Day 187 – Out and About and a Doggie Bag

Since I bragged about Jeff’s improved stamina, he needed a couple of days to rest.  The weekend was busy and fun - and tiring.  He spent last evening watching YouTube videos which may inspire him to do small projects in the shop – potential Christmas gifts.  When I got home from work today, I asked if he’d worked in his shop.  He said, “There wasn’t any time!”

Here is how he filled his day:  After some light cleaning he decided to get gas in his truck.  He drove across the bridge for better gas prices and then stopped at Heath Lumber to buy a board.  “No tin of cookies this year,” he lamented since he hasn’t been a big Heath customer as he had been in the past.  I assured him he’d survive without the treat.  In fact, he’ll have time to bake his own cookies!  Anyway, he was happy to chat with his ol’ pals at Heath and then headed to Doolittle’s Deli to pick up a sandwich for lunch.  My cousin’s husband, Craig, and their son, Eric, were both hard at work.  Jeff was glad to see them and they discussed the possibility of meeting for dinner sometime.  He crossed back over the river by way of Scudder’s Falls Bridge, came through Yardley, stopped at the bank and drove down Canal Street.  He has worked on many of the old houses on Canal Street.  He saw a customer/friend who invited him in.  They visited for an hour and a half.  He was glad he’d already picked up lunch because he needed to eat and get going to PT.  By the time he was done with PT there wasn’t much left of the day.  I’d say that was a day well-spent.  He loves to see people and his people like to see him. 

PT Mike says Jeff’s scapula is popping out again so he went easy on Jeff today.  Mike says Jeff has “good form” when he does his exercises; this is good.  Jeff exercises as often as he can stomach it and he is anxious to see some improvement.  He needs encouragement because it will take a long time.  He gets a little discouraged. 

Jeff lost another toenail but this one had a fully-formed, thin toenail underneath.  That’s good.  It won’t be so tender.  His weak fingernails look as though they are very close to being grown out but they keep splitting lengthwise, increasing the weak areas.  He says he is ready to glue artificial nails on.  I have experienced split nails before but only one at a time.  It must be so annoying to have multiple nails folding over and catching on things.  Jeff occasionally rubs and scratches my back – in exchange for the many, many back massages I give him (but who is counting?) – and his effort means a lot to me.  His thin nails don’t exactly scratch but I won’t tell him not to try. 

We went out to dinner tonight and Jeff could not finish his pasta dinner.  As we left the restaurant, he had a hang-dog look about him and said, “Here I am, carrying my shameful doggie bag.”  Yes, this is a new phenomenon – leftovers at a restaurant.  Shameful?  I don’t think so. 

Day 184 – Happy Half-New-Birthday to you!

Today is Jeff’s half-new-birthday; it has been six months since his BMT!  (Do you suppose Hallmark has a card for that occasion?)  Jeff says, “Time flies when you’re having fun!”  Of course, these last six months were not all fun and so we are especially grateful this Thanksgiving for Jeff’s good progress.

What a great Thanksgiving weekend - beautiful, warm weather, good food and good company!  Jeff took some risks but was able to enjoy turkey and all the fixings.

We had dinner with the Jones gang on Wednesday night.  We Skyped Daniel in from North Carolina and the rest of the young people were able to join us in the flesh.  It had been a long time since we all got together and it was Theresa’s first time at a Jones-Loux get-together.  Emily and Matt brought their two dogs and, with Lulu the wine stealer and Chester the cat, silliness ensued. 

Jeff and I worked the pancake breakfast to benefit Morrisville Student Loan Fund on Thanksgiving morning.  Jeff resumed his former job as french toast preparer after his hiatus during Vidaza treatments last year.  He lasted all morning and then went home for a nap before our drive to Havertown for dinner with Jeff’s brother’s family.  It was good to catch up with the young’uns, to see the cousins interacting as adults, and to spend time with Paul, Greg and Palmer.

