January 6, 1998
I finally got my full e-mail nickname file at home so I'm catching you up on news at my house. It's been an exercise in self discovery - another attempt to make me humble.

Part 1

Never one to miss primo conferences and travel (especially where SLA and friends are at the other end) and after a particularly wonderful time tripping and bounding through Monterey at Internet Librarian and with the SLA Pacific Chapter in Hawaii, when I returned, I had finally come up on the priority list on Dec. 4th for an MRI at Wellesley Hospital to deal with my many months of back pain that had finally caused me to mostly lose the use of my legs and keep falling down at inopportune times (although my talk to the heads of the Ontario Library Association and Ontario Public Boards went well - I even managed to work falling down into a joke that everyone thought it was part of the speech!). Anyway, the MRI showed a tumour the size of Cincinnati on my spine and I had a four hour laminectomy on Tuesday the 9th in the evening which was successful (I could walk within hours!). The hole in my back was a bit huge (36 staples about 6 vertebra long) and there were a few post-surgical complications necessitating the draining of my cerebral spinal fluid for the whole weekend until it would run clear and the main wound would heal. Anyway, they let me come home to Stephanie (the rock) and the kids on Dec. 17th and I had my first oncology appointment on Friday the 19th.

The technical diagnosis is non-Hodgkins lymphoma (malignant cancer of the lymph system) or, for us Canadians - NHL. We shoot we score! I'm told, and I believe them, that if you get the bad kinds of cancer, this is one of the better ones to get - very treatable with chemo and radiation and the treatments aren't too debilitating. (apparently they're learning to use rifles instead of neutron bombs). They also say that my lump is classified as "low" which is good like in golf rather than bowling. I'm scheduled for a series of more tests throughout the last week of December and the first week of January which set the benchline marks for any changes they make and ensure that I'm healthy in all other ways (I could be sarcastic and point out that I've been tested to death for seven months where they proved I was healthy and painfree already!, but things are clearer now and they need to know again - now that they agree with the patient.) When I was a kid, my Dad was always referred to by the neighbours as Dr. Abram because he always told the doctors (and neighbours) what was wrong (and possibly indicative of a certain hereditary arrogance - sigh) but you really have to advocate for yourself nowadays.

Chemo starts in mid-January and apparently involves a simple shot in the arm every three weeks for three months followed by radiation therapy (Oh boy, I get a tattoo!). I'm told that my kind of treatment's side effects can be dealt with largely through Gravol and maybe the odd day's rest or leaving work early. Everything should be on an outpatient basis with no more big hospital stays.

I plan to be at SLA Winter Board meeting (strategic planning and all - and yes Judy, I have the governance paper at home and at ready!) My hair will be thinning by then and by June I should have some fun hats or we can use my head as the flipchart for the brainstorming.

The office is setting me up with a home office (Whee - I get a new printer!). My wife, Stephanie (the rock), (echoed by Jane, Ulla and Rebecca have been encouraging me to slow down but my energy levels are returning finally and I'm feeling more normal for me than I have in a years. I've promised (fingers crossed behind my back) that I won't commit to too much as I recover from the surgery over the holidays, sick days and vacation time I need to take before my planned return to the office full-time in late January (or earlier if I can hack it).

I'm truly touched by the huge number of cards, e-mails, visits, calls, flowers, gifts from all of my friends. I never expected such an outpouring of good will and cheer and it has been a great support for me and my family. Thank you. Also, it's not every guy who gets a reputation in the hospital for a non-stop stream of lovely female visitors for nine straight days - and then I tell them I'm a librarian - blasts those stereotypes!

I have e-mail at home through my laptop and downloaded my main e-mail box yesterday and am just starting to catch up (I'm plowing through 500 messages now and another 1576 await on my other address!). I may just ignore my Lotus Notes box - hate that system anyway. My laptop still is missing my nicknames file so I can't get a hold of everyone yet - pass this message on to anyone you like - I love getting e-mail (but please no Craig Shergold stunts.)

All the best - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Part 2

Anyway, I get a heart function test on next Monday along with a Galium injection to ma my lymph system next Friday. Wheee! Bone Marrow tests are next on the schedule - I hear that's like a dentist visit and they wouldn't answer when I asked with or without laughing gas.

Part 3

Next up - medical oncology (the chemo guy) on the 14th. I'm also working on finding a voodoo / crunchy granola type naturopath to try some diet changes to deal with nausea - any bets on the likelihood they'll make me give up the three basic food groups (coke, caffeine and candy)? Pissed off that I'm not getting any of the better side effects like weight loss but since they come with nausea I'll hope to avoid that for a while.

I even went into work two days this week for a few meetings. Felt good. My neurosurgeon said that recovery time varies thusly - motivated professionals who like their work are up and working part-time in 4-6 weeks, people with excellent health plans and short term disability, like Ontario government employees, take 6 months and postal workers take off until they retire! So I guess I like my job and I'm a motivated professional.