Sittin in a wheelchair wondering what's up

[crash9]

Sometimes you just find yourself sittin in a wheelchair wondering what happened – maybe all those friends that tried to get me to stop smoking had a point.

I’ve been very busy lately with doctors, hospitals, and such. Came on very suddenly, so here’s what to watch for.

Sensed a weakness and noticed I couldn’t break into a run very easily last January. Went to the Dr. and nothing showed up in blood work or X-Ray. My weight dropped seven lbs. in that week I was waiting for results so a lower CT scan to check for pancreas problems. Weakness in my legs advanced rapidly and within a week I was not driving, a dryness in my mouth and chewing seemed hard; another week and I was using a walker and depending on others for everything. My feet felt like they weighed a ton and were glued to the floor.

The trick is getting put into the hospital. I was being sent for tests, and waiting for results for over a month as I declined. Finally I was put into the hospital, had a diagnosis in less than a weak and started a round of chemotherapy.

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) with a side of Small Cell Lung Cancer and my weight was now down 55 lbs. (seems like I’ve retained every oz. of soft fat I’ve ever had – really ugly), but had something to deal with. I’ve now been through 4 rounds of chemo and 36 radiations to the lung. Came down with Pneumonia in June and shut everything down for 3 weeks in the hospital.

Anyway all done now and I’m getting around better. Can lift my feet a few inches and am starting Rehab at the VA tomorrow. To that (VA) issue; I’ve never used them, but have moved to Texas with my daughter and she signed me up. They seem excellent and except for the institutional waiting that would be expected, I’m loving the no BS – straight talk approach.

I’ve been through this with my wife and fully appreciate this is all a business. There’s a lot of tell’em what they want, or what we think they need to hear, in the private arena. That all goes away when at the VA.

[MS Fowler]

What an ordeal you have had.
Glad to hear you are on the mend. I bet it goes far slower than you wish.
Keep posting here.

[suginami]

Thanks for sharing this with us.

I hope you have a full recovery.

[SwampYankee]

Holy crap, man That's a lot to deal with in a short period of time! Sounds much like my uncle's sudden battle with lung cancer (in his case it was decades of welding gasses instead of smoking).

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

[HuskyMan]

sorry to hear of your health issues and I hope that your condition improves!

[tankdriver]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

What an ordeal you have had.
Glad to hear you are on the mend. I bet it goes far slower than you wish.
Keep posting here.

x2

[Medmech]

Good luck on the recovery and thanks for checking in!

[cscmc1]

Hang in there -- we'll be thinking of you. Thanks for checking in!

[kerry]

I'm really sorry to hear this. I had noticed your lack of posts. I'm glad your on the mend. Do the doctors think they knocked out the cancer?

[Mistress]

Crash- I'm sorry to hear about all this and will put you in my prayers-my Uncle was in the VA for a spell and I gotta tell ya- he had the best care I've ever seen in a hospital setting- he was at the VA in Houston, Texas. Glad your on the mend, please let us know if we can do anything for you.

[raymr]

I imagine that's a very sobering dose of reality, and I'm glad you are bouncing back.

[crash9]

Thanks for the thoughts. There’s a perspective to be gained that I’ll write about. I didn’t post much when Ann (my wife) was ill, but there was a closeness that we knew. A lot of Q’s about would I/could I, be there got answered in a way that can only happen when the cards really get dealt.

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

I bet it goes far slower than you wish.
Keep posting here.

Yep -

Originally Posted by kerry

I'm glad your on the mend. Do the doctors think they knocked out the cancer?

Part of the pitch from private Rx is/was “ The cancer (Small Cell) is really weak and responds well (elegantly was their term) to therapy. The LEMS, which is really the pain (not being mobile) and you can not come back from that without first treating the CA. They could tell the mass in my lung was shrinking quickly, but I just finished radiation in early Aug. and then moved down here a few weeks ago. Here is Tiki Island – close to Galveston. Hooked up with the VA and am getting evaluated in early Oct. as the body needs a couple months to clean up after radiation before any long term ideas can be developed.

Originally Posted by Mistress

Crash- I'm sorry to hear about all this and will put you in my prayers-my Uncle was in the VA for a spell and I gotta tell ya- he had the best care I've ever seen in a hospital setting- he was at the VA in Houston, Texas. Glad your on the mend, please let us know if we can do anything for you.

I’ve been to the clinic in Galveston for blood work and up to Houston last week to see the CA Dr. Will go for Rehab tomorrow. Here’s what I’m told. Small Cell spreads like wildfire and very quickly. Originally the scans showed it only in the lung – if they find it other places also it’s not practical to treat and six months is a long time, but as I said it only showed up in my lung. In Oct they’ll check again and if I’m clean they’ll give me 15 shots of radiation in the head to decrease the probability of it going there – which is where SCLC typically goes next. VA doc says 85% chance to last a year and 15% for five with slight chance of seeing the LEMS do more than improve a little.

The very toughest thing was “Jessie” (my pound hound) would not stay away from home when I first went into the hospital in March. She’d get out of where ever she was taken and came back home to wait. Finally I just had to get one of the neighbors to feed and water her – she was just camped out at the house. She finally moved in with some girls that lived up the road, but the people I got to take care of the place says that she still comes back in the mornings and we’ve just had to leave the place where she digs under the fence.

More later - Thanks

[MS Fowler]

WOW!!!
I am impressed 12 posts to a "health" thread, and NO ONE has made it political.....yet!
I'll not be the first.
Hope I made you smile.

[barry123400]

As one who has had cancer myself. I have just considered the last ten years or so free time. If the cancer had developed say twenty five years earlier than It did. I probably would not have survived. .

The surgeon told me to get my affairs in order as I might have only approximatly three months to live after the operation. Depending on how the proceedure goes and type of cancer.

The wifes rapid recovery from a bad heart attack six months ago was much the same. Medicine does seem to have improved with time. They do invasive proceedures on the heart in the first 12 hours after the attack. At one time it was wait and see.

It was too foggy for the helicopter to fly that night. The ambulance had to transport her in heavy fog as well. Really slowed things down. Our small town does not have cardiac surgeons so you are transported to a regional heart care center. She still made it well under the windows time allowance though.

I am only all too happy and thankful that she made it and the cause of the attack was eliminated. She was so sick for the first few days. Emotionally it was the greatest upheaval of my life.

Tomorrow at ten my doctor will probably finish my change to different medications for my high blood pressure. This getting older has it's issues. Better than the alternative I suppose though.

Best of wishes and good circmstances. I might have some experience mentally of what you have and are going through. I turned sixty seven a couple of months back and still am very,very active fortunatly.

[Brian Carlton]

Damn, Crash..........that's not a good scenario in any way, shape or form.

I've missed your ongoing banter on here and wish you the best recovery possible...........as soon as possible.