Clubhouse Grille (*** NO LIV DISCUSSIONS ***) (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION ***)

[Conrad1953]

45 minutes ago, miamistomp said:

 Down here the are called manzanillas or apple bananas- very sweet but must be very ripe before eating

 The red skinned Jamaican bananas are also amazing

 

We planted the red skin ones that were given to us by a friend. They're like a bulb in that

they die off up top with the first freeze, then we cut them to ground level and they multiply

when they grow back in the spring. Have had them for 2 seasons and have yet to bear edible

fruit though they came close this last year, with some small fruit that didn't mature.

 

I'm glad they are amazing cause at some point we're going to have a lot of them!

[Sean2]

2 hours ago, Fellaheen51 said:

Condolences on both counts.  Especially Walter's passing.  Understand how it feels, the loss of an integral member of the group.  Happened with me last August.  A good friend for 50+ years dating back to high school.  One of the founding members of our Wednesday golf group passed after a 1.5 year battle with cancer.  Couldn't visit him the last couple months, just phone calls.  Couldn't pay my last respects at the family only funeral because of the Vid.  Not wanting this to sound trite, but we honor those who have passed before us by keeping on doing what we do.  And remembering all the good times that were shared.  

That is one of the problems when you get to be our age...folks we know moving on. It seems when you are young you attend weddings and when you get to be a senior you attend funerals. Your last two sentences sums it up nicely.

[Sean2]

Been struggling with coming over the top. No matter what I do, I can't stop it, whether it is keeping my back to the target, getting the right elbow to chase my navel, just dropping the club in the slot, or what have you. The lower body centric swing doesn't work all that well for me. Today at the range I just started to hit the ball with my hands. I know one's timing has to be on to do this, but the results are a bit better than with the body centric swing. I'll keep experimenting with it. 

 

 

[Conrad1953]

1 hour ago, Sean2 said:

Been struggling with coming over the top. No matter what I do, I can't stop it, whether it is keeping my back to the target, getting the right elbow to chase my navel, just dropping the club in the slot, or what have you. The lower body centric swing doesn't work all that well for me. Today at the range I just started to hit the ball with my hands. I know one's timing has to be on to do this, but the results are a bit better than with the body centric swing. I'll keep experimenting with it. 

 

 

 

It could be just something simple Sean. You might have the inside downswing path blocked

with your right hip, which forces you to start the downswing with your shoulders, which causes

a steep and over the top downswing plane.

 

The simple solution is to get that right hip out of the way to open up your inside path to the ball.

Monte's old zipper away move is a great cure for this problem and actually fixes many things.

Before you start your downswing just move your pant's zipper back away from the ball. If your

hips have turned back (which they should) in your backswing this zipper away move will actually

move your hips back and also toward the target. This opens up the inside swing path to the

ball and from there you can go ahead and drop the club into the slot you mentioned and fire away.

 

This is a pretty quick and easy cure for an OTT downswing as it makes it difficultly contorting to

swing the club down above the backswing plane, lol.

 

I hope this helps but if not, Reasy, our resident swing expert may chime in with some suggestions.

[tolmij]

No idea what it is like in the US of A, but this morning we talked to the local vet surgeon regarding a cyst that has developed on our dogs paw, total cost would be $3,000 to have it removed, and they wonder why we steer clear of them.

 

Animal insurance is a waste of time as they preclude most common ailments in the fine print. We had a doberman who was never sick, in all his life he only went for his annual shots, but after paying insurance for several years they refused to renew it because he was of an age where he might get sick.

 

Sorry to disturb current golf talk, which  by the way is very interesting.

 

🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯😡🤬

[Sean2]

3 hours ago, Conrad1953 said:

 

It could be just something simple Sean. You might have the inside downswing path blocked

with your right hip, which forces you to start the downswing with your shoulders, which causes

a steep and over the top downswing plane.

 

The simple solution is to get that right hip out of the way to open up your inside path to the ball.

Monte's old zipper away move is a great cure for this problem and actually fixes many things.

Before you start your downswing just move your   zipper back away from the ball. If your

hips have turned back (which they should) in your backswing this zipper away move will actually

move your hips back and also toward the target. This opens up the inside swing path to the

ball and from there you can go ahead and drop the club into the slot you mentioned and fire away.

