Spontaneous Planning

Blog post: Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me, ooooooooh. And I'm feelin good ...

Tue, 05 May 2009 12:20:16 -0500

Nina Simone said it best in her song “Feelin’ good” http://blip.fm/~5mz7j.

its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me, ooooooooh. And I’m feelin good …

I am happy to report that I starting to FEEL better. It’s been 3 weeks, plus a day, since the big surgery. My stomach muscles are FINALLY healing (they cut through them in several places, one about 5 inches across!). Now I can get up and move around nearly pain free. I am starting to feel normal again, and not trapped inside my body. I’m feelin’ good!

The only problem is, I still need to take it easy physically to allow time to fully heal. But I am feeling anxious to go do something… to start something… to FINISH something. I would like to find something to do to occupy my time and mind - other than reading, tv, or the internets (which is what I’ve been doing lately). Ideally, I would like to pursue some of my old ideas again, tinker with some new ones, and see what becomes of it. I got the time, a little money to play with, and nothing to lose.

If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears. Maybe someone out there needs some help with their idea, project, or business. I will entertain all reasonable suggestions.

Until next time, I wish everyone the very best!

Posted via email from bhake’s posterous | Comment »

is feeling so much better today. Slowly but surely I am healing.

Tue, 05 May 2009 09:53:26 -0500

is feeling so much better today. Slowly but surely I am healing.

hrrrthrrr: The relief prints of Bryan Nash Gill have made their...

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:53:56 -0500

hrrrthrrr:

The relief prints of Bryan Nash Gill have made their rounds as of late, but I couldn’t not share on the off chance you hadn’t seen them yet. Bryan uses a relief and rubbing technique to create these stunning cross-sections of trees. This particular print is Hemlock-82 and the actual size is a gargantuan 52 x 38.5″. Stunning.

It was a rough day today...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:17:20 -0500

Day 3 after surgery proved to be the most challenging so far. I won’t get into all the details, but basically I was in a lot of pain. And the morphine wasn’t helping! Lol

The naseau medication they gave me this morning knocked me out all day. Right now is the first time I have felt awake today! The pain has diminished to a more manageable state now, so overall I feel better at the moment. I just got done taking a nice walk around the hallways. Tomorrow should be even better, but I bet I won’t get to go home until saturday at the earliest. Which is fine with me. I am in no hurry, and I want to make sure I am healed properly before leaving the hospital.

The team here at Baylor Grapevine is top notch. They are so nice, patient, and understanding - just what you would ideally expect from a hospital.

I hope everyone else had a good day.

Peace be with you,

Brian

Posted via email from bhake’s posterous | Comment »

Surgery went really well...

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:17:31 -0500

Just a quick update from the hospital here. Surgery was a success monday evening. Im recovering well and meeting all their expectations. Surgeon said I should be able to go home fri or sat if everything continues to go well. I feel pretty good considering the major surgery I just had. Better than I expected. Its great to hear from and see so many of my family and friends. everyone’s support is so appreciated! I will keep you posted.

Brian

Posted via email from bhake’s posterous | Comment »

Today is the day... My life will change forever.

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:27:10 -0500

Today is the day. Surgery to remove the entire large intestine (colon). I tell you what, I am sure looking forward to permanently removing Ulcerative Colitis from my body. That has been the greatest challenge over the last 10 years to deal with. I was in college at the time, playing on a golf scholarship, with dreams of playing professional golf soon after college. But in Nov/Dec 1998 I got this mysterious disease that has no cure. I was so sick back then. By the time I came back from winter break to start the next semester in January, I had lost around 20 lbs (I was already slender to begin with), I was weak, in pain, and unsure of what my future held. I was unable to play competitive golf again. My dreams were shattered.

If you have been following along, you know just last month, my doctor found dysplasia in my colon. Essentially pre-cancer type cells. No time to lose. I must remove the colon before this turns into to cancer and spreads throughout my body. In a way, this was a lot of blessings in disguise. Not only I rid of any chance of cancer which I was high risk for. But this cures an incurable disease: ulcerative colitis. No more colon = no more disease.

I know it will be a long road to recovery. But I can already see the road ahead of me… and it sure looks bright! I can’t wait to recover and see what I can do. I will be doing everything in my power to get back into shape and practice so that I can play golf competitively again. Probably this time next year will be a realistic timeframe to expect to back to normal, in shape, and golf game fine tuned.

It is now that I realize my dreams were not shattered in 1998, they were only delayed a little bit. :-)

Make it a great day, and I will see you on the other side!

- Brian

Posted via email from bhake’s posterous | Comment »

fetherston: jstn: Control panel of the craft that took the...

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:36:30 -0500

fetherston:

jstn:

Control panel of the craft that took the first human being into space, 1961.

Woahh, I just had a moment of nerd-tastic wonder.

Date set for upcoming surgery...

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:17:26 -0500

First, a big Thank You to all my friends, offline and online, who are so supportive and wishing me a speedy recovery!

