by Judy Handley | Jan 5, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 58, Year 7: T-Minus 10 Hours
Date: Thursday, January 5, 2012, 10 pm
Weather: Windy and Very Cold, Low Tonight 15-20 degrees F
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
We arrived in Cambridge a couple of hours ago. Tonight we are both staying with Jed’s aunt and uncle, John and Sue Reed. They live in Cambridge which is about 15 minutes from Mass General Hospital. By staying here tonight the trip to the hospital by 6 am won’t have to begin nearly as early as it would have if we had stayed on the Cape. John and Sue have been most gracious and opened their home to us. I will be staying here while Mark is in the hospital. Most of my time will be spent at the hospital but it is comforting to know that I have a place to return to get a good night’s rest. So thank you, John and Sue.
Mark has to check into the hospital at 6 am and surgery is slotted to begin two hours later. I have been getting emails from friends asking for details about the surgery. Basically, in order to remove a cancerous tumor, a large portion of Mark’s colon will be removed. The surgery is called a colectomy. The colon, or large intestine, looks like a goal post. The top part of the goal post is called the transverse section and that is what will be removed. The surgery is being done laparoscopically. As I understand it, several small incisions will be made in his abdomen in order to insert the long, narrow surgical tools. The abdomen is then filled with gas to lift the skin away from the organs allowing the doctor to see using a camera that is inserted. For Mark, there will be a three-inch incision through which they remove the transverse part of the colon. The doctor says he will have a three to five day hospital stay. The information on the internet says five to seven days, so we will hope the doctor is right.
I’ll post logs tomorrow as I get more information. Since tomorrow is the twelfth day of Christmas, I am hoping that my true love is going to give me a successful surgery and news that the cancer has not spread beyond the colon.
by Judy Handley | Jan 4, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 57, Year 7: T-Minus 34 Hours
Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 10 pm
Weather: Windy and Very Cold, Low Tonight 15-20 degrees F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, Massachusetts
At this point, it looks like Mark’s colon cancer surgery is a go for Friday morning at 8 am. Lots of rest and a little of Linda Stuart’s herbal tea remedy has Mark’s cold on the road to recovery. When he went to Mass General this afternoon for the pre-operation testing, both a nurse and the anesthesiologist said he was fine for Friday morning surgery. So we are counting down the hours to the surgery. We know the surgery is just the first step, but we are anxious to take that step so we can find out just what the situation is that we have to face. Mark remains incredibly positive. If mental attitude has anything to do with the outcome, the outcome will positive as well.
Tomorrow we will spend the day at Heather and Jed’s. Mark will do the prep for the surgery while I cut his hair, do any laundry that we need, and pack our bags. At the end of the day, we will drive to Boston. I’m hoping I’ll get to send a log tomorrow night, but if not, I will send one as soon as I know anything after the surgery on Friday. Hold hands with us across the miles and send your positive thoughts our way. Knowing that we have such wonderful friends and such a supportive family is what holds us together.
by Judy Handley | Jan 3, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 56, Year 7: Ducks in a Row
Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Weather: Windy and Very Cold, Low Tonight 15-20 degrees F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, Massachusetts
Today was all about getting our ‘ducks in a row’ for Mark’s upcoming surgery. Mass General Hospital (MGH) was officially closed yesterday so we had to wait until today to talk with the surgeon’s assistant to get details about preparation, arrival time, etc. We processed the information and decided that we will stay here on Thursday during the time that Mark has to ‘prep’ for the operation and then head to Boston around 5 pm on Thursday evening. Jed’s Aunt Sue and Uncle John live in Cambridge and have basically insisted that we use their house as our home away from home for the surgery. So we will spend Thursday night with them, get up very early on Friday morning, and get to MGH by 6 am. I talked with Sue today and she assures me that I can come and go at any hour while Mark is in the hospital. We are so grateful for their hospitality as it will make the stay in Boston much nicer than having to stay in a hotel. Heather insists that she is coming up on Friday morning and tonight I talked with my good friend Linda Stuart in Concord and she and her son Garrett who is home from college for Christmas break are also planning to come to Boston on Friday. Soooooooo, if Mark’s cold doesn’t cause the surgery to be cancelled we are all set. Tomorrow he goes to Boston for the pre-operation testing and will meet with the anesthesiologist. That is the person that will determine whether or not the cold will cause the surgery to be delayed. Linda has a suggestion for a ‘miracle’ tea that I am going to go buy and fix for Mark in the AM. She swears it will make him better ASAP. At this point, I’m willing to try anything that can keep the surgery on schedule.
I left Mark on Windbird to get more rest this afternoon while I went to pick Sam and Jonah up from school. After their naps, they went with me to get Mark and to pick up sushi take-out for dinner. This was a special dinner for granddad as he will not be with the boys again for a week or two if the operation is a go on Friday. In addition to getting his favorite food, sushi, granddad and I got a couple of late Christmas presents from Sam and Jonah. We got a framed photo of them and some special art work, fish prints, from each.
We have our ducks in a row if the surgery on Friday is a go-ahead. Fortunately, the frigid weather we are experiencing tonight and tomorrow will start warming up by Thursday. The temperatures for the weekend are projected to be much warmer so we won’t have to worry about leaving Windbird. I have to drive from Boston back to the Cape on Monday morning for an appointment for a physical exam. I scheduled the appointment in July and had to wait this long to get it, so I’m not about to cancel and wait six more months. But coming down on Monday will give me a chance to check on the boat while I am here. By the middle to the end of the week, we should be back home, so all should be fine here. Now all we have to do is just hope that things can go ahead as scheduled.
by Judy Handley | Jan 2, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 55, Year 7: Lazy Day
Date: Monday, January 2, 2012
Weather: Weather Changing, Windy and Getting Colder
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, Massachusetts
We basically spent our first day back home in bed. Now, how lazy is that?! We slept in this morning later than either of us remembers sleeping in since we were teenagers, and then we went back to bed and took a nap this afternoon. These colds have gotten to both of us and I finally succumbed and starting taking an antibiotic this afternoon as I know I now have a sinus infection. Mark is not at that stage yet and I hope he doesn’t get there. He is really just getting the cold. The timing couldn’t be worse as he needs to be ready for his surgery on Friday. I’m just hoping that enough water and rest will help him shake this thing quickly. We’ll just have to wait and see how that goes.
