Mexico

This Is As Good As It Gets


Our Resort


The 8 Of Us at Xcaret.
The "Statue" in the back is a live Native Mayan


Gus in His Chariot.
This is how anyone who did not want to walk got to the ruins.
It was motorized by a native pedaling the tricycle.


Gus and Kathleen in the Cenote

We now know what the expression “Words Cannot Describe” means. There truly are no words to express our trip to Akumal, Mexico. It was the perfect trip. We were with three other couples who made the week unforgetable.

We stayed in the Grand Oasis Riveria Maya, an all-inclusive resort. We were even blessed with ocean front rooms.

Gus and I spent hours snorkeling and kayaking in the Caribbean. The eight of us went on two tours. One tour was to Coba which was incredible Maya ruins in the jungle and where we swam in the cenote. We also visited native Maya families.

The second tour was an all day excursion to Xcaret where we viewed native animals, fish, birds, and plants. All of us even swam the entire length of a 2,000 foot long underground river. (Life jackets were mandatory) We ended the evening being entertained by Maya history, an reenactment of the pre-Hispanic ball game and Mexican history.

The resort had several restaurants that we ate at. Our favorite was an international buffet. Gus was the Leader of the Pack when it came to eating. He ate anything and everything and never got sick once. He always went back for seconds. He felt it was mandatory to eat guacamole and chips and at least two kinds of dessert at every meal. He loved the food!

Gus could not believe the scales this morning. He lost a couple of pounds on his trip. I am sure he is the only one of the eight of us that can make that statement.

Gus had his blood checked this morning and his coumadin level was right where the doctor wanted it. It should be between 2 and 3. It was 2.3.

You can only imagine how hard it will be for Gus to take those chemo tablets next Saturday morning in preparation for the infusion next Tuesday.

Gus is to take pictures of our trip with him Tuesday when we see the main oncologist. We cannot wait for the doctor to see and hear about our trip. Gus is definitely a Poster Child.

Oh and did I tell you how much Gus loved the food!

Mexico in One Week

The doctors are still trying to get Gus stabilized with his INR (International Normalized Ratio) count. For a person whose blood clots normally, their count will be about 1. Gus' count was 4.18 last Tuesday. The higher the INR is, the longer it takes your blood to clot.

We also discovered that pancreatic cancer patients have a higher rate for developing blood clots than any other cancer patients.

Gus' CA 19-9 had dropped on the last test. It was 54 on Tuesday where it had been 55 three weeks ago. That was good news. This is the first drop we had seen since October.

The time has come for Gus to have a Port put in. His hands are just not recovering from the infusion sites anymore. His next infusion will be March 16th. After the infusion, we will meet with the surgeon and then surgery is scheduled for March 18 in Bozeman.

We are not very knowledgeable about the Port since that is not what he had before. Gus had a Pic Line the summer of 2008. We do know that having a Port put in is not a big deal, just another bump in the road.

Our thoughts are now turned towards the south. Gus and I will stay in Belgrade Thursday night and then fly out early Friday morning for LA. Our friends, Tom and Rosie, will pick us up and take us to their home in Ojai, CA until Sunday evening. Then the four of us will drive back to LA where we will meet two other couples. The eight of us will fly to Cancun early Monday morning.

Some of Gus' Offspring did receive the limited edition of Gus in his swimsuit and suspenders, but I am happy to report that Gus will not be wearing that swimsuit in Mexico. His children can breathe easier knowing their father is showing a little restraint in public.

Our Fairy Tale Week-End

Saturday morning, Gus and I watched the sunrise from 36,000 feet as we flew towards Portland!

Beau and Gus In the Cockpit

By lunchtime, Gus was standing

on the beach at Seaside, Oregon.


Cessna Citation Mustang
1:30 Sunday afternoon. The trip is over.

Gus and I met Beau at the airport at 7:00 Saturday morning. Once we landed in Portland, Beau loaned us his car and never gave us any limitations as to where we could go. Just like two little kids, we bought a map and headed towards the ocean on Highway 26.

It was a very emotional moment for us when we stood at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Life in general is an emotional moment for us.

