FEATURED Morning Pops!

[G2]

My friend, that you're still at the party is what matters to us, not what you feel you bring or not. Your presence is enough.

1000%

Thank you, my friend, until I realized nobody wants me here. Budabing, budaboom, may not still have it but I ain't firing all blanks.

You can bring some BBQ to the party though

 

[kskboys]

Oh, and BTW. The Yankoffs and Dodderers are losing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Montanalo]

Good morning Pops and happy hump day Zoners.

Got to start with a dad joke from my 11 year grandson who lives near New Orleans (and is a Saints fan)

"Why doesn't San Antonio have a pro football team? Because, if they did, Dallas would want a pro team as well"

Ouch! I'll have to beat some respect into him when he next comes for a visit.

We've had some glorious fall weather, but that ends this weekend with snow, sleet and freezing rain along with temperatures in the mid-20's.

At the end of October, we depart for Germany for a few days in Munich followed by a 7 day Rhein cruise. We conclude the cruise in Amsterdam and will spend a few days there before departing for home. This trip has been almost three years in the making. We originally booked it for Christmas 2019 but have postponed repeatedly because of covid. Can't wait!!

How's your hump day shaping up?

 

[CouchCoach]

Good morning Pops and happy hump day Zoners.

Got to start with a dad joke from my 11 year grandson who lives near New Orleans (and is a Saints fan)

"Why doesn't San Antonio have a pro football team? Because, if they did, Dallas would want a pro team as well"

Ouch! I'll have to beat some respect into him when he next comes for a visit.

We've had some glorious fall weather, but that ends this weekend with snow, sleet and freezing rain along with temperatures in the mid-20's.

At the end of October, we depart for Germany for a few days in Munich followed by a 7 day Rhein cruise. We conclude the cruise in Amsterdam and will spend a few days there before departing for home. This trip has been almost three years in the making. We originally booked it for Christmas 2019 but have postponed repeatedly because of covid. Can't wait!!

How's your hump day shaping up?

I plan on seeing the movie "Amsterdam" when it comes out on Blu-Ray.

 

[Runwildboys]

I plan on seeing the movie "Amsterdam" when it comes out on Blu-Ray.

I once watched Amistad.

 

[Bobhaze]

I once watched Amistad.

I once watched a movie in a theater. I can tell my grandkids about that!

 

[Montanalo]

I once watched Amistad.

I once stayed at a Holiday Inn Express

 

[Xelda]

I stayed in a tent on the lake with my family.

 

[kskboys]

I stayed in a tent on the lake with my family.

I would've set the tent up on the shores.

 

[Runwildboys]

I would've set the tent up on the shores.

I assumed she was ice fishing.

 

[kskboys]

I assumed she was ice fishing.

Hope they slept w/ life preservers on.

 

[Sarge]

Morning Pops.

 

[CouchCoach]

Morning Pops and all y'all. I want to share some good news.

I have been on a roller coaster ride I could never imagine that started a year ago and this past week it smoothed out to that really pleasant level straight away where you are just coasting. And in the "you're a mystery and this is a rare case" department comes a new one.

Had my labs done last Friday and an appointment with my oncologist on Wednesday. As my results drifted into the portal, most looked about the same, not really bad but not great either, until this CA 19-9 result came in.

CA 19-9 is known as one of the 2 tumor markers and the redline for that is 32 but just as important are large jumps from lab to lab. In the past 3 labs, mine has gone from a 9 to a 16 to a 28. I asked if dropping this back was a normal happening and was told it is not, not a dramatic drop anyway. This led my oncologist to "the talk" about the end of life procedure, at my request, and the steps that I am all too familiar with from the experience with my wife.

7!!!! It dropped to a 7!!!! And that 7 deserves !'s because my oncologist was really surprised at the drop and pointed out yet another example where trying to predict the path of this is really difficult. She told me a drop like that isn't remotely normal and she can only assume that once my system can rid itself of bilirubin, a 0.0 this time, it returns to addressing the invader in my body. That and all the things I am doing to help my body. She is aware of a few but doesn't like to dwell on that because of the possible ripple effect in her chemo/radiation world. I know she is happy for me and she was really smiling this last time but still, someone taking the path least taken and still walking it 6 months after their expiration date represents thoughts she cannot entertain in her life's chosen work.

Part of this roller coaster ride is my fault, I let it take me instead of exerting some self-control with it. I live in the "waiting for the other shoe to drop" world and I am vigorously fighting that and celebrating my "victories" as long as I can and trying to smooth the ride out. My positive mental attitude about this has been my strongest ally and I have let my guard down too easily when the news was not what I wanted to hear.