 

This is a pretty quick and easy cure for an OTT downswing as it makes it difficultly contorting to

swing the club down above the backswing plane, lol.

 

I hope this helps but if not, Reasy, our resident swing expert may chime in with some suggestions.

Thank you Conrad...but I am a bit puzzled by what you mean when you say: Before you start your downswing just move your pant's zipper back away from the ball.

 

 

[Conrad1953]

21 minutes ago, Sean2 said:

Thank you Conrad...but I am a bit puzzled by what you mean when you say: Before you start your downswing just move your pant's zipper back away from the ball.

 

 

 

 

[scomac2002]

@Conrad1953 I had no idea what you were talking about, but now that I see the video I understand.  In fact, I think I understood as soon as Monte mentioned Sam Snead, because I've always tried to pattern my swing after his.  I like to think of the zipper move as a squat.  Snead did it; Trevino does it, Tiger does it.

[Conrad1953]

22 minutes ago, scomac2002 said:

@Conrad1953 I had no idea what you were talking about, but now that I see the video I understand.  In fact, I think I understood as soon as Monte mentioned Sam Snead, because I've always tried to pattern my swing after his.  I like to think of the zipper move as a squat.  Snead did it; Trevino does it, Tiger does it.

 

Yes! When you think about it as you get to the end of your backswing you are not quite in a good 

position yet to bring the club back down to the ball. There is a slight repositioning or resetting as

you get ready to start your downswing. It will vary by golfer whether it's the Snead squat,  the Monte

zipper away or some other move. This move puts us in position to hit the ball; clears a path to the ball,

re-routes the club, gets the weight onto our lead side and moves the swing bottom toward the target.

 

 

[tolmij]

11 hours ago, Conrad1953 said:

 

We planted the red skin ones that were given to us by a friend. They're like a bulb in that

they die off up top with the first freeze, then we cut them to ground level and they multiply

when they grow back in the spring. Have had them for 2 seasons and have yet to bear edible

fruit though they came close this last year, with some small fruit that didn't mature.

 

I'm glad they are amazing cause at some point we're going to have a lot of them!

If they are anything like our bananas cold weather does them no good. For some reason this year it  took six months to grow from first setting to picking, any really coldweather would have stopped that, so if you have normal cold weather pattern you may never have any ripe fruit,  after all bananas are a tropical fruit.

Edited January 18, 2021 by tolmij

[Conrad1953]

25 minutes ago, tolmij said:

If they are anything like our bananas cold weather does them no good. For some reason this year it  took six months to grow from first setting to picking, any really coldweather would have stopped that, so if you have normal cold weather pattern you may never have any ripe fruit,  after all bananas are a tropical fruit.

 

Ya, we'll find out. We normally have 7-8 months between freezes but could be as low as 6 some

years so we may have fruit some years and none in other years.  

[Reasonability]

So many cool posts.  So much hope to participate meaningfully without a 20 page bombardment.  Here goes trying.

 

At the risk of upsetting the food chain and natural order of things... I'd personally irradiate, castrate, fumigate, flame-throw, and just plain stomp on any bug/critter of any kind that hosts on me, bites, stings, sucks blood, buzzes my ears, ruins crop, lands on my lunch, eats wood, carries diseases, or otherwise signals it's got to go.  

 

Stomp on them just to see their eyes pop out is my mantra.  

 

To that ends, I'm dropping little tiny micro pamphlets In a propaganda campain aimed at starting a mortal battle between all chiggers and ticks.  Already got mosquitoes and flies convinced they're plotting against each other.   

 

Their little back sides are grass and I am the lawnmower.

[tolmij]

16 minutes ago, Reasonability said:

So many cool posts.  So much hope to participate meaningfully without a 20 page bombardment.  Here goes trying.

 

At the risk of upsetting the food chain and natural order of things... I'd personally irradiate, castrate, fumigate, flame-throw, and just plain stomp on any bug/critter of any kind that hosts on me, bites, stings, sucks blood, buzzes my ears, ruins crop, lands on my lunch, eats wood, carries diseases, or otherwise signals it's got to go.  

 

Stomp on them just to see their eyes pop out is my mantra.  

