05-31-2011

  Finally back up after a total loss Saturday, slept on and off all day, Sunday wasn't much better. Still coughing and weak and it feels like I've strained my stomach muscles coughing, certainly swelled the throat up. Denise wasn't much better and today she is off to work still congested. Megan turned the corner, though still not completely well yet. Rest and sleep seemed to help all three of us.

  I played with Matt's website and started a new book Sunday, got on the web and watched some new films at Chris White's website. So I stayed up after a Rip Van Winkle Saturday. Ms Hen was pissed and waiting on me when I went outside since she wasn't fed Saturday. :) She followed me all the way back to the chicken coop telling me about it. lol.  I ordered me a fancy case for the computer that Matt just built for me, this is the 3rd and final one. He didn't seem to mind that he just put it one together and now I've changed my mind on cases. The thing is a hoss, just under the one I have here. 

   I'll take the trash off today, ours, mom's, and the office and then piddle, but I'll be inside doing it. If it stays cool long enough maybe clean up some of the damage from the last storm. I'm still debating on replanting the garden but I'll definitely replant Josh's tomato plant (without him knowing it). I had a few seedlings that were beaten down and one seems to have stood back up, I'll take that as a sign. Megan's plants seem to have made it through, thank God for that. Mark said his were beaten into the ground as well. Some of those that I planted are completely gone while others that were cut off or holes beaten in them are trying to recover. Seems it ain't completely over yet.  

  So I'm off to get started, not sure how much I'll get done, but I'm gonna try again.

05-28-2011

  Still here and still have this cough. I think if I done a thousand push-ups each day my stomach muscles wouldn't hurt any worse than they do now, Megan is the same. Megan has had this junk for almost two weeks. Denise is still down with it too, not sure how long she has had it. Denise and I both have a balance problem as well, probably the sinuses. There must be some kind of mutation because she and I had diarrhea for a day or two as well, who knows, maybe we just coughed the crap out of ourselves (grin).

  Later  on yesterday I went on the roof of the house, despite the balance, I wanted to see what if any more damage was done from this last storm. The last one broke the seals and looked like it sandblaster the gravel off the singles, this one took singles with it. It cracked some of the rafters in the sunroom. Busted the seals in two window and a skylight. Broke some of the lights outside. I didn't go on the garages but looked inside, they are leaking again. The established garden is shredded. Some can be replanted, some it's too late to plant again. It's a little disgusting but then again it's all replaceable and it could have been worse. We were/are fortunate when looking at what both storms have done else where, some people lost life and some lost everything. It serves as a reminder that all we have here is moth and rust. I will not let my disgust show since Megan and Josh had worked to plant some stuff, rather instead replant what we can, which should show them that when you get knocked down you get back up again.

  This weekend will be a wash. No wall being worked on or anything else, just rest. Denise is usually up at the crack of dawn and it's almost 11 and she is still sleeping, so I'm being quiet, she needs to rest. Yesterday Megan slept late and it seemed to help her. Megan has her appetite back now.

  Matt is frustrated, he wants to stay busy and he does but has hit a slow period. With the storms I imagine that people are busy cleaning up, but they trickle in. He is getting drive bye and world of mouth business and so he is building. I made him a quick little website and Misty is looking at how to work it, she has forgotten how over the years and I'm behind on what is used today, I really need to brush up myself a bit. I'm a bit outdated on web building, but at least he has something up. LINK.  That'll do for now.

05-27-2011

  Well Denise, Megan, and I all are sick. Megan and me both sound like we have pneumonia. Denise and me both have diarrhea. I'm down. Megan is down. Denise is running on fumes. I think yesterday's storm didn't help me and Megan any, we both walked around when it was over looking at the damage. What last month's storm didn't destroy this one got.  So today I'll have to call the insurance company again and tell them we need to add to the damage, not that there is a lot the first one didn't do.

  The garden me and Megan worked so hard on two days ago is in pretty bad shape, but most of it was seeds so there is some hope. The established garden is another story, probably 70-80% destroyed. When we all get better we will replant what things will have time to make, but most of what was destroyed that time wasn't replaceable due to time. I'm sure that there will be things the insurance company won't replace or repair, so maybe the gardens just weren't meant to be, or at least not as much as we had anyway.

