From N'Awlins

I was thinking the other day how this blog does not accurately reflect my reality. Because it is mostly to update kind and interested people on my cancer story, it generally focuses on that topic and as a result I hardly write in it because there is not much news (Great!).

I thought that I would let you know that 90% of the time I actually forget that I have leukemia because it does not currently affect my life very much. It does make me tired and I can feel a bunch of little marble shaped lumps in my armpits and I get sinus infections and yeast infections more often. Every once in awhile I hit a wall of huge fatigue and have to go straight to bed, but that is about it. Oh yeah, in the flu season I have to walk around with a big blue or yellow surgeon's mask over my face to protect me because the flu could kill me.

Having this leukemia is living with a big question mark over my head and I could obsess about it. But since I have no control over it or answers, I choose not to worry about it and to get on with life. Worry is corrosive and useless. I choose grace.

When blood tests come up, my heart beats faster for a few days, but so far I have been remarkably stable and I am very grateful.

Meanwhile, I am sitting on a balcony in the French Quarter, freezing my toes and my nose so I can get wifi coverage, listening to calliope music wafting over the rooftops from the river boats. Behind me, 3 buildings away, is where our friends, Billy and Brenda, lived until this past Saturday. It is strange to see no lights up in their apartment and it is making me miss them. But we get to spend Saturday with Mike and Terri while we have our board meeting to discuss their hopes for StreetLevel ministries. That will cheer me up.

Please have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I am hoping that when I get home from this trip it is not too late to prune the wisteria vine climbing over my front door. We often get a huge freeze with snow or ice rain right after November.

That Blasted Insurance

The hunt for insurance is progressing. I had help from an elder at church who has also been uninsurable (What a silly word! As if anyone is "insurable"), and we're grateful because he directed us towards an exceptionally helpful agent. We are applying to the Missouri Pool which it turns out is Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield High Risk insurance. Expensive with a large deductible, but it will give us some protection from major disaster. Every time I look at the requirements I find another document that I have to dig up so we are waiting on those to come through to finish the application process. I technically have until December 2 to get the application in the mail, but I'd be more comfortable doing it sooner. It turns out that I might be able to keep my doctors or some of them.

It looks like the insurance won't be active until January first so we decided to postpone my check up at the oncologist until January when the cost will be credited to the deductible instead of being tossed into the wind. As such, I won't have any blood counts etc. to report until January.

Thanks for your unflagging concern for my well being!