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	<title>I blog, you read.</title>
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		<title>From the iPhone</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=312</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=312#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:37:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=312</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am gonna try this.  I am sending this from my phone and gonna attach a photo.  These test blogs are gonna be over soon, but when that happens the REAL entries will start.
In the time being, enjoy a screenshot of my iPhone with the icon on my home screen.  NICE!!!!

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am gonna try this.  I am sending this from my phone and gonna attach a photo.  These test blogs are gonna be over soon, but when that happens the REAL entries will start.</p>
<p>In the time being, enjoy a screenshot of my iPhone with the icon on my home screen.  NICE!!!!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/p_480_320_C4C4BF2F-C276-4982-BCA0-313F823D375E.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-full" src="http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/p_480_320_C4C4BF2F-C276-4982-BCA0-313F823D375E.jpeg" alt="" /></a></p>
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		<title>The first step is the hardest</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=308</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=308#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:07:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=308</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Okay, so I am revamping the blog.  I am changing stuff around and we shall see where it goes from here.
As of today I have added a &#8220;like&#8221; button, publish to Facebook app, comment from Facebook app and a icon for iPhone users so they can save my blog right to their HOME SCREEN!
I will [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Okay, so I am revamping the blog.  I am changing stuff around and we shall see where it goes from here.</p>
<p>As of today I have added a &#8220;like&#8221; button, publish to Facebook app, comment from Facebook app and a icon for iPhone users so they can save my blog right to their HOME SCREEN!</p>
<p>I will be blogging more and for some reason these days I have more to say and that is making me frickin&#8217; happy!</p>
<p>The wifey is sick and I am gonna finish up the laundry and make some dinner.  Aww the life of an iHubby.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>The end is the beginning&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=307</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=307#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 May 2010 05:43:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=307</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am writing this blog with a bit of sadness.  Not because someone has passed on but because of the ending of LOST.  I didn&#8217;t start watching the show until the third season had ended.  The writers strike happened and LOST, just like every other show, was on hiatus.  My wife [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am writing this blog with a bit of sadness.  Not because someone has passed on but because of the ending of LOST.  I didn&#8217;t start watching the show until the third season had ended.  The writers strike happened and LOST, just like every other show, was on hiatus.  My wife and I were looking for something new to watch and randomly picked up LOST at Blockbuster.  She had never seen it and I had only seen the first two episodes.  I gave it a try but for some reason at that time in my life I wasn&#8217;t really into TV shows.  </p>
<p>We picked up the first disc and brought it home.  We finished that night and went to Fred Meyer the next day and bought season one.  We were hooked.  We finished season one and then bought the second and third one.  We finished those and then I downloaded the first half of season 4.  We were lucky that the strike happened, it gave us a chance to catch up.  </p>
<p>The show was amazing.  It was mystical.  It had this vibe about it that seemed so new and fresh.  But this blog is not about our love of LOST, it&#8217;s about the ending and what comes next.  </p>
<p>When you find a show you love to watch it becomes something that you talk about.  In my mind, if you keep discussing an episode of a show for the next week or so until the next episode that is a sign that you are watching something good.  That&#8217;s just me.  I can&#8217;t say I was one of those that watched LOST or The Sopranos from the beginning.  But I can say that I was there for the beginning of a few shows.  </p>
<p>I have a tough time with shows.  I don&#8217;t like to get to invested only to find out that the company that is backing the show doesn&#8217;t think it&#8217;s &#8220;profitable&#8221; or getting good numbers.  To me, that&#8217;s not the sign of a good show.  If the writers stay true to what they have created then I am a happy camper.  These shows are few and far between.  </p>
<p>One show that I can say that I have been there since the beginning of was FRINGE.  This show has everything in it, at least I think so.  </p>
<p>I was a big fan of the X-Files and was someone who watched it every week but the writers seem to have lost their touch towards the end.  It got mundane and boring.  FRINGE takes everything that X-Files had and combines it with the mysticism and whit of LOST.  This may be a bit spoilerish, so if you haven&#8217;t seen the season finale of FRINGE I suggest you don&#8217;t read on.</p>
<p>FRINGE has always been about science, fringe science to be exact.  The things we think about and hear about in magazines that are YEARS from being proven, or never will.  They touch on the ideas of that we are not alone but with a twist.  There are two worlds, two universes.  They have told us that from the beginning.  Olivia on the show reminds me of Jack Shephard.  She at first was a skeptic but through two seasons has come to see that there are things that can be explained and they are phenomenal.  The relationship of Peter and Olivia has been one of partners at work and then there has always been that unspoken emotion of caring and possibly love.  We saw that come to fruition with the season two finale.  </p>
