I am back after a little break. After my mothers departure I took a break from blogging to focus on getting back to my regular routines. I am happy to say that I am settling in to life again.
This entry focuses on feeding your body and your mind. Prior to the whole cancer deal, Henry and I would try to attend a Wednesday dinner at a friends home as many times as we can in a year. The friend clears his schedule 50 times a year for this dinner where each week someone volunteers to do a main course, someone else does dessert and salad and so on. After dinner, we all gather in his living room and watch a movie on a drop down screen. It is a great group of people that gather, sometimes the group is as little as 6 people sometimes as many as 14 depending on the week. A great sense of family, considering my real family is 2,500 miles away. This is a salad Henry and I brought for one of the recent Wednesday dinners which included red and yellow bell peppers, carrots, Asian pear and salad greens.
Recently the mailman dropped off something at my front door to feed my mind. My Aunt Bari has read my blog, I know this because part of her package included two bottles of bubbles for the inner kid in me! Also included in her package was a portable CD player, batteries and three CDs focusing on healing and meditation to help feed my mind. She had noticed that many people sent me food items and she wanted to send something to feed my mind during the healing process. A big hug and thanks Aunt Bari!! Love you very much. You were instrumental in getting me to clear my mind and focus on being calm prior to the surgery and I am sure these CDs will come in handy as I go through the rest of the healing process and the treatments yet to come.
Not only do we have a winner, we have someone who guessed the exact number of staples! and the number is 105 of these incredible metal pieces that held me together for 4 weeks.
For those of you just reading our blog for the first time and are wondering why we are showing staples it's because I had major surgery to remove a Chondrasarcoma tumor and 5 of my ribs about a month ago. These little staples kept my incision healing properly. When my surgeon plucked out all 105 of these a week ago I asked if I could keep them to do something creative with which eventually I will do, but the first order of business was to have people guess how many were in me. The winner's name is Bob from New York. Bob will receive a glass teapot and one dozen blooming teas courtesy of Full Bloom Tea.
To update those following along, Tuesday next week I will have my first consultation with an oncologist to determine next steps in treating my cancer. While the surgeon feels he got most of it out, most likely I will undergo some radiation as a preventive measure. My thanks to all that participated in this little staple guessing game, and to all of you that sent your warm wishes during my recovery.
When Henry and I started this blog, it's primary focus is food and our enjoyment of eating, cooking and preparing most of our own meals in a gourmet way inexpensively and sharing this with whomever has an interest via the web. While our main focus is food, this blog also deals with how we juggle day to day life, our ups, downs, accomplishments, failures, style and living. Hence, this update deals with my battle with cancer.
Some of you know that 4 weeks ago I had major surgery where they removed 5 of my ribs on my left side and a few spots on my left lung where the cancer was touching. The incision was large and held together with metal staples which have been in me for the last 4 weeks. The first time I went to the surgeon after the operation he said to keep them in one more week. When I went back I had an infection in my lungs with fluid and he gave me antibiotics and said keep them in one more week. Today is exactly 4 weeks since my surgery and my scheduled appointment with the surgeon and I am pleased to say the staples are out! Yeah! Yeah! and more Yeah! While my kind doctor removed the staples, my Mom who is visiting from New York was right there holding my hand. Thank you Mom. The surgeon said its probably the most staples he ever removed from an operation, which lets you know how extensive this surgery really was.
I hope this doesn't freak too many people out, but I asked to keep the staples. He said sure, this is the first request ever to keep them and he wanted to know what I was going to do with them and I told him something creative, I am not sure yet, but something to symbolize my battle with Chondrasarcoma. After all, these staples held me together for 4 weeks, I feel it's only fair to hold onto them and figure out a way to creatively use them to express what I am going through. Once I figure out how to use them I will post it. In the meantime, I did think of one way to get some mileage out of the staples. A contest to guess how many of these things held me together, like guessing how many jelly beans in a jar. In order to guess, just email your guess to me at steve@2foodies2dogs1budget.com. In order to help you out, I will tell you there were more than 30 and less than 200. Please email just one guess per email address. I will accept emails today through Wednesday August 29th 10 pm PST. The one who guesses closest to the actual number or the exact number first wins a Fullbloomtea.com glass teapot and one dozen assorted blooming teas, retail value $60. Let the guessing begin! Good Luck.
Prior to going to the surgeon today, as my Mom and I were leaving my our house, UPS had left a package at the door. A hammock and stand that I ordered about 2 weeks ago. So when we got home, Mom and I put it together and all I can say is I am in heaven. Here are some pictures including the view when I look up laying in the hammock of the palm trees. The rustling of the palm fronds and the breeze against my skin while I laid in it made me feel so alive. It's hard to explain but it was a very peaceful, zen moment for me.
And even Mom got into the relaxation zen moment.