05-25-2011 Rathfoot Follow-up

Me and Denise headed down for a follow up visit with Rathfoot. He was please with the surgery outcome. He said that there is a machine where instead of putting me to sleep he could do the injections while I am awake. I'm excited, but the awake thing is a bit weird. Still, it would beat surgery each time. I can do that, so far I've done and had done worse things and things I would have swore I couldn't. He says that I will need more and in a month go back again. We left out the part about weeding the garden the day after surgery. 

  Tonight I found out that I could actually taste Sherbert, so I had a cone. I still can't taste a lot... but I remember what some things tasted like, so I pretend. From my belly and weight gain it must be working, maybe too well, lol. I got our pig today. Now I can taste sausage. Terry Sellars had it ready today. Me and Megan brought home about 183 lbs, it dressed pretty good. Man I missed that sausage, we've been eating store bought, yuk.  I put some over the hamburger in the big freezer, have to move it, lol.

  I have an infection from the tube that they had in my throat... and I can't recall if it is called a respirator or what right now, senior moment I guess. :) Anyway, I got an infection last time too, so I kind of expected that. So I'm now taking an antibiotic. The best news was that the Prednisone dose was lowered to 10mg morning and 5 mg at night.


  Denise is sick too, so is Megan, Misty, and Matt, so I may have caught something there as well. Funny, when Rathfoot was through checking me he noticed that Denise was sick and checked her too. He gave her some medicine as well. That is something that you just don't see these days. This man is impressive. Come to find out he also goes on Mission trips to visit another country to an orphanage and doctors there for free. I've heard of doctors doing this but never really met one. He actually cares about people. I've been so blessed that all the doctors I go to does, as well as Kim, who has been a lifesaver throughout this.

  Charlie is up and running, but tomorrow he does it again, and in a couple of days Hell will follow. He lost his hair, but he is still smiling and even more, fighting back. He says he feels like it is decreasing in size and that it's working. I pray it is. If it is this will be his last dose and then surgery, and I pray that radiation doesn't follow. That is when it gets tough.   

05-22-2011

  Still have a big gash on my gum which makes it extremely painful to wear the partial. Slept late this morning and wasn't going to wear it but Missy & Richard asked if we wanted to ride. I wasn't sure just how well I could do but I think we both needed the stress relief, especially Denise. We met over at their house and Dale & Anna were riding too, so off we went. We rode until the storm got close and headed back. Went to English Mountain and rode through Jefferson, Cocke, and Sevier counties. Man it was fun. Just out of the way curvy highways and scenery. Ever so often Richard would stop at an intersection and ask which way. I would say whichever way you all are going, lol. We stayed lost, but happily so.

  Still hacking up that pretty colored stuff and tired, but this gave me energy more than it took away. It was a good day. Tomorrow I think we have another contractor come and give an estimate on the storm damage repair. Hopefully this will be fixed soon, but as long as the ones who got hit the hardest get first, we're alright.

05-21-2011

Congratulations MEGAN!!  Megan graduated today, and that is the last of the kids. We went to watch her graduate. It was a beautiful ceremony. I really didn't expect to see her walk that stage. We got pictures of the 3 girls afterward. Mrs Stokes, Megan's Interpreter from years past came from NC to see her walk the stage. She probably had the single most/best impact on Megan than anybody she ever was with. Megan made leaps and jumps in school and toward both sign language, learning her hearing aids and most importantly, confidence.  Megan at first wanted to eat at Outback, but she changed her mind when Misty said they were going to meet her mom and her boyfriend to hike. So Megan changed her mind and said she wanted to go with them. They had a ball.

  Me and Denise played outside and got some things done, plus framed Megan's awards. Worked outside, though Denise probably got done more than I did. I had to take several breaks from the swelling and infection in my throat. Still, we got a lot of things done. Tonight I'm paying for it, but it's a good debt though. We watched the newest episode of Camelot, actually two of them, we got behind.

  I think that Megan was more tired than we are, lol. She didn't get home until late and when she did she looked tired, but man was she ever happy. It was her day today, and all was great. She said that Cathy & Mark had invited her back to hike with them when they all go. Something about a cave with different colored sand. She was also talking about Mark's camera, and how nice he is. You made your sister's day today Misty, thank you, and thank your mom and Mark too.

  Charlie is out and about again, minus his hair now. He overshot it and had to take a long break I hear. Just 1 more and he may be done though and ready for surgery.

Surgery Day

  It went well today. Rathfoot done some stuff, I know he injected Kenalog (spelling ?), not sure what else. I'm home though, actually got home early, around 3pm. We discussed the tube things, which I definitely do not want this time of year. It's garden season, bike season, and I really need to do some bush-hogging at the farm. He thinks he can control the damage other than using a trach and feeding tube... thank God. I will need more of these surgeries and he said they were looking into a machine where they could do it at the office. Other than that I didn't hear much, but he talked to Denise.

