I went down to Indy to go with my folks for my dad’s post-surgical follow-up appointment this morning. He’s healing nicely, which is not a thing we can take for granted, since his diabetes slows his healing down to a pace that makes glaciers look like Formula 1 racers. The stitches came out, too, so he no longer looks quite so much like Frankenstein’s Grandpa.
Unfortunately, the cancer was well and truly into his lymph nodes, which automatically makes it stage 4. He gets to heal up some more, and then he’ll start 6 weeks of radiation. That won’t be easy for him, but really I suspect it will be harder on Mom. She was very glad to be done taking him for IV antibiotics daily, and now there’s this to anticipate. Not fun.
Even when it’s no great surprise, such news is scarcely welcome. But it is what it is. Now we find out what can be done about it. Whatever it is, I suspect it will involve more trips to Indy and back.
It’s a good thing I enjoy distance driving. It’s a better thing I have a new car.