The irony of this is before this happened, I could care less about living or dying and wished for death more than I did life. But this has given me a purpose that I did not have before and I know part of this is sharing this journey with others which I have openly done.

I know Bullet, Jan and Xelda are survivors and the conventional treatment saved them but I don't think they were given a death sentence and one with not much wiggle room so my decision was a lot easier. The real positive of this is I have never wavered from this course, had second thoughts or had any regrets.

The real payoff of this journey is discovering so many people that care about and for me. I had turned my back on humanity but this journey opened me up to that side I had not witnessed enough and returned my faith and I think that is the real reason all of this has happened. I was willfully blind and had just given up.

 

[GrammaJan]

Morning Pops and all y'all. I want to share some good news.

I have been on a roller coaster ride I could never imagine that started a year ago and this past week it smoothed out to that really pleasant level straight away where you are just coasting. And in the "you're a mystery and this is a rare case" department comes a new one.

Had my labs done last Friday and an appointment with my oncologist on Wednesday. As my results drifted into the portal, most looked about the same, not really bad but not great either, until this CA 19-9 result came in.

CA 19-9 is known as one of the 2 tumor markers and the redline for that is 32 but just as important are large jumps from lab to lab. In the past 3 labs, mine has gone from a 9 to a 16 to a 28. I asked if dropping this back was a normal happening and was told it is not, not a dramatic drop anyway. This led my oncologist to "the talk" about the end of life procedure, at my request, and the steps that I am all too familiar with from the experience with my wife.

7!!!! It dropped to a 7!!!! And that 7 deserves !'s because my oncologist was really surprised at the drop and pointed out yet another example where trying to predict the path of this is really difficult. She told me a drop like that isn't remotely normal and she can only assume that once my system can rid itself of bilirubin, a 0.0 this time, it returns to addressing the invader in my body. That and all the things I am doing to help my body. She is aware of a few but doesn't like to dwell on that because of the possible ripple effect in her chemo/radiation world. I know she is happy for me and she was really smiling this last time but still, someone taking the path least taken and still walking it 6 months after their expiration date represents thoughts she cannot entertain in her life's chosen work.

Part of this roller coaster ride is my fault, I let it take me instead of exerting some self-control with it. I live in the "waiting for the other shoe to drop" world and I am vigorously fighting that and celebrating my "victories" as long as I can and trying to smooth the ride out. My positive mental attitude about this has been my strongest ally and I have let my guard down too easily when the news was not what I wanted to hear.

The irony of this is before this happened, I could care less about living or dying and wished for death more than I did life. But this has given me a purpose that I did not have before and I know part of this is sharing this journey with others which I have openly done.

I know Bullet, Jan and Xelda are survivors and the conventional treatment saved them but I don't think they were given a death sentence and one with not much wiggle room so my decision was a lot easier. The real positive of this is I have never wavered from this course, had second thoughts or had any regrets.

The real payoff of this journey is discovering so many people that care about and for me. I had turned my back on humanity but this journey opened me up to that side I had not witnessed enough and returned my faith and I think that is the real reason all of this has happened. I was willfully blind and had just given up.

Great news, Coach!! Glad to hear things turned a positive (?odd way to think of it) corner.

As for me, I most certainly had my death sentence. It is not easy having some stranger hand your mortality to you. They gave me 6 months if I couldn’t do surgery. Surgery could only happen if they could shrink the tumor with chemo… thankfully they did get JUST enough shrinkage for ONE doctor from the tumor board to take my surgical case… and then the second round of chemo as “insurance” to be sure they got it all. I have the ‘stem to stern’ scar to show for what they determined couldn’t be done laparoscopically. Even so, the rate of recurrence is extremely high so I take each day I’m given. I’m proud of my survivor status, although it comes with survivor’s guilt. Everyone I knew that was enduring their battle while I was did not survive.

It’s not an easy road mentally, physically or emotionally, but one I elected to take with no other options on the horizon at the time. Now there are more treatments.

Coach, I hope things continue to go well for you. Always in my prayers, my friend!!

 

[G2]

I stayed in a tent on the lake with my family.

I have a tent.

 

[Xelda]

Morning Pops and all y'all. I want to share some good news.

I have been on a roller coaster ride I could never imagine that started a year ago and this past week it smoothed out to that really pleasant level straight away where you are just coasting. And in the "you're a mystery and this is a rare case" department comes a new one.

Had my labs done last Friday and an appointment with my oncologist on Wednesday. As my results drifted into the portal, most looked about the same, not really bad but not great either, until this CA 19-9 result came in.

