Category: Healthcare

The 2023 that was

Post author By davehamby
Post date January 3, 2024

Rocky and Missy in the Dismal Manor gardens -- photo by the author.

Another year in the books and another birthday, number 75. Early in the year, my fraternity chapter sent out an E-mail with the chapter list looking for E-mail addresses for those with whom the chapter had lost contact. While reviewing the list, I realized that a number of my contemporaries were listed as deceased, mostly those who smoked tobacco while at college. Three years from median life expectancy, I’m still alive and healthy but with some wear and tear and chronic conditions.

Healthcare

Ureter Cystoscopy

Post author By davehamby
Post date February 15, 2023

Greyhound Rocky as found when I came out of morning shower around 0930

Dismal Wizard has the family legacy, bladder lining cancer, a gift from maternal grandfather. In his offspring, 4 of 12 have the disease and. in all, it remained local to the bladder lining and easily managed. FISH genetic testing (looks for mutations) revealed that your author has genetic mutations associated with the disease.

The standard of care is to inspect the bladder quarterly for polyps or other changes. This is an awake office procedure taking all of 5 minutes or so. This is a cystoscopy procedure (endoscopy via the urinary path). The opening used determines the features needed in the tool used as it has to open the way ahead to facilitate passage, it has to provide light and return a live color image, and if repairs are to be made, it has to allow the introduction and operation of tools, usually a heated wire loop or a surgical laser.

After the break, Dave will review the most recent CAT scan results for you and the followup the imagery required.

Greyhounds Healthcare Holiday Letter Home Remodeling

2021, The year of the snake

Post author By davehamby
Post date December 11, 2021

Year of the snake? Treatment of Dave’s bladder cancer has been the big news of the year. So far, it remains confined to the bladder lining where it is very treatable and is more a nuisance than an existential threat but its treatment has set the rhythm for the year.

Healthcare

Bladder cancer update 2

Post author By davehamby
Post date April 15, 2021

Last week I was in the hospital for outpatient treatment of my bladder tumors. The March look-around found new polyps and other growths that required biopsy. So off to Leigh Sentara to do that surveillance and treatment. The pathology results are back indicating that my disease is becoming more active although it is still confined to the inner skin.

Cancer treatment is condition based. each round begins with inspections and tests to determine if the disease is increasing or changing in character. Surgical treatment follows up to trim off the bad bits and send them off to the pathologist to figure out which cells have gone wrong and to confirm a disease free margin. It is typical of bladder cancer to present as polyps for the malignancy to slowly evolve as I’m experiencing. Since the lining only is involved, longevity prospects remain good.

Healthcare

The Dismal Snake

Post author By davehamby
Post date April 9, 2021

Dismal Wizard was diagnosed with low grade cancer of the bladder lining about 16 months ago. American Cancer Society, The Mayo Clinic, and the British National Health Service have good clinical guides describing the disease and its treatment.

Bladder cancer involves well, the bladder so not much is written about the patient experience. After searching high and low for survivor experience, I found little to tell me what to expect on this journey. So to help those following in my footsteps, I decided to write a journal about my run-in with the disease. As always, the juicy stuff follows the led. And always, see your urologist for medical advice and remember that each case is unique.

Healthcare

Thoughts on the COVID-19 Pandemic

Post author By davehamby
Post date May 23, 2020

This article describes the understanding of COVID-19 here at Camp Dismal. It is an attempt to help my readers understand the dynamics of infection spread and protective practices.

References

For authoritative answers to common questions, please consult the following websites having researched verified information about the disease.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub WHO public information portal.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/ US CDC public information portal. May be tainted by US politics.
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html Johns Hopkins University tracking site.
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/ Virginia health department tracking site.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_modelling_of_infectious_disease A run through the math of disease spread
https://youtu.be/gxAaO2rsdIs A wonderful video showing the form of the model, simulation runs of the model, and how public actions affect model parameters and the spread of the disease.

Healthcare

Two Tleilaxu Eyes

Post author By davehamby
Post date January 4, 2020

The second one is done. Surgery went smoothly and recovery is going well. The second eye appears to be recovering more quickly than the first. There was less redness and I had usable vision in the eye the next day.

I was amazed at how much colors had changed. The cataracts were filtering blue light. Loosing both of them, colors are consistent across my visual field and I’m amazed at the change in the off-whites in the kitchen back splash, kitchen and bathroom marble, and tile floors. All have lost their lemonade look. Oh, and the stains on the shower enclosure tile are obvious. Field day happened.