Friday, October 31

Halloween

Today I have chemo later than usual.  This gives me plenty of time to get last minute Halloween decorations hung, clean the house and pack up my chemo bag before I need to leave.  Oh, and I was wide awake at four this morning, no chance of going back to sleep.  Who knows why.  I haven't had chemo in three weeks now, and the slow return to being chemo free has been nice.  My fat, slimy tongue has returned to normal and not feeling greasy like it does after eating a dunkin donut.  My finger tingles are almost non existent, I have to hold something frozen for a few minutes before I get a buzz. This has been very nice. Being able to floss my teeth is awesome, and orange juice actually tastes good to me these days.  I can even drink it cold, which is so much better than it is at room temperature.

I go to Fain 3 by myself this morning.  We have a full house at daycare, and Steven is needed to help out.

This morning I meet with Dr. Safran and Megan.  Megan first, and then the two together.  Dr. Safran wants to hear how things went with the liver surgeon, and he reconfirms the two surgery plan.  He tells me the colon can definitely be done at the same time as one of the liver surgeries, but I need a little more chemo.  I will complete the twelve I have been scheduled for, and then we will talk about what the next plan of action will be.  I will see him again in six weeks, on December twelfth, unless anything else comes up.  He is pleased with my weight, and when I ask him if I can stop gaining weight, he says that will be fine. Thank goodness Halloween is almost over, I won't have to eat Snickers Bars everyday.

All of the nurses are dressed up for Halloween, and I regret that my phone is almost out of juice and I didn't bring a camera.  Cassie is dressed as a police officer, complete with mirrored sun glasses. She looks totally badass! Faye is a Starbucks coffee cup, white scrubs and a burlap strip for the insulation band.  An order form is stuck to her back and a coffee cup cover on her head makes the perfect little hat.  She looks adorable.  Carolyn has a Halloween scrub top and golden bee antenna that bob around whenever she moves.  She looks so cute, and manages to endure the bobbing antenna the whole time I am there. There is such camaraderie amongst the team that takes care of me. They make it a nice, comfortable place to visit.

My friend Alex stops by for a visit again, it is nice to have his company.  We converse until I am so full of fluids that I need to use the bathroom.  They give me extra during my treatment to keep me hydrated, so it is inevitable that I should have go to the bathroom at least two or three times while I am hooked up and getting my meds.  Alex needs to get back to work, so this is a good time to leave.

I have been trying to make the two hanks of yarn into two balls all morning long.  My first mistake was in thinking that I could do it while moving from pod to waiting area, to med check office to the exam room and then back to my pod again.  I end up with so many tangles, it takes me the whole session to complete the balls. 

I am done by 3:15.  When I get up to leave, Steve comes in the entrance to the cancer unit just as I am going into the bathroom.  If he had come in just a few seconds later, he would have missed me.  We walk home.  It is such a pleasant day, and I feel fine, there is really no reason to drive.