Chapter 13 (Volume 2)

17 May 96- Talked to Cindy reference dates for Duke. Got up and cleaned house ALL day. Took Joel to Doctor to get camp physical. John worked late- was asleep before he got home.

18 May 96- Drill. Cleaned up from camp. Had awards formation. I received an ARCOM. Got to leave around 12:30. Went to police SS and talked with Dale and Chuck for a little bit. Came home and took boys to get some sandals. John was in a bad mood. I finished mowing back yard. Took bath and got ready for Jim M's Dining with Friends Party. John had come home and taken a nap. Spencer and I waited on him to go to party (He did 5 weddings and was totally burned out!!). I ended up taking Francis F home to Greensboro. Bed at 1:00am.

19 May 96- Went to Church. Came home and ate lunch, then Spencer, John and I went to Lowe's in High Point. Came home and took boys to YMCA to swim. I worked out-felt good- I regret now that I haven't been keeping up with my exercises.

20 May 96- Back to work. Found out Phil is still out on W/C. Church was made acting corporal. I went to the new communications center today- it is really nice. Went down to the PD- talked to several people. Talked with Patsy B and updated her on what was going on with me. Talked to Phil to see how he was doing- he said he would be out until June.

21 May 96- Worked on evaluations today. Talked to Cindy (she is coming June 26), she said she had talked to John yesterday and he failed to tell me about her calling. That made me mad and I told John I was very disappointed that he didn't tell me. Kevin and Josh came over and ate hamburgers with us. I picked up my contract for tomorrow's test, which I am not looking forward to.

22 May 96- Had CT Scans and Bone Scan today. Didn't go to work till 1:00pm. Worked on evaluations. John and I took mom and dad out to Outback Steakhouse for their 48th wedding anniversary.

23 May 96- Took Pulmonary function test- everything was OK. Took exercise MUGA test. The lady giving it to me said I was the first patient to finish the test. Was really tired when I came home. I got to bed around 9:30.

24 May 96- Worked on evaluations. Jim F and George H took me out to lunch at Pepper Tree. It was real enjoyable. Went to see Dr. Magrinant, he said all my tests were great and he expected me to recover quickly from the Bone Marrow. My next appointment with him is not until August. Spencer and I went to Greensboro to see "Spy Hard" at the Terrace Theater- afterwards we got yogurt. Spencer was excited as he will be testing for the "AG Academically Gifted" program for next year. He got a superior in both Math and English on his end of year test.

May 25th- Got up and worked on downstairs. Ran some errands then took Spencer to the YMCA to swim with Skylar. I worked out. Cleaned house, did grocery shopping. Bed at 10:30pm.

May 26th- Took Maxwell for 3 1/2 mile walk. John and I were greeters for Church-went to sunday school. John had some funeral work. I cleaned up the mildew on one of the porch swings. John and I went to see "Birdcage". Didn't get to bed till about 1:30am.

May 27th (Memorial Day)- Got up and took Maxwell for a long walk. Came back and painted 3 rocking chairs. John had some funeral work to do. Kids had school. John and I went to Elizabeth's for pizza at lunch. Took ALL day to paint chairs!! But they look like new!

May 28th- Back to work today. Church was acting SGT today- it was nice and slow. Mom had us over for dinner for our anniversary tonight. Dad was much more uptight and frustrated than the last time I saw him. He has fits of outrage which are sudden and somewhat frightening. Mom says they happen all the time when she is with him.

May 29th- Our 19th Wedding Anniversary! Had Court with Squad, then after Court, Church and I worked on the monthly report. Came home and grilled out steaks. John and I then drove to High Point and then Greensboro looking for wicker furniture. Got to bed late.

May 30th- Did not work. I went to Duke for 2 appointments. Went to see Dr. Lotz in Pulmonology. He is doing a lung study on high dose chemo on the effects it has on the lungs. I agreed to participate in the study. Then I went to the Bone Marrow Clinic and saw Dr. Rubin- he was a real asshole!! He tried to tell me that sometimes it is better to wait until cancer comes back before doing a Bone Marrow Transplant. What he said made absolutely no sense! He was real laid back and his bedside manner turned me off!! He took a bone marrow biopsy- it was not pleasant, but the nurse was really nice and held my hand during the entire procedure. Then she showed me around the clinic. I was pretty down after my appointment, but decided to go to the Hampton Inn. I asked to see a room and was given a key. I went up to the room she indicated and tried to unlock it. Finally someone came to the door. I explained my situation and was invited in. I spent 30 minutes or so talking to a lady from Kentucky about the Bone Marrow Program. She said it was really good. She also confirmed that Dr. Rubin was the most unpopular Dr at the clinic, but that the nurses were real nice. She was very informative, told me what I needed to bring etc. I felt better than when I left, but was still bothered by Dr. Rubin's comments.

May 31st- I worked on evaluations- Martha K called and took me to lunch. Then she really surprised me by giving me an electric blanket throw! I got a call from Duke Bone Marrow Center and talked to Roxanne. She said there was a growth factor study going on and she would give me more details on Monday and also made arrangements to get me my shots. I also talked with Valarie and told her what a bum meeting I had at Duke the day before- she agreed and said the doctor was in left field as the goal was to get the tumors reduced or gone by the time they get to Duke. I felt better after talking to her.