Update on chemo and other stuff

Monday I had lab work as usual.  I was really hoping for normal ranges.  It worries me if things are too low to take chemo.  I know the tumor won't gain on me in just one week, but I still worry.  Luckily all was in an allowable range and I had chemo on Tuesday. 

I am having more tingling and numbness in different parts of my body.  The doctor is surprised I haven't had more problems with neuropathy.  I hope it doesn't get worse.  I could have problems just feeding myself if I can't feel the fork.  Also sometimes there is pain involved.  I don't want to be drugged up on Mr. Morphine again.  I know, I'm borrowing trouble. 

Lack of sleep has been a problem this week.  I always have a problem sleeping the night of chemo.  But this is all week.  The question is, is it chemo or the heat wave we are enduring?   I am betting on the heat. This Victorian house has no insulation in the outside walls, so it doesn't cool down at night.  It just holds the heat in.   The house has been over 90 degrees at midnight, outside 70 degrees.  The fog is coming in and today is cooler.  Maybe I will sleep better tonight.  I do know I am really tired and really cranky.

In spite of being tired and having chemo I have done some normal things. I wash dishes, and make the bed everyday.  I changed the sheets, did the laundry (Boy did the hung up laundry dry quickly! 10% humidity and 101 degrees.  My own dryer inside the house.) 

Yesterday three friends took me to lunch.  We gossiped, talked about my Kaiser interview, caught up on their lives, and laughed a lot.  It was a lovely time and I hope we can get together more often.  They are busy ladies, so often probably won't happen.

It has been way too hot to cook, so I made Benedictine  and pimento cheese for Marty.  I can't eat the Benedictine, which I love, because of the raw ingredients.  As for the pimento cheese, chemo taste buds hate mayonnaise, so it tastes awful to me.  Two of my favorite foods, and I can't eat them. Peanut butter seems to taste OK and is my food of choice.  I have had bacon and tomato sandwiches.  We blanch the tomatoes and peel them, then they are safe for me to eat.

I don't feel bad, just really tired.  I napped this morning and plan another nap for this afternoon.  I am doing really well and about to mark a big anniversary.  Next week will mark one year since the tumor was found.  And I am still here.  Thank you to all who hold me in their prayers and who have helped get me through the dark hard times of the last year.  Hang on and watch me go for year two.  We can do this!

 

Gotta love California weather

Yesterday I posted how awful awful  hot it was.  Record breaking heat and the fog was stalled off the coast. Well, the fog is in!

Last night I woke up cold and pulled up the down comforter.  What a lovely thing to be cold.  Today, no shorts, sandals, and Tee shirts.  I have on jeans, real shoes, and a long sleeved knit top.  And being still cold, I put on my North Face jacket.  Marty and I had hot soup for lunch instead of popcorn and ice cream. 

I love today's weather, cool, breezy, and blue skies, 30 degrees cooler than yesterday!   No AC and fans burning electricity, just windows open and nature's own AC. 

Visit Part 2

The heat wave continued, each day a little hotter.  Ann and Henry were such good sports and acted as if the heat was no big deal.  They kept saying but there is no humidity.  That is true, hot here is a little better than hot in the South.  But past 90, humidity does not factor in, hot is hot.

Tuesday we stayed home and read.  Marty worked during the morning and made it home for lunch.  I had cooked a spiral ham and we had sandwiches.  Miss Ann asked if she could have some of the leftover pulled pork instead.  We let her.

For supper we went to Sizzler for the Endless Salad Bar.  We are talking 50 items, such as Tacos, Nachos, three kinds of soup, spinach salad, Cesar salad,  pastas, seafood salad, corn and peas salad, and lots and lots of other salads.  Oh did I mention ice cream sundaes and banana pudding? Endless means finish your plate and a clean plate appears for another trip to the Salad Bar. They made no money on us. Best value for $10.99 ever.  

Wednesday Marty fixed breakfast,  we all got cleaned up and then we went out.  Where to you ask?  The San Leandro Library.  I checked out books to entertain me next week as I recuperate after my surgery.  The rest of them picked out 5 DVDs for us to watch that night and the next day.  

We came home and started watching a movie.  One hour and 40 minutes in, it stopped.  Marty worked and worked, it would not progress.  Great disappointment, it was a really good movie.  For dinner we met Erik and Jennifer at a Thai restaurant.  I was a little nervous eating there, the Health Department certificate was Conditional Pass.  The food was good and no one got sick, so all is well. 

On the Fourth of July we still had record heat.  Marty again fixed us breakfast and we had a lazy day.  We all napped, read, and played on our computers.  Marty made a tomatillo sauce that was excellent. I put out the guacamole and chips.  Marty also made Margaritas to go with the theme of the snacks.  We had an all American dinner, hamburgers.  Then the movie marathon began.   The last movie was so depressing we had to watch some recorded shows to perk us back up.

This morning we left for the airport at 7:00 in the fog.  Ann and Henry were going home.  They got to enjoy our cool weather for such a short time.  Yesterday dead air and hot as hell.  Today we have fog and wind.  That would be Bay Area weather.

We had such a fun time.  I love to have them visit.  They go with the flow, and this time that was really important.  Record breaking heat, a 1 bedroom apartment with 1 bath, no extra space to store their belongings, a blow up bed, just a few things my guests had to put up with.  Oh and the BART strike which limited some of the places we could have taken them.

As I have said, it was a great week.  Lots of laughing, remembering, great food and wine, and some new experiences together.  Can't wait for them to come back again.