It's not Amway

"I'd like to share the good news with you."

Growing up in the South, this was a warning sign. Someone was either about to talk to you about Jesus or Amway. The latter involved a lengthy pitch that ended with a soap-buying spree. The former was much shorter and ended in either a cult or being tipped backwards into some type of water - a lake, river or in most cases a small pool.

Maybe I'm just too nervous to talk about good things. Maybe I'm afraid I'll jinx it and bad things will happen. Or maybe I'm just afraid I'll be mistaken for Mormons.

I"m finally feeling back to normal. So is Duncan. So is Russ. Wednesday night, Duncan sat in the kitchen with me for hours and helped me make Irish Brown bread for cheese club at work and a coconut cake for no reason in particular. We had a good time. Russ is feeling much better and getting ready to end one of his medications. I've started running again. I tried to pick up where I left off, but too much time had passed. My knees weren't keen on the idea of running 9 miles last week. Or 8 or 7. They gave out after 2. So, I have to start over a bit. Today, we would have been touring Dublin and getting over jetlag. Maybe seeing Kilmainham jail or the Book of Kells again, or perhaps St. Patricks Cathedral for Good Friday. Instead, I'm putting in a composter. We leave for Hawaii on April 11. I'm very excited about that trip, even though it's uncharacteristic of us to a. visit a crowded city and stay there and b. not go to the UK. Well, got shake it up I guess.

And I'm not complaining. I'm not. I'm thinking. And learning. And trying to figure out what happened. I know who I was going in, but I need to figure out who I am coming out. It's all been like an Easy-bake oven. And I'm that crappy little metal pan that you used to fill with a tiny amount of cake batter and let it cook under a light bulb. If you left it in too long, it didn't really burn so much as dry up around the edges. Hopefully, I'm still moist. Although I've been under the light bulb too long.

Just when you thought it was safe...

Sunday morning, I picked out the perfect Hawaiian vacation. It's a cute hotel, on teh beach in Waikiki, coudn;t be better. We decided that we NEED to get away and a few days on the beach sounded like the perfect thing. Then Russ mentioned that his left hand had become numb. We decided to wait a few hours to see if it got better. After lunch, he started not feeling well at all. Then by 1, he made the call: Let's go to the emergency room! At 3:30, he had a preliminary screening. His blood pressure was 195 over 110. Impossible for someone who runs 30 miles a week. They were concerned. And with the numbness, a stroke was a possibility. So, they admitted him. This was 8pm. I ran home, fed the cats and explained to Duncan that now it is Russ' turn to be in the hospital. Paxton was indifferent as always. He's a good cat - he just goes with the flow. Good thing I didn't book the vacation, I thought. If he has any sign of stoke he can't fly. I spent the first night ever in a hospital that night, as did Russ. We had no idea how noisey those things get at night. Hospitals are not made for sleeping. There were doctors and nurses coming in and out at all hours. Yesterday, more tests. MRI, ultrasound, echo cardiogram. All negative, which is good. But the numb hand has everyone stumped. So we stayed again last night. Poor Russ finally slept because they gave him a sedative for the MRI. Here I am at home trying to catch up on things, care for the cats, etc. Duncan keeps throwing up this morning. I may have to take him to HIS hospital later if he can't hold down food. I'm going to take a nap for now though. I'm tired and I can't type properly. More later, I promise.

No more stitches

Yesterday, Duncan had his stitches out. He's such a good little cat! He actually seems to be enjoying the car. And of course his jazz. We've also discovered that he's not a big fan of the Beatles. We are crushed at this news. Since he had the stitches out, he's been really trying to get back to ALL his old stuff. He still walks funny though. If you get on all fours (I did this while trying to imagine how hard it was going to be for Duncan) and walk around, then try taking out the front left leg, you will notice that you have to use the right one twice as much. I thought it wouldbe more of a "waltz." But it is like a synchopated tempo with a distinct THUD on beats 2 and 4. His back is very arched and he keeps his upper body low to the ground. But he gets along pretty fast. And he has been up to the top of the sofa so he can look out the window. And last night he started demanding things like food. It's all very heart warming.

