Megan (Dr. Gambos’ PA) removed the bandages Wednesday with a special flourish as she came down to my neck, where there now was a week’s beard under the adhesive. OUCH! She said I looked “good” and then did a little eye tracking exercise with me. Megan showed Nancy the ointment routine we would be doing for the next few weeks.

After a little bit of clean-up, Megan asked me to look in the mirror — with my eyes open. The right eye is pretty much swollen shut. She and Suzanne decided I was ready for Dr. Gombos.

Dr. Gombos asked how it felt to have the bandages off, and I replied, “good.” Then he also opinied that I looked “good”and asked if I was feeling any pain. I started with the sense of pressure I felt “all around” which I attributed to swelling. He retorted that I had hardly any swelling — much less than normal, but I did have a little more “droop” than normal.

After that rebuff, I debated internally whether to tell him about the stinging and itching I was feeling or about the shot I felt when I looked up during the eye tracking exercise. I told him about looking up. He said “uh huh.” So I went for the gusto and told him about the stinging and itching. He asked if I was still taking the Tylenol and codeine.

When I answered “no” to that one, he nodded and then answered,”That’s probably stitches. Over time, they will all dissolve and you’ll get over the pain.” He repeated some of the things that Megan and Suzanne had gone through earlier and asked the ladies if I had all the proper medications.

With an affirmative response, he intoned a wonderfully sweet phrase, “then I will see you in a month.” Gombos extended his hand, which I shook. Suzanne and Megan got hugs, and Nancy and I were headed toward the A Elevator.

There’s some follow-up to be done in Lubbock, ongoing treatments, convalescence and some adjusting I have to do. But we have closed the door on the operation part of this journey. We are now charting course for three ports on the follow-up leg of the voyage and looking forward to some shore leave at home.

While I still have this bandage covering more than half my face, the wobblies seem to be gone. This means that the primary limitation to my getting around is limited to having only one eye with uncorrected vision of something on the order of 20/400. There are also some pain issues that preclude quick movements. (If my grandson accosts me with his light saber, I will definitely have to rely on The Force to defend myself.)

Saturday night, we took advantage of this new freedom to walk down to Joe’s Italian Corner for dinner. This place is run by Joe himself and his family. Food is nicely prepared and well presented. Serving people dress the part, and Nancy thought they ought to be in classier surroundings. But then they would have to charge more.

We wanted to try Joe’s on the evening of Ike’s arrival, but the place was closed down. And they didn’t get power back in the first week after the storm. So Saturday night was a treat. The portions were ample, so we came home with an afternoon meal for Sunday.

It’s a glorious morning in Houston. Morning temperatures in the sixties. I’m waiting for a negative reaction to one of my medications (I should own stock in Walgreens?). If the reaction isn’t severe, we will walk over to Memorial Park.

Again, thank you all for your prayers, your thoughts, your expressions of care and love.

The news from Houston is mostly favorable — a successful surgery followed by consuming thirst and a healthy appetite and supper in the evening.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Gombos and team took a little longer than they expected, but they removed the eye without any rupture. That means the tumor was contained within the eye, the best case scenario for my situation. Pending confirmation from the pathology report, that means I should escape the need for radiation therapy.

The bad news is that the curse of Corvallis claimed the Trojans once again. Except for the third quarter, USC did not look like championship material Thursday night.

USC’s loss notwithstanding, I spent a reasonably comfortable night in “P8,” had a nice visit with Dr. Gombos on Friday, and have two appointments for next week. With luck, we should be able to spend most of the second week of recovery in Lubbock.

We reported early to surgery check-in, and shortly after our arrival, little Rachel, the 5-year-old with leukemia whom we met the day before arrived to check in for her bone marrow transplant. This time, Rachel had a sizeable retinue that included her parents, an elegant woman wearing a headshawl and angle-length dress (grandmother?) and two other children about her age. The three children walk-skipped into the waiting area hand-in-hand, smiling broad as a summer day, eyes all sparkles. Rachel had brought her own angels to the party, and there was enough joy to share with all the company.

Prep for the operation went smoothly. They found a vein on the backof my left hand on first try, and got the i.v. going. (Nancy discreetly turned the other way.) The last thing I remember is that she was heading out to do a few errands, and I had at least two attendants and an anesthesiologist.

