texas Hold ’em

Lucky Sevens

charity poker, David Emerson, FLHW, Prostate Cancer Foundation, PSA, texas Hold 'em -


Monday the 7th we held our 7th FLHW Texas Hold ’em Poker Tournament. We started these in 2006 as another way to spread the word about Prostate Cancer screening as well as to allow people that may not play golf to come out for a good time and to help support FLHW.

Over the past three years the poker tournaments have raised approximately $10,000 of the overall $132,000 we have raised for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. I was rather proud when I added this up on Monday before the tournament.
At this week’s event we had 42 players and raised slightly more than $1,500! It was really great to see a number of first timers. I hope they enjoyed themselves and will come back for future events! The room and tables were packed! In the end Brad took first and Tim second.

I really enjoyed the evening and am looking forward to our next poker event in February!

Also on Monday I had my monthly doctor visit, Lupron shot, PSA test and quarterly Zometa infusion. The meeting with Dr. V was rather quick. My PSA rose to 108.8. We decided to maintain the current regimen through the holidays. I am feeling great and the other tests were in the normal range. When I return next month, on January 4th, as long as I remain pain free and my PSA remains somewhat stable, we will just continue on. (All of the pictures are here).

Hold ’em or Fold ’em?

David Emerson, disc golf, Johnny's Tavern, texas Hold 'em -

Mary, Brad and I saw the movie “The Blind Side” last night. What a fantastic movie. I sure wish Hollywood would produce more movies like this instead of some of the junk they churn out. I highly recommend this movie. It is based on a true story. Sandra Bullock turns in a very good performance and Tim McGraw is quite surprising as well.

Even with the cold weather we are experiencing, I played disc golf both yesterday and today. Yes, it was about 28 degrees yesterday and 33 today when we started, but with very little wind it was beautiful, perfect weather for a round. More importantly, I played pain free and remain that way 10 hours later. Next weekend will be my last opportunity to play with one of the regulars before he moves to Tuscon. I’m a little sad to see him go. He will be missed a lot.

Tomorrow is day 28 which means it’s time to go see Doc V. I’ve been feeling really good since a week after my last visit, however we just never know what’s going to happen.

Finally, tomorrow night is another event for the FLHW Foundation. We will be playing a Texas Hold ’em poker tourney at Johnny’s Tavern in Overland Park. Click here for details, for those of you in town I hope you can make it!

ever so briefly

Advanced Prostate Cancer, David Emerson, FLHW, texas Hold 'em -

I know it’s been over a week, but I don’t have a lot to report.

I had a bone scan on Monday (Feb 23rd) and the good news is that it showed no new tumors. Also, the previously existing areas were stable. Ideally, the report would have indicated the tumors had shrunk, but we are choosing to look at the positive, they didn’t grow or spread!

We also gathered all my medical records and sent them to a PC medical expert for further recommendations. We have a call with him on Monday evening, and we are hopeful that he will be able to recommend several potential doctors that offer treatments that would be customized to be more effective for my individual condition.

Finally, on Tuesday night we held another FLHW Texas Hold ’em Tournament. I am pleased to report that we were able to raise another $1,300 for prostate cancer research. Congratulations to Mike (in the hat) who made a valiant comeback to beat Kevin for the title. Next up for the FLHW foundation is our second annual disc golf tournament on May 9th.

Ramblings

Brotherhood, Charity Disc Golf, chemotherapy, Darius Rucker, David Emerson, PSA, texas Hold 'em -

I have nothing specific to report today, so here are some random things that come to mind.

Have you heard the new Darrius Rucker CD, “Learn to Live“? In case you don’t know, he is the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish. The genre is supposedly country, but I would consider most of the songs more rock. Regardless, I still like the CD overall.

I started a new TV series via the iPod. Last week on Monday night after treatment I needed something new while I was awake all night. The show is “Brotherhood” and is currently in season three on Showtime. Since I can never start a new series in the middle I got season one from NetFlix. After four episodes it’s better than average but I’m still not sure. It’s really the story of Cain and Able. The good brother is the city councilman and bad brother a small time gangster, with a conscious.

We are deep in the throws of winter this week in Kansas City, overnight temperatures tonight well below zero. It is supposed to be short lived and rumor has it we might see the fifties by the weekend. Hmmmm, can you say disc golf?

The foundation, www.flhw.org has a few events that are coming up in the first half of 2009. On Fat Tuesday, February 24th, we will be having another Texas Hold ‘Em event. Details will be available soon. On Saturday May 9th we will be having our second annual disc golf tournament, again details will be available soon. We are also contemplating a dinner/wine tasting but have a long way to go with this possible event.

Finally, I am looking forward to Monday January 26th with trepidation. On one hand, it will be the end of chemo. On the other hand the ominous ‘what next’ lies ahead. God will guide us in our decision, but all decisions from this point on are compounded in their significance. We’ll see what happens when we get there…..

28 Days

Advanced Prostate Cancer, chemotherapy, disc golf, texas Hold 'em, University of Kansas Medical Center -

Over the next four weeks, a lot of things in my life are set to transpire. There will be a number of milestones, appointments and decisions that will be strategically important in our battle against advanced prostate cancer.

– This weekend I will turn 45. Some say when you get older birthdays don’t seem to matter that much anymore. For me, they have taken on a whole new meaning, each one more and more important.

– Monday the 28th I have an appointment with my Oncologist. The results of that PSA test will tell us a lot about what’s going on now and what direction we take going forward.


