First time harvesting the garden

She felt well enough to harvest some veggies and has been up most of the day, reading and being able to sit up for extended periods for the first time in weeks. Gleefully whomped down the yummy mashed taters and gravy our friend Traci dropped off.

Hope you enjoy this walking tour of the garden, which I recorded tonight just before sunset:

Good news today

Dr. B. feels like Peg got a full dose of chemo last week and doesn't need to do the next round until a week from next Wednesday.  We were expecting her to be hospitalized overnight-- had her bag packed-- but she's having lunch here at the house as I write this.

This is the part of the treatment cycle where she'll feel better over the next few days and put some weight back on.  Dr. B. recommended mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream.  I concur with the doctor and look forward to whippin' 'em up from scratch... I think the last time we had mashed taters here was about a year ago.

Another bit of good news is that for the next round of chemo, the plan is for her to be treated in the outpatient clinic on a four-hour IV drip.  So potentially, no hospitalization for the next few weeks. Yay!

Peg was out in the garden today

Peg spent about 20 minutes with Zoë collecting veggies and dead-heading flowers.  She tends to push the envelope, which will help in her recovery, but leaves her a little short of breath in the meantime.  I have to remind her she doesn't need to do everything, by herself, all at once.  She's skinnier but entirely full of p**s and vinegar. 

Zoë and I prod her into eating every two hours, because she has a diminished appetite and a need to bulk up.  Peg's even requested something we all agreed was as dangerous as Plutonium in our house and agreed to banish a few months ago-- Trader Joe's Frozen Macaroni & Cheese.  How many calories per serving?  Don't ask.  Seriously.  Peg needs the protein, and I'm willing to latch on to a convenient excuse to indulge in the penultimate Mac n' Cheese Experience.  "Yeah, Peg, I'm whompin' this down... for you. Yeah, that's the ticket..."

It was great to see her outside today in the waning afternoon sun.  What a radically different experience than being hermetically sealed inside an oncology wing of a hospital, 400 feet inside a winding air conditioned corridor, ten miles and 400 carpeted feet from the rich earthiness of the garden we've created as a family.

Peg's home, for now

We busted her out of The Joint at 5pm with Dr. B's blessing.  She's tired, but the color is back in her cheeks.  She was able to get another paracentesis at 2:30pm-- 3.1 liters this time.

She's not experiencing any nausea, but has heavy-duty prescription anti-nausea pills on hand if she needs them.  She'll rest at home until Thursday morning, when we'll head back out to Roseville for a consultation with Dr. B to determine if she'll do the abdominal port or the 24-hour drip.  So she could be home again Thursday afternoon, but at the latest Friday midday.

Then she's here for 12 days before being hospitalized again for the next round.  This will be the rhythm of our lives for the next four or five months: Peg in for 4 days, out for 3, in for 1, out for twelve.