DeBary, FL.
74 deg. Partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 91F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.
Yesterday, Jim had an appointment with the Chemo Doctor, (Dr. Gupta), and so he and Linda finally got some answers!!
You see, Jim took a disk of his PET Scan to the hospital and answered a bunch of questions way back on the 20th. He was told that the doctor would look at the scan and then they would call him and let him know when he should come in for the biopsy.
Well, , , , , he waited and waited. Linda finally called the hospital but never could get an answer. She then called the chemo doctor, (who had ordered the biopsy), but got no answer there either. Both places said that "they'd get back to her", but never did! :-( However, at one point, someone did say that they didn't know if Jim was a "good candidate" for the procedure as the left lung was "compromised" and he does have some emphysema.
Anyway, yesterday, he had an appointment with Dr. Gupta and he and Linda finally found out what was going on. The doctor at the hospital didn't think it was a good idea to do the procedure, but somewhere along the line, there was a lack of communication and that fact was never relayed to Jim and Linda. There was one more option, but it involved surgery and it would be risky as well, so it was decided to just go ahead and treat the new spot on the lung as though it was a worst case scenario.
This next Tuesday, Jim will go to the chemo doctor's office for "Patient Education" and then on Friday, he'll have his first treatment. They will be using the new drug, OPDIVO, and it will be given to him every other week for at least 9 weeks. At that time he will have a "scan" and any further treatment will depend on that.
There are some side effects of this drug, but he was told that most patients were able to tolerate the drug very well. Hopefully, the treatments won't be too bad.
Also, either sometime this next week, or possibly the first part of the next, Jim will start radiation treatments. It sounds like they will be scheduled just like they were the last time. 5 days a week, Monday through Friday.
So, , , , , , now you know just about all of what I know. These last few weeks have been very stressful, but now that we know when and what these treatments will be, it takes a lot of the stress out of it. Hopefully everything will go fairly smoothly and we can get back to a more normal life.
A Quote to Ponder : "Look up to the sky. You'll never find rainbows if you're looking down"
Charlie Chaplin
Woof!!!
Showing posts with label Surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surgery. Show all posts
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Thursday, April 9, 2015
P.E.T Scan Results
DeBary, FL.
75 deg. clear, SW wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast= Tonight, Mostly clear. Low 66F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow, Partly cloudy skies. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Last Saturday and Sunday, Linda was questioning if she wanted to have the PET scan done on Monday or not. She's wasn't sure that she wanted to know what was happening inside of her and thought, at times, that it may be better, just not knowing!
But, Monday morning, about 7:20, she and Jim took Big RED and headed over to the hospital to have the scan preformed.
Her appointment was at 7:45, but it was close to 8:30 by the time the lady came and took her to the PET Scan area. The lady told Jim that the whole procedure would take about 2 1/2 hours so Jim went to Wally World to buy a few items and then headed back here to the house for about an hour.
When he got back to the hospital, Linda was just coming back to the waiting room, so after talking about how the test went and discussing about what they wanted to do, they headed over to Gram's Kitchen to have breakfast. Linda was pretty hungry since she hadn't been allowed to eat anything since the day before, so she really enjoyed her meal. :-)
Then, it was time to start waiting and waiting and waiting.
The last few days have been pretty hard for both Linda and Jim. (Especially for Linda). It hasn't been easy waiting for 2 1/2 days to learn the results of the scan. Emotions were high and I don't think Linda got a whole lot of sleep. :-(
This morning, Linda was up fairly early. She and Jim watched the news for awhile and then, a little after 10:00 she and Jim again took Big RED and headed over to the radiation doctor's office at the Florida Hospital. Being that it's only a few miles over there, they arrived plenty early, but Linda said that it was worse just sitting around home that being over there and waiting.
Around 10:30, they were led to an examination room where they sat and waited. for what seemed like an eternity to Linda, before the doctor came in.
Finally, after some conversation with the doctor, he told Linda that the test had come back "NEGATIVE" !!!!!!! :-) :-) !!!!!
YES!!!!!! YES!!!!!! YES!!!!!!
In an instant, a huge load was lifted off of Linda, (and Jim)! Later, Linda said that she felt like crying, but didn't, because the doctor was there.
On the way back home, they stopped at the 4 B's Restaurant and had breakfast for lunch. ;-)
So, , , , , , Tomorrow morning, Jim and Linda will head over to Daytona to see the surgeon who preformed Linda's surgery. He'll do an exam just to make sure everything's OK, but there is no reason to think that there are any problems.
Plans are already being made to start hauling food and clothes and other things over to the trailer this weekend. Then, Monday morning, Linda has an appointment with her retinologist, which will be the last Dr. appointment before we leave for our summer travels.
There will still be things that need to be done at the house to make it ready for the time we'll be gone, but most of those shouldn't take real long.
Hopefully, we'll be leaving DeBary on the 15th or 16th.
I know I shared this "Do You Know" with you before, but I think it's really appropriate today, so I'm going to use it again.
Did you know that worrying works? 90% of the things you worry about, never happen.
Woof!!!!
75 deg. clear, SW wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast= Tonight, Mostly clear. Low 66F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow, Partly cloudy skies. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Last Saturday and Sunday, Linda was questioning if she wanted to have the PET scan done on Monday or not. She's wasn't sure that she wanted to know what was happening inside of her and thought, at times, that it may be better, just not knowing!
But, Monday morning, about 7:20, she and Jim took Big RED and headed over to the hospital to have the scan preformed.
Her appointment was at 7:45, but it was close to 8:30 by the time the lady came and took her to the PET Scan area. The lady told Jim that the whole procedure would take about 2 1/2 hours so Jim went to Wally World to buy a few items and then headed back here to the house for about an hour.
When he got back to the hospital, Linda was just coming back to the waiting room, so after talking about how the test went and discussing about what they wanted to do, they headed over to Gram's Kitchen to have breakfast. Linda was pretty hungry since she hadn't been allowed to eat anything since the day before, so she really enjoyed her meal. :-)
Then, it was time to start waiting and waiting and waiting.
The last few days have been pretty hard for both Linda and Jim. (Especially for Linda). It hasn't been easy waiting for 2 1/2 days to learn the results of the scan. Emotions were high and I don't think Linda got a whole lot of sleep. :-(
This morning, Linda was up fairly early. She and Jim watched the news for awhile and then, a little after 10:00 she and Jim again took Big RED and headed over to the radiation doctor's office at the Florida Hospital. Being that it's only a few miles over there, they arrived plenty early, but Linda said that it was worse just sitting around home that being over there and waiting.
Around 10:30, they were led to an examination room where they sat and waited. for what seemed like an eternity to Linda, before the doctor came in.
Finally, after some conversation with the doctor, he told Linda that the test had come back "NEGATIVE" !!!!!!! :-) :-) !!!!!
YES!!!!!! YES!!!!!! YES!!!!!!
In an instant, a huge load was lifted off of Linda, (and Jim)! Later, Linda said that she felt like crying, but didn't, because the doctor was there.
On the way back home, they stopped at the 4 B's Restaurant and had breakfast for lunch. ;-)
So, , , , , , Tomorrow morning, Jim and Linda will head over to Daytona to see the surgeon who preformed Linda's surgery. He'll do an exam just to make sure everything's OK, but there is no reason to think that there are any problems.
Plans are already being made to start hauling food and clothes and other things over to the trailer this weekend. Then, Monday morning, Linda has an appointment with her retinologist, which will be the last Dr. appointment before we leave for our summer travels.
There will still be things that need to be done at the house to make it ready for the time we'll be gone, but most of those shouldn't take real long.
Hopefully, we'll be leaving DeBary on the 15th or 16th.
I know I shared this "Do You Know" with you before, but I think it's really appropriate today, so I'm going to use it again.
Did you know that worrying works? 90% of the things you worry about, never happen.
Woof!!!!
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Another Doctor Appointment, Decorations Up and Presents On Their Way.
DeBary, FL.
41 deg. clear, NW wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Sunny. High 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Yesterday, Linda had an appointment with the Surgeon who preformed the cancer surgery on her back in 2013. It was just a follow-up visit, but it was still nice to hear that, after an examination, everything appears to be fine. ;-) The appointment was at 10:00, and by the time Linda had filled out another bunch of papers and the doctor had done his thing, it was after 11:00 by the time she and Jim got out of there.
Since it was lunchtime by the time Big RED got them back to this area, they stopped at Bob Evans and had breakfast for lunch.
Nothing much else happened yesterday. Linda was finally able to get back to working on her "Family Tree Maker" program. Between being sick and not being able to see well, because of the cataracts, she hadn't worked on it for over a year. It took her a little while to figure the program out again, but is now doing a lot of on-line research and getting more information to enter.
Oh, I don't think I told you. The other day, Laura stopped by and helped Jim and Linda decorate the Christmas tree. It sure looks pretty and if I can get Jim to take a photo of it, I'll post it here. Then, on Thursday, Jim and Linda packaged up all the presents that needed to be sent to other states, took the boxes to the Post Office and got them sent off!!! That's always a big relief to get them on their way and not have to worry about family getting their presents on time. :-)
Today, Linda wants to head over to LabCorp and get a blood test. The results will be sent to Linda's doctor, back in Illinois. Then, if they still feel like it, she and Jim want to go to Winn Dixie to buy some groceries.
