Poetrooper’s duty status
A number of people have asked where Poetrooper has been lately. He is actually fighting that bitch, throat cancer, these days. He sends this message last night;
Initially I thought I was a goner with an untreatable tumor based on what my GP had told me, but that stupid bastard was totally wrong about everything.
I’m now under the care of an ENT surgeon who is really good. He thinks we can beat it without disfiguring surgery so I just had my first chemo this past Tuesday and will begin targeted radiation after New Years. I’ll lose my hair and some teeth but not my tongue and vocal cords as the surgery might have done.
I’ve lost thirty pounds and we’re just getting started but the tumor itself, being in the back of my throat killed my appetite weeks ago and now the chemo is making me too queasy to eat anything but ice cream. The painkillers have kept me too spacey to organize my thoughts enough to write anything worth reading and overall, I just don’t have any strength at all, mental or physical. The best news we’ve had lately is that it hasn’t metastasized which increases my odds considerably.
It looks like it may be a while before I get back to writing but I’ll be back. So far though, I haven’t even felt like sending you any old pieces like we discussed previously. Tell everyone I said Happy New Year and that I look forward to getting back into the discussions.
The NVA couldn’t get him, so I doubt that cancer can. I’m sure he’d appreciate your prayers, though.
Category: Bloggers
Poe, did you ever read any of Jack Kerouac’s material?
My father went through much of what you are experiencing. The initial surgery and chemo was one thing. The radiation treatment was something all together different. Fortunately, my brother was an IDC and semi-available during that time to help with administration of anti-nausea adjuncts.
I hope you have someone like him to be there for you if ordinary metabolic processes are interrupted. Maybe your local VSO rep can set up some links.
Prayers coming your way Poetrooper. Sounds like you have the right doc and the right attitude. Hoping to see you back on your feet soon.
Poetrooper- you can beat this. Lookin’ forward to seein’ your posts again.
Keep up the good fight!