9/12 - Disneyland and our roller coaster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday, September 12, 2005
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was son #3’s Saturday this weekend and we had our own little
vacation. We decided that we’d travel 15 miles south to a new
store that just opened. It’s called Cabelas. They’re a hunting,
fishing, and outdoor gear store. ( http://www.cabelas.com ) It
was just like going to Disneyland. The huge line of cars to get
in, the 75 parking lot attendants telling you where to park, the
humongous parking lot, the golf carts moving people to and from
the far ends of the lot. And then the crowds inside were just
like opening day at a new ride at Disneyland. It was really
crowded, but kinda fun anyway.

The oncologist wasn’t in last Thursday or Friday, so we had to
get an appointment today to find out about treatments. They want
us to have him go through 6 1/2 weeks, 5 days a week, radiation
therapy (RT). Even though the surgeon said they got it all in
the 2nd surgery, he said there could still be some cells left in
the tumor bed. They’ll have to sedate him every day for a 30
minute treatment, and he’ll be at the hospital for about 3 hours
a day.

Then they went over a list of risks of RT. Horrible horrible
stuff could happen. Growth, hearing, eyesight, learning
disabilities problems, and the list goes on... They also said
that without it, there’s about a 40-60% chance the tumor would
come back, and with radiation it would be about 20-30% chance of
it recurring. He said with all ependymoma tumors, there is about
a 50% 5-year survival rate, but that with it being in the front
part of the brain, chances were a little better.

The radiation therapist said they want to see how soon the
surgeon can put the bone flap back in, and after 7-10 days of
healing they’d like to start RT. It’s going to be a long couple
of months.

On the hospital bill front, we were at $99,099 since Thursday,
but a few more bills pushed us over 100k. We’re at $101,873
right now.

Enjoy today’s Jokes!
Marty

=-=-=-
Reader Comment Section:

Fairs used to be free, and then they started charging two bits,
then a half a buck, then a buck, and it still seems to go up
every few years. But all in all it`s not so bad. A few years
back, my kids got on a kiddy ride only to start crying and ask
to be taken off, and the operator quickly, kindly and safely
obliged. I politely thanked him and as we were walking away, he
came up to us and, as a matter of course, refunded the price of
the ride as the kids had not enjoyed it to the fullest. Needless
to say, I was impressed. For the rest of the day I noticed that
the quality of the service and the attitude and manners of the
carnival staff were much better, the grounds were much cleaner,
and the attractions noticeably more interesting. I felt that the
price of the admission was more than worth it. On a separate
note, we Americans, with our penchant for suing. are bound to
bring an end to these fairs, and make them just another memory
of what we used to be able to enjoy. We all know the story;
someone successfully sues and so the operator`s insurance
premiums go up, and so the entrance and attraction fees and food
and beverage prices go up. (I wouldn`t be all that surprised if
somebody has already sued because of a price increase!)
I`m so glad to be reading your short stories on #4`s progress!
Mark in Japan.