I hope a lot of you have today off.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, Canadians.

Posting here because I can't on FB and I need to empty my brain.

I went to Queens this weekend for a fast birthday weekend for my best friends from college (it's one of their birthdays). Sat morning before I was leaving the birthday girl called me to say she was not feeling well and might cancel dinner. I decided I would still come because seeing her and other friend still worth it and hanging time is really the best time. plus dog coverage was already set up.

drive up no issues. during the drive, she indeed cancelled dinner. she had been sick for going on 12 hours by this point.

Now this friend had leukemia in her 20s and has been living with and getting treatment for metastasized colon cancer for over a decade. Last Fall she had acute appendicitis and needed emergency surgery, after which they discovered an previous unseen tumor which led to another round of chemo.

Which is all to say: ANY illness is a huge deal. Anything needing medical attention means going to Sloan Kettering. Because she is a long term ongoing treatment complex patient, she has to be seen by HER doctors. Being sick on a Friday night of a Holiday weekend means she will get admitted to the Hospital for observation and tests and kept for days.

She was scared, her husband scared, her 14 year old son scared and no one knew what to do.

They ended up going to SK Urgent Care Sunday morning. She had a blockage in her intestine. As of last night she was still in the hospital. Scans being done and liquids being pushed, but she also had to get tubes down nose and mouth into her stomach.

I drove home last night, gps sent me not on I95, but on highways into PA and then down which at night meant none of the large 24 hour service centers, so I ended up not stopping for the 4 hour drive.

I'm emotionally drained. My poor friend. She is so tired of fighting with her body. She is terrified of dying.

FUCK CANCER

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that, msbelle.

Oh that is so hard, msbelle. Sending loving thoughts to all her loved ones, and heath~ma to her.

Oof, msbelle. Hoping for the best for your friend. Virtual hugs to you, to be translated into whatever sort of comfort you prefer.

FTR, I do not have today off and would like to register a complaint that the holiday-less period between Labor Day and Thanksgiving is too long

Got an update while I was in the shower. There has been poop! and no more tube down throat, just nose, so PROGRESS. and that should mean no surgery.

big exhale.

now to decide what to do with my day.

Glad to hear it!

Good news!

I am very grateful to have today off.

Glad for that good update, msbelle, and all the good vibes your friend and her family's way... and to you, too, naturally. It's so hard to watch people we care so much about struggle so much. Hope you can get some rest.

Even when full resources are deployed, it took 18 months to find a missing Canadian who disappeared off of a very popular hike in summer 2018. His death was eventually determined to be accidental.

Is that the hiker who disappeared when I was out there?

Thanks for the update, msbelle.

No day off for me. And a Monday too. Although when I do get a Monday off it is twice as bad on Tuesday. DH is stuck on-site working too and he had hoped to be on the road hours ago on his way here.