2 Year Zero

Hi guys -

Haven't written in a while. I just got my 2 year zero today. One or two more 6-monthers and then we go to annuals.

Life is good. With the help of viagra the old soldier can stand up and salute pretty well - just not quite as well as he used to, primarily because of my Peronies. (Yes, I am doubly lucky.) I still wear one light pad a day and probably will for the rest of my life - no biggie.

I am coaching two soccer teams in this - my 29th season of rec league soccer. Gee, I thought "NAVY" meant "never again volunteer yourself." See what happens when you disobey orders? I've got a team of mostly disinterested "too cool for school" HS seniors, and team of enthusiastic, energized 8th graders. They're fun.

My oldest daughter graduated from college a couple weeks ago, and my youngest daughter graduates from HS next month. Amazing. The wife keeps reminding me that the doctor said I only had about 30% chance of walking away when this adventure started. I don't remember that. I only remember him saying, "Don't worry about anything until something bad happens. Then we'll weigh our options." So, nothing bad has happened, so I have not been worried.

So that's what I would recommend to everybody - don't worry about what might happen. Face the decisions in front of you, make the best educated decision that feels right for you, and take it one step at a time. I wish you all the best.

kcragman

Great report. Congrats on that all important 2 year mark.

David in SC

Great news. The soccer keeps you young!

Thanks, guys.

Casey59 - My wife is a physical therapist with a PhD in anatomy and a medical research background. She has taught pathophysiology for years, and knows every freakin' medical stat there is to know. She is also, in my opinion, prone to exaggerate. So, when I said, "the doctor said" I actually meant "my wife said." (Even tho' she'll sit there and say, "Didn't you hear the doctor say...?") I don't think any doctor would tell you to your face that you have a 30% chance of surviving - at least in the case of prostate cancer, where all the stats seem to be a little squishy and outcomes can be so dramatically different. She probably picked up a stat somewhere along the way that said something like 70% of Gleason 9's have a recurrence of cancer. My doctor (Jason Engel) says his Gleason 9's are doing well - at a statistically significant higher rate than the norm.

So my write-up was not exactly accurate. It just came out that way. (A little over dramatization.) What he ACTUALLY said was the part about not worrying until something happens. If it hasn't happened, don't worry about it.

Be well,

kcragman