Kayaks!

Troy finally got to paddle his kayak yesterday afternoon! He hasn't been able to paddle since before his surgery (because of the recovery and the PICC line). We went for a nice long paddle when I got home from work. The weather was perfect and Troy got to work on strengthening his arms and shoulders. It felt great.

This weekend is the "In The Water Boat Show" at Watergate Marina. Check it out at: http://houstonboatshow.com/ If anyone is interested it is a great chance to see some awesome yachts.

"If a man is to be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most."
-E. B. White

Update

Not much new going on, but I wanted to post and let everyone know that Troy is feeling a little better every day. He still tires pretty easily, but we are hoping he will be getting a little stronger with each passing day. He was happy when he could finally dive into the deep end of the pool and not worry about his PICC line. He was not happy to find out how difficult it is to swim since they cut his muscle (the one across you back and under your arm) in half during his surgery.

We went to see the Texans play on Sunday. We had great seats (thanks Kenneth!) and really enjoyed the game. Troy started feeling kinda bad and we had to leave toward the end of the 3rd quarter, but it was good to get out and root for our team.

We are planning to go to Isla Mujeres in mid October to celebrate Troy's recovery and his birthday. We can't wait to get there! We are really looking forward to spending some time together and enjoying our favorite place. I know just the palm tree that I plan on spending plenty of afternoons under with a good book.

We are really enjoying living on our boat. It's a great community and I love getting home and being on the water.

Thanks for the comments. It's great to see who's reading the blog. John A - you were my next guess!

We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings. ~Erma Bombeck

NO MORE CHEMO!!!!

This is it - it's over and done! Troy saw Dr. Jac yesterday and the chemo pump and PICC line were removed. He doesn't even have to go back to see the doctor for a whole month. That's a milestone considering that all year he's been to the doctor or hospital almost weekly (at least several times each month). No more tubes, lines or chemicals!!!!!

It feels good to know that now his job is just to feel better and get stronger. There will be another PET Scan in December, but right now that seems like forever away.

We are looking forward to sailing, enjoying our boat and taking a nice long vacation for Troy's birthday coming up in October.

By the way - I like to get comments from everyone reading our blog, so don't forget that you can post comments to us and we love to hear from you!

Cancer is a word, not a sentence. ~John Diamond

Double Bayou Weekend

We got a chance to sail to our favorite destination Saturday morning. Our friend Joe went with us and we left really early. It was a pretty rough ride over as the bay was very choppy that morning. I was really glad to get there and get tied up to the dock!

We had a wonderful weekend we were also joined by a couple of other TMCA boats - Ed and Marion Herndon on s/v Remedy and Kent and Joellen Davis on s/v Charisma, plus several other "Channel Marker Regular Boats". We took a short dinghy ride up the bayou on Saturday. After the leisurely ride Ed challenged me to a dinghy race - of course I accepted. We dropped off our passengers and headed back up the bayou to find a suitable racing spot. After I beat him soundly twice in a row his motor died - then I had to tow him back home. Sorry Ed - I just had to tell the story!

Sunday morning was beautiful. Low humidity, blue skies. We couldn't ask for a better day. It almost makes me look forward to fall (I will miss summer though). Ernestine cooked us a fabulous Channel Marker Breakfast and we headed out for a motor sail home.

Troy is feeling OK these days, but he still battles nausea and he can't wait to get some of his energy and stamina back, but we can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. His last day of chemo is Thursday!!!!

Here's a great shot of s/v Remedy on the way back across Trinity Bay:

Who is staring at the sea is already sailing a little. ~Paul Carvel

Fun Friday Night

As soon as I arrived home Friday night I noticed that our air conditioner return (where the water that cools the a/c runs out of the boat) was dripping out at half it's normal rate. Usually that means we need to clean the filter, so Troy got busy with that right away. He soon noticed that there was no water running into the filter. We messed with it for quite a while and finally Troy got a wire coat hanger and pushed it into the hose. We soon discovered that we had sucked a small fish (about 3-4 inches) into the intake. Needless to say he wasn't feeling to good when we pulled him out. Kind of reminded me of Nemo - bet he wished he would have never touched the butt!!!!!


Later that evening Troy got to break out his guitar and play. Some of our new friends in the marina are getting a band together and they set up to practice and everyone gathered around and had a wonderful evening listening to the music. They were great and they even let Troy play and sing. His voice is really coming back - not 100% yet, but enough that he can sing a few songs. It really felt good to hear him singing and playing guitar and enjoying himself. Everyone had so much fun that we are trying to make it a weekly event! The picture is kinda dark but I wanted to post it anyway.


