Happy belated Thanksgiving!

No turkey-day at home for us. We loaded up the family truckster (how's that for vintage Chevy Chase "Vacation") and headed south for Florida last Wednesday. Some 13 hours later around 1:00 a.m. EARLY Thanksgiving morning, we arrived. Ok, so the drive there and back was a little insane...who drives 13-14 hours straight with minimal stops for bathroom breaks or food???? The answer to that purely academic questions: Roger Wethington. He's a lover of long car trips. Me? I'm a lover of NO car trips. We are in more ways than one, an odd couple without doubt. Our individual oddities are tied together by a passion for life and a passion for each other so it all kinda works its way out.

It was a last-minute decision. Tough to leave family behind on the holiday of feasting but the call to sunshine and the ocean was too great. It was our only "vacation" for the year. Short though it was - it had a restorative affect on both of us. Its amazing to see how relaxed Roger becomes near or on the water. He was more relaxed than I have seen in a very long time. I was able to just slow down for a few days. I'll admit that Thursday evening was a little tough for me as I sat in a chair watching tv but feeling anxious that I had something I needed to be doing. Its been full steam ahead for quite some time....so slowing down to a veritable halt... away from the house, away from all the various to-do lists, etc. was an abrupt and uncomfortable change for me that first evening. Eventually I figured out the vacation groove - just in time to pack up the truckster and head back home. :-) Roger is much better at vacationing than I am. We napped and slept and walked the beach and rode bikes and basically did a whole lotta nothing.

Roger has been doing well for the most part. Unfortunately he still has some pain and some discomfort but he is managing. Energy level is much closer to normal than it has been for months. His hearing is still off a little. Eating is not as "carefree" as it once was. He has to pay attention to what he eats and how much. Certain food items still give him issues but he's learning what to avoid. The newest issue/challenge he has is his cholesterol. He had blood work done a week ago which revealed that his cholesterol and triglycerides are OFF THE CHARTS. I guess normal for cholesterol is supposed to be below 200...our dear Roger has a count of 356!!! And of course, what do you expect? While going through chemo/radiation he lived on eggs, milkshakes, fast food hamburgers...the meals of champions. You feel a little like "damned if you do, damned if you don't". Unfortunately Roger has known that his cholesterol tends to be high but he doesn't like the cholesterol controlling drugs so he stopped taking them pre-cancer. So we get to add this to the list. He needs to go back and see our family doctor and come up with treatment/diet plan going forward.

Mentally - Roger is doing well. Better than most in his position. You can tell periodically that it the whole thing must weigh heavily on his mind. Tonight over dinner (salads for our start on a low cholesterol diet!), I asked him what he wanted for Christmas in the event someone asked for a gift idea. His response was simple and pure..."Life. I just want to be alive. I want to be on the topside of the grass verses the alternative. That's all I want for Christmas"

We meet with the surgeon this Wednesday. We'll put up a new post on the blog after we have spoken with him. Hopefully we'll be able to tell you what the surgery date is going to be.