In the late afternoon, we took a ride into Falmouth to the grocery store and the drug store, and we made a quick stop at Heather and Jed’s. They were just getting home from a daytime shopping trip to Hyannis. Sam and Jonah had fallen asleep on the way home and were slow to wake up, but when they did they opened their Christmas gift from Justin, Jo, and Ziggy that we had brought from New Mexico. Justin and Jo ordered the Lincoln log-type blocks from a company in Maine and they were supposed to be sent directly to the farm in Maine. There was a mix-up, however, and they were delivered to New Mexico and then we transported them back to the East Coast. They are certainly well-traveled building blocks. Regardless, Sam and Jonah enjoyed getting the late Christmas present and went right to work building. It’s interesting that these modern-day Lincoln log blocks are squared-off instead of round, but I think they actually make the building easier.
The weather here is changing. It was warm the entire time we were gone, but tonight the thermometer will dip to about 20 degrees F. That combined with the winds that are blowing 25-35 knots will make for a chilly night. It is supposed to stay below freezing tomorrow, get into the teens tomorrow night, and then start slowly warming up again on Wednesday. We might have seen the last of the 50 degree winter weather for bit, but it has certainly been wonderful to have such warm weather up until now. I know it is not normal and it means that the climate is really screwed up, but nevertheless, it has made our reintroduction from the tropics to winter in New England a little easier.
by Judy Handley | Jan 1, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 54, Year 7: Happy New Year from Cape Cod
Date: Sunday, January 1, 2012
Weather: Beautiful Day for Flying
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, Massachusetts
To friends and family, near and far away — Happy New Year! Mark and I flew home from New Mexico today and had uneventful flights. Those are the kind we like—no delays, no problems. We had a bit of a mix-up in the early morning as the airport shuttle went to the wrong Adobe Inn to pick us up, but we called and they came almost immediately. So we made it to the airport in Albuquerque just fine. We flew to Dallas, had a three hour lay-over, and arrived in Boston at 8 pm tonight. Heather, Jed, Sam, and Jonah were there to pick us up on their way home from Maine. We got great big smiles and hugs from Sam and Jonah who were already in their PJ’s. But they didn’t let that keep them from jumping with joy on the sidewalk in front of the Baggage Claim area while we tied our bags on top of the van. Our car was at Heather and Jed’s, so we rode home with them and then headed to Windbird. It was 47 degrees F and starting to drizzle when we left Heather’s, but just as we ducked inside Windbird’s winter cover, it started pouring rain. I guess we got here just in time. We’ll spend the next couple of days trying to get over these colds we brought home with us. Actually, I picked up the cold on the way to New Mexico, gave it to Mark and Jo, and then brought it back with me. I think mine has turned into a sinus infection and that’s the reason it is hanging on so long.
Justin, Jo, and Ziggy . . . Thanks for WONDERFUL Christmas in New Mexico. You live in a dramatically beautiful part of the world and we so enjoyed sharing it with you for the past ten days. It was so special to spend a Christmas with you in your home and we’re already looking forward to our next visit. We talked about our visit on the way home from Boston, and Sam had a million questions and some suggestions. His first ‘recommendation’ to Uncle Justin is that he should be riding Max while learning to shoot the bow and arrow. And he thinks you should use some sort of plastic arrows so it won’t make any difference if you lose them while you are practicing. He also thinks your neighbors, Scott and Uvia, need a bull to go with their milk cow.
by Judy Handley | Dec 31, 2011 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 53, Year 7: Saying Farewell to Justin, Jo, and Ziggy
Date: Saturday, December 31, 2011
Weather: Mostly Sunny Day, Periods of High Winds
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
We drove to Santa Fe late this afternoon and had a fantastic Mexican dinner with Justin, Jo, and Ziggy. Ziggy slept all the way from Ojo Sarco recovering from his visit to the Emergency Room earlier today so he was a bundle of energy tonight. When he got up this morning, the cut he got last night started bleeding again and Justin and Jo just didn’t feel comfortable not getting stitches. So Jo called and talked to someone different than Justin talked to last night and they recommended bringing him in. The doctor agreed that he needed a couple of stitches, so they sedated him just enough to get the job done. Hopefully the stitches will do the job and the cut will heal quickly.
Mark and I spent most of our morning getting ready to go. In the afternoon Mark and Justin worked on getting the harness gear together for Max. But after putting everything they had together, there were missing parts. When Justin went to see if he could find the missing pieces, he found the complete harness that he thinks is the right one. We ran out of time to try the gear on Max, but hopefully Justin can do this soon and send us photos. Life on a farm in the mountains of New Mexico is a completely different world than living on a boat on Cape Cod. It’s good that we have this one night to readjust. I’m sure we are not going to stay awake to greet the new year, but we’ll be up at 5 am getting ready to return to our reality. We have had a wonderful visit here and will miss JJ&Z so much. When I was saying farewell to Ziggy I asked him to call me when he does exciting things like riding on his sled or going for a ride on Max. He just looked at me and said, “Oma, I don’t have a phone.” Silly Oma. I assured him he could borrow one from his mom or dad.
