Oops! I forgot.

Do you ever get so excited you forget to do something important? That's what happened to me this week. If you read my last post, you know that I was OKed by my oncologist to have my PICC line removed. And so, on Monday my old friend was removed from my arm and with no problems. The last time I had one removed there was some bleeding afterward that was not serious, but it was annoying. Francisco, the RN at the Nurse Treatment Center who removed this one just stood by my side and held finger pressure on the exit wound while we chatted about different things. After, perhaps, ten minutes, he put a pressure dressing on the wound, told us he was going to miss seeing us (since I will now have to have my blood draws done by a phlebotomist in the lab), and bid us adieu. 

I was like a kid at Christmas. As much as I appreciated having the PICC line when I needed it for frequent blood draws and transfusions and chemotherapy infusions, it was a bit bothersome having to be sure I kept it dry when showering. It represented a potential entryway for infection, and maybe most significantly, it was a reminder of all that I have been through and that I have been gravely ill. Having it removed seems like a rite of passage from being someone under care for a grave illness to something more like normal living. I recognize that life will never be completely the same as it was pre-leukemia, but for now I feel I can begin living a life that is not totally dominated by cancer. 

So, you may be asking yourself, what was it that I forgot to do? Well, I forgot to blog about this new freedom. I also forgot that it is winter. Jill and I have been gradually preparing the travel trailer for an outing "sometime after my PICC line is removed." (That caveat was primarily because I was not supposed to lift more than 10 pounds while I had the PICC line in place.) After it was removed, it was as if the barn door were left open, and all I could think of was, "We're free! Let's go!!" 

Although we did remember to check the weather forecast for next week when we decided last week to book a camping trip, we forgot that, in the winter in Oregon, the weather can change on a moment's notice. I booked three nights at one of our favorite state parks on the Oregon coast, namely South Beach State Park. This morning, Jill checked the forecast, as she does every morning. 

YIKES!! The low temperatures for the days we planned for our camping trip, which were originally forecast to be in the upper 30s to low 40s, are now expected to be in the low20s. In addition to the fact that that is just plain cold, our trailer is not intended for sub-freezing temperatures, and camping in the 20s would almost certainly result in freeze-damaged plumbing under the floor. So, with a bit of reluctance, I cancelled our reservation this morning. 

One of the things God has taught me through my leukemia is that things change, when you least expect it! He has also taught me to be willing to go in a different direction. So, we will stay at home, which is a beautiful place to be. We will see what God has planned for those days that we didn't know about! Every day an adventure!!

On the day after Christmas, our neighbor took a picture of our house. I used an app called Visionist to turn it into a "painting." It's a pretty house, don't you think?


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