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Real Name: Steve E. Swenson Address: PO Bin 440 Bakersfield, Ca 93302 Cell: (395)736-7 Gender: male Date of Birth: January 03, 1949 Member Since: March 17, 2006 Last Signed In: September 30, 2009 Profile Views: 10866 Blog Views: 14986 Didn't catch any fish and Lopez Lake, but lots of fun anyway I feel oppressed, and out $33 Eating a burger in the shadow of Michelle Obama A must watch and pass on Lovey dovey on my patio Mexico trip rerouted to California -- oh yippee, skippy Met up today with an old cancer buddy The governator wants to tax golf???????? Took my love to Red Rock Canyon Ending fish plants in the Kern River???? June 06 July 06 August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 
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Cancer consult in the morning, extreme unction in the afternoon
Stay tuned on this one. Extreme unction is a sacrament of prayer for the seriously ill or dying; also known as the Last Rites. So yesterday at 8:30 a.m. in quite good humor, I go over to the Florence Wheeler Cancer Center by Mercy Hospital for my consultation with head and neck radiation oncologist Dr. Dean Davis. My wife, Mary, came with me. I expected to be back to work by 10. That didn't happen. Cancer was detected on my neck on Sept. 1. On Sept. 13, I was officially diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the right tonsil. It's about four, by three by two centimeters going from my right tonsil to a node in my neck just below my right ear. I was wrong in an earlier post saying it was caught in an early stage. It's actually at stage three and Dr. Davis -- showing me pictures of it from a CAT scan on a computer screen -- said it's probably been growing for up to two years. He said it's very treatable and there's an 85 to 95 percent success rate. Doris was assigned to be my nurse. She gave me some paperwork about Hard Decisions -- getting affairs in order so everyone knows how to handle medical and financial decisions. An ominous, yet I thought, not so urgent good idea. Dr. Davis said my cancer is rare, but it is growing. It may be due to a HPV virus that leads to cervical cancer. (For the record, I don't have a cervix that I know of) So the prevention pills (Gardasil) that Texas wants to give to all pre-teen girls, maybe should be given to a lot more people, he suggested. Part of my treatment will be radiation therapy. It's where they zap the tumor to make it shrink. I'm told that people lose weight in this process because their throat gets sore and they can't eat as much. They're telling me to fatten up. I can do that. I have skills. Dr. Davis wanted to get an inside look at my cancer so he puts this little rubber hose up my nose and begins to poke around. This is the same tube that my ear, nose and throat doctor, Satya Arya, used about 10 days ago with some Novocaine to deaden the pain. The next time we'll use Novocaine. This didn't feel good at all. Dr. Davis took it out, but I began to feel very dizzy. When a drop of sweat went from my forehead down off my nose, I was pretty sure this wasn't a good thing. My whole upper body broke out in sweat, A minute or two later, I heard Dr. Davis in a loud voice say, "Steve! Steve!" My wife told me later that my eyeballs went up into my head, leaving only the whites. I know that's one symptom of a heroin overdose, as I saw it in Seattle in the father of a 15-year-old prostitute who was murdered by former Kern County sheriff's deputy David Keith Rogers 20 years ago. Rogers is on Death Row for killing two prostitutes. But I don't do heroin. I barely do St. Joseph's Aspirin for Children. As I wake up, I'm thinking this would be a good time to upchuck. I was very light headed. They had a handy plastic-lined trash can. A few drops later, I was done. Davis asks if I'm feeling better. Usually I do after a good pippyup, but not this time. My eyes close. I can hear, but I'm on shut down. He tells my wife I had a vaso-vagal response (fainting) and I should be okay in just a minute. He thinks the poking touched the vagus nerve in my neck which automatically decreases the blood flow and heart beat. (my heart beat went from about 70 per minute to 39) I want to get better. I don't want to be a wimp. But I am no longer in control. I notice my hair is matted down. I am now both limp and unattractive. The doctor starts talking about taking me to the emergency room at Mercy, but he still thinks I'll come out of this. He tries to reassure Mary that I hyperventilated