Paul has been blessed with not having any side effects from the radiation and chemotherapy.  Well, not yet!  He has had a bit of muscle aches and headaches, but no vomiting or hair loss. The Radiologist has recommended that he drink a shot glass of Aloe Vera Juice a few times a day to help relieve any discomfort in the throat.  Luckily he can swallow that without a problem.  He is not really eating as he tried some scrambled eggs on Friday, it got stuck in the throat and made for an awful experience.  He is trying to eat a bit here and there. A tablespoon of yogurt, creamed soup, a sip of a fruit smoothie, and even a teaspoon of mashed potatoes with a lot, and I do mean a lot, of gravy.  All in all we are doing okay.

We have been continuing with daily walks around the neighborhood.  Some walks take us to the  clubhouse where we pick up mail. Other walks end up taking us to friends homes where we sit and chat for a bit.  We even ventured out to Whitewater Park where we walked around for 20 minutes before Paul tired out.  When we were getting ready to leave Paul spotted a Big Horn Sheep up on one of the hills.  A great reward for a wonderful walk.

Big Horn Sheep Saturday April 13, 2013

I am slowly dealing with all the paperwork for insurance companies; COBRA and California State Short Term Disability for Paul. We had filled out all the paper work for the Short Term Disability when at the hospital, but upon a follow-up call Monday morning, I learned the Social Worker at the hospital misplaced it, so it was never filed with the State.  Just one more set-back in a long line of things that have gone wrong over the last few months.  According to the State web-site it will take 4 weeks to receive the paperwork to fill out.  We will get it filled out as quickly as possible then ask our Oncologist to fill out his part.  Hopefully the wait won't be too long to see if he will qualify.  We have both been out of work since March 4th.

Some of you are aware that 2 weeks after Paul was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer, our new Park Model home was flooded with sewage.  A RV traveler who rented the spot next to our place put his sewer hose from his RV into the sewer line.  Well, he had it in so far in that it caused a blockage.  Us being the first home coming down the sewer line from the hill above took all the damage.  Paul called the insurance company immediately and was told to hire a clean-up crew as this is a bio-hazard.   I filed a claim with our insurance company, Foremost, providing letters from witnesses.  Foremost sent out their insurance claim adjuster.  We were stunned when informed via a letter that Foremost Insurance will not cover the damage because it was from the sewer outside of our unit.  I questioned "Why do I even have insurance if you are not going to cover it?"  They replied, "We don't cover sewage back-up"  Funny, their web-site states it covers sewer back-ups.  I wonder how many people in the resort are thinking they are covered.  I even went to my Foremost agent, but he wasn't much help other then stating the Resort should cover it.  My question to him was "Why is the resort responsible when I have insurance that I bought from you to cover it?"  He couldn't give me an answer.  Our only option is to try to track down the person who made the blockage and try to talk with him.  Hoping that he is honest enough to cover the cost of the damage he caused by putting his sewer hose down the sewer line. If not, Small Claims Court might be an option. Needless to say, we were having a string of crappy luck!

But on a not so crappy side of life... We have great friends who are offering to help get our Park Model home back to a livable condition.  Put in the floor, and get the cabinets and bathroom fixtures back into place. We have had wonderful emotional and spiritual support from everyone around us. My goal is to help get Paul through the rough times and not let depression or despair set in as one thing after another comes our way.  He is feeling stronger each day and put on 2 of the 20 plus pounds he lost while in the hospital and his outlook on life is good. We have had some wonderful visits with friends in the resort that have brought laughter and maybe a few tears into our daily lives.  We look forward to visits from friends.  Even though they may feel that they are tiring Paul out, he really looks forward to the distraction of an otherwise monotonous day of television and computer.

Never get enough hugs!