Brian's got a little c.....

 Hey Everyone, 

It's been awhile since I've done a solo post. Lucy is much better at these things and I'm usually happy to delegate that to her, but in this instance it's my story that needs to be told. So here goes nothing:

This winter I started to have a weird thing going on with my right tonsil. It wasn't too concerning but since I had a weird abscess in the same area last Halloween (or a bout of tonsillitis, we'll never know as it resolved in a couple of days) I thought I should get it checked out once we got back home. My primary care doctor agreed and sent me for a biopsy which came back positive for a P16+ oropharynx squamous cell cancer,  or in layman's terms, tonsil cancer. After some CT imaging it was confirmed I was only at Stage 1. There were a couple of hectic weeks during all of this initial testing that felt quite dramatic, crazy, and fearful. We consulted a local oncologist (Dr. Kusano) and he said everything is very treatable with a great prognosis which gave us much relief. He also encouraged us to get a second opinion at a high-volume cancer center to check on other treatment options. After another two week delay we finally completed a PET scan which confirmed the original CT.

We flew to Fred Hutch in Seattle for a 2nd opinion and to see if surgery was a possibility. There are no surgeons in Alaska that are able to perform the robotic assisted surgery (TORS) necessary for removal. Turns out the surgery was a crapshoot. A "tweaner" the surgeon called my tumor. Which was about what we expected based on our initial conversation with Dr. Kusano. The tumor was a bit too large to leave me unscathed from surgery. If I did the surgery they would remove surrounding tissue and it was unclear how much I would be left with, but what was known is if I consented to surgery there was no going back once they opened me up. I could end up with a large hole in my soft palate or worse. The long term deficits which I might be left with are unknown until after surgery. Oh yeah ,and radiation would still be required. That is what we were hoping to avoid. So option number one was off the table for us. Lucy and I discussed it and said, "nah, we're good with radiation and chemo". We learned the most during our visit from the speech language pathologist regarding what deficits I could be left with no matter the treatment path we chose. Ironically both of the Oncologists we spoke with at Fred Hutch did residency with our Anchorage radiation oncologist Dr. Kusano. We also determined that the available Proton Therapy at Fred Hutch was unlikely to provide that much of a positive change in outcome (maybe some slightly less long term effects) but would certainly complicate our insurance claim and would likely delay when we could start treatment.

We went back to Anchorage to consult with our local specialists and figure out the details of a  treatment plan. All that to say, I start Radiation and Chemotherapy on June 23rd. I will be having radiation 5 days a week for 6 1/2 weeks and 3 rounds of chemotherapy. 

Its has been an exciting couple of months during this process. We have learned many things about our healthcare system and specifically how painfully slow getting insurance authorizations for treatments is.  I am incredibly lucky I don't have a particularly aggressive or fast growing cancer as the delays would've been even more enraging. 

I do have a great prognosis. For my particular type of cancer there is a successful therapy available and the likelihood of recurrence is very low. Once I get past the first 2-3 years the odds are around 99% it won't come back. While anything can happen we feel good about where we stand, although it's been quite the ride getting here. I will have some significant short term things to deal with during treatment but I'll get through them. The long term things I'll be dealing with are negligible in the big picture as I see it.

So cancer sucks and I may have a few shitty months coming my way but I will survive and am incredibly lucky I can make my health my full time job. I don't know how other people deal with cancer while having a job, kids, pets, and everything else we have to deal with on a daily basis. I am so very fortunate even with this stupid cancer. 

So that's where I am at and will be this summer, early fall and even the next year as I recover. I am so blessed to have great friends and an AMAZING WIFE who helps me through all this murkiness we call healthcare in the US.

Much love,

Brian

The Salt Mines

I am back at work with DOWL, my old firm. They contacted me early in the year to ask if I would be interested in coming back. I was both excited and reluctant. I miss being able to contribute, but I also hate letting people down. If my brain bonks out, that will be the result. But they are very understanding of my limitations and we’re feeling our way forward. I'm sticking to about 10 hours per week, and seeing how it goes. I also don't want to give up the relaxation and joy in other activities I have found in retirement! So this is all one big balancing act.

My work consists of senior document review, answering questions, wrangling a client who needs a little extra hand-holding, and mentoring some new hires. So far, so good. Plus, I got a welcome back swag box with the special DOWL "Welcome Back Scratcher". More useful than a boomerang.

 

 

 

 

Spring Wrap-Up

Yes, I know it is JUNE, but it is 46 degrees outside and raining sideways. I refuse to accept this is the summer we are getting. 

We last left our intrepid heroes in Idaho... From there, we traveled north into Alberta where we had great Indian food in Red Deer and discovered the celebrations of Eid al-Fitr were being held in our hotel. Quite fun to observe.

We continued north, and were pleased to hear the Canadian electioneering and how brief and civil it was compared to the excruciating US process. Despite the inflaming rhetoric from our dishonorable president, the Canadians treated us with nothing but kindness. We stopped in Laird Hot Springs and enjoyed a long soak, facilitated by our accidental brilliance in purchasing towels from IKEA in Seattle. We had them when it counted! 

We saw many fewer bears and bison, as we were transiting the Al-Can earlier than last year. But we did see red foxes lounging in the road, a stoat dancing on the snow bank, and the usual antelope and moose. We took a more leisurely trip this time, limiting our driving to 8 hours per day. We made it home in a week.

Once home I unfortunately returned to my habit of wanting to DO ALL THE THINGS, SEE ALL THE PEOPLE. Gotta pace myself more! But we settled in happily, cleaned our condo, sent in our taxes, had my girls clothing swap, and celebrated a bunch of birthdays.

The River Run Base, Sun Valley

My usual ski paparazzi (dad) got a shot.

Liard Hot Springs (clothed, sorry)

Our home is across from our senators' offices. We get to see a lot of protests.