I had plans for this to be a great summer, progress was supposed to be made on all sorts of things I had been putting off, none of those plans came through. The following is also why I have been particularly quiet on the BBS over the last few months.
In July my father was diagnosed with Stage 3 bladder cancer, the staging was quickly changed to stage 4 a few days later when a spot was found on his liver during more indepth scanning and diagnoses. All this was preempted by the failure of his left kidney, which it turns out had been degrading over the last 6 months as the tumor in the bladder blocked the kidneyâs ureter, the kidneys failure in itself was also diagnosed at the same time the stage 3 bladder cancer was.
There was no communication or interaction between multiple doctors treating him over the preceding year over concerning symptoms, and more importantly, their undiagnosed cause (the cancer).
A out of the blue and surprisingly high hike in blood pressure for a man in his mid 60âs who eats well, exercises every day, and does not have a family history of high blood pressure.
Blood in the urine for at least 5 or 6 months preceding the diagnoses.
Problems passing and holding urine, uncharacteristic exhaustion, and periodic lower back pain.
All that ever occurred was treating the symptoms, we were told not to worry about the high blood pressure and to just treat it with pharmaceuticals instead of worrying about finding its root cause. A independently facilitated visit to a cardiologist also eliminated any cardiovascular causes of high blood pressure months before cancer diagnoses.
While usually Stage 4 bladder cancer is considered a target for palliative care, due to a lack of cancer in his lymphnodes his doctors are currently proceeding with treatment with a goal to cure. This includes a full open abdominal surgery which includes removal of the bladder, the spot on the liver, the prostate, and possibly his left kidney depending on whether or not function returns (he currently has a stint).
Am I bitter and angry? I hope not. Am I frustrated, sad, and more than a little defeated? Most definitely. Am I being hopeful? Iâm really fucking trying. Basically what Iâm trying to say is:
That is a downright brutal diagnosis. I have empathy and and open ear for you and yours. It hurts on so many levels, and you have permission to express what you feel.
Youâve probably got it fixed by now⌠but Iâll second @d_râs recommendation of toothpicks or (headless) matches, dipped in carpenterâs wood glue (or similar white hoof/hide glue) stuck into the holes. Then leave the door closed until the glue dries.
If that tears out, repeat the process only replace the screws with something long enough to go through the trim, across the shim gap, and into the actual wall framing. Typically a three inch replacement screw will work, although a really poorly framed wall might need longer.
Most of the doors in my house have hinge screws in the 3-4" range. I have to drill pilot holes because the framing is heavy old timbers.
You, and especially your father, have every reason to be angry.
I hope that the surgery is successful, the cancer goes into remission, insurance neatly covers this, and that your father takes a directorial role in his care, looking beyond the apparent failure of mainstream âtreat the symptom not the rootâ medical practice.
First his primary care doctor, and about a month or two later on, his urologist. The primary care doctor was the one who should have been able to link all the symptoms, instead he was the doctor we had to go around to even get a visit to a cardiologist. When we first asked him for a referral he refused, this gave our insurance company grounds to make getting access to a covered cardiologist much more painful than it had to be, not that the information the cardiologist gave us (limiting down the possible causes of his high blood pressure) was ever used by either of his other doctors.
We had been trying to find a new office and primary care doctor for months before the final diagnoses, however due to our insurance companyâs abysmal record, and the lack of doctorâs offices that accept it, the only offices we found that would accept our plan had massive wait lists. This countryâs healthcare system is so fucked.
I decided to attack a stone wall with my face when I was young; since then, I rarely have more than one properly-working nostril at a time (but, oddly, which one works alternates on any given day). And when that nostril gets plugged, then yeah. Not a good day.
I have the wimpiest Fuck Today in a while right here:
Just got an email from the Arclight Theaters regarding Octoberâs âArclight Presentsâ series. This monthâs theme: âTales of Terror.â And the chance to see big-screen showings of some dear old favorites like American Werewolf in London, Alien, Dracula, The Omen, Rosemaryâs Baby, Karloffâs Frankenstein, and my all-time favorite horror movie, Carpenterâs The Thing. Since I paid for an Arclight membership several months ago, I have two free Arclight Presents tickets credited to my account. So I zipped over to the Arclight page, selected my seats, and went to âpurchaseâ my free tickets⌠only to encounter this:
So I tried again. And again. Each time noticing that the good seats were increasingly selling out. Tried a different Arclight Presents screening, this time for An American Werewolf in London. Same outcome: the website merrily takes me through every step until the final purchase, then craps out. Meanwhile all the good seats are being snapped up.
I am 100% sure that cash-paying customers are having no trouble, and only us rubes with the âfreeâ tickets are being gently locked out, at least until the shows sell out or demand falls.
Fuck these guys. Whatâs the point of having these free tickets anyway if I canât use them for the screening I want?
Iâm gonna cancel that membership, and shit in the popcorn machine.
