Gandog56

[lightman]

I've been in contact with Gandog56. Some of you may remember him recently posting about some health issues. He's been having a tough time of it. Tumors in his back are causing him some serious pain and mobility problems. He's been in the hospital, has been in a coma, and has been in ICU. He's now out of ICU and has been moved to a nursing home and is facing lots of physical therapy. He's still in a lot of pain.

Please keep him and his Family in your thoughts and prayers. Maybe post a friendly Hello and let him know that we're thinking of him.

[Mbaker78]

Wishing him as speedy of a recovery as can be had.

[WarEagleEd]

I hate to hear this. I wish him a quick recovery.

[Pacomdiver]

yeah hope he gets well soon and get back into that reloading shed he just built

[gandog56]

More bad news. I was complaining I was spitting out acid. it turned out I was literal. An ulcer opened up in my stapled up stomach, (probably from my years of GIRDS) and started bleeding freely away. I was throwing pure acid and blood back up my throat. back to the hospital went for more surgery. Woke up with a tube down my throat, couldn't talk, had no idea what happened, finally got it all explained to me. Couple more days here and back to nursing home.

[lightman]

You have really had a tough time of it. Thinking of you and hoping you improve soon.

[gandog56]

And bad stuff keeps happening. Looks like a week in the hospital, Instead of a few days. Ulcer was spitting blood in my stomach.

[lightman]

Its got to get better! Still thinking of you.

[DukeInFlorida]

BREATHE
RELAX
PATIENCE
HEAL

Hoping that you heal fast, my friend.

I have, as many of you know, the rarest of all of the cancers, Multiple Myeloma. (It's a bone marrow cancer, no cure. If you take ALL of the other cancers, and add them up, this is less than 1% of that.) Not trying to steal any of Gandog's show. Not at all. Just trying to demonstrate to gandog that even the worst possible scenarios can be overcome. I am still shooting, reloading, casting, and swaging jacketed bullets. That (and my kids who love me very much) keeps me going. Not sure how much longer I have on this planet (or any other planet), but I pray that we all stay around a bit longer to make a difference.

So, Gandog, wishing you all the best. Hoping that you are in an amazing medical facility. If not, get your butt to one of the best. I have my oncologist, one of the country's leading research doctors (specifically for Multiple Myeloma) at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. Let me know if I can offer suggestions for miracle type treatment centers. There are only a handful in the whole country. Mayo (which also has it's home in Minnesota) is one of the best of those.

Prayers from Florida.

[gandog56]

I'm still here, but it's like setback after setback to get out. I got pneumonia AGAIN. But another massive infusion of antibiotics seems to be taking care of it. On the other hand, physical therapy did get me to stand up three times and take a couple steps. Still can't put any real weight on my left leg though.

[Point-Man]

Hang in there gandog56. Hope you have a fast and complete recovery and get home soon.

[lightman]

Hang in there, it sounds like you're making progress. Still thinking of you.

[gandog56]

Back to the nursing home, but I didn't do a whole lot since it was two days of weekend and a mostly day of evaluating where I am today.No standing but a bit of bed edge sitting.

[lightman]

That sounds like improvement to me. Congratulations! Every step forward, even baby steps, are good. Thanks for keeping us informed. You and your family are still in our prayers.

[gandog56]

And back to the hospital again. I started coughing up copious amounts of blood, again. They got the bleeding stopped but constant pain and the only anti-pain medicine the doctors will give me is hydrocodone, which does pretty much nothing for the nerve pain. It will be Monday at least before they may send me back to the nursing home. I am in desperate need to try immunotherapy to try to beat the cancer, but they won't treat me unless I can somehow get to their office. Which I can't do right now. I am hoping I can at least get into a wheelchair and hire a wheelchair van to get me there.

[lightman]

Wow, you are really overdue for some good news! Still thinking of you, hang in there.

[gandog56]

Had to go back to the hospital a THIRD time because I started coughing up blood again. They scoped me and tied off a blood vessel that started to bleed again. About due now to go back to the nursing home. Some good news though, physical therapy came by yesterday and I was able to sit on the edge of the bed and satand up. Wasn't able to stay up long yet but I sat back down, rested some, and got up and stood again for a bit. They wanted me to try to take a few steps but that was not happening yet. Soon hopefully

[lightman]

Thats great news! Been worried about ya. Keep getting better! Stay in touch.

