Happy New Year

I would like to wish all of you a very happy, safe, healthy and exciting new year. May your medical tests come back clean...may your jobs remain secure...may your bills be paid...may your pipes be full...may your coffee be fresh and hot...may your cats be well-fed.

Second post-cancer colonoscopy

Well today was my second post-cancer colonoscopy and all went well. They said that my blood pressure was slightly elevated so I am going to visit my priimary this week. Since this test was clean I now can go every TWO years for the test instead of annually. Now I need to start a good high-fiber diet!

Update for Sept. 24, 2008

I went to the oncologist today for bloodwork, consultation and port flush. All is well so far. I have to wait for the bloodwork to come back but in this case, no news is good news.

This Monday, September 29, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. I will be having my second post-cancer colonoscopy. I am apprehensive as usual but it must be done since I am a few months overdue. I will post another update after the procedure with those results.

With love and gratitude,

Jimmy Muraco

9/11

Seven years ago today I saw smoke in the sky but no planes. I saw tears of sorrow and joy. Cars sitting at a park-and-ride waiting for drivers that would never return to claim them. People speeding down the highway blind to everything around them from tears as they turned up the radio. Cell phones being smashed by those who could not get through to their missing loved ones. Men with shotguns standing on rooftops. Chaos. Death. Destruction. Confusion.

Seven years ago today I saw a flag raised amongst the smoking ruins and dead bodies. Groups of strangers singing hymns together. People of all colors and ages join together to help those in need. Rich, poor, young, old, male, female, black, white. What was meant to destroy a nation gave it new life.

For those lost souls of 9/11/01
For those of us who were there and survived. For everyone affected by that horrible day.

God bless America.

Second Anniversary Update

Hello all...

It's just a few days past the second anniversary since my diagnosis so I thought I would touch base here with all that has happened in the past year.

I had bloodwork done a few days ago and if I do not hear anything back from the doctors within a couple of days then everything is normal. I do not expect any problems but, as always, it's always a waiting game.

I do not have the neuropathy anymore, nor do I have the cold sensitivity. I still get the palpitations but it seems more anxiety-related than anything else. I have had that problem years prior to the cancer and the docs say all is well there.

I continue my work counselling newly diagnosed patients and encouraging people to stop procrastinating on getting any needed tests done.

In two weeks I am going on a cruise. I made that promise that if I survived I would go on one. While on the ship I plan to say a prayer for all of the current patients, survivors and those who did not survive. I will then throw a cancer ribbon into the sea in their honor.

I was recently at the oncology center where I got to see many familiar faces. It was great to see them all and I realized how much I missed them. I will never be able to express the gratitude I have for the love, support and care that they provided. This is the site of the practice that I go to.

This is the doctor that saved my life. What could I possibly say about how much I admire, love, respect and to thank this man? He truly cares about his patients and goes far above and beyond to provide the finest care. He is a blessing to all of his patients.

On the down side, going through a cancer battle changes one in so many ways. Some positive, some negative. On the positive side, I am more mellow, I no longer get upset over the small stuff like I used to. I appreciate all that I have now and take nothing for granted. I am also a better husband and father because my priorities are no longer focused on me but on where they should be. I have been humbled to the extreme and I am grateful for that (some of you will understand that one better than others).

On the negative side...again, some of you will feel that I am speaking to you and maybe even for you, I always feel like I am living under the gun and waiting for the proverbial "other shoe" to drop. It's not hypochondria or paranoia...just the feeling of anticipation of the "next thing to go wrong" because that is what I have experienced these past two years. Every little blemish, anomaly, etc. plants the seed of "Could this be...?".

It's strange, I look back at my posts on this blog and it reads like it was written by someone else. The entire experience has been so surreal as if I was sitting in the back seat of a car with someone else driving. I was on "auto-pilot". Perhaps that is the survival instinct? Maybe the shock of it all numbed me so much that to this day I still cannot fathom the reality of what I was facing?

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard "God saved you". Have any of you other patients/survivors heard it too? Of course you have! Do we believe it? To some extent I do but then arises the question: "Was God with those who did not survive?" Well, perhaps He was...I don't know...I guess that is where true faith comes in. It's the reciprocal of the question: "Why me?" I never asked that question because the answer was too obvious: "Why anyone?".

If you are a current patient or survivor, please drop me a line. I would love to hear from you.

For all of you who have read this blog from Day One I thank you so very much and encourage you to stay tuned because I hope that this story has many more chapters.

Be well.

My First Post-Cancer Colonoscopy

Recently I had my first colonoscopy since being declared cured. Everything went well and the results came back perfect. I will have to have another colonoscopy in a year and if that one comes back clean then I can go two years in between tests then maybe three years, etc.

Again, I cannot stress how important it is to have the test! It is a painless procedure and can save your life. You have nothing to lose except your life. Is it really worth putting it off?

I am still recovering from the chemo. The neuropathy is still present but not quite as bad as it was a few months ago. I no longer have the sensitivity to cold which is a blessing with the weather as hot as it is. I still get the heart palpitations but they are not as bad as they were last August when I thought I had a salsa band living in my chest.

I will post more as circumstances permit. I do thank each and every one of you for reading this and showing all the love and support that you have. We have been through this all together in spirit and we have been victorious. Praise God!

Epilogue

Since the "Cured" status was given I have been slowly recovering from the physical damage that the chemotherapy has done to my body. I know that it could take a couple of years for it to get better so I am being patient. My hands are still numb, I still get gastrointestinal distress, weak joints, etc. The emotional part of this ordeal is still buried deep within my subconsciousness. While I do not intentionally dwell on the past year, the events are always present in the background of my thoughts.

I will be doing volunteer work at the cancer center trying to help others who have been recently diagnosed and the folks who are still getting chemo. Whether it is to bring some coffee or tea, a magazine or just some talk that only another patient can understand, I will do whatever I can to ease their already-heavy burdens.

Another project I am planning is to get the recommended age for a colonoscopy to be at least 35. The current age is for 50 year-olds to get their first one. I was 39 when I had mine and you know those results. I have also spoken with many folks who have had pre-cancerous results from their colonoscopies and each was under 50. I truly feel that many lives can be saved by having people screened much earlier than the age of 50.

Spring will bring me to another colonoscopy and tests. This is just part of the routine maintenance to monitor for a possible recurrence. Eventually, I will be having the porta-cath removed from my chest which will be the final act in this whole story.

I will continue this blog and let the format change as circumstances allow. A recurring theme that will remain is the encouragement to get tested early and regularly.

I thank each and every one of you who has posted a comment or sent me an e-mail. I hope that we may continue corresponding as the bilateral exchange of encouragement has been amazing. In the shadow of such an advisary as cancer we have managed to form a small, but strong, community here. It is for that reason that I say: "We beat cancer!"