We ate lunch in Seaside and then continued north along Highway 101 until Astoria. We followed Highway 30 back along the Columbia River, stopping for homemade pie in Westport.

The restaurant was called Berry Patch and they had photos and videos on early logging in the area. We so enjoyed listening to the history. Gus was in the sawmill business for 18 years before we moved to Montana. He still has a special love for logging and what men went through to get that product to the sawmill.

After our pie, we continued back to Portland to find our hotel. We stayed at the Hilton in downtown Portland. Sunday morning, we picked Beau up at his condo and the three of us flew home. We were back at the Twin Bridges airport by 1:30 Sunday afternoon.

Our anniversary week-end was a story written from a fairy tale.

Living In The Moment

So what do you say to a friend that just purchased a brand new jet and offers to fly you to Portland for the week-end to celebrate your 30th anniversary?

We had gone out to dinner tonight and Beau was there at the restaurant. Now this is the same Angel that flew us to Seattle three times since we started our cancer walk. We have known that we would never fly to Seattle with Beau again. Medically speaking, Seattle cannot help us. We never even thought of taking a trip just for the fun of it.

Gus and I do not believe in coincidences. We believe in God-Things. Gus wanted us to go to the Oregon coast for our anniversary on Valentine’s Day. That is where we went for our first anniversary. I did not want to be by myself that far from home if Gus got sick, so I wouldn’t even consider it.

I felt we could go to Coeur d’Alene for our anniversary week-end. If Gus got sick, it was close enough that Scott or Lindsey could help me get their dad home. Then Gus asked what I thought of exchanging our week-end for a week in Mexico. I agreed only because we would be with two other couples who could help us if we needed it.

The timing is perfect. Gus is just finishing his chemo-free week and this is when he feels his best. So as of a couple of hours ago, we decided to go to the Oregon coast as well as Mexico in two weeks!

Living with uncertainity helps Gus and I learn to live in the moment.

So the answer to the question at the beginning of this post is . . . "What time do you want us to be at the airport Saturday morning, Beau?"

Offspring Beware

A couple of weeks ago, we were receiving spam type messages in the comments section of this blog. I have changed the settings so Gus and I view the comment before it is published on the blog. I apologize for not mentioning that earlier, but when you comment, it then goes to us first to approve.

Gus had his blood tested yesterday for his INR reading. After only two days on the new medicine, he is now too high. He has one more day of the shots, but the doctors cut his coumadin in half.

Gus will have his blood tested again on Monday to monitor his levels. He will be taking coumadin for 6 months. At times like these, Gus and I really love our doctors. They took the nurse's comment very serious.

Gus and I did a photo shoot this morning. Offspring Beware!

Blood Clots

Our latest adventure is labeled "blood clots".

A week ago, Gus realized his arm was tender. He mentioned it to the nurse last Tuesday and she was smart enough to pursue it with the doctor. The doctor called Gus yesterday morning and sent him to Dillon for an ultra-sound. The results were not pleasant. He is now giving himself shots twice a day in the stomach and taking oral coumadin.

It is very common for cancer patients receiving chemo to deal with blood clots. This is a fact that slipped right through our knowledge. Somehow we missed that statement. In my logic, I don't understand how his platelets can be so low and yet we're dealing with blood clots.

Throughout our depression last night, Gus continued to repeat one statement. "I AM GOING TO MEXICO!!"

The Visual

Gus had a "poor" week since his chemo last Tuesday. Thursday was so bad that he sent his baby, LT, home with Lindsey. He did not even feel well enough to let the pup outside. That is a first since we got her in August.

We did go out to supper last night with friends and Gus had a wonderful time. He is cautious with how much he eats because that will make him sick.

The CA 19-9 was 55 last Tuesday. We were disappointed to not see a decrease in the numbers, but always thankful to not see much of an increase.

The biggest concern we have is earth shattering to us. Gus and I had discussed that he had shorts and a swimsuit for Mexico. All of a sudden he got this stricken look on his face. His swimsuit fits a man 40 pounds heavier. Of course, I have the solution. Suspenders!

The visual has so much potential. I will be selling photos to fund our upcoming trip, so get your order in early. Offspring get a free copy or they can write me a sizeable check to keep this photo from going public.