A Hide-a-Port, a Thief, and a Son Comes Home

It didn't seem like Thursday when we dismounted at 1:15 am, at least not that I noticed.

I was very thankful at that moment for our friend Dakota's offer to keep Laura company for her chemo treatment later that day. Of course I had no intention of missing it altogether, but being able to sleep in a bit seemed like a good plan.

The chemo, as before, was uneventful except for the nurse being unable to access Laura's subcutaneous port -- they had to set up an IV instead.

When I brought in the Arby's, Dakota and Laura's conversation about wigs turned to curiosity about the Oklahoma trip. I was happy to oblige as we ate.

The treatment was right on track and it seemed downright pleasant. The effects of chemo had taken a little more than a day to manifest before, and Dakota is a delight, so I left them to their girl talk and went to the cafeteria with my laptop to begin catching up on my inbox at work.

The day passed rapidly after that; I popped in for few visits to assure there were no changes, and before we knew it we were packing up and heading out. It's good to feel that those who are providing the services are not only competent but pleasant and helpful.

As the days following the treatment progressed, my fears of worsening effects meant that I was prepared to step up our game. From the beginning, I've been worried about a commonly repeated caution: that as the chemo course continues, the duration and severity of effects would increase. Thankfully, this round seemed a little easier, if anything. I know a part of it was the fact that it was all new and unknown the first time, but the typical side effects we all know about didn't seem any worse, either.

Unfortunately, Laura picked up a bit of a cold, so having to deal with a nagging cough has meant some lost sleep and a bit of weariness. Although she was planning to work on Friday, it was clear Thursday night it wasn't going to happen.

This was unfortunate, because it seemed it was going to be a nice, easy day. Laura was going to ride on a charter bus of kids to St. Augustine, take some leisurely strolls, and ride home. No lecturing, not much walking.

As it turned out, we were glad she didn't go, because the teachers who did go had to deal with a student who stole. Not exactly a low stress day for those involved.

Now we look forward to treatment three the day before Thanksgiving.

Based on the first two treatments, Thanksgiving should be fine, with Andrew home from Ft. Campbell to help provide some cooking assistance. We'll sit on Laura, if we have to, to have her conserve her energy, and Andy and I will get our celebratory meal ready around noon rather than in the afternoon, when we classically have had it. It won't involve stuffing a turkey or stressful complexities if we can help it.

We've been counting blessings approaching Thanksgiving -- that we found the cancer early, that we have such overwhelming support from family, church, and friends, and that the treatment regimen has been as well tolerated as it has.

Add to that my daily prayers of thanks for Laura, who has been riding this whole thing out like the champ she is. It is truly marvelous to see God working through her!

I'd also urge everyone this Thanksgiving to remember those who have given so much for our freedoms!

Hogs and A Mustang

Not an average vacation.

For one thing, I usually spend my time off with Laura, so hitting the road with a cement truck driver in the passenger seat was a bit different. We were in the cab of a sixteen foot rental truck with car trailer behind.

Put this together with the fact I was leaving Laura at home after her initial chemo treatment, and I think a bit of explanation is in order.

Okay, let's start with the truck and trailer. We had been talking about getting their things to Luke and Simon in Oklahoma this fall. Because of the circumstances of their moves to Oklahoma, they didn't have a chance take their stuff with them. The plan this year was that Simon would load up a truck and he and Laura would drive out when he left after his summer vacation.

Then came Laura's positive mammogram.

Simon was due back for classes, so he flew back, and together with our friends, we began to deal with ... well, you know the rest of that story.

So that was the truck.

As for the trailer, it was just after I had rented the truck that our son William won the bidding for a '66 Mustang on Ebay. The car was in Chiefland (west of Gainesville), and his plan was to have it shipped to him in Clarksville, Tennessee at no small expense. -- You see where this is going.

Which brings us to leaving Laura after her first chemo. This isn't as bad as it might seem. We knew from talking to people who had experience with the treatment that the first week after chemo was rough, but that by the time the next treatment rolled around, she could expect to feel like her old self again.

So we made plans for me to get the trip done in that final week before her next treatment, which pretty much brings us up to date.

Oh, except for the cement truck driver in the passenger seat. My cousin's husband. He volunteered to go with me as a riding partner, partly because the return trip once we dropped the truck off was via motorcycle. We just loaded our bikes right into the truck along with the stuff going to Oklahoma. When we got the truck unloaded out there, we rolled them out and hopped on for the ride back.

Almost 1400 miles back, in two and a half days. And for you riders out there, you know the routine on long rides. You ride about a hundred miles, then you just have to climb off and walk around for circulation.

They were long but satisfying days.

Laura's next chemo was the same day we arrived back home, and our 1:15 am arrival didn't interfere much.

So, our Oklahoma boys got their stuff, one of our Ft. Campbell boys got his Mustang, and I got a great break from work and a cross-country ride with my new best friend as the leaves were changing.

Next time: Chemo round two.