"The Event" and I Don't Mean the Surgery

I know that Sharon has updated a few times on Facebook, but I wanted to update here, and I finally feel up to it.

As you know the surgery was scheduled for Tuesday at 2pm with the hope of only removing the tumor from the kidney, not the entire kidney.  Piece of cake, worst case scenario I am home Thursday. Things did not go as planned.

The surgery was a great success - Dr B was able to remove the tumor, and the balance of the kidney that remains is viable and working properly.  He was very excited to tell Sharon how well it had gone.

People react differently to general anesthesia, some get sick, some are happy, some are loopy, I generally come out of it feeling groggy but ok.  Tuesday night, that was not the case I had more nausea than in the past. My JP drain kept filling up, and the site where the drain entered my stomach was leaking.  Not unusual, but needed to be closely monitored. I got to my room about 9pm and was not feeling any better, and not only nauseous but really just not right.  I kept closing my eyes trying to go to my "happy place" and I could not get there.  I convinced Sharon to go home and get some rest that I would be good to go in the morning, so she left about 9:30.

The drain kept filling up and as it turns out I was bleeding into my abdomen. My pain level was getting worse, and my blood counts were getting screwy all the while my pulse kept increasing and my blood pressure kept dropping.  At about midnight, I asked for something for the pain but narcotics were out of the question because of my blood pressure was so low so the only thing they could give me was Tylenol.

Nurse C gave me 2 Tylenol and the moment I took them I felt like I was going to throw up.  I sat up to grab the bucket and then as the nurses later named it, The Event occurred.

12:14am I sit up to vomit.
12:15am I am unresponsive, no pulse.
12:16am CPR is administered, and a Code Blue is called.
12:17am Defibrillator is about to be used.

Here is what happened from there....
Nurse C: inches from my face calling "Craig?  Craig!!!"
Me upon opening my eyes: "what is going on?"
Nurse C: "how do you feel?"
Me: "pretty good, better than I have felt all night"  Looking past her I see about 20 people in the room.
Me; "What happened?"
Nurse C: "you were unresponsive, no pulse, we started CPR"
Me:  "Really? well I didn't see a bright light so I guess it wasn't my time."
Nervous laughter throughout the room.

From there a myriad of tests were done.

6 blood transfusions later and more tests than I can count here is what we know.  I lost over a liter of blood after surgery.  I had a microscopic bleeder and the drain is based on suction so it kept sucking blood out of me not allowing it to coagulate. The drain was changed from suction mode to gravity mode.  Because I had lost so much blood my heart was working overtime trying to pump the blood volume I had left to my body.  My resting pulse was well over 120 and even had spikes at 160 and 180

A CT scan showed no microscopic bleeder, and an ECHO Cardiogram showed my heart is very healthy.  No cardiac event, basically I passed out from the blood loss.

Since last September, I have had 4 surgeries, 4 ribs removed, skin and muscle graphs, part of my kidney removed, and two types of Cancer. BTW they got all of the cancer from my kidney.

Psalm 23:4-5 tells us:

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

In reflection, I have walked through 4 dark valleys in my life.  My dad dying when I was 16.  Hannah being diagnosed with Leukemia almost 5 years ago now, and while the last 9 months has actually been 2 dark valleys in many ways it seems like one long one. 

God says that we walk through the valley, not into it. He also promised to be with me and comfort me. On the other side of that valley is a table that has been prepared for me. I have to get through the valley to get to the table. With each step I get closer to the table.

Eucaristia.

T Minus 72 hours

My surgery will be taking place about 72 hours from now. Again, I am in the same place I was in September, let's just get it done. I have one last day at Hamilton. As I said before I will be missing graduation and teacher checkout day. I'm sorry that I'm missing graduation, but not checkout day!

As I stated in the previous post, I'm tired so I am sleeping a lot - which I love. However, my attitude has been so much better. I have enjoyed this last week with my students. I truly enjoy teaching high school students. They are so much fun and I know that I learn more from them than they ever learn from me.

