Treatment Rooms

The one at the Cancer Group's main office in Paducah is large with a dozen large recliners complete with pop-up shelves on both sides with build-in cup holders. The one in their Mayfield office, where I was today, is small and crowded. It has four recliners like you find in private homes and six regular chairs like you often find in waiting rooms. One of those six is reserved for 'drawing blood.' Today there were eight of us there getting stuff dripped into our ports.

When the nurse asked the woman in the chair next to me her name (they want to make sure they give the right medicine), she said Kathy Howard. After the nurse hooked her up and left, I asked Kathy if she was related to Sam and Peggy Howard. They are her father- and mother-in-law. Sam has been one of the regulars at the Senior Center for five or six years. He's a retired dairy farmer, who never developed any hobbies, so when he had to retire because of some health problems, he was sort of lost. That's when he started going to the Center, and it has been a very good thing for him. Peggy doesn't go there with him, because she has her sewing and reading to keep her occupied at home, although she has gone on trips with the group many times. They are some of the nicest people you could meet.

There was one woman there today for the first time, so she had a lot of questions. Some were just general which any of us could answer - like is it OK to bring a bottle of water or soda - yes. But some related to her specific therapy. Kathy was able to answer those because she is approaching the end of her chemo following breast cancer surgery, which is what that woman was beginning. There were several other conversations among us patients today, as well, which made the time pass quickly.

After I left the Cancer Group, I dropped off a lawnmower to be tuned up. It was a struggle for me to get it into my car this morning by myself, but I managed. The man at the repair place lifted it out like it was nothing.

Then I went to the car repair place for an oil change and lube. Tim said it would be about 45 minutes before they could get it in. That was fine with me, because I wanted to go to Chicago Pizza to get some lunch. By this time it was close to 1 pm, so I was the last person to eat from their pizza buffet. Things had been sitting there for a while, but I'm not too fussy. When I got back to the garage, the mechanic was just backing my car out and parking it. What perfect timing!