Hang tough Huey, after 2 years, I still deal with the side effects of chemotherapy drugs. Cancer in any form SUCKS!!
Been dealing with after effects of cancer a long time. 2007 "luckily" some hag was checking her Facebook page while drivin Ford Excursion breaking C2 and C3 vertebrae in my neck along with damaging some others around those up into the brain stem when she rear ended me. Always had good doctors or found good docs by the time was getting second and third opinions. One was going over images of neck and saw something in corner of one that he thought odd and sent me for more images to discover very beginning of Stage 1 pituitary cancer. Pituitary gland sits between the optic nerves that send signals from eyes to brain plus regulates your endocrine system so if not caught very early is a big deal.
They managed to get it beat down with chemo, radiation and other treatments calling me "cancer free" in 2009. Since then pituitary gland is whacked so thyroid, adrenal glands and others don't work right. Will be hyperthyroid taking meds to slow it down then "flips to hypothyroid and have to take Synthroid to raise levels. Used to have blood work every two weeks, then every four but now its every eight as I can tell if changes myself quickly. Take Corteff to supplement body not making adrenaline, weekly testosterone injections and just that encounter with cancer has affected me for life along with radiation pounding me right at optic nerves affecting vision a bit.
The "30 to 40 minute" session to remove tumors around spine early 2022 turned into 90 minutes to get first and two more trips to hospital to get the others. All were benign, all are gone so count that as two time cancer survivor but was already being treated for prostate cancer. We were supposed to have that wrapped up, already be far enough into PT could be working part time/light duty but catching covid twice in the hospital has slowed everything down.
This is the first week since Julyish felt good enough to sit in my recliner with small laptop. Last week was first time shot a squirrel in months but wife surprised me with a tripod, gimbal head and vice to support weight of a rifle (using my lightweight custom 10/22s) which idea came from photos of Arts rig for shooting heavy rifles standing. She had employee from LGS come assemble the rig and install an awning to keep rifle/me in the dry if raining if walk out on the deck when see a squirrel. Got excited, spent three days killing them wholesale and ended up at Shepard Spinal Center Monday getting steroid injections as over exerted myself and strained all the whacked up muscles around spine.
At least I killed enough to realize my shooting skills have not completely tanked. Using Eley 38 grain subsonic hollow points in my two Kidd stainless lined aluminum and one with carbon wrap barrel. Just locking rifle in vice once in the morning and leaving till evening discovered if twist too much as pan and tilt to track the tree rats it is a bit much stress so have to not chase them if moving too fast. Can still dope my three favorite 10/22s making clean shots from 25 to 125 yards while reading wind. Only missed one completely out of about two dozen but not set up a rifle since Mondays injections. Its all good though as have had time to catch up on a lot of reading of books added to collection past couple of years plus spend quality time with the wife. Just hemorrhaging money since I don't get paid if I don't work.
