Real life thread

Air Force Brat

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
Jura said:
I'm happy to hear that, Jeff, and I'm looking forward to see your posts! For example, Naval Issues were not discussed much in the last week, and I don't tend to believe in coincidences :)
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righto bruda, we do miss the headmaster when he's away, but he never goes to far from his Sino Defense brudas.
 
Equation

Equation

Lieutenant General
Jeff Head said:
Thank you, my friend. We enjoyed meeting you and having dinner at Luby's.

Sorry we missed you the last week. I was being put under for heavy radiation for 3 hours each of those five days, and then had to wait 2 hours to get started, and then be in recovery for 2 hours after.

Was pretty sick, and we'd go back to our room, I'd eat a very light meal (the only one each day).
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Oh don't worry my friend. I'm just glad that you are well enough to drive home. So is this the last treatment for you at MD Andersen so far? What's the prognosis?
 
Jeff Head

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Equation said:
Oh don't worry my friend. I'm just glad that you are well enough to drive home. So is this the last treatment for you at MD Andersen so far? What's the prognosis?
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Well, I had a very large malignant bone tumor found about five years ago that filled my entire sacrum. It is the large bone that connects your spine to both you hips and completes your pelvic ring. It is made up of fivefused vertebrae, S1-S5.

Sacral Chordoma tumors are very slow growing, but when very large, they do not respond at all to normal radiation or chemo. My entire sacrum had to come out. Which is about as large and intrusive an operation as possible. Sure to cause major disabilities, months of hospitalization and rehab, and then a potential for it to return. We determined to go for the surgeries. They offered me palliative care if I wanted, which in essence means I would have been made as comfortable as possible for 2-3 years.

In addition to the main tumor, I already had four spots of cancer in my hip bones. It was one of the reasons some of the Dr.'s were not sure at all about me trying it. They felt it was already too late.

The main surgeries (3 of them with five surgical teams each time, 12 hours, 19 hours, and then 12 hours) were unbelievably successfull...and an answer to prayer. But also a very difficult experience. Since that time, my bone fusion, rehab, and condition in the main tumor area very been excellent, despite the disabilities. Here's a full pic not long after the surgeries:

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Here's how that looked three months after the surgeries, and then a couple of years later:

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You can see in that last pic how completely the bone has grown in.

This time we were treating the small tumors with a stereo-tactic proton radiation, which has been known to stunt or stop smaller tumor growth. I ha o get a mold made to ly in on the ollowinginstrument for 2-3 hours a day all five days ast wek, hildI wa out, to pump five beams of raiation at ech of those spots.

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In 4-5 months they will do an MRI and CT scan and we will see how it went.

In the mean time, for the next while, I will live through the sickness and issues associated with the radiation itself and the treatments they give to combat it.

So, how am I doing?

Well, I believe that there is a God in a Heaven. That He knows us each perfectly, and loves each of us individually as His children. He wants us to be happy and has given us a conscience, and chances in life to know right from wrong, and a free will to act on it. I do not believe a person has to be rich, or educated by the world, or of high birth, standing or some special ethnic status to be happy or important. Not even of good health.

All people are important, and to be happy, they simply have to be good. I also believe some of His children are very special and have been placed here with special difficulties who are wholly innocent to give us a chance to learn from them. I believe we all makes mistakes and are in need of God's Grace, through His Son, to overcome those mistakes...but only through our own free will choice of the heart to do so.

I also believe we should try and help others, and protect the innocent from harm and evil.

Finally, I believe God has a plan for us all, and in His time, He will bring us home. The key is for each of us to do the best we can unil we are called back to him...and every one of us will be.

I love the scripture that says this, "The Lord giveth, and The Lord taketh way...blessed be the name of The Lord."

I choose to believe this...to believe that even in difficulty God is blessing me and to be grateful fr it.

This has been a hard experience...but it has also been a blessing I can thank God for. It has made me a better person...and, when I go, I get to take that with me...and in my faith, myloved ones too. I trust God completely in this.

Anyhow, right now I am still somewhat sick...but was blessed to be able to drive all the way home. I really enjoy driving and seeing the sites, and particularly having that much time with my wife. Had to take a half day off yesterday because of some of the sickness...but I also got to work half a day. I am really glad to be able to conitune working.

Thank you, Equation, for asking.

BTW, here's a link to a video of a presentation I made in Houston at MD Anderson about he experience in 2011:


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​

PS: As I was reviewing this pretty long response, I realized I needed to make something clear. I wanted to let anyone reading this know that the above statement was purely in answer to Equation's question. My experiences, my declarations of faith, and explanations here are purely my own and not intent in any way to represent SD Forum or be any kind of statement meant to somehow establish any particular faith or way of thinking on the forum. If anyone feels that way while reading it, please accept my sincere apologies. It was not meant that way in the least.
 

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bd popeye

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
I just read in the UK there have been severe thunderstorms.

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Is this normal in the UK during summer? Where I live this is frequent occurrence during April to October.
 
SteelBird

SteelBird

Colonel
bd popeye said:
I just read in the UK there have been severe thunderstorms.

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Is this normal in the UK during summer? Where I live this is frequent occurrence during April to October.
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I hope they have counter lightning measurement. In fact, in Cambodia almost 100 people die under lightning strike every year, mostly in rural area.
 
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