A follow up phone call this morning seems to confirm the letter Zachary received yesterday from BYU informing him that he has been accepted into Brigham Young University's Music Dance Theatre (MDT) Department for next year. We're all pretty excited. I was told (no, they didn't wait for Dad to get home before opening the letter) that there was some very loud hootin' and hollerin' when the letter was read. This has been Zach's dream for some time now. MDT is part of Theatre and Media Arts in the Y's College of Fine Arts and Communication. http://music.byu.edu/ya/MDT/
He plans to return in April to audition for their elite Young Ambassadors touring performance group.
http://music.byu.edu/ya/
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
my new gadget
Even though I work in computer support, I'm not as much of a geek as you might think. In fact, my PCs run on old, obsolete hardware that I buy from work which they would otherwise sell by the pound to computer junk dealers. I am seldom one of the first to get the latest electronic gadget. This time may be an exception. This smartphone was announced less than 5 months ago, so its not quite obsolete, yet.
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-smartphones/?tag=dir
http://tinyurl.com/ypsrmq
http://blip.tv/file/427772
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-smartphones/?tag=dir
http://tinyurl.com/ypsrmq
http://blip.tv/file/427772
Friday, February 22, 2008
The doctor has given me 1 week...
Back on January 2nd, I wrote about my initial thoughts regarding chemotherapy.
Today I had my first official office visit with my oncologist (Dr. Holcomb) to discuss adjuvant (post operative) chemotherapy. It seemed fitting that it was a cold, grey, drizzly morning, because its how I was feeling inside. I met with Dr. Holcomb briefly in the hospital while recuperating from surgery. He's been Chief of Hematology/Oncology at UC Irvine Hospital for 11 years and was recently appointed Associate Vice Chancellor for Research. Basically, he is their #1 cancer guy. Here are a couple of reference webpages about him.
We reviewed my case and he pretty much reiterated what he told me before. Since there is no detectable evidence of any remaining cancer (cancer free margins on the colon resection, negative lymph node involvement, normal tumor marker blood tests), statistically speaking a stage 2 colon cancer patient like myself has about an 80% chance of cancer not reoccurring or metastasizing to other organs (ie. liver and/or lungs) for 5 years, during which time I would be in "remission" and after which time I would be classified as "cured". Oddly enough, this does not include the chance of additional polyps (cancerous or otherwise) forming again in the colon. So, there is about a 20% chance of recurrence in other "distant" organs within 5 years.
The doctor lightly recommended that I receive chemotherapy, but isn't going to twist my arm. He told me that if I were his son, he would recommend chemo. He said that I'm "young" and now is the time to do it soon after surgery. If I consent to chemotherapy, my chances for non-recurrence within 5 years increase to about 83%. Another way to look at it is that even with chemo, the changes of recurrence (~17%) are nearly 6 times greater than the chances of the chemo having any positive effect. Hmm.
Other Factors To Consider
The doc is recommending FOLFOX, which is a cocktail of three different drugs.
FOL– Folinic acid (leucovorin) - sometimes called FA
F – Fluorouracil 5FU
OX – oxaliplatin
The drugs would be administered every 2 weeks for 6 months. The drugs are given via a device called a Port-a-Cath that is surgically implanted just under the skin in the upper chest.
This website says the cost of this procedure alone is about $5,000.
Day 1 of each 2-week cycle begins with FOLFOX being administered at their "Infusion Center" for 3-4 hours, after which you go home with a small, portable injection pump still attached to the Port-a-Cath. Patients return to the facility on day 3 to have the needle and injection pump removed. Patients recover from the drugs on days 4-14 before repeating the cycle. Common side effects include fatigue, numbness or tingling in fingers and toes, nausea, and increased risk of infection or illness due to decreased bone marrow.
I figured that chemo was not cheap, but I didn't realize just how expensive it is until I asked. The doctor said that chemo costs about $20,000/month, or in other words, about $10,000 per 2-week cycle. Wow! The doctor said most of the cost is for the medicine itself. Pharmaceutical companies making that stuff must be doing quite well. And we think that a gallon of gasoline is expensive! We would probably exceed our health insurance yearly deductible and out of pocket maximum expense just having the Port-A-Cath installed.
Doctor Holcombe wants me to tell him my decision on whether I will receive chemo by next Friday, which just happens to be leap day, February 29th.
Interestingly enough, I completed my first double century bike ride one year ago this week.
Sorry about the long paragraphs.
For some reason the spaces between paragraphs are repeatedly being removed from this post.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
BOYCOTT BERKLEY!
http://www.boycottberkeley.org/
Dishonorary Hall of Shame members:
City of Berkley Mayor Tom Bates
City of Berkley District 3 Councilman Max Anderson
City of Berkley District 4 Councilwoman Dona Spring
If these city "leaders" attempt to leave the Berkley City limits and enter the United States, they should have their persons and vehicles searched prior to having their U. S. passports confiscated.
