All the work really paid off....

[rdezs]

I'm getting a whole education that I never thought I would get. We have been extremely fortunate that it was contained completely inside the small intestine. They took out about 2 ft of intestine above and below the location of the tumor, and this included removing the appendix as well. In light of the excellent news from the final pathology report, nothing phases her now. Everything else is easy. She has a new comprehension about how fragile life is.

So the aftercare. I always just assumed it was bed rest, they're talking 4 to 6 weeks. A lot of that is to give her bone marrow time to bring up the various components in her blood.

So I had to open the huge shopping bag of prescription stuff this morning, one to help maintain the thyroid while her blood recovers, miscellaneous vitamins, pain pills only as needed otherwise Tylenol, and lo and behold a box of stuff she's supposed to get every morning.... And there's nothing in my shop to a wise to repair me for this. A whole box of pre-filled syringes, and I need to inject subcutaneously just under the skin, in the front of her abdomen in the vicinity of her large closure site. I called the pharmacist for instructions. Simple enough, pinch the skin together, stick the needle in just under the skin itself, inject the whole amount. It's only .04 cc's. It's to prevent blood clotting over the next two weeks, I have to do this every morning. Needless to say that freaked her out a little bit. I told her they fully equipped us, including a sharps container to dispose of the syringes with the needles. And I kid you not, she and I watched the YouTube video the pharmacist recommended demonstrating how to do this. Bizarre to say the least. Pharmacist said I could bring her in and they will set me up to practice, injecting her basically with a placebo. Lol, she said there's no way she's going to volunteer to be a guinea pig and a pin cushion. I felt like a 16 year old changing his first starter or water pump, following the instructions in the Chilton's manual.

But anyway, I succeeded without a hitch. She didn't scream, she even said it wasn't so bad. So besides working on cars, boats, airplanes, motorcycles, roofing, plumbing and electrical.... Now I am officially into the world of nursing

I'm about ready to buy another rollaway tool box just to store all this stuff in!

 

[rdezs]

Unfortunately I've decided to thin the herd out a little bit. She has some of her own bills that I want to go ahead and eliminate, and cover the co-pays. She gets 12 weeks of paid medical leave in Oregon, but when she's done with this I want her to be sitting to where going to work is completely optional. So the 1986 Jeep CJ7 that I've worked on for about 7 or 8 years, is up for sale..... If you know anyone interested, steer them here...

https://salem.craigslist.org/cto/d/lyons-1986-jeep-cj7-350-chev-turbo-350/7868825261.html

 

[rdezs]

I think I fixed the link

 

[OBSandaNNBS]

I'm getting a whole education that I never thought I would get. We have been extremely fortunate that it was contained completely inside the small intestine. They took out about 2 ft of intestine above and below the location of the tumor, and this included removing the appendix as well. In light of the excellent news from the final pathology report, nothing phases her now. Everything else is easy. She has a new comprehension about how fragile life is.

So the aftercare. I always just assumed it was bed rest, they're talking 4 to 6 weeks. A lot of that is to give her bone marrow time to bring up the various components in her blood.

So I had to open the huge shopping bag of prescription stuff this morning, one to help maintain the thyroid while her blood recovers, miscellaneous vitamins, pain pills only as needed otherwise Tylenol, and lo and behold a box of stuff she's supposed to get every morning.... And there's nothing in my shop to a wise to repair me for this. A whole box of pre-filled syringes, and I need to inject subcutaneously just under the skin, in the front of her abdomen in the vicinity of her large closure site. I called the pharmacist for instructions. Simple enough, pinch the skin together, stick the needle in just under the skin itself, inject the whole amount. It's only .04 cc's. It's to prevent blood clotting over the next two weeks, I have to do this every morning. Needless to say that freaked her out a little bit. I told her they fully equipped us, including a sharps container to dispose of the syringes with the needles. And I kid you not, she and I watched the YouTube video the pharmacist recommended demonstrating how to do this. Bizarre to say the least. Pharmacist said I could bring her in and they will set me up to practice, injecting her basically with a placebo. Lol, she said there's no way she's going to volunteer to be a guinea pig and a pin cushion. I felt like a 16 year old changing his first starter or water pump, following the instructions in the Chilton's manual.

