Health Updates

May 13, 2008

Good Morning,
A quick note between hospitals. The brain surgery was more complicated than they thought. My tumor had mutated into a bowtie shape which made the surgery more difficult. After 12 hours at the hospital, 4 doctors, 2.5 hours of surgery and a chance of sight loss, I think I'm ok. They sent me home that night because after all I don't sleep and can't die. ( Prince of Darkness).
Open the attachment, I thought I'd hang out with some old friends before the big surgery tomorrow. Chilling with family today, should be some Friday if all goes well. Thanx for all of support, it sure helps. Ciao, Craig


May 11, 2008

Good Morning, Sorry it's been awhile but I needed to see all my doctors before I knew what was up. Bare with me, you know that I couldn't type before the ski accident in France and know with one hand it's even harder. To start, it was with out a doubt the worst accident in my 35 years of skiing. When I asked the powers to be for a break from all my medical problems, I guess I should have been more specific. I didn't mean my body. Back in the states after a through exam, I have a fractured right collarbone, 3 ribs front and back, skull fracture and 3 hematomas. Go big or go home! Not much they can do except wear my brace and wait 4-6 weeks to heal. After another MRI it seems the brain tumor is growing back. You would have thought the ski crash would have crushed the little shit but know such luck. My pituitary gland is still leaking so time for new action. Tomorrow, Monday, I go in for Gamma Knife Surgery, state of the art, should fix the problem with minor repercussions. Should be out of the hospital in a day or two. Since I'm on a roll and was given a shot 2 months ago to start the fight on the cancer, given Monday goes well, I will have Prostate Seed Radiation Surgery at a different hospital on Thursday. Pretty cool, should be out in a day or two. After consulting with all my doctors it was determined that I could handle all of this crap in one week. The key factors were #1 I don't ever sleep, #2 nothing seems to kill me, #3 I'm always around a lot of blood letting. A couple of my docs have deemed me the Prince of fricking Darkness, which should help in what we hope should be a full recovery. My parents are driving down today to take care of me and get me to and from the hospitals this week. You can call my sister or my house and talk to my parents for an update. It's hard to believe this all started 1 year ago, but maybe with a little luck and the grace of God it will all be over soon. All I seem to be able to take away from all of this is: The beauty of it is the simplicity of it all, everyday is a new adventure and God does that make life worth living. Enjoy every moment, Craig


April 14, 2008

Hi Everyone, Sorry it's taken so long to get back to all of you, again. Before I start this story, I wanted to let you know that I appreciate all the calls and emails. But it gets over whelming responding to everybody every day. The Lupron shot did what it said it was going to do. I have hot flashes (yes, ladies, paybacks are a bitch--I just don't get to be one every thirty days), then cold shakes all day and night. They have started me on another new med to try to help that problem. Last week the urologists and the radiation doctor said that they gave me the strongest dose they could, to shrink the prostate and stop the advance of cancer. The Lupron zeroed my testosterone level, which is the good news, the bad news is the loss of strength, and more fatigue. It will last until May 15, the day of my seed radiation surgery. The Endroconologist who disagreed about the second brain surgery, was opposed to it, because it will permanently kill the pituitary gland. The problem now is the pituitary gland is excreting cortisol into my brain. So a new MRI was done Thursday on my brain, and he and the neurosurgeon have decided I probably need another brain surgery, probably the Gamma Knife route. I'll know if a couple of weeks. I am taking so many meds now, it is hard to keep track, which is morning, which is evening, which is working? After a bunch of tests they discovered the numbness in my feet is permanent nerve damage from too many years of skiing and climbing. Such is life, its not going to stop me from skiing. Two weeks ago both doctors said if you would read my test results, and not know me, they would have recommended home care or hospice. I opted for plan B, which is travel, work, and ski. I think it is a much better program. From a mental health and sanity standpoint, they figure I need to spend some time contemplating my options in May, for the brain surgery. Therefore we agreed that I need to get away from phone calls, emails, and general conversations about my health for awhile. Since I had an international credit with the airlines that needed to be used before summer, I am leaving for France Wednesday morning, April 16, with my buddy, Lee. I plan to wonder around the French Alps for two weeks, skiing and thinking about life. I will be home on May 1st. After all, there are people a lot worse off than I am. It's no big deal. It's just life. Ciao, Craig


