We got some bad news today. Actually, very sad news for the Beast. His sister's husband is dying of cancer that has spread from his groin area to his brain. He is in hospice care as I relate this news to you. Hospice only comes into play at the very end of someone's life.
His sister didn't want to intrude on her brothers lives with the news that the end came so quickly. The truly sad thing is that her hubby is only in his early 50's which is the time that cancer strikes the males in his family. The family's horrible medical history is the reason that they chose not to have any children even though it would be a comfort in many ways during this time. But, Boo's hubby and Boo had made the decision and were not going to change their minds. They didn't want to pass on the genes that would carry this terrible plague.
The Beast is torn about going up to Chicago to be with his sister. He said he would only go if he could assist his sister in some way. I mentioned that he could visit with Tee and read to him to give Boo a break. He agreed that this was probably a good idea but will think about it. Knowing the Beast, he will think about it until it's too late. His main worry for her was a financial one because they own a big house with a large mortgage and he's not sure they had insurance that would help cover it. She will probably have to sell it and find herself something more suitable for her ability to pay. She is not a rocket scientist and has no real skills for a job that would pay well. Her hubby, Tee, was a fashion designer and worked for a house that created lovely clothes for the *ample* woman. I saw some of the catalogs a few years back and the clothes were incredible and reasonably priced to my surprise.
Tee's father and uncles all died of the very malady that struck Tee. Tee's has spread to his brain and he is blind in one eye because of it. He's been unable to work for almost a year from what the Beast's youngest brother told him. My Beast is the oldest in the family and is 19 years older than his sister, the baby of the family.
I gather Teddy Bear, the youngest brother, kept much of this from the Beast thinking that he had his plate full with MY problems and with his own fight with recurring bladder cancer. Teddy Bear himself suffers from MS but that problem gets worse or better at times. He has a very upbeat attitude, however, and his whole home is set up to help out even during the worst of times. He can walk with the help of a cane right now but has been confined to a wheelchair at times. He's a very talented artist and it's so sad that this struck him down at the age of around 23 or 24. Thankfully, his wife is also talented and designs computer programs for a company that pays her well. Plus she gets bonuses every year. Their home is an incredible wonder to see. They both designed the property which is full of those tree sculptures like you see at Disney World. They even designed and built a stream bed in their yard. Fantastic to see. But I digress.
Teddy Bear and Boo have stayed close to each other mainly due to the fact that they are just a year apart in age and were like a separate family growing up. The Beast and I were married already when Boo first realized that he was her brother. I suppose my having been their babysitter helped in the confusion. But the age difference in the Beast from them hasn't made them close. His family has always been strange (to me!) because of the coldness of their relationship. I just couldn't imagine that in MY family.
But, depending on how Boo is really taking all this, the Beast may feel compelled to go to her aid. She may have been resigned to the possibility but the reality can be something else emotionally. They have been married for over 30 years and I know they enjoyed each others company, if nothing else. It has been a happy marriage and they did a lot of traveling, even if it was just for a music concert in Springfield or somewhere in Ohio. They would buy their tickets, get a hotel reservation for a room to stay in overnight OR for a 3 day weekend stay and go and enjoy whatever group it was they went to see. I said that Boo and Tee were, at heart, still teenagers. LOL!
Anyway, that's what we are dealing with now. No chance of me going with the Beast since I must do my IV's twice a day and be here for the HH nurse so she can take blood samples from me to check on what is going on. This Vancomycin can hurt my kidneys if it builds up in my system. I was told that I might be ordered to cut back to once a day or they might end up changing the antibiotic on me. I was also told that if I get ringing in my ears, I was to call the company that supplies me with the antibiotic and supplies IMMEDIATELY. Scary stuff to hear when just giving myself the IV is scary. You should see me checking the tubing and other stuff to make sure there are no bubbles present. The idea of a bubble of air going into my body scares the hell out of me.
But, enough of that for now. We had some really wonderful weather today even though it was overcast most of the day. The temperature got up into the 60's and the Beast even ran Baron around the circle on his motor scooter because Baron has been so cooped up for so long. It really helped calm Baron down.
Chewlee had a half day of school so she was here until almost 8:30pm from noon time. She would have been gone at 8pm but the Princess had to come in and eat some of the meat loaf I made. I have no idea if it was as good as my usual because I never ate any of it (I will tomorrow). I had a horrible stomach ache and indigestion after eating some of the Beast's bread pudding. It was good but it did NOT agree with me. It took all night and a Prilosec to relieve the pain. Oh, and a four hour nap!
We are supposed to have another decent day tomorrow before the rain and cold moves in. I hope we don't get the tornadoes they are predicting for some of the states to our West. Say a little prayer for all of those who may suffer with tornadoes, especially at this time of year. By that, I mean the Holiday.
Love you all. HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I don't care if it's politically correct or not. **Wink**
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