But anyway, I succeeded without a hitch. She didn't scream, she even said it wasn't so bad. So besides working on cars, boats, airplanes, motorcycles, roofing, plumbing and electrical.... Now I am officially into the world of nursing



I'm about ready to buy another rollaway tool box just to store all this stuff in!

Lol...Your humor is a must have, or else you will go crazy.

I think you earned that toolbox bud!! Or should I say rdezs RN??

It's a bummer to thin the herd out, but it is nice to have that reserve of hard assets you can use when you need them. Been there, done that...

Glad she is doing so well...she's in good hands!

 

[rdezs]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Her recovery is happening quickly now. She's feeling much better and actually has a sense of humor now. I'm also getting rather talented at giving shots now!

My Jeep CJ7 sold in 2 days.... Surprised how much interest there was in it, sold for $18,000.

 

[dkad260]

Wow, I just saw this...I'm just very glad to hear she is doing better. That's a crazy story man, I agree this does sound like an intense scene from a movie and also sounds like your quick thinking made the difference along with the trusty steed. Will surely drop a few prayers your way.

 

[rdezs]

Because of the size of the tumor, even though it didn't spread outside the intestine, oncology doctor wants to give her a couple rounds of chemo just to be sure. She has readily agreed. It won't start until after September 1st to give her time to heal from the surgery.

She talks about her Cadillac with a new sense of passion. It seems it has become a member of the family now.... No way it will ever be sold. Lol, there I was driving it like a madman with all the girly stuff. The fake diamond studded steering wheel cover and license plate frame.... You just look at it and it looks like a chick's car. She's already saying let's put a new transmission in it before it hits 200,000 miles, and yes, considering I just went through the motor... She's on board with a 6.0 iron block built to about 475 hp. I have free rein to keep the thing running better than new. (Keep in mind she drives it like a school bus, which is what she does at work. But now she doesn't question the importance of having the ability to really run....)

Another stroke of luck. I thought for sure I would get a ticket in the mail for that red light camera I blew through at Mach 1.
I called today to check, they said if I had a citation it would arrive within 10 days.... I told them it's been 14, the lady looked it up, and said no citation in the system. Looks like I get to keep my 36 year streak without a speeding ticket or anything!

 

[Marky Dissod]

She's already saying 'let's put a new transmission in it before it hits 200,000 miles', and yes, considering I just went through the motor ...

If you can find a firm that does used ATF analysis, it'll definitively determine if there is, or how much, TCC material is floating around in the ATF, which will give you an objective idea of how long the transmission has left; point being, don't rush unless a rush is actually warranted.

... thought for sure I would get a ticket in the mail for that red light camera I blew through at Mach 1.

If you blew through it quick enough, you may have actually beat the red light itself?

... called today to check, they said if I had a citation, it would arrive within 10 days ...
... told them it's been 14 days, the lady looked it up, and said no citation in the system.
Looks like I get to keep my 36 year streak without a speeding ticket or anything!

Is a speeding ticket-by-camera legally equivalent to a speeding ticket personally witnessed & issued by an officer in your state?
In NY, as a camera cannot legally testify in court, the ticket is issued to the car with no 'points', just a fine.

Because of the size of the tumor, even though it didn't spread outside the intestine,
oncologist wants to give her a couple rounds of chemo just to be sure.
She has readily agreed. It won't start until after September 1st to give her time to heal from the surgery.

Glad things are working out for you both.

 

[rdezs]

No they actually give you a ticket here. Same intersection where they got my wife about 2 years ago, lol. Yeah I was wondering if I blew through fast enough the system didn't react in time. They have to get a clear image of the driver to issue a ticket.

