The days since Thanksgiving weekend began have been a treat beyond measure.  Jim's pain has abated, so he is up and around more. Hopefully the radiation treatment to his broken ribs is taking its healing effect. 

It was wonderful to have my sister and family here for dinner on Thanksgiving... plus our own kids, and their kids.  So casual and familiar.  Jim came down for dinner, then came back later and spent a few hours talking and joking with everyone.  The meds sometimes make him tired, but it's all a balancing act, and we seem to be getting the hang of it.

The decision not to shop for Christmas has been liberating for me in a way I hadn't appreciated.

No medical appointments, no commitments, just morning flowing into afternoon and then slipping into evening.  Plenty of leftovers so there are no meal-time chores.  I feel like I am in a feather bed of bliss.  How ironic that it took something so draconian to make me appreciate the beauty of not  banging my head into obstacles of my own making.  But I am not surprised that this eerie journey we find ourselves on has a positive side, with new awareness and opportunities to grow, hanging on low branches, waiting to be discovered.

Don't worry, by Monday I'll be an insane grump again. This la-la land never stays long!!

Thanksgiving was exactly what it Should Be...

A wonderful bountiful table of nourishment, moments of quiet reflection, and as much laughter as we've ever had, around a table that didn't have an inch of "frontage" space to spare....Does it get any better than that? Shoulder to shoulder...with the exception of the usual minor injuries (stop laughing, Maddie), we had a blast.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, too, as great as ours. Thanks to all for the thoughts, prayers, and outward expressions of compassion for the way things are at 793GPA these days. Thanks, also, to those who read along quietly, and send thoughts and prayers.

"If You want to hear God Laugh, tell Him your Plans"

According to reliable sources, the above quote is from Spanish or Yiddish folklore, or uttered first by Mother Teresa or Woody Allen, depending on who you ask. But with so many people claiming it, there is probably more than a morsel of truth.

So perhaps the secret is not to have too many plans that aren't firmly mounted on wheels that allow you to move left and right, fore and aft, as life blows by you.  We have had some or all of our grandchildren  living in our house for eight years now, (we're down to one)  and I know some people think we are daft.  But the best things that happen in a day, for Jim and for me, are the solemn observations of the littles.  Disney and Pixar, and all the TV shows have brought the real world to kids in an amazing way, and they devour it.  

Today, Kathryn (age 10) was mourning the loss of one of her two miniature guinea pigs.  Not the one with only one eye, the other one.  So she came here to help prepare for Thanksgiving with red, swollen eyes.  Kathryn adores all animals.   Drew (4) gave her a big hug, then commented in a conspiratorial tone, "Word on the street is that your guinea pig died."    

Word on the street??!!!  Sounds like Al Capone.

And just a few days ago, my daughter Lynn made some reference to a Wide Mouth Bull Frog, 

asking Drew if he knew what one was.  Without losing a step, he replied, "No, but we could go look it up on Google."  Brand loyalty at its best.  And the kind of recurring chuckle  that wipes out hours of rough going.  Jim thrives on it.  Better for pain than a whole handful of pills.

Tonight we are surrounded by our family, making pies and stuffing;  it is a wonderful feeling.  We are blessed.   May the day remind you of your many blessings as well.  

The digest version of the last 24 hrs...I defer to the pro, tho...

Dad was released last night, but spent a fair amount of the night very uncomfortable. He returned, on schedule, to the hospital early in the AM for his radiation treatment, which is being used locally to treat only the rib-area and promote healing in that spot. Unfortunately, he has a new area of ribcage that began aching.

Anyway, he's home and as I understand it, today was a more normal day from the pain-aspect. Let's hope that continues...Like Mom said, we're seeing more of the "old Jim again".....

There is a contest going on to see who has the most effective solution for squirrell-catchin' at Mom's house. There's also a prize for most creative assault/attack/trap/weapon. Well, heck, let's make a WANTED poster for the flippin' thing and open it up to the free world. Ya know, in some places they eat those things...I can't even get my kids to choke down a brown sugar glazed carrott - never mind a rodent in need of Ritalin. Of course,what I just did on the grill to the Thai Ginger chicken that marinated all afternoon....well, let's just say it's unrecognizable as food.

P.S. Anyone who suggests some O'Bama-esque notion of putting on squirrell-like-ears, going out onto the flat roof and trying to sing woodland creature songs to this Squatter-In-The-Eaves and peacefully asking him to move somewhere else will assume the wrath-of-me. The goal is to leave a mark on the freakish thing, as big as my perpetual irritation. ;o)

Update (clever, huh)

Jim is still in the hospital, with the possibility that he may be released this evening or tomorrow. The decision was made to apply focused radiation treatment to the ribs that are broken.  He received his first treatment yesterday, and will be administered a daily dose through Tuesday, out patient.  This will hopefully alleviate the worst of the pain, allowing him to cut back on the meds that were creating all sorts of unintended consequences.  He will also be assessed by the physical therapy specialists to decide what he is able and not able to do (like stairs, for example).  

Overall the improvement since Tuesday is amazing.  He went in over-medicated, yet in terrible pain.  As of yesterday a pesky infection in both eyes has abated after a whole month, he is lucid and we have our old Jim back.   Now we need to figure out how to maintain that status.  

And Now, a Word from Our Sponsors...

Understand, please, that we mean no disrespect to Jim or his illness by inserting some levity to this otherwise daunting situation.  Early on, we made a conscious decision to work to keep some perspective on the real world, the one outside this terrible disease,  the one where people interact and suffer the insanity, and then emerge  intact.  That is our hope for everyone who comes here; to emerge intact.

