what we don't know

Today was a rather normal day at work for me except for one finger and one toe. For whatever reason, I both digits are swollen and painful. I've kept them slathered in Neosporin and covered, but nothing's changed for a couple of days. Tomorrow I'm going to the doctor to she what she can do. The unusual circumstance has been ample fuel for my imagination. I begin to think there's some sort of infection in my system that only works its way out through my fingers and toes. Ginger looked at them tonight and said, "They don't look like leprosy." I was grateful for her humor. It doesn't look like the Plague either.

But it's what we don't know that makes it difficult.

Friday night Ginger left a message at the restaurant for me to call her when I had a moment. Things slowed down around eight, so I called home. She wanted to pass on news my parents had left on my voice mail, so I didn't have to hear it by recording: my father has bladder cancer. On October 14, my dad will celebrate the tenth anniversary of his heart surgery. The big irony is my mother is a bladder cancer survivor, after having dealt with it off and on for almost fifteem years. Her experience -- and our experience with her -- helped temper the news somewhat and it's what we don't know that's difficult.

The pathology reports were supposed to come back today, but because of the holiday on Monday, it looks like we will not know the details of what is going on with my dad until Friday. What we need to know is how aggresive the cancer is, because that will have a great deal to do with the treatment options. I know they removed the tumor they found and it had not broken through the bladder wall. I know this is a treatable form of cance. I also know the treatment takes its toll. We don't know much else.

I will call on my way home from work in Friday and hope we know more.

I'm not up to being philosophical or even creative in my writing about this tonight. Thanks for your prayers.

Peace,
Milton