It is over! Time to breathe a sigh of relief. Bob is going to have a bottle of beer which he was not supposed to have during his treatments. Forty five treatments done! The last one was this evening after which Bob went to dinner with the Proton group and their partners. He said he was exhausted this afternoon and needed to take a nap. I think it will be that way for a while.
Tomorrow he will spend packing all the accumulated "stuff" from the past 10 weeks. Jason will stop by in the evening to pick up any left over food and miscellaneous items including the molds that were used to create exactly where the proton beams would hit. They are his souvenirs from this journey. But he takes away much more than that. He has met some wonderful people, learned more about the importance of diet and exercise, realized that I am not the easiest person to live with in a very small space, he has become healthier and I think he has realized that down time is not as bad as he thought it would be. He has weathered this journey with a great attitude. Yay, Bob!
Now this weekend is the Ironman. Since many of my family are here at the lake, Bob will spend a quiet weekend at home and join us on Monday. Go Carol and Nathan!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Four more!
Bob is quickly coming to the end of his treatments, only 4 more to go. So far he is still on track to fly home on Saturday. He is already starting the transition and wondering about work and anxious to get back.
Yesterday, Jason, Corinne and Cameron took him to a Quake baseball game at the stadium in Rancho Cucamonga. They all had a great time.
Bob said he will miss the tennis games, the people he has met and the vegetarian food. He is more tired lately but he knew that was a probability towards the end. He has come through this trauma with a fabulous attitude.
I have encouraged him to come home and spend the next day resting at our quiet house as we will all be at the Ironman cheering for Carol and Nathan.
Yesterday, Jason, Corinne and Cameron took him to a Quake baseball game at the stadium in Rancho Cucamonga. They all had a great time.
Bob said he will miss the tennis games, the people he has met and the vegetarian food. He is more tired lately but he knew that was a probability towards the end. He has come through this trauma with a fabulous attitude.
I have encouraged him to come home and spend the next day resting at our quiet house as we will all be at the Ironman cheering for Carol and Nathan.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Home Again
Got home yesterday, attended Rashell's graduation today. Talked to Bob this afternoon. Sorry to hear that the Proton equipment is having problems again. Yesterday he was at the treatment center waiting for 4 hours. Today they canceled his appointment then called him in anyway. So far, he is on track to come home June 22. I am glad that the first 30 treatments went smoothly or it would have been even more overwhelming.
Yesterday was his exit consultation. He will have a PSA test in 4 months. It is not necessary for him to go back to Loma Linda for any checkup. Their success rate is between 80-90%. Bob is still tired and getting to bed early and napping but still playing tennis and golf. Yesterday I asked him if he had lunch and he said, "Well, sort of." Now what does that mean? Ugh!
Yesterday was his exit consultation. He will have a PSA test in 4 months. It is not necessary for him to go back to Loma Linda for any checkup. Their success rate is between 80-90%. Bob is still tired and getting to bed early and napping but still playing tennis and golf. Yesterday I asked him if he had lunch and he said, "Well, sort of." Now what does that mean? Ugh!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
WOW
Just in case anyone is wondering where I am, I did finally make it to Portland. Wow, I have never had such an experience as today. Driving along Highway 5 through Oregon was beautiful then about 20 miles south of Eugene traffic came to a stop. We got out of our cars, chatted, walked around. There was a major accident ahead and we waited 50 minutes before moving. There were a few cranky people but for the most part it was a party.
Talked to Bob a few times. He played tennis today and enjoyed it greatly. I hope he is now out eating dinner as he is not answering his phone.
Talked to Bob a few times. He played tennis today and enjoyed it greatly. I hope he is now out eating dinner as he is not answering his phone.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Journey home
I made it to Yreka, CA tonight. The ride through the mountains was fabulous. Bob called about 1:30 to say he had his Saturday treatment so only 9 to go! I asked if he had lunch and he said, "well, no, not yet." Oye!!
Received a lovely email from Lynn Martell, director, saying he would make sure Bob is eating.
Don't know how we acquired so many things, but the car is full. Tomorrow Portland.
Received a lovely email from Lynn Martell, director, saying he would make sure Bob is eating.
Don't know how we acquired so many things, but the car is full. Tomorrow Portland.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Farewell, Loma Linda
It has been one of those spontaneous weeks where treatment schedules were canceled due to something not working at the Proton Center. We stayed close so whenever he was called, Bob could get down there immediately then wait...he is such a patient man.
