Are you sitting down

Yoski from Vanderhoof where it is sunny and brisk (-14C),

First, the very best news. Dr. Filatov called on the evening of Wednesday Jan. 20th and advised that the results from the biopsy came back NEGATIVE!!!! NO CANCER!!!! I was so relieved and excited I had trouble calming down so I could take my final "tube feed" of the day. It was like a 10 ton burden was lifted from shoulders. I cannot even begin to tell you how good it made me feel inside.

Now for the next piece of good news. Dolores and I are going to get married on Friday evening Feb. 12, 2010. We bought the marriage license yesterday and contacted a Marriage Commissioner who will perform the ceremony here at the farm at 7:30 ish on the 12th. I had wanted to have the marriage on Feb. 14th but, Milton will be away on that day. Martha (mother), Milton, David and his significant other Michelle will be in attendance. For those of you who wanted to celebrate with us, you will get a 2nd chance in the summer of this year when we will re-confirm our vows at a gathering/party/celebration here at the farm (date to be determined).

So! Having given you the really good big news, I will sign off and promise to provide a more complete update over the course of the next few days.

Until then, love and hugs.

Rick and Dolores

Gotta get some rest

Hi everyone,

A short post this evening. Tomorrow I have a 10:00 AM appointment at Prince George Regional Hospital to have and ECG and a discussion with the Anesthetist before a second biopsy is done on my Fistula on Thursday Jan. 14th. Dr. Filatov called us on Friday morning to tell us that the biopsy tissue from the first procedure was "crushed" and the results were inconclusive. thereby setting up the need for a 2nd biopsy. This time I will undergo full anesthetic thus the meeting tomorrow.

I guess I'm not surprised as, these things happen with great frequency. Just means two more trips to PG (125 KMs each way). Tomorrow we will stop off at Prince George Auto Wreckers and purchase 2 leaf springs for our 1992 Chev 1 Ton Pick Up truck. A local repair shop will then install them and the truck will be like new, heheheheheheh. Also I purchased a new Easy Boy Recliner type of chair from Brad and the Brick to make those 6 hours a day on the tube feed seem more comfortable and we'll get that tomorrow as well.

That's it for now later in the week I'll post more.

Love and Hugs.

Rick

Yikes! No food or water!

Good evening everyone,

Today was a big day for Dolores and I and by 10:45 AM we were
were approaching Prince George and my 11:15 AM appointment at Prince
George Regional Hospital. As it happened the the biopsy procedure was delayed
until 12 noon and then Dr. Filatov, a charge nurse and Dolores went to
work on me. The actual surgical time was about 30 minutes and I felt
no pain either during or after the biopsy. Dr. Filatov was able to
move the procedure up from the 7th to today because of other surgical
cancellations. My good fortune. Of course this was all made necessary when

Dr. Filatov discovered that I have a perforation connecting the proximal the

trachea and the esophagus. Said another way I have a "Fistula" or a hole

between the Trachea and the esophagus. Youch, if that sounds bad you

should try sitting in my shoes these days.

We now wait 5 to 7 days for the analysis of the biopsy to be completed
and I hope you all have your collective fingers crossed. It has been a
very difficult few days for me. I know how much each of you enjoy
your food and drink. Well! Try going cold turkey and having absolutely

no food or drink orally. It is a shock to the system and it has been hard to
adjust to it. But, of course I have no choice it has to be done. Dr.
Filatov is actually quite surprised that I have not come down with
"aspiration" pneumonia. When I think back on all the difficulties I
have been having when eating and drinking during the past few
weeks/months, I wonder how I have managed to avoid it as well.

To help me live and to forgo all food and water taken orally, I had a

Gastric tube inserted through the stomach wall and a hole was punched

through my chest wall and WahLah! I now take all nourishment through the

G-Tube.

I am worn out completely tonight, dead dog tired. I slept very poorly
last night and tonight I will take 1/2 of one of Dolores' little "blue
sleepers". I was weighed this morning and came in at 163, a nice
little bit of recovery from the 160 lbs. of a couple of days ago. I'm
on my second and third cans of "tube feed" for today and likely will
only get 4 down before bed. I had to fast from midnight on this
morning and had my first tube at 12:30 this afternoon. Taking
nourishment like this is slow and tedious and really difficult at
times like this. If I run the drip to fast, I get an upset stomach
and "vomit" all the food back up and that is really a waste of time
and money.

My mind is slipping away as I type. I'll post this and if necessary I'll add to

it tomorrow. Good night all and Lots of love and hugs from the "holey" one.

Bye for now,

Rick