I went home on Monday, late afternoon. The oral pain medication we had in place wasn't adequate and I ended up back in the hospital. We're working on a better regimen and I'm doing better. Will be home in a day or two, likely Friday.
My sister comes into town today and my parents will leave tomorrow so we're good with help in the house.
If anyone would like a little job to do...I'd like to get the nurses something before I go. The nurses of 5East are remarkable people. I found out they like good coffee. Would any of you like to help put together a coffee basket for them. It would need 3 bags of gourmet coffee; one for each shift. not really strong stuff like espresso or french roast. And maybe some other treats like some biscotti. I don't want this to get too elaborate. I will reimburse you for it of course. If you can, please post that you are undertaking the mission here on the blog or let me know so that we don't end up with 15 bags of coffee. Thank you!
That's all for now.
beth
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
on the day i went away, goodbye was all i had to say...
Tomorrow I am supposed to go home. I haven't been answering calls again today. I got so much steroid yesterday with chemo I am not fit for human consumption. I'm a big ball of nerve endings.
My parents are still in town and Mom is cooking. We are really doing fine and I can't for the life of me think of anything I need. I'll be home during the day and short visits are better than phone calls. It's gets to be work to explain the whole scenario repeatedly. I hope you all understand I'll be screening the phone. I get email on my cell phone which I have with me all the time so feel free to drop me a line.
I'm going for a nap now!
b
My parents are still in town and Mom is cooking. We are really doing fine and I can't for the life of me think of anything I need. I'll be home during the day and short visits are better than phone calls. It's gets to be work to explain the whole scenario repeatedly. I hope you all understand I'll be screening the phone. I get email on my cell phone which I have with me all the time so feel free to drop me a line.
I'm going for a nap now!
b
Thursday, January 21, 2010
All quiet here
Hello,
Not much to report. My labs look good so I can continue with the new chemo as planned for tomorrow. Oh joy. I feel a bit like a bull that was just fatted up for the sacrifice tomorrow. That's a bit dramatic; I'm just not looking forward to feeling crappy. They are better about getting pain medicine into me than I would be taking it at home so it'll be fine.
Last night I talked about food with a patient care tech who grew up out in the country in Georgia. Her mother used to send them out to the field to pick greens and vegetables for dinner. They would bring in summer squash, okra and half ripe tomatoes which Mom would coat in corn meal and fry. Sounds great, especially the tomato. Sometimes the green ones taste better than the red ones to me. Kind of like a sweet eggplant without the bitterness. Ann also waxed prophetic about greens. Huge pots of greens cooked with some kind of smoked meat. The greens would become tender only after a couple hours but as a child she and her sisters ate those huge pots full. Nobody gets and expression like on Ann's face about Lunchables, let me tell ya.
I grew up in NH. I ate like royalty growing up as you've heard from tales of Granny Franny but I didn't eat that food. Southern food has become the "it" cuisine now. All the cooking magazines have recipes for pulled pork and fried green tomatoes. Here's another good one from Ann: cornbread with pork cracklings crumbled in. I can't eat any of that stuff now. I can cook the greens when I get home and drink that cooking liquid called "pot liquor." It's dark and tastes of minerals. Can't wait.
I'm going to torture myself with another cooking magazine now and dream of spring eating.
Beth
Not much to report. My labs look good so I can continue with the new chemo as planned for tomorrow. Oh joy. I feel a bit like a bull that was just fatted up for the sacrifice tomorrow. That's a bit dramatic; I'm just not looking forward to feeling crappy. They are better about getting pain medicine into me than I would be taking it at home so it'll be fine.
Last night I talked about food with a patient care tech who grew up out in the country in Georgia. Her mother used to send them out to the field to pick greens and vegetables for dinner. They would bring in summer squash, okra and half ripe tomatoes which Mom would coat in corn meal and fry. Sounds great, especially the tomato. Sometimes the green ones taste better than the red ones to me. Kind of like a sweet eggplant without the bitterness. Ann also waxed prophetic about greens. Huge pots of greens cooked with some kind of smoked meat. The greens would become tender only after a couple hours but as a child she and her sisters ate those huge pots full. Nobody gets and expression like on Ann's face about Lunchables, let me tell ya.
I grew up in NH. I ate like royalty growing up as you've heard from tales of Granny Franny but I didn't eat that food. Southern food has become the "it" cuisine now. All the cooking magazines have recipes for pulled pork and fried green tomatoes. Here's another good one from Ann: cornbread with pork cracklings crumbled in. I can't eat any of that stuff now. I can cook the greens when I get home and drink that cooking liquid called "pot liquor." It's dark and tastes of minerals. Can't wait.
I'm going to torture myself with another cooking magazine now and dream of spring eating.
Beth
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
An embarassment of riches
Again, sorry to not have posted for a few days. I'm kinda like, sick ya know?
I am so lucky to have so many caring friends. I love you all and feel so grateful knowing you are all out there willing to help. So how do I say this delicately?...um...
I don't want to talk to you.
I'm not sleeping well at night here and need to catch up on sleep at other times. I'll try and keep the blog updated (Alain could help with that again) and I'll try and remember to turn my phone off when I don't want calls.
Ok, so here's the update. I'm a sick little puppy. I have a tube coming out of my stomach to drain the ongoing bowel obstruction. I will not likely have any real food for a couple weeks. I may go home in a couple of days. I will be getting nutrition through the IV. The kidney infection (or wherever it came from) is getting better. I will also be getting IV antibiotics at home. I'm still having a fair amount of pain and need medicine for it regularly. Dr. Angel thought I should count on a 6 week recovery and be pleasantly surprised if I am back sooner than that. I'm usually a quick heal.
