Paradise Postponed

Wish I could say I have a great tan and we enjoyed our time in Maui drinking mai tais on the beach... but unfortunately we did not go. I had a stubborn upper respiratory virus, and though it was not the full blown flu, it was enough to keep me feeling under the weather the entire week. I am still coughing and blowing my nose constantly. It seems that every other person I talk to is recuperating from some form of a virus or flu and many have worse symptoms.

Jeff and I made the decision early on in the week to not go which was good. My doctor left it up to me, but once I saw that I kept getting a low-grade fever late in the day, I knew that I was not going to be ready to get on a plane last Friday. We cancelled as of Tuesday afternoon and had no regrets especially since I was still not well through the weekend.

We had taken out insurance, and I just filled out all the forms (11 pages!) and hope to get reimbursed for the portion that was taken out as penalties by the airline and hotel.

We are really doing fine and Jeff didn't let me get bummed over this.  Ironically he sensed we were not going to make it on this getaway. As I said before, this is a little setback, and we have been fortunate to have made many trips in our forty three years of marriage so we know that there will be many other vacations to enjoy. Jeff is thinking about a cruise....I'd be happy with a weekend in Calistoga at our favorite Napa Valley resort.

I purposely decided to keep my medical insurance exactly as it had been last year to avoid any glitches, as I had my share of aggravation last year until things were straightened out with Anthem. Whew....I thought everything was going to be easy, that is until I discovered that for some reason Covered California had me down on my application as a man.

I found this out by chance when I saw Anthem had rejected one of my claims because of this discrepancy.  Since I know I have not changed my sex, this was a small clerical error.  However, nothing is small, and it will probably take two weeks to get fixed. A change has to be sent electronically. It would be too easy for someone at Covered California to call Anthem and say there has been an error. It doesn't work that way. I hope when I make it to Medicare at the end of this year, things will be easier and go smoother. I won't be with either Covered California or Anthem.


Next week is my first appointment to get set up for radiation. This will be a totally new experience and I will report on what it is all about. From what I have heard, it involves very precise measuring so that the radiation will be pinpointed.

I still have my moments on the emotional roller coaster because more than anything I want to feel well and strong again. I have to keep in mind that I am still recuperating from the harsh effects of the chemotherapy, and I have to be patient with myself. I'm grateful for all the good days and times...walking around Lake Merritt on a crisp morning, going out for breakfast with Jeff, and enjoying my grandchildren, Elijah Behr and Yeshaya who get cuter by the minute.  I love to hear their antics and progress sitting up and crawling and getting their first teeth.

 Every day I check my hair waiting for it to really start growing...hopefully it will soon. I think it will symbolize me getting back to me....