Travels with Fred

15 October 2024

Whew! I was really worried my cancer had returned when I noticed a tenderness in the same region that alerted me to the cancer in the first place. I called the surgeon and she worked me in at 9:30 this morning. It seems, like usual, I always catch her on her way out of town.

As I walked into the Cancer Center, they had all kinds of goodies for sell in a fundraiser. As I looked around, I saw Lorraine, my original nurse with the surgeon who has since retired. She gave me a great big hug and told me she didn’t always like all her patients but she liked me. After a quick chat, I headed to Dr. Burgers’ office.

The receptionist remembered my name and we chatted a bit before I was taken back, weighed, checked temperature, dissolved oxygen and blood pressure. My weight was 171, down from 180 and my diastolic pressure was 68. I assume I’m dehydrated from the diarrhea.

After the vitals, the nurse showed me to a room where I waited for 30 minutes. One difference from my last visit was I was given a pink gown that opened in the front. It was really nice and I started to take it with me. I was then shifted to a room that had an ultrasound device. Dr. Burgers came in shortly after and after I pinpointed the region on the left breast, she did a physical examination and then did an ultrasound. Everything was A-OK. In her opinion, the nerves from the surgery were acting up. She suggested diclofenac gel which I already have on hand. It’s a topical ointment that I already use on my fingers for arthritis.

Upon leaving, I headed back to the “fair” in the lobby and got another hug from Lorraine. We talked a good bit and Dr. Burgers joined in for a while. She’s all business and is not one for small talk or jokes. I like that in a physician. Lorraine complained she didn’t have enough time in the day since retirement. I observed that when we worked, we often had to be more organized to get things done while working. She said she filled some of the time with two new pups. Dr. Burgers said if she had that much time on her hands, she should come back to work. You can tell Lorraine is a good nurse when the doctors want you back.

On my way out, I purchased one of their pink tee shirts for $10.

The also good news is that I haven’t had an episode of diarrhea today. Keep your fingers crossed!

I made it home in time to meet with AJ Staps who is going to purchase an artificial tree for me with decorations, and also install it in the house. He will then, in January, take it down so I can store it in the house. He’s one of the main decorators for The Christmas Place in Fort Lauderdale. That place has been open for business ever since I came down here. John once worked for the original owner.

I haven’t put up a tree in a very long time and had actually gotten rid of all my Christmas ornaments collected over the years (some were gifts and were quite expensive). That meant I had to buy some more. AJ will be purchasing the ornaments he wants to use and I’ll also have some fancy ribbons, bows, artificial flowers and something he calls pick. We’re set for 8:30 on December 11 for installation. Sadly, he’ll send everything over this month and I’ll have to store it until installation.

You might wonder what the price is. I’m embarrassed to tell you so I won’t. Suffice to say my savings took a hit. At least, next year, all I’ll pay is for installation and removal.

I was very particular about the tree. Most artificial trees I see at Lowes and Home Depot look cheap. I asked AJ to show me the boughs of his planned tree and it definitely looked realistic. He says trees have improved on their appearance over the years. He suggested his favorite tree, the Belgium Fir. He showed me pictures of the boughs and I agreed it look realistic.

To make it more realistic, I purchased some Frasier Fir spray to give the right atmosphere when you walk into the house. That and my very potent egg nog.

I loved Christmas as a kid. Once when I was very young, I swore I could hear sleigh bells on the roof of my Grandmother’s house telling me Santa had arrived. My favorite thing on the tree was the bubble lights she had on her Christmas tree.

Later, Christmas took on a more sad meaning. Family arguments, sadness on my Grandmother’s part since she married on Christmas Day, and at times me being the one to celebrate instead of my parents.

When I moved to Fort Lauderdale, I started putting up live trees and I loved the smell but not so much the mess.

This is Rocky looking guilty – like he had been watering the tree. He never bother it but he didn’t care for it because it blocked his view out of the window.