Meantime, the vacation plans are all over the place. We don't want to leave Duncan too long. But I won't get another chunk of time for a year. So, the tick will be to find the compromise. And NO I am not going to Temecula for vacation, and that's final!

But since we're not running in the half marathon, I wonder, "Why am I still running?" TBD.

Turning the corner

Duncan had such a great day yesterday. He's climbing up on chairs, which is good. He's starting to get the idea that he can get around on his own. So, today I went home at lunch as I have been to feed him and take him to his box. After he ate, he walked to the box on his own and then walked out to the back porch, down 2 stairs. That's really good! He was taking breaks along the way and resting, but pretty much getting where he wanted to get. I changed clothes and went out for a 3 mile run, leaving the guys on the back porch where they could hang out and watch the world. It's all fenced, so no worries about getting out. And they can get back in the house when they need to. On my run, I came up with a clever plan to put a board on the bed like a plank. So Duncan can simply walk up and down to get on or off the bed. I was so excited at the prospect that Duncan could be completely independent and then I won't have to check on him at lunch any more! When I came back, I expected to find the cats still on the porch, with Duncan probably sniffing around the cactus. What I found however was both cats ON THE BED. So, Duncan walked back in the house and somehow got back on the bed all by himself. I have no idea how, but I can assume he jumped and probably pulled himself up by one leg. He was just falling asleep as I inspected him to make sure he had nothing strained or broken. He seems fine. Amazing creatures they are!!!!

So at this point I feel so much better about Duncan, the whole process, the cancer that is probably entirely out of Duncan and sitting in a lab somewhere in LA county. I wonder if cancer keeps growing on the tissue even after it has been excised from a living body. How long can it sustain itself? Does it keep growing until it turns into a blob and takes over a small town until those rebel teens led by a young Steve McQueen beat it into submission with a a massive blast of chemo?

And now the running. Russ and I have been training to run a half marathon in Ireland March 27. We've been training since last August. But now the trip is in jeopardy. So much money has been spent on Duncan, plus up until today, we weren't sure about leaving him with a sitter. And then Russ' project is over in 2 weeks not 8 as expected, so he has not work coming in. And I never bought airline tickets because I was waiting on those winter deals but they just didn't coincide with my plans. What to do? Duncan has turned a corner, a big corner, in his recovery. But have I?

*Maybe* cancer free

Yesterday the surgeon called to check on Duncan. He's doing pretty good. Everyday gets a little better. He's eating well. He loves going outside to sit in the sun. He's still not moving around on his own very much. And yesterday he was a little cranky. I think his compression bandage being off made him a little sore. But today he seems happier. He's starting to venture out a little more, climbing up the 2 stairs from the porch to the house and climbing down from a counter to my lap. That latter one is important because climbing down is much , much harder on a front amputee. His scar is pretty funky. He looks like a Sharpei under his t-shirt. So, I think we'll leave that on for a while. The surgeon mentioned that there was way more skin on the front than the back part of the wound so she had to gather it and attach it. It looks like he has a ruffle. Creepy. And she pulled the skin from his belly up to his side. So he has a nipple on his side. And that cute pink underbelly that cats have is also now in full view on his left. He's really disfigured actually. I'm glad he has no vanity. Dignity, perhaps. And that's what stops me from dressing him up in little costumes that you can buy at the Build-A-Bear store. It's just not right for him to be dressed in a Lakers jersey just to cover his gnarly wound. The surgeon, Dr Tina Owen, whom Duncan calls Dr Tuna, said that the lab report came back and it looks like they got a complete resection. They will go back and check the cells on the perimeter to insure that none of them are malignant. At that point, we can consider Duncan to be cancer free.

I feel a bit better about the whole thing . It still kills me to see him struggle and get frustrated. I just wish we could have saved his leg.