyway, cross your fingers and pray for me please.

I'll let you know when I learn more.

Cheers,

Garry
 

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We don't know each other, but having read your prior posts of all that you have endured and continue to battle I'm sure is inspiring to all who know you in person, and others who know you via the forum as I do. I wish you the very, very best Garry. Stay strong and keep up the fight!....... Velocity Yellow does indeed Rule....
 
Gentlemen,

Thanks again for your kind words of support.

I'm actually really looking forward to this operation. Not for the new tumor that we think is there but to have the two largest original ones removed. These two seem to be the centers of the greatest pain, bleed the most and due to their locations are the ones that get bumped the most if I am not careful. At the very least it is going to change the landscape of my arm, allow me to apply more lotion to other tumors (so much lotion per day only) as they probably took up 20% of the surface area!!!!

One unanswerable question, was the tumor always there in my torso or did it spread from my arm? Given that it is just a few inches torso side of my lift arm I tend to think it came from my arm but you can never be sure.

And I'm also pretty happy that, relatively speaking, we did notice this when we did. We joked amongst ourselves if the doctor would have picked up on it if we had not pointed it out. And now I can have it removed at the same time on Tuesday so I am pleased it worked out this way.

This is not the start of the end for me as far as I know, just a speed bump. Were it only so easy to mod my immune system as it is an LS7.................!

Stay tuned! Gotta have some good news soon I'm sure.

Cheers,

Garry
 
Thanks for the appropriate thought! I actually thought about writing that on my arm before they do the surgery. Or perhaps getting a similarly emblazened t-shirt. Gotta show my pride after all! Screwed by cancer but I'm not going to let it slow my life.
 
Just reading this thread Garry and just wanted to say that everyone here has had you in their prayers for quite some time now and that's not going to change. As you mentioned, this is just a speed bump.You drag the air dam a bit, punch the gas and move on. Positive thoughts only are coming your way my friend. :thumbs:

Eric
 
Velocity Yellow Rules
Can't have a better positive attitude than that.
Get out there and kick some ass. Stomp the gas and give it the finger.
Hope all this is, as RRUFF says, just a speed bump slowing you down momentarily.
Always good to have future dreams. It may not be a Velocity but that ZR1 would look nice in your drive way.
 
Back home 11:30 last night, a long day.

Funniest part of the operation, being in the OR beside another guy and a nurse comes up to ask him his name and me starts "A-L-L-A-N-R-O-P" and which point I turned to look at him and he continued "-C-H-A-N". I looked at him and I said "you're kidding, I'm G-A-R-R-Y-R-O-P-C-H-A-N". And a retired cattle farmer from Wilmington or some such place. We joked that we would have to be sure not to get each other's surgery! Surgery was delayed for what seemed like forever, 3 hours maybe, but finally got it done.

Looked at it for the first time this morning and it looks just AMAZING! I'm not sure if anything will grow back but to see flat skin for the first time in months, the smell is gone, no bleeding, well I am just over the moon! Even relief for a couple of months will be so welcome. Plus unlike when these guys came to life I wasn't using imiquimod lotion yet so it is ready to go at the first sign of any sort of growth.

I was even followed by a white C7 on my way to the hospital in the morning, always a nice omen.

Just beside myself right now with what a change in my life this is.

And the AC was installed while I was gone and dad is coming to wire it for me. Hopefully before the 26 and 29 above forecast for the next two days.

Life is just so very good for me right now! Thanks everyone for your support! I'm off for a Z06 drive with my new rearview mirror!

Cheers,

Garry
 
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@VelocityYellowRules! Garry,
I have not had a lot of time to catch up with new CCF threads and I just found this one of yours tonight.
I remain to have regret when I failed to hook up with you on a recent visit to Calgary.
I've lost track of the day when this happened (or should I say didn't happen). Meet-in-the-Middle and the Cold Lake Air Show had me busy on the Corvette front
and I know it was my Business that kept me from meeting with you that one day. Wow, since then, you have shared news in direction of hitting both ends of the scale.
I always admire your mentioning the little tidbits along the way that help you to cope with yours and your team's effort toward the Big Picture. No matter how big or not-as-big
each event is for you, I am inspired by your demeanor. Having the great pleasure of meeting and spending some time with you on a few ocassions, I can hear you speaking these words that you write. As I read them, your words mean a lot as I relate to some rather little things of my own. Your perspectives also carries great weight as I cope through things I have no control over. August is nearing and my Corvette Events are calming down a tad. Whether being here in Calgary or near Edmonton, I will watch this thread in the event that we can high-five. Until that time, as always, my wishes for the Best of Good Fortune to you . :thumbs:
 
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