After we got Mary's doctors talking, picked up the neurontin (generic is gabapentin), and started Mary on the gabapentin--well, we are just kinda living day to day. I've left Mary on her own as I go to work and she seems to be managing just fine. Mary's pain is definitely down with the start of the gabapentin and she had not had any breakthrough pain since we started that medication. Her appetite is good--Chinese kung pao chicken and orange beef tonight, combination pizza last night and steak and potatoes on Thursday night--so no problems with either intake or retention of foods.
Ken Gehrkens, our (click here) jeweler, left for a 10 day Hawaiian vacation today so he had Mary's neckpiece 99% by 3:30 on Friday so that we could take it and have it for her anniversary event on March 22. After he gets back from Hawaii, he's got a couple of little things to add to the neck chain and then he wants pictures for his website. When his professional pictures are on the site, I will let you know. But, he did a great job on YAHT--Young, Active, Healthy and Thin! And, nicely done on the diamonds.
Reenie arrives on Tuesday evening and her first adult duty is to get me to Los Gatos El Camino Hospital at 6:30 am on Wednesday. This Phacoemulsification cannot be that big a deal. I was talking to our good friend Dick and he thought he had that procedure, or maybe his lovely spouse, Laverne, had it. In either case, he recalled it was no big deal. I hope he is right!
Mary's son Daniel honorably mustered out of the Army this week and drove from Fort Bliss in El Paso to Pennsylvania to set up his new life with Kamie. A four year commitment completed! And a pile of educational money for him to earn his credentials in whatever field he chooses but it sounds like it will be medical which is just great.
Mary and I decided we should re-arrange the kitchen to minimize the amount of bending she has to do given the way her back is behaving. My first move was to put the undercounter microwave on a counter and then put the various foodstuffs that were on that counter in the vacant undercounter space. Why did it not dawn on me that our two dogs would quickly declare "food frenzy" and quickly empty the counter of cookies, crackers, etc. No one was hurt, Mary caught them before they started to work on the chocolate bits and the first food to go were the lemon-ginger cookies. That undercounter space now has selected pots and pans and we still need to find a home for the remaining foodstuff items.
Today was doggie to the vet day. They get so excited when I put them in the car. When it was time to get them out of the car, Idjit Dawg bounded out of the car, ready to take on the world and dive into the next part of this clearly exciting journey. Shawna, on the other hand, recognized the vet's office and then scooted to the furthest corners of the car so I couldn't reach her! I finally caught her lead and had to literally drag her into the clinic. She just hates it! Anyway, they checked out fine and they held Shawna until mid-afternoon to get a sterile urine sample and we'll have those results on Mon-Tues. Shawna is going strong for a 16 year old, lemon-ginger cookie stealing dog!
Mary had a hair dresser appointment today, just a cut. Kevin was most gracious as usual and did a very nice job on her hair. He commented how fun the natural color is although he is itching to add a touch of color here and there. Mary is waiting until all these exotic pain killers are out of her system before she exposes herself to the color chemistry.
After Mary's hair cut, we picked up Shawna and spent a few minutes saying hello to our favorite vet, Dr Diane Wiese. When Diane saw me this morning during Shawna's exam, she very carefully and gently asked about Mary and even before I could answer was offering a hug. I did give her a hug and said, "This is what Mary's Oncologist did two week ago when she told Mary she was cancer free and should go live her life!" Dr. Wiese was thrilled to hear that! She knows we are friends with MaryR and mentioned that MaryR had been in on Friday. Dr. Wiese then went on to talk about how wonderfully strong the two Mary's are and how effective Stanford's Cancer program is! She has personal experience from about a dozen years ago but, in that case, Stanford could not spare her husband from the ravages of cancer. However, she did feel that even though the outcome was a downer, the medical care provided at Stanford was outstanding.
If you are reading this on Sunday, don't forget Daylight savings starts today--Spring Forward, Fall Back--so set your clocks and watches one hour ahead.
Oh, and Kamie wrote on her facebook page that she really wants an Apple iPad. I suggested to Kamie that it would be an excellent gift to receive from a certain US Army Medic, honorably discharged! And then she reminded me that her birthday is the same as mine, April 8, just five days after the iPad goes on sale! I need to tell Mary this story too!
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