Testing, Testing, Testing....

 September 5, 2023: Is there a Bat in the building ?
    Dr Hazzi's office was able to get me a "irregular scheduled" Echocardiogram.
How Irregular ? How about 7:15 AM. Good thing I'm an early riser. Took me a
while to find the right lab, but once I got there, it was quick and easy.

September 9th, 2023: AIRSHOW !!
    Jackson has a small airport, and in order to keep it operational, a local aviation group schedules events. Basically, unless you have a certain number of flights in and out of a given airport, they close the Air traffic Control Tower. Today there was an airshow. I decided to go and take some photographs. I was also planning on taking a ride on one of the aircraft. There were three airplanes that were the center of attention a B - 25 medium bomber and a C - 47 Cargo plane from World War II and a UH - 1H "Huey" Helicopter from the Vietnam War ( 1966 - 1972 ). I had a good time taking lots of photos. I was surprised to learn that they could actually load Jeeps into a C - 47. For what it's worth the C - 47 is a very rugged, reliable, easy to maintain aircraft, some of which were in active (Civilian) service well into this century. I remember watching a TV show about an air transport company in either the Yukon or Northwest Territories that was using C-47s in the early 2000's. I had a choice, I could either pay $450 for a flight in the B - 25, or $125 to fly in the Huey. I opted for the Huey because it cost less, flew slower ( giving me more time to take photos ) and flew with the doors open (better photos). When the Crew Chief saw my camera, he put me in the best seat, right behind the pilot. From there I could take photos to the left or right. You would think that a guy who nonchalantly traipsed along narrow ridgelines and hiked to the top of Mt Whitney wouldn't be afraid of heights. Well you're wrong. for the first few minutes I had a one-handed deathgrip on the seat frame next to me. Once I lifted my camera to my  eye and started taking photos, I was fine. Go figure.

C - 47 Transport in D - Day Colors
Note the Black and White Stripes. They were so allied ground troops
( and the Navy ) wouldn't shoot at the plane.
Believe it or not, they could fit and carry a Jeep in this plane.

The History of the Huey I would fly on
Note: it is only 3 years younger than me.
Did I mention that it was shot down 4 times ?

" Leave the Flying to Us "

The Cockpit of the Huey
Two things to Note:
1. Unlike most aircraft, the pilot sits on the right
2. To fly a Huey, you need to be able to do several different things
with your hands and feet: Simultaneously

 

Now boarding at Runway 1
Yes, the Rotor blades are turning.
Also, Do what the Crew Chief tells you.

 

GULP !! Seatbelt, don't fail me now !

Cascades Manor House, Part of Cascades Park
Built in the 1920's by a Millionaire and gifted to the County

The "World Famous" Cascades, One of only
two man made cascades in the world (with the water drained).

An Earlier, Better view of the Cascades with Fireworks

Parkside Middle School ( Looking South )
My brother Carl and I went to High School here.
My Home is about 2 miles to the right down an old railroad grade.

The Jackson Railyard looking Northeast
You can put a railfan on a helicopter, but he'll still photograph trains if he can.
The large brick buildings were used as locomotive assembly and
repair buildings from the 1920's to the 50s.

 

View of downtown Jackson, looking Southwest.
The flat building just to the right of the Consumers Energy Tower
(the Oval, Modern tower in the middle) is the old Post Office built in the 1930's.
For my Relatives: The odd shaped building just left and up from Consumers Energy
is where Allen worked in the 70's and 80's.
The long brick building at the bottom is the passenger train station.
The Jackson Passenger Station is the second oldest Passenger Station in America
and the one that has been in continuous passenger service the longest.