CA 19-9 is known as one of the 2 tumor markers and the redline for that is 32 but just as important are large jumps from lab to lab. In the past 3 labs, mine has gone from a 9 to a 16 to a 28. I asked if dropping this back was a normal happening and was told it is not, not a dramatic drop anyway. This led my oncologist to "the talk" about the end of life procedure, at my request, and the steps that I am all too familiar with from the experience with my wife.

7!!!! It dropped to a 7!!!! And that 7 deserves !'s because my oncologist was really surprised at the drop and pointed out yet another example where trying to predict the path of this is really difficult. She told me a drop like that isn't remotely normal and she can only assume that once my system can rid itself of bilirubin, a 0.0 this time, it returns to addressing the invader in my body. That and all the things I am doing to help my body. She is aware of a few but doesn't like to dwell on that because of the possible ripple effect in her chemo/radiation world. I know she is happy for me and she was really smiling this last time but still, someone taking the path least taken and still walking it 6 months after their expiration date represents thoughts she cannot entertain in her life's chosen work.

Part of this roller coaster ride is my fault, I let it take me instead of exerting some self-control with it. I live in the "waiting for the other shoe to drop" world and I am vigorously fighting that and celebrating my "victories" as long as I can and trying to smooth the ride out. My positive mental attitude about this has been my strongest ally and I have let my guard down too easily when the news was not what I wanted to hear.

The irony of this is before this happened, I could care less about living or dying and wished for death more than I did life. But this has given me a purpose that I did not have before and I know part of this is sharing this journey with others which I have openly done.

I know Bullet, Jan and Xelda are survivors and the conventional treatment saved them but I don't think they were given a death sentence and one with not much wiggle room so my decision was a lot easier. The real positive of this is I have never wavered from this course, had second thoughts or had any regrets.

The real payoff of this journey is discovering so many people that care about and for me. I had turned my back on humanity but this journey opened me up to that side I had not witnessed enough and returned my faith and I think that is the real reason all of this has happened. I was willfully blind and had just given up.

Monkey Paws unite! This is wonderful news and I can always hope for more from you. Thank you for sharing. Today I celebrate you along with everyone else. Let healing flow through all of us today and always in Jesus name. Amen

 

[Bobhaze]

Morning Pops and all y'all. I want to share some good news.

I have been on a roller coaster ride I could never imagine that started a year ago and this past week it smoothed out to that really pleasant level straight away where you are just coasting. And in the "you're a mystery and this is a rare case" department comes a new one.

Had my labs done last Friday and an appointment with my oncologist on Wednesday. As my results drifted into the portal, most looked about the same, not really bad but not great either, until this CA 19-9 result came in.

CA 19-9 is known as one of the 2 tumor markers and the redline for that is 32 but just as important are large jumps from lab to lab. In the past 3 labs, mine has gone from a 9 to a 16 to a 28. I asked if dropping this back was a normal happening and was told it is not, not a dramatic drop anyway. This led my oncologist to "the talk" about the end of life procedure, at my request, and the steps that I am all too familiar with from the experience with my wife.

7!!!! It dropped to a 7!!!! And that 7 deserves !'s because my oncologist was really surprised at the drop and pointed out yet another example where trying to predict the path of this is really difficult. She told me a drop like that isn't remotely normal and she can only assume that once my system can rid itself of bilirubin, a 0.0 this time, it returns to addressing the invader in my body. That and all the things I am doing to help my body. She is aware of a few but doesn't like to dwell on that because of the possible ripple effect in her chemo/radiation world. I know she is happy for me and she was really smiling this last time but still, someone taking the path least taken and still walking it 6 months after their expiration date represents thoughts she cannot entertain in her life's chosen work.

Part of this roller coaster ride is my fault, I let it take me instead of exerting some self-control with it. I live in the "waiting for the other shoe to drop" world and I am vigorously fighting that and celebrating my "victories" as long as I can and trying to smooth the ride out. My positive mental attitude about this has been my strongest ally and I have let my guard down too easily when the news was not what I wanted to hear.

The irony of this is before this happened, I could care less about living or dying and wished for death more than I did life. But this has given me a purpose that I did not have before and I know part of this is sharing this journey with others which I have openly done.

I know Bullet, Jan and Xelda are survivors and the conventional treatment saved them but I don't think they were given a death sentence and one with not much wiggle room so my decision was a lot easier. The real positive of this is I have never wavered from this course, had second thoughts or had any regrets.

The real payoff of this journey is discovering so many people that care about and for me. I had turned my back on humanity but this journey opened me up to that side I had not witnessed enough and returned my faith and I think that is the real reason all of this has happened. I was willfully blind and had just given up.

