skidmark
16th June 2015, 11:41 AM
Click here for a very personal message from Dave (June 14, 2015)http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/cancer.html
From His facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WeirdScenesInsideTheCanyon
Just wanted to post a brief update for all those who have expressed concern:
I was released from the hospital on Monday, May 25, after finishing up a three-day chemotherapy session the night before. The first week out was a little rough, to say the least, with lots of nausea, vomiting, pain, lack of appetite, fatigue, weakness, and general discomfort. My weight dropped to a rather scary 129 pounds (which is exactly what my dog weighed a couple years ago before being put on a diet).
This past week though has been better and I am now working diligently to try to rebuild and put some weight back on before my next three-day chemo session, which begins on Monday, June 15. That will be the second of six proposed sessions that will be spaced three weeks apart. If the pattern holds, then the next few months for me will consist of three days of chemo, followed by a week in hell, followed by two weeks of rebuilding, and then jumping back on the ride once again. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Not much more I can tell you right now other than that after the six chemo sessions have been completed, the cancer may or may not go into remission. And if it does, it may or may not stay in remission for any length of time. That is obviously not the most encouraging prognosis I could have received, but it is the hand that I have been dealt.
Before signing off, I want to give a huge shout-out to the doctors, nurses and technicians at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center – all of whom, without exception, went above and beyond the call of duty during my weeklong stay there. Why they did so is a bit of a mystery, but they undeniably treated me like royalty throughout my stay – beginning with the young ER physician who ignored repeated requests by my insurance carrier that I be immediately transferred to a county facility and instead had me checked into the facility I was already at.
I should mention here, by the way, that I have a really useless healthcare policy obtained through the ‘Covered California’ insurance exchange. It’s pretty much the cheapest ‘bronze’ plan out there – the kind of plan that takes money from you every month without providing anything resembling actual benefits, and that has ludicrously high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. So the carrier, needless to say, wasn’t too keen on me being admitted to an ‘out of network’ facility that might provide actual medical services performed by actual doctors (Molina prefers ‘nurse practitioners’).
I was admitted nonetheless, and was then assigned to a large, private room directly across from the nurses’ station. I was also allowed an unlimited number of visitors who came and went at all hours of the day and night. And all tests and procedures that my three assigned physicians deemed necessary were performed without hesitation, despite the fact that hospital staff knew full well that my insurance provider was going to fight them every step of the way.
So why did they roll out the red carpet for me? Why did they allow me to stay for an entire week despite being advised by my insurance company right from the start that no one was going to be picking up the tab? Why did they spare no expense in ordering up every conceivable diagnostic procedure? I have no idea. I’d like to think that it was because they are genuinely decent and considerate folks who took pity on a guy who had just had his entire life turned upside down. But I really don’t know.
What I do know is that after the first round of chemotherapy, I look and feel much, much better than I did when I arrived at the hospital three weeks ago. And I also know that the outpouring of support and positive energy that I have received from all of you has made a world of difference. Thank you so very much to each and every one of you. For those able to help financially, there is a donation button at the top of my home page at www.davesweb.cnchost.com. (http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davesweb.cnchost.com%2F&h=YAQGcNQw8&enc=AZPwkppN0HtnCm5mo7tO01plbsZcIZe8pXVGQol5LLutWD y-kkiPo2Ad-MCY2eJKMM30qAlQTUs9B548fvj4b-TPutqFgqz5_zrQf71DfXsSPpT_NGl1MZp2TjYL_4aCWY3om8Kp VKnRPxBVR_BvypWb_WOSwBv-jRUOrqvE7f9MjjBvFMduKD6kKbpxFRqJJ9YwpckTnIAX5iKzaU i_uIH8&s=1) And for those who have already donated, I thank you sincerely for your generosity.
https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/p403x403/11147125_899042553451809_649331775562609640_n.jpg? oh=de3a25046f6ca31d555390e01d573d4b&oe=562E6868
(https://www.facebook.com/WeirdScenesInsideTheCanyon/photos/a.601810333175034.1073741828.599539830068751/899042553451809/?type=1)
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From His facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WeirdScenesInsideTheCanyon
Just wanted to post a brief update for all those who have expressed concern:
I was released from the hospital on Monday, May 25, after finishing up a three-day chemotherapy session the night before. The first week out was a little rough, to say the least, with lots of nausea, vomiting, pain, lack of appetite, fatigue, weakness, and general discomfort. My weight dropped to a rather scary 129 pounds (which is exactly what my dog weighed a couple years ago before being put on a diet).