Finally putting up and taking down got to be too much and I gave away all the ornaments, lights, bubble lights, etc. to a neighbor. She much appreciated it and had me come in and see how my ornaments looked on her tree.

This year, I’m putting up the tree for Wade (and me). As I get older, I get more morose and thinking more about my lost youth. Wade always liked my trees and he would help decorate when he came. I hope he’ll feel at home and have the Christmas spirit when he sees the tree in December.

I no longer attach a religious significance to Christmas but I do like the carols, the lights, and the smell of real Christmas trees.

Stay tuned!

14 October 2024

It’s been a second day of diarrhea with this one starting at 3 am. I have no idea why the third hour is significant but what’s unusual about this form of diarrhea is that it sneaks up on you. I’ve messed the Depends before I even knew it was coming. At this rate, I’ll be ordering a crate of Depends.

In between rushing to the bathroom and changing Depends, I managed 10 hours at 50 minutes of sleep. You can safely assume I’ve been spending a lot of time in bed. I managed a banana, rice pudding, and an apple today.

Chris texted and suggested I lay off the coconut water. I will do that. However, coconut water was specifically recommended by the nutritionist as a source of electrolytes. Since I’ve stopped the coconut water, I’ve been using Pedialyte.

Joel stopped by Walgreens and picked up three prescriptions for me today and brought them over to the house. I rewarded him with pumpkin muffins I made before the diarrhea episodes.

With all this going on, I’ve noticed a tenderness in my left breast about the same location prior to my surgery. It’s sensitive enough that if the shower spray hits it, I feel it. I called Dr. Burgers office and I’ve got an appointment at 9:30 am tomorrow.

I had to reschedule a consult with a Christmas guy until 3 pm. I’m really curious as to what he has to say and what he will do.

As of this afternoon, the diarrhea has stopped but passing gas and belching has not. I hate belching. I don’t care about passing gas as long as no one is around.

Stay tuned!

13 October 2024

This post may not make much sense. Forgive any typos or grammatical errors. Projectile diarrhea started at 3:30 am this morning and continued through the morning until the medicine kicked in. I’m pretty weak and certainly filled drained of energy (an other stuff). In addition to the anti-diarrheal medicine I’ve taken some Pedialyte and GatorAde to replenish my electrolytes.

I’ve been in bed all day except for the time I had to change linen on the bed (I didn’t have Depends on) and wash them and remake the bed. I started to go to bed in the guest room but decided I wanted to sleep in my own bed. I also had to wash the mattress cover.

Barbara checked on me and asked if I needed anything. She brought me precooked rice, turkey gravy, bananas, bread, applesauce, and some cantaloupe. Of course, she would let me pay her.

I did get some good news yesterday late. Chris has been discharged from the hospital and is now home with Judith!

The day yesterday started good when my cousin Jo called and we talked and laughed for a while. San Antonio has cooled somewhat and only hits 93 in the daytime.

I’ll spare you the details of the diarrhea. Suffice to say I am now back in depends. Anyway, I’m too tired to write more. I canceled my FaceTime with my cousin Jimmie. We’ll try to reschedule this week.

Stay tuned!

12 October 2024

Monday was my iron infusion and I felt good the rest of Monday. I was good on Tuesday and Wednesday but started to fade on Thursday. Friday I pretty much crashed and stayed in bed. Pat, the nurse, told me it may take 2-3 infusions before I really start to feel better. I’ve pretty much taken the day off today with the exception of Saturday chores.

I managed to do what I call a clean of the house, change linen on the bed and start the wash. After that, I made a soup with ham, cannellini beans, onions, carrots and spinach. It turned out pretty good for lunch and probably for dinner. For some reason, this drop in temperatures to the 70’s at night have me craving soups and stews.

After lunch, I headed to the bedroom for a very short reading period and then a two hour nap. I used to never nap more than 15-30 minutes and now all of a sudden I’m sleeping 8-10 hours every night and 1-2 hours in the afternoon. Not that I’m complaining, I’m just not used to it.

