I dodged a bullet...

Before we go any further... no, I have no aspirations to let others think of me as Superman (who need not dodge such a bullet, by the way), or Batman (who has a bullet-proof vest), or Captain America (with his shield) - I don't even think I'm Neo (who can dodge such bullets in slow motion) - what I'm saying is that 'dodging a bullet' be taken as an expression to mean I avoided an otherwise possible life-threatening situation.

What am I alluding to? Simple... Last New Years' I had the unfortunate experience to suffer a sudden case of L.B.M. (for those not familiar with the acronym's use, I'm sorry - but I shall not spell it out), after which, the exact opposite happened - for the next three days, I could not even break wind.

Now this was obviously an unpleasant experience for me, and in the process, I had not even been able to enjoy a brother-in-law's birthday celebration last January 3. To add to this predicament, I had an aching back. These were similar signs/symptoms to what my father-in-law experienced prior to his having to undergo an operation for colon cancer. So you could say that I was definitely worried about the same thing happening to me.

Needless to say, I scheduled a check-up with a doctor for my problems. After one consultation, the doctor recommended I have a colonoscopy - a process where the doctor sticks a tube (with a monitor) up one's rear-end and checks if there are any problems with the intestine...possibly some blockage.

The process is relatively painless - but that is because the patient will undergo said colonoscopy with the benefit of being under anesthesia - in other words, they'd be zonked out... which is literally what happened to me... zonked out, and I must say it was a wonderful dreamless state.

So here's my experience... one moment I'm being wheeled into the prep room and they pump water into the rear - to clean up the intestines - next, I'm already in the operating room where the procedure is to be done, and the anesthesiologist gives the anesthesia to me - all while the doctors talking about trivial matters... I'm told to count up to 20, and I can't recall up to when I counted, because the next thing I knew, I woke up in the recovery room - the process done.

So what was said bullet that I dodged? Apparently, the doctors found a single polyp in my intestine - this polyp happens to be the early stage of a possible cancer - you could call it a cancer-in-the-making; one that is still in its incubation period. This polyp, had it not been detected and removed, could eventually turn into a tumor - say after three to five years, and then become a full-blown cancer.

My father, sometime during his mid-50s also encountered this cancer and had to undergo a long arduous process of therapy and cobalt treatment... same holds true for my father-in-law right now. Both processes - as per their experience, was traumatic and expensive. My dad's fully recovered, while my father-in-law is still undergoing preventive maintenance, not to mention his having a bag attached to his side, where his waste materials go out.

Bottom line, I was able to nip the cancer in the bud with the process of undergoing a colonoscopy, and the polyp taken? No worries, as it was benign. Had I not, however, undergone this process, I would probably have suffered a similar cancer five to seven years down the road. I might have suffered having to undergo an operation, and having parts of my intestine removed; going through months of cobalt treatment, and years of preventive maintenance... not to forget the cost of the entire thing, which could easily reach up to the hundreds of thousands... if not millions.

So yeah... I dodged that bullet. Thank you, God... and to the wonders of today's medical science. Some people balk at the thought of having a colonoscopy - heck, I was worried when I thought about having to undergo it, but I guess it was more a fear for the unknown (both about process and possible outcome) - but it shouldn't be something to avoid.

My friend, Gerry, says that he wouldn't do such a thing - if its your time, its your time. I disagree. If I can have more time, by way of doing preventive maintenance, then why lessen your potential life span? Why not guarantee a long and healthy life? If such can be had? Wouldn't it be folly not to take advantage of what science and technology has to offer?

Star Trek - what's so good about it?

In the '60s, a TV series called Star Trek debuted. Like many TV shows, it presented a colorful cast in terms of costumes and relatively sparse studio backdrops - the first aspect was to take advantage of color which was now visible with colored television (as opposed to the mundane grays of black and white TV), the latter aspect was for budget purposes of course - unlike movies, TV shows had to stretch their budgets. Hence the near spartan-like sets, and if some could be reused for future shows, well even better.

But that was as far as similarities would go... the rest would be uniquely Star Trek.

The premise: In the 23rd Century, humanity has reached the stars - in fact, they travel amongst the stars using Space ships - in this case, mostly having a saucer shaped front section connected to a cylindrical body, which then connected to twin aft thrusters. The crew would be mostly human - but of international in aspect... we'd have a Scotsman, an Asian, another person of African-descent, two Americans, a Russian and last but not the least - an Alien.

This presented two important premises as of its time - peace amongst the nations, as evident by these people working in harmony with each other and the concept of tolerance/exploration with whatever situations they would encounter. The series did not handle things with the usual shoot first and sort things out later - rather, it presented a view of reasoning, use of logic and the understanding through, need for and respect of diversity... in short, it was a thinking person's show.

It also, as an offshoot of its limitations, explained a few gadgets to make things easier - take for example a device called the universal translator, which allowed for everyone to understand each other, and communicate. Then there's the replicator - where food and other items were, well... copied as good as the original (and Xerox still had to shoe its face - not to mention the concept of cloning), but this allowed people to get what they need and not have to wary about scarcity. Of course the need for transport from ship to planet was answered by transporters.

Some of today's inventions are gearing towards trying to copy what Star Trek has introduced. Of course, it may be some decades in coming (and that's being an optimist) before we can fully appreciate similar devices. But we are getting there... thanks to a multitude of fans wishing to make real, what was imagined for the show.

I mention the fans... actually, Star Trek can easily be considered a culture by many - and the fans are legion indeed. The franchise (business parlance, I know) has birthed an animated TV series, four newer TV series, books, comic books, an exhibit, at least 10 movies and many souvenir items.

Am I a fan? Yes... though possibly not as rabid as others, and when i say this, I mean that I'm relatively familiar with the show, the imaginary universe it revolves around and of course some terms that have been created with the show's universe in mind. I know a lot of trivia, own a sizable collection of TV episodes, which I get to watch when I find the mood - and yes, I even have a Tribble (fans would know of what I'm talking about).

I don't have a Starfleet uniform though, nor do I have models of the ships. I don't speak Klingon (though I have a dictionary of its terms), and I may understand and remember certain episodes - though not to the extent that I could quote certain personalities verbatim. I am thankful for the actors' contributions to the universe, but I don't stalk them, nor do I try to find out every tiny tidbit about them. Oh yeah, I do the 'V' sign with my fingers and can recite the greeting "Live Long and Prosper".

I am a huge fan of the lessons it teaches - IDIC (i.e. Infinite Diversities in Infinite Combinations) is a prime example for pluralism and the embrace of diversity... the Prime Directive, which states the need for non-interference of a lesser advanced society for fear of accidentally destroying their unique culture... and of letting them grow naturally, of letting them go at things in a natural state - rather than jump starting them into something they may not be ready for. The use of reasoning - first and foremost, and lastly... the need for exploration, for discovery.

In the last company I came from - the group I happened to be working with happened to be Star Trek fans, and we would enjoy our discussions - back then, we would be watching episodes of Voyager, then come the next working day, we'd discuss what we watched. I can honestly say that this act built camaraderie amongst us. This extended itself to our watching Enterprise, though more likely - via CDs burned with episodes.

I still enjoy reading books about Star Trek... in fact, right now, I'm enjoying a book that further follows the adventures of one of the show's characters. I also hope that soon, we - the fans, will be treated to a new movie, or even better - a new TV series that could expand the already large universe.