He is only one treatment behind and will hopefully make it up tomorrow. They are working on Saturday to catch everyone up. He is still tired and has lost weight again. We went shopping this afternoon for healthy snacks. He needs to be reminded to eat!
I am driving back to Spokane, leaving tomorrow with the goal of getting to Redding, CA before I stop for the night. This end time went very quickly.
Bob is regaining his health, we have met many interesting people, and eaten good vegetarian food. I, also, am coming away from this journey with a very new experience. The pictures you see below are the first I came across the day Bob had treatment #1. I thought, oh, no, not another experience of being proselytized to, judged and questioned about my morals because I do not believe in god. Well, I was wrong, very wrong. My past experiences with groups of Christians have given me a jaded view of them. Loma Linda has changed that. It is a community that lives their beliefs, just as I think the Jesus I have read about would want them to. They don't preach it , they teach it through example by the way they live and work. I have not felt judged, looked down upon or preached to any time I shared that I am not Christian (and you know how much I like to share.) They are very inclusive and caring. As far as health, their belief is in treating the whole person. They believe in balance of the mind, body, and spirit. I am impressed. We have many common beliefs. I could even be one of them if it wasn't for the "god" thing.
Lynn Martell, director of special services, does a fabulous job keeping the patients busy, informed and feeling cared about. That organization is very fortunate to have him on staff. I have asked him and a few of the people we have met, to keep an eye on Bob. I know he will sleep more while I'm gone, he just might not eat more which he needs to do. He has ten more treatments and will be home on June 22.
Good bye Loma Linda, I am grateful and inspired.
He is only one treatment behind and will hopefully make it up tomorrow. They are working on Saturday to catch everyone up. He is still tired and has lost weight again. We went shopping this afternoon for healthy snacks. He needs to be reminded to eat!
I am driving back to Spokane, leaving tomorrow with the goal of getting to Redding, CA before I stop for the night. This end time went very quickly.
Bob is regaining his health, we have met many interesting people, and eaten good vegetarian food. I, also, am coming away from this journey with a very new experience. The pictures you see below are the first I came across the day Bob had treatment #1. I thought, oh, no, not another experience of being proselytized to, judged and questioned about my morals because I do not believe in god. Well, I was wrong, very wrong. My past experiences with groups of Christians have given me a jaded view of them. Loma Linda has changed that. It is a community that lives their beliefs, just as I think the Jesus I have read about would want them to. They don't preach it , they teach it through example by the way they live and work. I have not felt judged, looked down upon or preached to any time I shared that I am not Christian (and you know how much I like to share.) They are very inclusive and caring. As far as health, their belief is in treating the whole person. They believe in balance of the mind, body, and spirit. I am impressed. We have many common beliefs. I could even be one of them if it wasn't for the "god" thing.
Lynn Martell, director of special services, does a fabulous job keeping the patients busy, informed and feeling cared about. That organization is very fortunate to have him on staff. I have asked him and a few of the people we have met, to keep an eye on Bob. I know he will sleep more while I'm gone, he just might not eat more which he needs to do. He has ten more treatments and will be home on June 22.
Good bye Loma Linda, I am grateful and inspired.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Minor bump
After a great weekend of friends, family and a joyous performance of "South Pacific", Monday came with it's minor bump. The Proton machine had a break down and all Monday appointments had to be canceled. After hurrying home from lunch in downtown Riverside, driving 15 mph on the freeway and wondering if Bob would make his treatment on time, forgetting his water bottle as he walked there, he arrived just to find it had been canceled.
He spent last night obsessing about the different scenarios if he has another cancellation since we have him scheduled to fly out on June 22 and now his last treatment will be June 21. We would need to change his flight, reschedule the rental car and departure date for the apartment. I think what upsets him the most (that is, of course, after missing the Ironman) is that he was planning on getting back to work on June 24.
He is playing tennis now and plans to stop at the hospital afterward to check on the status of the machine. He feels very much out of the loop of everything and is now getting anxious to get back to normal (ok, maybe life with me is not normal but you get the picture) living.
He spent last night obsessing about the different scenarios if he has another cancellation since we have him scheduled to fly out on June 22 and now his last treatment will be June 21. We would need to change his flight, reschedule the rental car and departure date for the apartment. I think what upsets him the most (that is, of course, after missing the Ironman) is that he was planning on getting back to work on June 24.
He is playing tennis now and plans to stop at the hospital afterward to check on the status of the machine. He feels very much out of the loop of everything and is now getting anxious to get back to normal (ok, maybe life with me is not normal but you get the picture) living.
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