Snowed in on Maui...

Some of you may have noticed, but I haven't had much to say this past week, in fact, I've said nothing at all in over a week. Truth be told, I've been kind of in the "dumps" and can't quite come up with any real reason why. And no, it's not due to being "snowed in!" In fact, I doubt if any one's ever been snowed in here in the middle of the Pacific. Mind you, I've no complaints about the weather, apart from a little rain (unlike Oahu who's been deluged lately) it couldn't be much better.

Cousin Claudia Burnette was here from SoCal last week, with Friends, and we were able to spend an afternoon together and I really enjoyed her visit. They went out on TW's Woody Brown Catamaran, KAMEHAMEHA for a Sunset sail, and understand they had a pretty good time, including several Whale sightings.

Big news this week as well, Classmate Rick Ortenburger who is an avid runner (I mean serious runner, like a Marathon Man) and fund raiser extraordinaire has elected to "run" on my behalf in this years Salt Lake City Marathon. Read more about it here: HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE he presents the details much better than I could. I'm not sure that I'm deserving of such a dubious honor, but his efforts are worth supporting, and knowing he's doing it for a good cause, as well as his own Family Members too, well, when he asked, all I could do was say "Yes!" You can bet I'll be encouraging Rick to keep up the hard work and to Train like a Choo Choo...

Ok, so why am I in a slump...? Frustration I suppose is the biggest culprit. This is a bit like when I was younger, and had a broken collar bone. You can't put it in a cast, and it doesn't really look like any thing's wrong with you, so it doesn't really seem to others like there is. Very much the same as for years, after I was out of the Navy, with a chronic lower back pain problem, I "looked" ok, was a big strapping guy, and got no sympathy or slack when in reality, I could barely move. It's not for the want of "sympathy" but more just understanding or awareness. Anyway, that was then and this is now. The real difference is everyone gets the "cancer" thing, I do know that. So the frustration lies in the fact that, except for my darn tongue, I feel pretty darned good, still, and it just doesn't seem right.

Well, what I have come to realize as these days have slowly slid by, is not to worry, I'm gonna be feeling pretty darned bad before all is said and done. Now, I can't say that thought's exactly cheered me up a whole lot, but I think it's pretty well gonna resolve the frustration. The fact of the matter is, my tongue not only hurts, it REALLY HURTS. And the inside of my mouth, cheeks and gums have become increasingly sensitive. To such a point as to give me a bit of concern as we're not even half way through yet! My big concern is that the pain meds don't seem to be much help where the tongue and mouth are concerned.

Of course this is affecting my "diet" as well, and what I can (or feel like I want to) eat. Well, they'd told me all about this going in, everyone had in their own way. "Your mouth will feel like a bad sunburn." "Your tongue and gums will be very sore and tender, and you'll need to take care they don't become raw sores." "You'll have a metallic taste in your mouth all the time, and everything you try to eat will either taste like cardboard or coarse sand." So far I'd have to say they've been right on all counts. Well, there's "good news" there too, as my personal physician, Dr. Darcel Gilbert, has been tellin' me for years that I was clinically OBESE! Well, I think we'll be resolving that one in the next couple of weeks.

Ok, so enough of this... all in all, I am still doing just fine. My spirits are "well" and except for the oral discomfort I feel great. Still have pretty much my usual energy, and only seem to get the drowsies when I just sit around for too long. I'm sleeping pretty good, I get between 4 to 4 1/2 hours at a stretch, then it's time for pain meds and some H2O, and back to sleep. So, no real complaints. Heck, I haven't even had much of a chance to get bored or lonely. Kelly's keeping tabs on me pretty good, and I've gotten to see Madison & Grayson several times, as they were out of school still all last week, and I've had Doris, Marcia and TW to take a shift as "Drivers" giving Kelly a break there too.

The photos above are before shaving and after, to show you all I'm still alive and well and not too much the worse for wear. I think it's about time I start sharing some past wanderings now and then, so as not to be too tedious with the treatment progress, as it's pretty much routine from here on. the Radiation machine did break down again last Thursday, so now I've extended until February 10th before I'll be done.

THANK YOU EVERYONE, for your continued support, kind thoughts and well wishes. I'll try to do a better job of keeping the Blog up-to-date so to speak. ALOHA, Ron Wall

"Success is when we turn our stumbling blocks into building blocks." - Noah benShea