This Week's Meaningless Topic (#36) (May 15)

[Rodger Pettichord]

Hi all. Ken Q mentioned in his response to last week's topic that he is a prostate cancer survivor--ten years. Congratulations, Ken! Got me thinking about the readers of this thread. I know we have been all over the world and faced many exotic things. That brings us to this week's topic.

 

THIS WEEK'S MEANINGFUL TOPIC: What particular thing in your life are you most grateful to have survived? For me, two things--alcoholism and near-tearing loose of a heart valve.

[Rob Abernathy]

I share one with you Rodger.....alcoholism.  33 yrs sober now

Sudden passing of my wife was very difficult.

[Rodger Pettichord]

2 hours ago, Rob Abernathy said:

I share one with you Rodger.....alcoholism.  33 yrs sober now

Sudden passing of my wife was very difficult.

Sorry to hear about your wife, Rob. But congratulations RE sobriety. Grateful indeed for that.

[gumbypickett]

For me it was a double Transplant, Kidney and Pancreas 6yrs ago.

I had type 1 diabetes for 35yrs, thanks to the Transplant I no longer have.

cheers

Gumby

[Ken Q]

Gumby, you've got a lot to be grateful for.  Modern medicine is working miracles every day.  But Covid is not gone yet, so stay safe.

 

My next door neighbor had a double lung transplant several years ago.  He was doing pretty well, but we lost him to Covid about six weeks ago

 

The Prostate Cancer wasn't too bad.  It was caught VERY, VERY early.  40 radiation treatments, three times a week.  Some unpleasantness towards the end, but not severe.  My close call, and that for which I am most grateful, was a nearly fatal asthma attack over twenty years ago.  Wheeled into emergency on Friday evening, passed out going through the doors.  Woke up on Tuesday intubated on a respirator.  Close call, but I did recover well, but it took time.

 

Ken

[gumbypickett]

34 minutes ago, Ken Q said:

Gumby, you've got a lot to be grateful for.  Modern medicine is working miracles every day.  But Covid is not gone yet, so stay safe.

 

My next door neighbor had a double lung transplant several years ago.  He was doing pretty well, but we lost him to Covid about six weeks ago

 

The Prostate Cancer wasn't too bad.  It was caught VERY, VERY early.  40 radiation treatments, three times a week.  Some unpleasantness towards the end, but not severe.  My close call, and that for which I am most grateful, was a nearly fatal asthma attack over twenty years ago.  Wheeled into emergency on Friday evening, passed out going through the doors.  Woke up on Tuesday intubated on a respirator.  Close call, but I did recover well, but it took time.

 

Ken

Glad to know your doing well now Ken.

I had my covid Vac 1 week ago and my Flu Vac 3 weeks ago.

Seems like all we can do these days is try to get on top of things and

keep our fingers crossed.

cheers

Gumby

[Ken Q]

31 minutes ago, gumbypickett said:

Glad to know your doing well now Ken.

I had my covid Vac 1 week ago and my Flu Vac 3 weeks ago.

Seems like all we can do these days is try to get on top of things and

keep our fingers crossed.

cheers

Gumby

I'm glad that you're a candidate for the vaccines; not all transplant patients are ( including my neighbor).  That is promising.  Be well!

 

Ken

[gregmorin]

Modern medicine has saved my life three times now. So far it has given me an extra 19 years and counting. We all have our challenges. God willing we survive to continue contributing to our world. I am just not done yet.

 

Greg

[John York]

For Sheila and me, the 2nd.World War.  Me in East London during the blitz and subsequently the flying bomb and rocket attacks and Sheila in a Japanese Prisoner of War camp.  After all this time, we both remember it all too clearly.  We'll never forget.

[John Heaton]

Simple - everything that got me to 85 !! without all the problems that you old coots have obviously had 

 

even Mr Hitler taking off our roof and windows in 1941

[Stillwater]

Luckily I am too young for the war. Unluckily I am too young to be legally vaccinated here now. My most dangerous situations were probably the business rides when I was taken through India... and there is no truck shown in this situation.

