I had no idea just how many, unexpected times, we’d be making grips down to The James Center once my treatments began.  I was put on a med. called Vinconiacine.  I’m very sure I’m mis spelling this so from now on it will just be called Vinco.  We had a home health care nurse come by and teach Cindy how to “flush a line with saline” and start the feed of Vinco.  This would happen twice  day and last about two hours each time.  We were told of possible side effects fo look for.  One was a fever and another was a rash.

After about a week, the fun began.

One night I was feeling more tired then usual and that got Cindys attention.  I crawled into bed and after about ten minutes, Cindy came into the room and wanted to take my temperature.  It wound up being right around 100 so she called the hotline we’d been given so that if anything like this came up and we weren’t assume what to do we had someone to talk to.  10:00 pm we get in the car and go to the local ER as directed by the person at the James.  After waiting for what seemed to be an unreasonable time since there was hardly anyone else there, we were told that the doctor had been in touch with the James Center, told them their findings and they suggested that we come down there for them to look at me, and they wanted us to come down right now!  I looked at the clock and it was almost 2:00 in the morning.  Cindy and I looked at each other trying to understand everything through our exhaustion.  It took a bit, but we talked, took a deep breath, went home and packed a bag and headed Columbus at 2:00 in the morning.

I felt terrible for Cindy.  I know that she was mentally and physically drained and I couldn’t help with the driving at all.  The only traffic on the road at that time were semis trying to get a few more miles in before calling it a night and us.  The only humor out of all of this was that when we arrived and I was taken back to check in, in the cubicle next to me was a belligerent drunk who would not cooperate with the police officers trying to talk with him.  Needless to say, he lost his fight.  Oh yes, one other funny moment.  Cindy nudged me at one time and said that after all of this I better get a room with a view of Ohio Stadium.  I did!

One day turned into two…then three…and four.

My temperature went back to normal but now I had a red rash from pretty much my neck to my feel,   Once that seemed to be under control, I was sent home after five days.  About four days later, Its back at square one.

The temperature came back, the rash got worse and my feet started to swell.  Off to the ER where Cindy made the decision to have me taken by ambulance.  Like all the bad that has happened in my life, it was very early in the morning and she just couldn’t make that drive.  I understood.  She told me that she had called my parents and told them what was going on.  They were coming to the hospital to sit with me until the ambulance as ready so she could go home and get some much needed rest.  Now my parents are wonderful people.  I honestly couldn’t ask for better.  But the fact remained that they are both 87 years old and despite agreeing to come out, I knew this was not where they wanted to be.  so once Cindy said goodby to me, I tried to persuade them to go home.  I, as rationally as I could, told them that all I wanted to do was sleep my 6′ 5″ frame on a 5′ 4″ cot.  There was nothing they could do so just go back home and we will call when we are there.  My 5′ 2″ mother came over to me, leaned over and softly said in my ear, “Listen to me.  No matter how old you get just remember, I’m your mother and I always will be.  No be quiet and go to sleep.”   I was done.  I closed my eyes and fell asleep.  When it came time to get in the ambulance, I remember my parents following me out and once I was loaded in, my father waving both his hands so when we took off I’d be sure to see him.  That was a tough moment.

The only real upside to going by ambulance was that we went right to my room.  No checking in or filling to forms.  That was about the only good thing about traveling via ambulance.

The next eight days are blurry to me.  I apparently came down with something called hospital hysteria.  With all the medicines that had been pumped into me over the last two weeks and not wanting to be in that damn bed again, I started having delusions.  I don’t remember much, but I do recall walking hand in hand with Cindy down the middle of Times Square in New York.  I can even call saying to her “this isn’t right is it?”  I don’t remember certain people coming to visit me.  Making phone calls to Cindy telling her that I was coming home tomorrow.  That led to her calling the nursing station and having them put an alarm on my bed out of fear that Was going to try to make a break for it.  I’ve been told that I gave my step daughter Alli looks like I wanted to kill her.  I do remember yelling at one of my nurses who was trying to open the bathroom door to check on me.  Thankfully Cindy had just shown up for the day and was able to assure the nurse that I’m not as big of a putz was I am acting.

The care that I got at the James Center was the best.  I’ll fill you all on about Dr. Jain at a later time.  He is my oncologist that’s been treating me for almost the last six months now.  My how time flies when you’re having…..fun?

Thanks for reading.

Paul