Back in the hospital, finishing the fifth round of therapy. Back in the Pediatrics corner room with a great view of the sunset.

This second week of the cycle has become a bit trying. I went into the ER last night for iv fluids and then back this am for the chemotherapy.

Something new today. My phosphorous was quite low so some of that is running in now. My toes feel as though there are tight bands around the bases of my big toes. Surprisingly this is not painful, just odd. After some correction and the rotisserie routine, I actually feel pretty well. Had chicken and corn for dinner.

The other new thing involves a low blood count. Normally by now it would be near normal; not today. So I will get a white cell stimulating shot tomorrow, promised to give me bone pain. At least I will get to go home. Dietary limitations are in order to avoid unusual infection. This will make my menu much more boring.

Sigi, our 15 year old daschund, is not moving very well. Maybe there is something the vet can do.

John helped.

Kay

I'm in the hospital preparing for rotisserie again. They have put me in a pediatrics room. The advantages include a full wall of windows facing west and the trees across the street as well as more spaciousness. John gets a recliner in this room. Unfortunately, due to yesterday's taxol, lunch tasted like straw. All I can taste is the lemonade; even the mustard was tasteless! It leaves me wondering what to request for dinner.

My red cell blood count is not as good as it seemed so I'll be getting a blood transfusion today. That should help with some of my fatigue. And I won't need as much blush.

Despite all, I am pleased to be getting close to the end of treatment and will be counting the days.

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Boise was hot and dry. The heat-resistant plants we put in survived! We bought some iris at the Boise Saturday market, put them in and then watered them all well. As we left Monday the weather man was threatening thunderstorms. Maybe August won't be completely dry.

Outside the condo is a small park with tall trees. Near the top of one two raptors have built a nest. Birds of Prey thinks it may be a pair of peregrine falcons. They screech in the morning, fly wildly through the complex and perch on some of the surrounding dead trees. Good air show.

We celebrated Caitlin's 25th birthday early by taking her and Valerie to Locavore, a restaurant that tries to serve only locally available food.The beet and barley risotto was our favorite. We also discovered purslane, a delicious salad ingredient also known as pig weed. Imagine our surprise to find that it is growing between the bricks of our front patio here in Lewiston.

Today I am sitting in the Cancer Center preparing to receive IV Taxol. The beginning of the 5th and next to last cycle. I feel I can see the end of the treatments now. I can be optimistic even though the nausea and fatigue last longer with every cycle. Dr. Popham is pleased with my blood counts and the electrolytes are normal. Onward.

Just passed a wonderful weekend in the company of Joe and Joanne, John's brother and sister-in-law. Being from the Twin Cities in Minnesota, they enjoyed our summer weather ("It's dry heat"). We also got a chance to show off local peaches, highway 12 between here and Orofino, an art show at Dahmen Barn and Michelle's home made bread pudding. We learned how one can calculate the temperature by counting the number of cricket chirps in a minute: (x-40/4) +50. There may be an additional adjustment needed as this is based on the snowy white cricket. They also did yard work and helped John move a couch from down stairs to his office upstairs. Pretty good for 4 days.



Today I received a party hat with instructions (see below, and thank you Lynn , Jan and Dan), shirts from Relay for Life declaring "Cancer Sucks" and two of the original Gothic novels for book club. Getting the mail is never boring. And I feel well loved.

We are heading to Boise later this week, taking advantage of my good week to visit Caitlin and do some politics. Getting close to the end of treatment when I should have more that 10 good days in a row.

Just home from another rotisserie event. I'm feeling pretty well and have already taken a short walk. Carpet cleaners are here so it FORCED me to work on the blog.

Before I started the fourth cycle of chemo I dug up the iris near the front door. They were so profuse this year that one could hardly walk past them. Also, many of the flowers just bent over and lay on the patio. It gave me a chance to give some away as well as get some exercise. I'll plant a few this evening when it is cooler. They went wild in a small triangular area near the front door and backed by a post supporting the roof of the front porch. It is known as the Gypsy memorial garden. Gypsy was our first yellow lab. I had been babying a dark purple clematis that had come with the house. Gypsy, after watching me weed there, walked over and pulled the whole plant from the ground, effectively destroying it. You can't expect garden perfection when you own a large dog. But you do get lots of good company.

Lola, the current destroyer.

Benefits of hair loss:

No need to wear a shower cap.
Forget the shampoo.
No worry about the last time I shaved when wearing cropped pants.
Forget the hair dryer when traveling.
Cooling off after gardening in the heat is accomplished quickly by removing the wig.

I'm sitting in the Cancer Center getting an infusion, drowsy from the Benadryl pre-infusion med. This is the fourth chemo cycle and I still feel great. We spent a few days in Boise as John had a meeting or two there. It felt like a vacation, very far from hospitals and infusions, and I got to spend time with Caitlin. She gave me a pedicure so my nails are now beautiful. We also learned about a wonderful Thai salad called larb. Tastes much better than it sounds.

There was an article in the paper within the last 2 weeks recommending exercise for cancer patients, even during chemotherapy. Much as I hate to say it, John was right when he tried to get me moving even when I felt miserable. So my goal is to take a walk every day this cycle. It will make Lola happy, too.

Having received books from concerned friends, I found myself re-reading Steinbeck's Cannery Row. When I was growing up in the Bay Area my family spent many spring breaks in Monterey and Pacific Grove playing in the tide pools and admiring the ocean . Father would fish on the beach while Mother and I wandered. Though the sardine canneries were not still operating, and it was the flush fifties and sixties and not the Depression, one could still see many of the things Steinbeck describes. More recently the waterfront has been dominated by the aquarium. It is harder to imagine Doc and Mack living there. Though none of us played golf, we always took an afternoon to drive the 17 Mile drive, admiring the expensive homes and golf courses, finishing up in Carmel with its gift shops and art galleries. None the less, the book brought me back.

Now I am deep in a spy novel, less socially significant but just as distracting.

This evening we spent with John(former Clinic administrator and CEO) and Shirley Houser getting caught up in their retirement experiences. Had a wonderful time on the deck at Rooster's, cool enough now due to a brisk wind.

Saturday we drove to Dayton to get out of the heat (ha) and out of the house. The drive was lovely with ripening grain and other less identifiable crops. The next day we went to pick peaches. Well, we actually just picked up peaches that had been picked that morning. This is something we have never done in our 30 years in the valley.

I have felt much improved since Saturday, day 12 of the chemo cycle. So far that improvement has been predictable, and the rest of the 21 days are much easier than the first 11. I hope that things continue in a similar way for the next 3 cycles of treatment.

Kay