There is no happy in this new year
It’s 2023, and already I’m ready to tell this year to fuck off.
Actually it started on December 23 when HeadBoy got the results of the biopsy taken a few days before: stage 4 prostate cancer. Yeah. Hey, Merry Christmas.
It was caught very early by our internist who noticed his PSA score was elevated, not by much but enough to order a second test another later. It jumped 2 points. At that time the doctor flipped out and sent HB to an urologist, who ordered the biopsy the week of Christmas who called 2 days before. Getting through the holiday was a little hard. Despite his best efforts he was on edge. Stage 4 means the grade of the tumor, not how big it is or extensive the cancer. The tumor is very small. But the cancer is fairly aggressive. The urologist recommended skipping radiation and chemo and going straight to surgery to take the prostate out. They discussed options (there is a hospital in Florida that does nothing but prostate surgery) but they decided to stay here and allow one of the surgeons in the group who is experienced with this surgery. Finally met with a surgeon this past week. Good guy. He even admitted he had changed a few ways he was doing this surgery on the suggestion of another, and that the outcome was better. Huh, a surgeon who admits he learned something from someone else.
Now comes the waiting. His prostate needs to heal from the biopsy so the earliest the surgery can take place is the last of February. In the meantime he’ll get an MRI of his pelvis and a PET scan to see if the cancer has escaped the prostate.
I’m surprised at how calm I am at all of this. HB is the one with a doom & gloom outlook. I guess I’m letting him vent it and I’m just smiling and telling him it’s going to be all right. On top of all this HeadBoy’s first cousin has inoperable brain cancer. He’s got 6 months, maybe.
JFC, we’re off to a great start. To escape all this shit we’ve been watching a lot of tv and movies. I mean, what else do you do when you’ve got cancer hanging over your lives in the midst of a triple pandemic? I would do one of those life-memes but I’m m just so tired and uncreative these days. I go to work, move books around, come home, try to sleep. Suffice it to say the holiday wasn’t fab.
Some good things have happened. We adopted Boy1’s cats 6 months earlier than we planned. Isla and Alistair are a joy. They’ve quickly adapted to our life and a big dog. Celo has stopped barking at them and I think he’s just a little afraid of them. Neither has hurt him though Isla has whapped his snoot a few times. They now boop noses when they walk by each other. He’s not ready to take a nap with them on top of him but that’s coming.
So that’s the news from here. Hope y’all are doing okay.