And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares that infest the day
Shall fold their tents like the ArabsA
nd as silently steal away.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Day Is Done

Humberto

We survived our fist "named storm" on Different Drummer! We spent Wednesday afternoon/evening making the boat ready for a visit from Humberto with a couple of extra lines and we tied the kayaks down and adjusted fenders in preparation of the tidal surge. Most of that was totally unnecessary as we received some rain and wind, but nothing to cause concern. Even the tides cooperated. Oh well - it's good practice for storm preparation.

Troy got his last infusion pump of 5FU today. Dr. Jac told him today that he will remove the PICC line next week and Troy will be done with chemo! Wooo - hoooo!!!!!! Yippeeeeee! Then he will only see the oncologist every 3 months, then eventually every 6 months, then every year and some day - never again!

Troy wasn't feeling so great this afternoon, but he is staying positive and looking forward to the great weather and our sail this weekend.

I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. ~Author Unknown

Update

Troy is still hangin' in there. The last couple of days have been a little difficult because he has been nauseous and just feeling bad in general. He says that he can feel the chemicals in him. He is so ready to feel better. I sure am glad that we are nearing the end of chemo, I really can't wait to see him feeling better.

We're planning to sail to Double Bayou this weekend. It's our favorite sailing destination and Troy is ready to get out there on the water. We can't wait to see our friends on Oak Island (Double Bayou). I just hope he's feeling better so that he can enjoy the weekend (funny how it's Monday and I'm already looking forward to the weekend).

To feel keenly the poetry of a morning's roses, one has to have just escaped from the claws of this vulture which we call sickness. ~Henri Frederic Amiel

We've Been Released!

We're back home to Different Drummer. Troy was released from the hospital at about 2:00 today. He had his last round of epirubin and cisplatin (the "bad" chemos) and has two more weeks of the 5FU (the "not so bad" chemo). Hopefully after that he will be able to concentrate on feeling better and getting stronger. Needless to say - we are both thrilled to have this part of the treatment behind us.

We got home this afternoon and immediately had to take the boat over to the pump out station because our holding tank was full. Troy felt well enough to get that done even though we had to battle a brisk wind getting the boat back into the slip. He's quite the captain though and of course he handled the boat beautifully. I can't begin to put down in words how impressed I have been with him through this whole ordeal (and I don't mean the pump out). He has been so strong and so positive and such an inspiration to me. I am so fortunate to be married to such a wonderful man.

Troy is feeling OK considering. He has moments of feeling nauseous and he has no appetite right now. It will take him about a week to a week and a half to get enough of the bad chemo out of his system so that he can start feeling better most of the time.

This should be a beautiful weekend and we plan to do our best to enjoy it!!!!!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you" declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV

One Last Time!

We're back at Methodist Hospital for the last time! I was counting this morning and this is Troy's seventh stay here this year. What a year it's been. It's impossible to explain how happy we are that this is the last one. It's a great place to be if you're sick, of course that's why we hope to leave tomorrow and never return.

We're getting settled in and waiting for the epirubicin (chemo) to show up from the hospital pharmacy. The sooner they start the sooner we can get out of here! We are expecting to be released tomorrow afternoon.

Troy will also have an X-ray done today or tomorrow because Dr. Jac wants to see if there is still fluid in his lung, we suspect that there is because Troy has been having some pretty bad coughing episodes lately. If the fluid is still there they will drain it by inserting a needle into his lung. The doctor says that it's "no big deal" but Troy believes that's because they aren't sticking the needle in his lung!

I promise to post an update tomorrow.

We're Home!

But now "home" is Different Drummer. We made the official move on Friday and we spent most of the weekend making room for our "stuff". So far so good! I have the rest of the week off of work, so, of course, it's gonna rain every day! At least it will give us time to adjust to the new living arrangements and get settled in.

Troy is doing OK - he had a good day on Saturday. We went sailing with Kenny and Ronda. It was a great sail with just enough wind and plenty of good company. After the sail we took a dinghy ride, then Kenny and Troy brought out the guitars and entertained us at the Table of Knowledge. It was a great day.

Troy didn't feel so good on Sunday. He was nauseous and his leg and ankle where the blood clot are have really swollen up this weekend. I guess maybe he's been on his feet a little more than usual. He is wearing his sexy TED hose and trying to keep his leg elevated.

So far today has been great. We woke up this morning and took a dingy ride out into the lake and past the Kemah Boardwalk. It sure looks deserted on a Tuesday morning! Then back to the pool for some swimming and sun. Yes, the sun came out today! Of course we are now getting the afternoon showers that make the 40% chance of rain into a reality.

The plan is for Troy to be back in the hospital on Thursday for the last round of the "bad" chemo! Even though we are dreading it, it will be good to get it over and done!"

Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." ~Kenneth Grahame (Wind in The Willows)