Juravinski Cancer Centre, my 2nd home

December 20th and I got to meet the first members of my cancer team, Drs. Z and N. I couldn't have asked for two people better suited for their profession as they were confident, optimistic and had a plan...a plan meant for 65 year old men, not 41 year olds. I've got prostate cancer, yes prostate cancer. In fact I'm the youngest person they've ever seen, EVER! Most treatments are aimed at keeping old people alive until natural causes take them but for me that only gets me to my 50s, early 50s.

Dr. N set up an appointment for a doctor who specialized in prostate cancers named Dr. Buster (He's got two hands and a couple of very uncomfortable fingers!). Dr. Buster has been just what we needed as he is smart, an outside the box thinker and understands how important it is to include Carolyn. All too often we forget about the spouse when there's a serious illness. They're our rock but left out in the cold to take care of themselves while everyone tends to the sick person. Dr. Buster shows as much care for her as he does for me.

My first visit with Dr. Buster was a shocker as I had just purchased my first injection for $1395! He started the appointment by telling me to toss it in the garbage. I turned bleach white! He informed me that Dr. N's choice of injections would only work for about a year. He was switching me to a new drug that had better results, worked faster and likely longer. Longer is a theme I'm going for. He called me at home later that night to see if I was ok with the change. The doctor really seems to care. He introduced me to his nurse, Nurse A. (For awesome!) who is great and works so well with him. They have a partnership built on respect and humor. Thankfully, they can be serious but also lighten a moment as well.

She came in after Dr. Buster's first examination and asked how it went. I told her I couldn't say what just happened but that I may or may not now be pregnant and I have lost all desire to spend time in a Greek prison.

After two months of these exams I am pretty sure I can tell whether someone is left handed or right handed without looking.

My bone scan was pretty embarrassing. They strap you into a machine on your back then tell you to be still for 15 minutes or so. To help you cope they offer to try and get a radio station on a 5 dollar radio which seems only able to produce white noise. I gave them my iPad and hit random which after one song by The Ramones backfired. I forgot that it backs up everything so what followed was a stream of Ke$ha, Taylor Swift, Justin Beiber, Tegan and Sara and Disney Teen Beach movie. Thanks Rebecca! I'm sure the two technicians didn't judge me. Most 42 year old men have that stuff on their iPads. I left feeling like someone who shouldn't be within 30 meters of a schoolyard. :)

 

The greatest part of Juravinski is they give you hope that there's a possibility they can keep you alive as I keep hearing there is no cure for my cancer but they might be able to treat it. My case was presented a month ago at a conference in San Francisco by my oncologist to a group of oncologists from around the world who are split on the best treatment. I told my doctor as I wasn't taken with him he could have brought me a shirt that said "My Oncologist Presented My Cancer And All I Got Was This Lousy Shirt!" Apparently, these shirts are not yet, YET, sold at conferences.

The best advice I've gotten so far was from Howard Stern's show and that was to assemble a team and I've got a great one! I have friends offering to get me to and from the hospital, a couple of friends who are doctors breaking down the mumbo jumbo (There's a lot of it!), a very supportive employer ("Don't worry about your salary just focus on you."), great friends who continue to bust my balls ("Maybe cancer is God's way of helping you lose weight?"), a team of kids who push me as much as I push them, the world's greatest daughter and best of all a wife who has been beyond a rock through all this. It makes you smile when you realize at the darkest times things are still pretty awesome.

However, one thing I hate is listening to people who become experts because they've had it. I had the following chat with a person and never spoke to them again.

Grim Reaper: Listen to my advice because I beat a bad one. My PSA(indication of cancer presence)was over 10! What's yours?

Me: 329.1.

Grim Reaper: (crickets)

Tomorrow I start chemotherapy and I'll be shaving my head next weekend as I'll be damned if I'm letting cancer take my awesome receding hairline and stunning bald spot! It's a pretty scary adventure but I've got so many awesome people in my corner that it's a fight I'm in for the long haul.

"Shhheeeeeeettttttt!" Clay Davis, The Wire

#shitkickcancer