A POP CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Coming out of Dr. Probhat’s office with the news that I had cancer had me madder than scared. The first thing I did was to call my son and daughter to let them know what was going on. As I stated last week, I had a PET scan on Friday and had to wait until Tuesday for the results of the test. It was during the next four days that the great gift I spoke about started to unfold. It came in the form of love, prayers, support, concern, tears and advice from my family, staff, friends and business acquaintances. The phrase, “If we can do anything just call....” was repeated by just about everyone I spoke to. That is the gift I received…it bolstered my spirit and resolve and sort of nudged me to write this story. Let’s get started with what happened next.

The Positron Emissions Tomography scan was performed at Monmouth Radiology in Oakhurst. About a quarter cup of clear isotope is injected IV and you sit for 45 minutes for it to be absorbed into the body attaching itself to unhealthy tissue. Laying down, you are drawn slowly through a large ring that images your body and registers any area that glows. This would be the cancer site or sites that are exposed. During the next four days many thoughts went through my mind as to what the outcome would be. If the site were in the pancreas or liver, I would throw a party and get ready to be out of here within six months or so. That thought, which would take the pressure off me for the next twenty years, was one shared by only me, myself and I.

Focusing on the positive, I knew I did not smoke, drank only socially and was basically a health and workout freak. I felt that the cyst that popped in my neck was a Godsend to catch this thing early as my doctor said to me, “We are moving at almost lightning speed to work on this…that’s the good news.” And that is the lesson I want to pass on to you again. If anything changes in your body that does not make sense, get it checked immediately. Yearly full exams are a must in today’s day and age.

Armed with my Son, Clair his girlfriend/RN and my Daughter we met with my doctor the following Tuesday at 8 AM. The great news was that the test showed no other site of cancer in my body. My Daughter’s eyes shot to me with a misty question mark. I could only smile at her and tell her it was great news. You don’t however start to celebrate at this moment. The immediate question is what to do next. The only site that registered was where the cyst was removed and the following procedures were recommended. I would undergo an additional surgery to remove all lymph nodes around the site of the cyst as well as a biopsy of the entire area. Six weeks after that I will have radiation and chemo therapy for six weeks. I chose to do all of the above here a Riverview as they have one of the best radiation centers in the state and Dr. Probhat works out of Monmouth and Riverview.

The third and final part of this so far is getting additional opinions from other doctors. That same Tuesday I went to Dr. Fitzgerald Oncologist here in Red Bank for a second opinion. I am very confident with our specialists in this area but I am being pushed by everyone to go for a third opinion to Sloan-Ketering I will go for the third but I think it will be at Fox Chase in Pennsylvania with a Dr. Ridge who is one of the best in the country. I have a lot ahead of me but compared to what a number of my friends and relatives have gone through…I have a “cold”…only because we caught it early…..time will tell. The best line in all this came from my son when I expressed the feeling that I hoped the radiation and chemo would not age me a lot. His answer was “You better hope the hell it does!”