The Leaf Raker

This day marks the period of 48 - 72 hours without any treatment, or as you might call it, the weekend. I am always grateful for this lull in activity. It gives Jim a chance to "recover" a bit and to give his assaulted body a rest.

Eating is getting more and more difficult for him. Nothing tastes good and his throat is very sore. Last night we had Chinese take-out (at his request). He got down a bit of tofu, some green beans, some rice, but not much Mongonial beef. There are three food groups he can't eat; red meat, any citrus or anything with tomatoes. Too acidic. I, on the other hand, wolfed down some of everything, tossed back a couple of glasses of wine, and sighen with contentment. He ate very little, took pills and was not happy. But this, too, will pass. After dinner we took our usual short walk. The evening was mild and lovely, but he was bundled up with various jackets and warm shirts as he is always cold now.

Sunday was a sunny and warm day. Jim actually went out and raked and swept leaves and watered. This sort of activity is very good for him and is a good indication that at least he is feeling well enough to do it. I cleared out flower beds in preparation for bulbs. This will be the first Spring we will be in residence for about five years. A housesitter usually enjoys the iris, daffodils and wisteria of our garden. Perhaps we will be so lucky this year.

Everyone told us when we went to the "how to be a chemo patient" class that fatigue, not nausea, is the most common side effect of chemo. I believe it. But since Jim is not sleeping at night he doesn't want to nap during the day. As he says, "It will disturb my night sleep." Well, his night sleep stinks anyway, so why not sleep when you can? This afternoon he was very tired -- this is 72 hours after chemo -- and dozed in front of the TV watching football. (I don't blame him!) However, when he does wake up from little cat naps he feels a mite better. Think how good he'd feel after 8 straight hours of sleep. But that's not what happens. His sleep is in three or four hour spurts, with a couple of hours of wakefulness in between during which he roams the Web or reads. I have moved into the guest room in order to get a good night's sleep. Sometimes I do; other times I wake because I hear him roaming around the house. But for the most part, I am sleeping well, eating well, and doing my best to keep everyone's spirits up.

And speaking of spirits, his are almost always high and positive. He is very uncomfortable and unhappy about not being able to eat (!), but knows it will be over soon. The doctors' positive feedback has done much to cheer both of us.