My Use Of Carac – Fighting Skin Cancer

Fluorouracil cream and topical solution are used to treat actinic or solar keratoses (scaly or crusted lesions [skin areas] caused by years of too much exposure to sunlight). Fluorouracil cream and topical solution are also used to treat a type of skin cancer called superficial basal cell carcinoma if usual types of treatment cannot be used. Fluorouracil is in a class of medications called antimetabolites. It works by killing fast-growing cells such as the abnormal cells in actinic keratoses and basal cell carcinoma.

During the first few weeks of treatment, the skin lesions and surrounding areas feel irritated and look red, swollen, and scaly. This is a sign that fluorouracil is working.

In my case, after using this cream for 12 days, I am starting to look like Homer Simpson’s boss, Charles Montgomery Burns. And it is becoming so sensitive to the touch even wearing a hat is now not comfortable.

So, as I make my way through airports, fly to far flung places and meet folks during the this and the weeks to come while trying to stay focused on what I do for a living, I expect to feel like something out of a horror movie.

But, this is the best course of action for me and if I scare a few people, tough. I am standing up to cancer…

One Way To Stand Up To Cancer – Get Tested When and Where it Counts

Because I neither requested nor received permission from my brother to tell this story, I shall refrain from identifying him by name or divulge which brother this is about.

My brother’s life may have been saved by a simple, routine medical procedure that anyone over the age of 50 have, no strike that, MUST have, a colonoscopy. There I said it. Nasty thing that it is, this one medical test is one of the most hated and intentionally avoided of all medical tests people avoid. And it saves lives. Case in point, my brother.

My much, much, much, much, much, much older brother is over…70. That’s all I’ll say for now. And, when he told me several weeks ago he was not feeling all that well and experiencing some unusual symptoms that involved his lower bowel, I asked him when he last had a colonoscopy. His response? “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Now my brother is not undereducated, stupid or poor. He does not live in rural America and can read. He is a professional who has spent his entire life being informed about many things, including managing his health. Up until recently, he has done an outstanding job.

While my brother has had a few bouts with some minor issues over the years, nothing thus far has been life threatening. And when I got that wimpy response I did not just go away into the night and allow him to get “off the hook”. I insisted he get the test done, and, the sooner the better.

Where are we now? He had the colonoscopy and afterward learned he had a 3 centimeter cyst in his lower bowel that, while pathology from the test indicated was not necessarily cancerous, tests also showed some other “abnormal cells” in the area. It needed to be removed, surgically.

My brother moved swiftly to get the procedure out of the way, before he had too much time to think about it. That was the right thing to do. The complex laparoscopic procedure required two surgeons and several hours on the operating table followed by being in the hospital for almost a full week. During his recovery at the hospital and now at home, he is finding out that surgery, on any level, is neither fun nor easy in terms of full recuperation.

BUT, here’s the kicker to this story. This past week, my brother went back to see the surgeon for routine follow up. It was during that meeting he learned something that set him back off his chair. The final pathology came back and the fact is, he has…or had…cancer. Stage II cancer.

Here is the good news. All of the lymph nodes which were removed during surgery have been reviewed by pathologists and found to be cancer free. So, what is the bottom line? My brother had cancer before he knew it. His colonoscopy showed there was something not quite right and he elected to have a cyst removed – in a procedure that required surgery. That has not only extended his life but may have saved it.

Had he elected to avoid the colonoscopy in the next couple of years, he would have developed symptoms consistent with State III or Stage IV cancer and it would have been, too late. Period. The end would have been devastating for him and his entire family.

He is now consulting with an oncologist to determine if he should do anything further this year before getting another colonoscopy next year. Chemotherapy would have been ordered in the old days but the fact part of his colon was removed, the part that had cancer, and the fact all of the lymph nodes which were removed were “clear” may allow him to skip that treatment. Because he was proactive and acted quickly, he may now be able to resume normal life for a person who up until now has never come this close to a complete health involved disaster.

My message is simple. Tests are available to men and women to make sure all our body parts are functioning correctly. I have previously stated my mother died because of lung cancer. I have previously stated my wife’s mother is battling cancer. I have previously stated I have been doing on-going battles with skin cancer. Now my brother has had a very close call with colon cancer.