Sounds like a busy day to me.
Did you know that US scientists have calculated that Santa would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world's presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second?
Talk about "Speedy Delivery"!!!!!!!
Woof!!!
41 deg. clear, NW wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Sunny. High 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Yesterday, Linda had an appointment with the Surgeon who preformed the cancer surgery on her back in 2013. It was just a follow-up visit, but it was still nice to hear that, after an examination, everything appears to be fine. ;-) The appointment was at 10:00, and by the time Linda had filled out another bunch of papers and the doctor had done his thing, it was after 11:00 by the time she and Jim got out of there.
Since it was lunchtime by the time Big RED got them back to this area, they stopped at Bob Evans and had breakfast for lunch.
Nothing much else happened yesterday. Linda was finally able to get back to working on her "Family Tree Maker" program. Between being sick and not being able to see well, because of the cataracts, she hadn't worked on it for over a year. It took her a little while to figure the program out again, but is now doing a lot of on-line research and getting more information to enter.
Oh, I don't think I told you. The other day, Laura stopped by and helped Jim and Linda decorate the Christmas tree. It sure looks pretty and if I can get Jim to take a photo of it, I'll post it here. Then, on Thursday, Jim and Linda packaged up all the presents that needed to be sent to other states, took the boxes to the Post Office and got them sent off!!! That's always a big relief to get them on their way and not have to worry about family getting their presents on time. :-)
Today, Linda wants to head over to LabCorp and get a blood test. The results will be sent to Linda's doctor, back in Illinois. Then, if they still feel like it, she and Jim want to go to Winn Dixie to buy some groceries.
Sounds like a busy day to me.
Did you know that US scientists have calculated that Santa would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world's presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second?
Talk about "Speedy Delivery"!!!!!!!
Woof!!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The Illinois Bunch Leaves and 2 Down And 0 To Go
Rantoul, IL.
50 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Areas of patchy fog early. Partly cloudy. High 67F. Winds light and variable.
There was rain just North of here yesterday morning and if you checked the radar, you could see that there was more rain heading right towards Rantoul. So, both Denny and Dave started "breaking camp" earlier than they normally would have. It's a good thing that they did because just as they were finishing, it started raining and rained fairly hard for the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon.
I don't remember just what time it was, but after h and h, (hugs and handshakes), they pulled out of their sites and headed for home. :-( (I think it was around 10:30). It sure was good to see them again and more than likely, we'll see Dave and Dee Dee down in Florida sometime this winter. :-) However, Denny and Bev have decided not to go to Florida this winter, so we probably won't see them until sometime next summer. :-(
After they left, it was time to start getting ready to head down to Urbana. Linda's appointment at the Hospital was at 12:45 so being that it was raining quite hard at times, Jim and Linda left here about 11:45.
Big RED said that it only sprinkled on the way down there and by about 12:15, he was pulling into the patient drop-off/pick-up area where one of the volunteers came out and took Linda inside with a wheelchair. By the time Jim found a spot to park Big RED in that scary parking garage, with the low clearance, and returned to the main entrance, Linda had registered again and was waiting for him in the lobby.
Another volunteer then took them up to the surgery area on the 2nd floor where Linda checked in and then waited in the waiting room for a nurse to come and get her. After about 1/2 hour, the nurse came and took Linda back to Pre-Op and then about 45 minutes after that, Jim was told that he could go to room 28 on the 2nd floor to be with her.
Then, it was time to wait again. :-(
Things did go much better this time though. About 3:30 they came into the room and took Linda into surgery. (again, Jim was able to just stay in the room to wait), and with-in a half hour, they brought her back again, surgery completed!! :-)
By 4:30, Jim was retrieving Big RED from the parking garage and pulling up to the patient pick-up area. In just a little while, yet another volunteer brought Linda out and by a little before 5:00 they were pulling into the parking lot at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant. (Linda was hungry because she wasn't allowed to eat anything since midnight.)
After enjoying another good meal, Big RED brought them back here to the CG where both Linda and Jim relaxed, dozed in their chairs and watched TV until about 10:00 when they went to bed.
So, that's over with!!!! The surgery went well and both Linda and Jim were talking about how good it was to have the surgery completed. Now, maybe they can both relax a little. Linda will have to go for a follow-up on the surgery tomorrow, (Wednesday), and then on the 30th of Sept. she has an appointment to see Dr. Gandhi to see if she needs another injection. And, Dr. Anderson may want to see her again to check on the cataract surgery one more time before we leave here.
As far as leaving here, Jim has been working on trip plans and has decided that if at all possible, we should leave here by at least the 13th of October. If everything goes well, we may leave a little before that date to give us a little more time to head East to NC and VA to see Mike and Joe and their families and then head South to Florida,
Again, everything is written in pencil and Jim still has that big eraser. ;-)
Did you know that your eyes are always the same size from birth?
Woof!!!
50 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Areas of patchy fog early. Partly cloudy. High 67F. Winds light and variable.
There was rain just North of here yesterday morning and if you checked the radar, you could see that there was more rain heading right towards Rantoul. So, both Denny and Dave started "breaking camp" earlier than they normally would have. It's a good thing that they did because just as they were finishing, it started raining and rained fairly hard for the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon.
I don't remember just what time it was, but after h and h, (hugs and handshakes), they pulled out of their sites and headed for home. :-( (I think it was around 10:30). It sure was good to see them again and more than likely, we'll see Dave and Dee Dee down in Florida sometime this winter. :-) However, Denny and Bev have decided not to go to Florida this winter, so we probably won't see them until sometime next summer. :-(
After they left, it was time to start getting ready to head down to Urbana. Linda's appointment at the Hospital was at 12:45 so being that it was raining quite hard at times, Jim and Linda left here about 11:45.
Big RED said that it only sprinkled on the way down there and by about 12:15, he was pulling into the patient drop-off/pick-up area where one of the volunteers came out and took Linda inside with a wheelchair. By the time Jim found a spot to park Big RED in that scary parking garage, with the low clearance, and returned to the main entrance, Linda had registered again and was waiting for him in the lobby.
Another volunteer then took them up to the surgery area on the 2nd floor where Linda checked in and then waited in the waiting room for a nurse to come and get her. After about 1/2 hour, the nurse came and took Linda back to Pre-Op and then about 45 minutes after that, Jim was told that he could go to room 28 on the 2nd floor to be with her.
Then, it was time to wait again. :-(
Things did go much better this time though. About 3:30 they came into the room and took Linda into surgery. (again, Jim was able to just stay in the room to wait), and with-in a half hour, they brought her back again, surgery completed!! :-)
By 4:30, Jim was retrieving Big RED from the parking garage and pulling up to the patient pick-up area. In just a little while, yet another volunteer brought Linda out and by a little before 5:00 they were pulling into the parking lot at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant. (Linda was hungry because she wasn't allowed to eat anything since midnight.)
After enjoying another good meal, Big RED brought them back here to the CG where both Linda and Jim relaxed, dozed in their chairs and watched TV until about 10:00 when they went to bed.
So, that's over with!!!! The surgery went well and both Linda and Jim were talking about how good it was to have the surgery completed. Now, maybe they can both relax a little. Linda will have to go for a follow-up on the surgery tomorrow, (Wednesday), and then on the 30th of Sept. she has an appointment to see Dr. Gandhi to see if she needs another injection. And, Dr. Anderson may want to see her again to check on the cataract surgery one more time before we leave here.
As far as leaving here, Jim has been working on trip plans and has decided that if at all possible, we should leave here by at least the 13th of October. If everything goes well, we may leave a little before that date to give us a little more time to head East to NC and VA to see Mike and Joe and their families and then head South to Florida,
Again, everything is written in pencil and Jim still has that big eraser. ;-)
Did you know that your eyes are always the same size from birth?
Woof!!!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Lots Of Visiting With The "Illinois Bunch" and Cataract Surgery Today
Rantoul, IL.
51 deg. cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 64°F. South wind 1 to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation 60 percent. New precipitation amounts up to one quarter inch possible.
Not a whole lot going on around here except a whole bunch of visiting. Friday, Dorthy drove down here to the CG and stayed until early evening. The Pot Luck went off without a hitch and everyone got plenty to eat. The only thing that could have been better was the weather. It was cloudy and quite cool with some wind. :-(
Saturday was sunnier and a little warmer, but there was still some wind, so if you were in the shade, it felt pretty cool. That, of course, didn't stop everyone from getting together around the campfire or inside of Denny and Bev's motor home to visit though.
Also on Saturday, Dave found out that the furnace in his trailer wasn't working. After some investigation, he found a wire shorted out down by the furnace. The wire was rerouted, but the furnace is now making some noise from the fan, so he'll probably have to take it back to the dealer for repairs.
Yesterday was very nice with lots of sun, temperatures in the upper 60's and almost no wind. Linda spent most of the afternoon over at Bev's, visiting and Jim, Denny and Dave spent the afternoon visiting and solving all the problems of the world. ;-) Dee Dee went shopping with her daughter who drove down here from her home, somewhere North of here.
