Friday, December 26, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone—that is, if anyone is still reading—and Season's Greetings (what a ridiculously meaningless phrase, no?) to everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long (15 days!) since I've posted any information about myself, but that's really because there hasn't been much new to tell. Mostly I've been doing my typical Christmas season stuff, which means sewing mittens and knitting hats, some of them even for other people, and baking cookies, and generally keeping myself busy way too many hours for someone with no job who's not on chemo, let alone someone who is on chemo.

It finally caught up with me a little bit last Monday when I woke up feeling pretty sick to my stomach. I took a Compazine and went back to sleep and got up at 11:00, when I thought I was feeling somewhat better so I ate two pieces of excellent banana-oat-blueberry bread that I'd just made the night before. They stayed with me until about 1:00pm, then forcibly ejected themselves from my body. I went back to bed. I slept off and on all day, had some ginger ale around 6:00pm, threw up again at 7:00pm, then watched a movie and went back to bed for good. I had a slight fever at the height of it—about 99.6.

Tuesday was to have been my infusion day, but it seemed like a bad idea to bring my bugs into the clinic, and also to add poisons to a system already taxed, so it was postponed (I had hoped to be able to skip it entirely, but no go). I felt pretty good though—no stomach pain, although I still didn't want to eat much—so I continued the last bits of frenetic activity I wanted to finish before the next day, then went to a party in West Seattle with Ian and several dear friends.

Wednesday morning, Christmas Eve, the day we were celebrating with my family, I woke up—not surprisingly—feeling a bit ill again. I soldiered through, though with the help of the stronger anti-nausea Zofran, and Ian and I prepared a breakfast quiche (lamb sausage, sharp cheddar, sautéed mushrooms and green onions), fruit salad, and eggnog lattes, and ate only about two hours after we'd intended. Mom and Marsh actually drove in from Hobart; when they finally made it home around 9:00 or so that night, they called and told us it had snowed another 10 inches while they were away! We had a few extra family members over for dinner, including Cousin S (lamb, potatoes, salad, Brussels sprouts, pecan pie, lemon chiffon pie). Mom and Marsh made it up their driveway after only about twenty minutes of digging.

Thursday morning, Christmas Day, the day we were celebrating with Ian's family, I woke up feeling much better. We served them French toast and bacon, and more of the cinnamon rolls Mom had brought the day before, as well as a fruit salad and eggnog lattes and mimosas, and I was actually able to eat a reasonable portion.

This morning I felt like one of those people who had to go to work at 8:00am, when my alarm went off in the dark and I hurried off to the clinic. I got 500ml of extra saline today because I'd been sick, and I do think it helped. It was certainly obvious that I needed it when, in the four hours I was there, I only piddled once.

In weather news, we've loved the recent snowfalls. The 4-Runner is an excellent, excellent snow beast, so if we wanted to go somewhere we could. If we didn't, however, the weather offered a perfect excuse. I felt worse and worse as the days progressed for all those people who really did need to be somewhere and really couldn't make it. But still—snow! On several days in a row! In the middle of the city! I loved it.

I really can't believe 2008 is already winding down. It's certainly been a momentous year for me in a lot of ways . . . and pleasingly calm for many of the same reasons. I certainly feel that I learn more about life with every breath. Be gentle with yourself, and be gentle with others. And ask for what you want—that's the only way for the universe to know.

6 comments:

joel said...

I got what I wanted. After looking day after day after day for an update to your blog, I got a pleasant suprise today. Is Hoover still wearing the cone?

Best wishes for a wonderful New Year.

joel

CMT said...

Hoover is cone-free, and so much more stealth. But no more well-behaved.

Anonymous said...

Happy Continuation! Or 'god fortsättning' (of the holiday or the new year), as the Scandinavians tend to say, either after Christmas or after New Year's.

I am very happy to report that I am one of the lucky few on this planet who received a pair of mittens for Christmas--made by Calin. They are my new favourites! They are colourful in a very happy way, both on the outside and on the inside. The outside looks very much like a Marimekko pattern (Finnish design; marimekko.fi) and the inside is as soft as the fur of a Maine coon cat. Thank you, Calin! (We will send pictures as soon as our throats are less sore.)

Glad to hear that you've defeated the bug. Hope you'll have plenty of energy to go out and play in the snow.

Big hugs,
Annelie

Anonymous said...

I thought the Maine coon cat reference was made up until I looked it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Coon

Indeed, their coats are apparently soft and silky just like that fleece. Shows what we Northwesterners know.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for educating the public, Ian! Actually, what I really wanted to compare the fleece to was a Norwegian forest cat, but I picked a similar reference that I thought Northwesterners would know. (G and I are cat sitting a NFG at the moment, and he is the fluffiest little creature imaginable.) On the topic of odd cats, I will be renting a room in the Old Town of Stockholm for next term, in an apartment inhabited by two Cornish Rexes (and their landlady). They are basically the opposite of the NFG, having almost no fur at all. Their owner had described them as 'extremely obstinate', which made me a bit wary, but they turned out to be generally curious the way cats tend to be--at least the first time I met them...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Forest_Cat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_Rex

Best,
Annelie

Anonymous said...

Hi Calin I check on you every day. Even tho we have never met. I am a friend of your mothers. I keep track. I too was very happy to hear from you after a short absence. So happy you are enjoying the season. I even enjoyed the snow. A good excuse to stay home and do things I never seem to get to otherwise.
Happy New year to both of you.

Nancy Z.