Reddick Family Web

Nobility, Humility, Loyalty

Storm recovery

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Tonight we walked more than five miles to find a decent restaurant “nearby” that was open. It is really bizarre to stand within a Graham Harrell or Mark Sanchez pass of Burger King and Pizza Hut and not be able to see either one at night. Block after block is still dark.

Tree limbs and litter lined up Monday for city pickup.
Tree limbs and litter lined up Monday for city pickup.

So we set out toward the Bellaire district about 5:30 p.m. Still dark all the way down Holcombe to where it becomes Bellaire and beyond. I knew there were plenty of restaurants down at Rice Village, and guessed that they would have electricity. So we started down Kirby. Before we got to University, we were encouraged to see that traffic lights, even though they were mostly just flashing red, were illuminated.

It was difficult to resist the temptation to jump into the first open restaurant we found. But we found several. In many cases, there were lines. Found a nice little Chinese (Hunan) place called “Cafe Chino.” Then we walked back past the old Rice Stadium to Main and then back to the hotel.

Today’s News: MD Anderson is still on an “emergency only” basis — as are most hospitals and clinics —  until Wednesday. I am not an emergency (yet). Houston Hobby Airport and Southwest were scheduled to start “limited” service today. We have decided to wait until we hear SOME thing from MD Anderson before we move along.

Three days after Ike, scenes like this were common.
Three days after Ike, scenes like this were common.

I wrote a piece for KOHM news about the aftermath of Ike. You can read it and see some of my photos here.

We got power to our room late Sunday (47 hours after we lost it) and air conditioning back late Monday afternnon. Nancy has finished reading one book (Robin Cook thing) and has started on Michener’s Alaska. It’s funny what being without TV will force you to do. Because the hotel is running on a borrowed standby generator, we don’t have TV. Don’t have ice either. That means Nancy is without two of her best creature comforts.

Hunkering down

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They just declared a curfew in Houston. County Judge, Sheriff and other law enforcement folks just spoke at a news conference, reminding folks that “we respect other people’s property.” News anchor on ABC affiliate following that conference and a brief one from the governor’s office said “There, you’ve heard it. We don’t have looting in Texas.” Co-anchor responded, and if we do, we take care of it quickly.

The first rain bands are coming on shore at Galveston, and we are seeing clouds that look like rain is not far behind. So Nancy and I will be taking a walk before curfew, and then we will hunker down for the storm. We expect to lose power and cell phone service. Hotel phone is 713-528-7744, and we are in room 504. We will maintain contact as best we can. But we will survive. Just ask my Scouts.

Jenni, please ask Kenneth to text to me scores as they happen in the Tech and the USC games. USC is playing Ohio State — airing on ABC at 7 p.m. Central time Saturday. I am expecting the local station will pre-empt.  Text messages have a good chance of getting through.

Love and peace to all.

And now there is Ike

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Okay, here’s the deal. Most of coastal Texas is under mandatory evacuation. Houston is starting to close up shop. Southwest has cancelled our flight – and everything else into and out of Houston. Other airlines closed down even sooner.

The medical center generally and MD Anderson specifically has been very busy canceling appointment. We have no news yet. Probably will not have until Monday or Tuesday, depending on what damage Ike inflicts.

We went to the Natural Science Museum today, and even they were bringing in the butterflies from the Butterfly House.

Where we are is not in danger of storm surge. We are on the fifth floor. North side of the building (Ike is coming from the south). So, we are preparing to “hunker down” for the storm.

The last hurricane I endured was “Bob” in 1985. In that case, I was camped out in some woods in Virginia accompanied by a bunch of Boy Scouts. This time, I am at the Holiday Inn with the love of my life.

You figure it out.

A patient for life

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Dr. Gombos confirmed Dr. Allison’s diagnosis: I have a melanoma in my right eye. And one of the take home lessons of this visit so far is that once you have melanoma, the risk of further melanoma (or melanoma in another place) never goes away – in this life. That means that whichever course of action we select, we will always have to be vigilant for melanoma.

Road signs on the Texas Medical Center campus
Road signs on the Texas Medical Center campus

Courses of action? Assuming that another reading of my CT scan gives my liver a clean bill of health, we can address two options with the eye: radiation or removal.

At the conclusion of several hours in the ophthalmology section of MD Anderson that included re-doing a fluorescein angiogram, we met with Dr. Dan Gombos, his nurse Suzanne, and his PA, Megan. Key points follow:

The current melanoma size-wise is at the upper end of “medium.” It is nearly 1 cm in height, and it has spread into the fringes of the center of my vision.

Radiation: Because of the tumor’s size and location, prognosis for radiation is that they might save the eye, but I would almost assuredly lose “substantial” vision in the eye – sooner rather than later. Also, because of the size and location, there is substantial risk of other damaging side effects (such as hemorrhaging and fluid leakage) both near- and long-term. There would be a long regimen of follow-up visits both in Houston and Lubbock. There may be some additional risk of spreading because of the time required to make the radiation patch and for the treatment itself. The primary reason for choosing this course in my circumstance would be cosmetic – to keep the eye.

Removal: This is a drastic course and like radiation, it is not reversible. It also has the side effect of reducing depth perception. Its primary benefits are that it is quick, clean, effectively removes the cancer and can be done on virtually an out-patient basis. At the time of the eye removal, a ball is inserted into the socket, muscles attached to the ball, and a shell placed over the ball. A few weeks after the initial operation, they create a new shell to match the other eye, and they place that over the ball.

Whereto for now?

We are waiting for a new reading on CT scans relative to my liver. There were a couple of abnormalities that Dr. Gombos wants a second opinion on. If the second opinion comes back negative (meaning no cancer in the liver), we believe we will start the process of moving toward eye removal. If the second reading suggests further testing, then I will submit to a liver biopsy for confirmation.

Either way, it appears we are at the beginning of a longer, not shorter, journey.

This place is HUGE

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Texas Medical Center, Houston
Texas Medical Center, Houston

It looks big on the map – the Texas Medical Center – but it is HUGE. It runs for blocks. Just imagine a city core populated by nothing but high-rise hospitals and medical clinics. Almost every university in Texas has at least one tower here. Then there are several named clinics, such as MD Anderson.

Jim and Pam Pulliam met us at the airport, drove us into town, around the medical center, and then they gave us a tour of the immediate area, across Rice University as well as a trip into town – and an early dinner at Goode’s Barbecue on the edge of Rice Village. Thank you, Pulliams. And thank you, Sue, for connecting us.

Nancy and I are settled into an Holiday Inn about 3-4 blocks from MD Anderson. Just being here and knowing where our appointment is, is comforting. We look forward to the morning, hoping we will begin to get some answers.