October Update

Our family at the beach in Stone Harbor

Ian James and James Arthur

Our newest surfer

My Mom and Dad with their great grandson

I can’t believe it’s been nearly 3 months since my last post – another period of highs and lows. So I’ll bring you up to date.

Elizabeth, Jayson and Ian arrived on August 11 and brought with them a welcome surprise. Ian will have a little brother or sister around the end of February or early March! Elizabeth is a veteran this time around, and, despite some nausea during the first trimester, she feels great and sometimes has to remind herself she’s pregnant. We spent the first week of their trip in Virginia, squeezing in visits with my parents and my sister Beth and her husband, Joe. Then we were all (including Ashley and Dan) off to Stone Harbor, NJ, for the second week. The weather was perfect for the beach, and we were able to spend time with our good friends, Micky and Jeroen from Holland, and Julie’s lovely Uncle Beef and Aunt Joan. Ashley and Dan got some valuable hands-on time with Ian, who progressed from first staggering steps to running at a gallop during the two weeks they were here. He also learned that if he claps his hands and smiles, everyone in the room will follow suit and cheer loudly – over and over and over again. We had a wonderful time.

After Elizabeth and her family flew home on Aug 24 it was time to address medical issues. Earlier in the month, I’d had minor surgery to remove the feeding tube – I didn’t need it, and it was a relief to get rid of it. In addition, the persistent tachycardia episodes combined with the meds, which did little to prevent the tach but reduced my blood pressure significantly, had driven me to a cardiologist who specializes in electrophysiology. He scheduled a catheter ablation for Aug 25 in Richmond, immediately following our return from Stone Harbor. The procedure was completely successful, and I’m happily off the dreaded beta blocker.

Despite all that progress, I was feeling increasingly drained and exhausted. My blood pressure still took occasional dips and my red blood cell count was falling. But we really became alarmed when I developed jaundice in mid-September. My local internist ordered a CT scan and referred me to a gastroenterologist in Richmond. He looked at the scan and found a large, suspicious looking mass in my abdomen near the base of the liver. Within days I was back in the hospital for an ERCP (a deeper, more tricky version of an endoscopy) to find and correct whatever problem was causing the jaundice. The doctor explained that there’s a large lesion in my stomach that distended the stomach wall so far that impinged on the common bile duct (from the liver to the digestive tract) – hence the jaundice. He inserted a stent in the duct to open it up permanently, but he biopsied the stomach lesion and determined that it is malignant. He also saw evidence of cancer on the interior walls of the abdomen, so the cancer has finally metastasized.

After a night in the hospital, we came home to rest and regroup. This latest procedure really took a toll on my already depleted energy reserves – we’d planned for months to attend the biennial reunion of my dad’s WWII bomb group in DC this past weekend. Unfortunately, I was simply too exhausted and uncomfortable to make the trip, which was especially disappointing since my sister Susan was there from Colorado. The rest at home, though, was apparently beneficial – during the last week I’ve gained some strength back and have even been able to do a few light chores around the house. I also found this morning that I’ve gained ten pounds. It’s a strange disease.

We’re looking forward to a visit from Beth and Joe this coming weekend, and Ashley and Dan will be here the following weekend. Julie’s birthday is Oct 19, so the next couple of weeks will be a non-stop festival. Elizabeth, Jayson, and Ian plan to be here for Christmas, and I intend to be around for the birth of grandchild number two next winter.

Julie and Ashley continue to design and make jewelry and participated in an art and crafts festival in September in Colonial Beach, VA. Their work is available on line, and Julie devotes much of her free time to making custom pieces she hopes to sell in the local artists’gallery at The Tides Inn in Irvington, VA. She says it keeps her sane.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you have contacted me with your love and good wishes in the past few months. Notably, Tom Peebles and his wife, Christine, took time during their brief visit to the US from their posting in Sophia, Bulgaria, to drive down her and spend an afternoon with us. It was great to see them and to catch up. I’ve also had calls and emails from Ted Raphael, and a surprise call from Vic Dhooge, Gary Spade, Larry Link and Bob Hadley from my high school basketball team – what a thoughtful thing to do. Thanks to everyone who has sent an email, made a call, sent a card, kept me in their thoughts, or said a prayer for me. You keep me going.