I could get lost in those eyes. Sigh. I love you, my little Rosebud!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Sierra at Five Months
I could get lost in those eyes. Sigh. I love you, my little Rosebud!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Some Days are Better Than Other Days
Thursday and Friday? Meh.
Funny how the chemo picks up steam. The first few days aren't bad, but then his energy disappears, his appetite wanes, and he fights off waves of nausea as the treatment's dark side emerges.
He seems content to bask in the sunshine like an old horned toad brought in from the desert. And that's fine. He'll rebound for a few hours and work on the computer.
Post-chemo weekends are usually pretty mellow with low expectations and that's exactly what this one is shaping up to be. No big plans, just puttering around the house getting a few things done while the weather is still nice.
Meanwhile, Erik and I abandoned the patient, bought a tree permit, stomped around in the snow until we found a nice fir tree and tied it to the top of the SUV. At home, after we set it in a bucket of water, we both looked at the Doug fir growing outside the window and wondered why in the heck we went out and cut a tree when there was a perfectly acceptable candidate right in our backyard.
Hmmm.
Funny how the chemo picks up steam. The first few days aren't bad, but then his energy disappears, his appetite wanes, and he fights off waves of nausea as the treatment's dark side emerges.
He seems content to bask in the sunshine like an old horned toad brought in from the desert. And that's fine. He'll rebound for a few hours and work on the computer.
Post-chemo weekends are usually pretty mellow with low expectations and that's exactly what this one is shaping up to be. No big plans, just puttering around the house getting a few things done while the weather is still nice.
Meanwhile, Erik and I abandoned the patient, bought a tree permit, stomped around in the snow until we found a nice fir tree and tied it to the top of the SUV. At home, after we set it in a bucket of water, we both looked at the Doug fir growing outside the window and wondered why in the heck we went out and cut a tree when there was a perfectly acceptable candidate right in our backyard.
Hmmm.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Human Pincushion
This week involved blood work Monday morning at the lab, followed by an IV for chemo (that took two tries). This morning it took two nurses, three sticks and forty-five minutes to get an IV started.
Someone is thoroughly sick of needles. He knows they'll probe interminably, and may or may not be successful. If not, he gets to undergo the torture again. He can deal with the minimal pain of the tumors, he seems to nap while the poison drips into his veins, he's come to terms with waves of nausea and lack of energy, but just thinking about needles gets him stressed enough to send his blood pressure up a few notches.
We can't blame the nurses when we know the problem is his veins reacting to the chemo. The poor nurses probably hate to see us walk through the door! If we'd known at the start that veins can be damaged, we'd probably have opted for a port or picc line. Too late now.
However, on the bright side, he felt good enough to make turkey enchiladas for dinner tonight and he's able to drink fluids without much problem. So the side effects are manageable nowadays, thanks very much. His blood work continues to look stellar. And the only needle he needs to worry about is tomorrow's shot which is easy-peasy.
And hopefully he'll have to face the dreaded needles for only one more round.
Also the pomegranates from Costco have been fabulously wonderful; both John and Erik have enjoyed feasting on them. Personally I think they're more trouble than they're worth (the fruit, not the guys). I have the feeling that Persephone felt the same way.
Someone is thoroughly sick of needles. He knows they'll probe interminably, and may or may not be successful. If not, he gets to undergo the torture again. He can deal with the minimal pain of the tumors, he seems to nap while the poison drips into his veins, he's come to terms with waves of nausea and lack of energy, but just thinking about needles gets him stressed enough to send his blood pressure up a few notches.
We can't blame the nurses when we know the problem is his veins reacting to the chemo. The poor nurses probably hate to see us walk through the door! If we'd known at the start that veins can be damaged, we'd probably have opted for a port or picc line. Too late now.
However, on the bright side, he felt good enough to make turkey enchiladas for dinner tonight and he's able to drink fluids without much problem. So the side effects are manageable nowadays, thanks very much. His blood work continues to look stellar. And the only needle he needs to worry about is tomorrow's shot which is easy-peasy.
And hopefully he'll have to face the dreaded needles for only one more round.
Also the pomegranates from Costco have been fabulously wonderful; both John and Erik have enjoyed feasting on them. Personally I think they're more trouble than they're worth (the fruit, not the guys). I have the feeling that Persephone felt the same way.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Our Thanksgiving Day
I"m so happy we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving early. It meant I had all day Saturday to cook. How relaxing! Who knew?
I'm casting my vote right now--the Thanksgiving holiday from now on needs to include Wednesday so we can all cook at our leisure and enjoy it instead of spending our Wednesday at work then entering our kitchens like rabid ferrets on a mission!
On the menu:
I love the tradition of bringing out serving utensils that have been handed down through the family, using recipes from Fresno Thanksgivings, silver from our wedding, and goblets from my grandma's holiday table. It just makes the day more special as it links us with happy memories from our past.