Dishonorary Hall of Shame members:
City of Berkley Mayor Tom Bates
City of Berkley District 3 Councilman Max Anderson
City of Berkley District 4 Councilwoman Dona Spring
If these city "leaders" attempt to leave the Berkley City limits and enter the United States, they should have their persons and vehicles searched prior to having their U. S. passports confiscated.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Old age & treachery will overcome youth & skill
My favorite character on the old M*A*S*H TV show from the 1970's and 80's was B.J. Honeycutt. He was the even keeled, seemingly regular guy who was responsible for most of the "anonymous" practical jokes whose humor helped keep everybody sane in a seemingly insane world.
Jayson and Zachary are always telling me that I have no sense of humor because I don't usually don't find their brand of humor amusing. Tonight I got them so good and showed them that their old man has a sneaky and delightful sense of humor.
I brought home a demo cell phone from work for testing to see if I want to upgrade. The boys even saw the phone and commented on how maybe now I might be able to text faster since the phone has a slide out QWERTY keyboard. Its been hard to text with my current phone because it won't let me send text messages to people in my cell phone voice address book, but requires a separate and redundant text message address book, which I didn't want to manually keep in sync. Another reason I have been slow when sending text messages is because I don't practice for hours everyday using a telephone keypad to send cryptic shorthand alphanumerical messages like some people I know.
Part way through the evening, I decided to send both Jayson and Zachary text messages on their cell phones. I thought for sure they'd know it was me because I said something to the effect, "How's THIS for fast texting?" and sent the message several times. I expected them to know it was me. They didn't, because they didn't recognize the cell phone number. They answered back and asked who I was. The hook was set. I had em! I spent the better part of an hour texting both of them and asking them questions and telling them things about themselves that only someone close to them would know. They became more and more annoyed and insisted that I tell them who I was. I gave them so many hints, which went right over their heads. I could hear them laughing and comparing text messages with each other. They kept getting frustrated and asking me to identify myself. They wanted to know how I knew both of them and how did I get their phone numbers. I repeatedly sent the message, "Who's your Daddy?". They didn't get the hint. Finally I made reference to the movie, "Dumb and Dumber", which had been a topic of discussion at a recent family meeting. They still didn't get the hint, but their smart mother, who was seated next to them, immediately recognized the hint and told them that it must be their father. The tumblers must have finally clicked because they both came running into the room where I was. They asked if I had been texting them. I kept a straight face, but eventually they found the new phone on the floor by the side of the desk where I had sort of hidden it. Even though we had a long, good laugh together, I think they were a little sad to have the mystery come to an end. They won't soon forget being the objects of their dear old Dad's practical joke. This one will be told and retold and enjoyed again and again.
Jayson and Zachary are always telling me that I have no sense of humor because I don't usually don't find their brand of humor amusing. Tonight I got them so good and showed them that their old man has a sneaky and delightful sense of humor.
I brought home a demo cell phone from work for testing to see if I want to upgrade. The boys even saw the phone and commented on how maybe now I might be able to text faster since the phone has a slide out QWERTY keyboard. Its been hard to text with my current phone because it won't let me send text messages to people in my cell phone voice address book, but requires a separate and redundant text message address book, which I didn't want to manually keep in sync. Another reason I have been slow when sending text messages is because I don't practice for hours everyday using a telephone keypad to send cryptic shorthand alphanumerical messages like some people I know.
Part way through the evening, I decided to send both Jayson and Zachary text messages on their cell phones. I thought for sure they'd know it was me because I said something to the effect, "How's THIS for fast texting?" and sent the message several times. I expected them to know it was me. They didn't, because they didn't recognize the cell phone number. They answered back and asked who I was. The hook was set. I had em! I spent the better part of an hour texting both of them and asking them questions and telling them things about themselves that only someone close to them would know. They became more and more annoyed and insisted that I tell them who I was. I gave them so many hints, which went right over their heads. I could hear them laughing and comparing text messages with each other. They kept getting frustrated and asking me to identify myself. They wanted to know how I knew both of them and how did I get their phone numbers. I repeatedly sent the message, "Who's your Daddy?". They didn't get the hint. Finally I made reference to the movie, "Dumb and Dumber", which had been a topic of discussion at a recent family meeting. They still didn't get the hint, but their smart mother, who was seated next to them, immediately recognized the hint and told them that it must be their father. The tumblers must have finally clicked because they both came running into the room where I was. They asked if I had been texting them. I kept a straight face, but eventually they found the new phone on the floor by the side of the desk where I had sort of hidden it. Even though we had a long, good laugh together, I think they were a little sad to have the mystery come to an end. They won't soon forget being the objects of their dear old Dad's practical joke. This one will be told and retold and enjoyed again and again.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Valentines Day
I took the day off work to try and make some progress on my personal to-do list, which includes working on wedding invitations, yard work, family history, and bishopric duties.
