Starting to feel better

When last I posted I hadn't been feeling well (to put it mildly). I'm glad to report that over the course of the week I've been doing much better. Okay, not 100%. Honestly far from 100%. But I'm not in the hospital. And I'm not eating pain meds all day long. I still sit and stand somewhat slowly. But I no longer require assistance making such basic moves. I'm not sleeping all day and night. And the last few days I've been able to go around the block walking the dogs.

This coming week might clarify the picture of where we go from here. On Monday I meet with our Primary Care (family) doctor. Wednesday brings an appointment with a prospective new oncologist. And then, the chemo debate returns. My big hope is that I rally enough to still go through with our next trip. But the reality will be determined by my energy level over the course of the next several days. I must say I'm proud to report that I did a bit of cleaning inside the RV this afternoon. That's a big step up from where I was last week at this time. 

Love you all. In closing, another scenery shot from our recent New England trip

Maine coast at Acadia National Park

 

Ouch, stop that.

My health really took a nose dive this week.    Well, the last part of the week anyway. Wednesday I went to bed feeling good and Thursday when I awoke I had some abdominal pain.  As the morning went on the pain was never ending and increasing in intensity.  A scan on Tuesday indicated that I had a blood clot in my liver so the pain was scary.  As it  continued to get worse Johnny to me to the Emergency Department.  Amazingly we were able to get right in.  We did the usual, ID and birth date stuff then it was off for another abdominal scan and ultrasound.

The good news is that after a night in the hospital I do not have a blood clot in my liver.  The bad news, they have theories, but no one knows what caused the pain to come on so quickly. My poor liver is definitely enlarged. The most they could do was offer pain medication. And the pain is better than it was. Of course being in a hospital, I was urged to get started on chemotherapy. That's something I've been avoiding. We've both been avoiding it. Having both been through chemo before, we know just how draining  and debilitating it is. Just the same I've been in the process of shopping for a new oncologist. I'm meeting this coming week with a doctor who will offer some referrals. 

So, it’ll a quiet weekend here for us.  We're exhausted from sitting in my room for endless hours. By the way we were in the newest hospital operating in this area. It's really well designed, lots of open areas and natural light. Large private rooms with huge bathrooms. A staff trained to a fault to be upbeat and encouraging. And ya know what? The food was still terrible.  

On that note, a couple lighthouse pictures from our most recent New England visit.

Road Trip!

Johnny and I have just returned from a little piece of heaven.  We spent 10 days in New England.  We’ve been there 2 other times but it’s so beautiful we keep going back.  We started off at Lake George RV Park and Charlie’s Bark Park.  For those of you traveling with dogs there is no place in the world like the two acre Charlie’s Bark Park.  The dogs had the opportunity to burn off energy so we could hop in the car slowly cruising through town after town ooh-ing and aah-ing at absolutely everything.

shelter house at the worlds greatest dog park

In a little town called Old Forge, New York we stopped at Lucy and Bob’s and had a breakfast so good we’re still talking about it.  It’s a small café that concentrates on just a few items to make sure that everything is mind blowing. It was so good we still talk about it. And to make it even better they are very dog friendly.

Lake Champlain should be designated a great lake, because it is

After our time in New York we headed to Vermont and Lake Champlain to spend the night on the water.  Johnny grilled some beef filets and once again the views are simply breath taking. From here we headed into New Hampshire and stayed in the Woodstock/Lincoln area.  It worked out as a great base camp to see the Appalachian Trail, Franconia Notch, The Old Man of the Mountain, and the White Mountains in General. 

We also found a great little store near our camp site, The Purple Tomato and they get our vote for best lobster roll of the trip!  They were so good that Rose was hoping to get in on the lunch too!

she always gets a taste

We enjoyed our time there, but then it was off to Bar Harbor, Maine truly the highlight of our trip. Once we got settled in at our camp site we chowed down on lobster rolls and took the dogs to the beach for sunset.  A big highlight of the trip was a 1.5 hour harbor voyage on the Acadian (nobody sang the Gilligan song).  We saw miles of beautiful homes, bald eagles, seal, whales, and all sorts of other wildlife.  Rose loved the cruise but I’m not sure that Tillie was quite as enthused.  Our trip into downtown led us to a café called Poorboy’s.  Wonderful food and once again they were very dog friendly.

Getting ready to tour the harbor at Bar Harbor

As usual, vacations fly by.  But we did get this one last shot of the four of us at the top of Cadillac Mountain.  All too soon it was time to pack up and start driving home.  But not without one more stop for lobster rolls before getting on the road.  Overall we’re already dreaming of our next trip to Maine.  Until then, we’ll reminisce and plan some other trips.

at the top of Cadillac mountain

We’re both doing well, but next week the doctor appointments start back up.  Happy Weekend.  We love you all.