News from Auburn Friday Aug 29 2008
I'm home! My last radiation treatment was
Wednesday morning. I was given the mask to take home with
me:
My
sister Kathy, who has taken care of me for the last 10 days but says it feels
like two weeks, thinks we should use it for a Chia Pet. (Or make it a
scary Halloween display with blood spurting out of the
neck.)So, for those who want to know
how we're doing, here's a short summary:
• For the next week or so I will
have a sore esophagus. I have some "magic mouthwash" that makes eating
less painful. That should no longer be needed in a few days.
• I'm still down a lung, so for any
significant distance of motion I need a wheelchair. Yesterday Kathy and I
went to the Lee County Courthouse to get a handicapped hang tag, and we
discovered that a lot of places that think they're handicapped accessible really
aren't. (See my blog at http://homepage.mac.com/hodelas/tar/C261899084/E20080829001946/index.html).
Kathy has regularly complained that I need to lose weight during this
ordeal. (Words to the effect of "your fat butt" are a regular part of
conversation.)
• My appetite is very good, probably due to
the steroid that I'll be taking for a few more days. Kathy is still
telling the story to anyone who will hear of how, on the way back from
Birmingham, I ate a Big Mac Meal and then asked for three (yes THREE)
hamburgers to eat on the way home. [I sent a text message to Kayla: What
does it mean if McDonald's starts to taste good? I blame the
drugs.]
• Other than fatigue and a bit of
discomfort due to the breathing problem, I am feeling very good. I have CT
and PET scans tentatively scheduled for Monday Sept 8, when we will see how the
tumor has shrunk/died or whatever it's doing.
• I'm working at home and, as car pooling
permits, back in the office.
• If things go as I expect, then in 1-2
months I will return to Birmingham for a bone marrow transplant, which will
leave me out of town for up to 4 months afterward. This, we hope, will be
the knockout punch that will lay the groundwork for future health.
We're going to miss the friends
we made at Hope Lodge in Birmingham: the mutual support of other cancer patients
and caregivers was WONDERFUL.
So, now
that we're back home, it's time for some news about the
kids!
Adam is now an initiated brother
in the Farmhouse Fraternity at Auburn University. They've started their
fall rush activities, which is keeping him
busy.
He is also very disappointed with
the field of Presidential candidates in his first ever election. He
informed Kathy today that "John McCain is a moron." He doesn't like the
politics of the other guy either, so he's kind of stuck. For my part, I've
thought that a Mom needed to be in charge of DC for awhile, so I'm pleased with
McCain's choice of running mate.
Kayla
and Adam both have their classes primarily on Tuesday and Thursday. They
are the social animals, so I think I see more of our new house-guest (Kayla's
roommate from last year) than I do of my own kids!
Posted: Fri - August 29, 2008 at 08:15 PM
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