Left Isis
Right Isis
             

April 23rd, 2009

I had a marvelous time at Velma Teague Library in Glendale, AZ, yesterday. Lesa Holstein, Library manager and contributing book reviewer for Library Journal, Mystery News, and various web review sites, has written an amazing summary of the visit, which I am directing all you readers to go look at forthwith (April 23). Once you read what I had to say, you won’t be able to resist reading the rest of her reviews and interviews of other authors, many very much more famous than I. You’ll end up with a “To Be Read” pile six feet high. Lesa’s blog address is http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

And now to go from yesterday, when I had a lot of fun, to today, when I didn’t. For those of you who are following my husband’s health adventures, here is the latest news:

We saw Don’s urologist this morning to discuss the results of the last lithotripsy, which was three weeks ago. The stone is still there, so lithotripsy has not done the trick. The doctor thinks it’s time for surgery to get the stones out of there. We have to get surgical permissions from Don’s primary care physician, and from the cardiologist, before they can schedule the operation.

The doc wants to do a robotic procedure, a type of laparoscopic surgery, which involves very small incisions and very much shorter recovery time than traditional surgery. He warned us, though, that whether he could do it or not depends on the state of scar tissue in Don’s abdomen from the bowel resection he had forty-five years ago. If the robotic incisions don’t work, the doc plans to do regular surgery right then and there. The doctor’s assistant who explained things to us afterwards said that recovery time for regular surgery is “outrageous! Four to six weeks!” We just looked at each other. After all that he’s been through over the year, four to six weeks is nothing.

The doc also mentioned a couple of other possible complications that might occur because of peculiarities in Don’s inner anatomy, but that’s of the worst-case scenario, cover-the-doctor’s-ass variety, so I won’t reiterate. How do we feel about this? Kind of blank, really. Don said he’s not worried about the surgery. He just wants all of this over with. The operation is estimated to take four to six hours. Depending on what the doc has to do, Don will be in the hospital between three days and a week. I expect it’ll take a month or so to get everything arranged for the surgery. In the meantime, Don will be going in for another outpatient procedure to have his nephrostomy tubes replaced yet again, probably next week. Tomorrow, we’ll be on the phone talking to doctors, trying to arrange surgery clearances. But for the rest of this afternoon, we’ve agreed to just stare at the wall in silence and not think about it for a while.

6 Responses to “Authors at the Teague and an Update on Don”

  1. Pat Browning

    Sending you good thoughts. I went through the health thing with my husband in 2002-03. It was one thing after another. I had a book in progress, and didn’t really get going on it again until 2007.

    Best of luck,

    Pat Browning
    ABSINTHE OF MALICE,
    Krill Press 2008
    authorsden.com/patbrowning
    pbrowning.blogspot.com/

  2. Donis Casey

    Thanks, Pat. I hope your husband is completely recovered. My health plan is to simply drop dead with no warning when I’m in my 90s. None of this getting sick stuff. I started a book last year that grows longer one sentence at a time, but I can’t concentrate on it long enough to make it go anywhere. It just meanders all over the place! I’m glad to hear you were able to get back to the writer’s life eventually.
    p.s. I love your blog at http://www.pbrowning.blogspot.com. I enjoy reading about the motherland.

  3. Hannah

    Donis — you and Don are always in my prayers. More, now than ever. Please keep updating your blog as it helps your friends and wellwishers feel connected. As Dory would say “keep on swimming.” By the way – I got 2 snippy reviews and wanted to put my head in a bucket until I remembered our special lunch with Judy …

  4. Donis Casey

    What! How could anybody give a snippy review to “Scoop”? What a couple of idiots.
    And thank you for your prayers.

  5. Lesa Holstine

    Oh, Donis.

    After the nice talk we had at the library, I can understand why you both just wanted to stare at the wall. I’m going through just a smidgen of what you’re doing since Jim broke his leg last week, and is very needy at times.

    As I said, you take care of yourself, too.

    And, thank you for the kind words about my blog.

    Hugs.
    Lesa

  6. Donis Casey

    I hope Jim will be on his feet and running around like a teenager in no time.

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