For dinner yesterday, Jim and Linda and Denny and Bev decided to have Pizza for dinner. So, they ordered a Pizza from Monical's Pizza. After a little while, Big RED took Jim and Denny to pick it up and bring it back here to Denny and Bev's.
Again, the pizza was very good and they all enjoyed even more visiting and catching up on this last year's happenings.
Linda was getting pretty tired, so Jim walked with Linda back here to Nora and then went back to visit some more with Denny and Dave who had started another campfire.
After visiting for awhile Jim came back here and then he and Linda watched "Da Bears" win a pretty good game over the 49ers.
This morning, Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee will be packing up and leaving. Then, about noon, Big RED will take Linda and Jim down to Urbana so that Linda can have the Cataract Surgery on her other eye. Linda is not looking forward to the surgery, but is looking forward to seeing a little better out of that eye. (This is the eye that has the diabetic damage.)
Hopefully everything will go a little quicker at the hospital this time and she won't have to wait so long.
Did you know that the muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body? It allows you to blink 5 times a second.
Woof!!!
51 deg. cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 64°F. South wind 1 to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation 60 percent. New precipitation amounts up to one quarter inch possible.
Not a whole lot going on around here except a whole bunch of visiting. Friday, Dorthy drove down here to the CG and stayed until early evening. The Pot Luck went off without a hitch and everyone got plenty to eat. The only thing that could have been better was the weather. It was cloudy and quite cool with some wind. :-(
Saturday was sunnier and a little warmer, but there was still some wind, so if you were in the shade, it felt pretty cool. That, of course, didn't stop everyone from getting together around the campfire or inside of Denny and Bev's motor home to visit though.
Also on Saturday, Dave found out that the furnace in his trailer wasn't working. After some investigation, he found a wire shorted out down by the furnace. The wire was rerouted, but the furnace is now making some noise from the fan, so he'll probably have to take it back to the dealer for repairs.
Yesterday was very nice with lots of sun, temperatures in the upper 60's and almost no wind. Linda spent most of the afternoon over at Bev's, visiting and Jim, Denny and Dave spent the afternoon visiting and solving all the problems of the world. ;-) Dee Dee went shopping with her daughter who drove down here from her home, somewhere North of here.
For dinner yesterday, Jim and Linda and Denny and Bev decided to have Pizza for dinner. So, they ordered a Pizza from Monical's Pizza. After a little while, Big RED took Jim and Denny to pick it up and bring it back here to Denny and Bev's.
Again, the pizza was very good and they all enjoyed even more visiting and catching up on this last year's happenings.
Linda was getting pretty tired, so Jim walked with Linda back here to Nora and then went back to visit some more with Denny and Dave who had started another campfire.
After visiting for awhile Jim came back here and then he and Linda watched "Da Bears" win a pretty good game over the 49ers.
This morning, Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee will be packing up and leaving. Then, about noon, Big RED will take Linda and Jim down to Urbana so that Linda can have the Cataract Surgery on her other eye. Linda is not looking forward to the surgery, but is looking forward to seeing a little better out of that eye. (This is the eye that has the diabetic damage.)
Hopefully everything will go a little quicker at the hospital this time and she won't have to wait so long.
Did you know that the muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body? It allows you to blink 5 times a second.
Woof!!!
Friday, September 12, 2014
Good News, 2/3 Of The Illinois Bunch Arrive and A Pot Luck Is Planned
Rantoul, IL
51 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 63F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Since the weather was better yesterday morning than the day before, Jim and Linda didn't leave the CG until about 8:15. By a little before 9:00, (Linda's appointment time), they were in Doctor Anderson's office and being escorted back to one of the rooms where a nurse gave Linda a quick eye test. Soon, Dr. Anderson came in, checked Linda's eye and said that everything looked really good!!!
She also said that she didn't see any reason that the cataract on other eye couldn't be operated on this coming Monday!!! :-)
Good News!!!! Everything's going as planned!!! (so far).
Jim didn't have anything to eat before he and Linda went to the Doctor's office, so when they returned to Rantoul, they stopped by the Red Wheel Restaurant before coming back here to the CG. Both had the biscuits and gravy with a side order of sausage and both said that it was very good.
A little after noon, Dave and Dee Dee pulled into Prairie Pines Campground with their new Keystone Travel Trailer and their new Ford Pickup truck. This last winter, they bought a Park Model home down in Florida, so they really didn't need the big 5th wheel any longer or the big truck to pull it.
Then, about 1/2 an hour later, Denny and Bev pulled in with their Winnebago Brave MH.
(I'll get Jim to take some photos, just a soon as I can). ;-)
As I said yesterday, Gordy and Dorthy won't be coming because of Gordy's health problems, but I understand that Dorthy is planning on driving down here today, for just a day visit. Dave and Dee Dee and Denny and Bev will be staying until Monday morning. :-)
Being that Dorthy is driving down here today, a "pot luck" is being planned for today. The plan is to cook hot dogs, hamburgers and brats on a grill or over a campfire and then make the other items inside. I don't know what Linda is making but it'll probably be either a vegetable or a desert.
Should be a fun day! ;-)
Did you know that the pin that holds a hinge together is called a pintle?
Woof!!!
51 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 63F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Since the weather was better yesterday morning than the day before, Jim and Linda didn't leave the CG until about 8:15. By a little before 9:00, (Linda's appointment time), they were in Doctor Anderson's office and being escorted back to one of the rooms where a nurse gave Linda a quick eye test. Soon, Dr. Anderson came in, checked Linda's eye and said that everything looked really good!!!
She also said that she didn't see any reason that the cataract on other eye couldn't be operated on this coming Monday!!! :-)
Good News!!!! Everything's going as planned!!! (so far).
Jim didn't have anything to eat before he and Linda went to the Doctor's office, so when they returned to Rantoul, they stopped by the Red Wheel Restaurant before coming back here to the CG. Both had the biscuits and gravy with a side order of sausage and both said that it was very good.
A little after noon, Dave and Dee Dee pulled into Prairie Pines Campground with their new Keystone Travel Trailer and their new Ford Pickup truck. This last winter, they bought a Park Model home down in Florida, so they really didn't need the big 5th wheel any longer or the big truck to pull it.
Then, about 1/2 an hour later, Denny and Bev pulled in with their Winnebago Brave MH.
(I'll get Jim to take some photos, just a soon as I can). ;-)
As I said yesterday, Gordy and Dorthy won't be coming because of Gordy's health problems, but I understand that Dorthy is planning on driving down here today, for just a day visit. Dave and Dee Dee and Denny and Bev will be staying until Monday morning. :-)
Being that Dorthy is driving down here today, a "pot luck" is being planned for today. The plan is to cook hot dogs, hamburgers and brats on a grill or over a campfire and then make the other items inside. I don't know what Linda is making but it'll probably be either a vegetable or a desert.
Should be a fun day! ;-)
Did you know that the pin that holds a hinge together is called a pintle?
Woof!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
One Down And One To Go
Rantoul, IL.
60 deg. mostly cloudy, SE wind @ 3 mph. Thunder in the distance.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 82°F. South southeast wind 5 to 10 MPH. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
Yesterday morning was kind of hard for Linda and Jim. That's the problem with having "later in the day" appointments, you can't really start anything and you end up just sitting around, thinking about what's going to happen and worrying about it. :-(
About 11:45, they headed out to Big RED and he took them down to the Carl Hospital in Urbana.
The trip down there was uneventful, but once Big RED dropped Linda off at the hospital door and the nice volunteer took Linda inside, it was time to try to find a parking place for RED. Well, the only place to park was in this huge parking garage. He told me that as he went into the garage, there was a sign that said that there was a 7' height limit inside and he was sure he wasn't that high.
Once inside and making his way around the corners and up the ramps, he was sure that some of those beams from the above floors were below 7' though. He said that at times, he thought for sure that he was going to hit some of those beams with his roof!!! They looked really low!!!! :-O
Well, he made it up to the 3rd level where Jim backed him into a parking spot.
And, that's where he stayed for the next 5 1/2 hours!!!!!!
Yep, you read hat right!!!! 5 1/2 hours!!!!!
By the time Jim got into the hospital, Linda had registered and was waiting for him in the lobby. From there, another nice volunteer wheeled Linda up to the 2nd floor and to the section called, "Same Day Surgery", where Linda signed in at another desk.
After waiting in the waiting room for awhile, a nurse came out and took Linda back to the surgery area where she started the pre-op procedure.
After about an hour, Jim was finally led back to Linda's room by a very nice volunteer lady where he and Linda waited and waited and waited for Linda's turn in the operating room!!! :-(
It was so cold in the room that after while, Jim went to the nurses desk and asked for more blankets for Linda. One of the nurses brought her a couple blankets that she evidently got out of a blanket warmer because they were very warm when she put them over Linda. :-)
About 4:45, they finally came and got Linda out of the room and took her to surgery. The surgery only took about 20 minutes or so and in about 1/2 hour she was back in the room where Jim was still waiting.
As soon as she returned, they gave Linda some crackers and something to drink. Soon Dr. Anderson came into the room and gave Linda instructions on what to do, as far as putting drops into her eye etc. After that, the nurse got Linda up and dressed, got her into the wheel chair and told Jim to go get the car and they would bring Linda down to the patient pick-up area.