The other day I was looking around for something to drink besides water. I was tired of GatorAde. I saw a small carton on coconut milk and when I checked, the expiration date was still good. My last order to Whole Foods included coconut milk. I really like the taste. What’s strange is I like the Whole Foods 365 brand. I’ve had other brands but they are not as tasty.

I remember cracking coconuts as a kid to get to the juice and “meat” of the coconut. Mother would put me to work on a few to get enough to shred to make a coconut cake. She made the cake from scratch and then used immediately fresh coconuts.

To open the coconut, there are three depressions at one end. I used a screwdriver to punch holes in those and drain the coconut water (which is liquid endosperm). Then after draining, I’d use a hammer to crack it into several pieces and use a knife to pry the white coconut from the shell. It was laborious to say the least, but the effort was worth it for the coconut cake. By the way, Mom hand grated the coconut on a box grater.

Coconuts are a big thing in South Florida. I only have one tree now where there used to be three. People would stop and ask if they could harvest the coconuts. I generally said yes until the only one left was in the back yard. Now the tree people who do my yard get the coconuts. You can see pickup trucks driving through the neighborhood filled to overflowing with locally harvested coconuts.

Some guys climb the tree and others use an extendible saw. The coconut bunch makes a loud thud when they hit the ground. You don’t want to be under a coconut palm when it drops a coconut from 15-20 feet over your head. Remember, these still have the husk so they weight considerably more than the husk-less ones in the grocery.

I’m going to be lazy tomorrow. Monday I have a new infusion and I have something to do on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Stay tuned!

11 October 2024

I took the day off. I needed to catch up on some things around the house and I knew I was losing energy.

The good news is Chris is either home tonight or will be tomorrow. Tom is in rehab for a few days and is better. Jim and Holley restocked Kurt and then took Tom some Tom Jenkins barbecue with collards, chicken, and sweet potato pie. Yum!

I didn’t rake leaves nor wash down the patio but I did get some iguana poop off the pool deck. I then cleaned the pool filter and added chemicals. After that, I called it a day.

I crawled up in bed and read for about 30 minutes and then took a nap.

After I got out of bed, I put an order in to Whole Foods, stocking up on a few items on which I was running low. Delivery is set between the hours of 7 and 9 pm.

I did manage a 1.2 mile walk this morning. The temp was 74°F but the humidity was 91%. Yet it was a pleasant walk with the break in temperature.

At my favorite yard, I saw a Slender Dwarf Morning Glory in bloom.

It has a beautiful blue flower and, indeed, is a member of the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae). It’s an annual and makes a good ground cover.

Tonight will be an early night.

Stay tuned!

10 October 2024

It was a good news day on the health front. My friend Chris is doing much better and so is my friend Tom. Even I had a good day by walking a mile this morning, opening all the hurricane shutters, putting patio furniture back and cleaning the pool.

Holley and Jim tag teamed Tom at Hollywood Memorial and found him in high spirits. Jim had his own appointments and left Holley for a while. She’s been indefatigable in her devotion to Tom, Kurt, Chris and Judith.

I picked Judith up around 1 pm and we headed to Broward Health to see Chris. We stopped at Starbucks in the hospital and loaded up with coffees and pastries and we even shared some with Chris. Judith treated us. It was good to see him back to his old self.

I returned Judith home and headed to the house. I was beginning to drag and I suspect it’ll be another early night.

Chris called and we caught up with each other since we didn’t do movie night this week. Tucker was devastated but he got over it with a treat or two.

Wade in San Francisco also called and we caught up with each other. He’s been diligent to check up on me as has Ron in Miami.

Tomorrow, I’ll check on Chris and Judith and try to make it to Hollywood Memorial to see Tom. I haven’t seen him the last two days and I miss his repartee.

