Thanksgiving

It was an easy Thanksgiving meal this year. Everyone was calm and quiet. The grand kids were well behaved. My son in law did a superb job of cooking with help from his daughter and wife.
We arrived, sat down and were served right away. Nice work, Eric. You missed your calling. The heck with computer science! You should be a cook!
Sadly, I had a small piece of turkey, dark meat. A half teaspoon of smashed potatoes, stuffing (not gluten free, but so what?), asparagus (maybe 4 small stalks), wonderful gravy with mushrooms, and then, I was full!
Damn!
Last year, I tried the cranberry sauce. This was the jellied stuff that comes in a can. I used to be able to eat the whole can along with two helpings of everything else on the table. Then, I would down a piece of Pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top. This year, I knew better than to try it. Eric even made his own cranberry sauce, but I didn't try that either.

After we ate, I asked Lilly if she would take a walk with me and she said "Yes!".
She got her socks and big rubber boots on because it was still wet in Maryland, and off we went. We walked over to the golf course and we talked about what we saw. Then, she saw a large bird (great blue heron) and wanted to see it closer.
On the way, there were two puddles. She gingerly stepped through the first one, but I told her she could splash in the second since it wasn't too deep. She stomped up to the puddle and jumped in!
Then, she couldn't stop her forward momentum and she fell forward onto her knees. Her jeans, jacket, hands, and face got soaked.
She looked upset but I dispersed her concern and we headed back home. It was a bit chilly so I made sure we moved quickly.
Her mommy dried her off, and got her into new clothes. She curled up under the blanket on the couch with Grandma.
After that, the turkey had it's desired effect and she went upstairs and took a nap. She was disappointed when she woke up because we had already left.
We had time to sit and talk with our daughter, and we got to play with Jackson who is a ball of energy. He is standing up, but not on his own yet. He rolls rather than crawls, but he is showing signs of attaining that feat soon. He has one tooth showing with lots of drool.
I would rather have a quiet meal like this with a few family members, than to have the total chaos of the whole family any day.
Well, at least part one is over.
I bought over 100 beanie babies for $15.00 a week ago. I gave Lilly a large fish, and a jellyfish. Since we met her at the aquarium in Baltimore a few weeks ago, she made the connection and is happy to have these two creatures in her collection.
I will give out beanie babies to my kids on the bus for the holiday coming up. I forget the name of the holiday, but it will come to me.

Buddy list

A few of the folks I've met at the WLS meetings have recently gone through the surgery, or are very close to their new life.
I was planning to spend time at the hospital visiting them and helping them make it through the tough times.
I guess that will have to take a back seat to life, which has other ideas.
I was one floor below the Bariatric clinic today, and didn't have time to go up and say hi. My wife has 3 different doctors with three different disciplines that are going to oversee her Gamma knife surgery.
They measured her cancer in the brain at 6.5 cm as of the time they took the pictures about 2 weeks ago. The surgery for her should be easy, but the preparation by the doctors is pretty intense as far as I can see.
Gamma Rays are deadly in the wrong dose, and I guess it would ruin their day if they had an "oops".
She started her anti hormone therapy this past week, and so far doesn't seem to have any serious side effects. She is complaining of itching, but then again, I am itching too so it's probably the dry indoor air.
I received two samples from Catalina Life sciences. They are the Bariatric advantage Chocolate and Vanilla protein powders. The chocolate is very good. I will try the vanilla tomorrow in my yogurt. I need a change so this might be the route to take.
I have a very nice neighbor making dinner tonight for us, so I have to go get ready. Gotta pick up some more pills at the pharmacy for my wife too.

Wife update

My wife was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer as you might know.
The cancer has spread to her brain.
We were concerned that she might have it in her lung too, but tests showed that she is clear so far.
They did drain her pleural cavity of fluid which was keeping her from breathing fully.
She has been dealing with cancer since she was a teen and had Hodgkins disease.
The radiation treatment she had back then was what caused the breast cancer now.
On December 2nd, she is scheduled for Gamma knife surgery to remove the cancer from her brain. If you get the chance, look it up. It is amazing how they figured out how to kill the cancer without destroying other tissue.
She is going through an old school form of chemo for her breast cancer. She can't have the modern version because of her Gamma knife treatment.
Everything she has is treatable, but, it is not a cure. It will come back, and eventually, it will take her life.
I was concerned about quality of life, but I will cross that bridge sometime in the future because she is doing well now.
She is still working, and only uses Oxygen when she has to.
This has affected my weight loss because I am working that much harder to make sure she is comfortable.
I am also stressed out quite a bit because her future and mine is not certain.
My financial future is almost certain because I will not have any money when all is finished. I will have to declare bankruptcy for sure, and I won't have a wife.
Life is still good, but it isn't easy.