Well shoot, my CT exam on January 8th came back with similar results to the cancer found during my first CT I had done last May.  My last two CT exams showed great improvements, until now.  My surgery has now been canceled. Bummer! I met with my medical oncologist today. He is recommending a new round of chemotherapy, which may last another 3 or 4 months.  If I am lucky,  after chemo 2 months to recover, surgery, then 2 months to recover again.  Just another 8 months.  I have to ask myself, can I do it?  Am I willing to go through this again?  During the last chemotherapy I felt like crap, all of the time.   After meeting with my oncology team over the last few days, I feel a little bit better about my chances of survival. They seem optimistic that I will respond favorably. Here's to more months of fatigue, neuropathy, flu like symptoms, and nausea. The treatments are in Spokane every two weeks. The infusion chemotherapy is delivered over 4 hours, then home with an infusion pump connected to a subdermal port surgically placed in my chest. I wear the pump for 72 hours, then have it disconnected at the local hospital.  Rinse and repeat. I will keep trying. "Don't give up before the miracle," they say. I would love to be witness to anyone's miracle. It seems selfish to pray for myself with so many people out there going through their own medical, financial, and mental woes. So, I will keep praying for those in need of a miracle. All the while, willing and praying this disease from my body.  I am making some healthy changes (diet, meditation, and exercise) to assist in this fight.  The fight is on!  I hope you are not all prayed out.  I need you now more than ever.  Donations gladly excepted.  

I will keep you updated.

Peace be with you,

Rick

Hello to whomever is listening. The stent replacement went well. I am no longer straining painfully to pee. It still hurts to pee but not nearly as bad. Thank God for small miracles 🙏 . I have been actively weaning myself off of the pain killers. I just got the call for my surgery date. January 17th seems like a good day for some prayers and well wishes 🙏. I will have the pleasure of receiving my surgery via AI and a robot called De Vinci. I really do not trust robots but I have heard that people have had good results with it. I can't wait to get get this behind me and start the recovery phase. Even more so, going back to work soon there after. My boss has already put me on the schedule February 27th. I might have to push that out a few weeks, but back to work I will go. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the well wishes and donations. While I am barely hanging in there financially I am going to make it, even if I have to max out some credit cards. Because, of course my lower denture broke. That will be another $3000.00 to fix. New Year new $3300.00 deductible for my insurance of which costs $1900.00 a month. It is all a little overwhelming but just two more months to go and I should have financial security again. Love you all. Happy New Year, may you be well and prosper during 2025.

Rick

Eight months, two weeks, and five days. On November 25th, I had the privilege of ringing the bell at the cancer center. I completed chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It was a horrible experience, and I would not recommend it to anyone. Except for those that really need it. Still, the cancer therapies were nothing compared to the stent. Still vary painful, still not sleeping throughout the night. My doctors have been trying to help. Welcome to the world of narcotics, steroids, and antispassam medications. The meds do help a little bit. I have been having exacerbated symptoms during the last two weeks of radiation therapy to current. I started steroids last week, they seem to be helping. I am having less painful urinations at times. I am now in the lay low period, getting tests and exams done before my surgery in what has now become the end of January. When the surgeon told me 8-12 weeks of rest after radiation, I automatically went with 8 weeks when she was thinking 12 weeks. I just want this done and get back to work. On Thursday the 19th, the urologist will he replaing the stent in the OR under general anesthesia. I could use a few prayers for this procedure as I am scared out of my mind. So many things can go wrong between the kidney and the bladder with a tumor sitting on my urater.  

I have been off work over six months, and my employer of 15 years canceled my health/life/vision and dental insurances for my wife and I. My human resources website states that they could extend short-term disability except my employer denied my petition to extend short-term disability. So, now I am on long-term disability and Cobra plus life insurance takes up 3/4s of that check. Basically I am down to 1/4th of my income. All of this bullsift while fighting for my life. I will be digging myself out of a hole when this is all done.  

I am very thankful for the donations as they are the reason I most likely won't lose my home before getting back to work.  