   That was some kind of staff they have at St Mary's, I think it's called Mercy Center. If it is, that is a fitting name. Then again, that is why I chose them as to where to have it done. I didn't see a bad one in the bunch, rather, excellent all the way, everybody. I may not have caught the Flu there from the blood work report back. My White Cells they said were down a little but they were back up I think today to either 11.5 or 12. Pretty darn good I think considering that just a little over a year I lost them, or something called Nutrofills.  (Probably spelling on that too).

  I'm down for a little while though, restrictions, but they're just for a few days. No lifting or driving (do the driving tomorrow :), no yard work or garden. But I took it just for the rest of the week. Denise said I'd have to wear a mask when I mow. I can do that, but no mowing until next week. I bought a hog and will have to get Megan to load and unload it. She was tickled until I told her we'd be putting it in boxes. I got Terry Sellers to kill and dress it out. We ran out of sausage a while back and had to buy some at the store. YUK! Terry knows how to make the stuff and cut the roasts to perfection. Plus he is honest and nice, a good man.

  So.... what to do  with my down time? Well, this for one, but I think I've found something else to play with. I got permission tonight. I've got a new program that I have needed for a while to learn, a few days to learn it with. Baring Megan's Graduation rehearsal and Honor's night, seems I have some time and it beats just goofing off doing nothing. So I asked Matt and he said it was ok, that I buy him a Domain Name (his choice) and I'll cut him some space on my server and build him a website for his repair business. I'm out of practice and behind times on these new things, so it'll help me learn and hopefully it will help him too.

  On the good side too was that the Flu I had, I lost 11 pounds. Downside is I need a little more than that gone. I still have to do the Predisone for a while longer, but not as high of a dose. I'm hopeful that I can get away from that stuff eventually.  Tonight I'm choking a little, but not too bad, I think that is to be expected. No temperature or bleeding so far as I've noticed. Sore as a boil. I think I know which parts and where they worked. :) Expected that too though. I was pretty sick when they done this before and I don't remember all of it afterward, but this much I do.

  So now we fight the side effects of the cure as this cancer seems to be gone, as best we can tell. That only leaves the other cancer and the heart. I'm use to those though. Not to mention insomnia tonight, lol. I think I may have slept too much while I was in recovery, lol. Something about either the anesthesia or whatever else is given that afterward for a few days I shake and stay nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs. When I was in the middle of the battle Panella gave me some kind of nerve pill, I also used it in the cocktail that enabled me to be bolted in a mask each day to a table during radiation treatments. As we reach the end I asked Panella for more, he refused and when I asked how to control it he said. "Dig a hole". I found out from either him or Denise these things were habit forming, so I started digging holes, lol. I gotta say, beats a pill any day. Throughout this whole ordeal they have all kept their promise to not have me hooked and it I got hooked on anything they would get me unhooked...and they have kept their word.

  I think though I may talk to one of them or maybe Schindler about the pills they gave me to help with the arthritis, it was an anti-inflammatory one. If it's not addictive it sure made things a lot better.  The shoulder seemed a little better and the 2 discs in my neck that I still don't want to be worked on worked better. The knees from jumping in and out of the truck for all those years felt better, as did the elbow I never got fixed properly. Not any less was it soothed the small amount of Arther left behind from the Lymes Disease years ago. But it it is like Celebrex or addictive, I can live with it and Tylenol. Funny, I got a check from a settlement because I was taking Celebrex when I had my heart attack for 53 bucks and some change I think. I didn't cash it though. I'm not sure if it was made aware that it carried some risk back then, but I think I was. So since I'm not sure, I didn't want their money. Plus I think the event cost a bit more than that, lol. So since I don't know if I knew the risk or not, I'm not due it, I took my chances. I can't say that it was worth it but it did keep me moving when I couldn't move. The stop moving part kinda sucked, but that's life and I'm still moving, just not like I once did.