Kim and I and Jayson enjoyed a nice evening at the temple together, along with two other couples from our ward, where we had the opportunity to perform sealings, on Valentines Day no less. I took the opportunity to sneak a kiss across the altar, which I can't recall doing since Kim and I were married. Speaking of marriage, the sealer that evening, LaMar Baron, is the same man who will perform the marriage ceremony for Jayson and Celeste exactly one month later on March 14th.
We came home to enjoy some Marie Calendar pies Kim had bought ahead of time and unexpectedly found Zach and his date enjoying a candlelight dinner and a movie. Not wanting to intrude, we quickly made other plans and went to Marie Calendars for a late dinner and pie. A word of warning. The pie selection an hour from closing on Valentines Day is rather limited.
Kim and I and Jayson enjoyed a nice evening at the temple together, along with two other couples from our ward, where we had the opportunity to perform sealings, on Valentines Day no less. I took the opportunity to sneak a kiss across the altar, which I can't recall doing since Kim and I were married. Speaking of marriage, the sealer that evening, LaMar Baron, is the same man who will perform the marriage ceremony for Jayson and Celeste exactly one month later on March 14th.
We came home to enjoy some Marie Calendar pies Kim had bought ahead of time and unexpectedly found Zach and his date enjoying a candlelight dinner and a movie. Not wanting to intrude, we quickly made other plans and went to Marie Calendars for a late dinner and pie. A word of warning. The pie selection an hour from closing on Valentines Day is rather limited.
Friday, February 15, 2008
It must be Tuesday.
I can remember (and maybe so can some of you) that a hamburger addict in the old Popeye cartoons named Whimpy is always saying (with a slight British accent), "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today". Eventually we all have to settle with our creditors or those to whom we owe money for services.
The medical bills have been rolling in for services rendered in November and December. I do not know if all the medical professionals and facilities have already submitted invoices for all their services to the insurance company or if more are on the way. 21st Century medical procedures are pretty amazing, but so is the price tag. Wow! All I can say is, Clayton you're getting into the right racket...er I mean profession. My insurance company medical claim summary shows nearly 3 dozen claims in the past 3 months. The bill from my colorectal surgeon alone is...drum roll please...$73,116.00. I expected it to be about 1/10th that much. Since this doctor is associated with the hospital, I sure hope his bill includes the cost for the hospital itself. The total for all claims submitted is a whopping $109,213.70.
Now of course the insurance company talks the medical service providers into discounting their charges somewhat and the insurance company itself covers a good portion of the bill; however, medical services billing is still a black art that completely eludes me, and I suspect most other mortals. I keep asking myself why is medical care so extremely expensive. I know part of the reason is because the costs for all services provided by all health care providers is spread across those who have the ability to pay, including the costs of services for those who do not have insurance or the means to pay themselves. Another reason is that medical professionals (doctors in particular) must prepare for many years and at great expense to acquire the knowledge and expertise to be able to practice medicine in the 21st Century. They deserve fair compensation for their services and their investment in time and money. Another factor in high medical costs are malpractice lawsuits. I agree that medical professionals make mistakes or sometimes are downright negligent, with serious or even fatal consequences to their patients. But should juries award outrageous settlements that make malpractice insurance unaffordable, drives good doctors out of business, keeps many lawyers employed, and greatly increases the costs of medical services for the rest of us? In my own situation, I had to go back into the hospital for an extra week, at great additional cost, because my bowel sutures were not watertight. Should this be a sueable offense even if the doctor has done his best effort?
So, is the answer to more affordable health care costs the adoption of government administered universal health care or socialized medicine? I don't think so. I read where one of the Presidental candidates was talking about forcing everyone to buy health insurance and even garnishing their wages if they didn't do it voluntarily. No thank you! Should all patients, regardless of ability to pay, have unlimited access to all available health care resources? I tend to think not. Should everyone receive basic humanitarian care? Probably. But, if a limit has to be set, where should that line be drawn for people who can't afford to pay? Where is the line for families who can afford to pay or have insurance? To what extent should insurance companies be required to fund medical procedures to attempt to extend the live of of someone one year? One month? One week? Tough questions, I know...but I would enjoy learning what other family and friends think and feel about these financial and morality issues. You are welcome to respectfully share you opinions, even if they differ from my own.