and this is a normal response. As time goes on, he says this has never happened in his 20 years of practice. (oh, good, now I'm a freak). He keeps talking saying at one point, "I scope him today and almost killed him." He immediately takes that back, recognizing those words probably aren't in the training manual. They move me to a reclining chair. I get a blue pippyup bag for my next episode. Then they load me onto a gurney. I can hear what's going on, but I can't open my eyes. My wife, Doris the nurse and another nurse start rolling me outside to go to the ER. We get to one point and they say there is a truck in the way. Where the hell am I? Truxtun Avenue? How does a truck get in the way? (I learn later he was unloading stuff at the back of Mercy by the ER, and he moved the truck). They wheel me to the a curtain-lined corner of the ER. For the next five hours, I'm basically out of it, although I did take a trip to get some chest X-rays. Dr. Davis came over to visit. He tells the ER doctor that he thinks my tumor is impacting my vagus nerve and that's what's keeping my heart rate low. He thinks steroids will help by shrinking the tumor. I'm thinking, "Cool. Will this help me hit my golf drives farther?" And, "Now I have something in common with Barry Bonds." At about 2 p.m., Nurse Pretty Blue Eyes (Diana) shoots me up with steroids. This is the beginning of my recovery. So Dr. Davis knows how to knock them down, but also how to bring them back up. Meanwhile, Pat Stevens, a Mercy volunteer and member of All Saints Episcopal Church (this is where Mary and I go to church, settling on it a couple years ago because I like having all the sacraments present), sees Mary and asks what she's doing there. The two ladies chat. Pat calls Fr. John Riebe who shows up a little later. Meanwhile, I continue to go in and out of sleep. Fr. Riebe does what he's trained to do. He prays with the ladies and then over me. It's now about 4 p.m. and he asks if he can anoint me with oil. That's code for extreme unction or the last rights. I ask for Penzoil, my favorite. Apparently you're not supposed to joke about holy oil. I later explain to Mary that you can get the last rights without it being your last. It's like communion and confession, you can get them anytime you feel the need. The cool thing is all your sins are forgiven. That's a handy state to be in should I leave the living. But my immediate need was I had to go pee. The nurses had removed my sweat soaked shirt, shoes and socks, so nurse Rob got me some blue ankle socks with rubber bottoms. I make my first of three trips to the bathroom. I comb my hair, feeling bad for the people who had to see me ugly for so many hours. Nurse Doris from Dr. Davis' office came back to check on me. She said Dr. Davis was a bit unsettled about my reaction. Well, good, makes two of us. In the small world department, my main nurse was Heather. She and her husband, Courtland, are good friends with Californian design editor Glenn Hammett, who takes 50-mile bicycle rides with Courtland and plays a lot of golf with me. I've had nothing to eat all day except a banana and IV bags of enhanced water. This near-dying thing makes you hungry so Heather arranged for me to get some hospital food. A little after 6 p.m., I get some spaghetti, garlic bread, green beans, apple sauce and a green salad. This hits the spot. I begin an immediate improvement. Heather and I decide that the next time this happens (hopefully to someone else), they will send them straight to Rosa's Italian Restaurant on Columbus. Sounds like an excellent plan. For most of the day they were talking about admitting me to the hospital. But if I can eat and pee on my own, I'm in good shape. So we leave about 6:30 p.m. I'm now in Mary's hands. That's a good place to be. I call Stuart Sultze with whom I was supposed to play golf today. I tell him I'm too weak to play in the regular Thursday game. This makes him sad. I won about $34 from the guys last week and they thought that in my weakened condition they could win some back. I told him that winning last week was one the one of the sins that had been forgiven. But with golfers, it really is about the money, not the spiritual welfare. I'm going back to Dr. Davis on Friday for the rest of my consultation visit. The first one was interrupted. I will also go to a chemo therapist (I think on Monday) to talk about how drugs can make me better. That's why we're trying to do here. Put my next need for extreme unction a few decades down the road.