Recovery is a fascinating place, if you just listen to all the things going on. There was an older woman in the partition next to me whose name was Hilda. As her daughter coaxed Hilda toward awareness, she threatened to “go get daddy,” and that seemed to do the trick. Hilda began answering all kinds of questions. Then there was this other fellow who had just had a brain tumor removed. He was a rather testy individual who used strong language in responding to those trying to bring him around. Nancy later observed “how far we’ve come” that someone fresh out of brain surgery could be “so responsive.”

Someone once said, “You can’t direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails.” It’s a great day for sailing and adjusting our course.

Ten a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25. Third Floor F Elevator. No food after midnight. That’s the bottom line for the two of us.

So, you spend an entire day meeting with doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, clinicians, medical students … watching other patients, listening to their stories. Two five-year old girls, cute as buttons. Strangers playing with each other. One of Russian-Libyan extraction. The other all Texan. One with leukemia, the other with a mysterious malignancy in her foot. Parents bravely discussing ways to tell children about diseases the parents fear and the children accept.

Old men, their wives and children fighting to keep some measure of normalcy in their lives. A large, older woman walking with a cane, clearly in pain, but smiling as broad as the south plains and spreading sunshine everywhere around her, a perfect picture of courage and love of mankind. Persons bald from radiation, some wearing masks to protect themselves from germs.

It is a fascinating cross section of humanity.

Ninth floor, sixth floor, second floor. Ophthalmology, anesthesiology, lab work. Physicians and staff? Certainly the lead players are at the top of their games. Best in the field. Intense men and women. Scholars and practitioners at the same time. Supporting cast efficient, focused and patient-directed.

Out at the airport, “are you involved with MD Anderson?” the man checking in our rental car asked. He was reading the label on my baseball cap. Then he proceeded to extol the center, and in the course of our conversation he revealed his wife worked there.

So, we move toward our operation, confident that we are in good medical hands, blessed by the prayers and caring attention of hosts of friends, angels, family and others.

And last and first the love of God.

God bless Mike and Fawn Read, angels of Sugar Creek. Late at night, when no other lodgings were available, they opened their home Tuesday night.

Truly, vacant hotel rooms IN Houston are about as plentiful as dry property on Galveston Island.

Having a certain knowledge of conditions in Houston, having spoken with people there, and feeling  somewhat skeptical about the room reservations we had made on Saturday, I tried calling Howard Johnson’s on South Main a couple times. Busy / not working. So Monday, I called the “Mother ship” … Wyndham Hotels.

They couldn’t get through to the hotel property either, but they assured me my confirmed reservation was bankable (Merrill Lynch, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Behr Sterns?) and the room would be ready for us when we arrived Tuesday night.

I think some Midwest editor once said, “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”

We noticed on the flight into Houston that there were a lot of dark spots around town. Southwest Airlines got us to Hobby Airport on time. We grabbed our bags and caught a cab. Didn’t take long to get to the hotel — which was dark. Scented candles placed at strategic locations throughout the lobby might have spawned sixties-era flashbacks, and the long-haired, thinly-built night clerk introducing himself and extending his hand did not disabuse me of the impression. I was SURE he was barefoot, and San Francisco was having a heat wave.

Wait a minute. This was Houston. Our cabbie, with meter running, took us to one hotel after another. I telephoned two for which I had numbers. The story was always the same — no rooms, nothing open until October.

Enter Mike and Fawn. They had offered us their spare bedroom. It was after 9 p.m. when I called Mike and asked if their offer stood. “Come on out,” Mike said, and gave directions.

After some discussion, we decided to go back to the airport — the only place likely to have rental car agencies open — and to rent a car.  Our cabbie, an angel (as Cil calls them) from Ethiopia, was ending his shift. His home was off the Southwest Freeway (which goes to Sugar Land), so he offered to lead us through the downtown traffic and get us going in the right direction.

Mike waited up for us, talked us through the final turns to his home, and conducted us to their spare bedroom. We talked about our appointment time in the morning, and he suggested the best strategy for getting through the traffic on time.

Nancy and I knew of a public parking lot, paid the six dollars, and looked forward to the first meal we had had in about 20 hous. She suggested we check with the Best Western, which had no electricity when we left and had about a foot of water in their below-street garage. We asked if they had a room. They did, but they had no elevators.

We took the room. After our day at MD Anderson (next post) and a tour of the hotel, we decided to stay at the Best Western for the duration. We are in room 322 at Best Western Plaza Hotel and Suites at Medical Center, 6700 Main Street, HoustonTX 77030. Phone 713-522-2811.