Transmission has had in inline spin on hydraulic filter since about 25,000 miles. I do that with all my automatic transmissions, and change it every other oil change. It's nice to drop the pan and very little dust in the bottom. So little you can't see it, but if you wipe it with a white towel you can catch a glimpse.

 

[Geotrash]

No they actually give you a ticket here. Same intersection where they got my wife about 2 years ago, lol. Yeah I was wondering if I blew through fast enough the system didn't react in time. They have to get a clear image of the driver to issue a ticket.

In Colorado, they would mail the ticket to you, but since the cameras were privately owned and operated by local city governments, you were under no legal obligation to acknowledge receipt if you didn't live in the city where it happened. And even then, you could ignore it until an officer knocked on your door to serve you and that rarely, if ever, happened. I got one once and threw it away as junk mail. The letter contained 3 pictures: a closeup of me behind the wheel, a closeup of the license plate, and a picture of the whole vehicle. I often wondered what would happen if I just sent them a picture of some money.

Transmission has had in inline spin on hydraulic filter since about 25,000 miles. I do that with all my automatic transmissions, and change it every other oil change. It's nice to drop the pan and very little dust in the bottom. So little you can't see it, but if you wipe it with a white towel you can catch a glimpse.

That's a really, really wise idea. I think I will do that mod with the Suburban 3500.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Awesome news, they are letting her come home for several weeks recovery, at 4:00 p.m. today. More than half of the 15 or 16 things they test in your blood still are way below the normal range, but creeping up. They expect 8 to 12 weeks to get all the numbers in the normal range. So lots of bed rest between now and then.
Friday we await the lab test of the surrounding tissue to find out if it spread microscopically. These days they give you digital access in real time to your medical record.... We will have that up on the screen at home, waiting for what we pray is good news.

Her Escalade just got babied. Took it in to get detailed, they did an excellent job. I've been driving my Hummer H2 while I had her Cadillac in our shop getting it prepared for today. Even though all the fluids and everything are only about 8 months old.... Replaced everything except her antifreeze.

I actually remember on the way down to the hospital, engine screaming at times downshifting going up that big hill somewhere around 100 mph, that I was glad I verified her lifters were genuine Delphi LS7s with the gold clip when I unpack them. Thanks go to Michigan Motorsports for selling the real deal, quality parts. Pirelli, the scorpion tires handled fantastic and the power stop brakes got an extreme test.

And of course for my neighbor that rode along and monitored her, ready for CPR. It took its toll on him emotionally.... I could see it on his face once they wheeled her in.

And thank you everyone for the support here on the forum. I know this is supposed to be about vehicles, but it's turned into much more. There's so many times late at night, nobody to talk to, I would look through the forum and read your comments. Really helped. Thank you

The members of this Forum are more than just truck owners. Members here are part of a brotherhood/sisterhood, who are concerned about the well being of fellow Forum members and their families. That's one of the qualities that separates this Forum from other Forums and social media sites.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Because of the size of the tumor, even though it didn't spread outside the intestine, oncology doctor wants to give her a couple rounds of chemo just to be sure. She has readily agreed. It won't start until after September 1st to give her time to heal from the surgery.

She talks about her Cadillac with a new sense of passion. It seems it has become a member of the family now.... No way it will ever be sold. Lol, there I was driving it like a madman with all the girly stuff. The fake diamond studded steering wheel cover and license plate frame.... You just look at it and it looks like a chick's car. She's already saying let's put a new transmission in it before it hits 200,000 miles, and yes, considering I just went through the motor... She's on board with a 6.0 iron block built to about 475 hp. I have free rein to keep the thing running better than new. (Keep in mind she drives it like a school bus, which is what she does at work. But now she doesn't question the importance of having the ability to really run....)

Another stroke of luck. I thought for sure I would get a ticket in the mail for that red light camera I blew through at Mach 1.
I called today to check, they said if I had a citation it would arrive within 10 days.... I told them it's been 14, the lady looked it up, and said no citation in the system. Looks like I get to keep my 36 year streak without a speeding ticket or anything!