<p>A friend on Twitter (@lemoneyes) said &#8220;Tonight&#8217;s FRINGE finale destroyed all the moral ambiguity that made the show interesting.  A terrible wasted of a great show.&#8221;  I hadn&#8217;t seen the episode yet but I was saddened by this.  I then saw the episode and had the complete opposite feeling.  There was a purpose in the show before.  The FRINGE team was trying to stop the &#8220;war&#8221; from the other side from happening.  We find out that by going over to the other universe to get &#8220;his son&#8221;, Walter set in motion these events that were happening.  There are also The Observers.  These elements all come together to give us a show that has heart, sadness and hope.  </p>
<p>Olivia is stuck on the other side, captured by the complete opposite of a man she trusts.  Olivia has let her feelings known for Peter and he has reciprocated only to go back to the other side with the doppleganger of Olivia.  This tension is something any LOST fan is use to.  </p>
<p>With the season three signed on the writers of the show have a choice to make.  They can either make a good show and stick to where they are going with all these plots or they can &#8220;jump the shark.&#8221;  The morals of this show haven&#8217;t changed.   We knew about all the stuff with the other universe almost from the beginning.  If it has done anything, it has solidified the morals in my opinion.  </p>
<p>I will be the first to say it here.  Season three of FRINGE could destroy any thoughts I had about LOST being one of the best drama shows on TV.  The season finale of the third season could have the potential to be better than the season three finale of LOST where Jack is screaming at Kate &#8220;We have to go back!&#8221;  It also has the potential to go the HEROES route and suck BIG TIME and lose all their viewers.  I am hoping for the first but we never know.</p>
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		<title>Paying it forward</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=306</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=306#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2010 01:05:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=306</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It’s been a bit of time.  I have not communicated with you, my readers, and for that I apologize.  I have started a new job and other things have changed but today I am going to focus on something that really just opened my eyes today.
It all started with a phone call.  [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It’s been a bit of time.  I have not communicated with you, my readers, and for that I apologize.  I have started a new job and other things have changed but today I am going to focus on something that really just opened my eyes today.</p>
<p>It all started with a phone call.  I slid the “unlock to answer” button and gave the good old What Up!?  I hadn’t talked to this friend in almost a month and no way was I gonna let it go to voicemail.  We said our hello’s and then it was a little weird.  There was this uncomfortable silence in the conversation and it had only just begun.  I spoke up and asked why he was calling and he then spoke.  However when he spoke it was in small little fragments, more like thoughts that hadn’t been put together in a complete sentence.  I was able to decipher what he was saying…I knew what he wanted to know.  My heart sunk a bit.  He then spit out a question that was like hearing a glass window break: “Who was your Oncologist?” </p>
<p>I immediately told him who my oncologist was and that he was the best.  My doctor didn’t fuck around when it came to that shizz.  I asked him exactly why he wanted to know and then his mouth began spewing words and thoughts like a volcano that had just exploded and that hot magma was bombarding my eardrums.  I heard him, crystal clear.  He had some tests and found pollups on his colon and also he has an enlarged prostate and from what he heard from his doctor that that can be a sign of something that is happening or is going to happen in the future.  I have read a few articles about how those two areas can have things happen to them which lead to Testicular Cancer and other problems.  He called his boy…a fellow man that has dealt with this.  Not the exact situation but something similar. </p>
<p>Glad I picked up the phone.</p>
<p>I spoke to him a bit more, interjecting some ideas and things to expect and told him not to worry yet cause they don’t know for sure.  However, I mostly listened.  I heard the frustration, anxiety, fear, disbelief in his voice. </p>
<p>He called me. </p>
<p>I told him I would be praying for him and as soon as he knew something to please get back to me.  We ended the phone call so he could go in for his blood tests.  I then sat there for a minute.  The warm sunshine coming down on my neck while I thought about this situation.  I felt good.  I remember when I was scared and worried that I had someone that I was in constant contact with that had been through the same situation that I was going through.  I was that “friend” for this guy.  I was able to pay my knowledge forward.  I will be saying prayers for my friend.  He will be in my thoughts.    </p>
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		<title>Why I am making the switch&#8230;again</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=305</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=305#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:24:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Random]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=305</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am a HUGE snowboarder.  I have been since I started shredding at the age of 12-13.  I started off my life on the mountain as a skier (GASPS!) and did it for almost 10 years.  I was a good skier but I was alive and at the ripe age when snowboarding was making it&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am a HUGE snowboarder.  I have been since I started shredding at the age of 12-13.  I started off my life on the mountain as a skier (GASPS!) and did it for almost 10 years.  I was a good skier but I was alive and at the ripe age when snowboarding was making it&#8217;s giant rush for the hills.</p>
