Tag: cancer

I am having surgery (update)

On By Michel McDonaldIn Health1 Comment

So something has happened to me and I thought I would talk about it.

A few weeks ago I noticed a little marble sized hard growth on my back. At first I thought it might be an ingrown hair on my back, but I wasn’t sure if it was anything I needed to worry about. I didn’t go to the doctor because the clinic we go to was having issues finding a doctor that would stay long enough to allow me to check in with them.

I was going to call them, but they called us asking if we would come see their new doctor because they wanted to introduce her to some of the less neurotic clients lol. I’m occasionally on the neurotic side. but I’m usually very calm, so I was a safe bet.

So we went and she looked at it and said it was probably an ingrown hair, which hello, I nailed. She gave me a antibiotic and said when you are finished in 7 days, we will refer you to someone to have it lanced and drained. Well, 7 days pass and I call them to let them know it’s time. By the way, it grew from that little marble and now it’s twice as long as it was.

I went to this general surgeon and was expecting him to lance it and drain it in that visit, but he told me that it looks like I have Kaposi Sarcoma. I didn’t know what that meant at the time, but it sounded bad and I went from excited to have this thing gone to feeling sudden dread. He couldn’t lance it or drain it, instead he told me they would need to do surgery to remove it, which will be this week on Thursday.

The next day the new doctor at the clinic called and wanted to know what he told me and I told her he said it was Kaposi Sarcoma. She told me that he didn’t write anything in his report about that, just that it needed surgery to remove.

Kaposi Sarcoma causes purple blotches on your skin and is a very rare cancer usually only seen in AIDS patients. Well, I do have the AIDS virus. I was diagnosed with  HIV in 1991, and then 2 years later I was diagnosed with Pneumocystis pneumonia, which the doctors said was a symptom of AIDS. Gradually over the years from 1993 to 2000 my t-cells had dropped to 50 and I was essentially dying slowly. When we moved to Bakersfield, the HIV/AIDS specialist doctor at the clinic I currently still go to changed my medicine. I was still taking AZT in 2001 believe it or not. Anyway, they changed my medicine and my t-cells gradually raised and I’m still alive and today my t-cells are in the 900 range and my viral load has been undetectable for years.

I told you that because the new doctor at the clinic told me that a patient who has a viral load and t-cells in the 50 range would be more likely to get Kaposi Sarcoma than me, so it’s unlikely that I have this rare type of cancer. Plus my back doesn’t have any strange colors. There is bruising on the skin over the lump, but that’s to be expected considering my skin has stretched a tiny amount and that this lump has caused a bit of trauma to the cell structure of the skin where the hair is grown. That spot has a open cell where the hair grows. I know this because I tried squeezing what I thought was pus out, and some did come out, but it was too hard and it hurt too much to come out.

So there are still a few more days until surgery and I will update this post if it’s a small enough update, but if it’s a lot to talk about then I will start a new blog post. Otherwise, I will keep you posted on the progress when it’s all over.

Update: Today is Thursday 8/31/2017 and I had my surgery. The doctor looked at the area that needed to be removed and noticed that the bruising was gone, and told me that he thought it was kaposi sarcoma due to the fact that he saw the purple color of the skin, and he realizes now that it was a bruise from the growth which was injuring my skin and causing it to bruise. So now he knows it is not kaposi sarcoma. So that’s awesome that he doesn’t think I have cancer.

He did the surgery and I am in a lot of pain, as I should be considering I had surgery lol. He said he will send it to a lab and find out what it was and he will let me know next time I see him. In the meantime, I’m not allowed to lift any weight or exercise for 2 weeks and I can’t shower for 2 days, which will be extremely difficult for me since it’s so hot and when it’s this hot, I usually take up to 3 showers a day. I absolutely cannot stand being sticky, sweaty and stinky. Luckily the right guard lasts a long time. We have some surgery wipes that I can use to at least clean my body.

So when I find out what the issue is, I will edit this post again with another update.

Update: Wednesday 9/6/2017

My follow up appointment with the doctor revealed that it wasn’t an ingrown hair, it wasn’t Kaposi sarcoma, it was an infected sweat gland. Who knew? So that’s a relief that it’s not cancer.

Dangerous Sugar Substitutes

On By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, HealthLeave a comment

image

I’m not the guy you normally go to about this because I usually call BS on all the complaints people have about certain foods that we buy. I mean come on, I’ve been using Sweet N Low and Equal since I was a teenager and I’m still alive. Whenever I say on social websites like Facebook that I’m eating or drinking something, there are at least 3 people telling me that I could get cancer and die. Yeah okay, whatever you say. So I just stopped.

Today I was at the store and I saw they had a sale on Yoplait. I don’t normally buy yogurt because I cannot stand the taste of regular yogurt. I mean, it’s repulsive to me. I can remember the first time I ever tasted yogurt. I was 9 and my sister was eating yogurt and told me I should try it, so she gave me a taste and it was so awful that I literally vomited right where I stood. They say your taste buds change over time and to be fair that was in 1979, but believe me, nothing has changed. Yoplait is the only yogurt that I can eat that doesn’t taste like sour crap to me.

