Well, he’s married, so you all knew that already.
But, he’s still kicking, just not kicking where he can make any updates to this wonderful way of getting info to his adoring public. So, in lieu of him making an update, I, his ever wonderful and outstandingly humble father, will make the update for him. And let’s hope he can get back to taking care of his own responsibilities quickly.
He hsa been, and continues to be until at least Sabbath morning, confined to a pale green room with sickly yellow lighting, tubes to his nose and arms, in some hospital somewhere in Tennessee. Amy does get to visit, but no one else.
The problem appears to be toxic reaction to his chemo chemicals. We knew he didn’t like them, but “toxic reaction” seems to be a bit overblown. Whatever. This has manifested itself in weakened lungs, fluid buildup (similar to pneumonia, though tests show that it is definitely NOT pneumonia. Pneumonia – not a typing friendly word. Not one you can type fast three times.), coughing, difficulty breathing. Oh, yeah, and fatigue and weariness. But since that’s the way he feels much of the time how could he tell?
Just in case you are wondering, the doctors said that this happens to about 25% of the patients on this particular chemo regimen, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary, but they do have to stop, get this squared away, and then start on a different regimen. I have no idea at this time whether that will affect treatment schedule or other aspects of his treatment program. We’ll have to stay posted for that info.
Anyway, that’s the story at the moment. Hopefully he’ll be out of the hospital tomorrow and be able to add in his own thoughts on these last couple of days.
On the bright side, his car is running again. Not that he can drive it from his hospital bed, but it is at least waiting to take him places when the doctor gives him the green light….
He CAN drive his hospital bed from his hospital bed. “This button moves the head up. This moves the knees up. Alternating pressing these make me puke. Then I press this to make the nurse come in to clean up.” OK, I’m being fanciful here. But I bet it’s true. Maybe I can get in touch with Amy and have her swipe the control while he’s sleeping and see if she can push buttons to make him sick.
But he is looking forward to getting home and being able to rest in his own bed, without anybody coming by to bother him for temperature, watching until he’s been asleep to give him a sleeping pill, or any of the other interruptions that are a part of normal hospital life.
And, that means “No visitors”. Not only are visitors, or calls, a drain on his energy, they also jeopardize his already-fragile lungs. Or at least the fragile condition his lungs are currently in. Given the tremendous amount of interest and support he has been getting (for which both Debbie and I want to say “thank you!”) I know that you will all be understanding so he can get back to school as soon as possible. (He is just dieing to get back to Geometry!)
In in the “misery loves company” category, we just found out that his cousin has pulled a “wanna be like Geoff”. (Some time soon you can ask Geoff about previous medical incidents he has had as he grew up – and why this just possible be a family joke.) Anyway, he – the cousin, not one of Geoff’s earlier run-ins with the medical establishment – decided to celebrate the end of semester tests by, um, well, “mascot practice” might put it in a better light. You know how sports team mascots jump on trampolines to dunk a basket ball? Well, this is kinda like that. Only instead of jumping on the trampoline to get some altitude, the altitude was already there and the trampoline was used as an aid in a “controlled landing”. Sounds good in theory anyway. Kinda. Except it didn’t work quite that way. So, after jumping off a roof onto a trampoline (with a net around it) and applying a knee to the left side of his mouth, Geoff’s cousin wound up in the ER for some “damage control”, to be follow up by visits to oral surgeons and the like. It seems that his braces wound up being the only thing holding his teeth, at least those on the left side of his face, in his mouth. Of course those braces were being held in place to a certain extent because they were imbedded in lips, and cheeks. So there is some commiseration there, though The Cousin is at home and Geoff isn’t. But then when Geoff is “out”, it is due to officially administered drugs as opposed to unofficially administered knees. Sounds to me that someone “knees” a better plan for next semester testing celebration! (“You’re welcome, Cousin!”)
And in a similar vein, but weirder, his younger brother, in Yap, in the TROPICS, has some how or another managed to COME DOWN WITH A COLD! A COLD IN THE TROPICS!! Maybe he should get out in the sun a little and see if he can bake it out of him!!! (sigh) But maybe he’ll let us know more about that on his own blog. www.islandsharkz.com to check on Matt and see pictures of the first part of his year in the tropics.