It's been a week of low fever, constipation, diarrhea and general feeling poorly. I did too much on Tuesday after chemo Monday, which didn't help at all. I cancelled everything for today and barely had the energy to take Tylenol, eat and shower.
I'm off to the sofa to recline for the rest of the afternoon after spending most of the day in bed.
Jul 24, 2017
Jul 17, 2017
Coming up for air
This past week I've moved from the sofa to the bed with that same low fever and lack of energy. Even taking the dextroamphetamine three days in a row didn't help much. I'd take it at noon, feel better an hour later, try to run my errand, appointment etc., and still find it tough to put one foot in front of the other. I even gave my car a fender-bender in that terrible Trader Joe's garage on Capital Hill. Then the uppers would kick in and I'd be awake until 2 AM.
Friday afternoon I wondered if I needed a blood transfusion, so we ran to see The Amazing & Wonderful Nurse Jacque for a blood draw. No transfusion needed, just feeling icky, but thanks to our friend T and the interconnectedness of Facebook, we ate a delicious salmon dinner last night. I even had a glass of rose!
Today I actually woke up feeing well-ish. Due to the uppers, I hadn't fallen asleep until two o'clock in the morning, so I stayed in bed until 11 AM, ate something and took my morning meds, sat outside in my pajamas and a blanket in the sun for an hour, then went back to bed until 3 PM. I wish I'd taken a selfie to post. Imagine me wrapped to my chin in a maroon blanket that's covered with dog hair.
D stopped by unexpectedly to visit and we chatted over tea for an hour. That's given me some extra oomph to make pizza for dinner before the TJ pizza dough died. Rik and I will enjoy pizza with mushrooms for dinner, another glass of rose, and have better expectations for Sunday.
Costco anyone?
Friday afternoon I wondered if I needed a blood transfusion, so we ran to see The Amazing & Wonderful Nurse Jacque for a blood draw. No transfusion needed, just feeling icky, but thanks to our friend T and the interconnectedness of Facebook, we ate a delicious salmon dinner last night. I even had a glass of rose!
Today I actually woke up feeing well-ish. Due to the uppers, I hadn't fallen asleep until two o'clock in the morning, so I stayed in bed until 11 AM, ate something and took my morning meds, sat outside in my pajamas and a blanket in the sun for an hour, then went back to bed until 3 PM. I wish I'd taken a selfie to post. Imagine me wrapped to my chin in a maroon blanket that's covered with dog hair.
D stopped by unexpectedly to visit and we chatted over tea for an hour. That's given me some extra oomph to make pizza for dinner before the TJ pizza dough died. Rik and I will enjoy pizza with mushrooms for dinner, another glass of rose, and have better expectations for Sunday.
Costco anyone?
Jul 10, 2017
Missing my dad
Today is my dad's seventh yahrzeit, the anniversary of his death.
He died a week before turning 80, with his mind intact but his body failing in so many ways. Dad said he wasn't dying but I didn't believe him. He certainly didn't want to live the way he was living, and so he did the only thing he could - he stopped eating. He wouldn't talk about any of it with anyone. Not his wife of so many years, not his daughters, and we think not even his therapists (or at least they never told us).
What did I learn? That it doesn't help to not talk about your personal issues, because we can't help if we don't know what's really going on.
And that no one should die alone and uncomforted in the middle of the night, because they didn't believe in their own mortality.
He died a week before turning 80, with his mind intact but his body failing in so many ways. Dad said he wasn't dying but I didn't believe him. He certainly didn't want to live the way he was living, and so he did the only thing he could - he stopped eating. He wouldn't talk about any of it with anyone. Not his wife of so many years, not his daughters, and we think not even his therapists (or at least they never told us).
What did I learn? That it doesn't help to not talk about your personal issues, because we can't help if we don't know what's really going on.
And that no one should die alone and uncomforted in the middle of the night, because they didn't believe in their own mortality.
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| My Dad and Mom circa 1949. Photo might have been taken at their engagement party. |
Jul 3, 2017
No it's not pneumonia
But the closest thing possible. I've just well enough to stay home and not be admitted to the hospital, where of course I could pick up all sorts of bugs no matter how clean everything they keep it.
So I continue to honk, cough, and blow incredible amounts of snot out of my nose. I'm on the second antibiotic, this one especially for pneumonia, and I do feel some better already.
Thank God for A, H, and R, who have been walking the dogs while Rik was away. I am taking two of them out for lunch now and the third has a tbd date. And thanks to all those who gave me rides, brought food, and came to visit during these past few weeks of chemo recovery and what turned out to be not quite pneumonia. You know who you are and I bow at your feet. And will always, as science fiction author Robert A Heinlein originally taught us, pay it forward.
Onward to lunch - or in my case, brunch. And COFFEE!
So I continue to honk, cough, and blow incredible amounts of snot out of my nose. I'm on the second antibiotic, this one especially for pneumonia, and I do feel some better already.
Thank God for A, H, and R, who have been walking the dogs while Rik was away. I am taking two of them out for lunch now and the third has a tbd date. And thanks to all those who gave me rides, brought food, and came to visit during these past few weeks of chemo recovery and what turned out to be not quite pneumonia. You know who you are and I bow at your feet. And will always, as science fiction author Robert A Heinlein originally taught us, pay it forward.
Onward to lunch - or in my case, brunch. And COFFEE!
Jun 26, 2017
Yes it is pneumonia
Nothing more to add except that the antibiotics seem to be working. I've stopped coughing and blowing my nose. I just have very little energy. If I do one medical appointment it takes me a day to recover.
Other than that life is peachy, if you like sitting around in your pajamas all day long recovering from the previous day's strenous three hour activity (including showering, eating and being a passenger In a car).
Snarky, but just a little.