20140827_004241_AndroidThe sale on the Yoplait was 10 for $5. I noticed they had pumpkin pie flavor so I bought 4 of those and then 6 other flavors. When I got home, I ate one of the Pumpkin Pie flavors and OMG It tasted just awful. I didn’t notice this label at first.  If I had noticed that and then read the back to see what they replaced it with, if I saw Sucralose, I wouldn’t have bought it. Sucralose is Splenda and Splenda does some nasty stuff to me.

This is what it says on several websites, including Center for Science in the Public Interest CSPInet.org. “Sucralose, the key ingredient in Splenda, is made by reacting sugar with chlorine.”

Splenda gives me the worst stomach cramps I have ever experienced in my entire life. I mean so bad that I have put a heating pad on my stomach and one time I almost called 911 because the pain was so bad. I’ve tried ibuprofen and that didn’t even help. I would sit on the toilet until something came out, but afterward it still gave me cramps. I learned my lesson after the 2nd time this happened and I refuse to buy anything with Splenda in it. I can’t even have 1 simple cup of coffee with Splenda in it.

The one thing that shocked me about Splenda, besides the fact that they make it by reacting sugar with chlorine, was that it is detrimental to patients with Cancer, AIDS and heart patients. The Better Health Store website and a couple other sources say this.

In animals examined for the study, Splenda reduced the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50 percent, increased the pH level in the intestines, contributed to increases in body weight and affected P-glycoprotein (P-gp) levels in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected.

The P-gp effect could result in medications used in chemotherapy, AIDS treatment and treatments for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines, rather than being absorbed by the body.

According to Turner, “The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study … confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label.”

I find that extremely shocking because of the fact that since January of 2013, I have been eating nothing but diet food. I lost 70lbs last year because of it. I am still eating diet food because I am still trying to lose weight. Well, I don’t think anything had Splenda in it, but how do I know that for sure? I’m not looking to blame anyone, but I have AIDS and according to most of my blood tests this year, my viral load has gone up. It has been undetectable for nearly a decade, and then all of a sudden it goes up and no one knows why? I take my medication religiously. I don’t even miss a day, and if I notice at 2pm that I forgot to take my morning pills, I will take them immediately. I don’t mess around with my health. These medications are keeping me alive, and if I am eating or drinking something with Splenda in it and it causes my medications to fail, well I have a problem.

Many people recommended Stevia, but that does the same, if not worse. The first time I tried Stevia, I was in the bathroom within minutes of drinking my first cup of coffee with it. I mean immediately. My stomach was cramping up so much and it gave me the worst gas I’ve ever experienced. I think I was on the toilet for 30 straight minutes crying in pain. It was just awful.

Look I’m all for trying new things, but I have health issues and I have to continue to use what works for me. I have never had any problem with Equal also known as Aspartame, even though the CPSI website does not recommend it, or Sweet N Low also known as Saccharin.

Someone recommended Monk Fruit to me tonight, and this website says it’s safe, but it also says that about Stevia and well, my body does not like that either. I won’t reject someone’s recommendation without at least giving it a try, but I also don’t want to over pay for something that I may have to throw in the garbage.

So my recommendation is if you have cancer, AIDS or have a heart problem, avoid Splenda like the plague if you want your medication to work. If you like Stevia and it doesn’t give you trouble then use that. But please don’t tell me what I should and should not try because I have a reason for doing the things that I do. Oh and companies, take notice that the Splenda you are using in your products are harmful to people like me. Which would you rather have, a happy customer, or a dead customer?

No More Tube!

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily Blog, Doctor, Health, PainLeave a comment

tube removed december 6th

We went to the surgery clinic at Kern Medical Center today to have the tube removed from my neck.  It would have been removed last week if it weren’t for the fact that my surgeon is only there on Fridays, and that was the day after Thanksgiving.  I honestly did not mind having the tube for that extra week because there was still more fluids draining, so I feel the extra week was warranted.

I don’t have very much swelling anymore, thank goodness.  When I did have swelling, it felt like my stitches were going to pop so I used ice to help bring the swelling down.  I think the swelling was what hurt the most, besides of course having a tube inside my neck, which hurt like hell every time I accidentally yanked on it.

Without me even having to ask, my surgeon Dr. Trang told me that they tested the stone that was in my parotid gland and they did not find any traces of cancer.  I didn’t think there would be, but it’s good to know that there isn’t cancer anyway.  I do have more stones growing in my left parotid gland, so there is a good chance that I will have to go through this all over again in a few years.  Hopefully not, but if it happens then it happens.

You can’t even see the stitches along my ear, but you can see it behind my ear and along my neck.  You can’t see my neck in the picture above, but it’s there.  I’m not too worried about scarring.  If I have a bad scar then I will buy some scar cream, if I don’t have a scar then yea for me lol.  It really doesn’t phase me one way or the other.  I’m just glad I don’t have a stone in my parotid gland, well, I don’t have a parotid gland anymore either.

There is a mushy lump on my face down near my jaw near my ear, but Dr. Trang told me that it is just saliva that has collected in that spot and it should absorb into my body.  It will go away on its own.

