TO RECOVERY
To any who may be wondering (or wandering and wondering…) last month’s surgery to remove prostate cancer appears to have been a success. After a week in hospital with jello as my main breakfast, lunch and dinner intake, I was ready for real food again. Thankfully, Betty & I recently enjoyed the meal I had been dreaming about during that stay: lamb chops & prosciutto-wrapped asparagus on the barbie, topped in fresh mint sauce from our garden. Yeah, I’m alive again! We meet next week with the oncologist to receive the full pathology report, but all signs so far seem favourable. He wants to monitor my situation for the next five years, with initial meetings every three months, but I’m off to a good start on the road to recovery!
It’s been a tremendous blessing to have the support of our family and friends, especially in this past month. Each of our adult sons and daughters has stepped up to offer and provide help with the day-to-day issues that we otherwise take for granted, from installing our add-a-room to mowing our grass, to giving much-needed healing hugs. Friends have dropped by to help kick-start our air conditioning, replace the noisy muffler on our Smart, and take care of our yard work, ensuring the health of our plants and flowers. Evening campfires have provided warmth and encouragement, and favourite food drop-offs have contributed to accelerated rehab. How wonderful it is to have these caring connections!
Betty & I have been blessed with good health for nearly all our lives. While purchasing travel health insurance has always been part of our trip planning process, the issue of health has never played a prominent role. When the insurance forms asked “have you ever…?” or “do you have…?” the answer has always been “no, no, no.” Going forward, things may be a little different…
Until now, these have been the main trip planning considerations:
- Destination: Where do we want to go, and what would we like to see along the way?
- Timing: How much time do we want to take, considering special family events & provincial and national requirements related to citizenship, taxes, and health insurance coverage? (eg.: no more than 180 days/year in the U.S. and no more than 5 months out of province.)
- Weather: What can we expect the weather to be at our destination and along the way? We prefer to stay close to 21c or 70f, so that gets factored in. I find the website weatherspark.com to be a helpful tool in trip planning. One can easily choose country, state or province, local city, and time of year, drilling down from average yearly to monthly to daily temperatures and other weather issues at each location.
- Budget: For each of our trips so far, we have registered odometer readings at the beginning and end of the journey, and compared those to the accumulated daily distance calculations between each of our proposed stops. So we have a fairly accurate picture of how far we proposed to travel, and how far we actually went. We have been able to compare those with proposed fuel costs, and actual costs, and have a fairly accurate sense of what the fuel costs will be (notwithstanding current fluctuations). Our accommodation costs have decreased as we have transitioned more from campground stays to boondocking, but our maintenance costs have increased as our vehicles have aged. As time goes by we have a reasonable expectation of what it can cost us for each proposed adventure.
- Health: As mentioned, until now we have taken our health for granted, and it has not been a significant consideration in trip planning. But our recent experience has underscored that – without good health – none of the rest is possible! Wow, what a revelation!
- Other factors: This isn’t an exhaustive list of travel planning considerations. Some can be expected, and others – for better or worse – are unexpected. That is why all plans need to be made in jello, with the journey contributing as much to the adventure as the destination.
Ok, for now I’ve had enough jello. The pain from surgery is subsiding and I’m on the road to recovery. Starting to get to the preparation of being on the road to the next adventure on our overlandish odyssey. Our prayers go out for your health and happy travels through life also!
Cheers!