A life worthy of red shirts.

There is a lot to report tonight.

It all started in 1975.

That was the year that I had my gall bladder removed. I remember the occasion well.

The doctor told me that there was 1 chance in 1000 that I would die from the procedure. That was still the era where you had to be a man for the procedure. I was in hospital for a week ( I fell in love with the night nurse - a common occurrence, I am told) and have a man size scar for the trouble.

I employed the same strategy that I used to pass my Chartered Accountant's exams. They say that 50% of the students pass and so I made sure to sit next to someone that I knew was not as smart as me. It worked, despite the fact that I had spent much of my study time watching John Dean and the Watergate hearings.

So, I used the same strategy to survive the operation and shared a room with a 94 year old.

BUT.....that may not be the end of the story. It turns out that when you lose your gall bladder, the bile from your liver does not break down toxins and they are stored in the fat in your body. In turn, they cause inflammation, infection and...........CANCER!

I found all this out just today when I visited Dr. Weston, my gastrointestinal doctor. I am now taking a third powdery mixture with water each day to deal with the bile issue. I need to take it for a week, report on the results and may end up taking it for months. If it does not work, we will move on to deal with expected inflammation.

In the past week, I have added hydrogen water and Essiac tea to my routine. Both are relatively simple, although the Essiac tea does not taste so great. I think Essiac tea will be a winner.

The research manager continues to work at a feverish pace and each day presents me with new information. I told her the other day that if I died from all the things that I am taking, then I would not have a recurrence of cancer for sure. She replied that if she hit me on the head and I died, the same would be true.

I have been studying the floating and stopping points of my 4 rubber duckies each night during and after my nightly soak. Aflac, the blue one, seems to be the most independent. The three yellow ones often congregate together.

So, where are things now? My shingle pain is not improving and at times shoots up to a seven. My finger neuropathy is, if anything, worse ( I have trouble turning pages of magazines). I have an intolerance for cold in general. (try visiting the frozen food section of a grocery store!)  Finally, I still have dry mouth often, I get tired. and, of course, we have this bowel issue.

But compared to chemo weeks, life is good and worthy of red shirts. I have worn nothing but for the past two weeks.