Waiting and praying and dreaming of Abigar

It has now been about 11 days since my infusion.  This is uncharted territory for me.  I have been through chemo enough to know what to expect more or less and when it will hit.  This is different.  I'm certainly not sick like I was with chemo.  I am very grateful for that.  I am tired though.  My face is swollen and the wound in my face has shown a sharp increase in it's drainage.  I have speculations about what is happening but it is hopeful speculation.  We won't really know anything empirical  until the Scan in mid February.

In the meantime, JoLynne and I seem to find things to fill our days.  We have been working out for about an hour a day together.  That has been enjoyable.  We have been to some museums and the zoo and the temple several times of course.  It's good.

Picture painted by my daughter Shanelle of Abigar

When my children were young I would make up stories for them about a dragon named Abigar.  They loved those stories.  I would mostly tell them when we were on trips.  They would all cram together on the back bed in the motorhome, we would turn out all  the lights and I would have them all close they eyes and tell me the first thing that they saw when their eyes were closed.  When they had all told me these random things I would begin the stories and somehow weave what they had told me into the stories.  Sometimes that took some creativity but it worked.  If we were with other families on the trip sometimes their children were squeezed in on the back bed as well.  Those were wonderful times and happy memories.  I must have told hundreds of stories.  There is no way that I could remember them all but I have long intended to sit down and write some of the stories that I do remember.  So, I have been working on that.  Maybe my children will read them to my grandchildren.   Better yet, maybe I will one day have my grandchildren squeezed on a bed somewhere with the lights out and I will tell them Abigar stories myself.   Already, my daughter tells her daughter Abigar stories that she is making up.

Maybe it's all my imagination but it really feels like a literal battle being waged in the side of my head where the tumor is located.  We are praying for the outcome of that battle.