Thank you again,

Rick

Well here we are it has been 6 months 5 days and 6 hours since this avoidable stage 4 cancer happened to me.  Ladies and gentlemen please get your colon screening and exams done at the appropriate times.  Colon cancer sucks!  I can't stress this enough.  I still, have not, slept through the night since May 5th 2024.  The pain is still unbearable, now exacerbated by the radiation therapy.  Right now I am having trouble just walking, forget getting anything done around the house.  Besides driving to my appointments, I pretty much have to lay flat.  That helps the most when it flares up.  Thankfully I have my family here asking if there is anything they can do to help.  I am blessed.  I have now completed 3 weeks of radiation therapy.  Just two more weeks of this then I will have two months to heal.  Next in January they will cut me open and remove the tumor and any thing else that looks sus.  I am barely hanging in there and I feel that I am at an all time low.  I have no choice, except for to persevere.  I am having plenty of talks with God and am open to his healing hands of protection.  Tomorrow is a new day, and I am honestly looking forward to it.  One day closer to good health and life as we know it.  

I wish only the best for you and yours.  I will keep you all updated through this.  I would appreciate any and all positive thoughts and prayers to lessen my pain, lifting me up to deal with this head on.

Rick

I started radiation therapy today. I am in Spokane for five weeks. Monday through Friday. I received a grant through Cancer Care Northwest for 4 weeks of hotel stay at the Continental Hotel. It looks fancy. I will update you soon on how it is going with the Radiation therapy. Thank you again for the prayers and donations. I couldn't have gotten this far without you.

I am still alive. It's been 5 months already of pure . I have always worked fulltime plus overtime since I was 16 years old. This has been hard for me to not be able to work. Just doing chores around the house takes a lot out of me. If I push it, attempting more strenuous activities, I end up resting for a day and pee blood for a little while. It still burns every time I pee, then comes the intermittent stabbing pain for about a half hour. This is from the stint in my left ureater. I still have not slept through the night in five months. Talk about the living dead, I feel it. Mind you I do have about an hour and a half where I feel OK. Every two hours day or night.  

I have finally completed chemotherapy. I am on a one month break between chemo and radiation therapy. Radiation therapy with low dose chemo starts next week, it will be daily treatments for five weeks in spokane. I will be hoteling it. Have you seen the prices of hotels these days! I am looking for a room to stay in spokane at someone's house preferably. There is some possibilitys I am checking out over the next few days. Next Tuesday I will finally get a schedule for my radiation/chemo therapy.  

I just completed a CT and Pet scan CT today. The tumor has shrunk from 4.8cm down to 2.6 cm. The lympnodes climing up to my heart have shrunk as well. There is one stubborn lympnode that is still swollen, it is sitting right on my left ureater. So, no stint removal for me. Dang! I really want that thing out. I talked the the surgeon yesterday. She told me that there will be a two month recovery period after radiation therapy. It looks like my surgery will happen around January 9th. Then two months of recovery time. The stint is to stay in throughout the recovery time. Did I say "dang" already!!  

I will lose my medical insurance at the end of October. I am now researching prices for insurance for my wife and I. I have seen cobra insurance prices in the past. Cobra seemed really expensive at the time. I will update the prices in my next update.

The hard earned money you donated and prayers towards my battle with cancer has been and will be instrumental to me beating this. It gives me some relief of my financial burdens and gives me strength to concentrate on the fight. Speaking of such, my transmission just went out in my truck, cost to repair is $5500.00. It's an older truck and worth the repair as it is in good shape otherwise. I have no choice except to fix it, as it is the only way my wife has to get off this mountain while I am in spokane getting treatment. My other vehicle had repairs around the same costs right when this started back in May. I just need to catch a break. Hopefully, the break I get is my health. I appreciate and thank all those who have prayed and those who have donated to me and my family.

Rick

Here is the latest:

Please don't ever skip a colenoscopy when it is your time to get one.

I have a 9cm tumor in the colorectal area that blocked my bowel movements.  They emergently placed a colostomy above the cancer and place a stint in my left ureathra to save my kidney.  That was three months ago.  Now I deal with severe painful urination that happens every 1.5 to 2 hours whether I like it or not.  I literally have not slept through the night since May 5th.  There is nothing they can do about removing the stint until the chemo shrinks the tumor. 

I was not prepared for this.   I should have had a nest egg for times like these.  Instead I have had a lot of expenses at about the same time as this happening.  Repairs to my vehicles, now travel for treatments and hotel expenses.  After chemo therapy I will need to stay in spokane for four weeks to get radiation therapy.  In October I should have my surgery, which will have an eight week recovery time.  I have nearly exhausted my PTO and am now on short term disability.  This has reduced my income by 40%.  Short term disability ends in October.  After that I will have no income or possibly social security disability.  My goal is to get back to work as soon as possible.  Your gifts of prayers and money to me and my family is very much needed and we are very grateful.