[olderndirt]

When I no longer had to pass (nobody failed) the annual Second Class' physical for ATC work, I discovered I was a waiking time bomb for cardio problems.  First a quintuple bypass followed ten years later by an abdominal aortic aneurism repair.  A handful of pills a day along with some good Lager and I'm hanging in there - 83 in six days.

[donbrindles]

For me...prostate cancer - kills 10,000+ men each year in the UK!  Diagnosed eight years ago, ...I'd paid £149 for a Well-Man health check...passed with flying colours...but was advised to get it on my medical records...so went to my doctor with the good news...long time since you had a blood test, he said...so he took some blood...next day, back from my morning walk, wife says call Dr Williams - now! Called Dr Williams...not good news, he said...you have prostate cancer! Biopsy showed it was caught early...hormone injections + 35 sessions of radiotherapy, five times weekly over seven weeks...since then, blood test every six months...eight years on...clear, no prostate cancer. I was so,so lucky...If I hadn't gone to see my doc with the Well-Man results, no diagnosis until who knows when...and possibly too late.

 

I'm a lucky man...lesson for all my friends here on the Forum - and men everywhere - get checked regularly for prostate cancer!

 

Back to flying VR in my Orbx world now, with P3D4.5...fantastic!

 

Don.

[Rodger Pettichord]

3 hours ago, olderndirt said:

When I no longer had to pass (nobody failed) the annual Second Class' physical for ATC work, I discovered I was a waiking time bomb for cardio problems.  First a quintuple bypass followed ten years later by an abdominal aortic aneurism repair.  A handful of pills a day along with some good Lager and I'm hanging in there - 83 in six days.

Glad they discovered the problem in time. What would we do without you? 

[Rodger Pettichord]

36 minutes ago, donbrindles said:

For me...prostate cancer - kills 10,000+ men each year in the UK!  Diagnosed eight years ago, ...I'd paid £149 for a Well-Man health check...passed with flying colours...but was advised to get it on my medical records...so went to my doctor with the good news...long time since you had a blood test, he said...so he took some blood...next day, back from my morning walk, wife says call Dr Williams - now! Called Dr Williams...not good news, he said...you have prostate cancer! Biopsy showed it was caught early...hormone injections + 35 sessions of radiotherapy, five times weekly over seven weeks...since then, blood test every six months...eight years on...clear, no prostate cancer. I was so,so lucky...If I hadn't gone to see my doc with the Well-Man results, no diagnosis until who knows when...and possibly too late.

 

I'm a lucky man...lesson for all my friends here on the Forum - and men everywhere - get checked regularly for prostate cancer!

 

Back to flying VR in my Orbx world now, with P3D4.5...fantastic!

 

Don.

Thanks for the reminder, Don. Glad your story is so positive. At my last Well Man exam, the doctor said I was in good shape for the shape I'm in. Not sure how to take that.

[Ken Q]

1 hour ago, donbrindles said:

For me...prostate cancer - kills 10,000+ men each year in the UK!  Diagnosed eight years ago, ...I'd paid £149 for a Well-Man health check...passed with flying colours...but was advised to get it on my medical records...so went to my doctor with the good news...long time since you had a blood test, he said...so he took some blood...next day, back from my morning walk, wife says call Dr Williams - now! Called Dr Williams...not good news, he said...you have prostate cancer! Biopsy showed it was caught early...hormone injections + 35 sessions of radiotherapy, five times weekly over seven weeks...since then, blood test every six months...eight years on...clear, no prostate cancer. I was so,so lucky...If I hadn't gone to see my doc with the Well-Man results, no diagnosis until who knows when...and possibly too late.

 

I'm a lucky man...lesson for all my friends here on the Forum - and men everywhere - get checked regularly for prostate cancer!

 

Back to flying VR in my Orbx world now, with P3D4.5...fantastic!

