Both of Us .org
News and views from two charming fellows in Northeast Minneapolis.
Now with Cancer!
Now with Cancer!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Surgery Success
By JB aka JayBee
Today I had fourteen tumors removed from my skin. My surgeon, Dr. E was very accommodating before my surgery. We went over the list of tumors that JSP and I had located. He found each one and marked it for excision. I had general anesthesia, and the surgery went very smoothly.In the past when experiencing general anesthesia, I awakened after surgery to strange and uncontrollable fits of crying. Luckily, due to the use of an alternative anesthesia, this did not happen today. When I woke up I felt great, like I had had a good nap. Surgery lasted about ninety minutes.
The surgery was much less draining than I thought it would be. I am in no pain. I hope this continues to be the case once I get a good night sleep. I have pain medication should this change.
This procedure likely has no effect on the systemic cancer, but the uncomfortable tumors removed from my skin will no longer bother me.
JSP had to work today, so my parents took me to the hospital for my procedure. They stayed at our home for several hours afterward. My mother and JSP made me a delicious Gerson therapy approved soup with wild rice in it and a serving of delicious fresh ornage/kiwi juice. I have been drinking chamomile tea as well. It was wonderful that my parents could be with me today, but frustrating that JSP could not be with me as well.
As we are a gay couple, JSP is not eligible for the Family Medical Leave Act. This is one of the many rights extended to heterosexual couples that are denied to gay and lesbian couples. This is one concrete example of how the right wing "family values" platform makes my life more difficult.
Another result of right wing "family values" is that I am not allowed to have medical coverage thought JSP's work, even though we are domestic partners. Luckily, I have great insurance through the University of Minnesota. My colleagues there have been very supportive through this process, which I am eternally grateful for.
Labels: hospital, juicing, Melanoma, perspective, Republicans, surgery
5 Comments:
JB aka JayBee wrote:
Kristen,
I hope everything is going well in Philly.
I don't damn the right wing, I just wish that they could see that their "family values" platform, which includes locking gays and lesbians out of any sort of recognition of our relationships, actually has concrete and negative effects on their sons, brothers, sisters and daughters. The "family values" platform is so narrow that it punishes anyone who does not fall into the narrow nuclear family niche. It actually works against many families.
Toto wrote:
I consider myself conservative, but on this issue I stand far apart from my peers. I'm optimistic that as time marches on, more and more people will realize the error of not granting medical benefits to domestic partners. I have faith ... I hope I'm right.