February 13, 2008

Hi Everyone, Sorry it's taken so long to get back to all of you. I've been at 4 doctors the last 2 days to see what's next. I missed my 2nd Brain Surgery in Jan. because I was in Utah at the O.R. Show and skiing. I told them I could not make the next one on Mon. Feb. 18th because I need to be in Vegas that week for the WSA Show. We worked out a new date of Mar.10th after my Denver shoe show, if I show up. I started my cancer treatment yesterday with a shot of Lupron Depot which should shrink my prostate and stop the growth of cancer, that's the good news, the bad news is, in 2 weeks, it will knock the crap out of me for a little while. My Endroconoligist disagrees and says it will accelerate the cancer and they screwed up, he also does not think the Gamma Knife Surgery for the tumor is right. Something about brain damage, which I don't think is possible, because I have already taken care of that on my own. I met with the gamma knife surgeon who said that the other doctor is wrong. You got to love the God complex they all have. Well I would like to tell you more but I'm off to the doctors for 3 hours of blood tests to see were I stand, then hitting the road so they can't find me. Ciao, Craig


January 11, 2008

Happy New Year, I hope everyone had a great holiday season. It seems that my doctors and hospital do not have enough of my money yet. As long as the insurance co. hasn't dumped me like a cheap date I might as well start the new year like I ended the last one. The follow up MRI on the brain tumor showed that the initial surgery did it's part, but (there always seems to be a butt) there is still some tumor on both carotid arteries and on the optic nerve. The upside is if the tumor gets in to the artery I would bleed out in 30 minutes, painless, the downside is no more skiing which is unacceptable. My neurosurgeon said he can fix it with a new gamma knife surgery as soon we get approval from the insurance co. On the cancer front the urologist gave me two choices, eat s--t or die, just kidding lighten up. Choice one robotic surgery, choice two is seed radiation. As you would think both have there upside and downside, so he left it up to me, who said doctors are smart? Next week I meet with the radiation docs to here there pitch. All of my doctors agree that the tumor surgery is 1st priority. So with all this info I plan to work, visit my friends and ski, which all of my doctors agree the skiing is helping my recovery both mentally and physically. It helps that all 6 of them ski! At the beginning of the year I heard a song which has my new mantra, A good day is any day your alive!!! and today I am having a good day. Ciao, Craig

P.S. A rep friend of mine, Dave Barber, is in the hospital having a very tough go, so say a prayer for him.


December 20, 2007

Greetings, Thought I'd catch everyone up, less calls to make. Went on my road trip up into the mtns and had a good time. Visited friends, accounts and of course skied. Ten days on the road was long but it felt pretty good. So much for the good news, got a call from one of my docs to come home. Other than some major pain in my back and legs from skiing I was feeling good about the new year. So much for that crap, you think a guy could get a break! The call was from my urologist, it seems from the 10 polyps they took from my prostate, 5 have cancer. So here we go again with surgery, recovery and more fun for the new year. My neurologist, who is working on my back, reminded me that my 90 day follow up for my brain tumor was due Jan. 4th which will probably need follow up surgery. I was in the surgery center this morning for steroid shots into my back instead of surgery. They plan to fit me with a custom knee brace in 2 weeks instead of surgery, so I can do some serious skiing. Enough complaining, after all there are a lot of people worse off than me. I've got great friends, family and I'm skiing, what more could a guy ask for? I'm headed home (the Black Hills) tomorrow for X-mas and then back in a week for more tests. Hell I didn't take this many tests in college, maybe that's why I dropped out. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Peace and Love, Craig


December 7, 2007

Good morning, Time to catch everyone up as to what's happening. I spent the last 2 weeks of Nov. in the Black Hills with family and friends. Flew to N.Y. the 1st week of Dec. for sales meetings and had a great time seeing everyone.On the never ending health front, I saw 3 different doctors this week. Doc.1 was my urologist and did the tests for prostate cancer, results next week. Doc.2 was my neurologist, he found a pinched nerve in my lower back, causing the numbness in my feet, a bulging disk and some damaged cartilage, as a result of 35 years of skiing and mountaineering. Treatment will be rehab. with a P.T. doctor and no surgery at this time. Doc.3 was my new (left) knee doc. who found a slightly torn meniscus, a bakers sis (fluid behind the knee), and some cartilage damage, as a result of 35 years blah, blah, blah. Treatment will be a custom brace and no surgery at this time.The conclusion by both doctors (2&3) is that I can SKI as long as I can handle a little pain, and you know what is a little pain for the love of your life. So I heading to the mtns. for a week to ski, visit, work and get my sh-- together. Thanx for all the love and support. Ciao, Craig