 

To that ends, I'm dropping little tiny micro pamphlets In a propaganda campain aimed at starting a mortal battle between all chiggers and ticks.  Already got mosquitoes and flies convinced they're plotting against each other.   

 

Their little back sides are grass and I am the lawnmower.

Why dont you say exactly how you feel about them.  👹

[Reasonability]

13 hours ago, Sean2 said:

Been struggling with coming over the top. No matter what I do, I can't stop it, whether it is keeping my back to the target, getting the right elbow to chase my navel, just dropping the club in the slot, or what have you. The lower body centric swing doesn't work all that well for me. Today at the range I just started to hit the ball with my hands. I know one's timing has to be on to do this, but the results are a bit better than with the body centric swing. I'll keep experimenting with it. 

 

 

 

The experimenting you mention is in my worthless opinion part of the fun.  Not that you remotely expressed otherwise, but there's every good reason to believe Conrad's thoughts are well worth considering.  Its certainly a great great starting point.

 

Will share this open offer.  I don't have all the answers.  I'm not a PGA instructor.  And except for that 45 mph wind at my back in Jacksonville yesterday, I've not hit it over 300 yards in years.

 

But I'm not half bad at cutting through the maze of jargon and reducing things to plain English when I can sit with a swing video filmed down-the-line and face-on.  Have yet to see a swing that doesn't have very good things going on it.  Have had such videos posted here.  Other folks have chatted it up with me in PMs rather than do so publically.  So the open offer is to count on me to help in that way, to my absolute best, anytime you'd care to share a video of your swing.  If not - no hard feelings and enjoy the experiments!  

 

 

[Reasonability]

Scomacer my friend.

 

Can't pass up the rare but cherished opportunity to comment al'a Judge Reason regarding the "squat" in transition.  It's yet another of those tender nuances found in so many better swings yet no one seems to want (or care) to unpack it.

 

From my seat, it's a very subtle, very fractional, often almost undetectable but hugely important moment in the swing - for anyone.  Especially for anyone with back issues.  Here's why:

 

Many if not most get a far better result when the setup and grip are really good.  The whole anticipation of a good upcoming motion and what that will feel like are born right there.

 

 But once there, we need to get to the top of the backswing with as little restrictions and as relaxed as humanly possible.   To do that, the trail side knee shouldn't drift laterally going back...  BUT the lead knee should!   This attention to knee work totally frees up the hips, allowing a fuller backswing without stressing the back.  

 

But once were at the top, what the heck gets that lead knee back where it belongs for the through-swing???

 

It's that tiny little squat.  All by itself, that one little moment allows the lower body work to launch -- without getting tied up in "thoughts" about it.  It's more of a feel thing, like a barely detectable sitting motion before the hands, arms, and club do anything.  

 

Love that move.  It's back medicine!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by Reasonability

[scomac2002]

@Reasonability I was quite certain that a little swing talk would summon you from the outer banks! 

 

I think that I came to the squat move as a solution to getting into the bad habit of excess hip slide.  Gawd knows that and the resultant reverse C when clearing the hips is hell on the lower back. 

 

I seem to recall coming across an article in Golf Digest reviewing Snead's swing and that's where the move was born in my own mind.  It's really all about the foot work in a lot of ways and keeping the torso rotating around the spine, allowing the hips to move in unison.  The knees take the brunt of the torque (which has its own set of challenges).

 

The interesting aspect of this is that it works for all body types whether it be long and lanky like Snead or short and stocky like Trevino.  @BIG STU talks about how active his feet are in his swing while taking great pains to point out that his motion is unique and home made at the same time.  It's sort of like a universal truth in my estimation.

 

It has been a while since I've swung a club; even longer since I've swung one well, but we keep on keeping on.  I may not play like one, but I'm still a golfer, so I persist. 🏌️‍♂️

Edited January 18, 2021 by scomac2002

[Divot License]

I have tried to concisely implement the squat move into my swing many times, and many times it has resulted in a failure for myself.

 

I've pretty much given up on it, and am happy to take my non squat, non early extending turn of the hips that seems to work. 

 

I've resigned it to the tried and failed pile, along with a bowed wrist at the top, flaring my right foot and a swinging left post impact. 

