My Life Changing In An Instant

If I have had a roller coaster of a day, today was it. Good news followed by bad news.

First the good news: The Big Annoucement: I am moving to Salem, Oregon's capitol next month. I have officially accepted a job with the Oregon Department of Transportation as their technology coordinator. I am both filled with excitement and nervousness for the new position, but boy am I happy! So now the cat is out of the bag! You now know what I have been up to and somewhat closed-lip about for the past several months -- it was the biggest job hunt of my life.

I will miss Joseph immensely, but I was ready for a life change, a very big life change. It has finally happened. Joseph will still be my home, and I probably will return one day, maybe not tomorrow, but definitely in the not so distant future. For all of you close to me, you knew this change was waiting in the wings. For several years I have talked about moving, and in the last couple of years you knew I was burnt out. You knew I was stressed out, you knew it was taking a toll on my health. And for those of you that know, you have shared nothing but feelings of happiness for me, and for that I thank you.

The next obvious question, what will I do with my business? It has been split off and is under new ownership effective October 1st, with the exception of the web development division which I will continue to run. I will post the official "press release" later in the week. It is very likely the new business will operate under a new name. All of my computer and video production customers will continue to have support and service as a result of this acquisition. Jay Watts and I will continue updating and maintaining websites for the existing clientèle who had a site with LB Productions. Obviously, we will run this from Portland and Salem, where the new business will continue to operate from Joseph in a new storefront.

Now, to the bad news...

Dr. Simpson from OHSU informed me of my biopsy results, they were not good. I was informed the cells captured appeared to be "crushed," which is very behavioral of lymphoma. The fear is that my lymphoma has come back. He informed me that the biopsy was not the best sample, and that a new biopsy should be taken to be sure. I will be going to OHSU on Friday at 1pm to see Dr. Simpson and have a new biopsy taken to find out officially what is going on. As you can imagine this news was a huge setback for me, but I am not losing hope -- not by a long shot. If this is indeed a return of lymphoma -- the good news is that it appears this occurrence is completely in my skin and could be treated with just radiation. Unfortunately, this news came quite as a shock to me as we all thought this was just a bad case of LyP. No matter what it turns out to be I am ready to fight it. This is nothing compared to the lymphoma I had in 1997, and should be a "cake walk" comparatively speaking. I am going to continue to run my life "business as usual" and am confident I can continue to move forward with my plans as I believe they are vital to the road of better health both physically and mentally.

Thank you all for your excitement (for my new job) and your support (for my illness), I feel good about this life change, and will continue the good fight. Thanks for helping me through this transitional, difficult, and exciting time in my life.

-LB

Enough's Enough.

Last week, I finally hit the end of my chain as I found out the earliest I could get in to see a doc at Oregon Health and Science University would be October 23rd. As you've been reading my blog over the past several weeks, my LyP hasn't gotten any better. Finally, my friend Linda gave me the wisest piece of advice: go down to OHSU's emergency room and park yourself until you are helped. So that is what I did, with good friend Chris Gamboa driving me down, we entered the ER at OHSU on Sunday.

They were most helpful in admitting me into the ER. We were able to see a doctor in a decent amount of time. The doctor (just like all the doctors I have seen previously) didn't know what was going on with my foot, except it was a bad looking blister surrounded in a new crop of red bumps. She told us "I had better get my supervising doctor to come see this." So about a half hour later Dr. Harper poked his head in for about five seconds and came to the conclusion that we had better get dermatology to look at this. About two hours later they arrived. Dr. Rachel Moore was the first to arrive, and I was instantly amazed with her brilliance. She had actually heard the condition Lymphomatoid Papulosis! I told her I had an appointment to see Dr. Eric Simpson on October 23rd, but I had rushed into the ER because I was fearing my condition was crossing over into lymphoma. She said "Oh, well Dr. Simpson is coming in right behind me." I was impressed to see him just a few seconds later. What an intelligent doctor I had the privilege in being in the presence of. Within minutes he knew I had LyP, and was fairly confident that it was just that and not lymphoma -- at least not yet. He actually has another patient who suffers from this condition, and she has it all over her body. I suppose my situation could get worse, couldn't it?

