Quote from: Jessica_Rose on February 21, 2024, 03:15:46 PMThanks Moonflower and Danielle!

I had a dental appointment today, just a cleaning. No one at the office seemed to notice the bruising, or at least no one mentioned it. I know it's just another example of being self-conscious about a 'flaw' that the vast majority of people would never notice.

We heard a little good news about my dad. The PET scan indicated the cancer is localized, apparently a saliva gland and a few lymph nodes are involved. Over the next week or so, my dad will be evaluated for surgery. Once the surgery is scheduled, we expect a 3 - 5 day hospital stay.

My trip to Colorado Springs will be a quick one, no side trips or dinners with friends. The only exception will be if Kris or Rayna wants to join me somewhere. The other friend I usually see is out of town, her brother recently passed away.

Love always -- Jess

Jess,


That does not sound too bad for your dad, although no cancer sounds good.
I wish him the best results of surgery and a good recovery.

Keep up your strength and good spirits.  I know you are a good daughter for your dad.

Hugs,

Christine

Well, the first day of my trip was a bit more exciting than usual.

I was westbound on I-40 about 90 miles east of Amarillo, in the left hand lane behind a semi, passing another semi in the right lane. Speed limit was 75, and we were going somewhere between 70 an 75 mph. The sun was setting directly in front of us. The semi in front of me veered onto the inside shoulder, came back up onto the road, then went further into the median and rolled onto the driver side as I passed! It was a bit surreal.

I pulled off the road, along with the semi we had been passing. I called 911 and reported the accident, and let them know no other vehicles were involved and there was no smoke or fire. No one else stopped.

A police car arrived with 2-3 minutes, and the officer climbed onto the truck to check on the driver. He said his ribs hurt, but otherwise he was OK. I told the officer I had witnessed the accident and had reported it. The officer thanked me, and asked me to wait in my car so I could provide a statement. I noticed the semi which had stopped had already left the scene.

While waiting in my car (with the emergency flashers on), several other emergency vehicles arrived. Although the right lane was open, some vehicles moved all the way over to the emergency lane -- where I was parked. One semi came within inches of ramming my car from the rear! I was really close to having a bad day.

A few minutes later, the officer I spoke to earlier came over for my statement, and he asked for my phone number. He mentioned the truck driver said the sun was in his eyes and he couldn't see the road, and I expect that is exactly what happened.

I'm safe at my hotel.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Glad your safe dear, that could have been a close call.

Oooo, that's eventful. But so pleased you were not directly involved. The sun at this time of year can be very dangerous for road users.

Also so pleased that the outcome for your dad is good and hope his surgery goes well

Hugs as always
Jessica xxx

Wow that was a close call. So glad you are safe. 
I witnessed one a few hundred yards ahead, 2 days ago, car swerves, goes sideways and slams into the center guard rail, spins around with pieces flying off and came to rest in the high speed lane. Felt like it was in slow motion. Same thing no one stopped. I called it in and checked on the driver who was unhurt.
Gina

Today wasn't nearly as exciting as yesterday, which is fine with me!

When leaving Amarillo, I take a back road out of town. It seems as though it's always dark when I'm on it, either early morning or late in the evening. The road has been under construction forever, poor to non-exist road markings, barrels, cones, no shoulders, you get the idea. Today? A miracle occurred. The construction is done, no barrels or cones, great road markings, nice shoulders, even passing lanes! Now it's my favorite little back road.

The weather was great, and there was very little traffic. When I got into town I went straight up HWY24 to Cascade so I could get some Colorado wine. Our daughter loves their plum wine, and I also bought raspberry, blueberry, peach, and orange Moscato. After I got back to Colorado Springs, I stopped at Subway for a late lunch, checked into my hotel, then went to see Kris.

I gave Kris some pieces of quartz from the field behind our house, she decorates her deck with them. I also gave her a bag of apple chips Susan made. Kris worked on my face for an hour or so, and she didn't notice the hair restoration! It actually made me feel good that it wasn't noticeable.