Surgery date is set for April 13th, a week from Monday, in the afternoon at Baylor in Grapevine. The surgery will take 5 hours to perform, and I will be in the hospital recovering for 5 days before I can go home. So, i’m in the mood of “let’s hurry up and get this over with”, lol. I’m in great spirits actually. I’m not worried about the surgery or the chances of complications. I’m quite confident that this is what I have to do. It’s what I have to do give myself the best chance of a long and productive life. Plus I have total confidence that I have THE best surgeon for this procedure in Texas, if not the US. Here is a brief excerpt of his bio:

Dr. Simmang currently serves as one of 14 surgeons, and the only 1 from Texas, on the American Board of Colon & Rectal Surgery, the national board that oversees certification for all Colon and Rectal surgeons. He is also the Chairman of Advisory Council for colon and rectal surgery to the American College of Surgeons, acting as a liaison between the ACS and the American Society of colon and rectal Surgeons to create the annual program for the colon and rectal society.

So basically, you don’t become more specialized in your field than that, I believe. In addition, he has done over 100 of these surgeries. Plus, he is a nice guy too. Great combination.

As I mentioned in the last post, the logistics are all working out, easier than I ever imagined. Short Term Disability will kick in one week after the surgery (standard policy). I am so thankful that my company has this benefit for it’s employees! Tomorrow is a big day. 3 phases: donating a ton of items that were cluttering my apartment and garage, then move remaining into storage, then move bed tv and computer to my temporary home as I recover. Meaning, I am moving in with my parents. Not ideal at 33, but hey, they are awesome and I am so lucky they live nearby and retired and able to help me out until I recover. It’s only 6 months, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Under the circumstances, I am not embarrassed at all. Did I mention how awesome they are for helping me out? :-)

Question of the Day: What in the world would we humans do without friends and family?

Posted via email from bhake’s posterous | Comment »

hrrrthrrr: All-In-One Card Stamp by Ji Lee Why buy many cards...

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:53:47 -0500

hrrrthrrr:

All-In-One Card Stamp by Ji Lee

Why buy many cards for different occasions if you can have an “One Card for All Occasions Stamp”? It saves time, money and headache. (via)

My biggest news in Business in a long time - wish me luck

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:40:47 -0500

My biggest news in Business in a long time - wish me luck:

gary:

I am so excited about this!

Dang bro, Congrats on a sweet multi book deal! (Thinks to myself, didn’t he admit before he couldn’t write? lol) Anyways, if the book is good, I am buying it!

Update on upcoming surgery: Everything is going to work out...

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:25:01 -0500

I’m actually quite happy, and relieved, today. Two major hurdles have been worked out already.

I met with the manager of my apartment to see what they could do to help. I told her I had 3 months left on the lease, but having surgery next month, then out of work for 4-6 months and living with my parents as I recover. She was so nice and understanding. After looking at my lease, seeing that I have been here 3 years and paid on time, she didn’t even hesitate to forgive the last 2 months of my lease! Woohoo! It so nice to know there are still decent people out there in the business world. So, if you are moving to the Carrollton or Addison area of the DFW area, let me know, I will get you more info on this very nice community here. FYI, I have a 2 story townhome layout with a 1 car attached garage. This place is the nicest, and quietest, I have lived in so far.

Oh, and the other good news. I was concerned who would look after my dog while I was recovering. My parent’s house is not really dog friendly, lol. Plus my dog has more energy than both of my parents combined, which means he is a lot to handle! I made a call to my best friend Jason to see if he had any ideas. A couple hours later, he found a perfect temporary home for him. Actually someone I know and trust quite well, an old mutual friend named Bruce. His family had a dog, but past away 2 years ago due to old age. His wife and kids miss having a dog around, but not quite ready to commit for the long term. They have a nice house and a perfect yard for a dog. It’s so nice to know that he will be looked after and get plenty of exercise.

Wow, what a load off my shoulders. Those were the two main obstacles that were on my mind. Next, I have to inform work (formally). My boss and his boss are both on vacation this week. So next week I hope to find out how all the employment details and benefits (ie disability) will work out.

Hopefully they will have a job for me to come back to after I fully recover (fingers crossed).

Posted via email from bhake’s posterous | Comment »

Details on my upcoming surgery...

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:33:15 -0500

Ok. I will just be blunt here, no sugar coating at all. So in 4-6 weeks I am having my entire colon removed. Essentially known as a laproscopic colorectomy with a J-pouch, or more technically speaking a ileal-pouch anal anastomosis surgery. 2 surgeries are required. One major surgery to take out the colon and create the J-pouch plus install a ileostomy bag until the new site heals. After 3 months, 2nd sugery removes the bag and closes everything up. Eventually…. I will regain normal human functions after that (at least a month or 2). Basically I will be out of work for a good 5-6 months (yeah, MONTHS), maybe more if I have any complications from the surgeries.

Why am I having this? 2 reasons. One, I’ve had Ulcerative Colitis for 10 years now without much response to medication. Essentially, i’ve been suffering from lot of symptoms I don’t wish on anyone for a long time. Secondly, and more importantly, they found dysplasia in my colon from the colonoscopy biopsy performed a couple weeks ago. Dysplasia, from what I understand, is an early indicator that cancer is on it’s way, but not here yet. So all doctors recommend to remove the colon to avoid the risk of cancer in the near future.

The surgeries and long recovery is going to be NO fun. But when the day comes that I recover fully, I will be pain free for the first time in 10 yrs! I can’t wait! Also, I am SO lucky that they found the dysplasia before it turned into cancer. I know there are so many people who are not as fortunate as I am.

If it wasn’t for the routine colonoscopy, who knows what might of happened. Ask your doctor today about getting your routine screening done!

Posted via email from bhake’s posterous | Comment »