He immediately suggested I get on the medication Methotrexate, which I had read a lot about. I shared my concerns about how it lowers the immune system. He told me with some close monitoring of my blood count, this should work great. In fact, it melted the LyP right off the other patent's body! I was amazed.

I didn't get out of the ER unharmed, however as they took a biopsy to make sure the LyP wasn't really lymphoma. I should find out in a week or two the results. Also, on Monday I will get my blood tested to make sure I can start full doses of Methotrexate, and hopefully it will only be a matter of time before I'm LyP free.

Another amazing occurrence is that one of the nurses in the ER, Carolyn Thompson -- use to live in Joseph! She even referred to me as the 'infamous Levi Bobbitt' when she saw my chart. Chris and I had a great time visiting with her, as well as our other nurse Alisha.

What turned out to be a pretty nerve-racking experience quickly turned into a pleasurable one as the staff of OHSU impressed me and finally got me some answers that I have been desperately been waiting for over two months now.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the caring doctors and nurses at OHSU who took time to figure out what was going on with me this past Sunday. Just a few minutes of time saved me a world of hurt, which could have eventually cost me my life.

-LB

P.S. I have a HUGE announcement, look for it next week!

On My Way to OHSU

It's been a while, and I know that. I am sorry. It has been a trying few weeks. The Lymphomatoid Papulosis is here to stick around for a while.

It has been three weeks of fighting to get into OHSU. It finally happened this week when my local doctor got me in for October 23. Being disgusted with that length of time, I have decided to check myself into the ER of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland on Sunday so I can get some help, now.

The LyP has advanced, a lot. It has covered a large portion of my foot. My fear is that it has turned into cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma at this stage. This would require some radiation at the very least.

For the past several nights I have woken up scared, that my cancer has returned. Though, I must say that if it has, this time should be much easier as it is more or less "contained" to my foot and has not traveled into my blood or any other organ in my body (at least that is my hope).

On top of it all, I have some really strong and strange infection with bacteria that is resistant to most antibiotics. For three weeks I took Levaquin which did nothing, so two days ago I started stuff that is actually supposed to work.

With little being known about LyP, I am headed off to the big city in hopes someone will pay attention to me, and find a cure for my ailment.

-LB

Lymphomatoid Papulosis: GAME OVER!

It finally got the better of me. That's right the LyP has finally made it's mark on me and there's nothing I can do.

It all started with a day full of service calls on Tuesday. I was scheduled for every second of the day. I was already exhausted by mid afternoon, but I had two more calls to go. My foot (affected by the LyP) had the feeling of a twisting knife jabbing into the side of it. I was in some serious pain. By noon time I had noticed all kinds of yellow and green colors associated with the blister. It was ugly.

I finally hit my last service call of the day, and by this time I am barely limping along. After a few minutes there, the lady who's computer I was working on (Joyce Zollman) said that Dr. Woods was there. I asked her if she thought he'd look at my foot. She said "of course he would." Me being reluctant told her I probably shouldn't because he wasn't on duty and it would be very rude of me. She told me it would be no big deal and I had better go ahead. So she ended up asking for me, and he said he'd have no problem at all taking a look because he 'loved his job.' So without anymore reservation, I showed him. He was immediately startled and told me I had a serious infection. He (just like the majority of doctors) knew nothing about my condition which cased the blister, but could tell the blister in itself was seriously infected, in fact it was flirting with going into the bone. He told me to go to the emergency room immediately because I needed antibiotics to get a handle on the situation or I could end up possibly even amputating my foot. I took the advice seriously, and even Joyce said herself "when Dr. Woods says to go, you go, because he is a pretty conservative guy when it comes to this kind of stuff." I told her that I didn't want to end up paying and arm and a leg on something I could go in for the next day. She asked me if it was worth losing my foot... and I was like "NO!" So I took the advice, and went into the emergency room. After about a 45 minute wait with friend Chris Gamboa, I was seen by Dr. Powers. She, too was alarmed at the infection and said I had a choice to get the antibiotics in my system by a shot or an IV. I said, how about the IV -- and she said it would take much longer to do that. That is when Chris piped in and said "get a shot in the butt and get the heck out of here Levi!" I was reluctant to do so, but decided to go with the second option. What I didn't realize is when they showed up they decided not to give me the shot in my butt, but in my thigh. Plus, instead of just one thigh, they wanted to poke me in both thighs because of the amount of antibiotic they were going to inject into me. I sucked it up (being a veteran of the needle from my cancer days), took the shots and got out of there shortly before midnight.

