Shape of the Day

Today has shown me just how bad it is going to be for the next 10 days to two weeks. Jim is very weak. He is not particularly disoriented; just disinterested. He has spent most of the day napping -- a very good thing -- and trying to clear out his throat -- a very painful thing. Remember the Magic Mouthwash I mentioned? One of the ways to use this is to put the solution plus water into a small spray bottle and spray the inside of the mouth and the throat to numb the tissue so he can swallow. Forget eating. Just to swallow a bit of water is now extremely painful. He thought that if he could numb his throat a bit he could at least sip liquid. It hasn't worked too well, partly because the spray tastes so bad it makes him gag. Yes, he'll get through these next days, but what a terrible experience it is.

I gave him another Procrit injection to encourage those red blood cells. This stuff also raises his blood pressure, although it has been pretty good for 24 hours. He took a half dose of the meds the doc prescribed for him -- Lisinopril/HCTZ -- and it seems to have worked. I am going to be really irritated if he comes through this terrible treatment and then has a heart attack because of the Procrit!

I am a real Garrison Keillor fan. I have listened to A Prarie Home Companion for probably 20 years. I remember in the old days when listeners would send in old camp songs and he would sing them. I knew them all! Jim knew all the old church songs (as opposed to the Anglican hymns that I knew). Tonight I am going to watch the movie. I'll report. I don't think Jim will be awake and aware for it, but who knows.