Chemotherapy with my Brother

Yesterday I went to chemo with my brother. He's being treated for throat cancer which started with surgery to remove a growth on his throat, tonsil on that side plus lymph nodes in the area. The following week he had a feeding tube put in and since his stomach is under his ribs, needed to go to the hospital for the procedure. That was the night Dad died. My little brother and my sister-in-law had to go to the hospital and tell him the following morning. So he was to start treatment the following week, but we had calling hours and the funeral. He didn't take his meds before the first treatment and was pretty sick but got squared away on that now. He's getting 6 weeks of radiation 5 times/week and chemo on Fridays. Last Friday his wife was off for spring break and was there. The Friday before he went by himself. First he goes for radiation treatment which doesn't take too long and then to the cancer treatment center. They have small partitioned booths with an easy chair, a visitor chair, a TV and a small hospital type night stand. He already had his IV in his hand. They gave him 4 bags of stuff - the chemo (2 bags), anti-nausea med and saline. It takes 3-1/2 hours for all that to drip, one bag at a time.

He was glad I was there to help pass the time. I can be pretty chatty. OK, I can chat up a storm. We watch some funny sitcoms and fishing and Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor. I went to the cafeteria and got him some pudding and oatmeal. He says his throat is stiff, it's hard to chew stuff, he's lost his appetite and is nauseous a lot. So far, his main side effect is being tired. They were going to deliver his feeding tube food so he could start on that since he's lost weight. Hopefully, that will give him a little energy. I could tell he was scared and depressed. I'll be there next Friday.

Patent # 6551086

Years ago, when I worked as a tire engineer at Goodyear, I got a patent. Well, along with a bunch of other engineers. But still - pretty cool, huh?

The Swiss Alps

My favorite part of our trip to Europe. The clean, crisp air cleared my head. Remote, snow-covered and not reachable by vehicles, the mountains were everywhere - all-consuming.

Here I sit on a terrace in the village of Murren enjoying some hot ovaltine - YUM!

Honduras Scuba Diving

Hubby with the resort bird.

Hubby & stepson under the sea.

Happy Easter

Luke 23:34

And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Kind of like my Easter. We're starting to work on mom's apartment - cleaning out clutter, dividing up her stuff. It's tedious, nostalgic, bittersweet and a chore. My little brother swooped in to grab a couple things he wanted and take off without actually helping. On the other hand, dad's stuff is being auctioned off. He had cool stuff - dirt bikes, fishing stuff, model airplane stuff, a garage full of stuff, a basement full of stuff. He had lots of hobbies he loved and stuff he did with my brothers like bmx. Today a list came out with how much some things went for - a tire, a mini-bike. It wasn't very nostalgic-like. Apparently, you had to show up with the vultures while things were being cleaned out to get anything you wanted. I am not that assertive so I'll just sit back and be resentful. Shame on me. I miss my dad.

The National Guard

My new son-in-law has joined the National Guard. He goes to training from June-October. There are great benefits - especially the education and bonus! A big concern:

According to the Pentagon, about 270,000 of America's over 347,000 Army Guard soldiers have served in either Afghanistan, Iraq, or both.

Bye Dad

Goodbye, Dad. I miss you so much. It's been really hard since your stroke. I'm sorry you were so sick. Thank you for trying so hard for so long. Thank you for our vacations at the Outer Banks. Thank you for always having good advice. Thanks for showing us how to enjoy life.

Last night were calling hours and the funeral is today.