Update

My gosh, it’s Friday already. Perhaps the most significant news is that we are getting into the swing of things - what symptoms to expect and how to deal with them. Hair continues to decorate our bed and Pat, as I write, is off having the rest of it shorn today. She finally has decided that the nuisance of encountering hair all the time is more troublesome than dealing with having the little remaining hair cut off. This will be the last mention of hair----it is gone!!! Life has begun to fall into a relatively predictable pattern. More energy in the morning, bowing to fatigue in the afternoon-assuaged by a nap of indeterminate length. The naps usually give her a fresh burst of energy that she distributes cautiously on gardening and other stuff--sometimes even getting to e-mails. She loves her flowers and gardening seems to have a therapeutic effect. The mornings are for pursuing her usual activities. She is finally getting a handle on how much she can tackle before major fatigue sets in. She is hungry a good deal of the time, with weight gain the day after treatment (fluid) that dissipates as the week goes on. The most pervasive symptom is that many foods promote a tinny taste at the tip of her tongue. By now, however, she has identified many that taste natural. Among them are cottage cheese, any cheese, potato with sour cream (lots of it) and, of all things, cauliflower. Really, food usually is not a problem. I guess I am really a foodie. The same is true of drinks, an Arnold Palmer tastes better than plain tea--guess it is the sugar. An occasional queasiness is remedied by a natural fruit lollipop that was given to her by someone who had undergone similar treatments. Eating has a calming effect on her stomach as well. Thank goodness, most of the time she has enough energy to prepare a light dinner. Much of our eating takes advantage of the kindness of friends. The freezer is laden with soups and fresh entrée are frequently waiting for us to eat them. Each spoon or fork-full reminds us just how lucky we are to have such good friends.

Pat is having a ball shopping for hats. A new acquisition will trigger the return of those whose impact on her appearance she deems less positive. I am convinced that when this is done Pat, who never wore hats, may become a hat person - TBD. It may be time to start changing, her picture on the blog to show off her hat of the week. I’ll muse on that as I make lunch.

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