According to Dr. Angel I look a whole lot better than when I came in. I can only imagine what that looked like before.
Gonna go bag some zzzz's now.
Beth
I am so lucky to have so many caring friends. I love you all and feel so grateful knowing you are all out there willing to help. So how do I say this delicately?...um...
I don't want to talk to you.
I'm not sleeping well at night here and need to catch up on sleep at other times. I'll try and keep the blog updated (Alain could help with that again) and I'll try and remember to turn my phone off when I don't want calls.
Ok, so here's the update. I'm a sick little puppy. I have a tube coming out of my stomach to drain the ongoing bowel obstruction. I will not likely have any real food for a couple weeks. I may go home in a couple of days. I will be getting nutrition through the IV. The kidney infection (or wherever it came from) is getting better. I will also be getting IV antibiotics at home. I'm still having a fair amount of pain and need medicine for it regularly. Dr. Angel thought I should count on a 6 week recovery and be pleasantly surprised if I am back sooner than that. I'm usually a quick heal.
According to Dr. Angel I look a whole lot better than when I came in. I can only imagine what that looked like before.
Gonna go bag some zzzz's now.
Beth
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Root beer to float the day away...
Sorry, it's been a while since my last post. Time loses meaning here. I'm still at Highland. I am doing much better. After reviewing the latest CT scan my doctors have decided the best way to address my problems is to change my chemo regimen and let my bowels rest. So no surgery for me. Yesterday I got something called a gastrostomy tube into my stomach so I do not need to ever again have a tube put down my nose. I will go home with this and can relieve any pressure from my gut if it chooses not to work again. I'm getting fed intravenously and will have that during the night at home.
All this is temporary. I won't be eating solids for a while but I can drink clear liquids. Last night I had a juice festival. Tonight Alain visited with my boys and brought, at my request, root beer and vanilla ice cream. We made floats. Ok, vanilla ice cream doesn't count as clear liquid so I just had a little. He left me the bottle of root beer though and I'm about to float away on a brown river of bubbles. My mouth is really dry so I just sip, sip, sip and try not to overdue it. My stomach drains into the gastrostostomy tube and into a bag so what goes in just flows out. Kind of a bulimic's dream really. Maybe that's in poor taste. Ok, it is in poor taste. I must be feeling better.
I am doing much better than when I showed up here due to the nutrition I've gotten and the hydration. I've had a kidney infection while I'm here and had a fever but now that it is treated we are starting to make plans to break me out of this joint. I'd ask someone to send a file in a bottle of grape soda but the soda would probably dissolve it.
See you soon on the outside.
Dr. Bif
All this is temporary. I won't be eating solids for a while but I can drink clear liquids. Last night I had a juice festival. Tonight Alain visited with my boys and brought, at my request, root beer and vanilla ice cream. We made floats. Ok, vanilla ice cream doesn't count as clear liquid so I just had a little. He left me the bottle of root beer though and I'm about to float away on a brown river of bubbles. My mouth is really dry so I just sip, sip, sip and try not to overdue it. My stomach drains into the gastrostostomy tube and into a bag so what goes in just flows out. Kind of a bulimic's dream really. Maybe that's in poor taste. Ok, it is in poor taste. I must be feeling better.
I am doing much better than when I showed up here due to the nutrition I've gotten and the hydration. I've had a kidney infection while I'm here and had a fever but now that it is treated we are starting to make plans to break me out of this joint. I'd ask someone to send a file in a bottle of grape soda but the soda would probably dissolve it.
See you soon on the outside.
Dr. Bif
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The Highland Pole Dance
No, I'm not talking about Scottish strippers. Any other guesses?
The Highland Pole Dance is what you have to do after you've wandered around with your IV pole and then have to walk around it several times to untangle the lines. Ooh ay, it's dead sexy!
I went in to the emergency room on Saturday. I had been on clear liquids for the two days prior and wasn't getting any better. It was pretty clear I needed some hydration and pain control. I didn't realize how bad things had gotten until I got some pain control. So I've parked my butt here in the hospital and we're trying to decide what to do with me. It is very likely they will take me down to the operating room to try and relieve the intestinal blockage. No one is very excited about this because I've had radiation and if they try to sew bowel that has been irradiated there is a good chance it won't heal. There is also a chance that the blockage is being caused by cancer that has wrapped itself around the intestine. This prospect frightens me more than just a little.
Unfortunately I've gotten worse since I've been here so something needs to happen.
My parents are arriving this afternoon. Alain has been managing everything like a trooper. He's getting tired though. If any of you have an idea how to give him a break I'm all ears. My folks can help in this respect as well. we're good for food at the house. I will let you all know what the plan is when I get more information.
Dr. Bif
The Highland Pole Dance is what you have to do after you've wandered around with your IV pole and then have to walk around it several times to untangle the lines. Ooh ay, it's dead sexy!
I went in to the emergency room on Saturday. I had been on clear liquids for the two days prior and wasn't getting any better. It was pretty clear I needed some hydration and pain control. I didn't realize how bad things had gotten until I got some pain control. So I've parked my butt here in the hospital and we're trying to decide what to do with me. It is very likely they will take me down to the operating room to try and relieve the intestinal blockage. No one is very excited about this because I've had radiation and if they try to sew bowel that has been irradiated there is a good chance it won't heal. There is also a chance that the blockage is being caused by cancer that has wrapped itself around the intestine. This prospect frightens me more than just a little.
Unfortunately I've gotten worse since I've been here so something needs to happen.
My parents are arriving this afternoon. Alain has been managing everything like a trooper. He's getting tired though. If any of you have an idea how to give him a break I'm all ears. My folks can help in this respect as well. we're good for food at the house. I will let you all know what the plan is when I get more information.
Dr. Bif
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