– On Friday the 1st we are meeting with a doctor at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Depending on the available clinical trials, this might be one option. Regardless of my PSA number we have reached a point were we almost have to make changes. A nerve racking, highly stressful decision, but one that we will make with a lot of medical and spiritual guidance.


– On February 3rd, this blog will be three years old. Over three hundred entries posted, many new friendships created, the documentation of my PC journey, as well as personal journeys shared from all over the United States and the world. The other day I received a personal note regarding the impact of this blog that touched me deeply. It affirmed for me that the original purpose for this blog is sending the message that I had hoped.

– On February 5th the FLHW Foundation is hosting the next Texas Hold ’em Poker Tournament. Details are available at the website (www.flhw.org)

– At some point early in the month I will have another bone and CT scan. There is nothing more pleasurable than having radioactive fluids injected into your veins. I guess chemo might be better but I’ll report my experience when that day arrives! The results of these tests, along with my PSA and Testosterone levels will help guide us in the next step.

– February 18th is the third anniversary of my “official” diagnosis. I typed “Yee Haaa – a day to celebrate!!!”, deleted it, then wondered, “is it really a yee haa moment”?

– There is another appointment we may try to setup with a Prostate Cancer specialist. He is hard to get in to see, and would require a few days away from work, plane rides, rental car and hotel stay. He has a fantastic track record, but we are just considering this as an option at this point, no decisions have been made.

So, that is a peak into the next four weeks. In between all of this is family life, work and of course, just a few rounds of disc golf…..that is, if it ever warms up around here!

Read ’em and Weep!

Advanced Prostate Cancer, FLHW, Jimmy V, prostate cancer, Prostate Cancer Foundation, Saint Michael, texas Hold 'em -

There are a number of reasons for the title of today’s blog. The last 24 hours have been, as I’ve described in the past, that part of my journey, my roller coaster ride, that I can reflect on and enjoy. I’m on an ‘up’!!

First and most importantly my PSA number this month: 21.9

I’m trying to type and pray at the same time! Thank You God for giving me good news as we approach Christmas. I was not sure how Mary and I would have dealt with bad news hanging over our heads during the holidays? Obviously, we would like the number to be much lower, but at least it is not doubling, tripling, etc. As Dr. H would say, the change is statistically insignificant, which equates to a stable condition. I am grateful that I continue to feel good and that we don’t have to worry about it this year!!

Number two, the ‘Jimmy V’ video is on ESPN right now.

Another reason is last night we held another Texas Hold ’em Poker event. We had a great time as you can see from the picture. Kyle (right) took home the first place prize, Bruce (far left) was second and my long time friend Steve took third. Due to the success of the event we will be making another $1,000 donation to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. It will be matched for a total of $2,000!! A large thank you goes out to everyone who played and contributed to the night’s success!

Finally, I add this note with a bit of trepidation, however I feel I need to include the information. There is a wonderful, very spiritual woman at our Church that is facing her own cancer battle right now. She will start chemo soon and I would like to ask you to say a prayer for her, as she fights this devil, cancer.

I saw her and briefly spoke with her Saturday after Mass. The emotion and the fear were painted across her face. Mary and I know that fear all too well. I tried to be encouraging, I could only tell her she was in my prayers. I hope that somehow, my words comforted her. Once again….it’s not about me. Damn this cancer!

So, as she continues her battle, I include and recite this prayer for her:

Prayer to Saint Michael:
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him,
we humbly pray.
And you,
Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
thrust into Hell Satan
and the other evil spirits
who prowl the world for the ruin of souls.
Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Historical Numbers
Date – PSA
12/3/07 21.9
11/5/07 23.3
10/8/07 19.30
>10/8/07 Changed Lupron from 120 day dose to monthly dose
> 9-12-07 Began taking .5mg of Avodart per day. Changed Ketoconazole from 600mg twice per day to 400mg three times per day)
9/4/07 21.80
8/6/07 19.25
8/2/07 16.96
7/02/07 20.30
6/04/07 17.80
4/30/07 16.25
4/2/07 17.68
3/5/07 21.87
2/5/07 20.90
1/8/07 18.90
12/11/06 24.86
11/13/06 43.61
10/16/06 51.48 (Started “High Dose” Ketoconazole and Hydrocortisone, 10/01)[at this point and for a second time we prepared for Taxotere. First my Oncologist wanted to try High Dose Ketoconazole and Hydrocortisone.]
9/11/06 83.97 (started Zometa)
8/23/06 41.77
8/18/06 54.66(no tests in June or July)
5/19/06 11.37 (stopped Casodex)
4/3/06 4.25
3/5/06 1.4
51/27/06 0.46
12/28/05 1.85[at this point we prepared for Taxotere, chemotherapy treatments. First I had a new PSA test and new bone and CT scans, lymph nodes clear, spine clear, ribs, femur and hips stable. The PSA dropped to 1.85 and the scans revealed marked improvement. Chemo was cancelled 72 hours before it was scheduled to begin]12/15/05 7.1811/03/05 4.64 (Stopped taking Casodex)9/22/05 0.808/11/05 0.35
6/24/05 0.55
4/17/05 2.51 (taken at MD Anderson, Gleason lowered to 7/7)
4/06/05 3.51 (Six weeks after starting Lupron and Casodex)Original Gleason scores (7/8)Pre-treatment test:
2/?/05 219
12/?/04 189 (Original test)