It turns out the pain Leroy has been feeling in his back wasn't just from the needle. He has a minor collapsed lung from his recent Radio Frequency Ablation procedure and is spending the night in the hospital. He'll be back home tomorrow and his blog will resume Monday.
5:47 AM ET | 02-23-2007 | permalink
I hope you are soon feeling much better.
Take care.
Thank you for letting us know.
All the best to Leroy. I know he said he knew it could happen with that procedure, but still... At least, being in the hospital, not only can they take care of the collapsed lung, but they can also take care of the pain a little better.
At my end of things, I know Leroy and his insightful comments will be on my mind a lot in the coming days. Today and Monday is scan blitz time. Abdomen, pelvis and chest today, PET scan Monday. I have kidney cancer, with bone metastasis to the ribs and pelvis, diagnosed last July. By the end of November, scans showed the Nexavar treatment had apparently stopped the growth of the metastasis. These scans are to check and see if that is still the case.
I will not know until March 6th, when I next see my oncologist, what the results are. I do know that if they are positive, then we will schedule a date for a radical nephrectomy, the removal of the left kidney.
I must say that while I go through the waiting and testing, the hoping and the trying not to get carried away with too much hope in fear of bigger letdowns, reading Leroy's blog every day, reading everyone's comments, has helped me a lot to stay "grounded."
Sharing the journey with someone else, seeing so many others on the same journey, doesn't make it easier, but the human sharing and caring found here definitely does make it more easily bearable.
My thanks to you, Leroy, and to all of you out there, for your openness, your sharing and your caring.
I hope you are doing better and are home soon. I missed you this morning and just wanted to let you know we were thinking of you and wishing you well.
Regards —
Leroy,
Take care. I will be thinking about you.
Leroy —
Best Wishes for a speedy recovery. For God sake, I hope your family brought you decent food.
Oh! Feel that, Leroy? Do you hear it? It's hundreds of people sending good energy, love and various types of prayers from all around the world right to where you are. So many and so forceful, it must make a sound! Get well, "Captain"!
Leroy — We are all praying for you! God Bless!!! Keep smiling and fighting... just one more bump in the road...
Leroy, it's time to stop playing hookie and get back on your feet... ASAP!!! You will be in my thoughts and prayers as will the rest of our community of bloggers. God bless.
Our thoughts are with Leroy.
Hope you feel better soon, Leroy! Are you sure you're not faking it? ha ha.
I am thinking of you and wishing you well. Take care and be taken care of Leroy.
Leroy,
You are in my prayers, as you will be with many others so concerned about you. Be well, get plenty of rest... have a bowl of chicken soup or a lollipop, whatever makes you feel better! Nurture yourself, and let the little kid inside just hang around in his PJs for a couple of days. I look forward to your return on Monday. Be well!
Hang in there Leroy, it can't be easy...
Leroy, I'm so sorry you ended up in the hospital. Thoughts, wishes and prayers are with you and your loved ones. You are missed.
Hope you're feeling better soon, Leroy. We miss you.
Leroy,
Take good care of yourself. I know there are many including myself who will keep you in their prayers. The most important thing for you is to rest and regain your strength. I will miss your comments and look forward to "hearing" from you next week.
Best wishes.
Leroy,
You're in our thoughts & prayers. Hope your feeling better soon.
Be well, take care.
Let's surprise Leroy with a blog topic today in his absence... We are thinking about you and miss your morning commentary, Leroy, and hope that the lung will heal quickly and you'll have a minimum of inconveniences. I remember one post from late last summer when you wondered whether you would live long enough to warrant buying new shoes or clothes... seems like a long time ago and I've wondered if you have purchased any new apparel items since then?!!? Anyone else have things to say today? Love and blessings to all.
My prayers are with you Leroy. We look forward to hearing about your experience. God bless.
Boy man, Hope all goes well and that your recovery is very speedy. Sending best wishes and prayers.