I attended a wake recently and reminded a friend with me in the room funerals are for the living. The dead are not really aware we are there (sorry to step on toes here).

If you love your family, get tested.

Super Bowl Sunday…So What?

So this is the big day, the day millions of football fans have been waiting for all year. What’s that? You say we have a problem here? I agree.

Today it’s the Packers against the Steelers. Great names. What do they mean? Are the Packers…packin’? Are the Steelers…steelin’? Nope, neither is.

This is a year when no team from any of the most populous states (California, New York, Texas or Florida) is playing. We don’t have a repeat opportunity as neither team won last year.

The Packers and Steelers are wholesome blue collar mid-west teams, from way back when football all got started. So who cares? Nobody. That is unless you are from the geographical area of either team, which represent fairly small media markets compared to teams on the coasts and from much larger cities…

So, here’s the thing. I think those companies that paid all that money to advertise on the most watched sports day of the year, many just to see the whacky new and highly anticipated commercials, are going to be sadly disappointed in the ratings today. Many people can’t watch because they are still fighting the continuing bad weather issues moving across the country. Even the folks that went to party in Dallas were rudely received by some really bad weather this week.

I have some interest in the Super Bowl this year, in the following order. I enjoy seeing new and clever commercials that make me laugh. The Packers are a wild card team that was not figured to make it through the playoffs (remember Brett Farve left there a few years ago). And truth be told, I would love to see Ben Roethlisberger get his butt kicked and have to eat dirt. Yeah, that’s motivation.

So, raise that Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst Blue Ribbon if you are from Wisconsin and your Iron City Beer if you are from Pittsburgh. You know what, the truth is, the real old and most famous beers, more of them, at least, are from Wisconsin. So, I predict the Packers will win. Besides, I want to see Ben Roethlisberger get his butt kicked and have to eat dirt. Oh, yeah – I already said that.

Enjoy the game. And the commercials. Someone has to watch, right?

The NEW Bermuda Triangle: Your Doctor, Your Retail Pharmacy and Your Medical Insurance Company

If you think you are in control of how you manage your health, you are in denial or not well informed. You and your health care provider may come to a mutual decision about your taking a certain, specific medication and he or she can write a prescription for you to obtain it, but you still may not be able to get it. Neither you nor your doctor are in control of that decision. Your insurance company is.

More and more medical insurance companies are turning to third party pharmaceutical partners to handle the dispensing of the medications you take. And they have the power to prevent you from receiving the medication your doctor ordered for you, at least using a reasonable co-pay. They can go so far as to specifically tell you what other drug you CAN have.

I just tried to obtain a re-fill of a medication I have been taking for a few months which is working for me. But it has no generic format. My medical insurance provider made a change on my behalf January 1st passing off the responsibility for approving my monthly maintenance medications and other drugs I may need, approved and requested by my physician, to a company that uses a secret formula to determine if they will approve the prescription – MONEY.

For the past few days I have been talking to my pharmacy, who has told me my re-fill was “blocked” by my insurance company. I called my insurance company and they said I needed to talk to my doctor to get “prior authorization” and have him send it back to the pharmacy. I did that. BUT, it turns out my insurance company is not involved in the decision to approve what my doctor wants me to have. It is another company that is in control and they want me to have something else. And, they have the legal power to do this.

For the record my insurance company is Aetna. And, for the record they are now using some company called Express Scripts to approve or deny the prescriptions my doctor and I agree I should be taking. I just spoke to someone at Express Scripts. The person I spoke to admitted they blocked my re-fill because it had no generic formulary. Therefore they want me to call my physician and have him call them back with a prior authorization for a completely different medication Express Scripts says I can have. Isn’t that great?

People were concerned about Communism and Socialism in the 1950s but that fear went away along with the bomb shelters people were building in their back yards. We have a much larger problem than the Russians today, big pharmaceutical companies dictating to us, through third party administrators working with our insurance companies as to what we can obtain, at a reasonable cost (read: co-pay).

I am mad as hell and yet…I am stuck. I have had to acquiesce to the terms dictated to me today by a drug pusher (not the doctor) – a company that does not know me and never met me has decided what is best for me. Do I sound pissed? The most difficult part of writing this was using language that is acceptable and not offensive to the weak at heart.