The medical bills have been rolling in for services rendered in November and December. I do not know if all the medical professionals and facilities have already submitted invoices for all their services to the insurance company or if more are on the way. 21st Century medical procedures are pretty amazing, but so is the price tag. Wow! All I can say is, Clayton you're getting into the right racket...er I mean profession. My insurance company medical claim summary shows nearly 3 dozen claims in the past 3 months. The bill from my colorectal surgeon alone is...drum roll please...$73,116.00. I expected it to be about 1/10th that much. Since this doctor is associated with the hospital, I sure hope his bill includes the cost for the hospital itself. The total for all claims submitted is a whopping $109,213.70.
Now of course the insurance company talks the medical service providers into discounting their charges somewhat and the insurance company itself covers a good portion of the bill; however, medical services billing is still a black art that completely eludes me, and I suspect most other mortals. I keep asking myself why is medical care so extremely expensive. I know part of the reason is because the costs for all services provided by all health care providers is spread across those who have the ability to pay, including the costs of services for those who do not have insurance or the means to pay themselves. Another reason is that medical professionals (doctors in particular) must prepare for many years and at great expense to acquire the knowledge and expertise to be able to practice medicine in the 21st Century. They deserve fair compensation for their services and their investment in time and money. Another factor in high medical costs are malpractice lawsuits. I agree that medical professionals make mistakes or sometimes are downright negligent, with serious or even fatal consequences to their patients. But should juries award outrageous settlements that make malpractice insurance unaffordable, drives good doctors out of business, keeps many lawyers employed, and greatly increases the costs of medical services for the rest of us? In my own situation, I had to go back into the hospital for an extra week, at great additional cost, because my bowel sutures were not watertight. Should this be a sueable offense even if the doctor has done his best effort?
So, is the answer to more affordable health care costs the adoption of government administered universal health care or socialized medicine? I don't think so. I read where one of the Presidental candidates was talking about forcing everyone to buy health insurance and even garnishing their wages if they didn't do it voluntarily. No thank you! Should all patients, regardless of ability to pay, have unlimited access to all available health care resources? I tend to think not. Should everyone receive basic humanitarian care? Probably. But, if a limit has to be set, where should that line be drawn for people who can't afford to pay? Where is the line for families who can afford to pay or have insurance? To what extent should insurance companies be required to fund medical procedures to attempt to extend the live of of someone one year? One month? One week? Tough questions, I know...but I would enjoy learning what other family and friends think and feel about these financial and morality issues. You are welcome to respectfully share you opinions, even if they differ from my own.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
reserve March 14th
The invitations are in process and hopefully will be done soon. But until they do arrive, reserve the evening of Friday, March 14th. Jayson is marrying Celeste Diaz of San Angelo, Texas and there will be a reception for them that evening at the LDS Church on Newport Avenue in Santa Ana from 6-8pm.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
I'm back in...the saddle...again
I'm pretty sure it's not quite what Gene Autry had in mind when he was singing those lyrics, but it's appropriate for this blog posting.
I got up early and repaired a broken spoke on the front wheel of my bike and then rode my bicycle today for the first time since my surgery 10 weeks ago today. The neon temperature sign read 34 degrees as I rode the 12.2 miles to work on this beautiful, clear morning. I think that sign has a history of being a couple of degrees too low, but it was still cold enough to need plastic bags inside of two pair of socks, leggings, a wind breaker over my riding jersey, ear band, and ski gloves. I could definitely tell that I've lost a lot of conditioning and leg strength, but at least I made it. No flats, either! The ride home was much warmer and noticeably easier. My legs are a bit sore, but I'll be OK. I plan to ride again tomorrow, weather permitting. A good friend asked me last night how I was doing and I told him that I'm feeling old and that it would be real easy to just coast...coast through my 50's, into a Lazy-Boy recliner and a larger size of clothes as I wait to qualify for a senior citizen discount at all the restaurants. I don't want to go there.
I got up early and repaired a broken spoke on the front wheel of my bike and then rode my bicycle today for the first time since my surgery 10 weeks ago today. The neon temperature sign read 34 degrees as I rode the 12.2 miles to work on this beautiful, clear morning. I think that sign has a history of being a couple of degrees too low, but it was still cold enough to need plastic bags inside of two pair of socks, leggings, a wind breaker over my riding jersey, ear band, and ski gloves. I could definitely tell that I've lost a lot of conditioning and leg strength, but at least I made it. No flats, either!
Friday, February 01, 2008
Kiss Hershey back
I'm pleased and proud of Clayton for his participation in this grass roots community improvement undertaking.
http://kisshersheyback.blogspot.com/
http://kisshersheyback.blogspot.com/
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