Day 270 – Lenten Sacrifice?

This weekend Jeff washed my car and trimmed the grapevine.  On Monday morning he took the train to the Perelman Center for his labs and then waited in the freezing cold at the University City train station for 40 minutes.  There is a roof there but not a good inside waiting area.  He was cold and very tired when he got home.  Maybe it was all the fresh air he had been getting that caused him to nap Monday afternoon. 

He regularly falls asleep within minutes of sitting down to watch TV and so I suggested he stand up to watch a movie he wanted to see.  Surely he wouldn’t fall asleep while standing!  He didn’t take my advice but, with effort, he was able to see most of the movie with his eyes open.  He sleeps soundly (and occasionally snores very loudly) in the early evening but still cannot manage to sleep all night.

Jeff’s sore toe prevents him going for walks with me and limits his activities a little bit in other ways.  He made an appointment with the podiatrist for Monday.  Hopefully, he can get active again very soon thereafter.

Many people are noticing the effects of steroids on Jeff’s face.  He calls it “chipmunk face.”  Most people comment that he looks healthy nevertheless.  Our neighbor, who has limited command of the English language and yet favors the versatility of the F word, asked Jeff, “What the !%&# happened to you?!”  I guess Jeff does look quite changed on some days. 

I was beginning to think it was about time for us to get another newsletter from the National Marrow Donor Program (BeTheMatch.org) when the next issue arrived in the mail.  Jeff was starting to talk about how time flies and that before we know it we’ll be celebrating the one-year anniversary of his transplant, his “first birthday.”  The newsletter’s focus was on “Your One-Year Anniversary” and “Preparing for Your One-Year Exam.”  There was a good article which answered some of our questions about Social Security Disability benefits and another called, “Initiating Contact with Your Donor.”  All good, timely stuff. 

I asked Jeff whether he would give up ice cream for Lent as he has done in the past.  He said he was thinking about giving up pills for Lent.  Ha!  We’ll see about the ice cream…