More best laid plans go awry........

You know you’re a cancer patient when…..you have more doctors than friends!

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.  – Mother Teresa

Well, I had hoped to be writing my next blog entry as we were cruising down the Intracoastal Waterway.  But that’s not going to happen.  Kenny and I went up to the boat (in Jacksonville) early Saturday morning with the plan to finish getting it ready for the trip south.  Our good friends, Debbie and Bill, offered to keep the dogs while we made the trip.  It was so nice of them because we knew the dogs were in good hands, we didn’t have to worry about them, and they like playing with Maisey (the St. Bernard) and Chloe and Danielle, the adorable granddaughters.

I had also gotten permission from Dr. Sprawls to skip chemo this week so I could make the boat trip.  He said it would be fine; we would just tack it onto the end so I would still get my 12 Taxotere drips.  And I have a light work load this week because the doctor I transcribe for is out of town, so I would just have Jill’s dictation.  Everything was lining up perfectly for the trip.

Anyway, we arrived at the boat around noon on Saturday.  Kenny got right to work fixing things, cleaning things, etc.  Unfortunately, I just don’t have the stamina I used to have (thank you, chemo!), and I can’t tolerate the heat like I used to.  The boat is in a covered slip (roof overhead), which provides shade, but there was absolutely no breeze at all, so it was unbearably hot.  I ended up being the “errand girl” – going to Walmart, Publix, Ace Hardware, etc.  I didn’t feel very useful, but Kenny would have had to waste time doing those things if I didn’t do them.  I also found it very difficult to hang out on the boat for prolonged periods of time because of all the wakes and rocking and rolling.  Another thing that never used to bother me – rocking and rolling has never been a problem for me, but it sure was this weekend.

The bed in the boat is extremely comfortable – the previous owner put a piece of really good memory foam (about 6” thick) in there, so we slept great on Saturday night.  We continued with the projects on Sunday and got quite a bit accomplished.  I had to return the rental car to the airport Sunday afternoon, and the previous owner gave me a ride back to the boat.  He just bought a super jazzy Porsche Boxster convertible (used), so it was quite fun getting a ride in that. 

We took showers at the marina, and I had bought some things at Publix to have for dinner.  Shortly after dinner, I was ready to climb into that comfy bed and read for a little while (I’m reading “Unbroken” on my Kindle – quite a book). 

After getting an hour or so of sleep, I woke up at 2230 with severe abdominal pain.  It was quite unbearable and kept me awake for most of the night – tossing and turning and trying to find a comfortable position – it was a very long night.  By morning, I wasn’t feeling any better – the abdominal pain continued, I couldn’t stand up straight because of the pain, and I was feeling dizzy and nauseous.  So we came to the conclusion that we should probably rent another car, Kenny would drive me back to the RV, and the boat trip would have to be delayed.  We’ve also come to the conclusion that I probably won’t be able to make the trip – I just don’t have the stamina right now.  Kenny said he can make the trip by himself, and maybe I could meet him when he gets a little closer to home and make the end of the trip.  I’m so disappointed, though, because I really wanted to make the whole trip.

I’m slowly starting to feel a little better.  I’ve been in bed since we got back to the RV around 1600 this afternoon.  I called Dr. Sprawls’ office this morning and let them know what was going on.  He wants to see me on Wednesday – he said we’ll still skip the chemo this week due to the problems I’m having.

I guess that pretty much brings you up to date on things.  Time to read for a little while and then get a good night’s sleep……hopefully.