End of Year Report: All Good

We went back to M.D. Anderson in Houston last week for Jim’s three month scan and doctor visit. We always expect the report to be good news but it is nice to have it confirmed.

Appointments were early this time. Bloodwork at 6 AM, then the scan at 7 AM. Doctor appointment for results at 1:30. He can’t eat before the scan so that left a little time for breakfast, his favorite meal. One good thing about the early appointments is there is no problem finding space in the parking garage. The scan takes a couple of hours.

Hospital Motifs

When we got to the doctor’s office he checked in and we waited. For like an hour; this is unusual at M.D. Anderson. Somebody came by and told us that the doctor was still reading the scan. Hmmm…

Another hour and we were starting to wonder what was going on. What was different that it took so long to analyze? At that point Dr. Strati himself came out and greeted Jim, telling us that everybody’s scan was backed up. Whew. That was really nice of him to come and assure us not to worry, which we were starting to do.

When we got back in the office we thanked him profusely for coming out to tell us everybody was waiting. He said he didn’t want anybody to “freak out.”

We are so grateful for this year-end good news and thankful that we got hooked up with Dr. Strati, he is the best. We go back in early March for another scan, the fourth, and then we don’t have to go back for six months. We thought it was every three months for two years but he explained that they are counting from the beginning of the clinical trial.

We are looking forward to our cruise through the Panama Canal during the holidays. We board the ship in Fort Lauderdale and fly home from LA. We will have a lot of days at sea so Jim is bringing his ukulele and we have a veranda room. This will be our first ocean cruise with Viking so it will be interesting to compare to the river cruise. At least we won’t be docking next to another ship where the veranda gets blocked; that happened a few times in Europe.

We have good cat care arranged for Carmella for which we are also thankful. She really likes our friends who watch her. She waits for them at the screen door and proceeds to march around the dining room table while knocking Sandy’s hat off. They keep us in touch by text and that is really nice when we are gone for a long time. This cruise is 16 days.

Then in March we are doing another Viking Cruise, “In Search of the Northern Lights.” I don’t really have a bucket list but if I did, that would be on it. As a friend here said, “You’re playing catch-up this year.”

We both wish you a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate and a healthy and very happy New Year in 2024.

From the drive back which was uneventful. Grateful for that too.