Wednesday was chemo, Thursday I stayed home in the morning and then went to the American Cancer Institute and a visit with the amazing Dr. Newman.  The American Cancer Institute had wigs but I tried one on, and gave up.  They gave me some brochures on feeling pretty while I undergo chemo and a schedule for upcoming group events.  I don't fit in well with this type of organization I guess.


But I had a nice visit with Dr. N.  She is such an amazing person and uses real life stories sometimes to explain a situation.  And she gave me some magic cream to put on my radiation burns.  I have no idea where the magic cream has disappeared.  Darn, I really wanted to use the magic cream.  Hopefully I will come across it soon, probably just stumble upon it in an odd place, but then I will be able to use the magic cream.  


Friday I decided that I could go to work so I drove in, and realized shortly that this had been a terrible mistake.  But I managed to make it through an impromptu meeting with some of my staff and others involved with the spiffy things up project.  I see nothing wrong, especially since we are doing this with no additional funds, and we are looking at our work environment with new eyes, and it is good, just the timetables don't seem to match the projects as well.  But I got sick twice so managed to get home and into bed.  I still had things I needed to do to get ready for my Dad, but it was out of my control.  Friday was spent sleeping.  


Saturday I woke up, still feeling a little puny, but more then anything it is the joint and bone and muscle aches.  It starts in my knees and then radiates up and down my legs into the hip joints, the hands numbing and then my arms ache.  It feels like I can not hold up my own weight, but I am standing just fine.  I keep trying to tell myself that it means something is working.  I managed to get some house work done, but it was quite difficult and most activities had to be planned around the sitting position, but  I got everything done except the mopping, sweeping and vacuuming.  So I called my neighbor and asked for help and she was right there and did most of that, and then just smiled and said think of what you do for me, and think this is just closer to being even.  I really appreciated not only the help with the house, but what a sweet thing to say.   I don't think of things I have done for other people as I think about the things that made me happy that involved other people.


Bob picked me up that afternoon to drive me to get Dad, and I am so grateful for that.  I might have made it there with just a little discomfort, but I doubt that I could have gotten us home.  I needed to take some over the counter meds, but didn't think I had it with me.  I looked in my purse a couple of times and never saw the bottle, so that meant that I went too many hours without any pain meds and I was distracted with discomfort.  I hate to say pain, in that it is those flu like achy joints and muscles, but it does become quite debilitating with the pain after a while.  So far, even with ibuprofen every 4-5 hours it has not helped so much.  I hope that it is gone by tomorrow.  


Bob got Dad and I safely delivered here and I took the easy way out with sweet and sour pork for Dad from the Chinese takeout.  I tried the egg foo young, and was able to eat it.  It is a little harder to eat then scrambled eggs, but still easier to swallow then a lot of foods.  Dad and I are enjoying our time, except for my distraction with the joint and bone issues.  He seems comfortable that I sit around without a hat or wig, and he sees me in pain, but he also sees me doing my best to try and keep a positive attitude.  We have managed to look at some Christmas catalogs and discuss presents for over seas, as well as our up coming trip to Spain and Holland, which we both have agreed that the earliest I will be able to go will be spring.  We also talked about going to Holland first and then to our couple of stops in Spain after that.  I suggested this because our friends in Holland make this wonderful cheese.  Really delicious and creamy and molded, not cut into hearts and rounds and tulips.  And I suggested that presents we could take to the families that we will be able to see could be based around the cheese.  That would save us from having to buy gifts here and then carry them over there.  Pick up the cheese, a few baskets, which we might even be able to get through Karin at the farm right there, some crackers, a cheese cutter and you have a lovely present from people we know!  And if you like cheese, you would love this cheese.  So we managed to talk about a lot of things that we have needed to discuss.  That is all good.


So tomorrow, hmmmm


But in the meantime I am glad to have Dad here.  Yes, it might mean a little more work, but I had gotten into the habit of only thinking of food as something that I had to manage to swallow to maintain any strength, no wonder I am having joint issues, bad nutrition this past many weeks.  But with Dad here it is getting me to think of food as a meal as something that is healthy and natural, not a torture device.  I have managed to eat some, and I am hoping to start expanding out my options still further.