35 comments from 28 users
1
posted by
robbwillis
on Sep 20, 2007 at 12:20 PM
Yikes! Glad you're still with us, Steve. btw, nice Penzoil comment. Ask for a different last rites guy next time. One with a sense of humor. posted by
gwenner
on Sep 20, 2007 at 12:29 PM
Steve we miss you!Thanks for the laughs as always. -- Gretchen posted by
randomfactor
on Sep 20, 2007 at 12:31 PM
Vaso-vagal attacks *ARE* scary, Steve. I've seen a dozen or so (one of my spouses is prone to them) and it's fooled doctors into getting the Code Blue cart out. . They don't call it "last rites" anymore, I hear--creeped people out. The PCRC (Politically Correct Roman Catholic) name is "Sacrament of the Sick," or something similar. posted by
ThePulse
on Sep 20, 2007 at 12:41 PM
Steve,
I'm glad you're feeling better. I've had a vaso-vagal response before. It was one of the weirdest and scariest things. I feel for ya. Get well soon. And come back to work! :-) Emily posted by
sojourner7
on Sep 20, 2007 at 12:44 PM
+May God strengthen you and bless you according to His Great Mercy, Steve+ The Orthodox Church has the Sacrament of Unction ,but is a sacrament of reconciliation with God. It is reflected in the scriptures in the James 5:14,15 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church , and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. The faithful can receive this at the time of sickness for the remission if sins, healing of soul and body, and the grace to bear the trials that we may have for our purification. In the Orthodox Church it is not a last rite and his regularly received by the faithful during Holy Week (The week before Easter). posted by
sagefever
on Sep 20, 2007 at 12:49 PM
*Bowing down* to one wicked(in a good way) sense of humor!Tell Mary to watch out for laugh wrinkles..I may up my "in my thoughts" to lighting incense, but don't worry , we call it "making health smell good" rites. Seriously Steve wishing you all the best!
posted by
OldBlue56
on Sep 20, 2007 at 12:52 PM
Steve, I thought only cops used humor to deal with scary, tense situations. Obviously I am wrong. :) Hang in there.
posted by
JeffHarbin
on Sep 20, 2007 at 12:56 PM
Cervix = Red tees, Steve. There might be a silver lining here yet.
posted by
sagefever
on Sep 20, 2007 at 12:59 PM
Watching Hamlet last nite, that was what had Pops all upset:he died with his sins on his head, Hamlet has a moment when he can kill step-Pops in the confessional..but that is even steven revenge and so he waits..I think they were Old school Catholic, but I could be wrong.
posted by
woofwoof
on Sep 20, 2007 at 01:09 PM
A pint of Dewar's ice dream should help fatten you up....best of continued luck to you Steve.
posted by
ChicoEsquela
on Sep 20, 2007 at 01:19 PM
Ice cream goes down easy too (even with a sore throat). Always look at the bright side through this. And Ice Cream is certainly a very bright side!
posted by
Jburger
on Sep 20, 2007 at 01:31 PM
Steve, get your butt back in the office, ya slacker.Burger (disclaimer: my official role in Steve's life is to abuse and ridicule him. He knows it means I love him.) posted by
blognroll
on Sep 20, 2007 at 01:36 PM
Steve, I'm sorry that life has dealt you such a cruel blow, but it seems to me that you're kicking life back, below the belt, with your great, singular sense of humor, dark though it may be. I'll be drawing upon your use of humor if something like this ever happens to me. In fact, I have found it to come in quite handy in the past. While the situation I am about to describe pales in comparison to your situation, I once hurt my back to the point in which I was in inscruciating pain when I tried to walk. This forced a slight limp, so I decided to exaggerate the limp to the point in which I was acting like an 85 year old, severely compromised man. This caused others, and myself to laugh almost uncontrollably. It really hurt to laugh, but it hurt soooooooo good! You'll be in our thoughts and prayers. And your jokes will remain in our minds, even as we continue to share in your suffering. posted by
mildmannered1
on Sep 20, 2007 at 01:49 PM
Catholics call it Anointing of the Sick. Sounds more hopeful, don't you think? Best wishes, Steve, from your fans. posted by
AudreyB
on Sep 20, 2007 at 02:13 PM
Gosh Steve what a scary beginning. Dr. Davis really is one of the best. Maybe he can write a paper about you for a medical journal. They will call hitting the vagus nerve, the Steve Swenson reaction. The good news is, you've used up all your bad luck. Now it's only good luck ahead. The Best! posted by
Mom2CandC
on Sep 20, 2007 at 03:34 PM
Glad to hear you are feeling better now....at least you got to go home before they checked you into the hospital! Perhaps Dr. Davis will use Novacaine before trying to scope you again.....that would be enough to make me faint too! Keep laughing and eat at least a pint of Dewars ice cream - not the ice milk - a day....maybe you need to get a frequent shopper card there....or buy it by the gallon instead! You'll be in the prayers and thoughts of many! my spam code: SUVMD posted by
boomtown
on Sep 20, 2007 at 04:20 PM
Steve!