I am pleased to report that Jeff’s stamina seems to be improving.  When Jeff undertakes a project, I know he’ll be heading for a nap or at least a rest when he is finished, but he seems to be lasting longer at his projects.  He helped Kim with an art project and then, with a little help from Keith, he welded Mark’s lawn mower deck.  The next day he helped the Boy Scouts set up their Christmas tree sale.  As he left the house that morning he told me, “I won’t be long.  I want to stay long enough to earn a doughnut.”  Keith reminded his dad that he should choose a doughnut from the box first, before all the scouts get their hands in it.  While Jeff was gone, I visited my parents with Kim, drove Kim back to the city, played with Mr. Maia - our grand-kitten, drove home, did several chores and still Jeff had not returned from the tree set-up.  I had been hatching a plan to go to the movies but as the afternoon wore on, I was becoming more and more disappointed because I thought he’d be too tired to go out.  He had been thinking about a movie night, too, and, when he got home, he suggested a movie date!  And so we went.  He stayed awake for the whole movie and he wanted to stop at a diner for dessert afterwards!

Jeff told me that he used the sledge hammer to set up the big posts at the tree sale.  I looked at him quizzically and asked how on earth he accomplished that without the ability to lift his right arm over his head.  I should know by now that he can engineer anything with whatever resources are at hand.  He said he stood on a stepladder and whacked at the stakes with the sledgehammer within his range of motion, then he went down one rung on the ladder and repeated until the stakes were in.  He assured me the posts “won’t come down.” 

Today Jeff, again with some help from Keith, raked the rest of our leaves, took a load to the borough compost dump, winterized the backyard, and grilled our dinner.  He was outside for hours.  When he came in, I noticed he was walking like he was sore – sore and happy.

In the last week, Jeff has had a flare-up of GVHD skin problems.  He has an itchy rash that looks like prickly heat except it isn’t raised.  There are some raised, dry patches that itch as well.  We have seen this before and know what to do.  He called Heather at Dr. Porter’s office to report it anyway.  The fingernail issues continue.  He often has three fingers wrapped in Band-Aids to prevent them catching on things.  Still, we are very, very thankful.  These are minor discomforts. 

In church this morning, I asked for prayers of thanksgiving for Jeff’s donor and prayed that she had a wonderful holiday, wherever she celebrated it.

Day 181 - Thanksgiving Letter

Dear BMD (Bone Marrow Donor),

I could not let Thanksgiving go by without sending you a giant “Thank You.”  Friday is my new half-birthday and marks six months since your marrow began flowing through me.  I think of you and what you did for me regularly.

I am doing well.  We had a family wedding in October and I danced like crazy!  I was not able to dance much at my son’s wedding in July although I was able to attend.  My family noticed a big difference in my progress between the July and October weddings.  At the October wedding, my brother-in-law said it was the first time in a long time that he looked at me and forgot I was a cancer patient.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I hope your family knows how wonderful you are.  I do.

Your BMR (Bone Marrow Recipient)

Day 177 – Fox Hunting and Use It or Lose It

Jeff and I were driving up our street around 11 p.m. last night, returning from a night at Rider’s theatre, when we saw a large animal in the intersection at the beginning of our block.  It was too large to be a groundhog and differently shaped.  It had to be a fox!  In 30 years at this address, we have seen opossums, skunks, raccoons, groundhogs, albino squirrels and the ordinary variety.  One time we had a couple of turkeys in our back yard that had escaped from Snipes Farm.  We have never seen a fox in our neighborhood.  I put the high beams on to illuminate the stranger and we watched as he went up our neighbor’s driveway.  As I took the foot off the brake and coasted toward our own driveway, Jeff said, “That makes two foxes on our block.”  Hmmm…  He’s a charmer, that one! 