<p>I was at an after school ski/snowboard program in 7th grade when I first made my move to &#8220;the dark side&#8221;.  My best friend Brooks had a board and he let me try it out one night when we were up there with our school program.  He was a skier also who had turned and he didn&#8217;t mind letting me try.  I have to say that the first couple runs did suck and I was on my ass a lot but for some reason I fell in love.  I went to Rogue Ski Shop the next day and purchased a board with my hard earned money that I had saved up and from that moment on my skis stayed hung up on the wall of my garage.</p>
<p>I love snowboarding but I haven&#8217;t been up to the mountain since my last accident.  It was 2006 and I caught an edge wrong while landing and SNAP&#8230;I was done for the season.  I had  torn my ACL and that was going to require surgery.  I had hurt myself before but this was the worst.  This was the first time I was ever going to have to have surgery.  Here is list of what I have injured since I began snowboarding:</p>
<p>*Left clavicle (collar bone)<br />
*Both ankles sprained<br />
*Left elbow broken and dislocated<br />
*Left ACL torn</p>
<p>Here is a list of what I broke when I skied:</p>
<p>*Nothing</p>
<p>Yup, nothing.   After realizing this I think I am making the switch.  Just like I did when I switched from PC to Mac.  I am gonna go BACK to skiing.  I am going to probably be heading to the mountain in March with some buddies and heading to Mt. Bachelor.  I am going to rent some skis and take back my roots and see how it goes.  With any luck it will just be like riding a bike and I am gonna pick it right up.  We shall see.</p>
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		<title>That time I had ball cancer &#8211; Part V</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=304</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=304#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:15:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[About Me]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ball Cancer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=304</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Chemotherapy.  That was what we decided on as the form of treatment that I would do.  We didn&#8217;t want to chance the radiation with the possibility of hurting what sperm I had left.  
My treatment would be as follows:
*Blood Test
*Infusion (45 minutes)
*One week of feeling blah
*One week of feeling like shit
*One week [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Chemotherapy.  That was what we decided on as the form of treatment that I would do.  We didn&#8217;t want to chance the radiation with the possibility of hurting what sperm I had left.  </p>
<p>My treatment would be as follows:</p>
<p>*Blood Test<br />
*Infusion (45 minutes)<br />
*One week of feeling blah<br />
*One week of feeling like shit<br />
*One week of getting better and then<br />
*Infusion again and repeat.</p>
<p>First day of treatment went fine.  I showed up and did the blood tests and so forth.  Then Denise and I watched a movie about &#8220;Chemotherapy and You&#8221; and it was made in Canadia.  I didn&#8217;t think the acting was good.  But turns out they weren&#8217;t actors.  Then we had a meeting with a Infusion Nurse that spoke to us about the chemotherapy.  It was an okay lecture but she was British so that made the meeting quite interesting.  </p>
<p>Next it was time to go to the infusion room.  I was in this room with all these other patients and it&#8217;s very cold in the infusion room.  Why you might ask?  It&#8217;s due to the fact that bacteria and germs need warmth to grow and seeing that chemo patients are at a point where they are RIPE for infection they keep the temperature down so we won&#8217;t get sick.  Got it?  Good.</p>
<p>So they inject me with an anti-nausea medicine and mix that with a steroid that is suppose to make the anti-nausea medicine last a longer time.  Then it&#8217;s down to business, the chemo bag.   They bring your chemo out in a IV bag and hook it up to this &#8220;robot&#8221; that makes sure to send my chemo into my bloodstream every 2-3 seconds.  I just sat back and let the robot do it&#8217;s job.  I didn&#8217;t feel any of the affects or anything like that right there.  I chatted with my wife and mom, tried to nap a bit and then I went home.  That&#8217;s when it hit me&#8230;.you need sleep.  </p>
<p>After my first infusion I came home at like 1:30 and went to sleep.  I slept until about 5 or 6 that night.  If this was the extent of the side affects then I think I was going to be fine.  Well, I spoke to soon.</p>
<p>I started to have foods taste bad from the metal in my body.  Nothing sucks more than wanting to bite into a Granny smith apple and having it taste like a foot, that has the texture of a bite of apple.  I got tired really easily and also I started to get nauseous.  I had meds for that but the nausea woke me up in the middle of the night, that sucked ball (GET IT?!).  But the weirdest thing was at the tail end of the first week I started to get&#8230;well&#8230;edgy.  I actually would call it anxious or nervous but it was just that my body was fidgety and was never in a comfortable position.  I just never felt like where I was sitting, standing or anything was comfortable.  I always had to be moving.  It was like having an anxiety attack but minus the heavy breathing and so forth.  That was the worst of it.  Then I started to get better and then on December 22nd they blasted my body with chemo again!  </p>
<p>I am now at the point where I am very anxious and so forth.  Fun shit.  But, I know that this is all for the best.</p>
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		<title>That time I had ball cancer &#8211; Part IV</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=303</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=303#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:22:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[About Me]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ball Cancer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=303</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Surgery is done. Recovery from the surgery is mostly over. I am walking normal and have a nice scar to show. My wife was my personal nurse and dammit, she did a great job. Now for the fun part: treatment.