The doc demanded that I stay home with my foot above my heart for two days. She said I was not to have a shoe or sock on it as it needed to dry out and start to heal. I asked her if this meant not going into work and being on my feet all day... and she was like "uh, yeah, that's exactly what I am saying." So, I stayed home all day Wednesday and will be home on Thursday as well hopped up on pain meds and a heavy dose of antibiotics to get well. After all, I have a wedding to film Saturday. This whole incident couldn't have come at a worst time as I am also moving out of my office space into my home. It seems everything is happening at once, but I am supposed to just rest and let my foot get rid of this infection. It has been a wild couple of days, but I am thankful for my friend Chris coming to the ER and staying with me. I am thankful for my mom and sister helping me out while I am laid up. I am also thankful for the fact that I had a stroke of good luck on a service call. Without such luck, could have left me without a right foot.

-LB

Lymphomatoid Papulosis

Try saying that ten times fast. Try being a patient of it. For those of you who don't know, I suffer from a condition called Lymphomatoid Papulosis (LyP). Here is a brief background of what it is:

Background: Lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) is a chronic papulonecrotic or papulonodular skin disease with histologic features suggestive of a malignant lymphoma. The disease is characterized by recurrent crops of pruritic papules at different stages of development that predominantly arise on the trunk and limbs. The papules heal spontaneously over 1-2 months, usually leaving slightly depressed oval scars.

The term lymphomatoid papulosis originally was used by Macaulay in 1968 to describe "a self-healing rhythmical paradoxical eruption, histologically malignant but clinically benign.” Due to the typical waxing and waning clinical course, LyP was previously considered a pseuodolymphomatous inflammatory process. However, the classification system for cutaneous lymphomas has evolved rapidly, and, during consensus meetings in 2003-2004, the World Health Organization—European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (WHO-EORTC) classification grouped LyP among the indolent cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. The rationale for classifying LyP as a cutaneous lymphoma is its association with other malignant lymphoproliferative disorders; however, some experts hesitate to classify this chronic skin disease as a true malignancy because of its spontaneous resolution and benign clinical course.

LyP is part of a spectrum of CD30 (Ki-1)–positive cutaneous lymphoproliferative diseases (CD30⁺ LPDs), including LyP, primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (pcALCL), and borderline CD30⁺ lesions.

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In other words, I have bumps and blisters every little while. Some come and go, some stay for months.

I have had Lymphomatoid Papulosis since I was 11 years old. And with only about 250 cases in the United States, you could say I am "one in a million." Though not a lucky one in a million. LyP is really Lymphoma's ugly cousin. Though it doesn't require most anything but some photo therapy, creams, or no attention at all, it is still a very painful condition. Right now I am int he middle of one of my worst outbreaks ever. I have a very large blister on the left side of my foot. It oozes and bleeds all the time. I finally went to see the local doc yesterday, and I was yet again referred to OHSU in Portland. I am still waiting on a phone call from them and trying to decide if I need to go back down there. Though it might help others down the road with this condition, my going to OHSU usually leads to a mis diagnosis of sorts (very common with this condition). The mis diagnosis usually reveals I have lymphoma, which is not the case at all. In fact, the lead oncologist at OHSU did just that three years ago. A needle biopsy vindicated me of any belief that I had cancer and/or it had returned from my original diagnosis nearly 10 years ago.