Nobody, and I mean nobody had better get in my way today...damn it all…

You Reap What You Sow

Tea Bag candidates and conservative Republicans campaigned on the message that tax and spend liberals were responsible for the current state of the economy and they were going to “fix” it. They scared the elderly by saying Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid were not safe in the hands of Democrats. But they vowed to do what ever was necessary to roll back spending and make cuts where needed to bring our country’s debt under control.

The fact that the economy, as proven by many indicators, is actually and has been improving over the past year (have you checked out the stock market lately?), and, while employment in the private sector is increasing at the same time government jobs are being eliminated, mostly through attrition, thus reducing the size of government, these facts have gone relatively unnoticed and certainly ignored by both the American people and those whom they just elected.

It is the morning after, by just more than a week, and even before taking office, some newly elected and triumphant Tea Bag backed winners who successfully knocked out their incumbent opponents are already putting their cards on the table.

Here is a brief (incomplete) sample of some deficit cutting they would like to see:

Social Security: Increase Social Security retirement age; Lower cost-of-living increases, Raise the threshold on the amount of income subject to the Social Security payroll tax.

Taxes: Overhaul individual income taxes and corporate taxes; For individuals and families, eliminate a host of tax credits and deductions; Reduce income tax rates, with the top rate falling from 35 to 23 percent (from where will the government derive income?); Reduce the corporate income tax rate to 26 percent from 35 percent and stop taxing the overseas profits of U.S. Based multinational corporations.

Domestic Spending: Freeze Defense Department salaries and bonuses for three years, and non-combat military pay at 2011 levels for three years; Double Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ proposed cuts in defense contracting; Reduce overseas bases by one-third, cut spending for base support and integrate children in military families into local schools; Cut public broadcasting funds.

Healthcare: At a minimum, limit or eliminate the tax-free status of employer-provided health benefits; Limit annual cost increases for Medicare and Medicaid to no more than one percent above the growth rate of the economy; Cap malpractice jury awards.

Get ready for a rocky road ahead…we are going into Reverse…

The True Natural Wish Of Any Parent – The Happiness Of Their Children

Our trip to Frisco, Texas was too short. But Maxine and I come away with our hearts filled with the joy and knowledge that Sharon and Dave are not just happy together. In my opinion, they are the PERFECT modern, real life couple.

That is saying a lot. Everyone knows at least one married couple in love. And, that’s nice. But, in thinking about the all the things that that must be in place for happily married couples to be at the top of MY list, I have to make some comparisons.

No comparison would be complete without thinking about Romeo and Juliet. Not even close. Tony and Maria in West Side Story? As with Romeo and Juliet, no true comparison. The best comparison I can make with regard to Sharon’s and Dave’s “story” is: The Princess Bride.

Yes, Buttercup (Sharon) has found her true love in Westley (Dave). But as in The Princess Bride, they had to overcome some obstacles along the way. Like me. Dave is the only guy Sharon dated before becoming engaged who I did not meet first. Ah, hah. I could not scare him away!

During their time together they have had to fend off some challenges. Some were related to employment and others related to health. In all of the situations during their time together I can clearly make a connection between their lives the mean Vizzini, the interesting Inigo Initoya, the huge and super strong giant and they even had to live for awhile in the Fire Swamp.

But, all of that matters not because just as Miracle Max discovered Westley knew the most important part of a relationship was “True Love” and that it alone could conquer all, Sharon and Dave has found that same rare truth as well, which bonds their marriage like cement. So, I have seen up close and personal, again, two people who believe and understand love is “as real as the feelings you feel” and therefore, as a parent, I could not be happier.

Maxine feels Sharon and Dave live too far away. I feel they could live anywhere on the planet because knowing they are truly one of the, if not the most happy couple on earth, I don’t have to see them every month for validation to support that fact. I am satisfied knowing regardless what may come their way, Sharon found the perfect husband in Dave. And I don’t have to hurt Dave because he truly loves my daughter Sharon.

All is well that ends well. Time to go home…the end ~

Mini Diary of One Day’s Travels – A Day from Hell

I have been fortunate this entire year. No major airport delays, no lost luggage, no real issues to complain about. Because I travel so much during the year I look at George Clooney’s movie character, Ryan Bingham and think, you make it look too easy. And, in real life, it could be a royal pain in the ass. Yesterday was…a royal pain in the ass.