 

Henry Ford Allegiance Hospital.
A place near and dear to my heart (or at least my Lymph Nodes)

     

    September  12, 2023: A Port in any Lymphoma Patient....
    My appointment was for  2 PM, and I was I would be there until at least 6.
    First step ( after getting into the " Oh, so stylish Hospital Gown" ) was getting an IV inserted into an artery. The nurse started to insert at my right elbow. I could tell something was wrong when it started to hurt and he said "Damn, I hit a valve." What ? I didn't know there were valves in my arteries ! Well there are. So he tried the left elbow. Same result. Being the wise man that he is, he called in the IV team. They have a team that specializes in getting IV's started in difficult situations. The IV Nurse took a look at my elbows, had me make a fist, and inserted the IV on the back of my left hand, just behind my ring finger.
    As she was finishing the IV, the surgeon came in and asked me what he was removing today (he was kidding). He told me that hey would give me a mild sedative, but I would still be awake. He would then insert the Smart port through my Jugular vein into my right, upper chest. After the IV Nurse finished, they wheeled me into surgery. The head nurse tried to be a smart alack and asked "So, what are we removing to today?" This time I was ready. I replied "All the weight I have gained in the last year (don't ask how much, because I'm not telling) and my double chin." She told the other nurses "Get him off the table, that's my surgery !" Once the Surgeon arrived, they gave me a sedative gas, and covered me from head to toe with a blue "sheet". The sheet was to keep blood from going everywhere when he opened my Jugular vein. I remember hearing the Surgeon and Head Nurse discussing how big a hole to cut in the sheet and where they were going to make the incision to insert the IV and that's it. Next thing I know, they are removing the sheet and asking me how I felt. I totally zonked out ! They said I even snored a little, but not to bad ( I think they were being nice ).
    They kept me under observation for 30 minutes to make sure everything was OK. Wow that was fast ! I was expecting to be there until at least 6 (that's what they told me to expect), but I was heading out the door at 4:30 ! I called the store and Megan came and picked me up and took me to the store. I figured I might as well get some work done, before Kyle ( my boss ) gave me a ride home at 6.

    September 13, 2013: Another Day, Another Test
    Because I left my vehicle at work yesterday, Leo (he helps Kyle with location photoshoots) gave me a ride to work. Today's test is to see if the Lymphoma has spread from my neck to my head. Hopefully it hasn't. I arrived at the Hospital at 2 PM and checked in. They then walked me back for my MRI which was in a separate wing of the hospital. I only waited a few minutes before I was called in to get my MRI. The first thing the Tech asked was if I was claustrophobic ( I'm not ). All in all, it took about 30 minutes to do the MRI. One more test to go. 

    September 17, 2023: Final Exam Day

    For some reason, my final test, the PET scan was scheduled on a Sunday. Not hat I'm complaining ! The sooner the tests are done, the sooner I can start treatment.  A Pet Scan is basically a full body CT scan. This is to see if the Lymphoma has moved to other parts of my body. The test procedure is as follows:
Step 1: Change into another "High Fashion" Hospital Gown.
Step 2: Jug down half a bottle of  a radioactive drink. The radiation is to make the cancer             areas (and just the cancer areas) glow. They even gave me a choice of three
            flavors: Chocolate, Berry and something else. I opted for "Chocolate". When I 
            was in the Army, there was a marching cadence we sang: "They say that
            in the Army the coffees mighty fine. It looks like muddy water and tastes like
            turpentine." The drink tasted like a mix of mud and old army coffee grounds.
            YEECH !!
Step 3: Have an IV inserted. No they couldn't use the port that was inserted on Tuesday.
            As soon as he said it had to go in an arm, I pointed to my left wrist.
Step 4: Lay down on a moving platform. Hold your hands above your head and hold
            still. Also try not to breathe to deep. Do this for about 10 minutes.

All in all from Check In to Check Out, it took about 2.5 hours and 30 minutes of that was waiting for the drink to go through my system. Just think: If I am lucky, I only have to do this one more time (maybe) to make sure the cancer is all gone. At any rate, I decided to treat myself to a steak dinner. Because, Why not ! My next appointment is on October 2nd, when I see Dr Hazzi to go over the test results. I get my first treatment right after that.