GZ Expat, Part II

Time for a break...

It's time for a break.  There will be very limited blogging on this site until late August.  Jumping on trains, planes and automobiles this afternoon in an effort to join Tai-tai and the kids in the States.  First, Oregon, then Arizona then Hawaii and as expat daughter sets off on the next great adventure of her life. 

My plan is to get a new camera...drive my car...see my house...visit my Mom...eat great food...drink better beer.  If there are any breaking issues that require blogging, I'll pop a note here...otherwise, its going to be quiet for the next few weeks.

Cancer Update...again

The next phase of treatment begins...

...will begin the high dose chemo Thursday.  This will be over two days as an out-patient, no need to be admitted as long as there is no high fever or other infections eg colds or flu etc. Next Monday she will receive half the stem cells they took the other week, this in conjunction with any transfusions required should get her blood back up within a couple of weeks.

This will be repeated in around 4 weeks, the doctor here is of the opinion that splitting the high doses into 2 cycles will be more of a benefit than hitting her with just one.

The doctor ran the MRI result by the neuro-surgeon who like our doctor in Singapore does not see any benefit in surgery as the tumor is responding to chemo and would be dangerous anyway. He also got the opinions of a couple of radiologists who agree that the tumor has in fact reduced in size, although the MRI does not indicate 100% if (the tumor that) is still there is active or just residual cells which may be dead.

She is okay with all this, so all we have to do is keep her healthy till her blood recovers. She is weighing in at over 30 kilos for the first time ever.  The American diet is obviously working for her but I'm not sure about the wife and me.

Keep praying as she enters this critical phase of treatment. 

Don't forget the Blogathon...and don't forget to Livestrong...

Whew...

Home leaves are stressful enough.  You've got visiting, shopping and doctors to get out of the way.  Think of it as an entire year worth of your regular chores and duties, packed into 1 month.

Expat son has been sufferring from a variety of ailments in Chiner, so we wanted to get him tested for allergies as well as diabetes, as it runs in yours truly's family.  The first test was on an empty stomach and ... wow!  Very high blood sugar level.  Go out and eat a little lunch and ... WOW!  A REALLY high blood sugar level.

Dread.  Fright.  Panic.  Sadness.

My brother had juvenille diabetes, as did a really good friend.  Both have since passed away at very young ages from a variety of complications related to the disease.  Knowing some of the requirements of the disease, we sort of went into a minor panic...how would we be able to manage this in Chiner?  Can we get insulin?  What happens if he goes into a siezure...what about care?   

All the while, seeing my brother and Renee's faces staring me down. 

Determination.  Education.  Focus.  Faith.

As a secondary measure, the doctors wanted to do another test to help confirm.  This test would have expat son fasting, then drinking a load of glucose...then having his blood tested.  OK...so you are 8 years old.  What did YOU think of blood tests at that age??  I know how I reacted...and expat son is a chip off the old block.  FREAK OUT! 

Tai-tai takes him in on a Wednesday and is supposed to hear back the next day on the tests.  Nothing.  Uuuummmmmm...  The next day, Friday, the office is closed.  UUUUUUUHHHHHHMMMMMM!!!  Let's see...common customer service would tell you, DON'T LET YOUR CUSTOMER HANG ON THE LINE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME!

I kept telling myself, 'perhaps no news is good news.'  If there were a serious problem, maybe the doctor would call immediately.  Monday rolls around and Tai-tai gives the doc a call.  The test was normal and could expat son come in for another finger prick blood test?  He went in the next day, put his finger in the machine and the test was perfectly normal. 

Thankful.  Thankful.  Thankful.  EXHALE....

As I take my next breath, I wonder (quality control freak goes into motion), what was up with that first test?  How many people have taken that test in that day and had the same results?  How many other people took the same test and were tested negative and sent home...when they may have actually been positive??  Why allow us to hang on this news, knowing the family history? 

We still check regularly both our kids, because its the dark ghost looming in the background of my family history.  We've beaten back the ghost this time...

Human Shields

Cox & Forkum: Cowardly Blending

Canuck Glove

I found this incredible photo on Flikr...

