Merkel and Me

Sunday March 30, 2025     I originally thought this was going to be a pretty quiet week.  No doctor appointments or procedures scheduled for the first time in two months. I thought I would have a relaxing 7 days to mentally prepare for my radiation treatments which start tomorrow. But, best laid plans....     We had made plans to visit a family member in Fallbrook on Tuesday. We were meeting her for lunch and then traveling to Poway to meet friends for dinner. Unfortunately, the family member took a fall (cracked patella and bruised knees and wrist). We stayed for two more days.  We took her to the emergency room (until 4 AM) on Tuesday, did some grocery shopping for her, took her to a doctor's appointment (Wednesday), and helped her get set up with in-home care. We felt bad that we couldn't stay longer, but we had weekend plans, and I start radiation treatments on Monday. We've checked in with her every day since we left, and she is healing and making prog...

 Thursday March 20, 2025      When things have moved quickly during this process, Cathy and I often joke, "Should we be impressed with their efficiency, or should we be worried that they think I need to be taken care of so quickly?" We met with Dr. Harris last week, the radiation oncologist, and he said we would hear from someone in a week or more to schedule the CT Simulation, the first step in the planning and preparing process for radiation treatments.  I got a phone call on Friday asking me to come in on Wednesday.      The CT simulation machine is what they use to plan the angles and shapes of the radiation beams. They had told me they would make a mold of the area, but it wasn't anything like I expected (I had joked with Cathy that if we got to keep it, we could use it as a salad bowl). I was laid down on a table with a flat beach bag like structure underneath my legs. They molded the bag around my legs and then took the air out of it. This ...

Thursday March 13, 2025     Before I share updates from this week, I must take notice of what day this is. Most people probably realize that it is the fifth anniversary of the shutdown, "two weeks to flatten the curve," which became 2-3 years of waiting for life to get back to normal. For me, it was even more significant than that. I didn't know it at the time, but it would be the last time I would set foot in a classroom as a teacher with students. I already had submitted the paperwork to retire in June, but I never anticipated that I would finish my career as a ZOOM teacher, only seeing students through the computer.       It made me consider those moments in life when everything changes and we know our life will never be the same. Often, we are there, right in the middle of the moment or event.  Other times, it is a phone call or announcement we never expected. Like most people, I've had a few of these circumstances: when my father died, when I rece...

 Tuesday March 11, 2025     My original plan was to only post on Thursdays, but when there is more to share than just one post, I decided to write on Tuesday's, too.  Tuesday Thoughts to go along with Thursday Thoughts.     After my surgery on the 26th, Dr. Tran told me that if I didn't hear from the radiological oncologist with a week or so to give them a call.  They called me on Friday. I'm never sure how to take the rapidity with which the different doctors contact me.  Should I be impressed by their efficiency, or be concerned that want me treated as quickly as possible? I was able to schedule an appointment for tomorrow, March 12, at 2 PM.  It's just a consultation as I still need more time for the area of my surgery to completely heal. I'm assuming we will schedule the radiation treatments, and Cathy and I will learn what it is, how it works, and what it will be like to undergo.      I'm doing great and quickly getting ba...

 Thursday March 6, 2025      Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.      When I wrote last week's post, I imagined that there wouldn't be much to write about this week. I could talk about my mom's birthday today (100) and the anniversary of Cathy and my first date (20 years ago). As far as my cancer situation, I could talk about rest, relaxation, and healing, but my follow-up with Dr. Tran wasn't scheduled until March 11.      But then, I received a phone call Friday night from Dr. Tran's nurse.  Dr. Tran had meetings she had to attend on March 11, would it be okay if we rescheduled for March 4.  I, of course, said sure, though I was wondering if she would have the lymph node pathology results by then, and would it be too early to take out my staples.      My recovery was going great. No pain, just general soreness to the touch. I ...

Thursday  February 27     One thing about foggy days, eventually the sun does come out, burn off the mist, and you can see clearly again. So, it was for us last week. Thursday was a rough day, but the sun came out on Friday and things became much clearer. It was a week of many examples of why we believe in God and how we see him working in our lives.      Friday, I received a phone call from my surgeon's scheduler.  She had been on the phone all morning with the insurance company and finally received an okay to proceed with the PET scan. At first the radiology department couldn't fit me in until March 14, but after some (I believe) pressure from my surgeon they were able to schedule me for Tuesday, the day before my surgery was scheduled. Later, that day they called back and moved the scan to Monday because having the scan on the morning before I was to receive the injection for my lymph nodes was not going to work. I was also able to schedule the MRI ...

 Thursday February 20     Today was a rough day, which was sad because it had been a great week of church activities, family visits, and Cathy and me time.      The only issue during the week is that we still hadn't heard from the doctor about the PET scan or brain MRI getting approved by insurance. I checked in a couple of times, but no answers. I prayed every day for the approval to come through, but it never did.  I also gave the situation completely to God and told Him I trusted that whatever happened it was for the good.       That leads us to today. I was supposed to hear by 3:00 PM what time they wanted me to check in tomorrow. When I hadn't heard anything by 3:30, I called the scheduler for information.  During the call we asked her if the doctor still wanted to do the surgery if the scans hadn't been performed yet. She checked and confirmed what we were afraid of, the doctor wanted the scans and didn't want to perform ...