I was surprised when I got on the scale this morning and saw that, in the last two weeks, I had gained back two of the 27 pounds I had lost during the previous year. I should not have been surprised, as I have been snacking to my heart's content. What was I thinking?!
As we near the time for our visit with Dr. Sharfman at Johns Hopkins next Monday afternoon, we are trying to clarify our thoughts and figure out what questions and information gaps we need to address before decision-time. I hope writing this blog post will help me do some of that on my own. I’ll start with a synopsis.
I’m amazed at how little I knew about Social Security before I applied for retirement benefits earlier this week. For example, I knew that there were limits on how much earned income you could receive while drawing your full SS benefit if you retire before your “full retirement” age – in my case, 66. What I didn’t know is that once you reach full retirement age, they give you back all the money they docked you during that time. I had pretty much decided already to file, but that knowledge tipped me over the edge.
I haven't had much to say over the last 10 days - we are still waiting for the appointment at Hopkins, and with Allison et al. visiting I haven't taken time to concentrate on melanoma. That was a welcome relief! But it doesn't mean nothing's been happening ... so here's an update.
Robert explained early on, after meeting with one of the top melanoma experts in the country, that it probably will be impossible to stage his melanoma. Here’s the problem with that: treatments are generally decided depending on the stage of the disease. So, how do they know which path of treatment is the best for him? Welcome to Limboland!
