But before I get to that, a brief endorsement. I haven't done a lot of writing lately. Fortunately and unfortunately, medical school doesn't require a lot of that sort of thing. So, it took me by surprise when I received compliment after compliment on my writing here on the blog. Not that I'm James Joyce, but that made me feel really good. So, thank you to everyone for that. Still, I'd like to give credit where credit is due. Those of you who know me through our Williams connection know: I wouldn't be able to write like this without my Williams liberal arts education. So, tell your friends. Tell your family. Yes, its true...Williams really is the best college in the nation. That's right...better than Amherst...better than Harvard...better than anyone else. I especially encourage you to tell everyone in Colorado and the West. I'm sick of hearing: "Oh...good for you," and "Oh, you mean William and Mary?" No, I mean Williams College, the best college in the US. Look it up. [End Rant]
Saturday now seems like eons ago. Long story short...my parents left. And though Teresa continued to take excellent care of me and sacrifice so much, I realized that I needed to be with my family. I needed to be home in Colorado to get my head wrapped around this thing. And poor Teresa was beginning to run low on gas. Emotions were running high. I figured that a trip home to Colorado would be a good way to recharge everyone's batteries before the surgery on February 27th. Besides, I could more easily wrap my head around the surgery at this point, then the idea of going back to school. I guess that I'm officially in health/healing/family mode now. Still, Dr. Kowal did offer good advice when he suggested going back just so you no longer have to feel like "the sick guy." I got a chuckle out of that.
One more test result to report: the alpha-fetoprotein fell down to 9 from 23. Anything under 19 is normal, and this is the drop we were expecting to see given the longer half-life of this particular marker. Healthwise, I'm doing alright, though I've had some increased pain levels lately. Stop reading now and skip to the next paragraph if you're squemish about details. Basically, there seems to be a small mass in my scrotum on the left side, which is very painful. After speaking with Dr. Kowal, it seems likely to be some fibrotic (scar) tissue from when they had to dissect the mesh sac from my old Orchiopexy away from the dartos fascia of the scrotum. Anyway, this sucker hurts and even feels like a pinching sensation sometimes. I hope that it goes away. Also, I have some increased pain just below my incision. I'm hoping that I didn't manage to give myself a hernia. Still, I'm a worrier, and everything is almost certainly fine. Sitting on a plane for four hours was still very uncomfortable, though.
Yesterday, I drove down to Boston and stayed with my friends, the Eklunds. It was so great to see them, and they are always so kind and caring and wonderful. It meant so much to me when Marion said, "I just want to lay eyes on you." And so she did. We had a delicious dinner, and a relaxing evening together. And as usual, I had a personal shuttle to the airport with free parking.
So, here I sit in "my office" (translation: the guest room) at home typing away to you. The flight home was uneventful, possibly a first for Jetblue out of Boston. Dad now calls them "Shitblue," and I can't say that I disagree. Now that I'm home, I don't exactly know what to do with myself. I'd very much like to avoid watching tons of TV and doing nothing. Annie is getting old and a bit more reclusive these days, so she isn't the company that she was this past year. I'm still not permitted to exercise, which is driving me nuts. I can already see the changes to my body. I can only imagine what I'm going to look like when this is all over. Hanging around with Teresa "perfection is my middle name" Rodriguez isn't the best for your self-image either. Besides, walking around the locker room at Greenwood Athletic Club with one testicle, profuse genital area bruising, half-shaven pubic hair, and a four inch incision on your abdomen doesn't exactly meet the requirements to be a cool kid. Anyway, I guess that this is family time. It will be nice to get up to Dad's house and relax in the woods.
Some more pictures for everyone:
Saba, my East Thetford dog:
From our trip to Penny Cluse in Burlington:
I especially like this one. I have such a funny look on my face, and Teresa is gorgeous as usual.
And a creative take on the idea of "TruckNutz". Fully appropriate given the type of cancer I have.
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