We had spent two sunny and bright days day in a "1940's" style rustic cabin. The location was perfect with a view over looking the the fishing village of Seikiu on Washington's Olympic peninsula. The view of the village was bordered by an expanse of the sea called the strait of Juan De Fuca, which sweeps across to an uninterrupted outline of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. After two clear summer like days, today the wind and clouds have have blown in, as if providing a clear signal that it is time to pack up and leave. Time to say goodbye and thank you to son and daughter in law who thought up the trip and invited us to tag along.
We had one passenger to drop off on the way home, daughter in law's brother. A young pilot on a break from flying in Alaska he was getting off at the Port Angeles air field where he had arranged for his father also, a pilot, to pick him up and fly from there to Bellingham. With an eye to the developing weather I wondered if the strengthening crosswind would be factor for his father's small experimental plane, but he himself appeared unimpressed. So we dropped him off and journeyed on.
The lively conversation of our previous leg of the journey turned to silence as Carolyn turned the truck toward home to Whidbey Island by way of the Port Townsend Ferry. I began to think over the remaining steps left to complete DBS surgery for the right side of my brain, now just over a week away. With the left side complete, recovery from the first surgery to my thinking had not been easy. But now that process for the left side of my brain was finished and waited for hookup of leads and programming.
The two week check up last week had gone well. After a neurologic exam the specialist nurse (ARNP) outlined the final positioning of the stimulation leads beneath the skin behind my neck. She talked about the process of of programming the units themselves which may take a few months and sometimes up to a year to complete. Finally, they had paid close attention to the pooling fluids in the back of my throat which had led to low oxygen saturation and subsequent termination of the first surgery. This time she explained how they would immobilize my jaw and reposition for more effective airway maintenance. Just to be certain I will kept at a higher level of conciousness throughout the procedure. Yes, I am ready to get on with the next phase.
We arrived at Port Townsend and weather was now an increasing factor as the ferry which had already been interupted by two low tide canceled runs, began to limit the number of cars allowed per run due to wind created deteriorating conditions. We had to wait, so we walked our faithful dog. Enjoyed a picnic in our pick up truck and watched the rain spatter our vehicle as the wind continued to increase, shake our vehicle, and the sky darkened.
The ferry arrived nearly 2 hours late and made a slow and cautious landing at the Port Townsend terminal. Thankfully the ferry and crew were none the worse for the wear and declared it safe for at least another crossing. Loaded last, this was our ticket for a wild journey across Puget Sound and it did not fail to disappoint. Intermittent heavy rain and large swells kept us rocking and rolling all the way across. The captain announced that we would need to make a turn as we approached the terminal. He said "hang on to each other and get ready for a rough ride." We hung on and finished the crossing.
DBS is a lot like that ferry ride. I plan to hang on, trust God and the
Professional crew to finish the job.