Big RED said that coming back down the ramps in the parking garage was even scarier than going up!!! He was on the inside of the turns and now he had to try to turn real sharp to miss cars that were going up the ramp, plus worry about hitting his roof on one of those beams!!!
He made it though and soon was parked in the patient pick-up area, waiting for Linda. :-) In just a few minutes, Linda arrived, (Wheeled there by another volunteer), and got into Big RED.
Whew!!!!
Being that Linda had not had anything to eat or drink, (except the crackers and drink up in the room after surgery), since about 10:00 the night before, she was very hungry and asked Jim if they could stop somewhere and get something to eat. So, , , , , they headed over to the Urbana Gardens Restaurant where they both had very nice meals and relaxed a little. (Jim had to read the menu to Linda). ;-)
After eating, Big RED brought Linda and Jim back here to the CG where they both relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Linda's eye seems to be doing fine. Everything was still blurry when she went to bed last night, but that's normal. I think she slept well and in fact is still sleeping, so, she must be comfortable.
Wednesday, she has an appointment at Dr. Anderson's office for a follow up check of her eye. Then, it will be decided for sure when she will have surgery on the other eye.
Did you know that today is "Wonderful Weirdoes Day"?
Woof!!!
60 deg. mostly cloudy, SE wind @ 3 mph. Thunder in the distance.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 82°F. South southeast wind 5 to 10 MPH. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
Yesterday morning was kind of hard for Linda and Jim. That's the problem with having "later in the day" appointments, you can't really start anything and you end up just sitting around, thinking about what's going to happen and worrying about it. :-(
About 11:45, they headed out to Big RED and he took them down to the Carl Hospital in Urbana.
The trip down there was uneventful, but once Big RED dropped Linda off at the hospital door and the nice volunteer took Linda inside, it was time to try to find a parking place for RED. Well, the only place to park was in this huge parking garage. He told me that as he went into the garage, there was a sign that said that there was a 7' height limit inside and he was sure he wasn't that high.
Once inside and making his way around the corners and up the ramps, he was sure that some of those beams from the above floors were below 7' though. He said that at times, he thought for sure that he was going to hit some of those beams with his roof!!! They looked really low!!!! :-O
Well, he made it up to the 3rd level where Jim backed him into a parking spot.
And, that's where he stayed for the next 5 1/2 hours!!!!!!
Yep, you read hat right!!!! 5 1/2 hours!!!!!
By the time Jim got into the hospital, Linda had registered and was waiting for him in the lobby. From there, another nice volunteer wheeled Linda up to the 2nd floor and to the section called, "Same Day Surgery", where Linda signed in at another desk.
After waiting in the waiting room for awhile, a nurse came out and took Linda back to the surgery area where she started the pre-op procedure.
After about an hour, Jim was finally led back to Linda's room by a very nice volunteer lady where he and Linda waited and waited and waited for Linda's turn in the operating room!!! :-(
It was so cold in the room that after while, Jim went to the nurses desk and asked for more blankets for Linda. One of the nurses brought her a couple blankets that she evidently got out of a blanket warmer because they were very warm when she put them over Linda. :-)
About 4:45, they finally came and got Linda out of the room and took her to surgery. The surgery only took about 20 minutes or so and in about 1/2 hour she was back in the room where Jim was still waiting.
As soon as she returned, they gave Linda some crackers and something to drink. Soon Dr. Anderson came into the room and gave Linda instructions on what to do, as far as putting drops into her eye etc. After that, the nurse got Linda up and dressed, got her into the wheel chair and told Jim to go get the car and they would bring Linda down to the patient pick-up area.
Big RED said that coming back down the ramps in the parking garage was even scarier than going up!!! He was on the inside of the turns and now he had to try to turn real sharp to miss cars that were going up the ramp, plus worry about hitting his roof on one of those beams!!!
He made it though and soon was parked in the patient pick-up area, waiting for Linda. :-) In just a few minutes, Linda arrived, (Wheeled there by another volunteer), and got into Big RED.
Whew!!!!
Being that Linda had not had anything to eat or drink, (except the crackers and drink up in the room after surgery), since about 10:00 the night before, she was very hungry and asked Jim if they could stop somewhere and get something to eat. So, , , , , they headed over to the Urbana Gardens Restaurant where they both had very nice meals and relaxed a little. (Jim had to read the menu to Linda). ;-)
After eating, Big RED brought Linda and Jim back here to the CG where they both relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Linda's eye seems to be doing fine. Everything was still blurry when she went to bed last night, but that's normal. I think she slept well and in fact is still sleeping, so, she must be comfortable.
Wednesday, she has an appointment at Dr. Anderson's office for a follow up check of her eye. Then, it will be decided for sure when she will have surgery on the other eye.
Did you know that today is "Wonderful Weirdoes Day"?
Woof!!!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Big News!!! More Big News!!! and Yet More Big News!!!
Rantoul, IL.
63 deg.overcast, E. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 79°F. East wind to 11 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 20%.
Big News!!!!!
While Jim and Linda were waiting for the doctor, yesterday, at Jim's eye doctor appointment, the phone rang and it was Joe, calling from Virginia Beach. Linda took the call and Joe told her that he and the 2 girls, (Sami and Amber), were leaving in an hour or so and heading to Illinois. He said that with all of them taking turns driving, he expected to be here early in the morning for a short visit!! :-) You see, they're actually coming to Illinois to go to the Gladiolus Festival in the town where he was raised, has lots of friends and his father still lives.
Well, early in the morning was an understatement!!! About 4:30 AM the phone rang and it was Joe saying that they were only about 15 miles South of here!! Jim gave him detailed instructions about how to find us in the CG and soon they were pulling up and parking next to Big RED.
Jim went out to meet them and after lots of hugs, everyone came inside where there were more hugs with Linda. ;-)
Nancy was able to get off of work, so it was a pleasant surprise to see her too!!
It was just a little after 5:00 AM when Jim took these photos so they aren't real great!!
Jim flipped the coffee pot on when he got up, so Joe and Nancy had a cup and the girls found some grapes in the fridge that they seemed to like.
Everyone was very tired after traveling all night, so after visiting for about an hour, they were on their way to Joe's father's house. Once there, they'll get some much needed sleep.
It sure was great to see them. It was only a short visit, but it had been a long time since Linda and Jim had seen Nancy, Sami and Amber. And, it did wonders for Linda's spirits. ;-) .
Now, more Big News!!!!
Jim's eye doctor appointment went very well and Dr. Anderson told him to keep on using the drops to control the glaucoma. She said that his eyes looked fine but she wants him to get scan of both eyes and also another test that I can't remember what it's called. She doesn't expect any problems though.
That, brings us to yet more Big News!!!!
I don't know if any of you are aware of it, but 2 years ago, Linda's Retinalogist, Dr. Gandhi, told her that she was starting to get cataracts in both of her eyes. Well, her vision is getting worse, so while Jim and Linda were discussing Jim's eyes with Dr. Anderson, Linda asked her if she could do the surgery and remove her cataracts while we're here in Illinois. (Dr. Anderson specializes in cataract surgery). She said that she didn't see why not and sent in the receptionist to make appointments for a pre-op check and the fist eye surgery which should be right after Linda sees Dr. Gandhi on the 22 of this month, to make sure she doesn't have any additional retina damage.
Whew!!!!!!!!
So, , , , when Linda goes to Dr. Gandhi on the 22nd, Jim will get the scan of his eyes done at Dr. Gandhi's office. And, when she goes in for the pre-op soon after that, Jim will get the other test done at Dr. Anderson's. Then, if all goes well, soon after Labor Day, Linda will have surgery on one eye and surgery on the other one a weeks or 2 later.
After returning from the Doctor's, Jim took a little nap to rest his eyes. For dinner, Linda heated up some left-over pizza. After eating, they watched TV and read until bedtime.
Did you know that today is "Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day"?
Woof!!!
63 deg.overcast, E. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 79°F. East wind to 11 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 20%.
Big News!!!!!
While Jim and Linda were waiting for the doctor, yesterday, at Jim's eye doctor appointment, the phone rang and it was Joe, calling from Virginia Beach. Linda took the call and Joe told her that he and the 2 girls, (Sami and Amber), were leaving in an hour or so and heading to Illinois. He said that with all of them taking turns driving, he expected to be here early in the morning for a short visit!! :-) You see, they're actually coming to Illinois to go to the Gladiolus Festival in the town where he was raised, has lots of friends and his father still lives.
Well, early in the morning was an understatement!!! About 4:30 AM the phone rang and it was Joe saying that they were only about 15 miles South of here!! Jim gave him detailed instructions about how to find us in the CG and soon they were pulling up and parking next to Big RED.
Jim went out to meet them and after lots of hugs, everyone came inside where there were more hugs with Linda. ;-)
Nancy was able to get off of work, so it was a pleasant surprise to see her too!!
Nancy and Joe
Sami (As you can see, she's a freshman at Virginia Tech)
Amber (She's a senior in high school in VA Beach)
Everyone was very tired after traveling all night, so after visiting for about an hour, they were on their way to Joe's father's house. Once there, they'll get some much needed sleep.
