Life Can Be a Chore

Well, my 66th birthday has come and gone (on April 1st) and life goes on. Not always as I have envisioned it at this stage of my life but one day succeeds the next (so far).

I have not been as active on my clan forum or online with the 360. This has been for a variety of reasons, but the two big ones are my daughter and her family and my cancer.

Our daughter has tried to commit suicide twice in the last 3 months with the last time 1 and half months ago. The first time was just before my brother-in-law died of cancer at the end of January. He was only 39 years old and died from cancer (Melanoma). He had lost his brother to the same disease only 3 months before.

At that time, we had 4 of our son-in-law and daughter's kids staying with us because of her first suicide attempt.

Her second attempt was about 6 weeks ago. So for the last 4 out of 6 weeks, we have had the grandkids again.

I'll have to tell ya', having kids from 12 down to 2 1/2 is a little much for old folks like us! Plus having to worry that she might try again, and perhaps succeed doesn't make it any easier.

In addition to that, some of you have known part of the story and for your support, I am grateful. I have been half-heartedly fighting thyroid cancer for 14 years now. I have had four surgeries for the cancer. The first to remove a goiter the size of a softball behind my sternum (breast bone) and the second to remove the rest of the thyroid (both in 1995). I have had three radioactive iodine ablation (burnout) treatments. Continued testing of certain blood levels that indicate how the cancer is progressing (slow though it is) and innumerable CT scans, MRI's, PET scans, and radioactive iodine full body scans.

Four years ago (2005), I had to have small nodule (6 mm) removed from my right lung that proved to be metastasized thyroid cancer and about 2 years ago another nodule was found in my left lung during a routine CT scan. After a second CT scan and radioactive, full body scan it too turned out to be thyroid cancer. So that was removed in 2007.

Now, tests are indicating that there might be another one someplace. The CT scan I had did not find it but a full body scan with radioactive iodine will be done in the next week or two, and the probability is that it will find another nodule.

After dealing with my brother-in-law's cancer that killed him so quickly and at such a young age, it is easier to deal with my slow growing, controllable (so far) kind. But it sure is a pain in the a** to have to continually be affected by it.

Bottom line is that I don't always feel like posting, blogging, or playing and when I do, I can sometimes be a little testy or at best, quiet.

So, have a good life, enjoy your significant others and children (if any), and don't put off to tomorrow what you could be enjoying today.