In yesterday’s mail we received another well-timed packet from the National Marrow Donor Program.  Jeff flipped immediately to the section in the booklet entitled “Sexual Health” and, after confirming we are doing as well as can be expected – and maybe better than some, we began to read the thing cover-to-cover.  Reading the potential emotional issues that can result from BMT, we could see that Jeff is doing very, very well in terms of adjustment to his forever-changed body.  In the section on “Expectations During Recovery,” there is a description of the patient’s independence alternating with dependence for certain tasks or if the patient has had a setback.  It says, “It is not unusual for words of encouragement to sound like nagging if you are not up to the task.”  This provided an opportunity for us to discuss my changing duties as caregiver.

Jeff has been feigning (maybe, maybe not) annoyance at my suggestion that he perform his PT exercises twice a day.  Left on his own, Jeff would not do his exercises – they’re too uncomfortable - yet he has a strong desire to improve his mobility.  He is supposed to do them three times a day so I think I’m going easy on him.  I have heard him tell other people that I “get on him” about it.  Well, it’s my job, and I do it well.

Jeff was asked by PT Mike what his goal was for physical therapy.  Mike asked, “Would you like to get back to work?”  Jeff said, "I would like to be able to tuck in my shirt."  I’m glad that he doesn’t feel any pressure about returning to work although he refers to his volunteer work and the small projects he has done at my parents’ house as “work.”  He’ll say, “I’m working on Monday.”  This means he’ll have a couple of hours of useful activity with periodic breaks followed by extended rest.  And, as he says, when he gets tired of resting, he rests some more. 

The neighborhood fox(es) also brought to mind a goofy commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb0kiiB3O-o

Enjoy!

Day 174 – No Day at the Spa and Check Out that Wing-Span!

Jeff went to Flourtown today for a massage by Val, my sister’s sister-in-law, who couldn’t wait to get her hands on him.  She gave extra attention to his shoulder, even somehow getting her fingers under his scapula!   I had described my one and only professional massage to Jeff so that I may have led him to believe the experience would be spa-like.  Between his shoulder pain and Val’s speaking while she worked, he did not relax enough to fall asleep on the table.  Val said his next massage would be different.  He made an appointment for next week.  Then he headed to PT in Yardley. 

PT Mike set Jeff to work on a behind-the-back-stick-lifting exercise and then went to work with another patient.  Mike had the 70-year-old woman touching a ball with her foot, then touch to the side, then back to the ball, etc.  Mike saw Jeff across the room and hollered, “That’s way too easy for you!”  The woman said, “Do you think so?”  Mike replied, “Oh, no, I meant him.”  Mike adapted the exercise by having Jeff put his hands closer together on the stick. 

Jeff and Mike discussed what would happen if his shoulder didn’t limber up with PT.  Apparently they put patients under and wrench the shoulder loose (I’m sure there is a proper medical term for that) and then immediately, the same day, PT begins so that the shoulder doesn’t seize up again.

When I got home from work, Jeff demonstrated his impressive wing span.  I shouted in amazement.  His right arm was almost as high as his left arm in wing-span position!  Jeff thinks he is going to be sore.  I hope he will be able to do his exercises at least once tomorrow.  

Day 172 – Frozen Shoulder, Great Hair

We might have celebrated Jeff’s last dose of Tacrolimus today if he hadn’t forgotten to take his meds this morning.  Unfortunately, with his improving health he sometimes forgets he still needs his arsenal of drugs.

Jeff started his physical therapy again today.  PT Mike did not recognize Jeff because he is so changed since his last visit!  Jeff told Mike that he gained an inch of height between the last two of Dr. Lee’s assessments (hospital discharge and post-100 days).  Mike saw improvement in Jeff’s strength but called his restricted arm movement “frozen shoulder.”  Jeff’s new exercises include the pendulum move which involves bending at the waist, letting the arm dangle and swinging it by moving the body. 

