The Last Supper

Hello everyone. Today is April 11th, the eve of my surgery.

I had an appointment with my medical oncologist yesterday to discuss everything that had or had not transpired over the past twenty-one days. If you recall, I had been accepted into a drug trial, but had randomized into the control group. This means I would receive the single dose of chemo and the basic oral medications, but I would not receive the test drug.

As always, Jessica accompanied me on this appointment. The appointment was set in the morning, which is nice because the cancer center is far less crowded in the earlier hours. We didn't have to wait long before I was being called back by the nurse. As always, she led me into an examination room where I had my vitals taken. I have gained ten pounds in total since beginning this journey, but that is about all that had changed. My heart still looks great and I am still 71 inches.

One of the trial coordinators stopped by to gather the medication log I had been recording and the unused medicines. She asked how the trial went, which I responded by telling her that everything went well with the exception of that "food poisoning" incident. I had annotated all the doses I had missed, so she was happy.

Shortly after she left, the medical oncologist popped in with her two assistants. The last time I saw her she had a mask covering her face because she was sick, so it was nice to see the doc at her best. She asked me a couple questions about the drug trial and conducted a condensed physical exam. Like the ENT surgeon, she seemed taken back by the fact I had not experienced any ill effects from neither the chemo or the pills. She inquired about the stomach bug "food poisoning" I had battled, but agreed that my self-diagnosis was the most likely cause for illness.

My daughter Jacee and brother-in-law Oscar had both comedown with the same 24-hour stomach illness a couple days after my bout. Since two other people in my household shared identical signs and symptoms, I ruled out food poisoning and assumed I had received the same stomach bug that had been reportedly going around. I am hesitant, but have decided to remove that bistro from my kill list.

So the doctor was pleased with how I had responded to the medical trial. Her next concern was preparing me for surgery. She assured me I was in good hands and that I would be seeing her soon to discuss the post-surgery plan of action. She said I will fall into one of three options: radiation only, radiation and chemo, or nothing at all... just monitor. The later will only occur if they find no cancer cells in my neck. Considering I have at least one necrotic node... that last option is not likely to happen. BUT... we shall keep our fingers crossed.

I have been instructed to stop taking Ibuprofen (Motrin) 72 hours before surgery.  The only medication the hospital wants me to take is Tylenol. Well... let me tell you, Tylenol does nothing to my pain; it doesn't even dull it. So, I asked the medical oncologist if there are any other pain management options for me that are acceptable before surgery. She prescribed me some Hydrocodone, which only makes me nauseous. The past three days have not been fun.

After my appointment at the cancer clinic, Jess and I stopped for an early lunch before heading to the medical imagery clinic to get another CT scan. The wait at the imagery clinic was a little long, but I was super early, so that would be expected. From the time I was called to the back, to the time I was walking out the door was only fifteen minutes. Since I had been through this process before, the nurse was able to zip through the procedure without the drawn-out explanations and such. I think the nurse lady had a thing for me because she was totally digging my killer veins. She even made a comment on how she wished all her patients were as easy as me. It was a good thing Jess wasn't there, because I may have had a cat fight on my hands!

So... yesterday was pretty uneventful. There is nothing new to report. My anxiety is still lurking around and I still have cancer that needs to be eradicated.

Having my mom and daughter in town has been a blessing. The two of them have been a welcomed distraction; preventing me from lounging around feeling sorry for myself. Today, we went to the Sonoran Desert Museum. If you ever find yourself in Tucson, I highly recommend this awesome day-adventure. As the name alludes to, the museum is a learning center for all things Sanoran Desert. It has all the plants and animals one might expect to find within this beautiful desert landscape. Today was particularly cool because all the animals were in view. Jossalin got to see her favorite animal: the wolf. This wolf is a Mexican Wolf. I asked Joss if she knew how the Mexican Wolf sounded... she said she didn't. I told her a normal wolf goes, "Ahhhhooooooooooh." The Mexican Wolf goes, "Ahhhheeeeeeeeeey." She didn't get the joke, but my mom did... which made me laugh.

On the way home, I called the hospital to check-in and receive my reporting instructions. I am to report in at 1300 tomorrow with a 1400 surgery time. I must stop eating by midnight and cannot have any liquids past 1100 tomorrow. Between my current mouth pain and not eating tomorrow, I should be a ripe "A" hole by the time I get to the hospital.

We decided that for my last meal, we would get tamales from the Tucson Tamale Company. This place has been voted the number one eatery in all Tucson. I love tamales and couldn't think of anything else I would rather have that I hadn't already eaten numerous times over the past month and a half. My mom and I purchased two of their family platters with an assortment of their best flavor combinations. With the tamales, we received all the side fixin's one might wish for!

On the way home, I had to explain to Jossalin that tonight would be my last solid meal for awhile. I went on to tell her how I may never experience food the same way again. My daughter is such a kindhearted individual. She wanted to make sure my night was filled with my favorite things, so she convinced my mom to make some of my favorite cookies. During dinner, she made it a point to tell everyone, "Tonight is daddy's last supper." I know what she meant, but I could help thinking of Jesus. I hope the day following his last super and the day following my last super are nothing alike.

I will try to keep you all posted following my surgery. I would expect Jess will post something on Facebook. I will be "out of it" for a couple days, so don't expect a blog anytime soon. I will write again as soon as I can. Thank you all for being in my corner. I have no doubt I will have your well wishes and prayers protecting me tomorrow.

I love you all!