CORRECTION

Good evening everyone,

I have a significant correction to my last post where I said that the swelling in my epiglottis was only marginally improved from December.  I was incorrect.  I was speaking with my son Brock the other day and I mentioned that the swelling was still restricting the airway by 85%.  Dolores corrected me by saying the pictures showed that the airway is about 50% blocked.  It is the swelling around my larynx/voice box which is now the area of Dr. Filatov's concern and that is because the airway there is so swollen and the granulation/web is blocking the air from entering my larynx.  

So, I guess that would explain why I have been able to swallow so much easier and without any pain.  I am still feeling great and enjoying our spring time weather.

Talk to you all soon.

Rick

 

So!!!! How's your Mud?

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday, April 21st, I had an appointment with Dr. Filatov in Prince George.  As usual, he examined my throat and larynx areas with his endoscopy.  I have become more used to the procedure but it is still very unpleasant.  The first thing he noticed was the swelling of of my epiglottis has subsided but, only marginally.  I have been thinking that the swelling had gone down considerably more due to the fact that I am able to swallow just about everything easily. This is not the case.  

Next, Dr. Filatov examined the area around my voice box and larynx.  This area is now causing him some concern.  The endoscopy clearly showed a stenos (narrowing) of the airway and the top of my voice box opening to the larynx shows granulation of the tissue.  Granulation is a natural part of the body's healing process.  This particular area was badly burned by the radiation treatments and the granulation looks like a "web" which is restricting the flow of air. The result of this is the raspy sound of my voice and the difficulty I have in talking.  

Dr. Filatov wants me to start wearing a plug on the end of my tracheostomy (trachea tube) for an hour or two at a time, at various points throughout the day, to see if I can get enough air in through my nose and mouth to function on a normal basis.  The plug will assist help me to talk by allowing the air which I breathe out to travel over the vocal cords.  At some point, he will have to remove the "web" surgically.

Next, we spoke about my hearing and yes, it is more than likely that the significant loss of hearing I have experienced over the past few months is a direct result of the radiation.  He examined my ears with a scope and told me there was fluid behind both ear drums.  He then did a procedure to suction the fluid out of the ear canals by piercing  the ear drums and then he installed "shunts/tubes" in both ears to drain the fluid on an ongoing basis.  The procedure was uncomfortable but relatively painless.  It was noisy as he suctioned off the fluid and it reminded me of the noise I heard when I had an MRI, it was really loud.  I can hear much better now and the plugs will dissolve over time.

I will see him again on June 25th and he will decide at that time what to do about the granulation/web.  Until at least that time I will continue to have the trachea tube.  Oh the joy of that.

Well that's it for now.  I'll keep you posted.

Love to everyone.

Rick

P.S.: So maybe you are wondering about the Title of this post.  Spring has arrived at the farm. The snow is all but melted and the result is soft ground and MUD!!! Oh my, what MUD!!!  To make matters worse, it started to rain on Sunday night and continued to rain most of Monday and yesterday.  That made that MUD that much more MUDDIER.  Today it is breezy and mostly sunny and that will help dry up the ground but until then, we have MUD!!!.  

Later,

H

WOW!!!!

HI EVERYBODY,

Three posts in 4 days, what's come over me?  I went and saw Dr. Campbell this morning and she removed my Gastric Tube.  Yippee.  It was the easiest procedure yet.  All she had to do was snip a small string which was inside the plastic sheath near the outside end of the tube (duh!) which then released the "pig tail" at the other end of the tube in my stomach.  She then gently pulled the tube out and "wahlah" no more Gastric Tube.  The small hole in my stomach will close almost immediately and the opening where it exited will close up and heal all by itself.  She simply put a band aid over the outside hole and by this time tomorrow it should be healed over.

There you have it.  One less dressing to change each day and no more "stat locks"  the dressing that held the tube in place.  They were quite pricey at $18 each.  We changed the stat lock on average every 30 to 45 days.  There will be no chopping wood for me this afternoon.

Bye for now.

