Thursday, November 03, 2005
Trick or Treat-ment
Rachelle and Anna Scott were suppose to travel with me on my latest trip to Duke, which fell on Halloween, so I could Trick-or-Treat with them. Unfortunately, our Durham host family, Scott and Sarah Cox, Rachelle's Uncle & Aunt, fell prey to some stomach bug. So Rachelle and ASM stayed in Charlotte and went with neighbors to collect the mountains of candy. ASM had a great time as Snow White and quickly learned how to knock on doors, exclaim "Trick or Treat" and receive the obligatory treat. Between the neighborhood potluck/"Trunk or Treat" and the usual door-to-door collections, ASM's Halloween started at 5pm and went until around 8:30pm. Rachelle is still recovering. :)
My treatments went really well this time. Instead of sitting in an infamous hospital "recliner," I sat in a bed. My laptop, snacks and drink hovered on the little tray/table in front of me, my pillows were just so...not bad. The treatment only took 3 hours each day, a personal best. I'm not sure why it went faster, but some things I did different this time included (a) being on a bed and (b) drinking 40 gallons (well, not that much) of Gatorade after each treatment. Anyway, I was tired and a little pale (according to Rachelle) after my treatments, but not nearly as wiped out as I was last time. I did nap for an hour when I got home on Tuesday before Rachelle and I attended a memorial service for a high-school friend's dad, who passed away this past Saturday. All in all, this trip went pretty smooth.
Since I didn't stay with Scott/Sarah, Tim and Mimi Conder were gracious enough to allow me a last-minute place to stay. I got to see their kiddos adorn their Halloween costumes and venture out into the dark (it gets dark at 6 now!). Also, my longtime pal, "Big" Scott Vermillion stopped by for a visit on Monday. We hadn't caught up in a while, so it was nice to do so. There's something about longtime friends that is so refreshing when you can reconnect. The one funny story is that Scott V first went to the wrong building and was sent to another McClintock in the hosptial (my treatment is not done in the hosptial, but a medical office on campus). This other Mc was on a "scrub-in" floor, so Scott V donned the gear and strolled into this other guy's room. Whoops.
My treatments went really well this time. Instead of sitting in an infamous hospital "recliner," I sat in a bed. My laptop, snacks and drink hovered on the little tray/table in front of me, my pillows were just so...not bad. The treatment only took 3 hours each day, a personal best. I'm not sure why it went faster, but some things I did different this time included (a) being on a bed and (b) drinking 40 gallons (well, not that much) of Gatorade after each treatment. Anyway, I was tired and a little pale (according to Rachelle) after my treatments, but not nearly as wiped out as I was last time. I did nap for an hour when I got home on Tuesday before Rachelle and I attended a memorial service for a high-school friend's dad, who passed away this past Saturday. All in all, this trip went pretty smooth.
Since I didn't stay with Scott/Sarah, Tim and Mimi Conder were gracious enough to allow me a last-minute place to stay. I got to see their kiddos adorn their Halloween costumes and venture out into the dark (it gets dark at 6 now!). Also, my longtime pal, "Big" Scott Vermillion stopped by for a visit on Monday. We hadn't caught up in a while, so it was nice to do so. There's something about longtime friends that is so refreshing when you can reconnect. The one funny story is that Scott V first went to the wrong building and was sent to another McClintock in the hosptial (my treatment is not done in the hosptial, but a medical office on campus). This other Mc was on a "scrub-in" floor, so Scott V donned the gear and strolled into this other guy's room. Whoops.
