Update on Reed Montgomery and his recovery from Pancreatic Cancer Operation and Chemotherapy Treatment as of Saturday, April 18 2015.
Written By Reed Montgomery, Owner of Reeds Guide Service.
For those of you that need a brief update, I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in November of 2014. After turning yellow with jaundice I was admitted to the Shelby Baptist Hospital Emergency Room (located in Alabaster), and I immediately had my first operation, with a stint installed just to save my life.
No operation date yet, for hopefully the microscopic pancreatic cancer operation I needed so bad (as I knew the cancer was slowly eating away at me), and in early January of 2015 I was not even sure who would even perfom this very tedious, life-saving operation.
My wife and I both did our share of worrying. Especially with my wife out of work, us with no insurance at the end of 2014 and my guide service business (normally with a slow season in winter anyway), now on hold…
Little did I know it would be over six months before I could even hope of making a whole day guiding or even think of competing while fishing in bass tournaments, my passion now on hold as well.
So the medical bills of over $40,000 quickly piled up as my wife and my wife Margie and I so anxiously awaited a very needed operation date. One we both hoped would come soon. For now as before, we both knew my life was still in the Good Lord’s hands…
With a benefit bass tournament held in my name in December 2014 on Lay Lake and the help of Ken Hollis (owner of www.airportmarine.com)) and all the good folks at Airport Marine and their many sponsors, we got the very needed burst of energy that is often required during hard times such as these.
Prayers, donations, close friends and relatives support and proceeds from ” the Reed Montgomery Benefit Bass Tournament ” helped us make it through a cold winter and the ever-mounting pile of medical bills, many now still unpaid.
But the Good Lord provides! We now have insurance, my successfull microscopic surgery (that was an 8 1/2 hour operation performend by Dr. Hewlett at Baptist Princeton West End Hospital in Birmingham) came, as it was now so desperately needed even more, on Tuesday, January 20 of 2015.
By the end of January I was home and I even went fishing a week later, all with the help of Jeff my good fishing friend and tournament partner that handled the truck, the boat, the trolling motor, everything, while I just sat in the back of the boat and fished and we both caught some big bass that day! See the report on my website home page!
But I knew I was fooling myself, for although in my mind fishing is good therapy, I was far from being ready to go back out in the fishing world. Still I tried. I even tried fishing a Airport Marine Bass Tournament on Lay Lake Saturday, March 21. I ended up going home sick at dawn, and leaving Jeff fishing it all alone, that is until (to his surprise I’m sure), I called him three hours later and he picked me up, to at least finish the day. I only had the strength to fish a few hours and really did him no good, or myself any good as well.
So here I am now. I have not guided all year. Still, I have guides like my long time friend Floyd to take clients of my guide service to any Alabama lake. That is, until I’m over this chemotherapy treatment which may be this Summer period.
He also has a 2008 Ranger Z-19 Bass Boat with a 200 H.P. Yamaha (w/low 150 hours), well taken care of, newly covered seats and more! Asking $25,500! See more info at the bottom of my website home page “Lake Reports” section! Or call Floyd at (205) 260-2328.
This bass boat runs great! You can even get a demo ride if interested!
I have not fished another tournament for I do not have the strength to make a full day. I do try to go fishing, but I can only last a few hours. Besides, the chemotherapy really gets you down, at times for an entire week, then you go back for another treatment! Plus now we are facing an ever-increasing amount of medical bills, no income and we are both still not sure when we will see an income anytime soon.
So what’s it like to go through chemotherapy? Without radiation treatment (thank God), I’m scheduled for 12 treatments, which is supposed to end in August. But now even that has been delayed. For after only two treatments my white blood cell count was low and they had to postpone one treatment for another week in March.
Then it happened again after I got really sick with stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, absolutely no appetite for an entire week in early April after another treatment, the worst so far. I’ve now lost over 30 pounds.
So now after all that, the chemotherapy doctor decreased the dosage and eliminated some ingredient (that was for sure the culprit making me very sick), and now I just took my fourth treatment. Still, after 3 days it hits you again. You take the 3-4 hour intravenous liquid diet on Tuesday. You can eat that night and you even feel O K Wednesday and Thursday.
Then Friday it hits you and you hope you at least have time to just feel good that weekend and possibly Monday, before you go back for another treatment!
So three months later, I’m still recuperatiing from the surgery some say will take over a year to heal up from. I did get to keep my gall bladder and they hopefully removed all of the cancerous area from the attached stomach and Pancreas. Thats why I’m now taking chemotherapy weekly at the Alabama Oncology office in Alabaster. Its also why I’m now losing my hair.
I have really learned what it is like to really appreciate a good appetite!
By the grace of God, like many others before me, I will make it through this some how. I just pray after its all over I can say I’m cancer free and I can hopefully live a long, normal life afterwards.
Life. Thats what its all about anyway! Right? Live and enjoy life one day at a time. For it may be your last…
Thanks, Reed Montgomery Owner of Reeds Guide Service. Still guiding on all Alabama Lakes after over 40 years and now a survivor of Pancreatic Cancer, so far. See you on the water soon…
