The Big Apple

Finally. We're headed to New York. We got our appointments today. Let's recap the mysterious series of events that I believe are taking place in order to point us in the right direction:

1. We hit rock bottom. I ask Judi to visit and help me get Jim back on track.
2. Pastor Kirby comes to visit, thereby bolstering our confidence and faith. Little did we know how much we'd need it!
3. Judi arrives. Within 15 minutes, we're on the phone with the doctor explaining the pain situation.
4. Dr. Haid orders a STAT scan.
5. Scan results are not so good. Luckily we were already at an all time low - enter the faith that Pastor Kirby helped us renew.
6. Judi helps get Jim's pain under control.
7. Jim is able to do a few activities over the weekend.
8. Judi's return flight is cancelled until Tuesday.
8. I get our appointments set with Dr. Haid, Madison and Mayo before 9:00 on Monday morning. I love technology. Sometimes.
9. We have a good meeting with Dr. Haid. He likes one of the chemo regimens that Judi and I found on the Internet. It's a possible next step.
10. Sloan Kettering finally receives one of the multiple faxes that they sent from The Vince. I get our appointments set with Sloan Kettering.
11. Judi calls this afternoon and leaves a message - she heard "Lola".

Here's something funny - when I called Sloan Kettering today, I said "Hi. This is Kate Marventano..." and the girl at the appointment desk said, "Oh, hi Kate!" Um...do you think they've heard enough from me? They know I'm the one from Wisconsin. Take a moment to consider how many patients they hear from in a single day. They are the foremost cancer hospital in the world. I'd like to think it's my charming personality that they remember, but in truth, I think they're just sick of hearing from me. They probably broke down and gave us an appointment from sheer exhaustion!

Jim was able to do a few things with us today before crashing. I was feeling sort of lonely and out-of-sorts tonight when I got a call from my life and work mentor, Kimberly. She was my technology-challenged boss at MeasureUp. (Ironic, because MeasureUp is a technology certification test preparation company.) She just called out of the blue to see how I was doing. She doesn't read the blog - she said she didn't have the address but I know the real reason is because she probably only gets on the Internet around once a month. In any case, it was exactly the call I needed.

One of the things I dread most in this journey is the lonely times at night, after I get the kids to bed and when Jim goes to bed early because he's exhausted. I typically use the time to clean, since that's about the only time I seem to have. I normally relish getting the kids to bed early, but there's the occasional night when I just sort of wander around feeling lonely. I should use the time to do something constructive, but sometimes I just can't. Despite the odd meltdown, I am holding it together fairly well throughout this whole ordeal. And meltdowns are actually more welcome in my mind than nights like this - there's nothing wrong. It's just a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

SO, a distracting call is a lovely elixir that won't induce purple lips or hangover.

I wonder how long our string of good fortune will last? How long will the planets stay aligned? I'm hoping we're through the major mine field. It's our turn to have some good luck, don't you think?