Story 6Jan2021: Over Doing It

I managed to get a bit more sleep but still was busy in the early morning, reading email, news, and having breakfast. I also wrote the blog and then rushed on my way.

I had a morning doc appointment at Knight Cancer Center in Portland on Legacy campus across from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital off of 22nd. The doctor explained the numbers to me and that it would be his plan for six months of chemotherapy. I was hoping for an easier answer, but the numbers are clear, and the chemo must be done soon. Thus, I will begin my cycles at the end of January.

The process will be on infusion and an oral drug–plus drugs to help with the side effects. Oxaliplatin is a few generations from one of Susie’s experimental drugs, but Susie was part of the trial to bring this metal salt type of drug into use. Thank you Susie for risking the original drug! Capecitabine is an oral drug and the other drug I will be taking. All of this in four cycles over three months.

The only concerning side-effect, for me, is loss of feeling in the hands and feet. I would like to keep my skills of figure painting and miniature work intact and will work with the doc and nurses to identify issues and make adjustments.

Of course, all of this was difficult to process, still is, but I left Portland and made the 45 minutes to an hour trip to Forest Grove from Portland. Susie was awake, and a bit damp from spilling something on herself. Nevertheless, she was happy to see me. I managed to call Susie’s sister Barb and Leta for Susie. A bit of FaceTime cheered Susie, but I was fatigued and had new pain from my incisions and had to make it a short visit.

I also stopped by the biz office; Susie comes off of insurance on this Friday and I arranged to pay for two weeks for Susie to be at the Forest Grove Rehab and Care Center room 44A; the cost being over $4700. While it is expensive, I was happy that insurance covered until this Friday–three weeks! So, I will bring a check for them on Friday. I had set aside money for this kind of stuff in New York City in the fall when Nike stock hit $172, again. I knew we would have some large bills.

Next week, as I explained a few days ago, I will start the process with our primary doctor for home care or hospice care for Susie. I am still tired, so I plan to start that after the weekend. I want to bring Susie home.

While things sound a bit crazy, this is running to the plan I imagined without any nasty surprises. The extension of insurance coverage until Friday is a nicety not in the plan. The short disability at 70% pay will require careful attention, but the 125 medical reimbursement cost coverage started over in 2022, so I have the max to pay new medical bills. I think I can make all this work.

I left Susie with a kiss and headed back to Beaverton. I then drove to the German place in Beaverton, Bargarten. There, feeling tired and unhappy, I read my chemo manual supplied to me by the Knight Cancer Center. I had a small German beer and Fondue. I overdid it now, and when I got home, the pain in my incisions was headed out of control. I managed to drive home safely and even got the mail. A toast to all my Nike and SAP friends and German friends!

I went to bed for a while and tried to relax. Then, a cough started, and the pain was shocking in one place. Yup, really overdid it.

I recieved a Kickstarter today to update some board games. Meeple Source sent me my cool looking painted wooden meeples to replace the plain pieces for Concordia’s colonists and the archeologists in The Lost Ruins of Arnak. I have a few extras I may give away and might update another game. The new parts do not change the games, but they do improve the immersive experience.

I reheated the tortilla soup from Mrs. Jackson and tried to move less. I watched some BBC-based news on PBS and then went to bed again. Next, I read Scottish Church history–I have a reprint of an old history of the saints and church in Scotland. It is hard going as it is racist and an anti-catholic work, but it contains original sources and some context for the sources. I have this copy as this antiquated work is often quoted in newer sources–I like to see the original sometimes.

I could not sleep and was up most of the night. The coughing and wheezing kept me up. I will try to go slow on Friday and the weekend.