Half a good day is better than a whole bad day

Mary had a great morning and up through lunch yesterday. The back pain is way down and she was feeling very chipper until early afternoon. Reenie, Mary and Tom were even decorating our Christmas tree until Mary's stomach went south.

She is on a transdermal patch so the Fentanyl is seeping into her blood stream very slowly. Each patch lasts 3 days. And, they put her on the minimum dose--the kids dosage--to see what it would take to knock down the pain.

Mary just came bouncing out of the bedroom at 7:20AM. Not really bouncing but just to see her moving is a treat. No back pain, no stomach pain and ready to say good bye to Reenie and Tom who are on a 10AM flight to Minnesota today.

It may be that her lunch yesterday was simply too rich for her digestive system. Tom, Reenie and Mary had more of the turkey enchiladas. On Friday, Mary had no difficulty with them. Yesterday, she did.

Now we are waiting for the call from Stanford to schedule the PET/CT Scan. Actually, Mary says she has the number to call so she will do that today. We don't know how the patch is affecting Mary's ability to drive yet so I may ask the taxi team for help for the various visits in the next 10 days. One TBD, one on Friday and one Thursday the 10th.

We will really miss Reenie and Tom. The love and moral support have been just fantastic. And Tom's handyman skills got a great deal accomplished around here--heck, he even cleaned the garage. In addition to Tom's contribution were Reenie's skills in the kitchen. Reenie and Mary were trained by the same Mommy and they are both outstanding in the culinary department.