Thursday, February 5, 1998.

Wahoo! The day is finally here. Now I get to be a guinea pig for a bunch of doctors from all over Oregon. Hehehehe. Yipee!!!

We arrived at the doctors office, Dr. Service, at 4:15pm. We had been asked to be there by 4:30pm, but I wanted to make sure that I was on time since I am the type of person that habitually runs late all the time. Hehehehe. The setting was nothing like I had expected really. I just went in, gave my name and the lady said the nurse would call me shortly. When she did, she escorted us to a room, just like I was going to a regular doctors appointment.

A couple minutes later, Dr. Baird came in and said hi. Then she examined me again to see all the new lumps that had popped up. Then she left. It wasn't very long until the first doctor arrived. He introduced himself... I gave a brief overview of what had been going on and he examined me. He then thanked me and left. A few minutes later, another doctor came in. Same thing happened. Several doctors came and went one at a time. Then one doctor came in. I started to give my overview when a second doctor came in. Again I started to give my overview when a third doctor came in. I started once again and a 4th doctor came in. Hehehehe. It was really disconcerting to have 4 doctors standing there listening to you and then 4 doctors feeling you all over your body at once, talking amongst themselves about you. Hehehehe. I finally just started laughing and blurted out, "Oh my Gosh... I'm a freak of nature." At that, they all stopped and just started laughing right along with me. The only thing was just hilarious.

Well, at that point, I had remembered that my feet were changing colors. Ok... I know this sounds really strange, but they are. The top of my foot has gotten very dark brownish/blueish. Then there is a totally white space about an inch wide between where the dark ends and the toes begin. Then my toes are also the same color. So... I decided to ask these doctors if perhaps they would like to see my weird foot. Hehehehe. Of course, they all said yes. I was laughing the whole time. I think more out of nervousness than anything. Hehehehe. So I pulled my shoe and sock off. Here I was sitting on the examining table with just one of those silly paper gowns on that have no tie, trying to hold the gown on with one hand, holding my sock and shoe up against my chest with the other hand so that I could hold the stupid gown up high enough so they could see and feel the lumps on my thighs, while all these doctors are circled around my foot all touching and feeling my foot and talking about it. Hehehehe. Oh my gosh... you would just have to have been there to see this. It had to be the funniest thing I have every seen or was doing in my life. When they were all done, they all thanked me. I told them they didn't need to thank me, because I was the one they were helping and that I thanked them all VERY much. :)

All told, around 25 or more doctors examined me. We were there about an hour and a half or so. Each and every doctor had a different way of examining me. It was very interesting. The doctors ranged in age from ones that appeared to have just gotten out of Residency to one that was ready to retire. There was only one woman doctor. There were 2 doctors that really examined me a long time. One was the older doctor, Dr. Service, the one we were at his office. The other was a small Oriental gentleman. Very soft spoken, extremely nice. He examined me, asked a ton of questions and examined me again. He stayed the longest. I really liked him. Most of his questions were centered around my family to see if anyone in my family had ever had anything like this. I was very impressed with him as well.

After everyone was done viewing me then Dr. Baird came back in. I thanked her again. She told me that I could go and that she would contact me via phone sometime in the coming week to tell me what became of all of this. I also told her that I had a new doctor and that I was no longer using Dr. Fillingame. This did not seem to affect her at all. She was most pleasant. A lot more friendly and she even laughed at some of my jokes. I think it just has taken her a wee bit to warm up to me is all.

So, that is where I stand at this point. I truly enjoyed the experience. It was a lot of fun. I met a lot of very nice people. As we left, they were all sitting in the waiting room area and were just chatting. There were only 2 other people there besides me. I thanked them all again as I left.

I just know I have this whole new disease that has never been heard of and I'm going to be rich and famous because they will name it after me. Hehehehe. Then I'll get to tour the talk show circuit and 20-20 and 60 minutes. I'll get to meet Oprah and Geraldo and Sally. Hehehehe. I'll even get to be the star attraction on Hard Copy and they will pay me thousands of dollars for my interview. Hehehehehe.

Anyhow... that's all at this point. I was quite sore yesterday because of all the poking and prodding. I slept about 14 hours last night and I feel a lot better now.

February 11, 1998

I'm so glad to be working only 4 hours a day. It's a good thing too because I've developed so many tumors on the insides of my legs that it is extremely painful to walk, to sit, to lay or even move. I've got the really strong pain pills that the doctor gave me after my surgery, but I've only got 8 of them. I'm actually a little scared to start taking them because I'm afraid of getting addicted to them. They are Vicodin which is just a bit weaker than Percodan. I have been told, they are both very addictive. The ones on my legs are from the knee to the crotch and half way around... starting in the middle of the front part of the leg all the way around to the middle of the back part of my leg. The right leg is about twice as big as the left leg even though the left leg has lumps in the same place. There are so many of them that it is almost solid now.

In addition I discovered more new ones today. They are now starting on my stomach on both sides. Less on the right though. They have not met in the middle yet, but I figure it will only be a matter of time.

I received a message from Dr. Baird, the Dermatologist that presented me before the board. I wasn't at my desk and she is supposed to be calling me back tomorrow afternoon. I can hardly wait to hear from her. I hope and pray that she has some good news.

I go see the new doctor on Monday, February 23 (I think). I will then find out the results of all the blood tests he took. I'm so hoping that it will just be a simple thing that my body is perhaps lacking and once they find out what it is, I'll just have to take a pill everyday and I'll be all better. "Sigh" I doubt it will be that simple. I'm kinda guessing that if they do find the cause is a lack of something in my body, just taking a pill will not make the lumps that are already here go away. I may end up having a few taken out here and there, every couple months or so until they are all gone. I know that I have no desire to have them ALL taken out at once. Man... that would take absolutely hours. Ugh... Hehehehe.