Well, it appears to be over. The running battle with the cancer and extended recovery period now seem to be behind me. Dr. Anderson went into my throat and larynx last Tuesday, Sept. 29th with the view that he would be able to clean up the fibroids around my voice box and make it a little bit easier for me to breath and talk. As it turned out, he was unable to do anything. The little muscles, cartilage, ligaments and bones around the larynx are all fused together. The radiation has damaged the area so badly that even taking out the voice box was not an option. So! I will live with the trachea tube for the rest of my life unless new technology surfaces and I am OK with this.
As you all know, I've had this Trachea Tube for about a year and I am getting used to it. It will always be a bother but, it is only a small medical handicap. It requires a certain amount of care and attention each day but, that care and attention has become part of my daily routine.
I was looking at the procedure Dr. Anderson did last Tuesday as the last step in the recovery process. Now that it has come and gone, I have resolved to move on to a new stage of my life. To this end I have really good news for you. I proposed to Dolores the day after the surgery and she accepted. We went shopping that day and I purchased an engagement ring for her and together we also bought wedding bands. We are planning on a small family wedding in the Spring of 2010.
Both Dolores and I are really happy that the cancer episode is behind us now and we are both looking forward to happier and healthier times. I expect that I will see Dr. Filatov on an annual or semi annual basis for the next 3 or 4 years to be sure that there is no recurrence of the dreadful disease.
This blog has become a good way to keep everyone informed and I plan to keep posting on a semi monthly or monthly basis. Until my next posting.
Love to everyone,
Rick
