PET Scan and Glamis Sand Dunes

So after the PET scan on Friday, what else was there to do except load up the toys and go to Glamis?


The PET scan went smoothly Fred said. They wouldn't let me go with him or see him because he was radioactive for an hour while he waited for the juice to go through his bloodstreem, then for the 23 minute PET scan. So I went and got a coffee and called Dr. Janis about his nausea, which has been every day for a couple of months before any of these procedures started. He's now on a high-calorie, high-fat, high-protein diet and it's already difficult to get him to eat.

Dr. Janis called and said for me to walk over to his office (down the block) and pick up some samples while I was waiting for Fred to finish. On my way back from the doctor's office, who should I see but Fred wandering around in the parking lot, all aglow. Not really, but we were supposed to stay clear of him for four more hours. Well, the doctor had told me to bring Fred back when we were done with that and he'd give him some feel-good drugs. And a hug. So I turned around and went with Fred to the infusion room at the doctor's office where they gave him Benedryl, some steroids and some anti-nausea, all in an IV in his hand. They call it the party room and they change the decorations every season. Right now it's autumn-themed with lots of football decorations and collegiate flags. We were pretty steeled up to get in there on Monday, not Friday, so that was kind of weird, but now we know how it will go. Fred sat in there and had his IV for about two hours.

Did the Benedryl make Fred drowsy? No. Did the steroids make him peppy? You bet. He was on the phone all the way home, he got everyone running to and fro getting us ready to get outta town. Even Javi helped load quads and change tires and he didn't even get to go with us!

Friday night we arrived in Glamis at 11:30 pm. Jeff (teacher) and his son Parker were there, they slept in their truck. Bill and Jason (Prom Date) Montgomery were still at the camp, but they stayed at the new Best Western in beautiful downtown Brawley. There was only one room left in town, the Deluxe Room, so they slept in the lap of luxury. They even had marble columns and a plasma screen TV in their room! Those Montgomerys are high rollers. And the Clines came, too, but no Nancy. It was Craig, daughter Jamie,her boyfriend Nate and Nate's sister Ashley. Randi drove all the way from Tucson Saturday morning.

They all went for a long drive first thing in the morning. Katie and I stayed; we noticed later that Nate and Ashley didn't go either. They went out to the big BIG dunes. Katie and I could have gone in the Razor (our dune buggy thing), but we hung out and visited and got stuff ready to make dinner later. Then they all came back a few hours later and I made them all lunch of turkey and pork roast sandwiches. They were happy. Fred laid on the bed with Bill, looking kind of like Caesar in repose. We were all finally crowded in there visitng, telling stories and enjoying the air conditioning. It was over 95 degrees outside. I melt at about 90.

After a couple of hours we all loaded up to go to the sand drag area near Gecko Road on the West side of Glamis, which is the stupidest thing they do out there. Stupid people line up jammed in between all the parked quads and trucks and buggies to watch STUPIDER people race each other down a flat stretch of sand. There is no exact start or finish area, there are no fences or rules. No one waits for the first racers to finish or even get half down the strip before they take off. It's a high speed parade. Dune buggies are doing wheelies the whole length, they can't even see in front of them because their front ends are up so high. Once a dune gained on and landed on a quad rider who was in the race in front of him. Killed the the kid on the quad. Stupid people.

Well, we didn't make it that far because it was getting dark by the time we were about half way there, so we turned and went to another popular spot called Oldsmobile Hill. This hill is 300 feet tall and they race to see who can go the fasest. And we all sit at the bottom and watch the show. Every once in a while, some of the people in our party can't stand it anymore and they take off for the top. They race each other or anyone who is at the bottom of the hill when they get there. Fred, Katie and Stephanie have all done it, but I don't approve. The hill is a pure sand dune. No rocks, dirt or bushes. Just 300 feet of sand.

Katie drove me there and back through the dunes in the Razor. Very fun. When we got back to camp Parker, Luis and Nate made a big bonfire. Nate started the pyramid, Luis poured three gallons of gas on it with a trail of gas leading 20 feet away from it and Parker lit the gasoline. The Boy Scouts would not approve. Parker didn't really catch on fire, he was just, as Fred put it, slightly engulfed in flames. He stopped, dropped and rolled while everyone laughed. Even his dad. I was in the trailer making jambalaya. I don't care for the fire bomb stuff either. Fred says I sound like a stick in the mud. We had dinner and roasted marshmallows and visited a lot. After we all went to bed, Randi and Stephanie stole the glow sticks off of Bill and Jason's quads, put them omade n strings and took to hitting each other with them while Craig watched.

This morning we went out for a ride to go to "The Flagpole" which is out in the big sand dunes, but one of the quads broke so we just drove over to the Glamis Beach Store and someone bought something while we sat outside. Went back to camp where we discovered Katie had gotten the trailer ready to go, packed up the quads and went home.

Tomorrow is the chest x-ray at 9 am and the chemotherapy at 11 am. I will really try to post again tomorrow. Fred is planning on working at the office on Tuesday and Wednesday. Fred's mom and dad are planning to come out to visit him next weekend.