It’s good to be back
First of all, thanks to everyone for all the emails, card, phone calls and well wishes during my extended abscence. there is no way I can answer all of them individually, so I hope this entry in my blog will suffice. Your concern was heart warming and went a long way in my my ability to get back on the air.
To make a very long story short, it started in late October with a sharp pain in my left side. A visit to the doctor showed that i had Constrchondritis, which is an inflammation of the muscles surrounding the rib cage. I also had pneumonia. Again. After a few days, I had to go to the emergency room for shortness of breath. After many blood draws, X-rays, CT Scans, it was determined that I had Multiple Myeloma, a type of blood cancer that apparently causes calcium to leech out of the bones. as a result of that, I ended up with compression fractures in two of my lower vertebra (L2 and L4). I wasn’t good for much for quite a while, and my fabulous wife and son took excellent care of me. Fortunately, it was caught in time, and is very treatable, and I now go weekly for treatments. I’m assuming that the treatments are making a difference, because my lower back is much better, and I am able to drive and walk unaided. I feel very good about things, and feel that I am getting better every day. I can’t thank Jonathan and Kati enough for taking on my shift during my absence, and, once again, for all your thoughts and prayers. It’s good to be back.
Mark