[gandog56]

Physical therapy again today. Got up to six steps once, but that was about it. Got up from sitting position on the edge of the bed and stood three times. They had me stand and rock back and forth the third time because it was hurting me to walk again. Did a few exercises more sitting on the edge of the bed after. I am getting a little stronger and doing a little more each day.

[lightman]

Thats good news. Progress for sure. Hang in there, we're thinking about you.

[gandog56]

Back to the hospital again. Got the now familiar heartburn and nausea associated with the coughing and throwing up blood again. This time I gt to the hospital BEFORE I did. They almost weren't going to admit me until they found I also had another bladder infection, too.

[lightman]

Man! You have been through the ringer! I've been at deer camp and out of touch. Hoping that you are much better by now. Thinking of you.

[gandog56]

Back to a nursing home again, where they've already messed something up. My automatically inflating air mattress bed is malfunctioning. And since I got here late Friday maintenance had already gone home and won't be back till Monday, and of course they can't find me a regular mattress to swap out with it.

My butt is aching bad, I can feel a bed sore forming.

[lightman]

Back to the nursing home sounds like improvement. Hopefully they can get your bed sorted out soon. Thinking about ya, keep your spirits up.

[gandog56]

And back to the hospital again! This time my feeding tube became blocked and they could not flush it out at the nursing home. I ended up getting the whole dang tube replaced because the nursing home did NOT flush it out enough after they fed me and gave my my meds through it. So when I got discharged from the hospital I said the heck with it and just went home this time. I DID flush thoroughly and I lasted a whole two days before back to ER I went, coughing up blood again for the fourth time. Currently still there, they are going to run a camera down my throat to see if they can determine why.

[lightman]

Just coming home from deer camp again and reading this. Hang in there Bro, its gotta get better. Thinking of you and yours and sending prayers.

[gandog56]

Well, the last three months I have been in the nursing home or back in the hospital. Every time I would go back I to the nursing home I would either start throwing up blood or my feeding tube would develop a total blockage. The last time in I said the heck with it and just went back home. Haven't had either event happen since. Cause/effect? I'm not sure. Anyways made it to my first immunotherapy session. They pumped four bags of stuff into me. Only side effect so far is I'm seeing so far is I sure seem to be peeing a whole lot lately. Like twice a week I get physical therapy, twice a week I get occupational therapy. I got a girl that comes in and helps me in the shower. But the people who supply my food and accessories for my feeding tube constantly mess up. They gave me the wrong feed twice in a row. They keep giving the wrong feed bag setup kits. I have a dual bag setup, it delivers both food and water through a pump to me. They keep sending me single bag setups, which only have a single food bag.up getting single food bag, nothing for water. The food pump won't work for the wrong bag setup, both have have to be there. And then there is the liquid food. They somehow assumed I was supposed to be getting 100 ml/hour feed rate. So they kept giving me 1 calorie a ml food. Now twenty years ago I had a stomach bypass, l don't have a normal size stomach. I could only withstand a 30 ml/hour rate. So the doctor decided they would try to up it to a 52 ml/hour and 18 hours a day on the machine on 2 calorie a ml food. So I am now getting 1872 calories a day. Before I was only getting 540 calories a day, I was basically on a starvation diet. Anyways my stomach seems to be taking the upper rate OK so far. Now if the immunotherapy works maybe I'll be shooting again in the not so distant time.

[lightman]

That sounds like good news so far. Still thinking about you and praying for you. Try to keep your spirits up and stay in touch.

[Happyguy]

Cappie, you are in my prayers and it does sound like some good news, David.

[lightman]

Kind of worried about our Friend. He hasn't posted since the 7th. Hope he's doing ok.

[lightman]

Anyone heard from gandog? Hope you're ok Buddy!

[WarEagleEd]

Any word on gandog 56?

[lightman]

Not a word. I still have his address from a trade so I may write to him. Getting concerned about him.

[Mbaker78]

He has a Facebook account, but hasn’t posted anything public since April of last year.

