How to Kidnap Your Husband

Radiation was complete.  It was time to head home for a few days before returning to Mayo Clinic to see the Oncologist.  First we made time to see an old friend of Doug's.

Doug is one of the few people I know who keeps in contact with friends from his school days.  He has visited with a few on our adventure to Florida.  A high school friend/college roommate was coincidentally in town to visit his parents before we departed for home.  We had a nice lunch with him and his parents.  There was lots of laughing and reminiscing.  Including the time we visited his friend and Robby split his tongue like a snake and had to have stitches.

Monday arrived and it was time to head to good ole' Iowa.  It seems airline trips seldom go as planned.  Our plane broke in Jacksonville.  Which caused us to miss our connecting flight in Atlanta.  Our 3:00 a.m. wake up from Doug's mom's house turned into a sixteen hour day instead of an easy eight.  But we made it.  And boy were the cats happy!  Thank you to the Christensen's for taking excellent care of them!

Doug's hair continued to fall out in strands and clumps.  He didn't have spots, but stripes.  He looked like Tony the Tiger.  He's not "damn near perfect."  He's Grrreat!  I encouraged him to go to the hairdresser and get his head shaved.

Not one for convention, Doug insisted I vacuum his head.  Out came the vacuum and project "Sucking Up Hair" commenced.  We did get a good deal of hair in the vacuum.  Doug also has a thick mop on his head.  After a couple of days of nagging, (I'm really good at that.) he was convinced to go into the salon for a scalping.  His appointment was on Thursday afternoon.

Doug had been really tired since we came home.  We chalked it up to a long day in the airport.  Wednesday night was a turning point.  He had difficulty getting comfortable (even in the nice new recliner we bought on Tuesday.)  He was having pain in his lung and he coughed like a seal.  There will be no seals in our house.  The cats won't like that.

I suggested we needed to go the the ER.  Or maybe call the doctor.  The firm reply was "I'm fine.  Nothing hurts."  He's always fine and nothing ever hurts.

Thursday afternoon my patience had evaporated.  (Okay I'm not sure I packed it in my suitcase.)  I secretly called Mayo Clinic.  Yes, he should go to the ER.

I grabbed Doug's wallet and pertinent medical information.  Doug and I went off to get his head shaved.  Or so he thought.  The Kidnapping commenced. 

"Hey, didn't you need to turn at that corner," Doug inquired.

"Nope.  This is a kidnapping.  We are going to Omaha to the ER."

He didn't even try and jump out of the car.  Progress.

Our stop was Nebraska Medical Center.  I have been told they have a good Oncology department.  We were quickly ushered into a room.  A stream of doctors came and went.  My cousin from Council Bluffs dropped her evening plans to provide ER moral support.  Doug was poked, prodded, and bodily fluids were extracted from him.  It was decided with his above average blood pressure and elevated heart rate he would spend the night.

While it was quick and easy to get a room in the ER, it was long and tedious to get a room out of the ER.  Two Thirty in the morning finally found Doug in a room on the 5th floor.  He was put on antibiotics and given breathing treatments.  The general consensus was he had a touch of pneumonia.  The pain in the lung dissipated.  He still sounded like a seal, but felt generally better.  Saturday afternoon someone must have paid his ransom.  He was free to return home.

At this point in time Doug is resting in his new recliner.  The cats have yet to adjust to the new piece of furniture, so no feline is snuggling with him.  Now we wait for Wednesday when we return to Florida.

Pr.18.21-What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.  GNB