Hurricane-wise, we made out OK. I don’t think anyone lost power in Broward County. The big issue was tornados. I think over 117 were reported over the state, many quite damaging. We don’t usually get strong tornados here: mostly F0 or F1 but I suspect these were much stronger.

Just when you thought the coast was clear, a new low is coming off the coast of Africa, 94L. Here’s the spaghetti model from Cyclocane.com.

The straight line is line of best fit for all the models. I don’t like its direction.

I got a letter from the VA today that states I may be eligible for expanded benefits from the VA based on my exposure to toxic substances in the Coast Guard while aboard the CGC Reliance. Of course the forms to fill out are several pages and it calls for all kinds of proof.

We had an abundance of asbestos on the ship and I was constantly coming in contact with that. In addition, I often had to help chip paint and prime with red oxide which is hazardous if you inhale the fumes or get it on your skin (I’m a messy painter).

If I find time, I’ll fill out the forms. I know three shipmates I’m in contact with that will verify I was exposed and can get letters of confirmation. I’m not sure what “expanded” benefits they are talking about but it may be worth it to see.

Stay tuned!

9 October 2024

I slept until 8 am. I was and still am exhausted. After some coffee so I made sense, I called Holley and Jim and we agreed I would check on Judith and Chris and Jim and Holley would check on Tom and Kurt. Teamwork!

I got to Judith’s around noon. Chris was running low on a prescription he needed ($250,000 a month – fortunately, he gets it free) and I agreed to run it over to him at Broward Health. They are going to keep him for a few days and run some more tests.

Holley and Jim spent a lot of time with Tom at Hollywood Memorial. They moved him from ICU to a regular room. They will do an MRI either today or tomorrow. Apparently, the MRI folks are really backed up. They also checked to make sure Kurt is OK and doing well. If you are ever sick or in the hospital, Holley is someone you want on your side. Tom is in good hands.

After I left Chris, I came home, ate a bowl of Raisin Bran and took a nap. I think I was awake at 3:45. I had promised Judith a 6″ Italian BMT from Subway. I managed to get it before they closed at 6 pm. We wished everyone a safe day and I delivered it to Judith around 4:30. The wind was picking up and it started raining so I made sure she had everything she needed and headed home.

I closed the rest of the accordion shutters and I’m good for the night. The last time I checked they were expecting winds with 50 mph gusts. My only concern is the awning over the patio and it’s time to replace it anyway.

We should start getting some exciting wind and rain around 8 pm. I’ll probably be in bed by then. With the impact windows and the shutters, you don’t hear much unless it is real wild. We are under a tornado watch until 9 pm. In the path of Milton, they’ve already had several damaging tornados.

My main concern is if Judith and Kurt lose electricity. I’ve offered both my home. I have a spare queen bed and a couch that opens up into a queen so I have room. However, both turned me down. I understand. You would rather be among your things than in some other place.

Any way, stay tuned!

8 October 2024

It’s been a busy day which started at 3 am this morning. I got up to pee and decided to stay up and get my usual routine done while I waiting for Tom to show up at 5.

Once Tom got here, I drove him to Hollywood Memorial and we got checked in around 6. He was taken back around 6:30 where they began to prep him for surgery. He was in surgery at 8 and by 9 the surgery had started. Hollywood Memorial sends you texts on the steps so I was able to keep track. They were finished by 10:30 and the surgeon, Dr. Buttrick came and talked me to and Jim.

Jim had joined me a few hours before and we had a great time solving all the world’s problems. Look for a notice in your mail this week. Dr. Buttrick declared the surgery a success and we then waited until he was up for visitors in recovery.

By then we had both been notified that Chris’ wife, Judith, had fallen early this morning. I left Jim and headed to Judith’s to check on her. I suspect she’ll be sore tomorrow but the paramedics didn’t find anything wrong with her.

