2019 - Not the Healthiest Year

My health has become an issue, and has thus been on my mind of late,  Because of that, I've avoided the subject of health on Facebook lest I slip up and prematurely announce our concerns before we knew what direction we'd take.

In January, an ultrasound showed that I had some sort of mass in my urinary bladder, so my doctor referred me to a urologist.  He performed a cystoscopy and found three bladder stones that will require surgical removal.  Before he would schedule that, he wanted more tests, so I was referred to a rectal/colon surgeon.  Before she would run any tests, she referred me to a heart doctor to make sure my ticker was operational.  It was found to be working well (for a 77 year old), so she performed a colonoscopy.  She found a cancerous polyp, but referred me to another doctor for an endoscopic ultrasound.  It more clearly defined the problem and I underwent surgery to remove it.  While that polyp is gone, the indications are that some cancer remains and  further treatment is necessary  The first option was more surgery and a colostomy bag for my remaining years.  The second option seemed far more palatable and offered nearly the same longevity, so we opted for radiation treatment.

Both tests also showed a large number of polyps that must be removed in the near future

Today, I began the process that will entail (OK, so I can't resist a pun) up to six or seven weeks of radiation treatment, five times a week.   That will take me into at least mid-October,  After that, we'll deal with the polyps and those bladder stones.   I'd like to think that Christmas would find me hale and hardy.  At least I won't have to worry about shoveling snow,

Thanks for reading.