BACK TO UNIT 3 BACK TO VIRTUAL RENTALS
CHEMO FOG - DON'T STEP ON THE DOG
WELCOME THE CRAWFORDS!
Thu 6/7/2007 8:37 AM
I like the looks of the place, and might stay a week or two if OK with you.
Don Crawford, my lovely wife Brenda, and our kids- 2 Chihuahuas and a Manx cat.
Thu 6/7/2007 9:47 PM
Del,
My wife and I, married just 5 years this fall, took the plunge and moved cross-country two Augusts ago. We traded the unpredictable Buckeye weather of Columbus Ohio for the fairly consistent heat and arid dryness of Phoenix Arizona. We both suffer from arthritis and bronchitis, I injured my spine in an accident at work, and it seemed to be the thing to do, even though we left 3 parents, 5 children, and 15 grandkids behind to do so.
Well,
we have enjoyed visits from 3 of the children and 4 of the grandkids, and one
“child”, 33 years old today, decided we were pretty smart and joined us out
here. Jimmy has been a huge help to us, as I can’t lift and carry like I used
to, nor bend to access the inside of cabinets or under things. He’s right
there if asked and likes helping, so he’s a godsend.
I was having my usual autumn bout of breathing problems last fall, or so I thought, that failed to taper off as usual after Halloween. By Thanksgiving I was unable to walk more than 50 feet without a rest, and I struggled through the day. Determined to make it through work the next day, I made an appointment at the doctor for the following week and went to work on Friday, as usual. Within an hour, I was flat on my back in the ambulance on my way to the hospital.
A very serious and concerned lung doctor informed me I’d be staying awhile; he’d need to run further tests, but suspected a “growth” in my right lung which had caused it to collapse. We both carefully avoided the “c” word, but I am pretty sure we both knew we’d be saying it within a short while. The doc did a bronchoscopy on me the next morning, and that evening confirmed my worst fears. 40 years of ignoring the warnings about smoking had turned like a viper to bite me on the ankle. Non-small cell lung cancer, the worst choice of alPrognosis: roughly 7 of 100 see 5 years. Worst case, 2 or 3 more birthdays, with proper treatment and modifications of present lifestyle, best to hope for, well, some can actually see it go into remission and have lived 14, 15 even 20 years. Who’s to say?
I have endured 4 months of radiation therapy, frying my esophagus and burning bald spots on my chest. I have gone through 6 months of chemotherapy, making me sick and scrambling my Watched as my wife took a short bypass through the town of Denial and then came to the realization that we most likely won’t be taking strolls down the path together in our golden years (the hardest part of the three).
I’ve been off work since diagnosed, on disability. The company I work for, JP Morgan Chase Bank, has been pretty terrific, if somewhat distant, throughout. I was paid regularly, offered any assistance, and guided smoothly into the care of our provider for long term disability when I maxed out of short term.
Our father above has decided to test me further, and sent a host of demons to nip at my heels. We made the final payment on our trusty van, which has carried us in fine style from Ohio to Florida and back 3 times, all over the east coast and parts of the South, and bravely lugged an 18 foot enclosed trailer packed with everything we owned form Ohio to Arizona, up and down mountains and across endless Texas plains. Immediately thereafter, things began going wrong with it, culminating in thousands of dollars in repairs. Every time one thing was fixed, another broke, it seemed. Well, long story short, we dove back into the pool of debt and bought another van. The less you have, and the worse off you are, the credit people feel you can afford more. I don’t follow the logic, but OK. I hear of sweet deals on the radio: 1% financing, nothing down! 0% financing with 6 yrs to pay! WAC. Well, with my medical bills piling up, and missing a few utility payments waiting for disability to kick in, I got WAC’d. My credit has dropped below that line that tells the lenders I am a good risk, so I am a bad risk, and 1% becomes 24%, and nothing down becomes “We’ll let you make payments on the other half of the down payment while you make the payments on the car….” But we do have reliable transportation once again, and a 3 year warranty against major problems. Whew. This and a million small things, Brenda losing her job because of the depression brought on by the situation, then moving into another job that didn’t work out, now looking again as the small savings we built against such an emergency dwindles to nothing…… All a test.
So, I hang out on the net, stumbling onto new websites and ideas, making friends and meeting folks. And I need a break from it all. #3 looks ideal for those purposes, and I promise you I will not be bringing the computer along for those slow and soft evenings of blissful quiet I spend there. At the most, maybe some gentle conversation with an interesting neighbor, over an amber glass of ale. Or a campfire and a tent in the woods somewhere nearby, and breakfast coffee cooked with eggshells, the old fashioned way. Coming home stinking of the fire and happy to see a soft bed, but glad to have been there none the less.
Don - I am pleased that in your chemo stupor, you stumbled upon the most serene and peaceful place in cyberspace to take a rest - that is the Parkerosa - and me, your humble host, Del Parker - accept no substitutes my friend.
I look forward to biting down upon those bits of caffeine-laden egg shell bits with you and Brenda and the kids and the dogs and the cats (pet neutering is one of my amateur specialties - don't even ask how I do it!) ........... Just relax and have yourself a good ole Parkerosa respit!
- Del
........ oh, and by the way, if the kids have a bed-wetting problem, just stop by the office, we have some electrified sheets that you can use.