Tonight Jeff and I attended our first Gilda’s Club meeting, a networking group for people who have been touched by blood cancers.  There was a more popular meeting on palliative care across the hallway; our group was attended by only three of us plus the facilitator and an intern.  It was nice to meet Joann, a melanoma patient who is two and a half years out from bone marrow transplant - also done at HUP.  She was just now finding the need for a support group because she feels her friends and family, who have provided wonderful support through her ordeal, are getting tired of hearing about her ongoing side effects from pre-transplant conditioning.  She was truly sorry that Jeff had to hear her woes because she felt he should only be encouraged.  Evidently, she had a rough time with GVHD and had to continue to take Tacrolimus immunosuppressant for a long time.  She was weaned off of Tac just four months ago!

Joann’s donor was her brother, a sports fan.  Since transplant, she has developed a couple of new habits – watching sports on TV and swearing!  She attributes both of those habits to her brother’s marrow.  Well, now!  See?  That may explain Jeff’s new talent on the dance floor!  

Joann told Jeff repeatedly how great he looks for being only a few months out.  “You have hair!” she exclaimed.  Joann is a little younger than we are and has children around Keith’s age.  Among many other things, we discussed how our children have handled their parent’s life-changing illness.  It was good to hear her say things that Jeff and I have thought about and discussed only with each other.  We hope that we were helpful to her as well.

Our conversation brought Jeff’s donor to mind again.  Pray for her, please, and for Joann and her family.

Day 171 – Two Crazy Kids in Love

Nancy and Ken sent us an anniversary card that read, “It seems like only yesterday you two were a couple of crazy kids in love… And look at you now – still crazy, still in love.”  Thanks Nancy and Ken - and Hallmark. 

So these two crazy kids went off to Chadds Ford, PA, for a weekend romantic interlude.  We went to Longwood Gardens, a place we sometimes visit for our anniversary.  It is romantic and soul-soothing.  We seldom visit more than once in a year and we had just been there the week before Jeff’s BMT hospitalization in May.  However, Jeff wanted to see their garden railway (he keeps talking about putting one in our garden) so we started our tour there.  No matter how hard we tried to remember the Thomas the Tank Engine stories from when the kids were little, we could not name the green or red trains without the help of some 4-year-old boys who were quite happy to share their knowledge on the subject.  We also spent time in the conservatory and saw an amazing mum plant that had been trained into a metal frame, a perfect half-sphere of 718 blooms from one stem!  See the YouTube video about the mum plant, if you like: http://www.youtube.com/longwoodgardensinc#p/a/u/2/lXjqTFi5JVU.  We heard the huge pipe organ in the conservatory, the chimes from the chime tower, had lunch in the Terrace Restaurant and walked the forest and meadow trails.  Before we left, we circled back to have one last drool over the garden railway.  Jeff had begun to drag his feet with exhaustion.  It was time to leave.

We checked into the Brandywine Hotel and had a nap before dinner.  Years before – for our 8^th anniversary, maybe – we stayed at the same hotel and had an anniversary dinner at the Brandywine Inn which shared a parking lot with the Brandywine Hotel.  That meal, lo those many years ago, was somewhat disastrous.  When I took a sip of my daiquiri, I felt something hard in my mouth.  I pushed the tiny object onto my finger with my tongue and it cut my finger; it was a piece of broken glass!  Then the waiter started a fire without opening the flue and the huge kitchen fan drew the smoke into the dining room, choking us out.  We no sooner had been moved to another dining room when the waiter dropped a tray of food.  We laughed about it because it reminded us of our Hawaiian honeymoon and the many things that went awry on that trip; but maybe that is a story for another day.     

In the years since that memorable visit, the inn had been expanded, remodeled and renamed Brandywine Prime.  In its present transformation it no longer feels like an historic inn and there is no evidence of that fireplace.  Now it is a hip night spot with cool music playing over the sound system and a menu of beef specialties.  Jeff ordered a cowboy steak and very little else because he was determined to eat the whole 16 oz. steak.  I had filet mignon and french onion soup.  The food was outstanding.  We indulged in conversation about the future including delightful speculation about the heights of our not-yet-conceived grandchildren.