We talked about the procedure for a while, then Kris went back to work. After two more hours, Kris was getting hungry. We decided it was enough electrolysis for the day, so we went out for dinner. We plan to meet around 10:00am Saturday to finish up.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

I met Kris a little after 10:00am on Saturday. We broke for lunch around 1:30pm and decided to try the lunch menu at the same restaurant where we had dinner - the Aspen American Grill. Kris had a steak burger without the bun, and I had a club sandwich with fries. We were both stuffed when we left! We got back to work around 3:15pm, and Kris worked on my arms and hands for the next 1.5 hours. Once she was finished, we reviewed her schedule to set up my next visit -- it looks like it will be mid-May.

I left Colorado Springs around 5:00pm, and arrived in Clayton NM at 8:30pm. It was a nice drive, but I was really tired. I left at 6:30 the next morning, and got home at 6:30pm. The worst part of the trip was about 30 minutes from home, someone else had a bad day (traffic accident) and traffic was blocked for about 20 minutes.

Susan and I will be in Plano TX on Friday. Dr. Lam will be removing the sutures and making sure all is well. I don't want to fight the traffic around Dallas on a Friday evening, so we will spend the night in Plano. We plan to visit my dad over the weekend, and head home Sunday afternoon.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

We arrived in Plano TX around 1:00pm. Since we had a little time to kill, we visited a Macy's near Dr. Lam's office. I found a few long-sleeve tops on clearance which actually had long enough sleeves for me!

We arrived at Dr. Lam's office around 2:00pm. It only took a few minutes for check-in, then I was escorted back to a treatment room for suture removal. After about 10 minutes, they were done. As hoped, my nightly headaches are gone. It's also nice to wash and dry my hair without worrying about snagging a suture.

We left Plano Saturday morning and drove to my dad's house. We stopped at a McAllister's and picked up lunch to share at his house. After lunch, Susan and I went back into town to pick up a few things my dad needed. Sunday morning, dad drove to McDonald's to get breakfast for everyone. Several hours later, I drove Susan and my dad to the cemetery to visit the graves of my mom and brother. On the way home, we bought some sandwiches from Arby's for lunch. Susan and I got home around 6:00pm on Sunday.

My dad seems to be doing well, but the swelling near his right ear is really uncomfortable for him. The tumor is in his parotid gland. If he gets approval from the cardiologist, surgery will be on 12 March.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

My thoughts and prayers are going out to your dad and family.

Hugs

Lori

Thanks, Lori!

Something I forgot to mention. While we were visiting my dad, we stopped by Target to look around. When we passed the Easter candy aisle, I decided to get something for my dad. He was quite surprised when we gave him a dark chocolate Easter bunny! He asked why we got it for him, and I said we knew it had been a long time since someone had bought one for him. He smiled.

We got a little more information about his tumor. Apparently it's now Stage III, and they may need to sever a facial nerve to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue. This is much more invasive than we originally expected, and I know my dad will be a very impatient patient. He does not like hospitals or the thought of surgery.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

I think I know what has me feeling 'down' lately. Nearly two years ago, I began having episodes when it felt like someone was choking me. Although the issue isn't as severe now as it was then, it has not gone away. I finally understood the cause when I saw this article:

https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247459.msg2264651.html#msg2264651

Which include these statements:
I suffered from a condition called globus throughout junior high and high school—where you feel like you literally have a globe stuck in your throat when you swallow. Doctors wrote it off as "stress" from school. But I knew what was causing this pain in my body: Stigma and the terror of being a target because I was different.

The problem is a result of the stress and anxiety I feel living in a deep red state. Although I have not had any negative experiences here, that doesn't mean I'm not affected. I even noticed that my voice sounds better whenever I visit my friends back in Colorado. I'm going to try staying here, but if the situation gets worse, we may be moving to a more accepting (safe) state.

