It has been rough around here for me, I am not good for being upright or walking around, meaning I am not getting much done. I feel OK, just some nausea and I am definitely ENJOYING a loss of appetite, as I have lost around eight pounds already. I went to the clinic yesterday (Monday) thinking I was definitely in need of blood or platelets given how bad I was dragging, but my bloodwork all came out above the “Must Fill” lines. Fatema, my favorite nurse, called Dr. Anderson and reported how I was feeling and my counts and he told her to just give me Procrit and we sort of reminded him its an off week so I was supposed to come in on Tuesday to do bloodwork and discuss the results of the 1st cycle with Cytoxan.
Dr. A. decided I should report back on Thursday, and ordered light chain and serum blood draws, meaning they had to stick me again, but I didn’t care. I like my guy Jerry in the blood lab and have fun joking around with him. Its on my list to make cookies to take in to some of these wonderful health care workers in my life! When I have the energy that is… I might have to cheat and order something. Anyone with any good ideas, please feel free to weigh in. Anyway, I am supposed to be there by 8:30 a.m. Thursday, they want plenty of time to pump me up with fluids if I need them before we leave town Friday night. I feel very blessed to have such an excellent and attentive medical team who are allowing me to continue living my life on top of making my treatment and how I feel a priority.
We woke up Sunday to rain and Greg went upstairs to play in his office (he rediscovered “Guitar Hero”) while I slept in. I woke up pretty disoriented, I have been have vivid and intense dreams, not always good, and I wake up remembering details. Some of them take me to times, places in the past, almost like I am making my way slowly through all the chapters of my life. Relationships, events, scenes play out and stay foremost on my mind even after I wake up, its really weird. It has to be the Cytoxan!Greg and I just hung out and watched TV, we caught the movie about Jack Kevorkian waiting until I had enough energy to go run errands (Yes, I get the irony there!). We went to Costco to get potting soil and another gnome and split a piece of pepperoni pizza while there. When we got home Greg worked out in the yard and finished assembling my garden boxes while I rested and tried to build energy. We picked up the roommates at the airport in the evening, and I was so excited to have them back I talked the whole way home about everything. Greg left for Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, he and Gary B. ended up driving through tornados! Monday night the roomies and I watched all the news footage about the destruction where the tornadoes had touched down.
My latest crazy scheme is to join some other retired BSA couples on a cruise in September, and I believe I have Greg “on board” now. I am going to use one of my small retirement funds to pay for it, and going for a room with a balcony even though Bob and Ann are doing an interior cabin. I have talked to a travel agent and picked a cabin and explained my health issues, I should be getting a firm quote today, including travel insurance, that I can move on as soon as I talk to Greg one more time about it. Its an 8-day cruise of the Eastern Caribbean leaving out of Fort Lauderdale on the Carnival “Freedom”. The agent I am working with is going to send information and links about activities to sign up for at the various ports, and I will talk to Ann about anything they have signed up for. Neither Greg or I have ever been on a cruise! I am so excited! 
For Mother’s Day I tried to talk to each of my sisters but I cannot get ahold of Karla. I have left messages but she has yet to return my call. I get the feeling I am in disfavor, but not sure over what. I would suspect it has to do with L’s wedding. Ah well, that will all be behind us in less than three weeks. I can’t force people to want to talk to me, I didn’t have the energy before and I certainly don’t have it now. I am looking forward to hanging out with Kathy and Kendra the wedding weekend, I plan to take a lot of pictures. And it helps that I am feeling better about my weight of course. I just need my energy levels to get better!