Sunday we visited the Brandywine River Museum and the Kuerner Farm where Andrew Wyeth spent a lot of time painting.  Jeff snapped pictures from the vantage points Andrew Wyeth painted the farm.  I was very happy to see that Jamie Wyeth’s pig was in town – that is, his portrait of a pig - and not in Paris as it seems to be whenever we visit. 

After a little antiquing, we headed home by way of Philadelphia for dinner with Kim.  We spent a little time with our grand-kitty, Mr. Maia, and then went to Twisted Tail, a pork joint.  Our waiter was an adorable young man who returned to our table twice to tell Kim that they were out of whatever Kim ordered.  Finally, he recommended the armpit sandwich which she tried and seemed to enjoy.  Jeff ordered ribs and never thought about how he would actually eat them with BandAids on four fingers.  We asked for rubber gloves which Adorable-Waiter fetched from the kitchen and delivered with a smile.

Today Jeff rested from our weekend trip and, he tells me, when he got tired of that he rested some more.  He did manage to make some appointments: one for the two of us to attend a Gilda’s Club meeting – a blood cancer networking group, PT for tomorrow and a massage on Thursday. 

This evening we spent a little time reading parts of my blog entries from around Day 25 when Jeff was discharged from the hospital.  He said, “If you think a month in the hospital is a long time, how about being married for 32 years?”  I like to think our 32 years of marriage were mostly better than a bone marrow transplant. 

Day 168 – Mr. Ed in New Britches

Last night I rested my hand on Jeff’s head as we lounged.  He took advantage of the opportunity to scratch his head by pressing into my fingers and moving his head back and forth.  It reminded me of a horse having a good scratch on a fencepost.  Those darn chemo lines on his fingernails are so weak that they fold over when he tries to scratch or do just about anything with his hands.  The splits catch on his hair and fabric.  He wears gloves when he does most chores and always has Band-Aids on the worst of his fingers.  His big toe now has half a thin nail; he always wears a Band-Aid on that one.  Two other nails are looking like they are separating, too.  It makes my blood run cold to think about it.  This annoyance is probably his number one complaint right now, followed closely by his alligator skin that requires lotion once or twice a day.

For several months I have offered Jeff gentle suggestions that he might need smaller underwear.  Tonight he proudly showed me his latest purchase, new britches one size smaller than his old droopy drawers!  He showed me the packaging and assured me that he would look like the guy on the front when he put them on, six-pack and all.  Even after buying them, he still wasn’t sure he needed the smaller size so he tried them on.  Perfect!  And, I have to say, he does have the cute “Pippa-butt” he brags about.  He’ll have to work on the six-pack, though.

Jeff has done a few projects in the last couple of weeks which have stretched his strength and stamina.  He cleaned up the pumpkin sale and repaired a section of fence at church, installed a door-knob on a new door and did some basement flood clean-up at my parents’ house, and checked a roof leak at church which required the use of a ladder.  Ladders are tricky to handle if you only have one good hand/arm and Keith and I came home to find the ladder on the floor of the garage instead of hung on the wall.  It seems Jeff finagled it down but could not put it back up. 

Sometimes when people hear Jeff is doing better, they indicate that they have projects waiting for him whenever he is ready.  He won’t be doing custom cabinetry anytime soon but these small projects give him a chance to figure out how to adapt.

Put Your Shoulder Into It

Jeff has decided that he needs to work on the damage that was done to his arm during his pre-transplant conditioning.  He would like to have a better range of motion with his right arm now that he is getting stronger and feeling better.  To compensate for his inability to lift his right arm, he has been doing more things with his left hand.  Jeff is willing to return to physical therapy since that helped before.  He had stopped going to PT this summer when it seemed to cause pain rather than reduce it.  Dr. Porter’s office set up an orthopedic visit.

