Doug describes "My Condition"

On May 1 I was informed that I have adenocarcinoma. It is in both lungs, prmarily the left. It is diffuse and spread widely enough that neither surgery nor radiation are viable treatments. There are two types of this cancer. Chemotherapy can slow its spread, but only has a 30% - 40% chance of response in one type, and 10% - 20% in the other. If the chemo were effective, it could prolong my life expectancy from 12 to 18 months. Untreated, the average life expectancy at this point is 6 months. My oncologist is currently working with radiology to try to identify which type it is.

The symptoms are dry coughs and constricted breathing. I am currently treating the former with a fairly effective cough suppressant, and the latter with an inhaler. My lack of breath makes all walking difficult, and I will begin using oxygen soon.

I am discovering that I have an astonishingly broad range of support among my friends, colleagues, and former students. I cannot overstate how powerfully this affects me -- how it motivates me to investigate possible alternative treatments, and keep at it. I am overwhelmed by encouragement, compassion, and love.

I seem to have skipped all four of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's well-known stages of dealing with this type of information. While I acknowledge my condition and the probabilities associated with it, I am also pursuing the resources suggested to me by all of you. Through this blog, set up by my friend Paul Babin, and the others set up by Richard Badenhausen, we will be able to communicate and coordinate our ideas.

More later. For now, thank you and bless you all.