Thanks for the timely report. We're glad you're doing okay. Rest up and come back soon. --Vanessa posted by
bakonative
on Sep 20, 2007 at 04:46 PM
Gosh Steve, you probably really shook that Dr. Davis up with that reaction! How weird it must have felt for you to go thru also. Good luck and hopefully no more vaso vagal attacks for you! Keep up the humor!
posted by
antiextremism
on Sep 20, 2007 at 05:18 PM
Well it could have been a vaso-vaginal attack Steve. Then you might really have a cervix. On the serious side, I'm sorry it's a little farther along than previously thought, and that this event had to be added to it, but I believe everything is going to okay, and you'll look back at it as just another one of life's experiences. Because you are a golfer and are good enough to share your story with us, I will donate all the money I win this weekend to the American Cancer Society. And make no mistake about it, I WILL take their cash! LOL posted by
jeffandjulie
on Sep 20, 2007 at 06:12 PM
Uncle Steve. When you were given your last rights, were you forgiven for all your past iberal votes? Just follow your wifes example and switch parties. If it happens again, you will not have as much to be forgiven of. Please try to stay out of trouble. I know you like to experience things and then write about them. Just don't push for the "White Light" experience.
We love ya. Your my favorite mis-guided uncle. Sincerely, Jeff posted by
BakersfieldDoc
on Sep 20, 2007 at 07:23 PM
I suggested to go see to Dr. Cartmell at CBCC. GO NOW before Dr.Davis kills you. Thanks for letting us all know how incompetent he is. BTW.....non use of Novocaine is cruel. posted by
heatherkeith
on Sep 20, 2007 at 08:07 PM
Hey... I thought you said you would be taking the day off today?? I'm glad you felt recovered enough to bear down on the type-writer keys today Steve! (wink, wink) I'll be checking in on your blogs periodically to see how you're doing. Buenas Suerte!
posted by
randomfactor
on Sep 20, 2007 at 08:14 PM
Steve, as a long-time student of Latin it delights me to inform you that the Latin word "cervix" means "neck." . You are officially being treated for cervical cancer. posted by
steveeswenson
on Sep 21, 2007 at 07:55 AM
One of these days I gotta study up on this religion that I'm in. My pastor tells me he didn't give me the last rights. He gave me annointing for healing.My mistake was harking back to my Catholic catechism classes. I thought they only time they used oil was when you were prepared to debark the planet. So my mistake, but it did make for a great headline. And I learned I need to speak up the next time. He didn't hear the Penzoil comment. Otherwise he said he would have chuckled. So for the record, I do not have a humorless pastor. To my nephew Jeff -- it is not a sin to vote for liberals. You may remember that Jesus had a beard and cared for people. That would make him a Democrat. He didn't have a crew cut and didn't worship money, the way Republicans do. But as a good Democrat, I care for Republicans too because many of them are people. Random, the Latin translation still won't qualify me to hit from the red tees. Heather, I'm doubling my stool softener medication. I don't want to bear down on anything. And I'm going back to Dr. Davis today to finish this visit. One time in 20 years doesn't make him a bad doctor. He comes highly recommended by other doctors and patients. And I liked how he fixed the problem. Besides that, a measure of a doctor is when he and his staff come over in their day to check up on you, as he and his staff did. I believe this was one of those unfortunate accidents. My HMO doesn't have a contract with Dr. Cartmell so I won't be seeing him. posted by
sagefever
on Sep 21, 2007 at 08:06 AM
I am lighting the incense:it may not help ,but my house will smell nice~Thanks for the update...take care Steve.