 

 

 

 

[Sean2]

Thanks @Conrad1953. I understand now and will give it a try tomorrow on the range. However, understanding is one thing, executing is another, lol. 

[BIG STU]

7 hours ago, scomac2002 said:

@Reasonability I was quite certain that a little swing talk would summon you from the outer banks! 

 

I think that I came to the squat move as a solution to getting into the bad habit of excess hip slide.  Gawd knows that and the resultant reverse C when clearing the hips is hell on the lower back. 

 

I seem to recall coming across an article in Golf Digest reviewing Snead's swing and that's where the move was born in my own mind.  It's really all about the foot work in a lot of ways and keeping the torso rotating around the spine, allowing the hips to move in unison.  The knees take the brunt of the torque (which has its own set of challenges).

 

The interesting aspect of this is that it works for all body types whether it be long and lanky like Snead or short and stocky like Trevino.  @BIG STU talks about how active his feet are in his swing while taking great pains to point out that his motion is unique and home made at the same time.  It's sort of like a universal truth in my estimation.

 

It has been a while since I've swung a club; even longer since I've swung one well, but we keep on keeping on.  I may not play like one, but I'm still a golfer, so I persist. 🏌️‍♂️

Well the happy feet comes from the problem I have always had trying to keep balance. To be a big guy at 6' 2" I am short legged as in a 32 inseam. I am long from my waist to my shoulders. Simple isometrics my tall side with the torque I used to produce would pull me off balance. The happy feet is an entirely natural move to maintain balance. I also had a loop back when I could pull the club back far enough. Sometimes I did it sometimes I did not and then sometimes I may have done it 10 times in a row. I never knew when I did it because it was a natural move for me to get the club on plane. Now even before my accident I do not pull it back far enough to get it off plane so no loop anymore. Now I do have a little flip flop wedge shot I do with a 56* wedge that I do a figure 8 loop with my hands gets the ball up quick and stops fast but that is a manufactured shot. I am strictly a natural swinger and I go off of swing and instinct. And I will tell someone in a heartbeat you can not teach the stuff I do. One of the reasons I never taught when I was a class A---- Like I have always said I have never believed there is one etched in stone proper way to swing or play this game. And like I told my bud Mike one day "just hit the frigging ball". 

[Reasonability]

5 hours ago, Jedaigeki said:

I have tried to concisely implement the squat move into my swing many times, and many times it has resulted in a failure for myself.

 

I've pretty much given up on it, and am happy to take my non squat, non early extending turn of the hips that seems to work. 

 

I've resigned it to the tried and failed pile, along with a bowed wrist at the top, flaring my right foot and a swinging left post impact. 

 

 

 

 

 

Totally understood and respected.  As Snead himself said, "What works for me may or may not work for you."

 

i didn't go there, but for many really good ball strikers, the hand path bottoms out more off the trail thigh, and actually rises a bit through the lead front pocket.  But they hit ball-first meaning clubhead path has a low point as much as a foot past the low point of the hands and handle.  How?  Delayed release of that shaft/lead arm angle, good shoulder turn plane, not protracting the lead shoulder from address through the release are big factors.  But for such golfers, the mini-squat gets all of that working WITH a great angle of attack, and WITHOUT hitting it fat or thin.  

 

Many who do this don't even realize it, and it seems many of those don't even want to understand it... which is AOK since it brings its own unique brand of feel stuff, so they don't even need to understand it.  

 

Anyway, it's not everyone's "thing" for sure.  We all do what we do, however we do it, and no one has to be right or wrong so long as we're out there whacking at it!

[scomac2002]

6 hours ago, Jedaigeki said:

I have tried to concisely implement the squat move into my swing many times, and many times it has resulted in a failure for myself.

 

I've pretty much given up on it, and am happy to take my non squat, non early extending turn of the hips that seems to work. 

 

I've resigned it to the tried and failed pile, along with a bowed wrist at the top, flaring my right foot and a swinging left post impact. 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting that all the things you have tried and discarded are things that I do naturally.  The bowed left wrist is definitely natural as I have always done it and don't think about doing it purposefully.  In fact, I have at times tried my damnedest to stop doing it, especially when I have a bout of the smother hooks with the driver!

