Cancer Gossip

My support group is pretty cool, like an exclusive club. Well, it’s actually an ‘exclusive club’ because to participate you have to either have the specific PMP form of cancer, something a lot like it, or be the caregiver [usually family] of a PMP patient. But it’s a great group, for a number of reasons, which – to my surprise – now includes some scoops of gossip. I say ‘gossip’ because it’s the kind of information that I cannot certify but find interesting all the same. I don’t mean it in the mean story-telling way that gossip so often entails.

We are, as a group, a bit disappointed in the interest drop by a certain celebrity, who seemed interested in spreading the word getting people informed on PMP, but which interest died out suddenly. More pleasant was the reaction of His Royal Highness Prince Charles, of the House of Windsor and Heir to the Throne of the United Kingdom. One of our members had the good fortune to meet the Prince and his wife the Lady Camilla over in England this month, and His Highness showed a gracious and sincere interest in learning about PMP and its treatment. As we are something of a ‘poor step-child’ in terms of people knowing what PMP is and what one has to do to fight it, attention and support from a luminary of Charles’ magnitude is greatly appreciated, and welcome news indeed.

For those interested, I will be having more tests done on March 9. The whole set, in fact, in order to track the growth and movement of my tumors – like a creepy set of pets, saying it like that. Blood tests for cancer markers, several x-rays, then two CT Scans, all of which is likely to annoy my insurance company. This will be done on the premises of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (or MDA), and the next business day I will have a consultation with Dr. Lambert about my specific condition and the course of treatment. I know the general situation, but the date of my surgery, and just how much cutting needs to be done will be determined by then. As a precaution, before then I will have to make sure all my paperwork is in order – taxes, my will, medical power-of-attorney, et cetera – because as sure as I forget something it will be important.

I am not sure yet how that will affect my blogging. After the surgery I will be in MDA for some time, then after they release me I will need to recuperate at home. That will be a difficult time, as I am never comfortable just sitting around doing ‘dead mime’ impressions. So I figure while I will have to sit around at home, I will still be as busy as I can make myself, which means you poor readers might very well get more blogging, but of a variety of topics and quality. I shall do my best, but if I get too far from the sure anchor of Reason I would be obliged if you point that out to me. Ranting about Liberals, however, will in no way indicate a mental deficiency, so far as I am concerned.

Thanks again to everyone for their continued good wishes and as always, thanks for reading and for your comments.