October 25, 2007

Hello, Were to start? I got out of the hospital after going back and doing a 3 day visit after spending 8 days in ICU. Just spent 2 weeks at home trying to get better and visiting different doctors. Here's what they say, my short term memory is shot but will improve, my adreanal glands responded to the heavy meds they put me on and the outlook is good. As far as my urine output, once an hour, they're working on it. It's hard to sleep being awake 24/7! The headaches are constant but getting a little better and I should be able to start to drive again after I'm off the Percosets. We test next week for the numbness in my feet, no big deal. All and all I'm emotionally, physically and mentally drained. The ups and downs have been wild and at times almost unbearable. I think that I have finally bottomed out and it should be up from here. When I started feeling sorry for myself I thought of others who are worse off and decided piss on it, it could be worse. I'm at home so keep the calls and e-mails short as this took 1/2 hour to write this. Once again thanx for the cards, gifts, calls, e-mails and love, it means a lot. Ciao, Craig


October 13, 2007

Hi everyone,

Casey here. Sorry for the delay in recent news regarding Craig's condition, but here is the latest news: After 8 days in ICU at Littleton Hospital, Craig and his physicians decided that he was well enough to be discharged to home this past Wednesday and so he was. His dad spent Wednesday evening with him and then on Thursday, while feeling well enough to be out and about, he did some shopping with his family and spent Thursday night watching the Rockies game with Cyber Dave and Grady. When he awoke on Friday, he felt tired and found that his headache had not only returned, but felt worse than it had prior to surgery. He toughed it out over the course of the day, but by the time I arrived around 4:15, it still had not improved. After trying to eat a few crackers and cheese along with a Percocet, he still felt no relief. By 8:15, he decided to call his Primary Physician, Dr McLean. After describing his symptoms, Dr McLean told him to get to the ER at Littleton immediately, so off we went.

They ran some labs which indicated he had some sort of infection so they did a CT Scan of his head, which looked good and then they did a spinal tap to check for meningitis. They found no evidence of meningitis but his white cell count was higher than normal, so they are still trying to figure out what's causing the headaches and so, he is back at Littleton Hospital (Room 408) for at least another day or two. They are giving him another round of antibiotics along with some pain medication. When I left him a little while ago, he felt better than he did Friday night, but his head still hurts.

Due to the expected 7-14" snowfall along the divide in the next day, I am heading back to Winter Park this afternoon, but I know he is in good hands at Littleton. He is hopeful that he'll be home no later than Monday and welcomes your calls at that time on his home phone (his cell doesn't come in very well at the house).Thank you all for your continued support and prayers - this was not expected to be a quick recovery period, although I think Craig tried to push it along hoping he'd beat the odds (which he continues to do, but not to his ultimate satisfaction). I have every faith that he'll be up and around soon and back to his old self...All for now. Love, Casey


October 1, 2007

Hi everyone, it's SHOWTIME! First of all, I want to thank everyone who attended my birthday party - it was great! Also, thanks to everyone for your cards, gifts and prayers.

The surgery is scheduled to start at 7:30 am on October 2 and is estimated to take 3 hours. After the surgery is finished, I'll go to ICU for for the first 24 hours and I will be in the hospital a total of 3-5 days. Subsequent rehabilitation should last 4-6 weeks thereafter. Because of HIPAA (privacy), the hospital will not be able to give you any information whatsoever. You can call Casey or Diane for updates (please wait until afternoon so they can actually tell you something). Once they know more, they'll send an email with information on the outcome of surgery as well as anticipated recovery plans. I plan to come out of this as close as possible to my normal self, but I would be remiss not to say that if I am that 1% that goes the other direction, I wouldn't change anything for my life has been outstanding! Going into surgery, my family doctor said to find my happy place: So, it's a sunny day, 25 degrees, 18" of fresh snow and I'm standing above treeline getting ready to make the best turns of my life! Love to all, Craig