So by the first of next week I'll decide if I want to become a medical guinea pig again, or just tough it out and hope that it 'goes away.'

-LB

Engaged

Engaged, that's right engaged. It's a term I've been hearing a lot lately. Most recently, my very own sister, who was proposed to via a text message. Long story short it was actually really cool. Colby, my sister's boyfriend waited until he had cell service, and she did not. When they came back into service, her phone went off... with a text message reading "will you marry me?" My sister (thinking it was a joke) replied "of course," what she didn't realize is that he was serious, and busted out a ring. It was then she knew he was serious and said YES. I thought it was a really cool story. What caught me off guard was the text message I received reading "he asked, I said yes!" I was fairly certain of the subject, but just to be sure I sent a message back saying "what???" Sure enough, I was part of a mass text message my sister had sent out. This was immediately followed by a phone call of me chewing her out for not telling before EVERYONE else in her phone book!

My cousin JP is also engaged to be married next April. I am excited for both of them, also realizing that I am no where near ready for marriage. Nevertheless, I'll still be a cousin, brother, and brother-in-law to a growing family, who I am very proud of.

-LB

Fair Time

This work week was cut a bit short because of fair activities going on. Thursday and Friday I am creating the "plaquards" which are given to the buyer of the animals at the county fair. I have been doing it for over 7 years now. I do donate a portion of my time to the fair each year for this project. But by no means am I getting out of work -- oh no, this is a rather large project involving many hours. It is something I do enjoy doing, though.

Lately I've been out on the lake a lot. It seems everyone comes out of the woodwork each year and wants to go out and play on the water. This year has been no exception. Though, I will say most of them are my true friends and I enjoy being out there as well.

In this picture you see Lane Bailey, who started going out with us last year. He is probably one of the better wakeboarders around in the fact that he's not afraid to do some jumps and play around -- but also for the fact he's pretty much addicted to being on the board.

In the next couple of weeks I will be liquidating all the equipment in my office (that I will not use at home). It is actually quite a bit of stuff, stuff that I really can part with and not have to move into my home. I'll miss my office some, but for the most part not.

-LB

The Big Change

Hey folks, I am back again. Still trying to stay on top of things, which includes updating this blog as much as possible.

So, for those of you who don't know -- I am scaling down my business LB Productions. I have had an office in downtown Joseph for three years now. Though great to be out of my house, the overhead and expenses have not been great. I also have dealt with a great deal of stress since being in the office. The interruptions were almost constant, and I felt the quality of my services was declining because I was dealing with so much day-to-day drivel. Several weeks ago, I made the hard, but what I felt to be necessary decision to make the move back to my home. This is where my business started, and this is where my business could end. Not really, I'll always do my business in some shape or form, but it will continue to adapt and modify as time goes on.

So for the first time publicly, I'm going to tell you what has been going on. This has been happening in the shadows for the past several weeks, and as things become more serious, things become more of a reality. I have been perusing opportunities outside of Wallowa County. I have no intention of leaving here, until the absolute right opportunity comes along. I have gone to a couple of interviews now and even landed one of the jobs - which I had to turn down because it didn't offer nearly what I have here in Wallowa County with my own business. It could be 3 months or 3 years before this happens. Wallowa County will always be my home, but I can't turn down bettering myself -- however, with that being said - I'm not going to leave until all angles are reviewed and the opportunity is perfect.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty interesting to say the least. I did get through the dreaded Chief Joseph Days. Though, it was as awful as normal, I did survive yet another year. I've also been going out on the lake quite a bit. It has been fun, except for yesterday when a friend and I got into an argument. Long story short we are still friends, but needed to sort out some issues.

I hope you are caught up now! More later...

-LB

I'm Not Dead, In Fact, Still Very Much Alive...