It sure was great to see them. It was only a short visit, but it had been a long time since Linda and Jim had seen Nancy, Sami and Amber. And, it did wonders for Linda's spirits. ;-) .
Now, more Big News!!!!
Jim's eye doctor appointment went very well and Dr. Anderson told him to keep on using the drops to control the glaucoma. She said that his eyes looked fine but she wants him to get scan of both eyes and also another test that I can't remember what it's called. She doesn't expect any problems though.
That, brings us to yet more Big News!!!!
I don't know if any of you are aware of it, but 2 years ago, Linda's Retinalogist, Dr. Gandhi, told her that she was starting to get cataracts in both of her eyes. Well, her vision is getting worse, so while Jim and Linda were discussing Jim's eyes with Dr. Anderson, Linda asked her if she could do the surgery and remove her cataracts while we're here in Illinois. (Dr. Anderson specializes in cataract surgery). She said that she didn't see why not and sent in the receptionist to make appointments for a pre-op check and the fist eye surgery which should be right after Linda sees Dr. Gandhi on the 22 of this month, to make sure she doesn't have any additional retina damage.
Whew!!!!!!!!
So, , , , when Linda goes to Dr. Gandhi on the 22nd, Jim will get the scan of his eyes done at Dr. Gandhi's office. And, when she goes in for the pre-op soon after that, Jim will get the other test done at Dr. Anderson's. Then, if all goes well, soon after Labor Day, Linda will have surgery on one eye and surgery on the other one a weeks or 2 later.
After returning from the Doctor's, Jim took a little nap to rest his eyes. For dinner, Linda heated up some left-over pizza. After eating, they watched TV and read until bedtime.
Did you know that today is "Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day"?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
10 Months and 14 days and FL To GA
Thomasville, GA. (City of Roses RV Park)
75 deg. overcast, no wind. humidity 96%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 88°F. Heat index around 97°F. West wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.
Yep!!! 10 Months and 14 days. That's how long we were in Florida to get Linda's cancer treated. If you count the days from the day she was diagnosed till the day we arrived, you have to add another 9 days onto that, making it 10 Months and 23 days, a total of 327 days.
Anyone who has gone through the diagnosis and the cancer treatments knows what it's like.
First, there's the "I can't believe this is happening to me" stage when you are diagnosed. Then there's the "fear" stage where you realize you have this thing inside of you that may very well kill you!!
Then, you start researching specialist who poke, prod, take X-rays, CAT scans or PET scans, run a myriad of other tests and finally, after what seems like forever, give you the diagnosis that you were scared to death to hear!!!!
In Linda's case, an exam under anesthesia was needed, then, after multiple doctor's visits, surgery. This would then be followed by Chemo, Radiation and more Chemo treatments. These treatments all have serious side-effects, so there were many many days of emotional up's and down's, dizziness, fatigue, the change in appearance, (hair loss and skin changes) and feeling completely miserable.
If course, there are many doctor's appointments throughout the whole procedure.
And then, there's the family. They're scared too and the main caregiver, in this case, Jim goes through the whole process with the person who actually has the illness.
Finally after all the treatments, you get the final diagnosis, (and hopefully it's a good one), you can start the recovery procedure and start getting back to some kind of normalcy. The recovery from the surgery is long past, but there are still the side effects from the chemo and the radiation treatments that the doctors say may last as long as 1 1/2 years!!!
I'm sure there will be many more doctor appointments throughout the years ahead and I'm sure there will be emotions to deal with before every one of them.
There'll always be that fear that the cancer will return.
Linda's emotions are still right on the edge and when we left the CG in DeBary Monday, she broke down and started crying. I don't think she really knows why, but thinks that it was probably because we were finally RVing again and at times, during her illness, she wasn't sure that we'd ever be on the road again.
________
Yesterday, we left Chiefland about 9:40 and headed North on US 19. 19 took us up through Cross City and Perry where we hit some serious thunder storms. In fact, at times we were down to about 40 MPH because even Big RED couldn't see where he was going. By the time we crossed I-10, the rains had subsided and it stayed dry the rest of the way to Thomasville, GA., where we pulled into the City of Roses RV Park.
We have been to the City of Roses RV Park many times before. It's another Passport America park. ($15.00 per night) It is an old park with quite a few "permanent" RVs but the owner is very nice and always welcomes us back to the park.
It was 12:05 when we arrived, so it took us 2 hours and 25 minutes to travel the 130 miles up here.
As Jim was putting down the stabilizer jacks and hooking up the electric, it started sprinkling again and just after he came inside the trailer, it started raining hard and rained off and on for the rest of the day.
Did you know that you see your nose at all times, your brain just chooses to ignore it?
Woof!!!
75 deg. overcast, no wind. humidity 96%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 88°F. Heat index around 97°F. West wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.
Yep!!! 10 Months and 14 days. That's how long we were in Florida to get Linda's cancer treated. If you count the days from the day she was diagnosed till the day we arrived, you have to add another 9 days onto that, making it 10 Months and 23 days, a total of 327 days.
Anyone who has gone through the diagnosis and the cancer treatments knows what it's like.
First, there's the "I can't believe this is happening to me" stage when you are diagnosed. Then there's the "fear" stage where you realize you have this thing inside of you that may very well kill you!!
Then, you start researching specialist who poke, prod, take X-rays, CAT scans or PET scans, run a myriad of other tests and finally, after what seems like forever, give you the diagnosis that you were scared to death to hear!!!!
In Linda's case, an exam under anesthesia was needed, then, after multiple doctor's visits, surgery. This would then be followed by Chemo, Radiation and more Chemo treatments. These treatments all have serious side-effects, so there were many many days of emotional up's and down's, dizziness, fatigue, the change in appearance, (hair loss and skin changes) and feeling completely miserable.
If course, there are many doctor's appointments throughout the whole procedure.
And then, there's the family. They're scared too and the main caregiver, in this case, Jim goes through the whole process with the person who actually has the illness.
Finally after all the treatments, you get the final diagnosis, (and hopefully it's a good one), you can start the recovery procedure and start getting back to some kind of normalcy. The recovery from the surgery is long past, but there are still the side effects from the chemo and the radiation treatments that the doctors say may last as long as 1 1/2 years!!!
I'm sure there will be many more doctor appointments throughout the years ahead and I'm sure there will be emotions to deal with before every one of them.
There'll always be that fear that the cancer will return.
Linda's emotions are still right on the edge and when we left the CG in DeBary Monday, she broke down and started crying. I don't think she really knows why, but thinks that it was probably because we were finally RVing again and at times, during her illness, she wasn't sure that we'd ever be on the road again.
________
Yesterday, we left Chiefland about 9:40 and headed North on US 19. 19 took us up through Cross City and Perry where we hit some serious thunder storms. In fact, at times we were down to about 40 MPH because even Big RED couldn't see where he was going. By the time we crossed I-10, the rains had subsided and it stayed dry the rest of the way to Thomasville, GA., where we pulled into the City of Roses RV Park.
We have been to the City of Roses RV Park many times before. It's another Passport America park. ($15.00 per night) It is an old park with quite a few "permanent" RVs but the owner is very nice and always welcomes us back to the park.
As Jim was putting down the stabilizer jacks and hooking up the electric, it started sprinkling again and just after he came inside the trailer, it started raining hard and rained off and on for the rest of the day.
Did you know that you see your nose at all times, your brain just chooses to ignore it?
Woof!!!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Back At The House and A Good Report
DeBary, FL.
71 deg. clear, S. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High around 90F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
By noon on Tuesday, we were back at the house and Jim was unloading "stuff" out of Big RED. It was another hot day with temps hovering around 93 degrees, so he took his time.
About the middle of the afternoon, Dr. Saferali's office called and told Linda that the Dr. wanted her to come in on Wednesday morning for a saline transfusion because the test that they had given Linda on Thursday indicated that she was dehydrated. After explaining that she had appointment with Dr. Graham at 10:00, an appointment was made with Dr. Saferali at 11:30.
This was kind of disappointing because both Linda and Jim had planned to use Wednesday afternoon getting the house and other things ready for Joe's arrival on Thursday. :-(
So, after doing some cleaning and straightening Tuesday, Wednesday they headed to the appointment with Dr. Graham at about 9:40. Dr Graham was pleased with how Linda was doing and when they told him that they were planning on heading North to IL, NC and VA this fall and wouldn't be returning until sometime in November, he said that that wasn't a problem and he would like Linda to make an appointment to come back in for a CAT Scan when she returned to the area.
And, by the way, Dr. Graham also told Linda that the Radiation treatments that she received were very aggressive and with those treatments plus the aggressive Chemo treatments she was receiving, he really expected to find Linda to be cancer free when they did the scan. :-) :-) :-)
Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!
After leaving Dr. Graham's they had some time before Linda's appointment with Dr. Saferali, so they just drove around for awhile, looking at some of the areas of Orange City that they used to go to.
While Linda was getting the hydration transfusion Jim headed to Winn Dixie, bought some groceries, then brought them back here to the house and put most of them away. It was about 2:30 before Linda called Jim to come pick her up and about 3:00 before they returned.