I met with the first of two Oncologists at a radiation/oncology office. Dr. Metz was nice. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Surgery is done. Recovery from the surgery is mostly over. I am walking normal and have a nice scar to show. My wife was my personal nurse and dammit, she did a great job. Now for the fun part: treatment.</p>
<p>I met with the first of two Oncologists at a radiation/oncology office. Dr. Metz was nice. He came in and gave me, my wife and my mom the treatment options, numbers and all of the other information we questioned about or he had to give. We listened as he gave us all the options. He was however very focused on going the radiation route and with his numbers he gave us Denise and I thought we should go that route.</p>
<p>My mother however wasn&#8217;t impressed with the doctor. She thought he was a bit &#8220;unprepared&#8221;. We did ask him some questions that normal cancer patient didnt ask and he had to go find the information so my wife and I weren&#8217;t too phased by that. He did however give us information on chemotherapy but he wasn&#8217;t very detailed on it since he doesn&#8217;t give that type of treatment so we decided to go with radiation instead of chemo. Our main worry was anything that had to do with my being infertile after the radiation and chemo. Dr. Metz only knew the numbers and stats for radiation and they were so minimal that we just said we wouldn&#8217;t even deal with chemo.</p>
<p>The day after our appointment with Dr. Metz I got a call from the Hematology/Oncology clinic. They called to schedule an appointment with me. I had no idea that I was to meet with them but it turns out that my Urologist/Surgeon had set up the appointment so I could hear all my options for treatment. We obliged and had our appointment with the other oncologist Dr. Dibb and listened to what he had to say.Dr. Dibb was great. He was an elderly man, 50 or so and VERY schooled in the art of &#8220;the sell&#8221;. He came in and broke it down to us. He told us all about the chemotherapy and what to expect and all the side effects. He had charts, papers, research studies all printed out and ready for us to take home and read.</p>
<p>The thing that was different was when I asked him what he would do in my situation. See, doctors are just suppose to give options. Reason for this is all the malpractice suits and so forth. So they end up just giving options and letting the patient decide. Dr. Dibb was not that type of doctor. I sensed a &#8220;confident&#8221; attitude coming from him. It wasn&#8217;t that type of &#8220;I&#8217;m the shit, I know what I am talking about&#8221; kind of persona but that he was confident in the advice he was giving cause he had been doing it for years and probably had great results with patients that had taken his advice. He told us that the chemotherapy would be a &#8220;slam dunk&#8221; and not have any of the side affects that the radiation therapy would have.</p>
<p>He said we could go home and think it over and make our decision when we wanted but to also remember the sooner we made a decision the sooner I would be beating this cancer.</p>
<p>We left and went and had some breakfast at Black Bear. As we sat and waited for our Denver omlet and chicken strips we talked about the treatment. Well, it wasn&#8217;t really much of a talk it was me saying I am in favor of chemotherapy and Denise agreeing. That was that.</p>
<p>I went home later that afternoon and told the doctors office that we wanted to go with chemotherapy and they made my first appointment, December 1st. Exactly one month after I had been diagnosed with cancer.</p>
<p>So that brings us to today, November 30th, the day before I start my treatment. I am nervous, excited, scared and just lost. Nervous cause I don&#8217;t know what the hell to expect. Excited to get the treatment started and one step closer to being cancer free. Scared and lost mainly because of the unknowing of what is going to happen when this drug is inside me and working its magic.</p>
<p>I am ready. I am ready to get this started. I am ready to begin something new. I feel that I have been given a second chance at life and I am going to take that opportunity and make the most of it I can.</p>
<p>I will be updating about the chemotherapy. Might even take a few videos while I am getting treatment. Hell, you might even see some photos of me with no hair, if I lose it. We shall just see.</p>
<p>Too be continued&#8230;.</p>
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		<title>That time I had ball cancer &#8211; Part III</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=302</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=302#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:54:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[About Me]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ball Cancer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=302</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The day of the surgery.
