Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Numbers Looking Good

When my cbc is good, I'm good. It means I can get my series of Vidaza shots. Thanks a lot.

I spent the past week on the road again, a trip that took us to NYC, Bethesda, MD, Asheboro, NC, Great Falls, VA, Gaithersburg, MD, back to NYC and then home. Lots of fun and adventure. Read about it on wordinthewoods.blogspot.com

Saturday, May 18, 2013

There Is Hope

I'm guilty as charged when it comes to laundry-listing my trials and tribulations post-transplant. I still have plenty to complain about, but what I'm about to show you is that there is fun, too.

On Monday, I set out for Rhode Island to visit my friends there. I hate to drive, but drive I did, all by myself. My support staff, Marty and Buck, stayed home. I stayed with Patty and Reinhardt Sidor in East Greenwich. He's a Master gardener, and plants every inch of his property with trees and shrubs and perennials. He gave me cuttings to bring home. Patty and Reinhardt love to cook, so I was well-fed in my time there.

Tuesday, I met Jamie Blair for lunch at a a harborside restaurant where I had wonderful lobster bisque. Wednesday night, Claudia Smith took me to Matunick on the ocean, where we shared raw oysters and other fish delights. I met Marcia Gold for lunch Thursday in North Smithfield, and then went to stay at Sue Schweikart's house back in EG.

In between the visiting and eating, I shopped. I'm really not supposed to spend money, but all my purchases were necessary, except for the shoes, which were on sale. I decided to splurge on make-up to disguise my gvh blotches and carvings on my face. I had a makeover and it looked really great. I can almost recreate the effect myself, which is a miracle.

After stopping at Allie's Donuts to buy the best crullers in the world, I headed for Jeffersonville. I had to stop at UPS where a script for Ambien had been sitting for a week. Out in the sticks, UPS is only open Monday-Friday from 4 to 6. They tried delivering it, but my doctor had put my P.O. Box on it so they couldn't. I managed to ration the pills I had. Last night's sleep, in my own bed, with a full dose of the drug was heavenly.

So chin up. There are bad days and good days. Sometimes, lots of good days in a row.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Report Card

After a whirlwind five-day trip, I'm home and feeling great. My oncologist doesn't want to see me for 3 months and I don't want to see him.

I watched my son compete in the Ivy League Championships at Princeton, NJ. He goes on to the East Regionals in North Carolina in 2 weeks. We stayed with my sister and brother-in-law Saturday night and went for Mexican food, it being Cuatro de Mayo. I love mole! Sunday night we had dinner with Roxi and Mike and their daughter Erin at an Italian restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn. That night and for the next 3 nights we stayed with Sandy and Dianne in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, our old and remarkably changed neighborhood.

On Monday we rested a bit. I walked with Di to Target. Marty got a Not-Ray's pizza for lunch. Sandy made dinner. On Tuesday we went to MSK for my bloodwork, inoculation (for meningitis,) and to see the doc who pronounced me looking better than in a long time. I even lost 8 lbs! To celebrate all the good news I went to my Korean spa and had the works: manicure, pedicure and a 20-minute massage.

Tuesday night I made Shrimp Pad Thai for dinner. We'd invited old friends Peter and Mecca at the last minute and they joined us for a lovely evening. The topic of soft shell crabs came up and Peter offered to make them for lunch the next day before we headed out of town. He couldn't get crabs but made a lovely fish stew with green salad and white wine. I slept on the car ride home. Must have been the wine.


Thursday, May 2, 2013

The Overhaul Begins

I've survived the past month, and although I'm not 100% (who is?), I'm slowly chipping away at some of my issues.

Yesterday I went to physical therapy, had my Vidaza injection at the hospital, and saw a therapist for the first time. I did all the driving!

In the afternoon, I tried on clothing to see if it fit (a demoralizing experience because things I wore a year ago don't fit, plus it takes me forever to clothe myself). I hauled it off to the consignment shop and while I was there, bought a white sleeveless shirt, two skirts and a pair of chinos. I went home and transplanted most of my houseplants (outside, where the weather has been glorious). Then I finally finished the book I've been reading and made dinner.

I managed to stay up until 10:30, which is late for me. As my daughter says, woot!