Brother this is the best news I’ve heard in a long, long time. Raising a glass to you, the docs and the man upstairs.

 

[Runwildboys]

Morning Pops and all y'all. I want to share some good news.

I have been on a roller coaster ride I could never imagine that started a year ago and this past week it smoothed out to that really pleasant level straight away where you are just coasting. And in the "you're a mystery and this is a rare case" department comes a new one.

Had my labs done last Friday and an appointment with my oncologist on Wednesday. As my results drifted into the portal, most looked about the same, not really bad but not great either, until this CA 19-9 result came in.

CA 19-9 is known as one of the 2 tumor markers and the redline for that is 32 but just as important are large jumps from lab to lab. In the past 3 labs, mine has gone from a 9 to a 16 to a 28. I asked if dropping this back was a normal happening and was told it is not, not a dramatic drop anyway. This led my oncologist to "the talk" about the end of life procedure, at my request, and the steps that I am all too familiar with from the experience with my wife.

7!!!! It dropped to a 7!!!! And that 7 deserves !'s because my oncologist was really surprised at the drop and pointed out yet another example where trying to predict the path of this is really difficult. She told me a drop like that isn't remotely normal and she can only assume that once my system can rid itself of bilirubin, a 0.0 this time, it returns to addressing the invader in my body. That and all the things I am doing to help my body. She is aware of a few but doesn't like to dwell on that because of the possible ripple effect in her chemo/radiation world. I know she is happy for me and she was really smiling this last time but still, someone taking the path least taken and still walking it 6 months after their expiration date represents thoughts she cannot entertain in her life's chosen work.

Part of this roller coaster ride is my fault, I let it take me instead of exerting some self-control with it. I live in the "waiting for the other shoe to drop" world and I am vigorously fighting that and celebrating my "victories" as long as I can and trying to smooth the ride out. My positive mental attitude about this has been my strongest ally and I have let my guard down too easily when the news was not what I wanted to hear.

The irony of this is before this happened, I could care less about living or dying and wished for death more than I did life. But this has given me a purpose that I did not have before and I know part of this is sharing this journey with others which I have openly done.

I know Bullet, Jan and Xelda are survivors and the conventional treatment saved them but I don't think they were given a death sentence and one with not much wiggle room so my decision was a lot easier. The real positive of this is I have never wavered from this course, had second thoughts or had any regrets.

The real payoff of this journey is discovering so many people that care about and for me. I had turned my back on humanity but this journey opened me up to that side I had not witnessed enough and returned my faith and I think that is the real reason all of this has happened. I was willfully blind and had just given up.

Oh man, CC, so damn happy for you!!! I think @kskboys will even be okay with you taking some of his exclamation points!

You keep making your oncologist rethink her life choices, while you spend more time with your family. This is the best news I've heard in a long, long time.

 

[CouchCoach]

Oh man, CC, so damn happy for you!!! I think @kskboys will even be okay with you taking some of his exclamation points!

You keep making your oncologist rethink her life choices, while you spend more time with your family. This is the best news I've heard in a long, long time.

I am lucky, Runny, I have an oncologist that treats the person, then the patient, just what I needed and I know she is thrilled with this latest drop in that CA 19-9. I think she has helped enough, that could be helped, that she is OK with her choice. Just as she is OK with my beating the prognosis. Sadly, not enough do.

 

[CouchCoach]

Great news, Coach!! Glad to hear things turned a positive (?odd way to think of it) corner.

As for me, I most certainly had my death sentence. It is not easy having some stranger hand your mortality to you. They gave me 6 months if I couldn’t do surgery. Surgery could only happen if they could shrink the tumor with chemo… thankfully they did get JUST enough shrinkage for ONE doctor from the tumor board to take my surgical case… and then the second round of chemo as “insurance” to be sure they got it all. I have the ‘stem to stern’ scar to show for what they determined couldn’t be done laparoscopically. Even so, the rate of recurrence is extremely high so I take each day I’m given. I’m proud of my survivor status, although it comes with survivor’s guilt. Everyone I knew that was enduring their battle while I was did not survive.

It’s not an easy road mentally, physically or emotionally, but one I elected to take with no other options on the horizon at the time. Now there are more treatments.

Coach, I hope things continue to go well for you. Always in my prayers, my friend!!

I did not realize that and did not mean to minimize that, only mentioned that because my decision was made easy, they didn't give me a chance other than extending my life with chemo and I had already been down that path as a caregiver.

I also know something of that living with the other shoe of recurrence as my wife and I met quite a few that were there for their annual screening and some looked like they hadn't slept in a week.