I wasn&#8217;t really that nervous.  I knew what needed to be done and that was having my left nut removed.  Period.
Denise and I walked into the hospital, filled out some paperwork and then they took me back to my room.  They took my blood pressure and then did [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The day of the surgery.</p>
<p>I wasn&#8217;t really that nervous.  I knew what needed to be done and that was having my left nut removed.  Period.</p>
<p>Denise and I walked into the hospital, filled out some paperwork and then they took me back to my room.  They took my blood pressure and then did some blood work.  The normal stuff they do before any surgery.  It was warm in my room, thank God.  There is nothing worse than having to be in a room, waiting for surgery and then have the room be cold.</p>
<p>Denise and I joked around, chatted.  It was nice.  We were in good spirits and knew that what I was doing was getting me on the road to beating the cancer.  They put me in these WEIRD stocking kind of things but DAMN did they make my legs warm.  I also got a pair of those socks that have little sticky traction treads on the bottom of them.  Still have em.  They are totally awesome.</p>
<p>Anyways, Dr. Martin came in the room and marked on my left leg with a big &#8220;X&#8221; to make sure he operated on the right side.  I always find that funny that doctors and nurses have to do that but hey, don&#8217;t want them taking the wrong nut now do we?  The nurse came back and said it was time.  I kissed my wife and told her I loved her.  I also gave my mom a hug and told her the same.  They wheeled me back to the room and man operating rooms dont look like they do in the movies or on tv.  But, when I got in the room I commented on the music and the nurse said that she could play something that I liked if I wanted.  I told her very nicely that I doubt she would have any music that I like.  She then said she had Metallica&#8217;s &#8220;Master of Puppets&#8221;.  I gave her a look that made her happy and she put the CD in.  I lay there on the table, with IV&#8217;s in me and started to drift off to Master of Puppets.  Man, it was great.</p>
<p>I woke up and felt fine, minus the pain in my groin.  I didn&#8217;t want to see the incision.  I personally don&#8217;t like &#8220;fresh&#8221; incisions.  It&#8217;s been almost three weeks and I can look at it and it&#8217;s no problem.  But for some reason, I couldn&#8217;t look at it that day without getting sad.  I think it was the fact that I lost my buddy that use to be on the left side of me down there.  Anyways, the doctor came by, told me the surgery went great and that they sent the testicle to have pathology run on it and that he would see me on Friday for the results.</p>
<p>I spent about an hour in recovery and then decided it was time to take my first pee after the surgery.  I have never had so many nurses walk 10 feet with me.  I was able to pee and that was like the sign that I could go home.  They brought in a wheelchair and took me to the front door.  Denise picked me up and helped me in the car and took me home.  She then told me that she had bought me &#8220;G.I. Joe&#8221; on Blu-Ray to watch and it made me so happy.  Not cause I had the movie but she knew that I said something about renting it and knew that I wanted to see and she just went out and got it for me.  This was the beginning of her campaign trail for the office of &#8220;Best Wife Ever&#8221;.</p>
<p>I got home and was still out of it.  I went straight to bed after popping a few pain pills and I was out COLD.</p>
<p>When I woke up it was like 5 in the evening.  I came and laid on the couch and we watched some Chelsea Lately.  If you have never seen the show, it&#8217;s on E! every night and is flipping hilarious.  While we were watching TV my friend Devin came by bringing both of us dinner.  Carl&#8217;s Jr. had never tasted so good.  I showed Devin my incision and then he left.  I ate my food with my wife and then felt the need to go back to bed.  Denise helped me back to the room and again I was out cold.  I think I woke up twice that night to use the bathroom and felt awful cause every time I got up it woke her up.  But, I guess it was for the best.  Cause I was still learning how to get out of bed and she was there to help me out.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s the first day after the surgery.  It just went uphill from here.</p>
<p>In the next entry I am going to tell you about the pathology results.</p>
<p>Too be continued&#8230;.</p>
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		<title>That time I had ball cancer &#8211; Part II</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=301</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=301#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:10:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[About Me]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ball Cancer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denise]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=301</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The day after our trip to the ER, Denise took the day off work and was by my side for my appointment with the Urologist.  Dr. Martin, a calm and quiet man.  However, very smart and easy to talk to.  This is something I tend to look for in a doctor.  [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The day after our trip to the ER, Denise took the day off work and was by my side for my appointment with the Urologist.  Dr. Martin, a calm and quiet man.  However, very smart and easy to talk to.  This is something I tend to look for in a doctor.  I don&#8217;t want some dude in a white coat who gives me the details and then bails.  I want &#8220;Patch Adams&#8221;.  Dr. Martin is no &#8220;Patch Adams&#8221; but he is still easy to talk to and there for you for anything.  More about that in the next entry.</p>
