Has it been that long?

July 19, 2010

A query from a friend about the absence of new postings led me to check dates and, to my embarrassment, find that it is has been over a week since the last posting. In my defense let it be said that there is nothing major that hasn’t been said in one or another prior posting. Pessimists, during this hiatus, may have been thinking that it was because things were bad, and optimists it was because there wasn’t much to say. The optimists were right.

For those of you in a rush to get someplace, here’s a snapshot of how things stand today. The trend continues. Pat can do most anything on any given day, but on some days the burst of energy dissipates more quickly than on others. Most generally, it’s up and about in the morning. That includes shopping and/or lunch with one of the ladies. Then off to bed to recover with a nap. Pat is usually sufficiently recovered to prepare dinner, fearing the trauma of my hand in the kitchen. Last night, essentially having prepared things gradually during the afternoon, Pat sat and let me bring things to table while she relaxed. She even let me do the cleanup, but did not forgo the right to do the final tidying. By and large this week has been a bit more troublesome than the second week after the last treatment. We are looking forward to the almost normalcy that Pat experienced in the third week.

For those of you with a bit more time -

Saturday night we went out for dinner with the Levy’s. Sandy’s and Pat’s birthdays are close together so we have made it an annual night out. Pat prepared for the evening with a longer than usual rest. She had been doing some work in the afternoon that I had to tell her to stop. She didn’t fight it. We have discovered that social interaction is helpful, perking her up. Pat tends to let it go on, but I have been getting better at identifying her fatigue signs. I just have to ask her, “Are you ready to go?” and I’ll usually get a thankful nod yes.

This afternoon we set sail on a cocktail cruise around Lake Mission Viejo - followed by a picnic.

Thursday we will go to the Bowers museum for lunch with friends and a tour of the exhibition of Chinese mummies. As we are in week 3 since the last chemo, if history can be relied on, Pat’s energy level should be close to normal. With a cautious morning she should make it with flying colors. The challenge for me is to be alert any sign that she is running out of gas.

This Saturday is concert night at the Lake and we will be going. The performers are the founding members and principle singers of The 5th Dimension - Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis.

The sixth chemo awaits us on July 26th and then a six week hiatus and retesting. The results will determine what, if any, additional therapy will be required. Having done all of our due diligence, we are proceeding on the assumption that things will go optimally, but with the realization that there may be more work ahead. Pat’s attitude is wonderful - her mantra is “Wait to worry” - and she lives it.

Look for the next posting right after her next chemo session. Can’t close without a renewed thank you to the many friends whose caring and sharing has taken so much weight off of our shoulders.