March 3, 2007
The
truth is out all over town,
That I've been seen in a hospital gown!
Well, it's no lie, now you've been told,
It was required if I'm to grow old!
Just an update! You have all been so good to inquire about my
welfare and to pray for my return to good health that I thought I should
keep you informed of significant developments. However, it's not
like I'm the only one with health issues. Some of us are getting
up in years and, like our automobiles, we develop a little cough in our
carburetors, a little rust on our exteriors, a little clog in our pipes,
a little hitch in our starters, a little tear in our upholstery, a
little leak in our batteries, ...well, you get the picture. Unlike
our automobiles, we
can't just trade this old body in for a newer model.
At any one time, one or more of us is dealing with diabetes, high blood
pressure, heart problems, macular degeneration, prostate cancer,
lymphoid cancer, colorectal cancer, severe headaches, knee and hip
degeneration, etc.....So...we go for pacemakers, stints, knee
replacements, hip replacements, dentures, hearing aids, eye glasses,
prostate surgery, neck surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy,
insulin, medicine for blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart
problems, prostate problems, hormone problems, arthritis, headaches,
etc. We pretty much deal with these issues as they come up without
much ado and in our own time and space. However, as Boe put it,
with so much love present in our group,
and
with the strong faith in God that our group has, it behooves us to pray
for and support each other with the intensity that our love for one
another makes possible. So, as I know that your love and prayers
have and will continue to help me, I want you to know that LaVern and I
love and pray for each of you in your struggles with old age issues. ie... Jack,
Evelyn, Jim, Boe, Tooter, Jargo, Sandi, Johnny, James, and Shayne.
As far as I know, Twila and Carolyn are the only hard-bodies in the
group with no health issues to amount to. I guess that, at all of
our future adventures, we can depend on them to cater to the health
needs of the rest of us, you know, fetching our pills, applying the
soothing ointments to our aching joints, adjusting our life support
systems, filling our feeding tubes, etc.
Seriously, at my doctor visit on Friday, April 2nd, we were told that 20
more nodes had been removed from the right side of my neck on the 22nd
and that two of them also were malignant. Consequence, 7 weeks of
radiation therapy (5 days per week) and 3 chemotherapy treatments (1 at
the beginning of radiation, 1 in the middle, and 1 at the end), it will
start in 3 weeks. Good news...I should be in good shape to
attend the Ranch reunion in April, (not too far into therapy), good to
go on the Cruise to Alaska in June (recovered enough to enjoy it, and in
top shape for the Granbury, TX adventure extraordinaire in October.
I can resume playing golf and fishin' in one more week!
Love you all soooooooo much! Robert
and LaVern