It has been just over three weeks since my last post. It's pretty evident that things in my life have been hectic. I have been overwhelmed and tired. There is a lot going on.

I suppose I'll start with three or so weeks ago... I've been going out on the lake some -- not at much as previous years, but my friends and I go out as much as we can. Here you can see my pal Kyle Hook getting ready to 'biff it,' while wakeboarding on the 4th. It has been a long hot summer thus far here in Joseph, so what better to do than go out on the lake?

My next lake adventure didn't occur until after my trip to the Willamette Valley and coast, which was July 10-15th. I had a blast down there... with my friend Chris and her daughter Marisa.
For those of you on the "inside" you know I went down that way for a reason, and all went well there, but I still don't know the result... I should find out this week. In the meantime I've been finding lots of other "reasons" for going down there in the near future. In fact I've pursued about two dozen more of them, so I hope I get a call. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry, you will soon enough.

Nevertheless the trip was great fun. It was the first time I had ever been to the coast in July. It was even warm enough to get soaked in the waves (as you can see Marisa and I ran furiously to get away from a large one in this picture).

I got slightly depressed as I returned home to Eastern Oregon only to find triple digit temperatures and a whole bunch of fires around Joseph. Right now, it is so smoky here you'd think you were in downtown LA. It's just that smoggy.

Now, for the other piece of big news -- I have decided to close my office on main street in Joseph. Yes, that's right, I'm closing the doors of LB Productions. This doesn't mean I'm closing the business. I plan on still serving my customers just like I started the business from my home. The stress, overhead, and burn-out effect have really started hitting me hard lately. I still will continue to maintain websites, work on computers, and even sell them here and there, but I no longer want the headache of the large office. I'm really relieved in a sense, because I can have some of my life back. Though, for some of you who know me, know that I separated my home from my office so I'd have a life. Little did I know it would do the opposite. Over the past three years it feels like the office has consumed me, and I look forward to living back on my schedule. The folks working for me will still play a role in the business as well. They will be part time, but still play an important part in the operation of the business. The last day will be August 24th, and I will resume working from my home on September 4th.

Now, fast forwarding to today...

It was just another day boating. Or so I thought... that is until the wave from hell engulfed my boat!

All I can remember is telling everyone to "hold on," and then just seconds after I remember seeing a wall of water, closing my eyes, and then getting soaked -- not once, not twice, but three times being slapped with different waves.

It drenched the boat, and also sacrificed my friend Melissa's cell phone. Mine was acting very goofy, but finally dried out. The cd player in the boat also died for a short time before coming back to life. The picture shows how drenched we got. There was about six inches of standing water in the boat once it was all said and done. It just goes to show you, you never know what to expect on Wallowa Lake.

Well folks, I appreciate you spending the time to read this and let me catch up with you. I hope to be more "on top of things" in the coming weeks. It'll definitely be more frequent than every three weeks, this I promise you.

There are a lot of things going on in my life, and as things continue to unfold, I will post as much detail as I can. Take care and keep dry!

-LB

Kit Kat (1990-2007)

I was once told she was my soul mate, I don't know if that is true or not... but what I can tell you is that she must have had a bond with my soul. I haven't ever had such a rough time losing someone or something in my life. She was more than a cat to me. She was my friend.

Ever since I was a little boy, she has been around, a part of my family. She was kind and innocent, there for me in the good and bad times. She was with me throughout my ordeal with cancer. She never judged or made anyone feel bad. She was just there, and that's all she had to do.

What I remember most about her is how she made me and others laugh. You could scratch her back and she would lick the air. She had a lot of funny little quips about her -- she would chase our dogs as well as other cats. You didn't want to piss her off. She had an incredible personality... almost human.

I won't remember her for the pain she was in the last few days on earth, but for the funny good times, her companionship, and during the trying times she bonded with my soul and made the pain go away.

I have lost before, but never feeling that I lost part of myself. I am thankful though that I had 17 years to enjoy the companionship of this friend who was more than just a cat.

-LB