Fr. Tony Update
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World Travelers Home, Safe and Sound (with lots of wonderful stories to tell)
School Year Building to a Climax

First Off:

My apologies for the delay in blogging. I hope none of our avid readers have been sitting on pins and needles, wondering what happened to the Claviers!

Fr. Tony Update: Is that a tiny speck of light at the end of the tunnel I see?

It has been a VERY long 2 to 3 weeks since Tony's last round of chemo. It's also been a VERY painful 2 to 3 weeks as well. Symptoms since last chemo:

1. Pain shooting down legs
2. Pain shooting down arms
3. Pain in hands
4. Pain in feet
5. Pain in chest/esophagus, thus making eating near impossible
6. Pain in mouth, also making eating impossible
7. Swollen sacks under eyes
8. Swollen eyelids
9. Swollen ankles
10. 2 weeks of diarrhea
11. Pain killer brain fog
12. Steroid induced insomnia
13. Pain killer induced insomnia
14. Stuffy nose and sinuses
15. Tummy ache (geeee, I wonder why?)
16. Odd rattling sound when walking.... could it be all the pills? :)

As you can imagine, it's been rough going. You can't begin to contemplate what it's like sitting with someone whose in constant pain, day after day, hour upon hour, minute by long minute. Above all it's more worrying then anything else. How one keeps their "chin up" and a "stiff upper lip" when they're feeling so frustratingly worn down from the mental exhaustion of dealing with pain that won't go away.... is beyond me!

So, what would any good caretaker do?... Get on their high horse and rally the troops! OK, so I don't have a horse (unless someone would like to donate a saddle for our Harry), much less a high one, and all the troops are elsewhere being bumped off! Hrumph. Next best thing,... call the doctor/nurses/assistants and beg them to stay in touch, checking up on our Tony.

Seriously now, if they're going to be the one's inflicting said pain, they should be willing to call and see how the victim is doing, right? ;c) It's quite frustrating to sit and not be able to do a thing to help relieve someone of constant discomfort. The one thing that seems to keep Tony most "hopeful" is a call from the doctor, even if it's a call to sympathize with what he's going through.

Yesterday, I noticed the swelling under Tony's eyes was not as bad as it has been. The first week after chemo he'd wake up in the morning, barely able to open his eyes. I believe this lack of swelling is a sign that maybe things are sorting themselves out, within his body. Geee, just in time for another round of chemo! Fun Fun!

Next round of chemo has been postponed till next week, thus giving Tony a much needed break. Dr. Craig has also said he's changing the chemo mix. Hopefully the new combo of drugs will be a little more forgiving. WE HOPE AND PRAY! Today, the pain levels seem to be dropping just enough to where the pain killers are actually working, except on the mouth/esophagus pain.

Please do continue to keep our Tony in your prayers. He's got 2 or 3 more rounds of chemo to endure. We're very hopeful that he'll be moving into the "maintenance" phase of this process, once these few chemo sessions are over.

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WORLD TRAVELERS HOME SAFE AND SOUND:

Recent note from Abbey.

Hello my lovelies! I made it home last night after 29 hours of travelling, funky and exhausted, but with some amazing memories and a fried nose. I can't wait to see and talk to everyone, show pictures of amazing Thailand, and of course tell some hillllllarious stories.

• Average temperature from Bangkok to Burma to Islands: 95 - 100 (with 70% humidity)
• Words I can say in Thai & Burmese: Hello, Thank you, Beautiful, Kitty (combine all 5 for fun)
• Modes of transportation used: 11 - Plane, Tuk-Tuk (crazy motorbike taxi), bicycle, moped, overnight bus, city bus, ferry, speedboat, pickup truck, taxi, and of course, the old reliable foot.
• SPF of sunscreen (used in vain): 30 - 50
• Pictures taken: 1300+ (at least 10 of which i'm throwing my sideways peace sign, even with the grand palace guard)
• Burmese children a the safehouse I fell in love with: 30
• New drinking games learned from british "gap year" drinking buddies: Three
• # of times MY picture was taken by amazed Thai people who rarely saw westerners: Two
• # of times altercation with taxi driver ensued, causing threats of being taken to the police and left on the side of the road: One
• Number of times chased by wild street dogs at 4.30 am while riding bicyle w/ 30 lb backpack: One
• Number of times jumped on by monkeys and had hair cleaned: One

I have a feeling there are going to be some GREAT stories from this trip! Now, to get Abbey journaling and blogging!

SCHOOL YEAR BUILDING TO A CLIMAX:

One more week of school! I'm looking forward to the summer break(not the heat, but the break). The older I get, the more I loathe and abominate hot humid weather. Between my post hysterectomy lack of hormones, and added fluff, I'm perfectly willing to sacrifice summer.

anyway.... I got sidetracked. My two classes are winding down. Finals next week! Gulp!

The past 7+ months have been extremely difficult. Once classes are over, I'm hoping we can plan to take a little vacation or two. Having been couped up in the house for so long, I'm sure Tony could do with a change of scenery, and he's always fond of visiting his rustic little cabin in the NC mountains.

The other little getaway we hope to take, if Tony's up to it, is a dream come true!!! OH... I don't think I mentioned to you all. A VERY special someone whose been staying in touch, and sending well wishes, has offered us the most grand gift of all. She and her husband have offered to fly us to Hawaii! HAWAII!!! Having read about all the difficult days Tony's endured, they thought it would be nice to getaway, and spend some days relaxing at the beach. Tony and I so love the ocean, and it's been waaaay too many years, since we've been there.

HAWAII!!! I keep having to pinch myself. We've never had a **REAL** vacation... at least not the kind folks dream about!

Once I start school in August, it'll be kinda crazy for 10+ months, between full time classes, studying, taking care of Tony and our little flock, etc, etc, etc. But, all being well.... we'll have some lovely memories of the summer of 2007.

Our Megan will be returning home in a couple of weeks. It seems like yesterday we were driving in the middle of the night to catch her flight to Thailand. I have mixed feelings about her returning. On the one hand, I'll be so glad to see her. But, on the other hand, I know how much she's going to miss all the children, her friends and coworkers.