Personal Journey Entry # 14

After a few weeks in limbo and waiting, things are beginning to happen quickly, but before I get into the details, I want to share a couple of stories that brought a smile to my face.

I have a standing Monday check-in with a good friend. We get caught up on politics, sports, family, and because we are at or pushing 70, health. My buddy picked up the call and went into a monolog about his ankle and a trip to the ER for some pain medication. When he finished, I said I was sorry for the pain in his ankle and felt terrible to bring up something as insignificant as my upcoming surgery to remove my esophagus and half my stomach. We both had a good chuckle at the give and take. We laughed at my dilemma of getting Pasta and Jack Daniels through a feeding tube. I hope you chuckle at that visual.

I got an email from my new friend, Mike, who lives in South Dakota. He said he was on the way to the dentist today and was feeling pretty upset about the root canal he was to get. He said he caught himself and thought about my situation. It made him pause and count his blessings. All of a sudden, that root canal didn’t seem to be a big deal. He said he prayed in the future, a trip to the dentist would be my biggest health concern. Mike, I thank you for the story and wonderful prayer. I hope when you read this post to Diane tomorrow over coffee, you both smile as I did.

On Tuesday, I had my PET Scan, and I have a Zoom meeting with Dr. B., my oncologist, this afternoon. I am praying that none of my organs lit up on the test. We have to keep the positivity of this week going. I have my Endoscopy/Ultrasound on Friday. This will tell us how deep the cancer cells have gone into the walls of the esophagus. Again, good news will make for a speedy date for the Esophagectomy. Join me by keeping your fingers crossed. We are heading to Maine tomorrow. The weekend will be spent getting our heads ready for our Wednesday meeting with my surgeons.

Keep the good thoughts coming. God Bless you all, Ray