10/12 - I see better today, thanks

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Wednesday, October 12, 2005
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Today was a little better day than yesterday. I think I came to
grips some of yesterday’s reality. As bad as things seem to us,
we’ll be able to handle things. Just one day at a time.

Anyway, today my sweet wife, son #4 and I all went up to the
hospital for a dry run simulation for his radiation treatments.
(We’re appealing to the insurance company about approving proton
beam radiation in Loma Linda, but just in case it doesn’t go
through, we’ve got to continue with things here for IMRT/3d
radiation. It costs $49,000 if we do it on our own. ~ouch~)
Anyway, they put son #4 under, and did a CT scan and made a
plastic mask for him. He didn’t go under very easily and flopped
around again. And, when he came out of from the drugs, we
couldn’t get him to wake up very easily. I think it’s in his
nature to be stubborn.

Since he’ll get IMRT radiation at a regular hospital, and not
the children’s hospital, we get a lot more looks (and smiles)
from people when we walk down the hall. He had almost every
nurse and technician say what a good looking kid he was, “And
those eyelashes!” the nurses would say, “They’re so long. It’s
not fair.”

So, after he finally woke up after the simulation, he said he
was hungry and wanted to go to the hospital cafeteria for lunch.
He rode in a kid’s wheel chair that he thought was cool. There
were 6 postal workers in the cafeteria that he wanted to meet
(and show them his post man hat) and they all said, “Hi”.

After we finished lunch, we had to give the wheel chair back and
make him walk. He was a little woozy from the drugs, but we
didn’t think he was that bad. That is until we started walking
down the hall. He started listing to one side and almost fell
over. I grabbed his arm and he kept walking. Then he did it
again, started to lean over to one side pulling my arm, and
almost fell over. I asked my sweet wife to grab his other hand
to steady him. But, he did it again. I got a little concerned
and said, “Is he ok? He keeps leaning over to one side?” She
said, “Oh, he’s just walking on the tile pattern on the floor.”
Oh... yeah, I knew that.

For those of you who get this as email...
Enjoy today’s Jokes!
Marty

p.s. I’m going to make it a goal to get these done a little
earlier and try to get a bit more sleep. Let me know how I do
‘eh?

"Divinity is rooted in each of us. ‘We all are the work of God’s
hand' (Isaiah 64:8). We are eternal beings... "We came to this
mortal experience to acquire a body, to be tried, and tested. We
are to form families and be sealed in holy temples, with joy and
loving relationships that endure eternally. To these everlasting
truths, we are personally rooted."
~Russell M. Nelson

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Reader Comment Section:

Oh, Marty.... we will continue to lift you and your family up in
prayer. Our family is going through some very tough times also,
and I surely know what you mean about needing a good day to show
up. I do know the only peace and comfort that we can count on
is from our Heavenly Father, and we do pray for strength and
courage and the meeting of your every need, every day.
~Linda B.

My daughter also has vision loss from her Brain tumor...the rads
did not make it any worse, at all. The original damage got a bit
better during her first 2 years out of treatment.. she is stable
now, with about 20/200 in either eye, and field loss. You could
never tell unless you saw her reading, close up with mag.
glasses...school can be tricky, but doable.
Hang in there, day at a time.
~Mary D.

[Thanks Mary, I needed that comment.]