 

Don.

Don,

 

Your story is the same as mine.  In my case after a routine blood test the PSA  noted as going up.  It wasn't too high, just over 2, but was increasing somewhat rapidly, so we followed up with it, and did the radiation treatment.  No surgery or hormones.  That was ten years ago. At this point I see the oncologist and the urologist each once a year.  I try to schedule the appointments about six months apart, so I get checked by one of them twice a year.  

 

I'll add to your call to all our forum friends: get checked.  Don't let them tell you that the PSA isn't necessary.  Get it anyway.  As my doctor said it's not a very good test, but it's what we got.  

 

I lost a friend to P.C., and my wife an uncle.  Not good.  But if caught early it can be cured, and now there are even more treatment options.

 

Ken

[W2DR]

And don't ever let your doctor tell you that just a wee trace of blood in your urine is nothing to worry about. If it wasn't for my wife (a nurse for 40 years) I'd be in big trouble (or dead) now. She went ballistic and sent me to a urologist. Turns out I had stage 2 bladder cancer. Fortunately, a single surgery and a little chemo 10 years ago "fixed" the problem and there has been no sign of a recurrence. So...never, ever ignore ANY blood in a urine sample as it's probably telling you something important.

[Ken Q]

I had blood in the urine a couple of years ago.  Only happened once. But being under regular care of a urologist I told him about it when I saw him a couple of weeks later.  Good news: kidney stones.  Bad news: KIDNEY STONES.  Blasted with ultrasound.  All's well that ends well. Thank goodness it wasn't cancer. But I have a friend who was diagnosed with bladder cancer a few years ago ( just after my P.C. diagnosis).  Again, caught very early, and he's fine today- just saw him at church this morning.  But getting old ain't for sissies. If it's not one thing it's another.  But early detection and prompt treatment is the key to keeping us old Coot's around.

 

Ken

[TerribleT]

Too bloody many to list

[Ken Q]

2 hours ago, W2DR said:

If it wasn't for my wife (a nurse for 40 years) I'd be in big trouble (or dead) now. She went ballistic and sent me to a urologist. Turns out I had stage 2 bladder cancer.

This is why married men live longer than the unmarried! Men, listen to your wives.  If you're fortunate enough to have a wife who is a medical professional, you have an advantage, but a loving, intelligent other viewpoint who won't accept our stupid excuses can be a lifesaver.

 

Ken

[wain71]

mine seems quite minor compared to what you all have gone through.....a dose of skin cancer on my face in 2013, spotted by my Doc as he was examining a swollen hand, we never found out what that was......and last year, chest pains whilst working, got home called 999, in the back of the ambulance I had a cardiac arrest, CPR wasn't working, medics were just about to flick the defib switch and I came too, I ain't ready to go yet!......lots of scans and tests showed I was born with a heart defect, still managed 7 years in the infantry and footie until I was 45 with no clue about it....Doc said because I am only mid 50's meds is all I need, big sigh.......and I agree with Ken, if your wife/partner tells you to go see the doc, just do it, false alarm is far better than being to late.....you all take care and stay safe this ride ain't over yet.......

[BradB]

6 hours ago, wain71 said:

mine seems quite minor compared to what you all have gone through.....a dose of skin cancer on my face in 2013, spotted by my Doc as he was examining a swollen hand, we never found out what that was......and last year, chest pains whilst working, got home called 999, in the back of the ambulance I had a cardiac arrest, CPR wasn't working, medics were just about to flick the defib switch and I came too, I ain't ready to go yet!......lots of scans and tests showed I was born with a heart defect, still managed 7 years in the infantry and footie until I was 45 with no clue about it....Doc said because I am only mid 50's meds is all I need, big sigh.......and I agree with Ken, if your wife/partner tells you to go see the doc, just do it, false alarm is far better than being to late.....you all take care and stay safe this ride ain't over yet.......

Happy wife , happy life .......

[BradB]

I survived 2020 .......nuff said .