  Charlie is weak but he is moving again. He came for Denise's birthday. He looks good too and seems in better spirits. He has lost some weight but like me needed too. Unfortunately this coming Wednesday Hell comes again for him, but at least he knows what is coming and that readies a man for battle. He sounds pretty good too. I told him we're in a competition for sounding like either the Godfather or Sling Blade. We practice our, I like them Mustard Biscuits, unhu, lol. I worried about him for a while. He lost his will to fight, but I think now he is going to be ok. He has his sense of humor back and emotionally and spiritually back on track. I think he knows that while it is all up to God in the end, it is dependent upon  good medical people, mental, spiritual, humor, family, and emotional... all parts being equal in importance. The physical part gets it's butt kicked. Keep these in line though, and then let God make His decision, which He will anyway. But we have to do our part. And that is coming from a noncomplying patient, well... sorta, lol.     

05-17-2011

I'll crash early tonight. I have to be NPO by midnight. We had Denise's birthday party, ate cake and she zoned into the TV and I into the web. I've ate like a horse today and tonight, especially the things I normally can't eat or figure will be off the list for a while. I've also went wild drinking as well. Orange Gator aid, Tea, Root Bear, Mt Dew, and Milk... I've done them all in one day. :)

  Talked with Terry Sellers and our pork will be ready either Thursday or Friday. It will be a tight fit to get it into one of the freezers. I'll have to see if Matt & Misty want any Mark & Bobbie. I'm sure they will take some and we have enough to share. We ran out of sausage and had to (yuk) buy some at the store. We only found 1 that didn't have MSG listed, and it still sucked at best. I wonder what planet they get those hogs from?

  The surgery is late morning and I told Denise that I will have to have something sprayed in my mouth before then. I don't think doctors think how much lubrication is natural, or rather just how much spit we swallow. I don't have that option and everything will become dried out, painfully so. The weather is bad for a few days and so down time needed will be easier to manage. No fever now but still ache and weak, and a head ache that is pestering.

  So we rest and hopefully sleep until time to go. Took a sleeping pill just in case.

05-17-2011

Happy Birthday Denise!!!!!!

Don't worry. We got the fire dept standing by... just in case the flames get too high. :)

  I'm not brave enough to place your age up. No way would I place a 4 and a 3 up here. :)

05-15-2011

Just now getting back up from getting slammed with some kind of intestinal something. Since I don't know anybody that has it I assume maybe it was a gift from preregistration at St Mary's. They seriously need to go back to the way they use to do it. High fever and not sure which end to put on the toilet first. From Thursday evening until Saturday morning. I think that was the closest thing to Chemo sickness I've experienced except for the chemo, and then I didn't run a high fever. Except that one time when I ended up in the hospital.

This once again tells me to avoid crowds. I thought I was past this.

05-11-2011

Well, the gig is set up now for next week. Me and Denise went down and done the paperwork, got blood drawn... so I'm all set. The lady who drew the blood looked at me and said, Which arm? Denise was standing in the corner and I smiled, pointed at Denise's arm and said, "That one." We all got a laugh out of that.

I think with my heart, Pernicious Anemia, and COPD, they are getting a lady to put me under. They said she was their best. I don't think the Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma had any bearing on anything. Most of my meds I have to take, exception being the anti-inflammatory. Other than that, pretty standard info. Have to wet, something else?, and be able to breathe on my own... then I can go home when they are done. First thing I thought was oh crap, that tube again. Definitely scary to wake up seeing.

I've gotta remember to go over the no (s) with the doctor before surgery. No extra tubes, pipes, holes, plugs, etc. :) Cut all they want inside, just not through to the outside, lol. Hopefully I'll not be down but a day, two at tops. Got too much to get done.

05-11-2011

I have to preadmit for surgery at St Mary's today for next week. Wonder if that is like preboarding, lol. This is something new they've started since my last surgery. Denise gave me orders not to get dirty, so here I sit. This is 3 good days in a row which makes it hard to just sit. I wonder if I mow the yard if she'd be able to tell. I checked the date and we will get to celebrate Denise's birthday the day before surgery. For that I'm thankful.

My mind and frustration is on Charlie, he seems to already be tossing in the towel. I know when he saw me smiling and being positive it must have looked bad, but he has enough negative going on with the pain. Hopefully that smile and those thoughts will strike a cord somewhere. He knows full well I've lived in that Hell, so hopefully he will smile back inside somewhere. Bill said this morning they were going to get a Feeding Tube installed, which is fine if he needs it. This is why I was trying to tell him that if there was another way like they first thought (surgery) to go that route. He didn't realize just how bad it is, and he's just getting started. If Hell is 3 feet down, he is at the first inch mark, and then you sometimes tunnel. The time to start the battle is at the beginning.