I've been a cancer survivor for 13+ years, and the Oncologist hopefully is the leader of her care team, now that she's out of immediate danger and on the road to recovery. The Oncologist should be her caretaker for the remainder of her journey, and I recommend doing whatever they recommend. As I often state to my Oncologist during our quarterly consultations, "I've placed my cancer-related life in your hands."

 

[OBSandaNNBS]

Transmission has had in inline spin on hydraulic filter since about 25,000 miles. I do that with all my automatic transmissions, and change it every other oil change. It's nice to drop the pan and very little dust in the bottom. So little you can't see it, but if you wipe it with a white towel you can catch a glimpse.

That's a really, really wise idea. I think I will do that mod with the Suburban 3500.

@rdezs
I agree, which one do you use/recommended?

 

[rdezs]

Assembled my own, using a spin-on filter head, AN6 to 3/8 hard-line compression fittings, Luberfiner filter.

 

[rdezs]

For the engine, I run a Baldwin B50 bypass filter. Has a restricted orifice in the filter itself. Feeds off the oil port on driver's side of block, towards the front returns to an AN4 fitting I mounted in the flat valley cover. (AFM deleted long ago) Fits nicely in that spare battery space ..

 

[rdezs]

I've been a cancer survivor for 13+ years, and the Oncologist hopefully is the leader of her care team, now that she's out of immediate danger and on the road to recovery. The Oncologist should be her caretaker for the remainder of her journey, and I recommend doing whatever they recommend. As I often state to my Oncologist during our quarterly consultations, "I've placed my cancer-related life in your hands."

Yes, we got the call from the oncology nurse who will be coordinating follow-up for the next 5 years with all the physicians treating her. But overall the oncologist we sit down with next week will be calling the shots moving forward. This nurse explains she will be our point of contact, and she actually answers her cell phone day or night.... So next week we enter the world of oncology. Turns out she's been following my wife's chart in the background as soon as the tumor was detected and confirmed. So we will meet with the oncologist, go over everything in detail, and he will present his recommendations and options. The surgeon is anticipating, due to the size of the tumor, some chemotherapy just to be extremely thorough. On a scale of 1 to 4, regarding size, they rated it a 3.5. However, it only went through 60% of the intestinal wall, and did not leave the intestine, so they have rated it a stage 1 cancer. Adenocarcinoma.

It's good to have her home and slowly recovering. She's still a little bit low on hemoglobin, so somewhat weak if on her feet more than 5 minutes. As of yesterday her hemoglobin was up to 9.5 from 7.5 six days ago.... They want to see her get up to normal at a 12.

I take her in her Escalade to all the appointments. It seems strange.... But she has an emotional connection to her caddy now. LOL, she even talks to it like it's a person

The paint looks really good for a 2014 model vehicle.... But I scheduled an appointment for it at a local detailer to have it hand waxed and buffed. She calls it a spa day for her baby...

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Yes, we got the call from the oncology nurse who will be coordinating follow-up for the next 5 years with all the physicians treating her. But overall the oncologist we sit down with next week will be calling the shots moving forward. This nurse explains she will be our point of contact, and she actually answers her cell phone day or night.... So next week we enter the world of oncology. Turns out she's been following my wife's chart in the background as soon as the tumor was detected and confirmed. So we will meet with the oncologist, go over everything in detail, and he will present his recommendations and options. The surgeon is anticipating, due to the size of the tumor, some chemotherapy just to be extremely thorough. On a scale of 1 to 4, regarding size, they rated it a 3.5. However, it only went through 60% of the intestinal wall, and did not leave the intestine, so they have rated it a stage 1 cancer. Adenocarcinoma.

It's good to have her home and slowly recovering. She's still a little bit low on hemoglobin, so somewhat weak if on her feet more than 5 minutes. As of yesterday her hemoglobin was up to 9.5 from 7.5 six days ago.... They want to see her get up to normal at a 12.