This afternoon we went to the Orthopedics Department in the Silverstein Building at the University of Pennsylvania.  Jeff was instructed to arrive early for the appointment in case an MRI or X-ray was required.  We arrived plenty early and did not have to wait very long before being ushered to an exam room.  For kicks while we waited, we each took a guess at Dr. Heppenstall’s age since we had never met him before.  I thought he would be around our age and Jeff thought he would be younger than us.  Then Jeff took a short nap while we waited for the doctor.

A woman and an older gentleman came into the room.  The woman, presumably a nurse, sat at the computer to bring up the neurologist’s report from Jeff’s neck MRI this summer.  She made notes on the computer while Dr. Heppenstall used an old-school method of note-taking – a Dictaphone.  Dr. Heppenstall checked Jeff’s winged scapula which has improved a lot since he’d seen Dr. Pruitt, the neurologist.  Dr. Heppenstall was not too concerned with its present condition.  He asked Jeff to demonstrate his limitation of movement with his right arm and asked questions about his pain.  Jeff reported that he can avoid pain by not using his arm but he is concerned about losing the use of the arm if he continues to do that. 

Dr. Heppenstall did not require an MRI or an X-ray and, blessedly, he did not think surgery was called for.  He said that, with time, the shoulder and neck would continue to improve.  Jeff asked, “In my lifetime?”  Dr. Heppenstall said, “In mine!”  Jeff said, “You’re not that much older than me.”  Dr. Heppenstall replied, “I’m a lot older than you!  I just had my 70^th birthday party!”  

He ordered PT and told Jeff he would probably not need to return to see him.  Good news!  Now, for a little patience during the healing process…   

When we were finished in Orthopedics, we decided to visit the BMT nurses in Rhoades 7 – the ones who cared for Jeff in May and June.  When we walked out of the elevator and towards the nursing station, Nursing Assistant Alana and some other familiar faces greeted us with half-smiles and puzzled expressions.  They recognized me – but not Jeff!  Jeff told them to picture him without hair.  Alana spoke with us for a few minutes before she remembered Jeff and said, “You’re the carpenter!”  Nurse Linda joined Alana in animated praise for Jeff’s good progress and encouraged him to keep taking good care of himself.  I asked them to keep doing the good work they do.  Jeff reminded them that at the time of his discharge he’d told them, “Don’t take this the wrong way but I hope I never see you people again.”  They seemed really glad to see the results of their efforts. 

Prayers for the BMT patients at HUP today…

Day 164 – Around again to Oktoberfest

It has been over a year since Jeff’s diagnosis.  Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of the start of his treatment with Vidaza.  And, of course, our blogging began around that time, too. 

One of our earliest blog entries was “Oktoberfest!”  I remember being in shock at last year’s Oktoberfest and thinking Jeff had a perpetual look of disbelief.  Treatment was to begin a couple days later and our family seemed unsure how to behave toward us. 

This year was different.  Although Jeff’s left-handed Bist du Stark effort was only 1:43 minutes compared to last year’s second-place win with 3:45, the evening seemed wonderfully usual.  Keith won the Bist du Stark competition for the Under 21 crowd with a time of 3:28.  There were the usual sauerkraut and bratwurst, German potato salad and spaetzle, music and dancing, and laughter. 

When the Jugengruppe (young) dancers came out banging the ends of long poles in rhythm for the Steckentanz (probably translates as ‘stick dance’), we wondered whether the poles would be used like limbo sticks.  Mark quipped, “A boy probably once said, ‘I wouldn’t touch that girl with a 10’ pole!’”  We laughed and then watched a dance that did not, in fact, involve the boys touching the girls except with those poles.  The poles were held horizontally between the boys and the girls and then were layered so that six or eight couples circled together.  The adults danced the Glocken Plattler which involves using cowbells in bell-choir fashion while dancing.  Since I call my family to dinner with a cowbell, Keith said, “This song makes me hungry.”