The day began with Maxine drawing the short straw at Tampa International Airport. Her carry on bag was selected for rummaging and to say it was a pleasant experience would be way off target. TSA agents are basically rent-a-cops with all the bed side manner of a proctologist…she had to re-pack everything in her bag. That was the bad news. The good news, we could continue without Maxine being labeled a terrorist and detained.

I knew from reading weather reports the weather would be rough between Tampa and Atlanta and then flying through a cold front from Atlanta to Dallas so I suggested we not rely on the flight attendants for anything to eat or drink as they most likely would be strapped into their seats like the rest of us. We purchased some really delicious and nutritious sandwiches and drinks to carry onto the plane. Both of us were hungry so we to eat before boarding, or at least we tried to. Maxine tossed her sandwich out because it was simply gross and went for something else before we boarded. Can’t win them all, right?

I was right about the rough flights. And for anyone that does not fully understand the Delta/Northwest merger, while all the airplanes are now painted with Delta name, the routes, crews and flight equipment stayed “segregated”. The unionized NW crews are rude and their planes are falling apart. We drew the short straw on both flights this week. The Detroit former NW flight attendants were lazy, uncaring and in some cases just rude. I just read yesterday all Delta and NW flight attendants just voted whether to go union system wide or non-union system wide. They voted to go non-union, which may have had something to do with the attitudes we encountered. And when I say their equipment is falling apart, so many passengers expressed concern about a missing piece of the right wing assembly the Captain got on the address system to comment, assuring us it was not an important piece of the airplane and not to worry. Oh, yeah? Then why was it there in the first place?

When we arrived in Dallas and went to the luggage area, Maxine became aware and simultaneously alarmed at the fact her BlackBerry was “missing”. She had checked messages after we landed but no longer had it in her possession. She went to the Delta Luggage Manager for advice. He provided her with a security pass which would get her through security without a boarding pass so she could go back to the gate where we landed. I continued to wait for our luggage to arrive.

I was still waiting for our luggage when Maxine returned with her BlackBerry. It was being held at the gate by a Delta employee. Smiles all around.

Our connection in Atlanta was very tight due to weather and being delayed from Tampa. We made the connection but our luggage did not, although we did not know that yet. After waiting a respectable amount of time at the luggage belt in Dallas I also met with the Delta Luggage Manager who, after checking for our luggage in his magic computer told us our luggage was on the next flight from Atlanta. Bad news. The good news was, it was only a 90 minute or so delay. So, in thinking about our options about picking up our rental car and then parking it somewhere or staying in the airport and maybe grabbing a bite to eat (it was between 5:30pm and 6:00pm Central and I was getting hungry) I made the decision we should have dinner while waiting for our luggage.

But there are no restaurants on the outside area of the Dallas gates. To find a restaurant one must go through security. So, I asked the Delta Luggage Manager how we could get back into the to where the restaurants were located. He provided a second security pass for Maxine and one for me. Good plan, good news.

To be safe, though, I called the local Hertz office, located at the Dallas Airport, to advise them of our delay. I spoke with a real person at the office who told me, “No worries”. Delays of two or three hours have never created a problem for me at Hertz in the past so I was certain the car would be waiting for me anyway. Good news.

We went through Dallas Airport security and found only a Taco Bell, hot dog joint and one other forgettable fast food place. I then found and asked a Delta gate agent if those were our only options. She pointed down the hall and suggested we try TGI Friday’s. Things were looking up. More good news. When we arrived at Friday’s we were met by a hostess that was chewing gum, wore her hair in pig tails and welcomed us “guys”. When seated we were advised, over the loud rap music being played in the restaurant, they closed at 7pm. Really? “Yeah”, our waiter told us, “Everything closes at 7pm.”. Bad news? OK then, we made quick choices and commenced to have dinner while listening to rock music so loud we could not hear each other.

We completed our dinner as they were closing. Since airports don’t get repeat customers, we were not treated as such. No checking on the how the food was, nothing was said by our waiter other than “Here’s the bill”. Nor worthy of even bad news, just poor customer service. A theme becoming more common as our day wore on.