 

Maybe that's why you are a better player than I've ever been! 🤨

[billh17]

I fully understand  the leg work, the lower body use, the squat and push with the trailing leg..and i worked on it a lot

a couple years ago.   I found that timing was crucial. When I had it timed correctly, the ball seemed to explode off the 

face, and the sound at impact was different. A LOT different. Much more power sounding. And I did pick up 10/15 yards

off the tee.  WHEN i timed it correctly.  However, to be honest, i hit a ton of pulls. hooks, pull hooks. quack hooks....high, low,

but always left. I found enough prov1's while looking for my ball that i didn't have to buy any for a long time. But i also found

it very very frustrating to know it could improve my game, but i was simply unable to get consistent with the move. So, i 

returned to my booming 225 off the tee, landing mostly in the short grass,  and began my experiment with the One Length irons.

I am now happy with whatever i shoot. No longer in pursuit of lower scores. This old man is  simply enjoying  hitting more 

greens and the fact that in my 75th year i can still hit that bomb of 230 every now and then !   Love the conversation

guys. Great to have the Judge back!

[billh17]

I actually went to the range today. 39 degrees.....no wind    .i turned the heating equipment on and it was actually comfortable...but my

hands still were a little cold. But, it sure felt good to hit a few !

[tolmij]

2 hours ago, billh17 said:

I actually went to the range today. 39 degrees.....no wind    .i turned the heating equipment on and it was actually comfortable...but my

hands still were a little cold. But, it sure felt good to hit a few !

We are expecting 39 this week but ours will be C not F. Not had temperatures that low since we moved here in 1981.

[Divot License]

15 hours ago, scomac2002 said:

 

Interesting that all the things you have tried and discarded are things that I do naturally.  The bowed left wrist is definitely natural as I have always done it and don't think about doing it purposefully.  In fact, I have at times tried my damnedest to stop doing it, especially when I have a bout of the smother hooks with the driver!

 

Maybe that's why you are a better player than I've ever been! 🤨

Not sure it works that way, I have my own faults and tendencies that come with my natural habits. 

 

My flat wrist at the top can get cupped with shorter irons and wedges and leave the face a little open hit high right misses. 

My non squatty move/feel can at times leave me a little on my back foot at impact. 

 

This is a normal impact for me.  Right foot rolling to the inside, left hip forward and moving behind me, spine angle similar to address.

This is a bad impact for me, right foot flat, hips not forward and my spines having to back up to let the club get to the ball with some shaft lean. 

 

Top picture is before my run of lessons trying the add the bowed wrist and squat, second picture is about the point I gave up on it as this is as good as it got. There is probably 4 months of time and work between the two.

[Reasonability]

Interesting stuff.  

 

Sometimes, the focus on one wrist is best managed through focus not on it, but the opposite wrist.   If the lead wrist is cupped at the top for example, one fix is let it go for a ride and intentionally cup the trail wrist.   Another approach can be to pay more attention to where the trail elbow lands at the top.  

 

Not lecturing or hoping to change a living soul here.  Just sharing I've found there are times when trying to get one body part doing this or that has proven frustrating for me, too.  There were cases when I got the desired result by turning focus elsewhere.  

 

Personally, I can't hit a bull in bottom with a bass fiddle applying a cupped lead wrist.  Bowed, I can do but find I need so much body turn through the strike it tires out my back.  It's harder for me to work the ball left to right when bowed.  

 

Above all what I keep my sights on along these lines is seen in a straight down-the-line mirror or video.  I know my grip is about right when the back of my lead hand is dead parallel to the leading edge of the clubface at the top.   Flat lead wrist, the toe hangs at about 45°.  Bowed wrist... shut at the top.   Cupped, and I'm doomed.  Bass fiddles are playing a Yoko Ono song.  

 

 

[scomac2002]

9 hours ago, Reasonability said:

Interesting stuff.  

 

Sometimes, the focus on one wrist is best managed through focus not on it, but the opposite wrist.

 

Indeed.  For myself, the process of setting the wrist c0ck in the backswing automatically bows my lead wrist.  When that leads to the inevitable bout of pull hooks, I find myself trying to hit the ball without setting the wrists a la Steve Stricker.  It's a bandaid that gets me through the round, but not something that I have pursued as a permanent fix.

