Make no mistake. Visiting the USA with terminal cancer is an uninsured risk that I am very aware of. The land of the free is anything but when it comes to health care and even a few nights in hospital here could decimate my redundancy money. A couple of years ago I was hit with a $2,000 bill for a tooth abscess in Vegas which was basically a couple of hours in the Emergency Room.
While insurance will cover new conditions, it’s possible that they could turn around and tell me something is a side effect of my medication or find another way to wriggle out of a claim. So I’m wary. Chris knows to get home and leave me if circumstances dictate. I know to book a fresh flight and get out of Dodge if I’m declining but not immobile.
So while Chris himself labours on in good spirits despite some sort of throat infection, I’m carefully monitoring my own “performance”.
Bells palsy remains a secondary concern. My right eye is sore and remains permanently open. Driving can, after a time, become difficult. Light glare occasionally painful. I bought a pair of shades in Salem but they broke within hours. Chris shares his. I’ve also discovered that while eye drops are ok my pasty eye gunge medicine provides better protection on the road. It’s a good job my right eye is useless in the good times. A damaged left eye would be the end of driving for me while the palsy persists as it provides 90% of my vision.
A couple of weeks back I was convinced my tumours were back. Fortunately the hip/lower back pain faded and the hospital blood tests and X-Ray found nothing to worry about.
That same pain has returned though. My rarely used supply of painkillers has been employed for the last few days. In my head it’s a growing tumour. In truth I don’t really know. In my head the afatinib zapped it last time after a few days. Here’s hoping to a repeat if it is what I think it is. My side effects from medication dropped completely after arrival in Boston. In the last two days the spots have returned slightly. Maybe this is a sign that the drug is working harder. Who knows?
In the meantime, while worried, I just get on with it. The experts weren’t in a rush to get me in front of them last time. So unless there’s a dramatic deterioration things carry on as planned. And the pain is dramatically less intrusive than what I went through last year.
At least my gammy toe seems healed!
Seeing the World 
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