Finally Caught Up

I had my staples removed this morning.  The infection had healed enough that the surgeon I saw thought it seemed prudent to get the staples out.  I'm happy because this will allow me to start walking on a daily basis for exercise.  The past week, the staples have been too uncomfortable to walk very far.  They had been in there for too long and simply caused pain when walking, unless I was shirtless, and I try to to scare the general public like that.

It's probably still 3-4 weeks before I can start any real training in the gym, so just being able to walk without pain is a big deal.  Now, if the weather would just cooperate and stop raining, it would be easier to get outside and walk.  I was hearing thunder as I typed that last sentence.

I did have a minor issue with insurance on this last trip, and my insurance company initially tried to deny paying for the surgery.  They told me this on the day of the surgery itself, although I didn't see the letter until 10 days after that.  The cost of the surgery and the hospital stay, including scans 2 days before the surgery, easily exceeded $100K.  Imagine finding out the day of surgery, when it's too late to really do anything, that your insurance might not pay.  I'm glad I didn't see the letter until 10 days later.

Apparently, the surgeon gave them a good answer, because they quickly agreed to pay, but I can't risk that they will actually refuse a payment in the future.  My ongoing health depends heavily on being treated at Sloan Kettering, and I need to make sure there are no problems in the future.  So, I am trying to have the two organizations work together to permanently resolve this issue.  Or, at least that's what I hope can happen.

Today, I resume seeing my therapist.  She is  wonderful lady who only sees cancer patients, and I really enjoy the time we get to spend talking.  But, other than seeing her and getting my chemo port flushed periodically, I am hoping that I'm not going to see many doctors until October.

In the next month, these are changes I hope to see that will tell me my surgery and chemo are  behind me, for now:

• Hair returns to my body.  It may end up being white or greyer than it was, but at least it should grow back.  Right now, I swear that I look 10 years older than I did just 2-3 years ago.
• My appetite returns.
• I get back out on the river fishing,
• I get back to doing CrossFit.
• My fitness improves and my resting heart rate decreases.
• The night sweats end as my body continue to recover.
• I return to the level of pain medicine I was using before surgery.
• And, most importantly, I find myself smiling and having fun on a daily basis.

Then, hopefully a clean scan in October, and it's on to ski season!