My heart dropped when I read the blog this morning. Not having gone through the experience of collapsed lung myself, I can't imagine what it must be like. But since you wrote that you had been through it before, I can only pray — like the thousands of others of members of your online cancer family — that you will again demonstrate what a tough guy you are and make a quick recovery. Just as your blog is a source of hope and strength for so many of us, I hope that knowing how many of us care about you will help you in this difficult time.
Leroy,
Sorry to hear about the minor setback. I wish you a speedy recovery.
Thinking good thoughts for you, Leroy. Miss hearing from you this morning... sorry to hear the pain was from something other than the procedure. Hope it's a quick recovery.
My thoughts and prayers are with you. Thank you, and bless you, for being a positive and realistic voice for those who suffer.
You are in my prayers. Get well quickly. At least the tumor got the worst of it. Thanks to NPR for the post.
Thanks very much to the kind NPR person who reads all our comments and must have known that we all would have worried about Leroy if there was no blog entry today. And I hope that you'll be on the mend soon, Leroy — like the rest of your grateful blog family, I'll keep you in my thoughts this weekend.
Many readers have expressed a wish that this site would continue, no matter what.
Well, here's a good example. Look at all the responses, no matter what.
I'll be interested in seeing what the total of responses will be today.
Keep the faith, Leroy!
Hope you're feeling better real soon. Take care.
Leroy,
So sorry to hear about this setback, Leroy. Please take it easy — watch TV to your heart's content! Hope your vigor is soon restored. We're all cheering for you and, as always, eagerly await your next posting.
In today's miracle world, the simple and most important things can be easily forgotten, like in your subject yesterday. And hopefully today you are in the company of those who care about you and enjoy your time out. Some good company, some good food, some good drugs, Get well soon.
I am struck by the numbers of people who follow your blog daily and know that there must be so many, like myself, who rarely comment. Leroy, you are part of our lives. I'm praying for your quick recovery and am already looking forward to reading your column Monday!
Best to you, hoping for a speedy recovery. As you can see you have a big cheering squad!
Best wishes for a speedy and lasting recovery to you, Leroy.
Having read many comments to you today, all I can say is "ditto."
Joan refers to your collapsed lung as a "bump in the road." My husband always said that about any setback or new development during his treatment. Thank you, Joan, for reminding me.
And thank you again for giving your journey words and feelings. Blessings to you, and to the many bloggers and listeners on their journey. And a huge hug to nurses, doctors and caregivers who take the journey, too.
My heart went into my shoes after reading about this latest setback. You didn't need it, but it happened anyway. That's life for you. I join the host of other people in wishing you a quick recovery and a pain free weekend. Catch you Monday!
Leroy, missed your thoughts today. Relax and get well. Catch up on old movies. Talk to you on Monday.
Leroy, my inspiration in this roller coaster life. Thinking of you and hope that you are feeling better.
Leroy,
I am sorry/sad to hear of your hurt lung. I pray it will be taken care of and that it will continue where it left off, helping you to breathe in and out painlessly and effortlessly. I love your blog, I love reading it every morning, and I can't wait to read the next entry once you are feeling better. Take care and get well soon.
Thank you so much for letting us know. Leroy, sending our very best thoughts to you.
Healing thoughts to you, Leroy. Looking forward to your next post.
Our prayers are with you and we are looking forward to hearing from you on Monday.
I learn so much from your blog, but this is a new one. What is a "minor" collapsed lung? I always thought it was either collapsed or it wasn't.
Whatever, glad you are where you can get good care.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
My thanks to the person who posted the update in Leroy's absence. I am hoping he is feeling levitated by all the energy, prayers, and wishes this community holds for him.
Leroy,
Thinking of you.
Take care.
Hopefully it's just a minor inconvenience. Honestly, some people will do anything to stay out of school! Get well soon, and good luck with the "cuisine hospitalia."
Sorry that I missed you today. Glad you got the pain checked out. Hope that your recovery goes very smoothly. I will be back in treatment next week, so we will miss each other again (like the proverbial ships) but I will catch up with you as soon as I am up and about again. Thanks again for all the encouragement, big guy. Hang in there!
