Sunday, November 22nd

The company started arriving yesterday. Brian arrived around 10:30, then about 5 minutes later, then my brother, Mark, my nephew, Tom, my mother, Shirley and my sisters, Rita and Beth arrived. We had some lunch then visited all afternoon before going to dinner at Granite City which was excellent. Andy arrived before dinner, but after the Hawkeye game. It was an exhausting day for everyone, but it was great to see and talk with them all. Jeff's wife, Cathy arrives later today - can't wait to see her- then Carole's Mom, sister and boys arrive later in the week. It will be great to see them as well.
I have to remember to take my naps, but I won't miss the Bengals games. It will be a busy Thanksgiving! Thank goodness for the Slingbox because Eastern Iowa doesn't like the Bengals. Thanks to my great-niece, Anna, for the heart-shaped Colts pillow. The Bengals are still my favorite, but I can't root against the Colts.
We talked with Jeff yesterday afternoon. Sounds like he ships out to Iraq this morning around 10:30 EST. He's ready! He wasn't sure where he was going from Georgia.

Friday, November 20th

The last few days have gone better - no more falling. We got a call from the doctor's office today, my platelet count is too low to resume my chemo tonight, so we'll wait another week to retest my blood. It's actually probably better for me to wait until after Thanksgiving dinner to start the chemo.
The company starts arriving tomorrow. I can't wait to see everybody!
Jeff is still in Georgia, but should be gone before Thanksgiving - Cathy will be here on Sunday.
Carole is starting to get run down. I feel sorry for her trying to keep everything up at home. Andy still comes almost every day to help.

Tuesday, November 17th

Last night was not a good one. While transferring from the toilet to the wheelchair, I fell to the floor and couldn't get back up - I hope this isn't a long term issue. Fortunately, both neighbors were home and were able to help lift me back in my chair. Thanks Steve and Mike!
The whole ordeal scared both Carole and me. She's calling the U of I H & C today to see what they have to say. We may need to look at alternative ways to do some of the transfers.
Who dey! Weren't the Bengals awesome on Sunday? I still can't believe their defense is as good as it is.
Need to nap now. Update you more later.

Thursday, November 12th

Today's visit with Dr. Carlisle went pretty well. It sounds like we'll start the next round of chemo next Friday as long as the blood platelets are okay - there's no reason to think they won't be. Everything else seemed to be in order. Thanks, Andy for taking time off work to help get me to the U of I Hospitals and Clinics. It was an exhausting day for me, and I was really tired by the time I got home.
I have a lot to look forward to over the next few weeks. A lot of people are coming around Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you.
I still haven't heard anything new from Jeff, so I don't know if he's officially been deployed or not.
I can't wait for Purdue basketball to begin, and I'm still rooting for the Bengals -Beat the Steelers!

Sunday, November 8th

The Hawkeyes magic ran out yesterday. I guess that wasn't too big a surprise, was it? We'll blame the SI jinx. Who ever would have guessed Purdue could beat both Ohio State and Michigan in the same year and still be a horrible team - not even bowl eligible? That's the way this year is looking. It's crazy!
I can still root for my Bengals. Hopefully Jeff won't mind that I steal his and Brian's Slingbox signal (from Carole's mom in Cincinnati) and watch it from here today. Isn't technology great? As far as we know, Jeff still hasn't been deployed to Iraq -it's supposed to be any day now - and he seems frustrated with the delays. It seems that's the way the Army works.
I'm home this morning with a neighbor while Carole has gone to church with his wife. It was a good chance for her to get out while somebody was available to watch me. It's great to have good neighbors. Together, the neighbors took me for two trips around the block yesterday. It was a really warm day, and it felt wonderful to get outside for a while. Thanks, Steve and Mary!
Brian returns from Europe later this week, then will be coming here a week from Friday or Saturday (the 20th or 21st). Sounds like his business trip was full of long hours, without much time for any pleasure trips. That's why they call them business trips!
Andy is coming up from Iowa City later this morning. He'll take care of hooking up the Slingbox connections so I can watch the Bengals. Then he'll give Carole a break and help take care of me. He's been really good about being here when he needs to be, and he pays attention to what Carole needs as well as my concerns. I'm sure it's tough for him, because he frequently gets stuck in the middle.
I go back to the doctor at the U of I H&C next Thursday and, hopefully start the next round of chemo therapy. I'm still fighting!
Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and prayers. I appreciate all of them.

Monday, November 2nd

It was kind of a tough weekend for me. I started getting dizzy spells on Friday, so I did't get to do much of my therapy. I still don't have any idea what caused the spells, but they seem to be less frequent now, and I was able to complete my whole PT this morning - a full lap, about 80' with a walker - around the first floor of the house. That felt really good to complete.
Carole went back to work full time starting today. I have full time home health care staying here with me. I call them my babysitters. I have to admit, they are all good people, and they take good care of me.
It was an interesting football weekend. No Bengals, the Hawkeyes were lucky, Brett Favre delivered for the Vikings, and of course Purdue managed to sink to a new low level. Even Peyton Manning wasn't on top of his game, but the Colts still managed to win.
Maybe basketball season will be an improvement for Purdue. I think they have a pre-season ranking in the top 10, so hopefully they can live up to that ranking.
Thanks to all of you for your continued thoughts and prayers. I'm convinced they all help!

Monday, October 26th

What a great football weekend! The Boilermakers, the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones all won, plus the Bengals crushed the Bears. It was unbelievable. Andy and Tory came over yesterday morning and took me to Granite City for brunch. As usual, the food was excellent, and it felt great to get out - even though I'm still stuck in a wheelchair. I still feel like I'm getting stronger every day. On the way home from Granite City we stopped at OfficeMax and picked up a webcam that Andy installed Carole's laptop so we can Skype with Jeff while he's deployed to Iraq - he's supposed to leave any day now. After that several people from Carole's school came over and raked leaves. There's now a huge pile between the street and the sidewalk waiting for the city to suck them up.
The round of chemo I'm on now seems to be going well - it just started a day later than expected. I haven't experienced any unusual side-effects.
Carole got after me to nap between football games, but I just couldn't do it, so I got pretty tired on Saturday and Sunday. I'll need to remember that next weekend. Oh well, it was fun to see so many winners!