September 25, 2007

Hello, Time for a quick update. I went back to the Black Hills to visit family & friends and some R & R. You won't believe what happened while I was out at our ranch relaxing!!! My left foot has started to go numb and I pulled the tendons in the knee, so I was just hobbling around and trying to stay out of trouble. Sat. morning while opening the machinery door to the barn a 3 foot Rattlesnake tried to bite me on my only good leg, can you believe that shit. After a short battle with a push broom & a big hammer he's dead and I have a 10 rattle tail to wear to my surgery. Anyway I met with my 5th and final doc today, he's the Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeon who will assist the Neurosurgeon on the surgery. They plan to go in through my nose and split it open to get to the tumor. The pre-admit tests are on Friday, B-Day Party on Sat., Football on Sun., pre-op tests on Mon., Surgery 7:30 AM. Tues. I'll send an e-mail on Mon. to let you know what's up, have a great weekend, I will. Ciao, Craig


September 11, 2007

Hi All,The latest and greatest is: I just finished my last footwear show which was great because of the help I had from Ayelet, Cassie, and Gerda (my shoe people). I went to see the neurosurgeon today, who is still planning on surgery Oct. 2nd, along with the help of the ENT doc (#5 to join the team). All the docs want to be present for the surgery and it seems as though I'll be a case study, perhaps worthy of an AMA research paper (seriously). I'm never one to be outdone or do anything half-assed. Always go for greatness! Go big or go home (and die).Still to be determined is the actual method of entering my head. They will know more after my next (and last) MRI and pre-surgery tests to take place the week of Sept. 25th. The determining factor is the Cushing's Syndrome (a result of the tumor). It, according to the endocrinologist, is the worst case he has ever seen. The diabetes situation is type 2 (no insulin shots yet), but that could change depending on what happens after surgery, depending on how much how the pituitary gland is affected. But, fear not, I fully anticipate that, due to my positive attitude and my general happy go-lucky disposition, I will come thru all of this with flying colors (maybe blurred at first) and be skiing by X-mas. This is what everyone should hope and pray for me as the ultimate outcome.

With doctor's approval, I am returning to RC with my able-bodied and fully coherent escort, Lisa M. (the sister-in-law from hell). She, BTW, is typing this message according to my dictation because my life expectancy is questionable at this juncture and I can't type worth a shit. I have, believe it or not, purchased a laptop computer to communicate with everyone and keep working until the big day and then afterwards, once I stop drooling on myself. Take care and watch for updates later in the month. Ciao, Craig


September 4, 2007

Hi Everyone, Well after 5 hours of blood work and tests today, this is what's new. I have type 2 Diabetes which means radical diet change and new meds and Cushing's syndrome brought about by the tumor. I meet with the Urologist Thurs. to get his opinion about my kidney stones which I passed at the doctors office this AM.(Bonus) My Neurosurgeon called and after a phone consult with the tumor doc. it was decided surgery is my only option. So after a brief chat we decided sooner than later was better. Pre surgery tests will happen at the end of Sept. and the surgery will be Oct. 2nd, should make my Oct.1st B-Day a memorable one! I'll be in the hospital 3-5 days and in rehab and recovery 4-5 weeks. After that we'll see how it goes, close to normal we hope. I'll be doing my last show shoe for the season this weekend in Denver and then tying all the loose ends the rest of the month. Hope all of you are doing well. Ciao, Craig


August 31, 2007

Hi Everyone, Well here we go again. I met with the Tumor Doc today and the news was less than favorable. The tests show that my chemical levels are near perfect, which you would think is good, but it's not. He said that he is done until I have surgery, then he'll take over. So much for the good news. I go in Tues. for new tests, it seems that I might have diabetes and or cushing's disease. It also seems that the surgery will destroy my pituitary gland in the process, so he can fix some of it's function and some are ? we'll have to wait and see. Chances are I'll never be 100% but then again I don't know if I ever was. So my journey continues and we'll see what the hell life can throw at me next.Thanx for all support, love and swag everyone has sent, it means a lot. Until next week, happy trails. Ciao, Craig


