I'm Grateful for the 2nd Chance
It's been a busy time for me the last 10 days and I'm not quite sure where to begin this post. I wanted to dive right in and mention my doctor's appointment from yesterday morning but I'll take this as I typically do and mention stuff in the order it happened. It's the Virgo in me.
I drove down to Rochester Saturday afternoon to pick up Rachel for a family reunion planned for Lake Marion on Sunday afternoon. We both saved our appetites in anticipation of stopping along the way home to grab a bite to eat. Rachel suggested 5 Guys on the north end of the city. She said they have excellent burgers. That's all I needed to hear. I'm always open to a new fast-food recommendation so I was all in.
Lately, I've been getting my semi-fast-food fix from a couple of places: Divannis for their club sandwich on ciabatta bread and Noodle Factory for their Penne Rosa with grilled chicken.
A double-beef burger it would be. While standing in line deciding what to order, Rachel suggested we split a small order of fries. I countered that I thought we should make it a large but she overruled me. She was right. We couldn't finish them all. The burger is so unhealthful but I have no reservations saying it's a great burger!
We headed north on highway 52 and I asked her if she had plans for her fast-approaching 21st birthday. She hesitated before telling me about the Tour de Franzia where you sip wine from a Camelback backpack while riding your bike. I had to laugh. The Tour de France is something near and dear to my heart but I'd never heard of the Tour de Franzia.
Hmmm...I could only imagine my precious daughter out there on the streets of Rochester, sipping wine while obliviously running stoplights and all other sorts of stupidly dangerous moves, having little to no experience with alcohol.
I can be a little naive at times.
I recalled a photo she'd posted to Instagram recently where she appeared to be giving Philip's dog a sip of whatever she had in her red Solo cup. Anytime I've had a beverage from a similar cup it's almost always contained beer. Nah! She's not into beer.
Our conversation continued. Like I said; I can be a little naive at times.
Ok, so she has some experience with alcohol. I'm good with that but my goodness stops when and if the grades suffer. Are you listening, little one?
Tracee and Keith organized a family reunion at Lake Marion in Lakeville last Sunday. We lucked out with some great weather despite a forecast for temps in the 90s thanks to some lingering clouds. It was a nice time and something I think most of us walked away from wondering why it is we don't do this more often.
Photos from the day
I'd had several CT scans of my lungs and abdomen taken last Friday looking for improvement in my lungs and for any changes in the size of the spots on my liver. Doctor Kubiak called me late Friday afternoon to tell me that my lungs were clear of any residual clots and that there was no scarring. That was extremely good news but more importantly, she added that the spots on my liver appeared to be nothing more than cysts. She didn't want me worrying for the rest of the weekend about the results. I was thankful for her concern because my mind does continually go back to what's happening inside me. Big sigh.
I met with doctor Kubiak yesterday morning to discuss my CT scans further. Tammy came with me and while we sat in the small office waiting for my doctor, a nurse came in and did a blood-draw of a half-dozen vials for a lupus panel. Just making sure they cover all their bases I suppose. I'm glad they're so thorough.
Doctor Kubiak came in and went over the results of my initial blood readings with us. All were normal with the exception of one of the values which she attributed to a medication I'd taken a few hours earlier. Before she could even ask if I had any questions, I'd managed to inquire about my chances of ever coming off coumadin. She went over the risks of staying on the drug vs the risks of coming off it then said without hesitation that she would like to see me stop the medication after one year. They were absolutely the words I wanted to hear her say but somehow I wasn't allowing myself to get overly excited by hearing them. There's still something not quite right at play within me and who's to say that it won't make an appearance again? I should have been happier than I've been in months but I was trying to process so many thoughts and concerns, and any feelings of elation I may have been feeling were being overshadowed. I suppose I'm simply guarding myself against getting my hopes too high for fear of having them brought low at a later time. She said that my Factor V Leiden condition isn't enough to warrant keeping me on coumadin indefinitely.
I restated my concern about the potential that I may have been experiencing mini pulmonary embolisms for years and that they may begin again. The only way we'll know is to come off the drug as she's recommending and see how my body responds. I'm all for that.