posted by
BakersfieldDoc
on Sep 21, 2007 at 08:17 AM
Steve, The reason his staff came over is because they knew what he did was not within normal medical practice. You need to see another doctor soon before Mary is in Milt Youngers office. It is your life that you are placing in the hands of a Dr. who screwed up. Also why aren't they scheduling you for a tonsillectomy? If your insurance covers Dr's at USC or UCLA you should be in the car going there now. Too bad about Dr. Cartmell. You can beat the 40% survival rate for this type/location of cancer! posted by
ScaryMary
on Sep 21, 2007 at 11:15 AM
Bakersfield Doc, Dr. Davis comes very highly recommended as a head and neck oncologist. His education and training was obtained at major universities including the Mayo clinic. Dont get me wrong I think the world of Dr. Cartmell. He was my Oncologist for many years but I am equally as impressed with Dr. Davis. He really is the primier head and neck specialist in this area.... I have been told that by several different sources. Like Dr. Davis said to us, he has been doing this for 20 years and never had this reaction before. I have also been told that it is relatively common to have this happen. The fact that it has not happened to him in 20 years says a lot for him. Believe me I have lots of sources to whom I have gone for information. I have been assured that It isnt something Dr. Davis did wrong. But thank you for caring posted by
Edillor
on Sep 21, 2007 at 06:18 PM
okay, this was a blast from my past....sordid and sleazy, when I used to hang out with newspaper people. AND...eeew... was married to one. Praise God he lets us repent and move ahead to a more gentle, more reformed life! Hey Stevie!! Gosh, I get a whole update on your life. Married?? Cool, she would have to be awfully special (and sanctified ) to be putting up with you. Of course, your so darn good looking and charming, the poor girl was probably just swept away. Cancer sucks in general, but in particular it certainly gives you an education in things you never knew existed. I have watched my Father-in-law and friends go through this in a couple of different ways. Good doctors are a plus, for sure, but by far the things that hold it together (IMHO) are faith, friends and a sense of humor. I can see by the posts that you have all three. I'll keep you in my prayers and know that the Lord's healing hand is in your's as you go through this. Take care, loves and hugs, Kathleen Edillor (kwilt2@aol.com)
posted by
steveeswenson
on Sep 22, 2007 at 02:24 PM
Kathy, Great to hear from you. Glad you and Alex are doing well. Newspaper people are weird, but not necessarily eeew. I'll be posting more about my progress through this. Take care.
posted by
twalling
on Sep 26, 2007 at 04:15 PM
Steve - Glad to hear you are doing better and that your spirits are up. Tell Mary her nephew "Tommy" says "hi." See you at the next family get-together... And, for the record, Abraham Lincoln wore a beard and helped people and was a Republican. Take care. - Tom posted by
saberhagen
on Sep 27, 2007 at 11:34 PM
Steve E., Shannon and I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you in PMC soon. saber posted by
steveeswenson
on Sep 28, 2007 at 06:09 AM
Tom,Yeah and Abraham Lincoln was one of the last good Republican presidents. I'm pretty sure it was the beard. Saber, Thanks. We'll see you guys soon. posted by
bbozarth
on Nov 19, 2007 at 05:07 PM
Steve, I just heard about your plight in the paper, and with my stumbling around on the computer I actually found this blog.(amazing) I can relate to almost all of your story. I am 55 year old male diagnosed with cancer in October of 2006. I was much more fortunite with my cancer than a lot of folks. As you know cancer comes in many shapes and places. I was lucky that mine showed up in a part of my body that I no longer need or used- my brain! So now a 55 yr old working man with brain cancer, it sounded like this could be the end for me. Well I guess that option did not sit too well with my family so I decided that I would fight this with all I have. Two weeks after the MRI or PRT scan that confirmed my doctors thoughts I was on the operating room at Stanford getting my head opened up so doctors could look inside and try to find a brain and remove as much of the tumor as they could. After this ordeal I started on the same kind of treatment you described, radiation with the fiberglass mesh mask strapped to the table while I get zapped. I did this every day for six weeks (along with chemotheraphy drugs.) So I can relate as to how tired you felt. I was exhausted all the time. I started going to doctors almost every day, for one thing or another. The surgeon at Stanford wanted me to see an oncoligist ther but I said wait a minute, do you know how far this is from my home in Bakersfield? He didn't seem to care. He then agreed to visit with the local Cancer center here as to my treatment so