Nice work...

CNN shills for terrorists

I began watching this report (Inside Hezbollah) on CNN the other day and shut it off within 5 minutes because it was so incredibly offensive.  Well, now we know why...

Challenged by Reliable Sources host (and Washington Post media writer) Howard Kurtz on Sunday, Robertson suggested Hezbollah has "very, very sophisticated and slick media operations," that the terrorist group "had control of the situation. They designated the places that we went to, and we certainly didn't have time to go into the houses or lift up the rubble to see what was underneath," and he even contradicted Hezbollah's self-serving spin: "There's no doubt that the [Israeli] bombs there are hitting Hezbollah facilities."

And then to watch the head of the UN Humanitarian Affairs division walking around Beirut and making these sorts of observations.

On Sunday, Egeland toured a Beirut suburb hit by an Israeli air strike, saying the strike seemed to be "an excessive use of force" and as such "a violation of humanitarian law".

Never mind that the reason so much civilian infrastructure is being destroyed is because the terrorist try to use the civilian population as human shields.  Israel is fighting this fight as a war...not a police action.  They are going after the enemy wherever they are...unfortunately, they hide out in apartment buildings.

Via Wizbang

Sue Happy Society

Here is another example of the US legal system gone mad...

The lawsuit, which was filed by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, seeks an emergency court order that would compel the U.S. government to stop sending weapons to Israel as long as U.S. citizens are trying to leave Lebanon.

The group also is asking for an injunction that would force Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to request a ceasefire and an order that U.S. officials "increase their evacuation efforts and use all resources at their disposal," including more military transports and commercial charters.

The lawsuit has nothing to do with the safety of people, but has everything to do with being anti-Israel.  Maybe if the are lucky, they will get this guy on the jury.

Great Day in Sports

A heck of a day for Americans in European sports events...

That's because Woods' third Open championship, at Royal Liverpool, was an intellectual masterpiece. The possessor of jaw-dropping physical talent won with his wits. More than any of his previous 10 major titles, this was a triumph of the mind.

Is this guy, without a doubt, the most mentally tough athlete out there?  Let's say nothing of Sergio Garcia, who teamed with Woods on the final day again...completely gagged, again.  I was a bit happier to see Woods teamed with Garcia than DiMarco...as DiMarco doesn't fold the tent on the last day like Sergio does.

The other great event...

After stunning feats of willpower and woeful cracks of concentration, Floyd Landis' arthritic hip held up and he held on for the ceremonial ride over the cobblestones of the Champs-Elysees.

"I kept fighting, never stopped believing," Landis said after leaving the winner's podium with his daughter, Ryan.

But plenty of race fans surely had their doubts, especially after his wild ride in the Alps last week.

Landis had tried to apply Armstrong's meticulous strategy for winning, but that went awry when he flat out cracked in the final climb of Stage 16 on Wednesday, giving up a lead and falling 8 minutes, 8 seconds behind Spain's Oscar Pereiro.

All but written off, he managed a stunning rebound the very next day in the last mountain stage, pedaling like a madman and closing the gap to 30 seconds.

Ooooh...the French press are probably fuming right now!  I guess these victories make up for the USA losing the America's Cup year after year.

The other side of Chiner

From ESWN, this translation of a photoblog journal. 

Although the cities glisten and the middle class is rising, there are plenty that are left behind in the economic boom. 

The old woman is more than 80 years old.  One of her sons is physically handicapped, and the other abandoned her as soon as he got married.  The handicapped son rides a tricycle to make money while the old lady picks garbage.  As she is old and has trouble walking, she can ony pick up things like plastic bags in the neighboring areas.  She makes only several dozen RMB a month.  She has lung problems, but she cannot afford to get treatment.

The writing is a translation, so it isn't as descriptive as it could be.  But, it doesn't need to be...just look at the pictures.

Evacuation Update

Read this from PowerLine...

It pretty much sums up the whole effort to get those out of Lebanon.  Line up behind the Marines...and do what they say.  They'll take care of ya.