The rest of the afternoon was spent putting away the rest of the groceries and relaxing.
This morning, Linda's Chemo treatment appointment is at 9:15, so she and Jim will need to leave here a little before 9:00. The treatment will take most of the day, so it will probably be late afternoon before she's finished.
Joe's flight is supposed to get in at 11:30, so by the time he gets his luggage, rents a car and drives here from Orlando, it'll probably be around 12:30 or 1:00. It sure will be good to see him again. The last time we've seen him was in November, right after Linda's surgery. ;-)
A Point to Ponder : Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
71 deg. clear, S. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High around 90F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
By noon on Tuesday, we were back at the house and Jim was unloading "stuff" out of Big RED. It was another hot day with temps hovering around 93 degrees, so he took his time.
About the middle of the afternoon, Dr. Saferali's office called and told Linda that the Dr. wanted her to come in on Wednesday morning for a saline transfusion because the test that they had given Linda on Thursday indicated that she was dehydrated. After explaining that she had appointment with Dr. Graham at 10:00, an appointment was made with Dr. Saferali at 11:30.
This was kind of disappointing because both Linda and Jim had planned to use Wednesday afternoon getting the house and other things ready for Joe's arrival on Thursday. :-(
So, after doing some cleaning and straightening Tuesday, Wednesday they headed to the appointment with Dr. Graham at about 9:40. Dr Graham was pleased with how Linda was doing and when they told him that they were planning on heading North to IL, NC and VA this fall and wouldn't be returning until sometime in November, he said that that wasn't a problem and he would like Linda to make an appointment to come back in for a CAT Scan when she returned to the area.
And, by the way, Dr. Graham also told Linda that the Radiation treatments that she received were very aggressive and with those treatments plus the aggressive Chemo treatments she was receiving, he really expected to find Linda to be cancer free when they did the scan. :-) :-) :-)
Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!
After leaving Dr. Graham's they had some time before Linda's appointment with Dr. Saferali, so they just drove around for awhile, looking at some of the areas of Orange City that they used to go to.
While Linda was getting the hydration transfusion Jim headed to Winn Dixie, bought some groceries, then brought them back here to the house and put most of them away. It was about 2:30 before Linda called Jim to come pick her up and about 3:00 before they returned.
The rest of the afternoon was spent putting away the rest of the groceries and relaxing.
This morning, Linda's Chemo treatment appointment is at 9:15, so she and Jim will need to leave here a little before 9:00. The treatment will take most of the day, so it will probably be late afternoon before she's finished.
Joe's flight is supposed to get in at 11:30, so by the time he gets his luggage, rents a car and drives here from Orlando, it'll probably be around 12:30 or 1:00. It sure will be good to see him again. The last time we've seen him was in November, right after Linda's surgery. ;-)
A Point to Ponder : Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Prescriptions, A Hat For Linda and Ashley Saves The Day
DeBary, FL.
59 deg. overcast, NE wind @2 mph.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 71F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday morning, Linda was pretty sore from the surgery, so Jim headed to Walgreen's to get Linda's regular prescriptions refilled and pick up a few other items. He would have had to wait for at least an hour for them to have the prescriptions ready, so he told them he'd come back later.
One of the things he found while roaming around in Walgreen's, was a turbine type head covering that the ladies wear after they've washed their hair. Jim though it may make a nice head covering for Linda after she lost her hair, so he bought her one.
From Walgreen's, he headed over to Winn Dixie, (which is just across the street), and picked up some essentials before coming back here to the house.
When he got back here to the house, he showed Linda the head covering, and she was thrilled to death!!! :-) She thought it was just great, and said that she thought she'd wear it a lot.
After lunch, Jim went back to Walgreen's and picked up most of the prescriptions. I say "most" because again, they didn't have enough of one of the meds, so now today, (Monday), he'll need to go back again! :-(
By Saturday evening, Linda was feeling better and she asked Jim what he thought about going out to eat someplace? She was also thinking about Ashley coming Sunday morning to shave her head, and said that she'd like to go out to eat before that happened.
So, about 4:30 they took CLT and headed over to Gram's Kitchen and had their Prime Rib Special!!! Both of them were still talking about how good the steak was when they returned and it made my mouth water as Linda was wrapping up the leftovers to put into the fridge and freezer! .-)
Sunday morning, (about 11:00), Ashley came over took care of Linda's hair. By this time, the hair was starting to come out by the handful so Linda was glad that she had made plans to get it removed. Ashley was very caring but yet professional and in just a short time, it was done.
After finishing, Ashley stayed and talked for awhile and then headed to one of her friends house for lunch.
Linda wants to thank Ashley so much for the way she handled the whole thing. Because of the way she went about it, she kept it from being the traumatic experience that Linda was dreading.
Thank you so much, Ashley!!!!!!!
A Point to Ponder : Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often.
59 deg. overcast, NE wind @2 mph.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 71F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday morning, Linda was pretty sore from the surgery, so Jim headed to Walgreen's to get Linda's regular prescriptions refilled and pick up a few other items. He would have had to wait for at least an hour for them to have the prescriptions ready, so he told them he'd come back later.
One of the things he found while roaming around in Walgreen's, was a turbine type head covering that the ladies wear after they've washed their hair. Jim though it may make a nice head covering for Linda after she lost her hair, so he bought her one.
From Walgreen's, he headed over to Winn Dixie, (which is just across the street), and picked up some essentials before coming back here to the house.
When he got back here to the house, he showed Linda the head covering, and she was thrilled to death!!! :-) She thought it was just great, and said that she thought she'd wear it a lot.
After lunch, Jim went back to Walgreen's and picked up most of the prescriptions. I say "most" because again, they didn't have enough of one of the meds, so now today, (Monday), he'll need to go back again! :-(
By Saturday evening, Linda was feeling better and she asked Jim what he thought about going out to eat someplace? She was also thinking about Ashley coming Sunday morning to shave her head, and said that she'd like to go out to eat before that happened.
So, about 4:30 they took CLT and headed over to Gram's Kitchen and had their Prime Rib Special!!! Both of them were still talking about how good the steak was when they returned and it made my mouth water as Linda was wrapping up the leftovers to put into the fridge and freezer! .-)
Sunday morning, (about 11:00), Ashley came over took care of Linda's hair. By this time, the hair was starting to come out by the handful so Linda was glad that she had made plans to get it removed. Ashley was very caring but yet professional and in just a short time, it was done.
After finishing, Ashley stayed and talked for awhile and then headed to one of her friends house for lunch.
Linda wants to thank Ashley so much for the way she handled the whole thing. Because of the way she went about it, she kept it from being the traumatic experience that Linda was dreading.
Thank you so much, Ashley!!!!!!!
A Point to Ponder : Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often.
Friday, December 13, 2013
So Far, So Good!
DeBary, FL.
48 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy skies. High 73F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
There have been some days lately where Linda was having doubts about this whole chemo thing. She got to reading all about the possible side effects of the treatments and that probably wasn't a good thing. One thing that did help was that she received some very positive comments and e-mails from some of my blog readers. Some of who had gone through the treatments themselves and others who had loved ones or family members who had. To those folks, Linda wants you to know that your advice and kind words helped tremendously.
Thank You!!!!
As many of you know, yesterday was Linda's first treatment. Everything went well, but they had trouble with her veins and she will more than likely have to have a "port" installed. I don't know a whole lot about it, but from what I gather, it's a device that's surgically implanted just under the skin and is hooked to a vein. This "port" can then be used for all further treatments.
Linda's not very happy about the idea of having a "port", but thinks it's probably the best solution. :-(
When Jim brought Linda home yesterday, she was feeling fine. So far, (and I even heard Jim ask her how she was feeling this morning), she has not had any side effects. She is taking preventive medication for nausea, and as of last night, her appetite was fine.
This afternoon, he has to go back to the chemo place and get an injection. This is to help her immune system. They've already warned her that it could cause bone and joint aches and have advised her what she should do if that happens.
For the next 2 weeks, she will have to go to the chemo place every Thursday and get a blood test so that they can keep an eye on what the treatments are doing to the blood. Then, in 21 days, (also on a Thursday), she will have her second chemo treatment.
In the meantime, the chemo place is making arrangements for her to get the "port" implanted, (an outpatient procedure), at the hospital.
Again, thanks everyone for the thoughts, prayers, comments and e-mails. And again, the RVing community has come through with flying colors!!!! :-)
A Point to Ponder : Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Woof!!!
48 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy skies. High 73F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
There have been some days lately where Linda was having doubts about this whole chemo thing. She got to reading all about the possible side effects of the treatments and that probably wasn't a good thing. One thing that did help was that she received some very positive comments and e-mails from some of my blog readers. Some of who had gone through the treatments themselves and others who had loved ones or family members who had. To those folks, Linda wants you to know that your advice and kind words helped tremendously.
Thank You!!!!
As many of you know, yesterday was Linda's first treatment. Everything went well, but they had trouble with her veins and she will more than likely have to have a "port" installed. I don't know a whole lot about it, but from what I gather, it's a device that's surgically implanted just under the skin and is hooked to a vein. This "port" can then be used for all further treatments.