Switching topics, I plan to stay at my dad's house while he is recovering from surgery. We expect him to be in the hospital for a week or so, and he doesn't like the idea of the house being empty for so long. Although my dad doesn't have internet service, I'll should be able to work by using my cell as a hot spot. I also plan to do a few home repairs while I'm there.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

  @Jessica_Rose
Dear Jessica:
You are doing your dad a great service... being a loving daughter
taking care of him in various ways in his time of need.

Regarding your statement about your personal stress....  Stress negatively
can affect us mentally and physically.  For me, my chronic migraine headaches
are triggered by stress as I can have a lot of stress at work this time of
year handling the flood of IRS tax preparation tasks for my clients.

Please take care of yourself so that you can give your dad your best in
his uncertain times of medical issues.

    A Hug for You        and a      Hug for your Dad.
                   

My best wishes, positive thoughts, my prayers for you and your Dad.

Warmly,
Danielle

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on March 04, 2024, 12:26:03 PMIf he gets approval from the cardiologist, surgery will be on 12 March.

Is it happening? How frightening. AND what a relief it could be to know that it's gone, and then to know how much further work must be done.

Sending heaps of love, comfort, rest, strength, and care.

Quote from: Moonflower on March 10, 2024, 05:33:42 PMIs it happening? How frightening. AND what a relief it could be to know that it's gone, and then to know how much further work must be done.

Sending heaps of love, comfort, rest, strength, and care.

Yes, it's happening. The surgery will be on 12 March, and they expect he will be in the hospital for a week or so. After a few weeks of recovery at home, radiation treatments are likely.

My dad's house uses a well, and the water has a heavy smell of sulfur. I'll be taking a few gallons of bottled water with me, but showers will either be at my brother's house or a hotel. I realize this is petty compared to what my dad will be going through, but it's a period of time neither of us are looking forward to.

Thanks for your thoughts, Moonflower.

Love always -- Jess

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on March 10, 2024, 07:43:42 PMYes, it's happening. The surgery will be on 12 March

Tomorrow! Peace be with you.

Quoteand they expect he will be in the hospital for a week or so. After a few weeks of recovery at home, radiation treatments are likely.

May he be comfortable the whole time.

QuoteMy dad's house uses a well, and the water has a heavy smell of sulfur. I'll be taking a few gallons of bottled water with me, but showers will either be at my brother's house or a hotel. I realize this is petty compared to what my dad will be going through, but it's a period of time neither of us are looking forward to.

Your comfort and stress aren't petty. You must take care of both so you can be effective at work and for your family.

Love to you all

My dad is out of surgery, the procedure took about six hours. I don't know many details yet, but they did need to sever his facial nerve. Apparently, that has quite a few side effects. One is that his right eyelid may not close all the way, so they implant a small gold weight into the eyelid to help it close more tightly.

While my dad was in surgery, I drove his car to Advance Auto to get a new battery. He was having trouble lately with a weak battery, so I decided to get a new one for him. One the way back to his house, I stopped off at Walmart to get some groceries. As I loaded them into the car, I discovered a carton of eggs in the back seat. Who knows how long they had been there. I dropped them into a nearby garbage can.

It sounds like my dad may have some additional health issues, and the pathology report on his tumor was 'not optimistic'. I plan to see my sister-in-law tomorrow, and hopefully she can provide more information.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

As always, thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.

Hugs!

Jess,

I just prayed for you and your dad.

Best to you both,

Christine

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on March 12, 2024, 05:58:50 PMMy dad is out of surgery, the procedure took about six hours.

What an ordeal for all of you! Congratulations on the progress through this.

Quotethey implant a small gold weight into the eyelid to help it close more tightly.

Wow. I hope it's comfortable for him.

QuoteHe was having trouble lately with a weak battery, so I decided to get a new one for him.

Nice!

QuoteIt sounds like my dad may have some additional health issues, and the pathology report on his tumor was 'not optimistic'.

I hope you can notice a sparkling thread here and there that leads to a silver lining. Such a potentially dark, exhausting time!

Hugs, encouragement, focus, hope, choices, resilience to you all

Whole house water filter:

https://www.aquasana.com/whole-house-water-filters/