I was then introduced to Dr. Patel at Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center. I soon got to know this place very well. I think my wifes Tahoe goes there by itself. She must drive me everywhere I go - the doctors have forbidden me to drive. The posibility is still there for me to have a seizure ( I don't think that would be good while driving on Calif freeways!) So here I am a man who is used to doing everything myself, worked on drilling rigs or around rigs for over thirty years now helpless, I cannot work, drive ,play golf, etc. I am vegetating in my recliner. I am driving my wife absolutely crazy. I really should not go on about how unhealthy I am. I really only have three little problems. I am diabetic, I have cardio vascular problems, I had an angioplasty last May, And now I have brain cancer. Other than these three things I feel pretty good. I am surrounded by people who love me and care about me. Without the support of my family and friends I could not do this. My wife has been just unbelievable. She manages my health better than the doctors. Just managing all my preiscriptions (14 a day), is a full time job. I am not the first person to have brain cancer and I am not the first person to recover from brain cancer, but recover I will! So it has been just over one year that we have been fight this cancer and we just reached a milestone the other day, After reviewing my latest P.E.T scan Dr Patell has officially declared my cancer is in remission! So I said thnk you very much we are finished here I will see you around. NO NO NO not quite so fast. Now I am on what he calls a maintenance program. This means chemo for only five days a month but at twice the dosage. I get the drug at home so I don't have to go there for the IV. I take it in capsule form. But this chemo just knocks me out. I have never been so sick as I was the first day of chemo, (comode hugging sick). I now have a much better anti-venom drug that allows me to take the chemo with little throwing up. Still feel fatigued tho. It is undetermined just how long I will have to continue taking this chemo. Of course none of this comes cheap. I was ble to continue with my group insurance plan from my last emp[loyer, but it does cover all. Just my share of my prescriptions comes to just over four grand a month. It doesn't take a math wizz to figure this one. no job no income 4$4,000 a month out. I will be broke soon. The staff at CBCC has been wonderful and convinved us to apply for disability benifits. Well I do not qualify for california state ( I was working out of state during the qualifiing period), And after much paperwork and phone calls they have started sending me a small check each month. This amount does not cover my medication let alone give anything for my house payment food etc. We are useing money that we hoped to retire with. My son asked how we are doing with the finances, and I told him we are useing money that we hve saved for a rainey day. He said" look outside dad it's pouring! He also mentioned that in his entire lifetime ( he is 35), he cannot remember me ever taking even a day off from work due to illness. he said"When you do it, you do it big!". I am now seeing a nuroligist to monitor my seizure activity and to help me get to drive again so I can go back to work. So I see a brain surgeon, an oncologist for cancer treatment, the nurologist for seizures, a blood thrombosis doctor for my blood clots, A orthopedics doctor to recover the use of my arms, A physical therapist twice a week to try to get my muscles(what is left of them ) to work again. And now today I broke a tooth at the gumline so I have to see a dentist to fix that. Nothing but pain and sickness around here. But I am getting better and will recover! I just wish that it happens quickly enough so that I can beat my grandson at golf, (no that probably won't ever happen he is just too good.) It ought to be illegal for a 14 year old to hit a ball that far and straight. So Steve you can see that I have suffered through almost all of the things you have talked about. I just want you to know that you are not alone, We can make it! It is only a three foot putt for all the skins, no pressure. My email address is bbozarth@bak.rr.com my address is 15331 Opus One dr Bakersfield, 93314. It would be nice to talk to you- maybe have some lunch or play golf. 661-588-9230. posted by
NancyII
on Nov 19, 2007 at 05:20 PM
I see so much bravery on here from Steve and now you BB that I am humbled. Others have shared their trials and all I can say is...God Bless you all. I've been fortunate to have had reasonably good health all my life and when I start feeling sorry for mysef I read posts like this and I see what real strength is. I am priviliged to know you folks, even is it is just on a newspaper blog. posted by
sagefever
on Nov 19, 2007 at 05:33 PM
Well said Nancy.
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