(2008, that's new)
It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. Some weeks are easier than others to find the right words. I know many of you look frequently for something new. So here it is.
Yesterday I took Doug to have another X-ray of his lungs. I picked up a copy of the films to take to the doctor on Monday but also for the home health RN to see. He came today, read them, and sees little evidence of pneumonia. For that we are very encouraged. I could have told you that too but it is more impressive from a R.N./D.C. I was shown the X-rays taken in the ER during our last visit. The contrast is amazing.
The measure of Doug's O2 level was 94%, was reduced when walking but rebounded at a good rate when he sat down again. We must be dealing the a medication side effect or anemia as fatigue and lack of energy are the two biggest battles we've been fighting this week. Doug stays in bed most of the day and all night.
We had a slight fever scare last evening. Ice makers on refrigerators are another blessing not to be taken forgranted during times like these. This morning his temp. was in the normal range. We see the hematologist/oncologist on Monday and hope to find some encouragement related to his lack of energy.
Kevin left Wednesday after checking off the last thing on his to do list for us. We were sad to see him go but glad he felt we were stable enough for him to return to his work and life in New York. We will never be as far away from him again either. Let me explain.
We have a new Livie!Cam by Creative that, according to the packaging material, allows us to have “life like video, clear voice and fun effects” over the Internet. I’m not promoting product as there are many out there. I’m just sharing what we have. Then Kevin downloaded the free version of “SightSpeed” from http://www.sightspeed.com/ Once we purchased the camera everything else was free!! Yes, we could pay more and do more but we just needed the basics.
Doug’s home office (that I get to share) is a desktop P.C. that uses a Windows operating system. The video camera on our computer is one that just fits over the monitor and is hooked into a USB port. The speaker is built into the camera. The whole deal is about the size of the palm of my hand. The “eye” of the camera can rotate up or down.
Kevin had his Mac Book laptop along with him. It has a built in camera and microphone. When we were all set up, Kevin and Doug sat in the family room and we took our first test-drive with me at the office computer in another area of our home. It was awesome! It was seeing and believing first hand.
The real test came the morning after Kevin left. He called from his apartment in New York to tell us he had arrived home safely and said, “Let’s video conference to see how this works at a distance.” We hung up the phone and went into the computer. Clicked on the SightSpeed icon short cut Kevin had set up for us and clicked on his name in our “friends” list. It rings with a sound similar to a telephone on our end. When Kevin picked up in New York City we could see him and hear him loud and clear with no distortion. Laura was busy in the kitchen. She came to say hi. Doug sat in the computer chair and I was standing behind him. The kids could see both of us and we both of them. We also got to see our “grand-cat”, Rusty, when Kevin held him right up to his camera. That is a very NEW experience being able to drop into our kids home and not have to travel.
Because the lap top is portable, Kevin took us on a tour of their apartment. We could even see their view of the city from their picture window.
Now many of you reading this blog will think this is no big deal. Some of you have been video conferencing over the Internet with your kids and grandkids for free since you learned you could. I’ve done it before too but there was so much distortion and delay that it wasn’t worth my time. I was use to the ones at the Intermediate school districts, in public schools or the State of Nebraska's Communication department and the Adventist Distance Learning systems, ones I’d used professionally. They cost a lot just to “rent” time. It really wasn't a fair comparison. As technology has changed so has the quality for home-to-home and office-to-office sharing. We do have digital broad band connection to the Internet here at home. I realize that is an important variable.
As we begin a new year Doug and I have some new resolutions. We have resolved to keep our family close even though the children live on opposite coasts. Our new computer camera will certainly assist with that resolve. We are going to work with Kristi to get hers set up now that we know how it all works. We also hope that in spite of his compromised immune system Doug might be able to return to work this way if only by video and teleconferencing. We are determined to not let cancer control us but in every way we are able with medical science’s assistance and God’s help, control the cancer.
To that end we wish you and yours a happy New year.
Our faith is strong. That is NOT new.
~Carole
