Tag Archives: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Two years and clear!!!

Adrenal Cancer, Cancer, Family, My Novel-It Takes A Village Store, Surgery, Writing November 21, 2014 Comments: 8

By Karen Whalen

Yesterday was my CT scan at DHMC marking my two-year anniversary from surgery for adrenal cortical cancer (ACC). It was clear–NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE! Exactly what I had hoped for and expected but, hey, you never know. The cancer can return at any time.

CT Scan Cocktail at DHMC

CT Scan Cocktail at DHMC

The visit would have been uneventful except for my allergic reaction to the contrast material injected during the CT scan. At the end of the scan, the radiology technician noticed that I was rubbing my lips and, when I admitted I was experiencing an itchy mouth and swollen lips, I was suddenly surrounded by several other medical professionals and whisked off to recovery. I immediately was given a Benadryl pill followed by an IV of prednisone. After over an hour in the recovery room, I was released to a scrumptious turkey dinner in the hospital cafeteria–the reason I like my appointments scheduled on Thursday!

Tyler at the Top of the Rock

Tyler at the Top of the Rock

Today is my oldest grandson’s birthday. Tyler turns thirteen today! We now have a teenager in the family. Joy and Paul are in for some interesting and exciting (and challenging??) times, if memory serves me correctly. (And that’s not something I can rely on these days.)

My niece, Sammie, is celebrating her birthday today as well. In my family, we have multiple overlapping birthdays.

The 50,000 word goal for NaNoWriMo is getting more and more elusive. I made it to 15,000 words after my 3,500 word marathon on Tuesday. With 35,000 words and only ten days left, including today, I will need to pump out another 3,500 words each day. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving falls in that time period, which we will be spending in Connecticut. I’d like to know who thought November was the right time for this awesome event? Wouldn’t January, with cold, snow, and thirty-one days have been a better choice? The good news is that no matter how many more words I am able to add during November, I have a good start on what I think may become a trilogy set in the town of Woodbury. It’s always good to have goals…..

I scanned the December issue of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine this morning. Big mistake. All of the holiday decorating, cooking, and entertaining in that one issue made me feel totally inadequate. Unless you want a reason to be depressed–don’t waste your time looking at any of the holiday magazines. Whatever you usually do for the holidays, I suggest you cut back and carve out more time for simple celebrations with your family. Less stress–more memories. And who doesn’t want that?

Hazy, hot, and humid

Family, Travel, Uncategorized, Writing July 10, 2014 Comments: 2
On the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls

On the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls with Joy and kids

(I apologize–my internet was down for five days so this post is late. Thank you, Charter!)

It’s the week of the Fourth of July in New Hampshire. Of course it’s hazy, hot, and humid. With afternoon thunderstorms. But our annual weeklong family reunion rages on, with fishing, canoeing, swimming, kayaking, hanging out at the beach. And lots of eating.

Arthur has developed into a Category 1 hurricane but he won’t bother us. We’ll have our own rainstorm the morning of the Fourth. Not certain how this will affect plans for the eleven a.m. parade, with the kids lining the street ready to fill their plastic grocery bags with candy. Worse case scenario, we throw candy from our upstairs loft….to 14 kids….Now how do we replicate the parade?

Fourth of July at home with mini fireworks

Fourth of July at home with mini fireworks

We won’t have our personal fireworks display this year, a family tradition for many years. After Steve and his brother Mike were almost blown up along with a string of fireworks, we decided that 2013 would be the last year. No one wants to relive the chaos of children being rushed into the house and adults dashing to the igniters, unsure what they would find. Actually, it’s the adults who don’t want to relive that. The kids are disappointed.

My writing has suffered these past few weeks for various reasons, starting with a fantastic trip to Niagara Falls, the New York side, where we stayed at Darien Lake Amusement Park with Joy and family. Niagara Falls was not on my bucket list but I am so glad that we had the opportunity to visit it. And we experienced all of it. My only regret is that I let Steve convince me to throw away the “specially designed” sandals they give you to wear at the Cave of the Winds where we all braved Bridal Veil Falls to experience “tropical storm-like conditions.” Awesome!!

My recent monthly visit to my oncologist was uneventful–except for learning that he is leaving DHMC and I will have a new oncologist, Dr. Sergey Devitskiy. (More) change is good, right?

