We are celebrating. The results of Ken's P.E.T. scan proved not only that there was no cancer present, but the suspect site had diminished in size. We are grateful and appreciative of all your good thoughts and prayers. The mystery of the dizziness has not been solved, but he is about two thirds of the way though various checks for that, and nothing has come to the forefront.
We have come to the end of the 'Gathering' or 'Sift and Sort'. It was even more delightful than I could have imagined. We tried to remember the last time just the six of us sat around the table together, and we figure it was probably about 1981; right after we moved back to Washington. It was fun, but it it will be even more fun when there are spouses and children present as well. It is so seldom that the entire family is together.
Keith incorporated a business trip into coming out here so we had him here with us for a week, but it was a tight schedule for Brian since he left Virginia after work on Friday and returned home on Sunday afternoon. However, it was a direct flight both ways so that helped. Craig and Colleen spent the weekend here as well.
We spent time going through boxes of photos, boxes of momentos, and just generally having the kids reacquaint themselves with what is here and the history behind some of it. They each compiled a list of those items that held some meaning or interest for them, and that was all shared among the four of them.
Craig, Brian, and Keith spent a few hours on Craig's boat Saturday afternoon, and came home with five freshly caught crab........which we enjoyed along with grilled bison roast (excellent), and grilled Alaskan salmon fillet from the summer fishing trip. That along with several bottles of nice wine and topped off with huckleberry pie.
It was fun to watch and listen and learn what various items meant to each of the kids; and this was all just easy and fun because nothing is going anywhere at the moment, but when the time comes to seriously downsize, we know where to send the shipping crates!! And if Ken and I were to meet our demise at the same time, there is some direction for the kids. This is an easier process than going through it while planning funerals!!
Now we have to move on to getting ready to take the motor home to Leavenworth this week to join Rod and Karen at a rally during the Fall Leaf Festival. I am excited to be on the road again. We will be at the rally from Wednesday through Sunday and then spend two more nights in the area before coming home on Wednesday. The weather here today was lovely, but the thermometer continues its downward trek so I expect it to be pretty dang chilly in Leavenworth. We will definitely go in with a full tank of propane and charged batteries because there are no services where we will be.
Ciao
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Friday, September 05, 2008
I'm baaack!
The time does have a way of sneaking by!!
We pretty much have our lives on hold at the moment. Ken experienced some dizziness while we were back east, so we went to the nearest emergency room. After several hours in ER, there was no definitive answer, so they kept him overnight. One of the routines is a chest x-ray which revealed two very small spots on his right lung........
So the dizziness has pretty well subsided (and sort of faded out of our line of sight) as we stand at the mercy of doctors and their appointment books. Finally today (after one cancellation) we saw a pulmonologist who has ordered a P.E.T. scan to determine if the lung spot (the second spot is so small as to be insignificant) is cancer and to be sure there isn't cancer somewhere else. All of this is heightened as a result of the fact that Ken has been a smoker and he already is a cancer survivor.
The doctor today did say, that if the one spot turns out to be malignant, that it would be classifed as 1A (the very lowest). If the P.E.T. scan is anything other than absolutely and totally negative; a biopsy would be in order and the tissue would be tested on the spot. If positive, the surgeon would continue and remove the upper third of the lung with no further treatment needed, i.e. no radiation or chemotherapy.
So we will continue with our lives and continue with positive thoughts. As I write this, we are watching a special called "Stand Up 2 Cancer."
In the meantime, we are looking forward to having all four kids here the weekend of the 20th. Back when we were considering leasing the house and travelng for a year (which we haven't forgotten about), Colleen rallied the boys for a 'sift and sort' or "Gathering as Brian likes to call it) episode. Keith managed to put a business trip together so he will be here from 9/15 to 9/22. Brian doesn't have that latitude with Uncle Sam so he had to pay cold hard cash to be here from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, but we are happy to have them for as little or as long as is possible. Fortunately, Craig and Colleen don't have to buy plane tickets.
So Ken and I are "cleaning the house before the cleaning lady comes." The whole purpose of having the kids here is to go through, look at, sort, and reminisce over our various and sundry belongings. But of course my first thought is that I can't let them see all of that old stuff that we should have been rid of. So today saw us drop off a half dozen boxes at St. Vincent de Paul!!
We made a mad dash to Spokane last week to bring the MH home. It has been parked in Sprague's alfalfa field, but we knew we would need it when the kids are here. While there, Karen and I managed a bit of shopping, a pedicure, and a bit of quilting. Rod was away on business in Ft. St. John, BC while we were there, and Karen had pretty much dismantled their house. Empty the guest room and remove the carpet to be relaid in the guest room downstairs. Tear up the carpet in the dining room, and remove the wall between the entry and the living room. She was sweating bullets as to how much she could get back together before Rod returned today.
The weather has been absolutely beautiful. When we returned from Spokane this week, we spent one night in Prosser to visit some wineries, and then chose to come home via White Pass. What a beautiful drive, and autumn is beginning to show her colors.
Ciao
We pretty much have our lives on hold at the moment. Ken experienced some dizziness while we were back east, so we went to the nearest emergency room. After several hours in ER, there was no definitive answer, so they kept him overnight. One of the routines is a chest x-ray which revealed two very small spots on his right lung........
So the dizziness has pretty well subsided (and sort of faded out of our line of sight) as we stand at the mercy of doctors and their appointment books. Finally today (after one cancellation) we saw a pulmonologist who has ordered a P.E.T. scan to determine if the lung spot (the second spot is so small as to be insignificant) is cancer and to be sure there isn't cancer somewhere else. All of this is heightened as a result of the fact that Ken has been a smoker and he already is a cancer survivor.
The doctor today did say, that if the one spot turns out to be malignant, that it would be classifed as 1A (the very lowest). If the P.E.T. scan is anything other than absolutely and totally negative; a biopsy would be in order and the tissue would be tested on the spot. If positive, the surgeon would continue and remove the upper third of the lung with no further treatment needed, i.e. no radiation or chemotherapy.
So we will continue with our lives and continue with positive thoughts. As I write this, we are watching a special called "Stand Up 2 Cancer."
In the meantime, we are looking forward to having all four kids here the weekend of the 20th. Back when we were considering leasing the house and travelng for a year (which we haven't forgotten about), Colleen rallied the boys for a 'sift and sort' or "Gathering as Brian likes to call it) episode. Keith managed to put a business trip together so he will be here from 9/15 to 9/22. Brian doesn't have that latitude with Uncle Sam so he had to pay cold hard cash to be here from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, but we are happy to have them for as little or as long as is possible. Fortunately, Craig and Colleen don't have to buy plane tickets.
So Ken and I are "cleaning the house before the cleaning lady comes." The whole purpose of having the kids here is to go through, look at, sort, and reminisce over our various and sundry belongings. But of course my first thought is that I can't let them see all of that old stuff that we should have been rid of. So today saw us drop off a half dozen boxes at St. Vincent de Paul!!
We made a mad dash to Spokane last week to bring the MH home. It has been parked in Sprague's alfalfa field, but we knew we would need it when the kids are here. While there, Karen and I managed a bit of shopping, a pedicure, and a bit of quilting. Rod was away on business in Ft. St. John, BC while we were there, and Karen had pretty much dismantled their house. Empty the guest room and remove the carpet to be relaid in the guest room downstairs. Tear up the carpet in the dining room, and remove the wall between the entry and the living room. She was sweating bullets as to how much she could get back together before Rod returned today.
The weather has been absolutely beautiful. When we returned from Spokane this week, we spent one night in Prosser to visit some wineries, and then chose to come home via White Pass. What a beautiful drive, and autumn is beginning to show her colors.
Ciao
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