[lightman]

I guess I cleaned out my inbox and lost his address. Do any of you by any chance have his address from a trade? I sent a private message that has not been answered yet.

[WarEagleEd]

lightman, I tried sending you his email via PM but your inbox is full.

I went ahead and sent him a very brief email. I'll let y'all know if I get a reply.

[lightman]

Thanks! I cleaned it out. Hope the ole boy is ok.

[WarEagleEd]

I did get a reply from gandog56. He said his current treatment has him either in the bed or at the doctor's office, doesn't sound like there is any time at all for doing fun stuff.

Ed

[lightman]

Thanks, I've been worried about him. He's had a rough time of it.

[gandog56]

Yep, I'm still kicking. But I am back at the hospital yet again. since I've been getting antibiotic after antibiotic, I have a fungal infection in my bowels that has given me excessive diarrhea over the past 14 days. I am so weak and dehydrated I could no longer get out of bed and get to my bedside commode in time. So now at least hospital staff gets to clean me off instead of my poor family members. This is day one of a planned ten day stay.

[DukeInFlorida]

Prayers from Florida. Heal fast, friend

[lightman]

It was good to hear from you. Still praying for you. Hang in there!

[gandog56]

When

























i got admitted to the hospital my regular doctor changed one of my pain meds which I was taking like six a day, to a much less effective one which he limited to just four a day. Now I was getting my pain meds from my oncologist, not him. But his word is law here, not my oncologist's. Any way regular doctor saw me today and I asked him why he switched me to the lesser effective drug and he said because he WILL not give the other one, to anybody! But i did say he would change the interval. Now I will have to see if the change actually happens and what the new interval will be.

[gandog56]

Day 17 and I still have diarrhea. Got my doctor to decrease my pain med interval from every six hours to one every four hours. This really sucks. They made me get out of my nice hospital bed to sit on a padded reclining chair for about three hours this morning. Was hurting my butt like hell to sit on the chair because it places pressure directly on my compressed nerve. I can't roll over a bit to relieve the pressure.

[lightman]

Its good to hear from you. Wish it was under better conditions. Hang in there and try to stay in touch. Thinking about ya!

[gandog56]

Been a while since I've posted. Thought I would let you all know I'm still kicking. Not much has changed. I'm about completely bedridden because the mass on my pelvis makes it almost impossible to sit or walk much. I do get up a couple times a day and grab my walker and do a lap through the living room, dining room, kitchen. Then back to my bed. By the time I do that I am so tired that I need assistance to lift my bad leg from the floor to back on the bed. What a life, huh? Not to mention I swear the doctors have me on so many medications I could start my own pharmacy if/when I get better. But, I am still fighting the good fight, and the fat lady hasn't sung yet.

[Happyguy]

Cappie, good to hear from you. You are in my thoughts and prayers. David

[lightman]

Good to hear from you. Still praying for ya. Hang in there.

[lightman]

Has anyone heard from our Buddy? I sent an Email or two but have not had an answer.

[Point-Man]

RIP- gandog56 For those that haven`t heard

OBITUARY
Cappie Dana Smith
June 17, 1956 – May 16, 2019

Cappie Dana Smith, 62, passed away on Thursday, May 16, 2019 in Mobile, Alabama. He was preceded in death by his step-father, Eric Clifford Toren. Cappie is survived by his mother, Lois Toren; brothers, Scott (Amy) Smith and Brian Smith; step-sister, Valerie Jones; nieces and nephews: Joshua, Mya, Alexander and Nathaniel. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, 2019 at Grace Lutheran Church on Government Street in Mobile, AL, with a Memorial Service immediately after.

[lightman]

Thank You for posting this. I made several attempts to stay in contact with him and was getting concerned.

Prayers for our Friend and His Family

RIP my Friend

[DukeInFlorida]

RIP Cappie.

[Hostile79]

RIP - Cappie. I will miss trading with you and reading your posts.

[SafetyJoe]

RIP Cappie
I'll see you at the big shooting range in the sky when my time comes.

[WarEagleEd]

I hate to hear this. He lived in the same state as I do, though he was three hours drive away. However, my parents lived in the same area way back in the early 1970s.