Chapter 6

I have titled this the last chapter and it is in two parts. this is the first half. it explains why I disappeared in mid 2019. Several readers questioned if all was okay, as you will read it wasn't. All is well now.

The Last Chapter (Part 1)

 For about two weeks prior to May 7, 2019, I was experiencing a very annoying pain in the center of my back. I purchased a number of different over the counter pain relievers all of which had no effect. What follows will explain why the following summer I went silent publishing articles. A number of readers wrote to me asking if there was something wrong to which I responded I was taking some time off.

The pain finally caused me to call Kok so he could take me to the hospital, but not before I called the Appleton Clinic, for whom I paid $79.00 per month. I also split the cost with any Wiggy employees who wanted to participate in their service.

It was Saturday morning, and I told the doctor on call my problem and he said go to a massage therapist or a chiropractor and finally a doctor in his office. I first told him I had never heard of a medical doctor advising going to a chiropractor. I then said “aren’t you in your office and he said he was in a bicycle race. I hung up and on the following Monday when I was in my office, I ended the relationship with Appleton Clinic.

Kok and Pum, his wife took me to Community hospital which I highly recommend. In the course of two days, they took blood, x-rays, cat scan, MRI and eventually a biopsy of the cells in the middle of my back where the pain was emanating from.

After all the testing was done a doctor, an oncologist informed me that I had prostate cancer. He further informed me that my PSA was 2000 plus, plus means it is not counted above 2000, it was the highest he had ever seen. The biopsy was positive that the cancer was in my bones or that bone only as time has shown. At one moment I was a healthy 77-year-old and then I saw my life in front of me as I suspect millions of other cancer patients experience. A few days later I was told I was in the 4th stage, wow. But the oncologist as well as the radiologist were very up-beat and assured me I was not going to die any time soon.

A few days later I started 10 days of radiation. In the meantime, my oncologist prescribed 5 milligram oxycodone pills to kill the pain, the prescription was for 300 of them. For the next 10 days that I received the radiation treatments I was eating oxycodone like candy. The oxycodone did the trick in eliminating the pain, so did the radiation treatments. Two or three days after the radiation treatments ended so did the pain. I had about 25 pills of oxycodone left, and they were never taken again. The other thing I received from the radiation was what I would otherwise never get was a tattoo. It is a small blue dot on the upper portion of my abdomen.

The next phase of my treatment was to take 1000mg of a drug called Zytiga daily. This drug at the time was I am told $23,000.00 per month. I received it from Johnson and Johnson under the patient assistance program ultimately for about four years. The purpose of the drug is to tell the brain that you have plenty of testosterone. Why, because testosterone feeds the cancer, as does red meat which I could no longer eat. I didn’t eat much of it anyway.

I started taking the drug June 11th and did a blood test on June 28th and my doctor was ecstatic because in that short period of time of taking the drug my PSA reading was 97.6, a drop he had never seen before.

However, while the PSA dropped so did my weight. I went from 215 pounds to 180 pounds in 6 weeks. I was eating okay, Pum was cooking Cambodian and Thai food (Kok and Pum are from Cambodia). I wondered if I would ever stop losing weight. I peaked at 179 pounds I think before I started gaining. I guess my body had to adjust to what was taking place.

The good doctor told me testosterone is made by the testicles. My response was, if that is the case, I am 77 years old, so I don’t need them so let’s take them out. He laughed and said no surgery. About 6 months went by when I asked how come he never spoke about removing my prostate. He said once the cancer appeared in my spinal bone it was too late to remove the prostate. That said I did not have to learn to control urinating or wear a diaper.

From June 2019 and for the next 12 or 13 months my PSA dropped into the 60’s then 30’s until it hit 0.06 which according to my oncologist amounts to 0 and was no longer a concern for him so long as it stayed that low.

My PSA has remained at this level ever since. In the first year I had blood drawn and tested once a month. Then he extended the testing to every two months. Since there was no change, he stretched out every 3 months. About 4 months ago he showed me new information about how Zytiga was working. Initially I took the drug, 1000mg on an empty stomach and did not eat for an hour daily. The new information showed that you could take one 250mg pill with a good meal and you would have the same result. I changed following his direction and after the first 3 months my blood work showed the same 0.06 PSA reading. So, I am continuing this regiment unless there is a change.

The single biggest drawback to taking the Zytiga is tiring easily. But, if it keeps the cancer at bay, it’s okay with me, at my age my general physical beyond typing my newsletters.

