August 15th to September 28th - It's Been an Adventure

I haven't posted in a while because I was SURE I'd know something by now. Instead, the roller coaster has continued with a twist. Bill and I and two friends got breakthrough COVID! Bill was not doing well and went to the E.R. where he was able to get an infusion of covid antibodies. With the help of my daughter, I was also able to get the infusion by driving to Columbus after my Ohio State oncologist ordered it for me. My case was not bad. Bill improved a lot about 48 hours after receiving the antibodies. However, one of our friends has been in the hospital for the past month spending part of the time in the ICU on a ventilator and requiring additional time in the hospital to regain his strength. 

I switched oncologists as my very capable oncologist was a victim of his own success -- you often had to wait a couple of months to get in to see him and I was increasingly uncomfortable with that. The night before I was supposed to see my new oncologist, I "threw my back out" after walking my dog. When I arrived for an appointment the next day, I was still unable to stand up straight. That raised some red flags with my oncologist who feared that my cancer may have metastasized to my spine (a common secondary site for breast cancer). There was no use discussing "the plan" for my treatment without answering the question of spread, so my appointment was cut short while the staff tried to arrange an MRI.

The MRI proved that I have a really bad back, not news to me, but no sign of cancer. I guess I really didn't appreciate all that has happened in the past year until my daughter posted this on facebook.

So with this under my belt, it was time to "go on vacation." Bill and I wanted to ride the Greenbrier Bike Trail in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. In two days, we rode 60 miles. The second day it rained most of the day, but Bill was able to buy a couple of ponchos that made the last 11 miles tolerable. The final day of our getaway, we traveled 71 miles by car to ride on an authentic steam train.We also saw the largest steerable radio telescope in the world at the Green Bank Observatory. Unfortunately, the Science Center was closed on Wednesday, so we would like to return.

On the way home, we stopped by the New River Gorge National Park. The region became a National Park in 2020. The park ranger suggested that we get a good view of the bridge by taking a one-way 8 mile drive. He said to anticipate spending 45 minutes on the drive. Since we knew we had more than 300 miles ahead of us, we again decided to save it for another day.

If you've ever considered going to this part of our beautiful country, take the plunge. You will not be disappointed.

New River Gorge.West Virginia