Trump is trying to kill me
If you know me, you know that I have been protesting Donald Trump since he became president after defeating Hillary Clinton. And in his second term, Trump has become more dangerous and more unhinged. What he has done with Project 2025 might take years to undo. However, this reflection is not about the president.
In late 2025, I had several bowel movements a day and brought this to the attention of my primary care doctor Walid Barbour of Sage Health. Janice Sevre-Duszynska accompanied me to this appointment and all others. The doctor decided to observe the situation. I have Alterwood Advantage and pay $15.60 a month for the insurance. This health issue took months to diagnose. I felt no pain, and continued to play basketball, exercise and protest injustice. However, on May 8, 2026, a colonoscopy discovered a five cm malignancy in my colon. Since then, I have called that invasive critter trump. If interested in a detailed report of my dealing with trump, read on.
Besides the irregular bowel movements, there were blotches on my arms. Doctor Barbour referred me to Advanced Dermatology's Dr. Ernest Eckenrode for an appointment on Feb. 10, 2026. The doctor indicated that I was suffering from vitiligo, an auto-immune disorder. He noticed it was also around my neck. He added associations including thyroid disease, pernicious anemia, and diabetes. He suggested phototherapy, but I deferred. I mentioned my irregular bowel movements, but he did not see it as a problem. My co-pay was $25.
Eventually, Dr. Barbour suggested I get a Cologuard test, and the result was positive. I had trouble finding a gastroenterologist, but fortunately my primary care doctor referred me to Dr. Joshua Rosenbloom of the Gastro Center. On April 27, I met with the doctor, and he noted I had lost 12 pounds. He ordered a blood test and stool sample and scheduled a colonoscopy and endoscopy for May 29. However, after seeing the results of the blood test, the procedure was moved forward to May 8. He recognized his patient was anemic.
There were guidelines to follow for a colonoscopy, including drinking two horrible bottles of prep. The scoping discovered two benign polyps and a 5 cm. malignancy near the rectum. Dr. Rosenbloom indicated he did not remove the polyps as they were too close to the malignancy. I next met with Dr. Rosenbloom on May 13, and he suggested a plan of action. This included staying in touch with Dr. Barbour and bringing onboard a surgeon Dr. Joshua Wolf from Sinai Hospital and an oncologist Dr. Ari Elmer of Maryland Oncology Hematology. Also, the enterologist ordered a CAT-scan without contrast. The total bill for the Gastro Center was $5,378, and the co-pay was $85.
I have been eating flax seeds or flax meal with my cereal for at least forty years to clean out my colon. The doctors, however, have stressed that there is no way to identify a cause for cancer.
I met Dr. Wolf on May 18, and his plan was to do the surgery in 30 days. This did not happen as I had to have several tests to see if the cancer had spread. The first was a CAT-scan, which he changed to include with contrast. On May 19, I met with Dr. Elmer, and he outlined what was to follow.
On May 22 at Advanced Radiology, I paid $303.20 for the CAT-scan. The actual cost was $1,416. The main findings indicated a nodule on my left lung and on my thyroid.
On June 9, Dr. Barbour, noting that I was anemic, prescribed four tablets of Vitamin D [ergocalcife] taken on a weekly basis. Then there was a refill. Presumably until my anemia is cured, I will be prescribed Vitamin D.
Because of what showed up in the CAT-scan, Dr. Wolf ordered a PET-scan on June 10. There was no co-pay. This imaging was more difficult than the previous scan, as for thirty minutes I had to extend my arms beyond my head. The imaging indicated a lesion on my liver and in my rectum. The nodules and the lesions needed further investigations.
On June 15, I was scheduled for an infusion of iron at the oncologist's office. There was a dispute between Alterwood and the order for medication used in the infusion. A substitute was used instead. However, when I arrived at Maryland Oncology Hematology in Eldersburg, I was notified my insurance company would not pay the $1,779 cost. So, I signed a document taking responsibility to cover the cost. The nurse who conducted the infusion was flabbergasted by Alterwood's decision. She then gave me a 15-minute infusion to see if I had any side effects. Since I didn't, I absorbed 30 more minutes of the iron product. She indicated I would need another infusion two weeks after surgery. The cost for the services with the oncologist was $617, and the co-pay was $25.
Since I was scheduled to have two surgeries, the surgeon's office set up an appointment on June 25 with my cardiologist Dawn Kershner with Mercy Hospital. An EKG and a respectable blood pressure reading indicated I could handle the surgeries.
On June 29, I met with a representative at Sinai Hospital's Power Clinic to go through pre-operation procedures. The assessment was that I was ready for a sigmoid colon inspection. The MRI scheduled for June 30 was cancelled because the radiologist recognized that the order should have been with contrast. Initially it was rescheduled for July 13, but fortunately there was an opening on July 6.
On July 2, we traveled to Northwest Hospital in Randallstown for a sigmoidoscopy. Of course, I went on Goggle to get an understanding of what would take place. It indicated that the camera will be inserted without anesthesia. I could never handle such an insertion without being asleep. Fortunately, Google was wrong. Soon after taking off my clothes to prepare for surgery, two doctors doing their residency explained the procedure and asked me to consent. One of the possibilities, though, was the perforation of my colon. Nevertheless, I trusted all the medical personnel involved.