God how I hate cancer. I had forgotten just how bad it is. As a victim you feel helpless and sometimes, even though you say one thing positive you feel like your drowning and in a sea of hopeless pain and misery. I remember when people came to see me and I saw, even though they would try and hide it, the pain and shock in their faces when they looked and talked to me. That isn't as bad as it gets though. The worse part is when you hurt so bad for so long, you just kind of don't notice it, actually expect it. Death becomes quite an attractive option, yet you don't have options anymore.

As a spectator you feel worthless and helpless, useless at times. All you can do is watch and help as much as they will allow you, and pray. We've lost quite a few to cancer in our family over the years, too many. I'm not sure how nurses and doctors work in that field, but I'm sure glad they do. I'm not sure how they can keep their heart yet they seem to have bigger hearts. They remain distant enough to not have sympathy, yet close enough to have compassion. This is something that heroes are made of. Something that can and does make a huge difference in the outcome.

I think today Charlie is getting more fluids, one of the mistakes I made he is doing right. He will be in the company of the ladies at the Chemo Hut where he will get compassion without sympathy. He is going to have to fight though, and I know how hard it is to do that. I think faith and fighting is all the individual has at their disposal. In the end though, God makes the final call. I do think though we are to fight with all we have.

05-09-2011

Finally coming out of it while Charlie goes deeper down into it. Somehow that takes the joy out of coming out of it. I actually got up feeling good for a change and planned on getting a lot done. Take advantage of the good day and accomplish what I could before surgery next week. Somehow that just didn't happen.

I've had emotionally and psychologically some downs lately and today I think I finally turned the corner, with some help. I ran into BB and we talked a long time at Easy In, it felt good. Nathan, BB's son came in. Now there is a smart and talented kid, well I should say man, he has grown up now. I ended up going over to his house after mowing mom's yard and we sat and talked. Man did I even need that. Unfortunately BB didn't get what he was doing done either, but he didn't seem to mind.

We grew up together and even though we're cousins I always considered him a brother. Since he is older I looked up to him and because of that, I didn't get into the drug scene, my brief encounter ended as quick as it started. We looked the part with hair to our waists, beards, and bikes. We talked current times, reminisced older times. I think this is what I've needed for a long time. I've always been able to tell BB things that I probably never will tell another person. He is one of the few people that I have never questioned his heart, motives or honesty. He has always had a level head, even when we were kids. Funny how we pass and yet live so close. Have a lot in common like cars and bikes, yet we never seem to find the time.

So... if you read this BB or Janet either one, thank you. It's also my fault Janet that he didn't get everything done. I'm sorry that I kept him. And, thank you too Janet for lending an ear.

05-08-2011

I meant to add this up for tonight but forgot. This is from Dr Mercola's site and the videos I would recommend watching. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/07/medical-marijuana-becoming-blockbuster-drug.aspx

05-07-2011

I'm just now getting over the stomach bug that's going around. Yuk, but I've seen worse. We went to Yard Sales today then come back and tilled the garden, even though the soil is damp, and planted a few things. During the course of hooking up the Rotovator I accidentally slung the Sledge Hammer and hit right below the knee. Now it's swelled big enough to look like I have two knees, lol. So I'm limping. Funny how there is just not much skin or muscles on the shin. I think I deserved that though.

The 40mg of Predsione a day have made me ill as a hornet. I can't even stand myself lately. It seems that depression, anger, nerves on end, and a deep rage at times boils inside me. I've had a tremble in my hands a bit since the Chemo, an unsteady gate if it were a walk, but as it is, shaky I guess you could say. Added with numbness and it is hard to do some tasks I once could, but I've learned to just deal with it. Except lately I get all these hyped emotions.

So today I just snapped. Guess we had a little too much bonding. :) I'm going to blame it on the meds, but I know it was no excuse. I think these things are there. Not the things I said, but the frustration, pain, aggravation, and I guess anger that you can't do what you want to do, what you use to do. Maybe this stuff just heightens them, I'm not sure. I've done good at keeping it in check until today. Man do i ever have a mouth on me at times, and attitude to match.

05-05-2011

Today hit Charlie hard and he pretty much stayed in bed. I talked briefly to him, I know how hard it is to talk sick and with pain. If his is like mine tomorrow will be worse, but the Saturday will be better. My 1st treatment was the easiest, hopefully his will all be easier,or at least no worse.

I goofed off today at a yard sale, I'm still not quite recovered. We have another guy coming to give an estimate on the storm damage tomorrow. Tomorrow I hope to be more about in terms of accomplishing things. I really need to get the beans and corn planted, I'm just not sure why, lol. I sat yesterday and read and listened to music. Found some new songs. I like this one...

