2m2l
 

Just letting you know David is back in hospital with a massive blood clot (thank you, Chemo!) I cannot remember or even think about spelling the correct medical terms but apparently the clot is blocking some big vein to his heart, causing the swelling in his neck and difficulty swallowing. He is in ICU because the drug to be used can cause massive bleeding so he will be closely monitored. Poor ol' David!
Cancer is obscene but chemo is just as disgusting - the side effects can be horrendous.
Keep our fellow Lighthead in your prayers, etc. I know he appreciates all your thoughts and good wishes.
Thanks guys
Bru

Re: 2m2l
 

oh dear! - thanks for the update Bru..
I was thinking about you two yesterday and Massey 2001 when I passed that marina bridge down at Harbourfront that you were afraid to cross..

Hope this bump in the chemo road sorts itself out without any more problems..
hugs to Bro when you next speak with him..

Re: 2m2l
 

Sounds like a thrombosis of some sort with anticoagulant therapy attempting to dissolve it. Sadly we "boomers" are approaching that age where health concerns creep in regardless of our attempts to live live right.
My thoughts and prayers are added as I know how uplifting it was to receive Lighthead support during my own ordeal.
Yuri

Re: 2m2l
 

Hoping for everything to get better...

Re: 2m2l
 

I remember that day! And I have pix to prove it. But you should have seen me hiding behind Al and David in that glass lift up the side of the CNT. Thank God I was wearing black pants! :D

Will try and call David later this evening and will pass on your hugs and Yuri's thoughts too.
Thanks Jessie Joe for your good wishes.
More as I hear it.
Bru
x

Re: 2m2l
 

Hey David. You gotta get well man. We got songs to sing and tales to tell. Hang in there Bro. Ron J.

Re: 2m2l
 

To David and Bru,

Sorry to hear about the hospitalization. Sending Hugs to you both.

Diane

Re: 2m2l
 

vibes from the land downunder!

Re: 2m2l
 

I spoke to him about an hour ago and sent him all your messages which cheered him up.
RJ - your words truly hit home. :)
Once he is able to get online, I am sure he will check in and thank you himself - until then, it's me saying thank you, guys. You are ALL very much appreciated.

Re: 2m2l
 

Positive thoughts for increasingly good health to David from Minnesota! Wishing you as good a come-back as the Yankees had in innings 5 & 6 on Sunday night. Hope to meet you one day.
Mouse

Re: 2m2l
 

Good thoughts & prayers coming from California to David & all his family

Re: 2m2l
 

Mouse, I think the Yanks helped put a smile back on his face for sure! Hope they keep it going for him tonight.
LadyA, thank you for your good thoughts and prayers. All are much appreciated.

Re: 2m2l
 

I recently sent David a Private Message after I had noted that he had in fact recently posted to not one but two threads and thus encouraged I had sent him the Private Message which the signalling system here claims he had read
Similarly I had PM'd young Yuri twice with deletion requests (see mouse cursor in image below). But he never actually replied to the second one and moreover in an email denied that he had ever seen the first message
so i repeated it by reliable email he did actually action both of my requests, thanks Yuri.Yet according to the leg end the little scroll icon indicated that in fact both messages had been read presumably by Yuri himself

http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/lightfo...s/messages.jpg

Yet as may be seen my account clearly says Private messages unread 0 Total 9
Shurely Shome Mishtake??
Florian is there a fault here shomewhere??

Re: 2m2l
 

Sending Good Thoughts And Prayers To David From Tennessee.

Re: 2m2l
 

Sir John, at the time of your PM to David, he was starting to feel ill with this latest chemo-induced problem so would not have replied. In fact, he was not on the computer at all and was readmitted to hosp. last Saturday. Don't blame Florian - blame the freakin' Chemo!

Trout, thank you for the Tennessee thoughts and prayers. Two years ago we were on a road trip and drove thru some parts of Tenn. I loved it!

Re: 2m2l
 

Hope you feel better soon. Our positive thoughts and prayers for good health are with you.

Re: 2m2l
 

Next time you are this way it would be great to meet some other "lightheads". I have found this forum quite addicting!

Re: 2m2l
 

David (and Bru),

More prayers coming your way from Minnesota. You will be very much in our prayers.
If there is one thing that Lightfoot fans do well it is to stand "strong" in the face of adversity, and to stand "together". We prayed and pulled together, through all that Gord went trhough, and we will do it again. God bless you.
Louise M

Re: 2m2l
 

Arrow Prayers . . . pulled and aimed at your sky

Rez

Re: 2m2l
 

David had surgery last night. Because of different time zones, I can't find out a thing but will give update when I can.
Thanks all.

Re: 2m2l
 

Hope you're doing better David. We're all thinking of you and sending our best.

Get well soon!

Kenyon

Re: 2m2l
 

My thoughts are with David as well. He's tough, and I'm hoping the next update from you Bru will be better news!

Re: 2m2l
 

My thoughts and prayers are with you, David. May God watch over you during your ordeal, and may you feel better soon!

Re: 2m2l
 

David,

We are praying for you. May God restore you to health, and bring peace to your heart as well as healing to your body.

Louise

Re: 2m2l
 

Hello, everyone.