I had never realized until this year that my guys are Mayflower descendents. They have the genes passed on by those brave and hardy souls who somehow survived that first year in the New World and flourished.
Let the leftovers commence!
I'm casting my vote right now--the Thanksgiving holiday from now on needs to include Wednesday so we can all cook at our leisure and enjoy it instead of spending our Wednesday at work then entering our kitchens like rabid ferrets on a mission!
- roast turkey with gravy,
- cranberry sauce,
- yams and green beans,
- deviled eggs, olives, and pickles,
- homemade bread with decorative butter pats,
- sparkling apple and apple-pomegranate cider,
- pecan pie and warm-from-the-oven apple pie.
I love the tradition of bringing out serving utensils that have been handed down through the family, using recipes from Fresno Thanksgivings, silver from our wedding, and goblets from my grandma's holiday table. It just makes the day more special as it links us with happy memories from our past.
I had never realized until this year that my guys are Mayflower descendents. They have the genes passed on by those brave and hardy souls who somehow survived that first year in the New World and flourished.
Let the leftovers commence!
Friday, November 16, 2012
Early Turkey Day
The turkey is thawing even as I type. And the pantry is filled with all the necessities for a yummy dinner.
On Saturday, I'm making our traditional Finnish Orange Bread with Erik. I think it might be his first venture into bread-making. And I've collected all the fixin's for Mrs. Knight's Pecan Pie recipe--because it's just not Turkey Day for John without his favorite dessert. I thought I'd start serving it for dessert that night since a little pecan pie goes a long way and I'm not sure how long his appetite will be up and running next week. There's a limit to how long I can tolerate pie sitting around uneaten!
Erik has a soccer game on Sunday--a return match with Sonoma State. They creamed UNR in last weekend's tournament match so we're hoping Nevada brings some defense to the table this week. We'll just pop the turkey in the oven while we're watching soccer. Who would think we'd still be planning our schedules around our favorite game?
The best thing about our (early) Thanksgiving this year will be that John will be feeling like eating--so very different from last November when his innards were giving him plenty of grief every time he ate, digested, or laid down. We're not expecting him to make an appearance at the dinner table Thursday--but Erik and I will manage to dine nicely on turkey leftovers as well as fresh pies.
This was the best fruit year here EVER and I'll be making a pie from our own apples--seen here in Mother Nature's refrigerator.
Do you love the vintage fruit-picking bucket ? It's one of our most handy-dandy acquisitions that's been filled with bumper crops of peaches and apples. Because it hangs from the tree branch, the doggities can't get to it which is appreciated by the human pack. As one of my kindergartners puts it, "fruit makes my dog toot." Out of the mouths of babes.
On Saturday, I'm making our traditional Finnish Orange Bread with Erik. I think it might be his first venture into bread-making. And I've collected all the fixin's for Mrs. Knight's Pecan Pie recipe--because it's just not Turkey Day for John without his favorite dessert. I thought I'd start serving it for dessert that night since a little pecan pie goes a long way and I'm not sure how long his appetite will be up and running next week. There's a limit to how long I can tolerate pie sitting around uneaten!
Erik has a soccer game on Sunday--a return match with Sonoma State. They creamed UNR in last weekend's tournament match so we're hoping Nevada brings some defense to the table this week. We'll just pop the turkey in the oven while we're watching soccer. Who would think we'd still be planning our schedules around our favorite game?
The best thing about our (early) Thanksgiving this year will be that John will be feeling like eating--so very different from last November when his innards were giving him plenty of grief every time he ate, digested, or laid down. We're not expecting him to make an appearance at the dinner table Thursday--but Erik and I will manage to dine nicely on turkey leftovers as well as fresh pies.
Do you love the vintage fruit-picking bucket ? It's one of our most handy-dandy acquisitions that's been filled with bumper crops of peaches and apples. Because it hangs from the tree branch, the doggities can't get to it which is appreciated by the human pack. As one of my kindergartners puts it, "fruit makes my dog toot." Out of the mouths of babes.
Friday, November 02, 2012
Tea, Spaghetti and Burritos
John might not feel great exactly, or even close, but he's doing much better than usual.
The spaghetti and burritos aren't unusual, but any type of liquid is a big improvement. I don't know if he's experiencing milder side effects because it's been longer since the last chemo, the dosage has been decreased slightly or the medications are working. Jetlag isn't making any difference one way or t'other. He's up in the wee hours and then comes back for a morning snooze but at least he's getting some sleep.
Whatever, we'll take it. I'm hoping that maybe it will take less than a week for him to feel back to his old self.
The spaghetti and burritos aren't unusual, but any type of liquid is a big improvement. I don't know if he's experiencing milder side effects because it's been longer since the last chemo, the dosage has been decreased slightly or the medications are working. Jetlag isn't making any difference one way or t'other. He's up in the wee hours and then comes back for a morning snooze but at least he's getting some sleep.
Whatever, we'll take it. I'm hoping that maybe it will take less than a week for him to feel back to his old self.
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