So, I can begin dreaming of riding again, of getting back to the life I sort of put on hold 6 months ago. It may be a short-lived reprieve but maybe not. Time will tell. Regardless, I'm grateful for the 2nd chance.
I drove down to Rochester Saturday afternoon to pick up Rachel for a family reunion planned for Lake Marion on Sunday afternoon. We both saved our appetites in anticipation of stopping along the way home to grab a bite to eat. Rachel suggested 5 Guys on the north end of the city. She said they have excellent burgers. That's all I needed to hear. I'm always open to a new fast-food recommendation so I was all in.
Lately, I've been getting my semi-fast-food fix from a couple of places: Divannis for their club sandwich on ciabatta bread and Noodle Factory for their Penne Rosa with grilled chicken.
A double-beef burger it would be. While standing in line deciding what to order, Rachel suggested we split a small order of fries. I countered that I thought we should make it a large but she overruled me. She was right. We couldn't finish them all. The burger is so unhealthful but I have no reservations saying it's a great burger!
We headed north on highway 52 and I asked her if she had plans for her fast-approaching 21st birthday. She hesitated before telling me about the Tour de Franzia where you sip wine from a Camelback backpack while riding your bike. I had to laugh. The Tour de France is something near and dear to my heart but I'd never heard of the Tour de Franzia.
Hmmm...I could only imagine my precious daughter out there on the streets of Rochester, sipping wine while obliviously running stoplights and all other sorts of stupidly dangerous moves, having little to no experience with alcohol.I can be a little naive at times.
I recalled a photo she'd posted to Instagram recently where she appeared to be giving Philip's dog a sip of whatever she had in her red Solo cup. Anytime I've had a beverage from a similar cup it's almost always contained beer. Nah! She's not into beer.
Our conversation continued. Like I said; I can be a little naive at times.
Ok, so she has some experience with alcohol. I'm good with that but my goodness stops when and if the grades suffer. Are you listening, little one?
Tracee and Keith organized a family reunion at Lake Marion in Lakeville last Sunday. We lucked out with some great weather despite a forecast for temps in the 90s thanks to some lingering clouds. It was a nice time and something I think most of us walked away from wondering why it is we don't do this more often.
Photos from the day
I'd had several CT scans of my lungs and abdomen taken last Friday looking for improvement in my lungs and for any changes in the size of the spots on my liver. Doctor Kubiak called me late Friday afternoon to tell me that my lungs were clear of any residual clots and that there was no scarring. That was extremely good news but more importantly, she added that the spots on my liver appeared to be nothing more than cysts. She didn't want me worrying for the rest of the weekend about the results. I was thankful for her concern because my mind does continually go back to what's happening inside me. Big sigh.
I met with doctor Kubiak yesterday morning to discuss my CT scans further. Tammy came with me and while we sat in the small office waiting for my doctor, a nurse came in and did a blood-draw of a half-dozen vials for a lupus panel. Just making sure they cover all their bases I suppose. I'm glad they're so thorough.
Doctor Kubiak came in and went over the results of my initial blood readings with us. All were normal with the exception of one of the values which she attributed to a medication I'd taken a few hours earlier. Before she could even ask if I had any questions, I'd managed to inquire about my chances of ever coming off coumadin. She went over the risks of staying on the drug vs the risks of coming off it then said without hesitation that she would like to see me stop the medication after one year. They were absolutely the words I wanted to hear her say but somehow I wasn't allowing myself to get overly excited by hearing them. There's still something not quite right at play within me and who's to say that it won't make an appearance again? I should have been happier than I've been in months but I was trying to process so many thoughts and concerns, and any feelings of elation I may have been feeling were being overshadowed. I suppose I'm simply guarding myself against getting my hopes too high for fear of having them brought low at a later time. She said that my Factor V Leiden condition isn't enough to warrant keeping me on coumadin indefinitely.
I restated my concern about the potential that I may have been experiencing mini pulmonary embolisms for years and that they may begin again. The only way we'll know is to come off the drug as she's recommending and see how my body responds. I'm all for that.
So, I can begin dreaming of riding again, of getting back to the life I sort of put on hold 6 months ago. It may be a short-lived reprieve but maybe not. Time will tell. Regardless, I'm grateful for the 2nd chance.
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