05-03-2011

Charlie done his first Chemo today at the Chemo Hut at UT. It went well. He said they told him to tell me Hi. That is a great bunch of people there. He has about 2 days before the bomb hits.

  Today was a loss. I went outside and tossed a few rocks from the garden and almost instantly my throat started swelling again, so I came in. It took a few hours for it to go back down. I really need to get the oxygen tank filled. Now if I can just remember that, lol. I got less than 2 weeks before surgery and already I'm behind what needs done, just in case I'm down a bit. I dread the respiratory again. It didn't hurt but it's definitely freaky.

  I plan to chat with Rathfoot, no trach for now. It is garden season and bike season. It's also past time I repair the wall downstairs and other odds and ends. The storm damage though will be hired out to Mike to do. That will come later, there are plenty of people that he is working on that have worse damage, so we can wait. It ain't going nowhere, we ain't having to feed it or water it, lol. I do need to check the roof though to make sure it's not leaking. One could say it got the hail beat out of it... pun intended.

  Matt done well again today. He worries too much about staying busy but no more than he charges they're coming in left and right. If he sets for an hour and not doing something he worries, lol. I never realized that he is a perfectionist, either that or OCD, lol. It has to be just right, perfect. He has a lot of passion working on computers. They will be married I think Misty said something like 10 years this week. How could I have not noticed that? 

  Today has been a bit strange. I noticed that I am old now and my kids are grown. My grandkids are now at the age my kids should be. My biggest fear is being a burden rather than making more money or buying stuff... not that I haven't went a little stupid lately, lol. I ran off today without my teeth, ralmao. I didn't even notice until I smiled at the store. Thats when I felt the two canine teeth that stick way up to hold the partial on. What a look I got, lol. I look like a werewolf or vampire without my partial. How on earth does one forget their teeth?

   I guess the same way that I catch myself doing what dad done to us kids, sticking them out, putting them upside down and walking past them. I use to look at him and think, does he think that is funny? Well, now I know what he thought because I'm doing the same thing, lol. If nothing else, I'm amused. And I just now found the last pill in under the partial. I thought something tasted weird. I've little taste buds left that work but that was a bit bitter. Think it was one of the steroids. Somehow they aren't working for me like they did for muscle men, my belly is bulking up rather than my arms.

05-01-11

  Well here I set again, today ended as quick as it started. About all I got done was 2 block laid and a small part of the garden tilled, so here I set until my swelling goes down in my throat. I've dug out my old hat I wore last year, not the one I wanted but it will do. I took some Benadryl so hopefully that will take this down enough to breathe and at the same time not knock me out. Not so much pain as it is my wind getting cut off. Like a noose is around my neck.

    I had big plans to get a lot more done before surgery in a couple of weeks, but I guess the "best laid plans of men and mice" applies. Then again, I ain't done trying yet either. First things first though. I have to get the tiller back into the garage and the wheel barrel full of mud used up. I'll start with my mask this time instead of waiting to wear it. I may even write stupid on my head. :)

  Charlie starts his chemo tomorrow and not the light doses he first thought. He chose Dr. Panella at UT, same doctor I have.  He shoots pretty straight and takes the time to explain. He is a good doctor. He saw Ruth today too. He laughed and said she told him he wasn't as stubborn as I am. :) It seems to have Charlie's spirits lifted a bit, he was ready to give up yesterday. I never been much on pain pills until this, but they are a blessing in a lot of ways and now Charlie can catch a break. This is his calm before the storm. Real pain hasn't set in just yet, may God be with him through this. I'm trying to get him to learn the web, there is so much enlightening information up here that can help him remain positive.

  I know for me, I had a bit of a learning curve with the heart attack, still, without this blog and 106.9 The Light radio station, and other websites, it would have been much rougher. His tastes differ in a few ways than mine, but we are mutual on many things. There is a preacher that a reader turned me onto named Mike Hoggard that I listened to early this morning. He seems pretty good to me, actually one of the best I've heard in a long time. I placed a link on his name.  Then I like Chris White and his info. There is also Chip Ingram and Chuck Swindoll.  Cancer is a battle, but that doesn't mean one has to fight unarmed or alone. There is also a website called Blog For A Cure that if had I have know existed I would have probably blogged there.

  Well, I've pretty well loaded this post with links, killed some time, and hoping it will go down enough to get back to it.