Paradise waits...

About a month ago I went to my cancer urologist for a long overdue check-up. Somehow I spaced on 2025. Unfortunately she found a new mass in my bladder, not sure if it is a big deal or not. So just to reiterate, for those of you scoring at home, I first got kidney, ureter and bladder cancer in 1985, lost a bunch of my left kidney and had about ten separate surgeries for literally hundreds of bladder tumors.

Wanting to find a more systemic approach to curing my cancer problem I switched doctors and started seeing Dr. Joe Schmidt at UCSD, our local teaching hospital. I became part of the first BCG research study.

Fast forward to 2009, the cancer returned to my kidney and I had the rest of it removed by my original doctor, now deceased, John Greisman. He accidentally cut an abdominal nerve , which gives me my present asymmetric Quasimodo like shape, my guts having fallen out on my left side. It's a good look.

Seven years ago, in 2019 my cancer returned. All the experts, including the man at Scripps Encinitas, Juma and USC Keck, said that I would have to have my entire bladder and prostate removed and would be peeing out my belly button the rest of my life on account of a new neo-bladder fashioned out of my large intestine.

I said no fucking way.

Juma actually told me that I was toast, he misread some liver masses, basically told me to call my friends and loves up and say goodbye.

Instead, I found an expert in Hillcrest, Carol Salem, and pleaded with her to get me back on BCG. She listened and I have bought myself seven years of pissing the old fashioned way with her help. 

God bless her.

I have had stage four tumors in the bladder wall several times in the interim but she has taken really good care of me and here I still am. We switched from BCG to a newer chemotherapeutic agent and have actually had better and less painful results.

For some reason the cumulative effects of the BCG knocked me on my ass and I am also very prone to urinary infections post infusion.

Last night we drove to Coronado to stay with Chip and Cecilia because I had an early 5:30 call at the hospital in Hillcrest. Had a last supper at a Thai place in Imperial Beach. Got up at 4:30 a.m. and made ready for my day, got there on time.

My doctor showed up around seven and I told her that I was pretty stressed out because I am usually worthless for three days after the procedure and in a lot of pain but I had to pack for the next round of shows which are coming up quick.

She made a management decision and the right call to hold off on the chemo for now. I will try to reschedule for early March before Texas.

Great nurses today, nice woman anesthesiologist. I asked her to be put under to the dulcet strains of the Grateful Dead's Help on the way and was whisked into LaLa land on a nice familiar ship.

I was discharged a few hours later. Haven't checked the biopsy results yet, might wait for her to tell me. Ignorance and bliss, you know? Leslie and I went to Jasmine at opening for some fresh dim sum, hot off the presses.

I actually feel really good, better than usual. Napped all day will try to get a couple things done tomorrow if I am not too miserable. I wonder how I will feel when the drugs all wear off?

Show must go on!