Linda's not very happy about the idea of having a "port", but thinks it's probably the best solution. :-(
When Jim brought Linda home yesterday, she was feeling fine. So far, (and I even heard Jim ask her how she was feeling this morning), she has not had any side effects. She is taking preventive medication for nausea, and as of last night, her appetite was fine.
This afternoon, he has to go back to the chemo place and get an injection. This is to help her immune system. They've already warned her that it could cause bone and joint aches and have advised her what she should do if that happens.
For the next 2 weeks, she will have to go to the chemo place every Thursday and get a blood test so that they can keep an eye on what the treatments are doing to the blood. Then, in 21 days, (also on a Thursday), she will have her second chemo treatment.
In the meantime, the chemo place is making arrangements for her to get the "port" implanted, (an outpatient procedure), at the hospital.
Again, thanks everyone for the thoughts, prayers, comments and e-mails. And again, the RVing community has come through with flying colors!!!! :-)
A Point to Ponder : Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Woof!!!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Post-Op Doctor Visit and Not Good News
DeBary, FL.
65 deg. scattered clouds, NE wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy, high temp. 84 deg. E. wind @ 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain, 40%.
About 8:30 yesterday morning, Laura swung by and picked up Linda and Jim. This trip was to take Linda over to the Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach so that she could have a Post-Op exam and a Post-Op consultation with Dr. Molpus, the surgeon who preformed Linda's surgery.
The exam went well and the doctor was pleased with Linda's progress and the healing of the surgery incisions.
Then, came the consultation!!!
Dr. Molpus explained that the tumor had grown almost through the uterus wall and that the biopsies had for the most part come back negative. But, (And there's always a "but" isn't there?), he did remove some suspect tissue from the surrounding areas that came back positive. :-(
So, even though the final decision is Linda's, he highly recommends the she has both Chemo and Radiation therapy. :-(( This hit Linda pretty hard as she was hoping that they would only have to do the Radiation therapy.
Now, what does this all mean? Well the details will be worked out when she meets with the Chemo and Radiation people, but Dr. Molpus told her that the whole procedure would take close to 9 months with rotations between the Chemo and Radiation!!! :-O That would mean that if they wait another 4 weeks for Linda to completely heal up from the hysterectomy surgery, (which the doctor says is necessary), they would start the Chemo and Radiation sometime in December or January.
That would mean that it would be sometime during September or October before we could travel again. :-( It is possible that there will be short times between secessions, and if Linda is up to it, we might be able to go RVing for short times, but that's a very big "if"!!!
As many of you know, these treatments can be very disabling, so only time will tell if we'll be able to travel at all, or not. Jim says, "We'll do what we have to do", but right now, Linda is pretty upset about the whole thing, and I can't say I blame her. It's a big disappointment and will be a lot for her to deal with during the next 9 or 10 months.
Did you know that the first Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages were three inches wide and eighteen inches long? You made your own bandage by cutting off as much as you needed.
Woof!!!
65 deg. scattered clouds, NE wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy, high temp. 84 deg. E. wind @ 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain, 40%.
About 8:30 yesterday morning, Laura swung by and picked up Linda and Jim. This trip was to take Linda over to the Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach so that she could have a Post-Op exam and a Post-Op consultation with Dr. Molpus, the surgeon who preformed Linda's surgery.
The exam went well and the doctor was pleased with Linda's progress and the healing of the surgery incisions.
Then, came the consultation!!!
Dr. Molpus explained that the tumor had grown almost through the uterus wall and that the biopsies had for the most part come back negative. But, (And there's always a "but" isn't there?), he did remove some suspect tissue from the surrounding areas that came back positive. :-(
So, even though the final decision is Linda's, he highly recommends the she has both Chemo and Radiation therapy. :-(( This hit Linda pretty hard as she was hoping that they would only have to do the Radiation therapy.
Now, what does this all mean? Well the details will be worked out when she meets with the Chemo and Radiation people, but Dr. Molpus told her that the whole procedure would take close to 9 months with rotations between the Chemo and Radiation!!! :-O That would mean that if they wait another 4 weeks for Linda to completely heal up from the hysterectomy surgery, (which the doctor says is necessary), they would start the Chemo and Radiation sometime in December or January.
That would mean that it would be sometime during September or October before we could travel again. :-( It is possible that there will be short times between secessions, and if Linda is up to it, we might be able to go RVing for short times, but that's a very big "if"!!!
As many of you know, these treatments can be very disabling, so only time will tell if we'll be able to travel at all, or not. Jim says, "We'll do what we have to do", but right now, Linda is pretty upset about the whole thing, and I can't say I blame her. It's a big disappointment and will be a lot for her to deal with during the next 9 or 10 months.
Did you know that the first Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages were three inches wide and eighteen inches long? You made your own bandage by cutting off as much as you needed.
Woof!!!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
A Trip To The Used Bookstore, Laundry and We're Proud
DeBary, FL.
58 deg. overcast, NW wind @ 15mph with 25 mph gusts.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 68F. Breezy. Winds from the NNE at 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Chance of rain 20%.
Not a whole lot to report. Linda and Laura went to a used book store in Orange City Monday. By the time they returned, Linda was really tired, but said that she enjoyed the outing and ended up buying a few paperbacks. ;-)
Because the laundry hamper was overflowing, Linda and Jim did a couple loads of laundry yesterday. Actually, Jim took the laundry out to the storage shed and put the clothes into the machines while Linda talked him through some of the settings for the washer and dryer, from the kitchen doorway.
Yeah, I know, , , , you'd think that Jim would know how to do the laundry, but that is one of those things that Linda always took care of. He would carry the baskets of dirty clothes for her and bring the washed items back, but he never really "did" the laundry.
Well, you can't say that he hasn't now!! I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!!!!! ;-)
Jim didn't think that Linda was up to making dinner or going out to eat yesterday so he volunteered to go out and get something, but Linda said that she thought it would be good for her if they went out to eat. So, they ended up going to Steak 'n Shake for a Steakburger.
After they returned, the evening was spent watching TV.
You know, Jim and I are really proud of Linda. She's still pretty sore and gets tired quickly, but she has been pushing herself and trying to do something active each day. She has quite a list of things that she's not supposed to do, so some days it's hard to find something she can do.
Friday, she has an appointment with the surgeon, (Dr. Molpus), for the follow up to here surgery and to find out what further treatments he thinks will be necessary. She's not looking forward to going at all! She says that she's more worried about the procedures that he may recommend than she was about the surgery itself.
Did you know that Steak ‘n Shake was founded in February, 1934 in Normal, Illinois? Gus Belt, Steak ‘n Shake’s founder, pioneered the concept of premium burgers and milk shakes.
Woof!!!
58 deg. overcast, NW wind @ 15mph with 25 mph gusts.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 68F. Breezy. Winds from the NNE at 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Chance of rain 20%.
Not a whole lot to report. Linda and Laura went to a used book store in Orange City Monday. By the time they returned, Linda was really tired, but said that she enjoyed the outing and ended up buying a few paperbacks. ;-)
Because the laundry hamper was overflowing, Linda and Jim did a couple loads of laundry yesterday. Actually, Jim took the laundry out to the storage shed and put the clothes into the machines while Linda talked him through some of the settings for the washer and dryer, from the kitchen doorway.
Yeah, I know, , , , you'd think that Jim would know how to do the laundry, but that is one of those things that Linda always took care of. He would carry the baskets of dirty clothes for her and bring the washed items back, but he never really "did" the laundry.
Well, you can't say that he hasn't now!! I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!!!!! ;-)
Jim didn't think that Linda was up to making dinner or going out to eat yesterday so he volunteered to go out and get something, but Linda said that she thought it would be good for her if they went out to eat. So, they ended up going to Steak 'n Shake for a Steakburger.
After they returned, the evening was spent watching TV.
You know, Jim and I are really proud of Linda. She's still pretty sore and gets tired quickly, but she has been pushing herself and trying to do something active each day. She has quite a list of things that she's not supposed to do, so some days it's hard to find something she can do.
Friday, she has an appointment with the surgeon, (Dr. Molpus), for the follow up to here surgery and to find out what further treatments he thinks will be necessary. She's not looking forward to going at all! She says that she's more worried about the procedures that he may recommend than she was about the surgery itself.
Did you know that Steak ‘n Shake was founded in February, 1934 in Normal, Illinois? Gus Belt, Steak ‘n Shake’s founder, pioneered the concept of premium burgers and milk shakes.
Woof!!!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
35 Hours
DeBary, FL.
64 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 84F. Winds from the NE at 10 to 15 mph.
Monday evening, Jim called Linda at the hospital to see how she was doing and to say good-night to her. Then, around 6:30, yesterday morning, Linda called Jim. Nothing special, she was awake and just wanted to talk to him. She told him that she was doing well and had a pretty restful night. (As good as you can have in a hospital). It was decided that there was no reason for Jim to hurry over there because the doctor hadn't been in yet and it didn't sound like anything was going to happen until the afternoon.
So, a little after 9:00, Jim took CLT and headed back to the hospital. After arriving and getting CLT parked, he took a couple photos of the part of the facility where Linda was.
This is the sign out front, that you see from the road.
When you turn in next to the above sign, this is the view of the "Fountain Building".
