Update - Visit Dr. Mark Courey - UCSF ENT Surgeon

I learn new things about myself and the process every time I go see a new doctor at UCSF. Phew, this really wears me out!

Most of you know how I enjoy being in control. I am a degenerate planner. Well, I believe one of the many gifts I will receive from this disease in me is that I will be more accepting of not being in control. However, it will be challenging.

I was expecting the experience this morning with Dr. Courey to be similar to my experience with the ENT Surgeon I visited at San Ramon Regional Medical Center. WRONG! The good part is that it was much more thorough. And the difficult part was it was much more thorough. They spent the better part of two hours crawling around my mouth, throat and nose. We also decided to do a biopsy of the tumor. FUN! Usually they put patients out for this, but being the stud that I am we decided to do it under local and . . . well you don't want the details. Dr. Courey gave me the speech that we are still gathering information and that it is very important to have the best intel before we start therapy. So, I am getting more lessons on being patient. He explained that his specialty is larynx cancer and that it his opinion that I likely have tonsil cancer (Point of Origin). I certainly didn't think there was much of a difference, but there certainly is in treatment. He also isn't ruling out surgery. So, another lesson for me in not getting ahead of myself.

We added another doctors appointment - Thursday (Niels' 18th birthday). I get to go see the audiologist. Seems there is a small risk of hearing loss related to Cisplatin chemotherapy. So, no pre-conceived notions of what this will be.

The great news is that I continue to feel strong and getting stronger every day under Michael Defino's guidance. Big thanks to my buddies Jim and Jim (Kelley and Gebhardt) for getting me hooked up.

I am looking forward to a couple of nice diversions over the next several days. Thursday, we continue a family tradition of going to Benihana for Niels 18th. I am so proud of the young man he has become. It will be nice to celebrate. On Friday, we take off for a weekend up in Albion (Mendocino). My great friends and wonderful clients Dave and Dee Bing are letting us use their beautiful house. It is amazing.

I will be back in touch after the weekend with details of the contrast CT scan and initial meeting with the Oncology Radiologist.

Be well!