<p>As we were filling out paperwork I was given a cup to go and pee in.  Normally this would be an easy task but for some reason peeing had become a little difficult.  I could do it but it would just take time to &#8220;get ready&#8221;.  I grabbed my cup and headed to the bathroom.  I was suppose to pee in it and then place it behind the silver door.  SIMPLE.  Well, I waited for the elderly man who was in front of me to finish and then went in and did my business.  No problem, it was easy.  I finished up and opened the door and put my cup in the box.  The thing that scared me was that the man that was in front of me.  His pee was still in it&#8217;s cup and was waiting to be picked up.  Well, it wasn&#8217;t pee.  It was nothing but about a tablespoon of bright red blood.  This scared the SHIT out of me.  No, I wasn&#8217;t pissing blood but was this something that was going to happen to me?  </p>
<p>I went back out to the waiting room and sat with Denise.  Then the nurse came out, called my name and ushered us back to a room.  She did the whole blood pressure, temp and all that other stuff.  She jotted some notes down and then said the doctor would be in.  Not a minute later Dr. Martin came in the room.  He shook Denise&#8217;s hand and then mine.  He sat down and then just asked &#8220;Jason&#8230;so what&#8217;s going on.&#8221;  I gave my story and when I had finished he asked me to stand up and drop the pants so he could &#8220;take a look&#8221; at my testicles.  I don&#8217;t know why I did it but I turned to Denise and said &#8220;Is that okay?&#8221;  Why did I ask?  I guess because she is my teammate in this situation and wanted to make sure.  She laughed, I laughed and I think Dr. Martin did a little bit.</p>
<p>I dropped my pants and he began to exam.  Again, a man was touching my junk.  This was the third dude in 24 hours that had &#8220;examined&#8221; my balls.  After he did a thorough exam he asked me to pull my pants up and he would be right back to look at the Ultrasound from the hospital with us.  He was gone maybe long enough for me to get my pants on and then escorted us to his office.  We sat down in front of a very nice HP flatscreen monitor and on the monitor was my two balls staring right back at us.</p>
<p>He showed us the normal teste and how it was just so calm and it looked at peace.  Then he showed us the other one.  It looked&#8230;well&#8230;not so happy.  He showed us the normal part of the teste and then showed us the mass on the inside that was the tumor.  He explained a lot to us in those minutes but all Denise and I heard was &#8220;tumor&#8221; and &#8220;cancer&#8221;.  I know doctors do this a lot but I have to say it&#8217;s probably tough for them to have to tell a young couple this type of stuff.  Not that it would be tough to tell an elderly couple but to have to tell a young couple that one of them has cancer&#8230;well I bet neither one of the situations is easy.  He grabbed a box of tissues for Denise and I.  I didn&#8217;t really need them at the moment, I was still in the mindset of &#8220;Okay, what do we have to do to eradicate this little bitch inside of me?&#8221;  </p>
<p>We finished our meeting with the doctor, got everything set for the next day for the surgery and all I had to do was drink this &#8220;Vanilla Smoothie&#8221; stuff for the CT scan.  I will tell you this: It was the furthest thing from vanilla and a smoothie.  NASTY!  Anyways, during this time Denise stepped outside to call her mom and talk to her.  I stayed inside and drank my smoothie and then called my mom and told her we would stop by her office after all the scans and stuff.</p>
<p>I was called back inside for my chest X-Ray and that went fine.  I have had my fair share of X-Ray&#8217;s in my life so I am pretty much a pro at it.  The X-Ray tech saw that I was drinking my &#8220;smootie&#8221; and chuckled and made the comment that I should have asked for a different flavor.  I doubt that would have helped.  Unless it was made by Baskin &#038; Robbins I think it would have still tasted like chalk mixed with cardboard and a hint of strawberry.  </p>
<p>We went to my mom&#8217;s office and hugged a bit and then talked.  No real tears, my mom was holding it together nice.  I think she was trying to be strong in front of Denise and I and I thank her for that.  We talked for a bit and then had to head back over to the Urologist&#8217;s office for the CT scan.  I dressed down into a gown and got my IV all set up.  The CT-tech told me that it wasn&#8217;t going to be loud like an MRI but the weird thing was going to be what they were going to inject in me to show up on the CT.  I think it was a type of iodine or something but it gives you this HUGE thing resembling a hot flash.  You almost feel like you are pissing yourself but you aren&#8217;t.  It was actually kinda cool but I digress.  </p>
