My gall bladder is functioning at only 3%. This is apparently not uncommon for someone who went through chemotherapy and lost so much weight so quickly. The extreme punishment my body endured through cancer treatments was not without consequence. My gall bladder was damaged and has since deteriorated. Lovely. Let me start from the beginning. I like spicy food. A lot. To that end, we have a...
I flew to Washington, DC today. Again. It’s what I do. Working for Hooah, I get the opportunity to fly up here a couple of times each month. I work with my clients, my team, and enjoy a town I love dearly. This week, I am lucky enough that my lovely wife, Carey, is able to join me. We barely made the shuttle from the terminal to the rental car counter at DCA. The shuttle was full, but...
Eighteen months ago I was diagnosed with cancer; so began a whirlwind of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Throughout it all my motorcycle sat unused, unloved, and untouched in the driveway. That motorcycle sat, and sat, and sat in the driveway. Never moving. Never getting started. Never getting the attention it needed to stay in running condition. While I was recovering from surgery, my...
Last night was the first meeting of the Orlando chapter of the Voices of Survivors Foundation. It was great to meet and chat with other cancer survivors. I wasn’t prepared for how close and quickly the connection came between survivors. As a mostly solitary man, I have never, in person, shared details of my cancer and survivorship. I use my blog for that. Other survivors immediately...
I have a fat lip – and it’s making me nervous. Yesterday I discovered what felt like a small lump below my lip. It was painful to the touch. It felt like an ingrown hair along the shaving line of my bottom lip. Throughout the day I felt it and it was sore, but there was no visible sign of the zit or ingrown hair. Then, last night, my lip started to swell. Within an hour it looked...
Yep – it’s hit – the cancer anxiety blues. 3 months ago I had a clean PET scan. No signs of cancer. Now I have 3 months to go until I get my next scan. The anxiety is setting in. I am seeing cancer in every little ache and pain. I am getting nervous. I guess this is my life right now. Every six months a PET scan. Every 3 months the worry about the next scan sets in. It’s...
I haven’t blogged in a while; I have been so busy with the holidays and work that i haven’t had a chance to sit down and think. The only reason I am able to do so now is that I am in a hotel room in Washington, DC and have a little insomnia. Six months ago I blogged about how I felt chemo brain may have affected my decision to quit my old job. On the whole, the “fuzziness”...
I was talking to a co-worker yesterday. He is finally getting to know me well enough to talk to me about my cancer. People know I have cancer – that I am a survivor with less than a year of clean scans under my belt – and are understandably hesitant to speak to me about it. My co-worker is in awe of my attitude. He says he thinks I am a hero. He has perused my blogs, he knows a little...
Dealing with cancer is not just a physical challenge. As if surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation weren’t difficult enough, there are scores of mental mind games your cancer plays with you as well. I’ve blogged about both the mental and physical effects my cancer has pummeled me with. I’ve discussed my survivor’s guilt (why did I survive when others with my same kind of...
This is the third post in the “Cancer Support” series, as I have decided to call these blogs. The first and second in the series are: Part 1: Living With Cancer – Understanding Sycophants Part 2: What do Fish and Cancer Have in Common? One of my readers asked me some very good questions last week. She asked me: what if someone truly feels that they are a real supporter…...
Ron Sparks is a technology professional, science fiction and fantasy author and poet living in Zurich, Switzerland. His latest book "ONI: Satellite Earth Series Book 1" is available on Amazon.com.