“If, after you’ve died, you could come back and relive one day, what day would you choose?”

**To catch up with Dr. Dale’s Journal, First read Diagnosis Black, Hemlock, Fallout, The Novelty of Having Cancer has Worn Off,  and VooDoo or Health Insurance?

Research indicates that the majority of people, after rolling over super-day possibilities—wedding day, births of children, the day of a big win—most people say they would choose to relive one ordinary day. Get up drowsy, receive and give the ‘good morning’ smooch, overcome reluctance with a hot cup of fragrant coffee, sit in traffic listening to music and local news, pull into that parking lot wondering if a coworker’s son did well in his soccer game and what the weather would be like on the upcoming weekend.

That’s it. A day like today.

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Dr. Dale’s Journal, Part 6

In this entry in Dr. Dale Maxwell’s Journal, Dr. Dale shares his tumor experience with hands-on directions. You’ll need to take off your shirt.

I’ve tried to relate Dale’s words exactly, but have ended up leveling the narrative in places to make what he’s saying easier to understand. If had an awful cancer and the guts to share in a journal through diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and multiple surgeries, I hope that whoever found my journal–after I’m dead—he or she would not criticize my sentence structure.

IT’S BACK and IT’S BIGGER

The original peripheral mass (size) of the tumor is now 3.0 cms. by 2.4 cms.  (1.81 inches by .94 inches) No evidence of any other recurrence or spread. If we slice that sucker out of there and it’s not anywhere else (unlikely) [unlikely that it is not anywhere else], then I will have to die of something else.

Since you’ve asked where the mass is, put your finger 2” below your left nipple. Mass is straight along that line.  (If you are now touching your left kneecap–I forgot to tell women to correct for breast length.)

Now, as you have the mass pictured, decide where you would put the incision to take that mass out of my body and how long that incision would be . . . . . .

HA—not even close.  The surgeons start under my left shoulder blade (yep, that would be the shoulder blade on my back) and go across my back and down . . . around . . . and up . . . and finish at 2 inches from the nipple, 4 inches from where your finger was before.  It has to be this big so that they can get the car jack between my ribs– so that they can spread a hole big enough to get their heads in to look around. 6 to 8 week recovery. 10 days in the hospital maybe.

In case this winding surgical procedure is as hard for you to comprehend as it is for me . . . one more time—1 inch mass, 2 inches from front the left chest wall (that would be the front)—-and the recommended procedure is to draw and quarter the patient.  Wonder what these guys do if they see one cockroach in their house.

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Most people would choose to relive one ordinary day. That’s it. A day like today. So what are you going to do with it?