<p>We finished up at the Urologist&#8217;s office and then headed home.  I decided to go to my work and give them the news in person rather than in an email or a phone call.  I arrived at work and asked my boss for a moment of his time.  He said no problem and then I asked if I could shut the door.  He knew then something was serious and told me to sit and he closed the door and sat down.  I tried to give the story as best as I could to him but for some reason I seem to be all over the map.  But then I mentioned the surgery and the tumor and he stopped me and said:</p>
<p>Boss:  Jason&#8230;you take all the time you need.  Your job will be here for you, don&#8217;t worry about that.  You take all the time you need for you and your family.  And if there is ANYTHING we can do to help, you just let us know.</p>
<p>I knew that he would understand the situation and he did.  He told me that I was in his prayers and shook my hand and said that everything was going to be okay because he knew that I was a &#8220;strong individual&#8221;.  I like my boss but I didn&#8217;t think he knew that much about me.  Guess I was wrong.  Thanks Marcelo.  </p>
<p>I headed back home after talking with a few co-workers and got home just in time to get some lunch with Denise.  I don&#8217;t remember what we ate but I do know that we had a good talk during lunch.  That afternoon was mostly spent laying on the couch and trying to manage the pain I was in.  Denise and I watched the episode of <em>It&#8217;s Always Sunny In Philadelphia</em> called &#8220;Charlie Gets Cancer&#8221;.  I think we did it to just get a laugh but to also get a laugh at the situation.  If any of you have ever seen the show or the episode you will TOTALLY understand.</p>
<p>We went to bed that night calm and peaceful.  She laid her head on my chest and I rubbed her back and we both drifted off to sleep.  We weren&#8217;t worrying or letting any of the info we had learned that day ruin our day.  We were with each other and that&#8217;s all we needed to make both of us feel better.  Even with the pain, I haven&#8217;t slept that good in a long time.  </p>
<p>Too be continued&#8230;.</p>
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		<title>That time I had ball cancer &#8211; Part I</title>
		<link>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=300</link>
		<comments>http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=300#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:57:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ball Cancer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.jasonsteele.info/blog/?p=300</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am not a phenomenal writer like my wife Denise but I am going to try and use my blog as way to get some of the jumbled shit that is going on in my head out and at the same time get some awareness out there about the subject of Testicular Cancer.  If you [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am not a phenomenal writer like my wife <a href="http://dashleysteele.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Denise</a> but I am going to try and use my blog as way to get some of the jumbled shit that is going on in my head out and at the same time get some awareness out there about the subject of Testicular Cancer.  If you don&#8217;t like the words testicle, balls, nuts, junk or any other word used for the male genitalia you might not want to read further because this entry is going to be FULL of references to my nuts (well, nut).Sunday morning was like any other morning.  Denise and I woke up after having a fun evening at a friends Halloween party.  No major drinking or anything but just a good time.  Oh, and the Ducks had beat USC the previous day and so I was still on the high from that.  We were trying to figure out what to have for breakfast and if I remember correctly we went with Eggs and Bacon.  Anyways, we had breakfast and were planning on going to see a movie that afternoon.  </p>
<p>I started to feel a little crampy in my stomach.  It felt like what Denise and I have diagnosed as &#8220;poo cramps&#8221;.  You know those cramps you have when you know you have to have a HUGE bowel movement&#8230;well that&#8217;s what it felt like.  She went to the store, grabbed a laxative for me and we thought nothing more of it.</p>
<p>Two hours later it was worse.  It started to become more of an achy pain (not related to &#8220;achy breaky heart&#8221; pain) that I didn&#8217;t feel comfortable with.  I took some tylenol and laid on the couch and watched some &#8220;Ace of Cakes&#8221; hoping that would help.  DAMMIT, it didn&#8217;t.  I then decided to take a shower to just relax and take it easy.  I am one of those people that when I am in the shower I like to lay down and always have been that way.  I sat down in the shower and noticed that my left testicle was hitting the floor of the shower when sitting which normally doesn&#8217;t happen.  And just like Dr. Holmes I decided to investigate.  Turns out that my left nut was HUGE and very hard and sensitive to the touch.  This was FAR from normal.</p>