August 22, 2007

Hi Everyone, I'll try to explain this as best I can. Mostly it's good news, some still a little confusing and not much bad. Met with my Neurosurgeon today and he has been in contact with my Endocrinologist's office, since he has been in Europe at his other clinic. The consensus is the tumor is large, bleeding slightly, but dormant, so surgery will be later as I'm not in much danger. He (Neuro) figures the tumor took about 2 years to grow so it will take awhile to reduce hemically and then surgically. Since the tumor has attached itself to my Carotid artery they can never remove all of it which is part of the problem. On Aug.31st I meet with my Endo(tumor doc) and we will have a conference call with the Neuro to determine the best course of action. Also the Ophthalmologists report was good no damage yet as long as the tumor is dealt with. So where does that leave me? They gave me back 1/2 of my life back. No out of country travel (Skiing in So.America), no high altitude climbing or mountaineering and flying ok if necessary, but will give me headaches. But I can do light travel, work and hike as long as I take it easy, ya right. I plan on hanging with family and friends for the next 4 or 5 days and collecting my thoughts. Thanx for all of the support but I'm going to avoid all the electronic crap (e-mail & phones) for a few days and relax and reflect. Love to all! Ciao, Craig


Aug 17, 2007

Good Morning, Time for a update. My Neurosurgeon's P.A. called yesterday to tell me that 1/2 of my tests were back from 2 of the specialist's. They should have all of them by Mon. so we meet on Weds to see which Doc starts, chemicals or surgery or both. At this point I don't care just get on with it. Each day is a headache game, scale of 1-10, yesterday was a 1 and I took advantage of it. On Weds. visited fellow reps at a show, Thurs. went to a movie, saw a good band in the park and drank a beer. Not quite my normal lifestyle but it beats sitting at home. The only problem was the little B. in my head didn't care for it so he gave me a #4 headache last night. F***um. My Sis(Diane) has been taking care of me but she needs a break so my bro and nephew are coming down for a long weekend.Thanx for all the calls, e-mails, books, cd's, swag and prayers. It makes this roller coaster ride easier. So until next be careful and enjoy the ride. Ciao, Craig


August 15, 2007

Hi Everyone, Before I start I would like to thank yawl (southern greeting) for all of the calls, e-mails, visits and love. It will definitely make this journey easier no matter the outcome. After seeing doctor #5 the Ophthalmologist, who did tests on my optic nerves, I know a little more. My family physician has helped sort out what the 4 specialists have found out. 1st and foremost I'm not dead yet (hey lighten up) they are all skiers and plan on making sure I will still be. To be cautious, which is not my style, I cannot fly, travel with any elevation gain or be more than 30 to 60 minutes from a surgical hospital. Also no heavy lifting or strenuous exercise, shit I should become a politician. It's seems like house arrest, some of you will catch the irony in that, anyway I'll be hanging out close to home. Maybe this computer crap will become easier since this took 20 minutes to type. Anyway the next month or so should be at the least very interesting. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Ciao, Craig


August 9, 2007

Hello, After seeing two specialist today things have changed. It seems that I have a brain tumor, which is causing 3 problems. 1st it is messing with pituitary gland which has a number of very bad problems. 2nd it is pressing against my optical nerve and can cause blindness. 3rd it is pressing up to my carotid artery which can be fatal. The tumor is about 4x the normal size, but you know me, go big or go home! At this point surgery is risky so they will try drugs. Tests are being run to determine the next course of action. All 3 of my doctors are skiers so I've got it made in the shade. I'm on light duty and confined to home or close to it. Sorry about sending the news by e-mail but just to many phone calls to make, some of you didn't think I could type. If your in the neighborhood stop by. Don't worry I plan on kicking the little bastards ass, besides it would interfere with my skiing. Ciao, Craig


August 9, 2007

Dear family and friends, As some of you know I've been having migraine headaches for about two months. Well after a c-scan, MRI and multiple doctor visits, they found the problem. I have a tumor in and around my pituitary gland which is bleeding and pressing against my optical nerve. I will be seeing a couple more doc's before my neurosurgeon decides what to do. For now just hanging around home while they do tests. Will keep you posted. Ciao, Craig