Been posting on surveying boards since Bob_Plumb and Mark Deal's startup.?ÿ Lots of posts over lots of years, but not too many after I retired.?ÿ ?ÿDon't like making this one.?ÿ
After surviving a very aggressive Stage IV melanoma in November of 2018 I was found NED (no evidence of disease) in February 2020.?ÿ Caner never is "beat"?ÿ you just get a hall pass to not worry so much and go into a maintenance mode of checkups and lookout.?ÿ So the week of December 9 was my last one.?ÿ ?ÿInitially it was looking good, however they found by chance something else very critical that requried immediate and long term action.?ÿ OK, could deal with it a nuisance but caught early.?ÿ ?ÿTHEN one of my biopsies taken that week came back a week later, and BOOM the evil green ball sucking highly staged melanoma is back at all margins of the biopsy sample.?ÿ Mitotic count (how fast its growing) of 10 on a scale of 1-10.?ÿ ?ÿCan't treat it for a couple of reasons, one its not possible with out risking potential instant death by new condition.?ÿ ?ÿCant go after the cancer by surgery because for the medication I am on which is blood thinners.?ÿ ?ÿAdd to that the state of COVID infection and lack of available medical facilities for non-COVID?ÿ treatments, there is no real care that I could get to stop the C. Sucks, trying to figure out a way to McGuiver out of this but haven't got one yet.?ÿ
I am going to Costa Rica in a month for 3 weeks, and back to my cabin in the woods (my happy place and no COVID risk) and then Baja in early?ÿ May with epic fishing at both places.?ÿ After that IDK may just stay there.?ÿ BTW did you know that the rolling week average of COVID infection of the whole COUNTRY of Costa Rica is 78 cases.?ÿ ?ÿLet that sink in.?ÿ Don't wear a mask in public, go to jail.?ÿ ?ÿCountry is 90% vaccinated.?ÿ ?ÿIts possible to mitigate the pandemic.?ÿ
Two requests and take aways:?ÿ ?ÿGET VACINATED NOW if you?ÿ haven't.?ÿ ?ÿWEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN always when outdoors.?ÿ
Melanoma is not just a skin cancer.?ÿ ?ÿIt masks the markers that your immune system uses to determine healthy cells so it can and does go everywhere.?ÿ ?ÿOnce it gets metastasized and goes beyond the lymph nodes it is basically untreatable.?ÿ?ÿ
Going to live life every day and have fun.?ÿ I enjoy this board and the community of people who come and share, comment and lurk, but may not get on too much more if I am busy.?ÿ ?ÿ
Take care of yourselves, don't be like me.?ÿ Carry on.?ÿ
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Hate to hear this Mike.?ÿ Praying for your health, hope your fishing trips are great!
Wishing you the best possible days ahead.?ÿ Seize the day, carpe diem, take one day at a time.............whatever you can do to make each day as positive as you can make it.
A fellow that I have surveyed with over quite a period is in his final days with cancer.?ÿ Was chatting with his older brother this morning.?ÿ He told me that IF his brother lives to the 29th, he will turn 79.?ÿ Last year at this time he was running GPS in the field most days.
Sad news Mike; glad I got to go fishing with you in September...
You're going to have a great time in Costa Rica and Baja!
Best Wishes,
Dougie
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What's that; that Dylan Thomas said...
Sorry to hear this Mike. Best wishes in whatever endeavors you decide to take on. Glad I had the opportunity to meet you, although it was for a very brief time.?ÿ
Mr northern, I??m so very sorry for your Heath issues.?ÿ
Sad news, positive attitude... sending my best wishes and keeping you in my prayers.
Thank you for posting, friend.
don't give up.?ÿ Told my dermatologist that melanoma will do me in - got my mom.?ÿ He told me a few days ago there are some new drugs that do amazing things (probably no good on aggressive, metastasized) - I'm sure you are up on that.?ÿ My niece is a young red headed hemoc who preaches sun protection but is too late for me - and you.?ÿ The iodine, baby oil, sailboats, fishing and the beach did me in.?ÿ Probably not too far behind you.
Fly fishing in costa rica?ÿ should be good for the soul.?ÿ Tamarindo and Playa Flamingo for 10 days (years ago) and hundreds of acres of tuna and some sailfish come to mind.?ÿ Enjoy your trip and don't give up,
Dammit Mike I owe you at least a beer still. I'll be thinking about you and your family, weird sh!t happens, and hell McCain played serve and volley with his for a while. Hope you get that opportunity. Thanks for all your knowledge dumps, I know I've become more educated for them and can't thank you enough.?ÿ
Catch some whoppers share the photos and stories.
The lights are on until you turn them off, and I'm optimistic it will be a while for that.
J
Hope you have many years of fishing and enjoying that cabin.
NS - best karma your way brother
It does suck, sorry to hear about it.?ÿ Sounds like your living right.?ÿ They wrote a song about living each day as if its your last.?ÿ Sky diving, Rocky Mountain climbing, 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu.
I took my sister skydiving for the her first time last year and she was diagnosed shortly after that with cancer.?ÿ She's been as active as she feels like it in cowboy mounted shooting and Florida beaches etc etc.?ÿ When I came down with it a few years back, I spent more time on horseback than ever, and my clients did not come first.?ÿ Every sunny day was a "me" day.
Laws no longer apply to you.?ÿ They can't eat you.?ÿ Don't be bashful about taking whatever is necessary to be comfortable.
Praying peace to you. Enjoy everything you can and leave all of yourself on the field of life.
That does suck, man.?ÿ Puts a lot of things in perspective.
Good luck, hope it doesn't end up being as grim as you're thinking
@hpalmer yes my first round I was using a new mix of immunotherapy drugs including Optivo which you may see on TV ads now that they are using on other cancers too.?ÿ ?ÿNeed to get the tumors out first although they are using it for unoperarable tumors after it gets out of the lymph nodes.?ÿ Thanks
Hoping for the best outcome possible.?ÿ
Enjoy your travels! Cheers!
Thanks for all the kind thoughts and replies.?ÿ ?ÿGetting the plane ready to fly to town and get my wife for the Christmas celebration.?ÿ Fortunately nothing of my conditions and medications disqualify me from flying under the Basic-Med privileges.?ÿ?ÿ
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Only 5 hours 20 minutes of daylight so its a dance.?ÿ?ÿ
I know what you're going through.?ÿ I have my own that I'm trying to get treated.?ÿ Best of luck to you and yours.
So sad to hear this news, Mike. I can only hope that under similar circumstances, I would do as you and live each day to the fullest. I'm a bit surprised that surgery is not an option because you are on blood thinners. I am on Pradaxa for DVTs and PEs but was told that if a surgical procedure was ever required that I could stop taking it a couple of days before the surgery. Pradaxa has a half-life of 13 hours, so it is basically gone in 3 days. I don't know which blood thinner you are taking and whether you are taking it to treat DVTs/PEs or afib.
And thank you for taking the time to include the PSA on sunscreen. Melanoma kills far too many land surveyors.