<p>I got out of the shower and examined myself more in the mirror noticed the size difference was something that just wasn&#8217;t right.  I told my wife and we immediately went to the ER.  I didn&#8217;t even have to tell her which ER to go to&#8230;she knew.We arrived at the ER and checked myself in.  The lady that entered all my information into the computer reminded me of that <a href="http://home.bellsouth.net/coDataImages/p/Groups/141/141946/folders/90328/603678clown1.jpg" target="_blank">clown from the movie &#8220;SPAWN&#8221;</a> but minus all the makeup.  She asked me &#8220;On a scale from 1 to 10, how is your pain now&#8230;with 10 being the worst&#8221;.  Well, I quoted her a nice &#8220;9&#8243; while bent over in pain.  She said due to the pain I would be moved up in front of &#8220;some people&#8221; and would get seen quicker.  These &#8220;people&#8221; that I was being put in front of were the people being OVER dramatic about the swine flu.  I am talking the ones that throw anti-bacterial gel on door handles while wearing a mask around the ER.  Yeah, so I got pushed in front of &#8220;those&#8221; people.</p>
<p>We waited our turn, just chatting and talking and trying to keep my mind off the pain.  I am gonna say this up front so EVERYONE reading this knows: My wife, Denise Steele, is the best wife in the world.  In the last week she has been my nurse, pharmacist, shoulder to cry on, confidant and she has been there for to do ANYTHING I needed.  She is a trooper and I am forever grateful to her for her support, compassion and love that she has shown me during this time.  I don&#8217;t know what I would do without her.  Denise, you are my rock.  I love you very much.</p>
<p>Okay, so we waited and waited.  There were two trauma&#8217;s that came to the hospital and those take priority.  Well, 2 1/2 hours later my name was called and Denise jumped up and exclaimed &#8220;RIGHT HERE!&#8221; and began to wheel me back to the room.  We probably waited for only 5 minutes and then the doctor came in.  Dr. Juarez came in and asked the typical questions and then asked to see my balls.  At first I was nervous but figured I gotta let him see them so he can find out what&#8217;s wrong.  He squeezed, poked and gently felt my balls.  Yes, both of them.  You gotta have a &#8220;control group&#8221;.  </p>
<p>After that he said they were going to do an Ultrasound to see what exactly was going on.  They wheeled me to the Ultrasound room and man was it warm in there.  it was also very calm and just a nice room to have you nuts hanging out and have some gel put on them and have them photographed.  The Ultrasound tech did her thing and showed us some photos of what she had taken but was in no way making a diagnosis.  But she did say that my left nut was &#8220;3 times the size&#8221; of the right one.  That to me didn&#8217;t sound good.  But as the doctor had told us the testicle could have gotten an infection or gotten twisted, cutting of the circulation to the testicle and causing the pain.  So we were hopeful it was something like that.</p>
<p>They wheeled me back to my ER room and about 3 minutes later Dr. Juarez came back.  He sat down and said that he had scheduled an appointment with a Urologist the next morning and he would discuss with me further treatment options after surgery and that chemo and radiation might be something I would have to consider.  </p>
<p>Uh huh&#8230;.WAIT.  WHAT THE F**K DID YOU SAY?   I am sorry, did I hear the word &#8220;surgery&#8221;?  Yes, we did hear the word surgery and all those other scary words. </p>
<p>He gave me some pain meds for the night to get me through till the next day and all my information on my appointment and some other pamphlets/photo copies of some info on Testicular Cancer.</p>
<p>We checked out of the hospital and as we were walking to the car I called my mom.  I love my mom to death but she is someone that likes to worry.  It&#8217;s just who she is.  We decided not to call her when we got to the ER until we knew something more.  Well, we did know something more and figured it was time to give her a ring.  </p>
<p>That is a phone call that I wish I never had to have made.  This is pretty much how the conversation went:</p>
<p>Mom: Hi Jason<br />
Jason: Hi mom.<br />
Mom: What&#8217;s wrong?<br />
Jason: Well, we just left the ER&#8230;<br />
Mom: WHAT&#8217;S WRONG? (not yelling but very stern)</p>
<p>I then told her the story and she immediately began to weep.  I told her that we don&#8217;t know anything beyond what we know now so there is no reason to worry and we have to be strong.  She promised me she would and after a few more minutes we said goodbye and that we would talk the next day.  However, the way my mom said &#8220;I love you&#8221; that night on the phone brought me to tears.  It is not a phone call that I wish anyone ever has to make.</p>
<p>My wife and I had found out so much information in the last 5 hours that we were just overwhelmed and decided to go home and watch the most recent episode of &#8220;Chelsea Lately&#8221; and get a good laugh before bed.  </p>
<p>We laid down that night not knowing what to expect the next morning but told each other that I was going to be fine and that hopefully the doctor would have some good news.  We just didn&#8217;t know.</p>
<p>To be continued&#8230;</p>
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