I had to chuckle at the irony of the title I chose for today's post. Today, it just happens to be pouring rain. Nevertheless, today my dad had his surgery. We had to check in at 5:45 a.m., which for me is far to early to be doing anything, let alone surgery; then again, I wasn't getting the surgery, so never mind the complaining. The surgery, if routine, was supposed to last about three hours. After six hours, the doctor finally came to the waiting room, and after seeing his face, I could tell he didn't have good news. We went into a side consultation room, where the doctor was forced to admit he was unable to completely remove the tumor. It turned out to be a monster, which with a life of it's own, had rooted itself deeply into various parts of my dad's brain. It had grown malignant. The doctor was able to get out most of it, but now my dad faces six months or more of combined chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Today, my dad became a cancer patient.
I may be jumping the gun a little, for the official verdict won't be determined until next Tuesday, when the biopsy is complete. However, the doctor said that it is most likely the case that this tumor is indeed brain cancer. But, when he said that, we couldn't help but look at each other to see if my dad was just handed a death sentence. I shook it off, though; I want to be optimistic. Some microwaving and mustard gas will save the day, right? (For those who don't know, chemo drugs at one time were by-products of mustard gas.) I hope it works, since my dad was "Mister Fix-It" around the house; tonight, already the power was out and the roof started leaking. But, it isn't all gloom and doom; he did eventually wake up several hours later in ICU, and recognized everyone and was responsive. Sadly, his speech was garbled, which is what we were told to expect. At his request, prior to the operation, he asked that he be left alone to rest the first night, which is tonight.
As for my diet? Forget it. We had Chinese for dinner. I didn't fall off the wagon; I jumped. But, I did weigh myself earlier today, and I did lose two pounds. Thank God for little miracles.
I haven't even reached the climax of the day yet. After my dad's surgery, after the news of his grim prognosis and long recovery, after the pouring rain, and after drowning my sorrows in sweet and sour chicken...
...I hit a deer on the way home, while driving my dad's $30,000 leased 2008 Dodge Caravan.
When it rains, it pours.
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