Leroy,
I check in every day and what a bad feeling to see you weren't there today.
Feel better. My prayers are with you.
Hi Leroy —
Sorry to hear about the "minor" setback. Reading your blog is the first thing I do on the computer. I miss you on the weekends and miss you today. Re: Sherri's suggestion of a subject for todays blog: Have you bought any new clothes? Like a hat??? When I received my dire prognosis from my oncologist, I also thought there was no point in buying anything for myself clothing-wise or otherwise. But I read or was told that cancer patients have to learn to be really good to themselves. So buy that hat and those clothes. P.S. My dire prognosis was given to me almost 6 years ago. You never know!
Is this like the playing hookie blog you just wrote about this week, Leroy?? Staying away from work/school and have us all convinced you are really sick?? Hope you are enjoying some pampering... don't forget the hot chocolate with mini marshmallows!
Best wishes, and feel better soon. We in the frozen tundra will sip a cup of hot chocolate in your honor while hiding from the enormous piles of snow. Cheers!
All blessings to Leroy, everyone who reads this blog and walks away touched by it and to the wonderful person at NPR that let us know why the silence today. In the absence of Leroy's voice we are giving ours.
Prayers to Leroy from Marsha in W.V. I have a 33-year-young son that is a cancer survivor. It can be done. While there is breath this is hope.
Leroy, We are sending prayers, the smell of fresh spring flowers, light, warmth of the sun on your skin, and the love of many to surround you like a soft quilt. Wrap up in it and be blessed. You rest easy now.
Sleep tight.
Suck it up there, tough guy... you're the one who's keeping me going. Watch some great DVDs, relax and get lots of sleep. We're all praying for you, constantly.
Leroy, I dealt with a collapsed lung this past summer and it wasn't much fun. Hope yours isn't as painful as mine was or at least that they got the pain under control better at the hospital, even if recuperating there isn't nearly as cozy as home.
I've been a daily follower of this blog and it has helped me so much in my own cancer journey. It's heartening when you are gone to see so many "regulars" posting you well-wishes. We all can't wait until you get back.
Leroy,
I wish you a fast recovery. You are in all our thoughts.
Captain Leroy — hang tough. No collapsed lung sounds minor to me — you continue to provide the inspiration to all of us to keep on going, and this is a further example. I hope that your recovery is swift — we miss you.
God Bless you and please know that you are surrounded by a legion of readers who are sending you love and healing thoughts.
I've had that procedure and it hurts like hell without the lung collapsing. Keep the faith, cancer warrior, and keep playing the game with fear and arrogance (from Bull Durham).
P.S. To JJ and Doris: See my Nov. 6 2006 blog entry re: courage. I think you'll find it to your liking.
Dear Leroy,
My life has been touched through several dear friends battles with cancer, and my mother's death from breast cancer a year ago. Your essays have helped me in important ways to understand their experience, and my own. Your generous sharing is deeply appreciated. Feel better soon!!!! With fond good wishes.
I hope you got to watch the Academy Awards in peace and quiet and that they have slowly inflated your lung. We are all thinking of you and I know you will get GREAT care.
Dear Leroy:
I just want to add my loving thoughts and good wishes. You have come to mean so much to so many people.
Comments are reviewed and edited by NPR prior to display. All comments will be read, but not all will be posted.
NPR reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its Web site or in any medium now known or unknown the e-mails and letters that we receive. We may edit them for clarity or brevity and identify authors by name and location. For additional information, please consult our Terms of Use.
A Ted Koppel documentary focuses on his friend Leroy Sievers' "My Cancer" blog and the response it evokes.
My Cancer will be updated Monday through Friday with posts and commentaries from Leroy Sievers. A journalist for more than 25 years, Leroy has worked at CBS News and ABC News, where he was the executive producer at Nightline. You can follow his story through this blog, his weekly podcast and his monthly series on Morning Edition.
Download Leroy Sievers' radio commentaries and exclusive audio segments in the My Cancer podcast.
If you'd like to write Leroy and the My Cancer staff privately, please use our e-mail form.