Today has been a day that I realize how anything that is like a push-up to me is not good. The muscle and skeletal structure that was removed from my chest does not really allow for me to do push-ups, bench press or pull ups. Today the kitchen faucet needed to be replaced and I am a do it yourself-er. I like fixing things around the house except I HATE plumbing and electrical. I am not a potty mouth kind of guy, except when it comes to plumbing and electric work. It never works out right. Plumbing always seems to require standing on my head and having my sausage fingers trying to work in a small space - not to mention that I'm also left handed which makes it twice as hard. A few words escaped my mouth.

So laying under the kitchen sink, I had to remove the old faucet, all the while doing push-up movements. My chest is screaming at me now.

I don't like to complain. I am above ground and they got the cancer out the first time, I'm sure they will be able to again.

Cancer will lose again on Tuesday. This may sound strange, but I am so thankful that my body is producing cancer that does not require further treatment after surgery. Take it out, lets move on.

On another note, I have had something in my life that has been brewing for about 4 months. For those of you that do not know, I started coaching football in 1979. I have always worked jobs that have allowed me to coach. My dad died when I was 16 years old, and I had several high school coaches that "saved me." I hope to have an influence on young men in the same way that my coaches had an influence on me.

For the last 10 years I have coached at a school that has won 5 state championships. That is unheard of. We have had GREAT kids and have been very lucky.

Over the past several years it has become difficult. Coaching has not been as much fun as I would like to to be. So much time, effort and energy is put into it.  Coaching is not about winning state championships. Coaching is about having fun, impacting kids lives, and enjoying who I work with. I have not been in an environment where I have been able to connect with the kids and the game like I would like to. Sometimes a coach just needs a new environment - a fresh start. That opportunity has come along for me.

While this cancer thing has been hanging over my head, I have been dealing with the prospect of hanging up my whistle. It's not what I wanted, but I was prepared to do it.

An opportunity has come along to coach and work in Alabama that I believe will allow me to finish my coaching career on a high note.

It became official 2 days ago. I will be moving to Daphne, Alabama at the end of the summer!

I am married to a saint. Being 3 years from retirement, Sharon will not be going with me. Our first date was after a game that I coached in. We lost, and I did not speak all night. Apparently, she still had a good time. After 36 years of marriage, she says that she would rather have me happy and coaching in Alabama rather than miserable coaching in Arizona.  Bring on the frequent flyer miles!

This renal cell carcinoma is just another hurdle. On Tuesday I will clear that hurdle. I will heal, and  God willing move to Alabama and have an impact on kids lives.

Eucaristia

Scheduled

Hi all... The surgery is scheduled.. May 24th.. Graduation day for the seniors at Hamilton High School, where I teach Marketing.  This is a missed opportunity for me as I will not be able to congratulate those students that I have had the pleasure of getting to know and respect during their high school career.

Dr. B explained the procedure, they will go in with the DaVinci Robot and try to take out only the tumor.  This is a relatively easy procedure and not very invasive.  However the tumor touches the middle of the kidney which is where the mojo happens.  The concern is that if too much of the mojo is taken then the kidney is not longer viable, and we now move from a partial nephrectomy to a full nephrectomy.  In the case of a full nephrectomy the robot is abandoned and they cut me open to remove the kidney.

I am actually leaning toward the full nephrectomy because the recovery time is faster.  I know that sounds strange, however in a partial, the kidney itself has to heal after reconstruction.

As we were a few weeks ago and even a few months ago, the Cobley's are good mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Personally, I am tired, not physically but mentally.  Today was rough, I was short with my students and others.  This is totally outside my character.  I do not say this for sympathy or attention, I say it because it is what it is.

This is what cancer does.  It grinds... We grind back.  The grinding wears on me, and us.  This being said tomorrow is a new day!  I will rest tonight, and will face my students and others with the respect and dignity the deserve.  My cancer will not affect how I treat others.

I think this is the first time I have vented on this blog or on Hannah's blog. I apologize.  I needed it.

God is good.  Sometimes as His follower I need to learn to rely on Him more.

Eucaristia.