Love to everyone,

Rick, the less than holey one

An after thought

Good evening all,

I forgot to mention in my last post that I picked up my new hearing aids on Mar 25.  It has taken me some time to learn how to put them in and keep them properly adjusted.  But, the result is that I can hear again.  Seldom have to ask some body to repeat what was said to me.  I do notice noises that I haven't heard before at the house.  For instance, the fan on the fire place is always there, the dish washer when it's on, the electric furnace in the back hallway.  All things which I will get used to.  A small price to pay to be able to hear again.

Last Saturday I spoke with my good friend D'Arcy Regan in Toronto.  D'Arcy and I go back to grade 9.  It was great to get together on the phone with him.  He has been one of my biggest boosters throughout this past year.  Then last evening, out of the blue,  Bill Purkis from Bala, Ont. called to say hello.  I have known Bill since we were in grade 5 together.  I must say both calls did wonders for my moral and gave me a warm and happy feeling inside.  Now if some of you other folks would care to hear my scratchy voice, please call me at 250-567-9516.  The best time to catch me is around 6:00 PM PDT.

Bye for now.

Love to everyone,

Rick

  

Another month, come and gone

Good morning everyone,

Yup, I'm still here.  I have been much better these past few days/weeks.

When I get sick, as I was with the Noro virus and then the cold, it takes a
very long time for me to recover.  I finally feel like I am myself again.  My 

appetite has returned which is always the best sign that I'm on the mend.

My weight is hovering around 175 and has for the past 10 days or so.  

I am not using my G-tube at all any more.  I just flush it with clear water 

twice a day.

I saw Dr. Campbell, my GP on March the 25th.  She went over my blood

tests of a month ago.  My PSA (prostate test) is "1".  That was particularly 

good news.  My cholesterol is 5.1 and that too is really good.  Everything
else was good except for my "red" count which is 126, OK for women
but, men should be 140/150.  More blood work was done and I have to
provide "stool" samples, YUK!  All in all it was a good visit and I'm
in good shape.  ON a positive note, Dr. Campbell will be removing my
Gastric Tube on Wed. Apr. 8th.  I've had it for about 11 months and I
will be glad to see the end of it.

The farm well/water system went "kaput" Wednesday March 25th.  The
well people were here every day for 4 days including Sat. and Sun.  We
now have  water in the house and the wells for the cows are working as
they should.  All this for a measly $7,800.  What a shock.  Oh well it's
done now and everything is new including the pump, pressure tank, all
new well casings, as well as all new under ground piping.  Two new 
hydrants were installed as well.  We have lots of water, 20 gallons
per minute coming from 212' below the surface and our pressure is now
70 pounds plus.  The water is loaded with iron and other nice things so we
have a full purification system and a water softener.  That water is used
for everyday needs of the house and our drinking water goes through a
reverse osmosis and ultra violet process.  The livestock use the water
as it comes out of the ground.  

Well, no sooner is the water fixed and the sewer system gets backed up. 

David has worked very hard at trying to clear the system using a 150 foot snake.

The sewage lagoon was pumped out and an excavator came in 

and dug up the main sewer lines for us.  David has now isolated where 

the blockage is.  In the meantime it has been an experience with no toilets.

We are hopeful that the system will be fully restored and running by tonight.

My sister Janet and her husband Ron are coming west the first week in
May.  Ron will be teaching in Williams Lake (355 kms by road from
here).  Janet is going to drive up and visit with us for a few days while

Ron does his teaching and then we'll take two cars and return to 

Williams Lake to visit with Ron.  They will be in B.C. from May 5th 

to the 9th.  After they leave Dolores and I will go and visit with her

brother Omer and his wife Linda.  They live 40 minutes outside of 

Williams Lake.  I'm really excited about seeing Janet and Ron again.

Well friends, that's it for now.  As you can see, I am doing well and I am

spending up to 4 hours a day outside.  I'm chopping wood every day, 

shovelling the snow away from the back of the house so the basement will not 

flood when the really warm spring time temperatures arrive.  

I will see Dr. Filatov on April 21st.  My throat has been much better and I can 

swallow without any pain so I am anxious to see/learn how much my 

epiglottis has shrunk.

I'll post another report after that visit.  Until then, think spring.

Love to everyone,

Rick