E-mail Subject: Veni. Veni. Wee-Wee
Man what a difference a week makes. Last Friday I was hoping to keep down lunch so I could get out of the hospital and today I'm free, untethered from drains, IVs, leg compression cuffs, catheter and on the road to full recovery. At each disconnect, You think "Man, if I can just lose this _____ (fill in the blank), I'm going to be so much better". I got down to the last disconnect and found it was replaced with a pad. The subject line of this update appeared in the comic strip 'Get Fuzzy' on Thursday, the day I got a clean bill of health on the pathology reports and had the catheter removed. You talk about God's timing. Plus, I recognized I needed to add a little bit of class to my ramblings about potty training and open robes. What better way than Latin ? Mr. Doyle from high school Latin would be proud.
I didn't do it by myself. I had a lot of help. Okay, in high school Latin and in this recovery.
Nikki - still recovering from her last (as in the last one June 19th and the final one #6) chemo treatment hauling me to the hospital and staying with me. She was overcome with the accumulation of her 6 treatments and on top of it all she got an UTI and cough. Two things you really don't want much less together. And she did it in 106 heat.
Our middle daughter Jessica - she's seriously re-thinking being the only daughter in town. She came with Nikki and stayed after she went home and got up early (I'm talking she was by my side at 0630 Friday morning. She comforted me, held my hand, brought me Chickfila shakes, and endured my "open robe" policy. Being in the hospital you lose all dignity or if you don't lose it, you really don't care much about it.
Wally and Mary Huck - from prayers to presence. Mary fixed me my last meal before I began my 2 day all liquid diet before surgery. Homemade pasta - a labor of love.
Charles Parchman and Jim Archer - my prostate cancer mentors, conveniently forgot to tell me a couple of those steps in getting these things removed--like when they tell you "we're going to take this out, just take a deep breath". My lungs just weren't that big. I guess it's like childbirth--once you are through it, there are some things you just don't care to remember. Am I right ladies?
Bill Pewitt, my own personal "Red Box" brought us nine movies to watch--we've enjoyed seven so far.
Terry Sewell, Fran Johnson, and Stephanie Seiler from Bethany UMC - Terry brought by banana pudding and Stephanie a shrimp dinner at just the right times for their dishes. Fran came to the hospital as part of BUMC hospital visitation ministry. Glenn and Renee brought "sunshine salad"--a meal we once shared with them in Corpus Christi many years ago. I told Glenn I thought it was all downhill from here on my recovery. He got really excited. He thought downhill as "Can I have his Rolling Stone t-shirt collection?" but I meant "it only gets easier from here." Sorry buddy, but you are in line for one of my jackets.
My daughters Kristen and Brittany kept vigil by phone and their blogs. If you are interested in visiting their blogs, Kristen and Dave's is www.mcmemos.blogspot.com and Brittany's is www.getreadyeurope.blogspot.com
Marvel at the self sufficiency of the Brittany youngest one and her ingenuity with her Frugal Fridays--makes you believe in oaks and acorns (the nut doesn't fall far from the tree); and marvel at the sweetness of Katelyn, our granddaughter by Kristen and Dave--sure Katelyn is sweet, but she is my fierce potty training competitor.
Brittany and her two friends, Ali and Pita are here this weekend and have brightened up our home. Kristen and Katelyn will visit next week while Dave is in Atlanta.
My folks, who live in Beaumont, wanted to come to be with me but the heat, the distance, and the wear of the drive were just too much. It didn't matter, I still felt their presence and look forward to limping in (you've got to sell it) to her kitchen the next trip we make there to soak up some belated home cooking.
The older we get and the things that come with the older we get, you come to appreciate those things that sustain you--family, friends, church, and good medical insurance. I want to throw in a plug for my doctor, the world-renown Randy S. Fagin, M.D. Men, if you and your prostate are soon to part ways, Dr. Fagin is who I would recommend. Yes, I did come out with a huge bruise looking like they dropped me off the table but he said that is all typical--just blood pooling under the skin. I might should have kept some of those witty comments to myself.
We hope this is the end of both of our medical updates. We want to just relax and recover for a while. We look forward to spending time with these family and friends and the others who sustained us with thoughts and prayers.
Thank you all so very much. God has surely blessed us both.
DAVID
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