Everyone leaves this weekend for Connecticut, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Life should return to normal. Writing, riding the motorcycle, kayaking, painting the kitchen/living room and garage doors, going to the Cape with Joy and Jesse and families, maybe traveling to Acadia National Park–and before we know it, it will be Labor Day.

A brothel in its former life (seen from the bathroom window)

Adrenal Cancer, Travel, Writing, Writing Group February 6, 2014 Comments: 2
Jerome, AZ

Jerome, AZ

Today I was going to get serious about my book–didn’t I say that yesterday?? What was I thinking? Instead we traveled to Sedona to see Dan, a friend of ours from back in NH who is a snow bird, just like we are now. It’s further up there than we thought–over two hours, and that’s in the HOV lane–and we got a late start (someone had to take a shower and do her hair).

It’s about 15 degrees cooler up there so I was happy I remembered my fleece jacket. We actually ran into some rain on the way up. Rain!

We ventured to Jerome for lunch, with Steve receiving just a warning–no ticket–for speeding and failing to stop at a stop sign. Jerome is an old mining and “ghost” town, about the elevation of Mount Washington, that appears to have most of its original buildings still standing, without any renovations, or if there are any, they are done “tastefully.”

Looking out the window of the bathroom at the restaurant where we had lunch I could see what was obviously a brothel in its former life. And hanging on the walls for decorations were vintage corsets and garters and things I couldn’t identify. Dan will be 90 this July–maybe I should have asked him if he knew what they were?? Without doing any research, I can say unequivocally that Jerome must have been a happening place back in the day!!

Kathy, my Pilates instructor in Vermont, is reading a book that takes place in Jerome. I’ll add it to my list of “must reads.” I can always rely on her recommendations.

In our absence (she must have been afraid I would buy another t-shirt), Joy visited Goodwill and brought home two “new” jigsaw puzzles. While she and Steve were busy carting Tyler to football practice and Haley to gymnastics, I was occupied with setting up one of the puzzles. Although we had vowed not to do another puzzle after the last one, Joy, Haley, and I didn’t hesitate to gather around the dining room table for an hour and work on the new one. We refrained from getting out the head lamps this time but we certainly could have used them. I imagine my writing group members will identify this as creative procrastination. I suppose I could have been out shoveling snow as I know some of them were!!

No word from my doctor on the results of the CT scan or the blood work. Tomorrow I will call as they don’t seem to be the ones to initiate the calls. Did I mention how much I miss DHMC?

Starting to get serious about writing–once again

Adrenal Cancer, Cancer, My Novel - Claire February 4, 2014 Comments: 6
San Tan Mountains

San Tan Mountains

I feel guilty even writing that we have been enjoying temperatures in the 70’s during our stay in Arizona while the rest of the country seems to be mired in yet another round of snow storms after having survived yet another polar vortex. (Not to say that we don’t cool off over night–but it’s worth it to awaken to blue skies and sunshine, even if there is a slight chill in the air.)

I met with a new oncologist a week ago Friday. He was very nice. But oh how I miss my Norris Cotton Cancer Center at DHMC. And Dr. Ernstoff, Nancy Crosby, and gang. Finally had my three-month CT scan yesterday after three calls to the not-so-nice scheduler (“I have 127 orders on my desk…”) and, I’m almost embarrassed to admit, a not-so-nice message for the doctor. Come to find out, he was on vacation. For those of you who are not familiar with my journey with ACC, it is laden with delays due to doctors who are on vacation.

My scan was at SMIL. No “e.” They were efficient and friendly. I didn’t even mind when the tech asked me if I had nipple rings! (You don’t want to know. But the answer is no.)

Now the wait for the results begins. I’m definitely spoiled by DHMC, where the doctor has the report on his desk within an hour of the scan. Funny how much we have come to rely on the results of the CT scan every three months. It’s a report card of sorts. But one with life or death significance. If you haven’t been there, I imagine that sounds melodramatic.

Today we visited Changing Hands Bookstore (and an art store) in Tempe and earlier we made it to The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale. We are starting to get serious about painting and writing–the two activities we have planned to focus on. I have managed to write about ten lines on my “Claire” novel and Steve has produced a first draft of a watercolor of the San Tan mountains. Our excuse is that we have been busy with the kids after school and with going places during the day. It’s wonderful to be retired and not just on vacation!

%d bloggers like this: