Sunday, November 16, 2008

The Big Day

Well today is the big day. I'm to report to Geisinger at 12:15pm to have a blood draw, that will immediately tested for HcG beta, the tumor marker for testicular cancer. Interestingly, it's only elevated in men with testicular cancer and pregnant women. (I'm pretty sure I'm not pregnant, though it would explain the weight gain.) After that, I'll meet with my urologist to go over the results of the CAT scan that I had on Friday and the biopsy of Lefty, may he rest in pieces.

I've looked around the web for stories of guys in similar situations. I'm hoping that the guys who only have a orchietomy and that's it it aren't posting. Everyone I've run across has had chemo and radiation. It's not that I'm afraid of either, but I'm afraid they will seriously jeopardize my schooling and put Angie in a very strenuous position. Particularly the chemo. My insurance is through the school. Things will get really hard if we lose that. Really difficult.

Besides stressing about the future, I'm pretty sore. I haven't been taking the pain meds they gave me, as I'm not one to indulge in that sort of thing. Perkoset is great, but totally wipes me out. It's not like I haven't been having a difficult time focusing as of late, either. Getting out of bed and out of a sitting position are the worst. Walking is okay, and actually feels pretty good after a brisk walk. And I worry about getting addicted and all that rot. Better in my mind to take some ibuprofen and grin and bear it for a while than run that risk.

So, now I'm going to work on a set for Delicate Balance. It's actually pretty fun and distracting to throw myself into something like that. I guess I picked the right degree program.

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