 

Needless to say having spent the past three seasons attempting to play without the benefit of range time hasn't been all that successful.  I can remind myself that at least I'm playing, but it doesn't necessarily bring me much of a sense of accomplishment. 🤔

[SixtySomePing]

On 1/18/2021 at 4:15 PM, BIG STU said:

Well the happy feet comes from the problem I have always had trying to keep balance. To be a big guy at 6' 2" I am short legged as in a 32 inseam. I am long from my waist to my shoulders. Simple isometrics my tall side with the torque I used to produce would pull me off balance. The happy feet is an entirely natural move to maintain balance. I also had a loop back when I could pull the club back far enough. Sometimes I did it sometimes I did not and then sometimes I may have done it 10 times in a row. I never knew when I did it because it was a natural move for me to get the club on plane. Now even before my accident I do not pull it back far enough to get it off plane so no loop anymore. Now I do have a little flip flop wedge shot I do with a 56* wedge that I do a figure 8 loop with my hands gets the ball up quick and stops fast but that is a manufactured shot. I am strictly a natural swinger and I go off of swing and instinct. And I will tell someone in a heartbeat you can not teach the stuff I do. One of the reasons I never taught when I was a class A---- Like I have always said I have never believed there is one etched in stone proper way to swing or play this game. And like I told my bud Mike one day "just hit the frigging ball". 

Ah balance- cha ching! The reason I can't play much anymore due to the foot drop that developed in both my right and left feet/ankles. I could still smack the ball, and hit my wedges precisely, and putt with the best of them, but my balance has become a tremendous challenge in life. In fact I couldn't play golf last year at all unfortunately, and probably won't this year either 😥 May be done for good, but at least can watch it, read all of your antics 🤣 Anyway, it's an amazing thing, balance. For me, I played for a few years with CFO braces but that finally stopped working for me as well. Appreciate your balance and make it work for you, it's an important part of your swing, and your entire golf game!

[Conrad1953]

56 minutes ago, SixtySomePing said:

Ah balance- cha ching! The reason I can't play much anymore due to the foot drop that developed in both my right and left feet/ankles. I could still smack the ball, and hit my wedges precisely, and putt with the best of them, but my balance has become a tremendous challenge in life. In fact I couldn't play golf last year at all unfortunately, and probably won't this year either 😥 May be done for good, but at least can watch it, read all of your antics 🤣 Anyway, it's an amazing thing, balance. For me, I played for a few years with CFO braces but that finally stopped working for me as well. Appreciate your balance and make it work for you, it's an important part of your swing, and your entire golf game!

 

Sorry to hear about this Sixty. Seems like not long ago you were playing in your league and

having a good time. Time just keeps marching on and we all keep getting older and less able.

I hope to play as long as I can and enjoy each round to the fullest.

 

Back in early December when I had the surgery to repair the 2 hernias the surgeon, who had 

told me the CT Scan showed I had swollen lymph nodes, removed one of my lymph nodes and 

sent it to a lab for a biopsy. It took a long time but he finally got back the pathology report and

he informed me it said I had lymphoma; cancer of the lymphatic system, and he referred me to

a hematologist oncologist. This was a few weeks ago.

 

As I waited for my appointment I read up on lymphoma and learned that it was very treatable

and I expected I was gonna be getting chemo and radiation treatments for it. Funny how your

mind works at times. I was thinking that just about the time I would get released to full activity

again from the surgery, I would be too sick from cancer treatments to play golf.

 

So I girded myself up mentally and went to my appointment; ready I hope to hear whatever I

was gonna hear, accept it and get on with the treatments. 

 

What I heard was a pleasant surprise, especially considering I was going over worst case

scenarios in my head for the week before going to my appointment, like, I suppose many would.

The thing is is I had none of the outward symptoms of lymphoma that I read about. That had 

me thinking perhaps it was caught very early; which is always better.

 

Anyway, now I'm sitting in the room waiting for the doc and I'm thinking my time of speculating

is about to end when she walks into the room and gives me the skinny. So she comes in with my

file and sits down and is looking through the pathology report and CT Scans and she tells me

"this is a very  slow growing form of lymphoma" and proceeds to tell me there will be no

treatments for now and that we will be taking a watch, wait and see approach. 