We got back to the luggage area to find our luggage waiting for us. Once again, good news and smiles all around. We thanked our new friend, the Delta Luggage Manager and began searching for a bus to take us to where the rental cars are kept. We were struck by the fact that an airport this large had so few flyers and fewer employees. The wait for a bus was about 20 minutes. It was starting to get late and we were both tired and irritable. Bad news.

The bus arrived to take us to the central rental car building. Good news. However, to say the bus needed shock absorbers is an understatement. I am blessed with good teeth. I still have them all and until last night, four fillings. I am not sure how many were left on the bus along with my kidneys. That was really bad news.

Upon arriving at the car rental building I found the Delta area and went directly to the Gold Number #1 Member board, only to notice my name was not on it. Bad news. So, we went back inside to the desk and got line with several other people who were already unhappy at the fact only one desk clerk was working the counter. The lady in first placed said she had been there 20 minutes and could not get waited on. More bad news. At that point a very large well dressed businessman spoke up and asked the Hertz guy behind the counter why we had to wait so long. His response was to point to a corner office about 100 yards away and say “Go see the manager”. I could not believe it. Neither could the large well dressed businessman. He took off like a rocket to the manager’s office, opened the door and started yelling, pointing to the desk, and, us. Then as he came back to us I noticed the manager got up and came out of his office too. Good news? I asked the businessman if he was coming to our aid. “Nope”, replied my new friend, “He is going to look for help.” “What?”, I asked…”Why the hell doesn’t he come to the damn desk?”

The bad news was beginning to pile up. So, I yelled at the guy behind the counter, requesting he find some assistance as even more people were lining up behind us. “Are you Gold?” he asked. I told him I was. “Then you go to the counter behind the Gold Number #1 Member board for help” he replied.” Huh? I had not seen that. So, off we went in search of the office where I would get help. This had to be good news.

We found the office, with a line and…are you ready, one guy behind the counter. Bad news. Do you know what is worse than someone being rude? Someone who won’t speak or answer questions. This was clearly an understaffed location and I was looking at a man who was working under a great deal of stress and pressure. But, I was still angry and tired too. My patience, what little was left, was wearing thin.

Finally, when it was my time to the one agent on duty behind the counter, I asked him why my name was not on the board. He asked for my name and checked his computer. “Your name was taken down and the car was put back into the system because you were late”, he told me. Oh, yeah – my call did a lot of good. The fuse which was so close to an open flame for the past few hours got lit. I lost it. I will skip what I said, etc., and simply say, after another 45 minutes, at my request, the “manager” came out to see me. About 15 more minutes and we had a car, at no cost, courtesy of Hertz.

We got to our hotel about four hours after landing at the airport. The hotel itself is beautiful, modern and very comfortable. The staff incredibly nice. Especially when because of a minor glitch they could not find my reservation (more bad news?). Actually, I had made an error in setting up the reservation and we were able to correct the problem in about five minutes. Great news!

But this would not be a complete day’s story without the perfect ending to very bad day. As we were unpacking, I noticed a note on the desk with a Dear Guest message and a graphic that looked like a bug on it. My first thought was, “Oh, no, they have a bed bug infestation.” Bad news? Wrong. The card read “You may see me during your stay here and I wanted t take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Bert the Water Beetle. I frequent Texas this time of year, trying to soak up the warm sunshine.” The card went on to say how to deal with any beetles if we encountered them and that they are basically harmless. I chose to turn the card over and not show it to Maxine.

It was the end of our day and time to prepare for bed. Maxine was in the bathroom and I turned on a lamp in the bedroom. To my shock, on the wall above the lamp, sat a wasp. Bad news! I read a quote from Ross Perot once, when he was running for President. Perot said, “I see a snake on the factor floor and I kill it.” That thought went through my mind in the nanosecond it took me to pick up the first thing I could grab, which was a hotel notepad, and swat the damn thing. It fell in pieces to the floor. Good news!  

This mini-diary was not meant to be a gripe session. Many every day travelers experience many of the unfortunate events we encountered yesterday. But, this is not my normal travel day and certainly to have this occur at every turn by anyone would not be anything close to “normal”.

Today, we are spending the day with our daughter, Sharon and her husband, Dave, the purpose of the trip. Today’s reunion after not having seen each other for over two years more than makes up for yesterday…Good News!