Colleen's Soap Box

I know that my niece, Roxanne, would rather I use this energy elsewhere, but I must vent and spout for a few moments.

Late on Christmas evening, my youngest niece, Roxanne, and her husband, Noah, were walking along Wynooski Road from a friend's house to their house. Noah was hit from behind by an unknown driver in a truck, who left the scene without stopping. This story has appeared in many newspapers and on TV, requesting information on the driver.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/36833779.html

My soap box is that there are two types of people in our world. Those who stop and those who don't. I have believed for years that the person who doesn't stop is void of any quality of character, and is a coward at heart. The person that stops in such an accident isn't necessarily more courageous; but I can say that to stop is what a normal person would do, regardless of the outcome.

If they are ever able to find this person, and charge him or her, I will be at the trial, in front, with a set scowl on my face. I have no compassion, even though I know that they will suffer every day. They would suffer, even if they had stopped to help. That's just how it is. There is every possibility that this person has no idea that he hit Noah. In ignorance, there can be found understanding and compassion. If he had stopped, I would have had compassion and understanding for him. Accidents happen, and the road conditions that snowy-icy night were horrid. More probable is that he or she was intoxicated and left the scene to keep out of jail.

Noah is slowly getting better, but is still in the Legacy Emmanuel Hospital ICU. He has been unconscious since the accident, but has been showing small signs of improvement. Noah is a young scrapping lad, scrapping being the operative term. I know that he won't be a victim in this, and will be fighting to get well. He's a fighter, and I'm grateful for that.

My niece, Roxanne, has really shown her mettle as a wife. I'm so proud of her. She's way too young to have this put on her shoulders, but she's born it resolutely, diving into challenges with grace and a thousand more times strenth than one might think possible. She's such a tiny thing, but big voices come from little mouths. Have you ever seen the bumper sticker, "little girls drive big pick-ups"? In Idaho, where I'm from, they really do. And so she goes, every day in their full-sized pickup, to be with her husband and attend to his needs.

Their friends and family have gathered around wonderfully. I know that Noah is a very private person and probably wouldn't like all the attention he's getting. My prayers for Noah and Roxanne are that, in this journey, they find the patience to put up with everyone's well-meaning attention and actions. In my own journey, I've had to open up about a lot of things, when I would much rather had maintained my personal space and privacy. I knew intellectually how important it was for my friends and family to have the access I've been able to afford them. Charity is a two-way street. It'll be uncomfortable at first, but as he gets well, people will naturally give them more space. And one day, Noah will be as boring as I am becoming. :)

I know that Noah will get well. I know that Roxanne will reach twice her actually height, in character and strength. I pray for them and their families and friends. I hope that the driver finds his character and turns himself in.

Back to work! Early mornings, YUCK!

I returned to work full-time this past Monday. I've done ok, but right now have a massive belly ache because I think I over did it today. But I got a lot done. :)

My doctor's office is working with my insurance company to get me set up to take the Sandostatin shots. The protocol is that I will give myself shots twice a day for two weeks. I had to practice last Friday on myself. It wasn't bad, especially since I did it in my belly and it's in large part, numb from the surgery.

After the two weeks are up, and if I'm showing improvement on my symptoms, I'll start getting the once-monthly shots from the doctor's office. I'm glad to get moving on this.

I still have two open wounds along the suture line. One is nearly healed up, while the other is still very deep, but narrow. I have an appointment with my surgeon at the end of the month, but I'll be greatly improved by then. No more infection though. It's a healthy, although holely belly.

I have been put into contact with a local carcinoid support group and am looking forward to participating with others like myself. Speaking of which, it was just in the news about Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, having a hormal problem that he was going to take care of with diet, and that struck a chord. As I read down through the article, it turns out that he also has a neuroendocrine tumor (NET), which is what my carcinoid is. His is just a different flavor than mine, an islet cell pancreatic NET. I couldn't say what his prognosis is, since he has said virtually nothing more than this. That they aren't jumping on surgical treatments or chemical/radiologic treatments may be a good sign that his isn't a particularly bad condition.

In my case, the "watch and wait" approach was as valid as trying surgical removal, which didn't work out for me. Now I'm in that "watch and wait" with the Sandostatin hormonal shots. These are intended to stop the tumors from producing the serotonin hormone, which causes mischief inside my body.