I cannot thank you enough for all the lovely wishes expressed here. It is truly overwhelming. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You see, it's still not enough!

For those interested, here's the summary of my condition:

As most of you know, I had surgery this winter and spring for colon cancer. Hopefully, they got it all, but in case they didn't, I'm undertaking a chemotherapy treatment called FOLFOX. To facilitate the chemo, I had a minor surgery to install a "port-o-catheter" in my chest just below the left collarbone. I received a treatment at the clinic every other week, followed by 48 hours with a portable chemo pump attached through the port.

Unfortunately, I am prone to blood clots, and the chemo tends to cause them. The port caused clots to form in my superior vena cava (SVC), the upper part of the largest vein in the body. All the blood coming from the head and arms -- the upper body -- returns to the heart and lungs through the SVC, and mine was mostly blocked. This prevented used blood from leaving my head and arms, causing my head to swell (insert joke here), my eyes to tear, and obstruction to my breathing. Apparently, according to Mom and Scott, I looked really ill. I also gained almost 15 pounds, practically overnight.

At the hospital, the CAT scan revealed an almost complete blockage of the SVC. For treatment I received clot-busting drugs which opened the SVC about 50% (hopefully, the rest of the blockage will be absorbed into the blood, but at this point, there still is a clot blocking about half the SVC). Then I had surgery to remove the port, so as to prevent re-clotting.

With the port removed, my chemo will need to be administered intravenously, but I have no idea how the portable pump portion of the chemo will be given.

I was released yesterday from the hospital, but I'm still extremely tired. I've already dropped that additional weight that I gained during the blockage. Too bad the next 15 pounds won't be so easy.

Anyway, that's the update. A reminder to all to have a regular colonoscopy when you turn 50. I was only 53 when I was diagnosed, and the cancer might have been caught sooner if I'd had them regularly the past few years. I'm confident we got it all out of me, but a lot of surgery and chemo could have been prevented if the cancer had been removed at the pre-cancerous polyp stage.

Thank you again for all your prayers and well-wishes.

David

Re: 2m2l
 

being the good (younger) sis I won't make the 'oh so easy' joke..glad to hear the news and you are home again..
p.s. - I found that 15 you lost..

;)

Hugs from Toronto..
Sis

Re: 2m2l
 

Yeh and then you decided to send most of it over here!
Bru Michelin Woman!

PS I blame comfort eating ;)

Re: 2m2l
 

2MTL,

Pardon my language, but that really sucks. You seem to have a great attitude though, and are doing a lot of people good by sharing your experiences with us! We all need a kick in the behind once in a while to go have those unpleasant preventative annual exams.

Thanks, and keep on fighting!

My best,

Gitchigumee

Re: 2m2l
 

Excuse my delay in responding Silverheels. Much like I said to Louise in samll talk (hardly "small talk" to be sure) I know God and all in heaven are keeping watch and my prayers go with you as well. :)

Re: 2m2l
 

all the very best on the road ahead, David - good to hear from you

wonderful to have Bru at your side, spiritually - we're all there

hope you're get back to tinkling the keys

cheers
jj

Re: 2m2l
 

JJ - that is so sweet of you. Many thanks.
Now I'm getting dewy-eyed ...

To David & Bru
 

Thanks so much for the updates -- Dave, it must have been difficult to compose that summary & advice for all of us. We are all to stand to benefit from it. I myself am approaching that 50 milestone and take your experience and your advice as a wake-up call which I appreciate beyond measure. Thank you so much. My family and I are with you in spirit. God Bless.

Re: 2m2l
 

David was back in hospital yesterday. He had a really bad reaction to the latest chemo plus they found another clot and he had experieced some 'chest pains'. This is proving to be a real roller coaster for him. He remains very upbeat and jokey. Am bringing this topic to the top with this update to ask you to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I know he is going to be ok but he is having such a rough time getting there.
Thanks, guys.

Re: 2m2l
 

David, We will continue to remember you in our prayers and thoughts, have a speedy recovery.

Re: 2m2l
 

Hoping for you to get well real soon David. Hang in there my good man. :)

Re: 2m2l
 

David,
Hang in there! Yup, I experienced all the joys of a 'Port-O-Cath' in the treatment of my own illness last summer. Fun huh? One of my nurses was going to flush it with heparin to prevent clots but failed to flush the line of air. She was seconds away from giving me an air embolism before being caught.
On your other point, I too cannot stress getting a regular colonoscopy after the age of 50 or even earlier if there is any history of colon cancer in your family. My mom survived colon cancer and I had a polyp removed at the age of 45. No, having a colonoscopy is not exactly fun but all I can say is that with modern techniques and equipment it is not nearly as bad as you might imagine. The alternative is worse.
Prayers and well wishes continue David.
Yuri

Re: 2m2l
 

David,

Sending thoughts of happier days your way. :)

DSR

Re: 2m2l
 

Bru, any chance of you being able to come over the pond to help him out? I think he would do much better if you were with him.
Tell him I am thinking of him daily. Both of you - hang in there, remember this is only a test......and you both will pass with flying colors!

Re: 2m2l
 

Thanks Deb. I agree with you :)

Re: 2m2l
 

Just letting you know, David is having his penultimate chemo treatment right now. Wish him luck, guys. After today - only one more to go. YAY!