Greetings all. In the last 8 days, the fine folks at Cedar's Sinai removed 5 of my ribs, spots on my lung where the Chondrasarcoma sunk its teeth. And in those 8 days, good ole' Steve is eating, sitting, breathing, and ohhhhhh so thankful to be HOME! This post will recap the last 8 days.
On my day of surgery I remained calm, until I spoke to my Mom and Dad right before heading into surgery where my dad played Dean Martin's Amore, now who doesn't tear up when they hear . . . "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's Amoreeeee!". On the ride to the hospital with Henry and Gary, Henry had put all my favorite songs for surgery on a CD which was in the background as we drove so I had many Amore's that day.
After the conversation with my Mom and Dad, the Operating Room people came to get me, prep me, and then it was lights out for the next 5+ hours of surgery.
When I awoke in the ICU my first thought was wow - I am alive, yeah thats a good thing, interesting room, lots of equipment, hmmm, they have a bubbling water machine as background noise, maybe thats to calm me, little did I know that bubbling was from a drain of fluids coming out of me post surgery, until i saw all the tubes . . . ick, oh well, I AM ALIVE!
After a short stint at ICU I was transfered to the private room where I spent the next 7 days. Immediately after going into my new room, plants and flowers started to arrive from friends and family, this was just the first days worth. The live plants are now safe and sound at home as a reminder of all of the support, love and care from everyone. Thank you all for your good wishes!
I had mentioned my friend Gary flew in to help Henry take care of me. This is a picture of Gary, one of my angels in life. Gary was at the hospital when Henry had to work to not only keep me entertained, but to take care of me like I am family. All I can say is I love you Gary. You will always hold a special place in my heart and you are my family!
This foodie is keeping the hospital food down, and got what I expected basic food, ohhhh ohhhh where are my fresh herbs when I need them?
Cure for so so hospital food, Jamba Juice! yum.
My Mom arrived the evening before i was checking out from the hospital which is perfect timing. As I write this she is making me my morning tea and has already asked me 5 times what I want to eat, oye vey. I love you Mom. This picture was taken yesterday. My friend Kevin from San Francisco came to the hospital to pick us up while Henry worked. In the picture is Gary, Mom and Me before being wheeled to the car.
On a closing note, I am pleased to report that when I got home I noticed our new pet Puss has been growing his "hair" out.
Gary made it here safe, it's great to see him, and I am glad Henry has another person to be with him at the hospital. Gary brought this cute bear from Montreal which goes well with Henry's praying beanie baby.
I received many calls from family and friends, emails, texts, im's. I love you all, and I repeat from earlier, I am blessed.
I love my Mother. She is a somewhat petite woman. Most full term infants have an average weight of 7 lbs. I was 9 1/2 lbs when I was born. I guess I was a foodie in the womb and didn't know when to stop eating at the smorgasbord. When my Mother went to the hospital to give birth to me the nurses thought she surely must be carrying twins.
My Mom, like most, would do anything for her children, and wants to be by my side before they wheel me off to surgery and there when I wake up.
My Mother resides in Westchester, New York, and I live 2,500 miles away in Long Beach, California. My dear Mom expressed her desire to come and be here for the surgery, sit by my bed in the hospital and to be supportive. It was tough telling her not to come for the surgery. Being a good Mom, she didn't hear me the first time, because Mom's know best, and yesterday she called Henry to try to make arrangements to come. At that point, I sat in my office, had a good sob, not sure if it was the fact that my reality is cancer or that 
people weren't listening to me, or maybe both. But, having spent endless hours in counseling, I know I need to be heard. In this case , I enlisted additional help of relatives, and then got the call from my Mom, and she heard me.
My Mom is in her early 70's, type II diabetic, and I would be worrying about her which would take me out of the "calm" zone I am talking myself into. It's not that I don't want her here, it's more that I have to go into Thursday as calm as possible, as worry free as possible. I explained to my Mom that when I am released and recouping which is a 6 to 8 weeks process, her help would greatly be needed during the early part of that period, and please come to visit me then. With that said, I love my Mom, and welcome her visit to help me during the time I need her most. Even though I am now a 45 year 
old man, I assume she still sees me as I am in these pictures.
This past weekend, Henry and I had a few friends over and I received two cards. The first is a cheery bright yellow card from Josh & Joey that says on the outside "Yellow is the color of enthusiasm, joy, optimism." It is also the color of the Sun, which is where I mentally transport myself every time they take blood, stick and IV into me and say your eyes are going to get heavy. Mentally I go to Hawaii and look up at the light and envision the sun. So yellow is a perfect color for a card.
The second card is from Jimmy & Arnold, fellow foodies, and is reminding me that the upcoming hospital meals will not be similar to mine or Henry's cooking. Oh joy! Well, I guess I will have to heal fast so I can taste good food again.
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