In August 2019 while I have been dealing with the cancer, even though I was feeling good I developed shingles on my forehead over my left eye. Initially I had these blisters and an itch and went to the second clinic I engaged paying $79.00 a month. The doctor told me I had the shingles and gave me a medication called Valacyclovir for 8 days. This so-called medical doctor had never followed with me to this day. I had no idea what I was in for. A dermatologist I was seeing for another reason told me she could help me, and she did. I told her about the initial doctor at the clinic, one of her assistants overheard the conversation and she chimed in that she worked there and quit because all the doctors were concerned about was the $79.00 per month. The dermatologist said had it been taken care of early it would not have gotten to this point. She immediately prescribed the valacyclovir and I took it for probably two years. She also prescribed three creams and checked up on me every three months, taking pictures to show me the progress, I also looked in the mirror. I was lucky to have been taken care of by Brianna H., I still see her. I still suffer with it to a minor degree and may die before its gone. I consume copious amounts of gabapentin daily.

As a word to the wise, stay away from these rip-off clinics. They are populated by medically trained doctors who in my opinion are a disgrace to the medical profession, they have abdicated their Hippocratic oath.

The shingles are with me two months less than the cancer but have been far more of a problem than the cancer ever was or is to this day.

We are now into March 2023 when all was going well other than tiring by 2PM daily and the annoyance of the shingles when on a Tuesday morning when I came out of the shower and threw the towel over my back to dry off, I find my left hand isn’t working to grab the towel. I sit down and some liquid dribbles out of my mouth. I walked to the kitchen and called Kok. From the sound of my voice, he knew I had had a stroke. He came to the house and called 911, and Pum helped dress me. The ambulance was at the house very quickly but could not get the gurney in, so I walked out but before I got on it, I opened my truck door to get Cookies treats and leash for Pum. I then got on the gurney. Got to the emergency room in less than 10 minutes. At what point they administered the drug that dissolves the blood clot I do not actually know but I do know it was quickly.

I was now in the hospital for the next 3 weeks. I was asked about being there. My response was simple, in any other country in the world I probably would not have made it for the treatment I received was exemplary, the same holds true for all patients at St. Mary’s hospital in G.J. CO.

As I progressed, I was moved after I think 4 days from ICU to a regular care floor. After about 10 days I was moved to a rehab floor. After about 5 days I was discharged.

The rehab doctors were now concerned as to how this 81-year-old was going to take care of himself. They notified the home care people, but it was not necessary.

Because Cookie needed to stay in the house Kok and Pum took up residence in the guest room. They are partners in the house, I did that so they wouldn’t have to go through probate. The reality is they have never left. As far as I am concerned, they truly are angels.

Cookie who sleeps with me in “our” bed slept on the couch with Kok since he did not want to sleep in ”our” bed. Cookie was beside herself in the office crying each day for several days. She followed Kok around the factory like a puppy [Cookie is 11 years old] and when he worked at the cutting table, she would lay down right there.

Because Cookie is my service dog Kok had to show the hospital her shot record so she could come in to see me, once she saw me, she stopped her crying at the factory. Kok would visit twice a day so, that satisfied Cookie.

I knew she would miss me, but as far as her crying was concerned that was a surprise. Since I am back, she just stays with me wherever I go, not that I would ever leave her anyway.

Kok has a green thumb and for 3 years he has several small trees whose leaves Pum uses in recipes as well other plants that are spices in the sunroom. The house has a small lawn which hasn’t been green for 3 years, it now is. We have two large ½ size barrels with tomatoes [purple variety] in one and lemon cucumbers in the other.

In the sunroom he has 3 large pots with lemon grass. The amount of lemon grass Pum uses is incredible. I have learned to brew lemon grass tea. Pum chops the lower portions of the stem into very small pieces. She then dries them and eventually I start using them. I make quarts in ball jars and put them in the fridge, so I always have ice-tea without the ice.

I put up bird feeders a few years ago and now Kok keeps them filled with seed.

They have for all intents and purposes taken up residence in what is their house. They own 2/3 rds. so they can evict me. I have 1 ½ refrigerators and Pum has them filled with food; I’ll never starve. The kitchen is effectively hers.

So, all of the staff at the hospital who were concerned about me would be envious if they knew how well I am being cared for.

Early on when I came home Kok would drive to the factory and open at 7 AM and about 8:30 I would call him, and he would come and pick me up. Of course, he would then drive the pickup. That has been our schedule ever since I returned home. It is good for him to drive it so he can get accustomed to its size, he has been driving a SUV.

Recently on a Sunday very, limited traffic, for the first time I drove myself to the factory so Cookie could run a little, the yard at the house is small compared to her having 8 acres to run on when I lived on the farm. I did not realize how much I relied on my left hand holding the steering wheel. Needless to say, my general driving days are mostly over by choice. I bought the current pick-up in February 2019 and to let you know the mileage today is about 17,000. It is a limited addition model F-150 that had a sticker price of $72,000.00 and I believe the dealership would buy it back for what I paid and then some. It is certainly the last vehicle I’ll ever buy. As you can see my driving until now has been meager and it will stay that way in the future.