Back at Hollywood Memorial, Jim had visited with Tom and found him groggy and a little disoriented from the anesthesia still and that was accompanied by nausea and headaches.

Around 3:15 Holley made it to the hospital and we sent her back to see Tom (only 1 person at a time in recovery). Later I got to see him and he was then assigned a room in ICU. We got to visit him one more time and we left for the night. Let’s just say we closed down the valet parking.

I intend for an early night tonight. It’s heartening to see Tom and Kurt have so many friends. We kept Kurt informed all during the day and he much appreciated what we were doing. Hopefully Tom will get some sleep tonight and maybe make it home tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

7 October 2024

Hold on to your hats! They could blow off your head this time tomorrow. As of the 5:30 pm news, Milton has reached 180 miles per hour. Fortunately, it’s predicted to be a category 3 by the time it makes landfall. Even writing that statement seems obscene – only a category 3.

The infusion went quickly today. They took me back early and I was out of there by 2:30 pm. Pat was my nurse again and we wished each other to stay safe as I left. The Tootsie Roll Minis were a hit.

Once I got home, I secured the Bahama shutters and the accordion shutters. We are not predicted to have more than tropical storm gusts (39+mph) however, what I am concerned about is any tornados that might be spawned from the hurricane. So far, it doesn’t look like the rainfall projections are too much for my street to handle – fingers crossed. I did move the patio furniture and some containers into a more protected space. Let’s hope the awning holds up to the winds.

The reason I secured the shutters is I won’t have time tomorrow. I’m taking Tom in for his surgery and I intend to be there until he wakes up and I know he’s OK. It’ll be an all day process. It’s a serious surgery and I want to be able to talk to the surgeon as soon as he finishes.

Tom will drive to my house and arrive at 5 am and I’ll drive him to Hollywood Memorial for a 5:30 am prep. The surgery should only take 1 1/2 hours. Tom knows how to plan things: his marriage to Kurt, the surgery and then a cruise on the 27th.

My friend Chris at Broward Health seems to be doing much better today. As I age, I find myself in hospitals – both for me and for friends – more and more. Up until my first surgery ever – the torn biceps – I’d never really spent a night in the hospital since November 1, 1948. Dad always reminded me he had to sell a calf to get my sprung.

You would think hospitals would all be alike. That’s not the case. Each has their own set of procedures and priorities. What works in one facility doesn’t necessarily work in another.

When I moved here in 1985, both Broward Health (back then it was Broward General) and Hollywood Memorial were pretty small. Today you can get lost in the hallways. It takes a while to learn where everything is.

Keep a close watch on the weather. This is a massive system and it’ll affect weather all over the southeastern U.S.

Stay tuned!

6 October 2024

It’s been an interesting day. Jim and Holley picked me up at 11 to head to lunch at Seasons 52 at the Galleria. Tom and Kurt met us there and we had a great lunch. Holley insisted on paying.

While we were working on the appetizers, Tom and Kurt had an announcement. After 46 years of being together, they got married on October 4th. We were thrilled and the complimentary glass of champagne was a nice touch.

After Holley and Jim dropped me home, Judith called and asked if I could drive her to Broward Health. Chris, her husband was admitted through the emergency room yesterday. I was more than happy to do it because Judith and Chris have been long time friends (around 40 years).

We stayed and visited a while and then I drove Judith home. I made it back just in time for the downpour to start.

The house kitty-cornered from me is for sale. That’s Michel’s old house. She told me today that when she bought it, it was $79k. They are asking $675k for it today. I wonder what mine would be worth? I paid $98k for mine in 1995. (Judith wrote the mortgage for me!)

Since I had a large lunch, I’m opting for fruit for dinner. I think it’ll be an early night tonight. I have an iron infusion tomorrow at 2 pm.

I missed my FaceTime with Jimmie this afternoon. Maybe we can make contact on Monday.

Batten down the hatches. It looks like we are going to be on the wrong side of a category 3 hurricane.

Stay tuned!