Garry, back in 2004 I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a degenerative lung disease with no known cause and no cure. I will never forget the Doctor saying "get your situation in order, you have two to five years to live". A year or so after the good news I needed 02 to do even the simplest things. Over the years I have learned to live with it and as you can tell I am still here some 13 years later. I tried a number of clinical trial drugs over the years, some of them made me very ill. I believe that although the trials were all terminated something or a combination of somethings helped.
Back in the early summer last year I started passing blood when urinating. It would stop for weeks on end. Then start again. It got worse so I went to the hospital and they made an appointment with a urologist. Specialist appointments as most know are tough to get quickly, I was no different. In the meantime my wife had some serious problems with her health, that took priority for both of us. When she got out of the hospital I simply had to go back. Something had changed and it was not for the better.
Fourteen hours in emergency and finally the Doctor came with the news I knew already that I had a mass in my bladder that was likely cancerous. There happened to be a specialist on call and he came to talk to us. He advised that this could not wait and was willing to operate the following morning to try to remove the mass. Shortly after that operation my kidneys stopped draining and another emergency surgery. That one caused a great deal of pain. A week later they operated again to remove the mass and a bunch of other parts as well.
So three operations in less than three weeks. Being put under had a very negative effect on my lungs. When I got home my breathing became very difficult. I guess the drugs and being on my back for three weeks did not help one bit. I used a lot of bottled oxygen over the next few weeks. I am having trouble with the mechanical side of the operation because I now pee in a bag attached to my stomach. Problem is trying to keep that bag attached. What a mess. I go for a CT scan late February to see what has happen since the operations.
I look for humour in this. A week ago I went to see my mother at her nursing home. Every once in a while the place really smells of well, old people and this morning it was really bad. I thought how can these folks not notice this. I said good bye to mom walked out to the truck and realized the smell was me. Damn! One time a guy said "a man is but a man once but a child twice". How true I am now back to peeing my pants!
Things have improved with time, I am back to walking my dogs. My wife's health has thankfully returned. Family and friends have been such a great help. We have a small but incredible neighbourhood and those folks have been so supportive. I got a lot of support from people on this forum as well, it meant so much to me. Two Corvette friends from Toronto came up prior to my last operation, changed the oil and filter in my Corvette washed it and put it away for the winter. A worry these guys put to rest as I could not do it.
Garry I must say your words have been inspirational. Until now I had never really talked openly about what was happening but you had the courage to speak up about what has to be some very difficult times for you and your family. So as always my thoughts and hopes are with you. Get better keep writing.
Murray