The patient drop-off and pick-up area,
The view looking back towards the road from the pick-up drop-off area.
Once up to Linda's room and giving her h and k, (hugs and kisses), Linda told him that it sounded like she would be able to go home sometime after lunch. :-) Of course, Laura was there with Linda and helped Linda fill Jim in on what all had happened during the time Jim was here at the house.
Then, after talking for awhile, he took a few photos out of her room's window. Her room was on the 7th floor and facing East, so there were some nice views of Daytona Beach. If you click on the photos to enlarge them, you should even be able to see the ocean on the horizon.
After lunch, Linda was told that she'd be able to go home and by about 2:00, Laura was helping her get dressed and soon after, CLT was bringing her back here to the house.
Laura came back here also and helped Jim get Linda into the house and get settled in her recliner. Then, she stayed with Linda while Jim went to Walgreen's to pick up a new prescription for Linda.
After Jim returned, Laura headed for home to get some much needed rest and spend time with Lindsey.
So, , , , , In an approximately 35 hour time period, Linda left for the hospital, had major surgery and was able to return back home!!! If they had not been able to operate, using the robotic procedure, she would have had to stay in the hospital much longer. She seems to be doing well. She had a restful night and seems to be feeling pretty good this morning. She's still sore, but that's to be expected. She also has quite a few restrictions about what she can do for the next few weeks and months, but the doctor doesn't foresee any problems.
In 2 weeks Linda will go back to the doctor's office and then it will be decided if any further treatment will be needed.
Again, Linda and Jim want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. It has meant so much, just knowing that there were so many people sending good thoughts and prayers this way.
And, of course, both Linda and Jim want to thank Laura. She has been so much help. She has made everything so much easier for Linda and Jim and her nursing skills and knowledge have been invaluable.
Thank You, everyone!!!!!
Did you know that on this date in 1945, the first ballpoint pens to be made commercially went on sale at Gimbels Department Store in New York at the price of $12.50 each?
I'm sure glad Linda's home and doing well!!!!! :-)
Woof!!!!!
a
64 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 84F. Winds from the NE at 10 to 15 mph.
Monday evening, Jim called Linda at the hospital to see how she was doing and to say good-night to her. Then, around 6:30, yesterday morning, Linda called Jim. Nothing special, she was awake and just wanted to talk to him. She told him that she was doing well and had a pretty restful night. (As good as you can have in a hospital). It was decided that there was no reason for Jim to hurry over there because the doctor hadn't been in yet and it didn't sound like anything was going to happen until the afternoon.
So, a little after 9:00, Jim took CLT and headed back to the hospital. After arriving and getting CLT parked, he took a couple photos of the part of the facility where Linda was.
This is the sign out front, that you see from the road.
When you turn in next to the above sign, this is the view of the "Fountain Building".
The patient drop-off and pick-up area,
The view looking back towards the road from the pick-up drop-off area.
Once up to Linda's room and giving her h and k, (hugs and kisses), Linda told him that it sounded like she would be able to go home sometime after lunch. :-) Of course, Laura was there with Linda and helped Linda fill Jim in on what all had happened during the time Jim was here at the house.
Then, after talking for awhile, he took a few photos out of her room's window. Her room was on the 7th floor and facing East, so there were some nice views of Daytona Beach. If you click on the photos to enlarge them, you should even be able to see the ocean on the horizon.
After lunch, Linda was told that she'd be able to go home and by about 2:00, Laura was helping her get dressed and soon after, CLT was bringing her back here to the house.
Laura came back here also and helped Jim get Linda into the house and get settled in her recliner. Then, she stayed with Linda while Jim went to Walgreen's to pick up a new prescription for Linda.
After Jim returned, Laura headed for home to get some much needed rest and spend time with Lindsey.
So, , , , , In an approximately 35 hour time period, Linda left for the hospital, had major surgery and was able to return back home!!! If they had not been able to operate, using the robotic procedure, she would have had to stay in the hospital much longer. She seems to be doing well. She had a restful night and seems to be feeling pretty good this morning. She's still sore, but that's to be expected. She also has quite a few restrictions about what she can do for the next few weeks and months, but the doctor doesn't foresee any problems.
In 2 weeks Linda will go back to the doctor's office and then it will be decided if any further treatment will be needed.
Again, Linda and Jim want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. It has meant so much, just knowing that there were so many people sending good thoughts and prayers this way.
And, of course, both Linda and Jim want to thank Laura. She has been so much help. She has made everything so much easier for Linda and Jim and her nursing skills and knowledge have been invaluable.
Thank You, everyone!!!!!
Did you know that on this date in 1945, the first ballpoint pens to be made commercially went on sale at Gimbels Department Store in New York at the price of $12.50 each?
I'm sure glad Linda's home and doing well!!!!! :-)
Woof!!!!!
a
Monday, October 28, 2013
The Waiting Is Over and Linda's Surgery
DeBary, FL.
70 deg. clear, N. wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast tonight = Clear. Low of 63F. Winds from the NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
I'm posting this on Monday evening so that all of you get the news as soon as possible.
In the middle of the night, (3:50 AM Monday morning), I heard Jim and Linda's alarm clock beeping in the bedroom and soon Jim came out and started getting ready to leave. Soon after, Linda came out and then about 4:20, Jim and Linda waked out of the house, got into CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed to the Bob Evans Restaurant parking lot, where they had made plans to meet up with Laura at 4:30.
As soon as Laura arrived, they headed , (with Laura leading the way), to the Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach. CLT says that they got there about 5:00 and were in plenty of time for Linda's 5:15 appointment.
In just a short time, they had Linda in a room and were prepping her for surgery. Surgery was scheduled for 7:30, but there were some delays, and it was almost 8:30 when they began.
The surgery went well and they were able to do the daVinci Robotic method, which means that they didn't have to make a large incision. The surgery did not go real smoothly though and the procedure took about 4 hours.
I won't go into the details here, but in the end, the results were very good and she came through the surgery with flying colors!!!! ;-) By 3:30 in the afternoon, she was eating broth and Jello, and drinking liquids.
Jim said that she is sore, but doesn't have severe pain. Her vitals are all good, and if she can tolerate solid food and continues to improve, she should be coming home tomorrow!!!!! :-) She's in good spirits and was joking around with Jim, Laura and the nurse.
About 5:30 Linda started getting tired, so Jim gave her h and k, (hugs and kisses), and came back here to the house. Laura will stay the night. They have an extra bed in the room for someone to sleep on and they actually encourage family to stay.
So, , , , , the surgery went well, even though it did take a long time. Linda is doing well and hopefully she'll get to come home tomorrow. In about 2 weeks she'll have an appointment with Dr. Molpus, (the surgeon), any further treatments or procedures will be discussed and then in about 6 to 8 weeks, additional procedures/treatments will start if required.
And, , , , , , the waiting is over!!!! :-)
Linda and Jim want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. They were of great help and are very much appreciated.
Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!
Did you know that the harder you concentrate on falling asleep, the less likely you are to fall asleep?
Woof!!!!
70 deg. clear, N. wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast tonight = Clear. Low of 63F. Winds from the NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
I'm posting this on Monday evening so that all of you get the news as soon as possible.
In the middle of the night, (3:50 AM Monday morning), I heard Jim and Linda's alarm clock beeping in the bedroom and soon Jim came out and started getting ready to leave. Soon after, Linda came out and then about 4:20, Jim and Linda waked out of the house, got into CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed to the Bob Evans Restaurant parking lot, where they had made plans to meet up with Laura at 4:30.
As soon as Laura arrived, they headed , (with Laura leading the way), to the Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach. CLT says that they got there about 5:00 and were in plenty of time for Linda's 5:15 appointment.
In just a short time, they had Linda in a room and were prepping her for surgery. Surgery was scheduled for 7:30, but there were some delays, and it was almost 8:30 when they began.
The surgery went well and they were able to do the daVinci Robotic method, which means that they didn't have to make a large incision. The surgery did not go real smoothly though and the procedure took about 4 hours.
I won't go into the details here, but in the end, the results were very good and she came through the surgery with flying colors!!!! ;-) By 3:30 in the afternoon, she was eating broth and Jello, and drinking liquids.
Jim said that she is sore, but doesn't have severe pain. Her vitals are all good, and if she can tolerate solid food and continues to improve, she should be coming home tomorrow!!!!! :-) She's in good spirits and was joking around with Jim, Laura and the nurse.
About 5:30 Linda started getting tired, so Jim gave her h and k, (hugs and kisses), and came back here to the house. Laura will stay the night. They have an extra bed in the room for someone to sleep on and they actually encourage family to stay.
So, , , , , the surgery went well, even though it did take a long time. Linda is doing well and hopefully she'll get to come home tomorrow. In about 2 weeks she'll have an appointment with Dr. Molpus, (the surgeon), any further treatments or procedures will be discussed and then in about 6 to 8 weeks, additional procedures/treatments will start if required.
And, , , , , , the waiting is over!!!! :-)
Linda and Jim want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. They were of great help and are very much appreciated.
Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!
Did you know that the harder you concentrate on falling asleep, the less likely you are to fall asleep?
Woof!!!!
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