THYROID

Fortunately,  this adventure has more than one trail or this would be a very short book.  Now it does have a main trail and that's my thyroid cancer but it does have others that I'll acquaint you with as we go along but let's start with the main one.  I was 54 years old and Sundays I'd walk a couple hrous with two doctors and a conservative who thought he was God's gift to Guam.  I was with one of the docs when I said "What is it that when I yawn it clicks?"  Dr. Tom felt my throat and then said  "Maybe you ought to com down to the clinic today."  Now I know what you're thinking.  What doctor works in an open clinic on Sunday?  But he did and I was there finding out that I had something on my thyroid gland.  Obviously, a biopsy was in order but my body has always been rather difficult to work with (case in point: push-ups) and I took this one and three others with all of them coming back Can Not Determine. It was at this time that my new epidemiologist  (he took the third one)"If it keeps coming back (my click) its cancer."  

So finally in 2006 I had my thyroid out with the biopsy done in the middle of the operation strongly indicating that there was, indeed, cancer.  This was all done to the satisfaction on the good people of St. Luke's Hospital in Manila,PI.  I was there about a week.  Missed my kids terribly with the highlight being shaving my face with the dullest razor they could find in the whole hospital.                                  ;

PREFACE--THE ADVENTURE IN MY DEATH

As I begin writing this I'm 73 years old, just moved to Danville, NH from Jacksonville, FL to live wih my brother, and have a diagnosis of Metastatic Plural Cacinoma.  When I was talking to my brother about coming to live with him and how I was not excited about winters in NH his reply was "Heck, i'm not even sire you're going to make the winter.".`

Herb is a retired doctor and a Buddist. His experiences have not left him with a kean sense of humor or really any sense of humor but I did appreciate that line that ended the last paragraph.. Bravo Herby.

Contiuing, I'm an old school teacher, librarian, jock, kinda divorced from a Russian wife.  I have a step-daughter who's in IT  and a son who tends bar in NYC while he waits for his big break and he is talented so I've no doubt it will eventually come.  (I've told him he's my only hope of getting into Wikipedia as his father.)

I grew up in SDak.  Played baseball and football at Black Hills State.  Taught on Guam, in Venezuela, Turkey, and the Isle of Wight, UK. Always beeneen a clean liver and, though I've had a great time, given the opportunity, I might have asked THE UNIVERSE for just a little more time to throw a few more baseballs down in Ft. Myers.  But that's another story.

As for this story, this is going to be my last big adventure.  Everybody has to do it and it doesn't end well ... or maybe it does.  We won't know till the light and the tunnel, or St Peter at the Gates, or maybe some guy with a tail saying "Bend over rookie!!"  Seriously, I really hope it's not that last one.