I take her in her Escalade to all the appointments. It seems strange.... But she has an emotional connection to her caddy now. LOL, she even talks to it like it's a person

The paint looks really good for a 2014 model vehicle.... But I scheduled an appointment for it at a local detailer to have it hand waxed and buffed. She calls it a spa day for her baby...

I am relieved, and confident that you are in good hands. It amazes me how many folks with cancer don't opt for the follow-up care with a dedicated Oncologist. If not for my Oncologist, I'd be dead now.

 

[rdezs]

Just an update, this roller coaster ride seems to go on and on...

With my wife at home recovering, I've learned to keep the Escalade backed into the garage with the keys in the ignition. The past two weeks have been full of ups and downs.

Her hemoglobin is still about 25% low, platelet count is about five times normal, so we were watching for any blood clots in her extremities. Sure enough, had to run her in with severe leg pain. Have a clot form in her right thigh. They rushed her in and took care of it, followed by a CT scan of her lungs and head to make sure no pieces made their way.
Then last weekend we had a mini stroke. Again had to race in to the ER. No lasting effects, and they didn't seem surprised considering her platelet count.

We go in tomorrow for her first chemotherapy. For routine scheduled appointments we take the Hummer H2... And keep the Cadillac on standby ready to run when needed. Having gone through the engine recently with top quality parts... . The peace of mind that gives me at 6,000 RPM really is priceless. I never foresaw or expected to need it in this way.... But with our distance to the ER I now realize the value doing it better than stock. The little things I did several months ago, unexpectedly fall under pure luck. Like when tuning the ECM, bumped up the factory set speed limiter. Never plan to push it that hard, just didn't like the thought of a restriction being there. At 100 plus mph, the Escalade really felt stable, and around 115 mph sound from the engine was flat out awesome. Damn thing sounded like a Corvette, just getting into the power band.

There was one side effect which I can't explain. Rebuilding her front differential has been on my list to do, as there was a slight whine from the pinion bearing when you'd let off the throttle when cruising at highway speeds. I have one of those kits with six microphones you clip on so you can identify sound sources, and had confirmed it. But after that first high-speed run to the ER, the noise disappeared and has not come back. Changed all the fluids, they all look good.... And as I mentioned, it's poised in standby and ready to run.

Slowly trying to get back to a normal routine, checking the forum and whatnot, but everything still feels surreal. We both feel detached from reality, like we're totally lost in this reality we've been dropped into. Not sure how long that will last.... So that's it for the update. Thank you everyone for your prayers.... And remember when you're going through that expensive LS engine, it's worth a little extra money to go for the better quality hardware. That's cheap insurance if one day you depend on that vehicle for someone in your family's life. More so if you're some distance from the nearest ER.

 

[Marky Dissod]

For some reason you reminded me of an advert where someone speeds through a winding paved road in the middle of a forest,
while a trooper cuts through the forest with a 4WD truck, heads off the speeder and waits for him.
Guess you live where the Escalade is more useful for emergencies than the H2.

At 100+MpH, the Escalade really felt stable, and around 115MpH sound from the engine was flat out awesome.

Have you considered the GMTK2xx front brake kit upgrade?

Hope everything continues to improve for her.

 

[rdezs]

Yes, I should probably consider upgrading the brakes. As the transmission and torque converter are still original, I'm leaning towards placing both proactively at this point. Maybe when things stabilize, a much-needed road trip to see Nick for that transmission upgrade.

We live at a fairly high altitude.... Middle of winter, the H2 would have been the choice. Only has the 6.0, no comparison for speed, only 100,000 miles on it.... But when needed, it makes an excellent option. Been pondering taking an ly6 and boring it out to a 6.2 with appropriate upgrades for the head and camshaft for the H2 eventually. Need to keep it around for the winter, for the times where the snow gets about a foot deep before they get around to plowing the highway. The all-wheel drive Escalade does fantastic in the snow, till it gets about 5 in deep. The H2 on the other hand..... just over 8,000 lb, lockng differentials and locking transfer case... Is an absolute unstoppable beast.