 

So they are going to bring me in every 3 months for lab work and possibly a scan so they can

monitor the  situation. If after a year or 2 the growth remains very slow they may switch to

bringing me in every 6 months instead of 3. She told me there may come a time when I will

need treatment or I may never need treatment. Well, as far as I'm concerned...bullet dodged!

 

I can say that now having been of those people who have been given a cancer diagnosis, that

there is part of you that wants to go into denial and think it's all a big  mistake. There's also

that part of you that doesn't want to be that person in denial and to face reality and join the

battle........... if there is a battle to be fought.

 

Right now I consider myself very blessed and very fortunate. Having considered worse things,

I can easily handle being poked and prodded every 3 or 6 months the rest of my life. I'm cleared

to play golf again starting Jan 28th, as long as the weather cooperates!

[SixtySomePing]

1 hour ago, Conrad1953 said:

 

Sorry to hear about this Sixty. Seems like not long ago you were playing in your league and

having a good time. Time just keeps marching on and we all keep getting older and less able.

I hope to play as long as I can and enjoy each round to the fullest.

 

Back in early December when I had the surgery to repair the 2 hernias the surgeon, who had 

told me the CT Scan showed I had swollen lymph nodes, removed one of my lymph nodes and 

sent it to a lab for a biopsy. It took a long time but he finally got back the pathology report and

he informed me it said I had lymphoma; cancer of the lymphatic system, and he referred me to

a hematologist oncologist. This was a few weeks ago.

 

As I waited for my appointment I read up on lymphoma and learned that it was very treatable

and I expected I was gonna be getting chemo and radiation treatments for it. Funny how your

mind works at times. I was thinking that just about the time I would get released to full activity

again from the surgery, I would be too sick from cancer treatments to play golf.

 

So I girded myself up mentally and went to my appointment; ready I hope to hear whatever I

was gonna hear, accept it and get on with the treatments. 

 

What I heard was a pleasant surprise, especially considering I was going over worst case

scenarios in my head for the week before going to my appointment, like, I suppose many would.

The thing is is I had none of the outward symptoms of lymphoma that I read about. That had 

me thinking perhaps it was caught very early; which is always better.

 

Anyway, now I'm sitting in the room waiting for the doc and I'm thinking my time of speculating

is about to end when she walks into the room and gives me the skinny. So she comes in with my

file and sits down and is looking through the pathology report and CT Scans and she tells me

"this is a very  slow growing form of lymphoma" and proceeds to tell me there will be no

treatments for now and that we will be taking a watch, wait and see approach. 

 

So they are going to bring me in every 3 months for lab work and possibly a scan so they can

monitor the  situation. If after a year or 2 the growth remains very slow they may switch to

bringing me in every 6 months instead of 3. She told me there may come a time when I will

need treatment or I may never need treatment. Well, as far as I'm concerned...bullet dodged!

 

I can say that now having been of those people who have been given a cancer diagnosis, that

there is part of you that wants to go into denial and think it's all a big  mistake. There's also

that part of you that doesn't want to be that person in denial and to face reality and join the

battle........... if there is a battle to be fought.

 

Right now I consider myself very blessed and very fortunate. Having considered worse things,

I can easily handle being poked and prodded every 3 or 6 months the rest of my life. I'm cleared

to play golf again starting Jan 28th, as long as the weather cooperates!

It's not a problem, I can still walk and do most things, just don't have the finesse balance for golf. My neurologist says that I can't get over this unless the nerves and the muscles that help your feet flip back up when you walk, grow back. They are sort of in the front of your lower leg above the ankle, you can feel it if you raise your toes up...

Glad your lymphoma results were Ok. My brother got a diagnosis of that about 15 years ago, only a little more severe. He had to go thru the chemo treatments and all. Turned out he defeated it. My DW beat breast cancer 26 years ago with very aggressive chemo treatments, it was very difficult at the time, but she was 39 and quite ready to battle it. So it's amazing what you can defeat if you want to. 

By the way, talking about getting old, I have been on here a long time now, having made my profile name when I started SixtySomePing, I will turn Seventy in March, should I change my profile name to SeventySomePing? 😲

Inquiring minds want to know...