The C Word – Respite followed by Round Two

I was able to get away for a very quick respite this past weekend.  I had been planning this trip for a very long time and was glad we were able to work it into our schedule.

My niece was married in Chicago on Sunday and it was a great opportunity to take some time to relax and breathe and not have any caregiving duties. 

I say it was quick – because from door to Chicago and back I was only gone 54 hours!  And, when you take into account the airport wait, flight and taxi rides to/from Chicago airport, you can deduct 15.5 hours… I was literally in Chicago for about 38 hours!! 

But… I will take what I can get.  I was able to spend time with two of my siblings, my nieces and the groom as well as extended family.  There was a nice gathering on Saturday evening and the wedding on Sunday evening.  Had breakfast on Sunday with my brother, sister-in-law and sister, brother-in-law.  My sister, her husband and myself even spent a few hours at the Museum of Science and Industry.  While we only covered one of the three floors of exhibits, we saw a lot and had a great time!  And.. on top of that… the weather could not have been more perfect!

It was a great time of respite for me and likely the only one I will get for a very long time.  So appreciate it I did!!

Upon landing in Chicago I was greeted by a plethora of text messages that came in while I was in the air.  My daughter, Becke, was going in for gall bladder surgery.  I have talked with her recently and although we knew that it could happen at any time since her meeting with the surgeon recently, I’m not sure I expected it to happen this quickly.  While there was a part of me that wished I could be there with her and her family, I realized that even if I was home I would not have been able to get up to help out.  Fortunately, things went smoothly.  My son-in-law kept us updated throughout the day.  She has her husband and daughters who can lend a hand for the short recovery this is supposed to take. 

Meanwhile, also back at home, Stephanie was able to come down and spend time with her dad and be here to help him out.  George had a luncheon planned with some buddies of his.  Steph had been given implicit directions from me so when her dad said he would drive his friend Larry to see their other buddy, she told him “oh no you’re not!  You’re not allowed to!”  She took great pride in being able to do this and sent me a message, “Thank you for allowing me to be in the position where I could finally tell Dad that he is not allowed to do something.  It was a beautiful, magical moment for me.”  She will cherish that moment for a long time!!

While I had originally hoped to spend an extra day in Chicago, I needed to be home as today was the start of George’s second infusion.  We had expected it to take a little bit less time today as one of the pre-meds was being cut from 1.5 hours to 1 hour.  Alas, we left at almost the exact same time as the first one.  Again, it is more of a non-event.  A lot of sitting and waiting for each infusion to be done.  We expect that he may be a little more tired during this infusion period.  We hope that the side effects are still minimal.  We also hope that George’s physical issues are resolved enough so he isn’t in as much pain this round.