We are far from the only ones with problems.  Each reader of this blog can tell you a story from their life that would break your  heart... catastrophic events that nearly felled them.  So,  if you come here to check on Jim, and it makes you sad, or worried,  we consider it a responsibility  and an honor to give you a chance to break even.  If  an ironic story makes you smile, it brightens the day for us, too.  For over 40 years, Jim and I have alternated taking turns being "George and Gracie."  It is the soil we raised our kids in, and it keeps us all from taking ourselves too seriously.

Thanks for understanding.

Usually off topic

Even in the darkest of situations... no, make that always in the darkest of situations,  there is something wondrous, or unexpected or quite funny.  It does help to have a warped world-view as I do.   So I will share with you, dear reader, a bit of the unusual side of our predicament.

As we navigate this constantly changing highway,  there are a couple of things.  One is that "the road" metaphor is weak because no one in their right mind would get on a highway not knowing where it is going or how long it will take to reach the destination.  Furthermore, you only have to be here a few weeks before you realize that some divine Wag made the exit ramps dump you right back on the highway.  The minute you think you are getting somewhere... ha HA!  Back you are. 

Since clearly, the Lord has a sense of humor,in His wisdom He decided we needed comic relief in the form of squirrels in our walls.  I really shouldn't blame God, since I apparently have a sign on my back that reads, "Give me your Homeless, your poor huddled nut-jobs." which could be easily misinterpreted by a squirrel.

Predictably, we didn't get any old rodent, but the Road Runner of squirrels.  In his pea-sized brain, he thinks, "A glass of warm milk would go nicely," at which he zips off like a Bullet Train leaving Kyoto, vaulting through the skeleton of the house like Secretariat on Derby day.  Thats how I know he isn't in the actual attic. Only a poltergeist could traverse my loaded attic at that speed without catastrophic injury.

And I lie a floor below him, my eyes wide and white in the inky darkness, plotting my revenge.

Back In Boston Hospital...hopefully fairly pain free!!

New updates.....Dad was admitted this evening to BID in Boston (MUCH better) for increased pain management, and to address the possibility of things like using radiation to help heal the ribs and increased use of heavy-duty drugs, such as Morphine. I guess he's not pain free of course, but closer to comfortable and he is "near" everything he needs, including Dr's and resources. It's so hard to be useful to him when I (or they, I guess) don't feel like I know what "helpful" is...

Thanks for checking in!
~L

Do you hear what I hear?

Some of you have been asking how Dad is, so I wanted to catch up on the situation to help keep everyone in the loop.

In early October, Dad began chemotherapy and it really went very well. He had no "ill side effects", like the typical hair-loss and loss of appetite and nausea. His numbers remained steady or improved, including kidney function and details of that nature. He was in some pain, but after some pain-management steps put in place, things looked OK for the time being.

This type of cancer, being a sibling to lymphoma and leukemia, takes it's toll on the bones, primarily (as mentioned before, it directly is cancer of the plasma cells in your bone marrow). It affects the "core" of the body first, and extremities later, so hips, ribs, skull, and vertebrae are hardest hit for pain and "weakening". He had a fall in the driveway, due to the increasing unsteadiness caused my the illness. Fortunately, he was alright and we moved on from there. He had another when Laura was home, but again, aside from having to scoop him up, he was OK.

MM (Multiple Myeloma) causes forgetfulness, balance/coordination issues, confusion, hearing loss, and an eye-issue that he's having evaluated later today, among who-knows-how-many-other-things.

This brings up through last weekend, when Dad began having pain in his ribs, creating some uncomfy breathing problems - just labored, really. They proceeded to worsen and on THursday, he was brought to the ER at BID-Needham. Following the XRays, a diagnosis of "several" broken ribs and probable pneumonia as well. He was admitted, given morphine in addition to his already high-potency regimin and he was able to rest up a little. He was discharged in under 24 hrs, and sent home in extrordinary pain, and thus trying to "move about" with the rib pain that is painful to even watch. He is obviously in enormous pain, even while sleeping - which also isn't easy.

The possible pnuemonia promptly cancelled his next round of chemo (set to begin on Friday, the next day). This felt like an enormous setback, but hopefully we can resume quickly and stay on with the progress. Like all of you, we wonder how bones that are compromised enough to break under the simple weight of breathing or normal movement can heal, but that's one of the next questions...it's not hopeless at this point, but it's clearly very serious and severe and aggressive. We won't give up without doing everything possible to take care and protect him until his body is able to do it all again.

Also determined in the last week or so is that he has lost (Get A Load of This, Kids...) SIX INCHES in height, due to the bone-loss in his spine and vertebrae. He was 5' 8.5", and is now 5' 2.5"!!! His mobility, between poor balance and sheer pain and trying to compensate/protect his ribs and such, is prompting us to relocate him to the first floor, probably by the weekend.

And in the final segment of the SadNewsUpdate, he fell during the night again, and Mom found him, but we've reached a point where he can not be left alone for any period of time and we are going into "shift mode" to make sure there is always someone home with him.

I appreciate every prayer, well-wish, and kind thought that we have found in our fantastic and enomous network of friends. To those of you who have remained in touch so constantly and think to ask, it means the world. And to those who haven't been "kept up to date", I am really sorry. We've been so busy trying to sort this out that I know I personally have neglected to reach everyone that I should, and again, I feel terrible about that.

Love to all, and stay in touch...I'll try and do better with keeping this up.

~L