I managed to survive the two enemas in preparation for the surgery. I was introduced to the anesthesiologist and the surgery team. Dr. Wolf explained the procedure and its purpose. As I was wheeled into the surgical area, Freddie, a nurse, asked about my dream. I told the surgical crew that I will go to the White House and tell Trump it's time to go. I remember hearing laughter. An hour later, I woke up. Dr. Wolf told me he found something to observe in the folds of the sigmoid colon and will check in with Dr. Rosenbloom to see what he saw in the colonoscopy. There was no bleeding. I received a separate invoice from Christian Hansen, a pathologist, for a payment of $148.
On July 6, we traveled to Advanced Radiology at Franklin Square for an MRI to look closer to the lesions on my liver and my rectum. A document I signed informed me that I would receive an injection of a gadolinium-based contrast agent. Small amounts of gadolinium can stay in the body, including the brain, bones, skin and other parts of my body for several months to years. I asked for a copy of this document, and it was eventually given to me. After getting an IV, I walked into the room and climbed onto a bed which would move me into the tube. I was given a button to push if there was a problem and wore earmuffs. What took place besides the radiation were banging noises on an irregular basis. The technician communicated with me about how much longer this procedure would take place. After the ordeal, I was told I did well. I asked if all patients do well? She laughed, informing me that many cannot handle the enclosure. Some are given sedatives or placed into an MRI machine with an opening. I hope I am done with these procedures.
I am now scheduled for surgery on August 13. It will be done robotically by Dr. Wolf and Dr. Arun Mavanur. Wolf will do a robotic low anterior resection for the three lesions in the distal sigmoid, one of which is cancerous. Dr. Mavanur will do laparoscopic ultrasound with possible treatment of a lesion if it can be identified.
On July 23, I did a teleconference with Dorothy Were, a geriatric nurse practitioner at Sinai Hospital. She asked many questions regarding my cognitive ability, my balance and my current health status. She felt I was ready for major surgery. However, she is to get back to me about seeing the cardiologist again. It is her understanding that the time between getting the approval from the cardiologist and the surgery is 30 days. However, I printed a document from Sinai Hospital that the EKG was valid for six months.
My calendar is filled in to prepare for the surgery, as well as post-surgery appointments. On July 27, I picked up four medications at the pharmacy: 1] Glycol.ax, a powder I consume on August 12 to help clean out the colon; 2] Bisacodyl, a laxative; 3] Metronidazole, shown to cause cancer in mice, to prevent an infection; and 4] Neomycin Sulfate, which may cause hearing loss, to prevent infection. All will be digested on August 12.
That day I also met with Dr. Barbour. My blood pressure and cognitive abilities convinced him I was ready for surgery. He was pleased that my weight has stabilized at 148 pounds.
I filed an appeal with Alterwood challenging the decision not to pay for the infusion. On July 29, Alterwood informed me that it would pay for the infusion with a co-pay of $25.
On July 31, I met with Lana, a pre-surgery nurse who outlined what I must do to prepare for surgery which is included in A Patient’s Guide to Colorectal Surgery. She outlined what will transpire during the five-hour surgery, including that a breathing tube will be in my throat. She warned me not to faint when reading about the possible calamitous events which may occur. Before leaving, I was given ten bottles of Ensure and two bottles of prep.
On August 7, I start to drink two immunotherapy bottles [vanilla] for five days. On August 12, I consume two bottles of carbohydrate drinks. And two hours before surgery, I will drink one carbohydrate bottle. I will be challenged to consume all the fluids and meds. As to the surgery, she informed me that I must be at Sinai Hospital by 6:30 AM for the 8 AM operation. My hospital stay will be at least three days. After surgery, the nurses will get me out of bed to walk me around. There is a four-point checklist before I can be released. The fourth point is that my colon must be functioning. I joked with her that I hope to never see her again. She laughed and said she’ll see me post-surgery.
I need to go to Lab Corp for another blood test. Presumably, this will inform the surgery team of my blood type. Some quantity of my blood type is to be available during the operation. I have read in The Baltimore Sun that there is a blood shortage in the Baltimore area.
On August 7, I will go to Sinai Hospital to jump through the last hoop before the surgery. The first post-surgery appointment is on August 28. Presumably, some two weeks after surgery I will need another infusion. Finally, I am scheduled for a follow-up on November 10. Of course, I believe there will not be any complications.
I do not have to Walk that Lonesome Road. I have Janice with me, and many more supporters by my side. I am confident in the skills of the doctors, the nurses and all other medical personnel I have encountered. This continues to be a day-by-day experience for me, and I am fortunate so far that the costs I have incurred are not exorbitant. But I do think of those who do not have health insurance in Trump World.
As I close this page until more information is available, I am thinking of some of my colleagues undergoing serious health issues. Tony has prostate cancer and will soon undergo 28 days of radiation treatments. Fred was diagnosed with multiple melanomas at least six or seven years ago and was informed he may have only five years to live. He is still kicking, but he still has regular appointments with the medical community. And there is Patrick O'Neill, a Catholic Worker in North Carolina, who had a massive stroke right around the time I was told there was a malignancy in my colon. His family and friends are rallying around him during this most difficult time. Having aided someone who suffered a stroke, I know that Patrick will go through an arduous rebuilding of his health.
The doctors will remove trump from my colon, presumably on August 13. What comes after the surgery is unpredictable. I hope to recover and play basketball once again. If I do recover, I will rejoin efforts to challenge the cruelty of Donald Trump and Project 2025 which is a manifesto to eliminate our flawed democracy and replace the constitution with fascist policies aimed at enriching the oligarchs to the detriment of the working class and the poor.
Max Obuszewski can be reached at mobuszewski2001 at comcast dot net.