This past week though has been better and I am now working diligently to try to rebuild and put some weight back on before my next three-day chemo session, which begins on Monday, June 15. That will be the second of six proposed sessions that will be spaced three weeks apart. If the pattern holds, then the next few months for me will consist of three days of chemo, followed by a week in hell, followed by two weeks of rebuilding, and then jumping back on the ride once again. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Not much more I can tell you right now other than that after the six chemo sessions have been completed, the cancer may or may not go into remission. And if it does, it may or may not stay in remission for any length of time. That is obviously not the most encouraging prognosis I could have received, but it is the hand that I have been dealt.
Before signing off, I want to give a huge shout-out to the doctors, nurses and technicians at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center – all of whom, without exception, went above and beyond the call of duty during my weeklong stay there. Why they did so is a bit of a mystery, but they undeniably treated me like royalty throughout my stay – beginning with the young ER physician who ignored repeated requests by my insurance carrier that I be immediately transferred to a county facility and instead had me checked into the facility I was already at.
I should mention here, by the way, that I have a really useless healthcare policy obtained through the ‘Covered California’ insurance exchange. It’s pretty much the cheapest ‘bronze’ plan out there – the kind of plan that takes money from you every month without providing anything resembling actual benefits, and that has ludicrously high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. So the carrier, needless to say, wasn’t too keen on me being admitted to an ‘out of network’ facility that might provide actual medical services performed by actual doctors (Molina prefers ‘nurse practitioners’).
I was admitted nonetheless, and was then assigned to a large, private room directly across from the nurses’ station. I was also allowed an unlimited number of visitors who came and went at all hours of the day and night. And all tests and procedures that my three assigned physicians deemed necessary were performed without hesitation, despite the fact that hospital staff knew full well that my insurance provider was going to fight them every step of the way.
So why did they roll out the red carpet for me? Why did they allow me to stay for an entire week despite being advised by my insurance company right from the start that no one was going to be picking up the tab? Why did they spare no expense in ordering up every conceivable diagnostic procedure? I have no idea. I’d like to think that it was because they are genuinely decent and considerate folks who took pity on a guy who had just had his entire life turned upside down. But I really don’t know.
What I do know is that after the first round of chemotherapy, I look and feel much, much better than I did when I arrived at the hospital three weeks ago. And I also know that the outpouring of support and positive energy that I have received from all of you has made a world of difference. Thank you so very much to each and every one of you. For those able to help financially, there is a donation button at the top of my home page at www.davesweb.cnchost.com. (http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davesweb.cnchost.com%2F&h=YAQGcNQw8&enc=AZPwkppN0HtnCm5mo7tO01plbsZcIZe8pXVGQol5LLutWD y-kkiPo2Ad-MCY2eJKMM30qAlQTUs9B548fvj4b-TPutqFgqz5_zrQf71DfXsSPpT_NGl1MZp2TjYL_4aCWY3om8Kp VKnRPxBVR_BvypWb_WOSwBv-jRUOrqvE7f9MjjBvFMduKD6kKbpxFRqJJ9YwpckTnIAX5iKzaU i_uIH8&s=1) And for those who have already donated, I thank you sincerely for your generosity.
https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/p403x403/11147125_899042553451809_649331775562609640_n.jpg? oh=de3a25046f6ca31d555390e01d573d4b&oe=562E6868
(https://www.facebook.com/WeirdScenesInsideTheCanyon/photos/a.601810333175034.1073741828.599539830068751/899042553451809/?type=1)
Like (https://www.facebook.com/r.php?fbpage_id=599539830068751&r=111) · Comment (https://www.facebook.com/r.php?fbpage_id=599539830068751&r=111) · Share (https://www.facebook.com/WeirdScenesInsideTheCanyon/posts/899042553451809:0#)