Bob

      Gotta love those pain killers, just don't get too used to them.  

How's Bob doing? Hope all is well Bob!!  

Me to, its almost a week ago now?

I'm also concerned for Bob's health. His profile says "last online 58 hours ago" so I imagine he is under orders to rest.

Chris Graham said

… I imagine he is under orders to rest.

Since I am a "…glass half empty" sort of guy, I tend not to 'push' an issue that may have a negative result.

But, along with the rest of the peeps in this Forum, I am assuming an optimistic outcome, especially if Bob has actually logged in recently!

 

I hope we hear from him soon, even if it is just to say he needs more time to recouperate.

yeah I am seriously starting to get worried! I pray he is ok.

I will join you in that prayer, Duck.

Thanks to all-

I'm alive and kicking - sort of. I was discharged from the hospital on 8/7 after a 20 day stay. As expected, the biopsy revealed a malignancy - diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that is/was growing very aggressively (it had grown significantly between the initial CT scans in June and my biopsy in July). That is basically the bad news. Although these tumors are usually found when they are already stage III or IV, I am fortunate that I am presented at stage I with type A (asympotomatic). I'm extremely lucky as I went to the hospital because I was losing consciousness and they found the tumor; the only explanation for the fainting is that the tumor would occasionally press against the aorta and block blood flow to the head long enough to faint. All other cardiological and neurological tests are okay.

I started chemo for the lymphoma while in the hospital and seem to tolerate it well with the exception that I feel fatigued a lot.This has been exacerbated by the number of doctor's visits I've had since I've been discharged.  I have 5-7 more courses of this chemo.  It is a very aggressive treatment to address a very aggressive tumor.

I met with the oncologist who will oversee my treatment on 8/15. Due to having another chronic medical condition, I will also need to receive 6 courses of another chemo regimen to protect against the cancer metastasizing  to my brain or spinal cord. I have to receive this treatment separately through interthecal injection (basically a spinal tap except they add the drugs instead of drawing cerebral spinal fluid). I'm advised that this regimen is more likely to cause side effects and increase fatigue due to receiving so much chemo.

The oncologist had not yet received all my test results so she could not provide a prognosis yet. However, I am in great hands with a doctor who really knows her stuff at a facility associated with University of California at San Diego, one of the best cancer research universities in the US. This will provide access to trials should that become necessary and they have already done DNA profiling on the tumor to see if they can possibly add targeted therapies. I am fortunate to also have a pulmonologist from Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles (they found two very small nodules on my right lung which look to not be involved)  and another oncologist from the UCLA medical center for getting second opinions.

Although I feel generally well (at least until I start the brain chemo), I do tire easily which is the reason it has taken so long to make an appearance here. I plan on getting back into the forums as my time and health permits.

Although I have not received a formal prognosis my iron constitution (my appetite has actually increased since starting chemo and I have suffered no weight loss) and the fact that I worked out seems to be helping me to stay well (except for the soreness I still have from the internal bruising as my doctor told me he had never had to cut through so much muscle when doing a thoracoscopy).

I am really excited to see that v9 is released and it appears we have some great new members in the community.

I'm looking forward to being a part of this community for years to come and really appreciate the kind thoughts and prayers.

Bob

Very happy to see your still kicking! I am praying and hoping that at the end of the day you come out of this well. You've been missed around here. Welcome back and please keep us updated.

I am also looking forward to your being a member of this community for years to come. I will keep you in my prayers. Thanks for the update, Bob. Stay strong.  

Well, I just caught up with all the unread posts - it feels great. And I am looking forward to the opportunity to contribute and nag the community for a long time.

Just as I have benefited greatly from the ocPortal family for a long time, I hope I can always offer some benefits back to this great group of people.

I'll be more than strong. One of the oncology nurses who took care of me in the hospital said I had the type of feisty spirt that bodes well for dealing with the journey that cancer treatment. I can hardly wait to proclaim a few years down the road that I am a cancer survivor.

Bob

Good to hear from you, Bob.

I hope it all goes well.

Welcome Bob, and you are a fighter! Positive thinking is the way to win the match.

Harry

WB, Bob.

I'm sure you will be 'monitored' by your nearest and dearest, but try to avoid the temptation of feeling you have to throw yourself into forum discussions the way you did prior to this glitch in your health.

Look forward to 'crossing swords' in the very near future …!!

 

You have been missed, Bob!

Good to hear you are reacting well to your treatments. Knowing that you are still all there, and with a positive outlook for your future is certainly a great relief.

Wishing you the best healing!
Jean

Welcome back Bob.

Very glad to hear that you are on the mend.

Thanks again to everyone for the kind remarks.

I hope to be able to spend more time here in the forums but I have a lot of catching up to do. I need to get my site which is currently at 8.1.1. updated to 8.1.3, I then need to start playing with v9 and work toward implementing that. I also need to start updating content on the site.

Finally, I need to update my computer to the latest release of OS X and upgrade whatever software might be affected. That's gotta wait until I get back my local hard drive with my backups which is in for repair.

Busy, busy when you add in all the doctor appointments/treatments.

But I sure as heck am happy to be back here. I feel like I missed so much in the time gone and I really enjoy the camaraderie of this forum.

Bob

BobS said

• I then need to start playing with v9 and work toward implementing that.
• But I sure as heck am happy to be back here … I really enjoy the camaraderie of this forum.

1. A WARNING about version 9: it will cause you a headache if you simply want to implement the 'cutting edge' release without realising that you may will certainly need to rebuild your theme AND site ←(many template changes necessitate you rebuilding the darn thing). I am in the throes of attempting to port across the theme and data of my live site to a version 9 clean install, and it is giving me cause to get grumpy!

2. You're just an ocPortal FanBoy; probably more of an old 'ocP-junkie'!

 

Fletch said

BobS said

• I then need to start playing with v9 and work toward implementing that.
• But I sure as heck am happy to be back here … I really enjoy the camaraderie of this forum.

1. A WARNING about version 9: it will cause you a headache if you simply want to implement the 'cutting edge' release without realising that you may will certainly need to rebuild your theme AND site ←(many template changes necessitate you rebuilding the darn thing). I am in the throes of attempting to port across the theme and data of my live site to a version 9 clean install, and it is giving me cause to get grumpy!

2. You're just an ocPortal FanBoy; probably more of an old 'ocP-junkie'!

 

1) Yeah, I read through all the forum posts regarding upgrading to version 9. My plan is to get my site upgraded to 8.1.3 and then to develop a v9 site in parallel, possibly doing some work on the theme given it is broken anyway.

2) True dat, and I wear it as a badge of honor.

Bob