Kerry’s in-laws, Steve and Stephanie, were the newbies at Oktoberfest this year and they were very good sports.  Steph tried the Bist du Stark competition and was the woman to beat for most of the evening.  However, late in the evening two women bested her so that she came in third.  No prize was awarded for third but I think she still deserves bragging rights.  Steve felt the festivities put him in touch with his German heritage.  They both seemed to enjoy themselves and we enjoyed having them along.

Last weekend, at Melissa’s and Josh’s wedding, Harry told Jeff that it was the first time in a long time that he looked at Jeff and “forgot.”  I know what he meant.  With increasingly normal-looking hair and improved posture, you don’t immediately identify him as a Cancer Patient.  Unless you see him try to hold a mug, put on his coat or reach for his wallet, you don’t see any impairment at all.  And, hopefully, those issues will be addressed, too.  He’ll see a University of Pennsylvania orthopedist tomorrow.  We’ll see.

Jeff’s fingernails are still folding back and splitting.  He wears band-aids on the worst of his fingers because the splits are annoying.  He can’t wait for the weak spots to grow out.  It will be awhile yet, I think. 

Day 160 – Snowy Nuptials and Holey, Moley!

The wedding of my lovely niece, Melissa, and her awesome groom, Josh, was postponed on Saturday due to the freakish early snowstorm.  We were a few blocks from home when Nancy called to tell us there was no power at Silver Buttons Farm and that trees were down, roads closed, etc.  Poor Melissa and Josh!  We turned back home, relieved not to have to travel on the sloshy, slippery roads.  Jeff, it turns out, was still worn out from his doctor visit and catheter removal the day before and immediately went to bed.  Kim and I put on a pot of Butternut Squash Soup and played a game with Keith. 

On Sunday the barn still did not have power.  Generators and propane heaters were brought in so that the wedding could go on.  We worried that the barn would be cold so Jeff wore long johns under his suit.  It turns out the propane heaters, pot-bellied stove and lots of dancing all helped to keep us toasty.  Jeff could, amazingly, keep a beat and danced more than he has danced since maybe our own wedding 32 years ago.  I think his donor must be a good dancer!  In any case, he was dancing with joy and without inhibition simply because he could.  He was able to enjoy this wedding more than our son’s wedding in July.  The two events will forever mark his progress through early recovery.

The hole in Jeff’s chest where his Hickman catheter had been looks like a bullet hole, about ¼ inch in diameter.  It doesn’t appear to be healing over very quickly.  The skin around it looks artificial, like plasticine, due to its having been under a plastic bandage for six months with only brief exposures to air during the weekly dressing changes.  The area is still bruised and he is cautious about letting things – or people – touch him there. 

Jeff put work clothes on twice this week.  He needed suspenders to keep from dropping his too-large britches.  He looked at the leaky roof at church and he surveyed a church building that our congregation expects to take over.  He did more consulting than actual labor but I think he was happy to put on his ol’ uniform.  He has a couple more volunteer repair jobs to do and is glad to have a reason to get some of his tools out again.  I hope neither job will require a ladder because he had a little trouble loading and unloading one today.  Keith hung it back up in the garage for Jeff when he got home from school.

Maria from Dr. Porter’s office offered to make Jeff’s appointment with the orthopedist.  She set the appointment for Tuesday and it will probably involve an MRI of his shoulder.  I hope the orthopedist will have some suggestions for repairing the shoulder and hand or at least to give Jeff a little more freedom of movement on his right side.

I can’t go to the grocery store without running into someone who wants an update on Jeff’s health.  It is getting easier to say he is doing well; I don’t feel as if I have to be so tentative in my response.  It feels weird to be – I don’t know – hopeful?  Jeff and I made plans for an anniversary weekend get-away, close enough that Jeff will not be too uncomfortable traveling, and far enough away to make it seem like a real adventure.  Making reservations, even for the near future, was fun.  Looking forward…