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Showing posts from May, 2009

exactness...

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Polaroid Epitaphs: Part II: No. 1 : Lisa's Lips: 05/30/2009 While it is true that my blog entries have been sparse lately, a lot has been transpiring. Business has been, well, business, -up and down. -That goes without saying… My recent chest CT scan revealed nothing. That is to say, no primary tumor was discovered in the lungs. While most people pray that they will never find a tumor in their lungs, I was disappointed. I just want to know where it is…? I want a face to hurl a dart at…!! Yes, it’s a strange stick to pull, but it’s my stick. Short of exploratory surgery, we have only one more test to go on the hunt for the primary tumor… that is, a colonoscopy in a few weeks. With that test completed, we will have effectively run the gamut! I suspect that too will be inconclusive? My pathology report came back last week from Dr. Woltering. The news was mixed… my KI67 is very low at 2%. However, Woltering noted that my tumor is Moderately differentiated, not Well (note previous repor

Still alive here...

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Family Portrait with Casket: Silver-Gelatin print mounted on period board: Circa 1910. From the Museum of Mourning Photography ( MoMP ) Collection. No, I'm not dead yet... and yes, it has been over a week since my last real entry. With the event season now nearing the climax (June/July), I've been stupid-busy. I've been working on a new photobooth in the shop and it's looking great! Photos to come soon. My sister-in-law, Sarah, finally had her baby on Wednesday the 20 th (10 days past-due). Her name is Nia , and I'm an uncle again. (She's a beautiful little gem...!!! So Congrats to her and Ryan!) Unfortunately, I spent almost all of that day (5hrs) at city hall trying to get permits for my booths in bar locations. One of our locations got pinched by a city inspector, and we were shut down for 24hrs. Everyday we're down, we loose money. Thankfully, it happened on a weekday, so we didn't have to go into the weekend when the licensing office is closed.

An interesting evening...

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Last Tuesday night, late in the evening, Andrea and I were hammering on our laptops on the couch when we heard a ton of crazziness outside. Cops were everywhere, in our alley/driveway, running through yards, speeding all over the neighborhood, and basically, on an all out man hunt! Not entirely sure what was going on, I grabbed my rifle in case we needed to scare off an invader, or something...! Since I only had blank rounds, I guess it might have been more of a liability than an assett? It was like we were watching cops, but in our backyard! I noticed that there was a squad car shining a light on our driveway for an extended period. So, I got curious... and noticed my car doors open? When it seemed safe, I walked out to see what was up? Apparantly, our Nissan had be broken into and the cops nailed them in the act? They took off on foot, hence the ruckess! They never even got a chance to steel anything. Funny enough, one of the fuckers even left his back-pack in the drivers seat when t

"So...we took sun baths.."

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Sailing & Beach Album: Lake Geneva, Illinois (Detail) Circa, 1930: (From the collection: Acquired at Jan's Antiques: 05/16 Chicago, Illinois.) Title: "And so we took sun baths.." Sailing & Beach Album: Lake Geneva, Illinois: Circa, 1930: (From the collection: Acquired at Jan's Antiques: 05/16 Chicago, Illinois.) Beach Album Series: Lake Geneva, Illinois: Circa, 1930: (From the collection: Acquired at Jan's Antiques: 05/16 Chicago, Illinois.) Studio Portrait: From Knots Berry Farms, California: (From the collection: Acquired at Jan's Antiques: 05/16 Chicago, Illinois.) In the yard... A ghost like, surreal portrait. (From the collection: Acquired at Jan's Antiques: 05/16 Chicago, Illinois.) Day to Day: I've been away from the blog for a spell. Once again, not for any reason other than my being busy. Due to some delay in fabrication from our builder, I'm getting ready to build another booth on my

Back from New Orleans

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View from the plane... somewhere over Illinois, perhaps. It looks peaceful, but was a ride riddled with turbulence The Jefferson Flea Market... A real nice dump of a digging place! A painting at the Jefferson Flea Market. I shoul dhave bought this, but restrained myself. This painting is absolutely brillant in so many ways! After seeing Dr. Woltering in New Orleans, I’m back home. Unfortunately, this trip did very little to help my sense of progress. I’m trying to stay positive, but just can’t get there right now. I guess you have ups and downs, and this was a downer. Woltering was energetic, a bit eccentric, and yes, very knowledgeable. Woltering had no problem speaking plainly, which I appreciate. He also isn’t the type of guy to hold your hand, but I can deal with that. And so, we left only with a direction to take more tests to find this primary tumor… If I lived in Louisiana, this would be easier to stomach. However, getting a local Oncologist, like Dr. Benson, to follow Wolteri

Off to New Orleans: Dr. Woltering

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I had my 3rd Sandostatin shot (30mg) on Friday (05/08). Strange... I used to hate needles, now, I find them somewhat fascinating. The nurses probably think I'm a freak, since I'm always taking pictures... I guess most Cancer patients don't do that? I've been away from the blog for a while... not because I needed a break, but because I just couldn't find the time. True to form, work is busy as usual on all fronts. If I'm not working the photobooths , I'm busy researching this disease. On Tuesday of last week, I made the 2.5 hour trip via car to Madison, Wisconsin to the NET symposium. It was worth every mile! The conference wasn't all that great, but Dr. Warner and Woltering were there. So, I got a chance to talk with them briefly. I was also able to ask the NET panel some questions... I asked them about the importance of finding the primary tumor, and all agreed, it's very important to treatment! Long story short, the current thought for NET tr

Endoscopy Report: No News is Bad News (but what did you expect??)

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I got to wear my favorite shoes for the procedure! They'll never take my shoes!! Or, my iPhone! Finger Monitor... or something? They marked me H-15? That was a first for me... Maybe a patient number? Once they hooked me up to this thing, I was out! The sexy "terrorist belt" with sticky things that hurt like hell to take off... and, they leave adhesive stuck to your skin for at least 3 weeks, no joke. You wear the belt for 8 hours. I need a tan, yes? Upper Endoscopy (manual) & Capsule: Well, after a long wait, yet again... I almost forgot! The results came back from my 2nd endoscopy... not a colonoscopy as I initially reported, in error. For the procedure, I once again swollowed a camera, but, they then put me out and fished something down my throat... they poked around, and moved the capsule to a better location. After I woke up, I got to wear my favorite belt again... which if you remember, monitors the capsule camera I swollwed via radio signal. The Results : Zero

Neuroendocrine Cancer Symposium

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May 5th, I'm going: LINK AAES 2009 Neuroendocrine Cancer Symposium This 4 hour symposium will introduce the state-of-the-art knowledge about neuroendocrine cancers. The panel will feature experts in the field of neuroendocrine cancer biology and management including members of the AAES leadership. The talks are aimed towards physicians who encounter these uncommon malignancies as well as patients and family members who live with these diseases. The lecturers and their topics include: 1:30 pm Welcome and Introductions Moderator: Herbert Chen, MD - University of Wisconsin 1:40 pm The Carcinoid Cancer Foundation Presenter: Richard RP Warner, MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine Medical Director 2:00 pm The Surgical Management of Carcinoid Tumors Presenter: Janice L. Pasieka, MD - University of Calgary AAES President-Elect 2:30 pm Operative Options for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors Presenter: Michael J. Demeure, MBA, MD - Virginia Piper Cancer CenterAAES President 3:00 pm Medullary T