Today was a bit like reaching into a Mary Poppins bag or Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. . .
This morning Mom didn't feel so great. She felt 'weird all over' and had some recurrent pain in her lower back region that radiates upwards. On our drive to the Oncology Center, she said to both Doug and I, "Well I think this is as good as it's gonna get today."
When we arrived at the Venice Oncology Center for Mom's purple- power port access, Nurse Nancy was kind enough to also give Mom a shot of Relistor, which reduces constipation caused by narcotics. Oh, and it works within five minutes-- so you better be near a toilet!! We had to be at the hospital for fluids and a CBC so Nurse N. CAME OUT to the parking lot and gave Mom the shot IN the car-- and within seconds Doug sped away. It was quite comical! Mom made it to the bathroom at the hospital within 5 minutes and probably lost another inch or two on her slightly distended abdomen. Of course, the nurses all say that Mom's "distended abdomen" is still way flatter than any of theirs!! (true, true)
We lunched in the hospital while Mom got fluids and gawked at the low prices in the cafeteria. My noodles and veggies were 89 cents and 69 cents, respectively, and Doug's stuff was under $2. Mom had soup & salad, and by the time she had finished, exclaimed that she was feeling much better! :)
Nana came by while I drove Doug to SRQ. I came back to the house to find Mom and Nana watching the birds & squirrels in the backyard gardens competing for birdseed. After the 4th try, Nana's car started and she made her way home. Mom was obviously in pain and discomfort, so I tried massaging her back for a little while and then we switched to a heating pad. While she was trying to get comfortable, I started reading her excerpts from I'd Rather Have Chemo Than Take Out the Garbage, written by a breast and ovarian cancer survivor. After one of her "breakthrough" pain pills kicked in, she felt a bit better.
We had home-made pizza with tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden for dinner... walked halfway around the block, and relaxed with a movie.
This morning Mom didn't feel so great. She felt 'weird all over' and had some recurrent pain in her lower back region that radiates upwards. On our drive to the Oncology Center, she said to both Doug and I, "Well I think this is as good as it's gonna get today."
When we arrived at the Venice Oncology Center for Mom's purple- power port access, Nurse Nancy was kind enough to also give Mom a shot of Relistor, which reduces constipation caused by narcotics. Oh, and it works within five minutes-- so you better be near a toilet!! We had to be at the hospital for fluids and a CBC so Nurse N. CAME OUT to the parking lot and gave Mom the shot IN the car-- and within seconds Doug sped away. It was quite comical! Mom made it to the bathroom at the hospital within 5 minutes and probably lost another inch or two on her slightly distended abdomen. Of course, the nurses all say that Mom's "distended abdomen" is still way flatter than any of theirs!! (true, true)
We lunched in the hospital while Mom got fluids and gawked at the low prices in the cafeteria. My noodles and veggies were 89 cents and 69 cents, respectively, and Doug's stuff was under $2. Mom had soup & salad, and by the time she had finished, exclaimed that she was feeling much better! :)
Nana came by while I drove Doug to SRQ. I came back to the house to find Mom and Nana watching the birds & squirrels in the backyard gardens competing for birdseed. After the 4th try, Nana's car started and she made her way home. Mom was obviously in pain and discomfort, so I tried massaging her back for a little while and then we switched to a heating pad. While she was trying to get comfortable, I started reading her excerpts from I'd Rather Have Chemo Than Take Out the Garbage, written by a breast and ovarian cancer survivor. After one of her "breakthrough" pain pills kicked in, she felt a bit better.
We had home-made pizza with tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden for dinner... walked halfway around the block, and relaxed with a movie.
Mom and Nancy 
Mom getting shot in car
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