Vince's Journey

It's been 10 days since I broke my rib and it still hurts quite a bit. I've heard from many people that it could take a while before the pain eases. I thought I had turned the corner over the weekend, I slept pretty well Saturday night. Unfortunately, I must have tweaked something yesterday because it's giving me a lot of discomfort today. I was supposed to go down to the Ohio River to spend the night with some of the brother-in-laws but since I can't golf and it hurts to do just about everything, I think I'll just take it easy at home tonight.

On Thursday, I'll get CT scans again. Hopefully everything will continue to be clean. Obviously I get a bit anxious when its time for the scans. I don't seem to ache as much as I did over the summer (except for my ribs, of course) so hopefully thats a good sign. Maybe the effects of the treatments are wearing off. I'll have my follow-up appointment to go over the scan results with Dr. Leming on October 3.

The Buckeyes and Bengals are both off to great starts! Great to see both teams doing so well. I would like to see the 6th grade team I coach turn things around - we just can't seem to mount a threat offensively. We're 1-4 right now and need to win out to have a winning season. I feel bad for the boys, we're trying but we can't seem to get over the hump. A win this weekend would certainly be nice.

That's all for now. hope all is well with all of you. I'll keep you posted on everything. In the meantime, if anyone knows of any way to easethe pain of broken ribs, let me know!!! Talk to you soon....

Vince

Yes, this weekend I had to make a trip to the emergency room following a fall down in La Follette, Tennessee. I was down there with a group of guys from St. Susanna for a little golf, football, boating, etc at Norris Lake. Before I arrived, I experienced some car problems and had to call AAA for a tow. After loading the car onto the tow truck, I slipped, fell and landed on my side on the edge of the truck's bed. I felt a snap and knew immediately that I probably broke something and sure enough, the x-ray revealed that I broke a rib. So golf was out, boating was out, ping pong was out, beer drinking was out (I was put on some pain killing meds and advised not to drink), all I could really do was lie in the recliner and watch football - I guess I have spent worse weekends. And there was one positive, it took my mind off everything else for a couple days.

It's amazing how much one rib can hurt. Without going into too much detail, your rib must be involved with just every bodily function because it hurts when I do just about anything. The doctor said it will probably hurt for a week or two, it should heal in about 6 weeks. He also said I can do anything I want as long as I can tolerate the pain. Hopefully I won't miss a couple golf outings next week.

I wasn't the only injury down at the lake this weekend. Another guy in our group is still in the hospital down there after having a collision on a jet ski. He is going to be OK but he had 4 broken ribs and a lacerated liver so its going to take him a few days to get out of the ICU. I'm not sure if I'll go on the trip next year, I'm not sure if we'll be invited!!

Hope all is well with you and your family. I'll keep you posted...

Go Bucks!!!!

Vince

I had my first maintenance Rituxin treatment on Tuesdsay and it went rather smoothly. I did spend 7.5 hours at the doctors office but that's what I've come to expect with these treatments. The good news was there were no complications and Dr. Leming said I continue to be boring, which is a good thing.

I'll have the CT scans repeated later this month, if all goes well the doctor said we probably won't do them as frequently after that. I'll get my next maintenance Rituxin in December.

I'm feeling stronger. This week,I ran 6 miles on back to back days for the first time in quite a few months. I feel a little tired today but have to admit, it is getting a easier every time I go out and put in a few miles. I just have to keep building up my strength.

I also lost 8 pounds since my doctors visit in August. I think that's due to the fact that I'm exercising more. I still have a way to go to get my weight where I'd like it to be but if I keep working at it, I should be where I want to be by the holidays. Then I can gain it all back by eating all the great holiday foods!

Of course the big story this weekend will be the Ohio State/Texas football game. The Buckeyes owe the Longhorns big time for last year's heartbreaker and while I know I'm going with my heart, I'm picking OSU to win...the same as I have every game for the past 37 years!!

Our son, Judd, has been at a Kairos retreat all week and we're looking forward to having him back tonight...the house has been pretty calm and quiet without him. I hope you all have a great weekend and....

Go Bucks!

With Peace and Blessings!