Colonel Dave in Kentucky has Cancer

To all my friends on the VA board, here is a message from Colonel Dave in Kentucky . Please stop by the Men's Board to give Dave your best wishes and keep him in your prayers.

 

Tim

 

 

Daveloss - Post Date: 8/31/07 5:05 am Many of you know I have stage 4 cancer in my neck having metastasized from my tongue. The prognosis is really quite good, but getting there will be beyond difficult. Next Friday, I have every one of my teeth pulled so the decay is minimized post radiation treatment. The next week I will have a feeding tube inserted through my belly since I won't be able to swallow after a few weeks into the chemo/radio period. This scares the hell out of me: I want to make sure that my cancer surgeon understands all the issues and the 2 solid years of rny healing don't get compromised. Also, will they prepare a vitamin/mineral mixture to pump into me? I may have my RNY surgeon call him. Please, if you have any ideas or experiences, please share them this weekend. This 7 week Ch/Ra therapy will start in mid September. I'll then heal through late November and December. Neck surgery will follow in January. I may get my teeth in Dec. or Jan. I hope to be back on all eight cylinders by early March. Since the cancer has progressed the "big guns" will be employed. 's Markey Center will provide services. We've met some incredible and caring folks throughout the 2 months of diagnosis and treatment planning. They must have taken lessons from y'all!!! Dave, becoming the new, improved Gumbi!!!

 

 

Consider it done Tim! This is awful news but he is a fighter and know he will give it his best shot! Jackie

Hi Jackie, Great to see your smiling face. I'm sorry to hear about Dave as well, he is such a nice guy. Thanks for the prayers, I'm sure he'll be fine but it going to be a tough fight. Hopfully Suana and I will see all of ya'll in January at the party in Richmond. It's on my calendar but I never plan that far in advance, life is just do crazy for that these days. Regards, Tim

Hi Tim, We plan to be there in Janaury so hopefully we will see you and please give Dave my best regards when you next see him! You look good in that car by the way!! :-)  Really suits you! Jackie

Hey Tim my sweet friend . I am so sorry to come home and read this . I so care about him and will go over and send my love . What an inspiration he was to me at the Lexinton Conference .  How are you ?  Thanks for posting this , and he is in my prayers for sure .  Tink

Hi Nat, I read it last night when I came home. I thought I would share since we all met our favorite Colonel Dave in KY last year. Dave just recently retired and is looking forward to enjoying it. I know he'll get through this OK but it will be a long battle. I have lost way to many family and friends over the past 10-15 years to cancer. I glad to see things are going better you these days. You had one hell of a rollercoaster year since we we're all partying in KY last October.   Susan and I are planning to make the trip to the VA party in Richmond in January. We were up at Bush Gardens 3 weeks ago for a company picnic. First time I got to ride all the rollercoasters in 15 years. Either I am getting old or they are a lot crazier than they use to be. It was great to climb back into the front seat again and ride but I felt like I had "shaken brain symdrome" when I got off. I must be getting old, 50 is approching in a hurry. But after dropping from 460lbs to 219lbs I hoping its a bump in the road instead of a drop over the cliff. Tell all the lovely girls from VA hello for me and I hope to see all ya'll soon. Warm Regards, Tim

Hi Tim. It wasn't difficult to figure out that your friend is quite the fighter just from his words that you shared.  Of course there will be prayers going out for him.  And for you as well.  I know only too well how difficult it is to watch a friend go through something like this.  I had to last year.  All any of us can do now is pray that God will guide Dave's doctors to the best prognosis possible.

 

Hey Tim, Thanks for updating us on Dave's situation.  He will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers over the next several months.  I had so much fun with y'all in Kentucky last year.  Hopefully the next several months will go quickly for Dave and we will see him on the dance floor again real soon!! And might I say......you look pretty darn good sittin in that new ride!  Hope to see you in January!!! Hugs, Patty

Thank You very much Patty my dear, I really sorry to hear about Dave's cancer also but I know he will beat it and be back to the party before we know it.  I do love my new Mustang GT very very very much. I have wanted one since the 60’s (damn I’m getting old). It was my reward to myself for hitting my goal of losing 240lbs and walking 1000 miles in 12 months. I finally made it down to 219lbs back in March 2007 so I took it for a test drive and I had to have it once I hit 85mph in third gear. I bought Susana a 2006 bright blue Miata last year which she loves so she was in no position to complain very much. So far I have been good, no tickets yet but a couple of close calls. I got tired of having white hair also so now I am back to my original brown/blonde color from 15 years ago. Susan just laughs at me and reminds me if I get the hot little blonde to go along with my mid-life crisis ( I say makeover!!) that she will just have me killed rather than going through all that messy divorce business. After 27 years of married I tend to believe she just might be serious. How have you been doing these days?   I was up your way a few weeks ago but only for the day with Susan, Billy and his girlfriend Brinkley. We did the Busch Garden company picnic thing then stopped through VA Beach to see my favorite nephew. His wife Heather is having their second child next week at VA General. I am looking forward to seeing all of you crazy VA ladies again. We did have a lot of fun in Lexington last year and I was really disappointed we did not make the trip to Richmond last year but Billy had to come first. I hope life is treating you well, you’re looking great as always. See you soon.  Warm Regards,  Tim PS - Checkout a really great website called www.meetup.com They have all kinds of great groups and its a wonderful place to meet people with similar interest in your area. I have joined a hiking club, a volleyball group, watersking club, and a billards league. I don't have time to worry about my weight anymore because I am too busy living my life again.