We missed the first scheduled appointment to get the MRI and Gamma Knife surgery at Harbor View because of the snow. It is rescheduled for the MRI on New Years Eve, and

Jan 2^nd he’ll have the Gamma Knife.

12-20-08

We are still snowed in but heard the roads to the store were clear so I dug our van out and shoveled a path to the street and we headed for IGA to get a turkey for Christmas. When we got on highway 12 we realized that the roads were pretty clear so we decided to go to Wal-Mart. There were no carts available at Wal-Mart so Gator got in one of the motorized carts and we did a little last minute Christmas shopping. We were almost done when Gator said he had to get something to eat because he was seeing stars so we went over to Mickey Dees and ordered some burgers. I Left Gator eating his burger and went to get wrapping paper. By the time I got back he was shivering violently with his chin resting on his chest! I asked him if he needed to go to the hospital and he said no he was just fatigued from the Chemo and just wanted to go home. So HE drives us home doing about 30 mph on I-5 and then when we get home he refused to get out of the van!

He said it was too cold out there and he was staying in the van where it was warm. I went inside and got the bed ready for him and turned on the water to make him some hot cocoa and then went back outside to bring him in. He came in and sat at the kitchen table shivering like crazy!…..we took his temp. it was 102.3 so I gave him some Tylenol and called the oncologist in Seattle and they said to take him to the emergency room.

So…… back to the van and 35 mph back to Centralia to the hospital! By the time we got there his temp was 103.3, he spent 12 miserable hours there and then we came home with a prescription for some strong antibiotics.

The antibiotics had a price tag of $120 for 7 pills and we didn’t have the money so we would have to drive to Lakewood to the VA hospital in order for them to be covered by the VA. Well Gator just wanted to go to bed so that’s what he did. I got on the horn to our friend Kat and she called two more of our friends, Booger and Deb and they all decided that they would pay for the pills and pick them up at the Centralia Safeway. Well I got the emergency room doctor to call in a prescription to Safeway pharmacy but he called the one in Chehalis by mistake. This worked out perfect because Booger and Deb were only a block and a half away at the time! Then I called the Chehalis Pharmacy to tell them our friends were coming to pick up the medication for us. I asked them if the price was $120, they said yes but there’s no charge this time because they had a voucher from the company for that drug! What a great Christmas miracle! By Christmas Eve Gator was feeling much better and by Christmas morning whatever bug he had seemed to be gone!