The thing that I am most happy about is that it is all finished and I can move on with my life pain-free, well, until my back starts hurting again, or some other thing causes issues lol.  I know it’s going to happen, it always does.  You know the saying, if it isn’t one thing, it’s another.  That’s how life is for me.  It sucks, but I think it is why I am such a patient person.  That has too meanings lol.  Get it?  I’m patient as in not impatient and I am a patient as in going to the doctor’s office lol.  I thought it was funny.

If you have no clue what I am talking about, please read this post: Parotidectomy Surgery

Anyway, this is hopefully the last thing I have to say about this issue.  It’s all good!

Save Your Cord For Later

On By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CryoCell International. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m a big believer in Stem Cell research only because they can use Stem Cells in fighting diseases. People have mixed feelings about Stem Cell research because they think that a baby has to die but that is so not true. When you have a baby, his or her umbilical cord is cut off the belly, well, instead of throwing it away it can be saved because the umbilical cord has stem cells inside of the blood.


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www.Cryo-Cell.com is a company that can freeze your cord blood for later using cryogenics. You’ve heard of cryogenics. Your baby’s umbilical cord blood can help cure their future diseases, especially if you are aware that your family has a history of heart disease, diabetes, cancer etc. It’s up to you to take these preventative steps before it’s too late to make sure your healthy baby boy or girl can live a full life disease free.


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Science has come a long way in the last 100 years, you have to admit that. So why not trust a company like www.Cryo-Cell.net to keep your cord blood for the future.  If you don’t do it for them, then who else is willing to make that call for you?  Science can help them because it is their blood and in most cases you need blood that is a match, who else’s stem cells can match them but their own?  Think about that.

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Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson

On By Michel McDonaldIn CelebritiesLeave a comment

Yesterday morning on my bike ride I was listening to the radio instead of mp3’s and they said that Ed McMahon died from cancer.  That was sad but I knew he was dying so I hope he is at peace.  My condolences go out to his family.

But I just heard that Michael Jackson died!  What?!  OMG I can’t believe it.  That was so unexpected.  Wasn’t he just going to make his 10th come back?  Well, same goes for him as with Ed, he is at peace now and he doesn’t have to worry about his looks anymore or his pedophile charges anymore.

Ok if that wasn’t enough then I heard about Farah Fawcett.  Ok now they’ve gone too far.  Farah is dead too?  That is so sad.  Ok I also knew about her cancer and I thought she was doing good.  My condolences go out to her family.

They say it always happens in threes right?  Well, I hope that Blanket and MJ’s other kids go to a good home, like maybe their mother who they should’ve been with the whole time.

As I said, my condolences go out to the family of all the recently deceased.

No More Corresponding

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

Remember the day when you would sit at a desk and write a letter to someone with an actual pen and paper?  Sometimes you mess up so you have to crumble up the paper and throw it away and the trash can would be halfway full of crumbled up paper.  You wanted to get it right because there was no delete button and there was no spell check.  Then once you were finished you folded it up and stuffed it into an envelope and wrote your address and their address and put a 10¢ stamp on it then put it in your mailbox to go out the next day.  Remember that?

Well, then the internet came along and that made it so much easier to sit at your home computer (mac or pc) and you could email your letter instead.  You sat there thinking what you wanted to say so you didn’t sound too weird or something.  Now of course you could delete and spell check then the person gets it in the blink of an eye.

What happened to that?  It seems that I don’t get any emails from family or friends anymore except for the ones that are forwarded to me from other people who have either jokes, funny pictures of dogs or cats or some old lady comic strip.  Most of the emails people forward to me are all telling me about some kid who has cancer and you have to forward it to 10 people.  Or about being careful not to get out of the car with the keys in the ignition because you see a note in the back of the car.

For once I’d like to get an email from someone telling me how their day or week was.  An email saying hi how are you.  I email people constantly and sometimes they actually respond but then that’s it.  If I don’t start a conversation then the conversation never gets had.

What is the point of having email if nobody will actually email you something that they wrote instead of just using other crap people have sent them.

I think that’s one of the reasons why I blog so much because I’ve gotten to the point where nobody emails me so why should I email them.  So if I have something that I want to get out, I’m just gonna blog it and if someone cares enough to read it then they can respond either in email or they can leave a comment.

I know someone out there knows what I’m talking about.

Actor Ron Silver Dies in NYC At Age 62 of Cancer

On By Michel McDonaldIn CelebritiesLeave a comment

Obit Silver

This is indeed sad.  Ron Silver has passed away at the age of 62 from Cancer.

The shows and movies that I remember him from were “Veronica’s Closet”, “Chicago Hope”, “Mr. Saturday Night”, “Oh, God! You Devil”, “Romancing the Stone”, “Silkwood”, “Hill Street Blues” and “The Entity”.  Yes, I went through he list in IMDB which is a very long list of credits.

Ron Silver lead a very nice life and tragic that it had to end after 62 years.  To the friends and family of this very talented man, I am sorry for your loss.  The loss isn’t just yours but is also ours.  He surely will be missed.  My family and I will keep Ron and his family and friends in our prayers during this most difficult time.