Treatment Day is a Delight With Ashley!

I can't believe I missed reporting a treatment day. I'm becoming a very lazy blogger, indeed. Here's the recap.
Unfortunately, because I asked for a slightly later treatment time 2 weeks ago so I would be able to take Kate to early morning swimming lessons, this week they snuck in an afternoon treatment time, so I didn't even start until 12:15! My niece, Ashley, the one who works as an OR nurse at St. Luke's and arranged everything so nicely for me when I had my gall bladder and port surgery was able to come with me since she has quit her regular job to join her husband soon. He has been doing basic training for the Air Force in San Antonio, Texas, and will be graduating early next week. They will be stationed at Biloxi, Mississippi after that, but she still doesn't know when she and her sweet toddler, Leah, will be able to join her husband, Tyler. Anyway, that was the long explanation of why she was able to come with me yesterday, and it was certainly a treat for me to have her.
I picked her up, because she is living with her parents for her last few weeks in Boise and their house is in south east Boise, fairly near the hospital. We were planning to get lunch before treatment, but I was late, as is my custom, so we had to amend those plans a bit. Since I have been doing chemo, some things that used to be fairly easy have become fairly complicated, and one of those things is bill paying. What used to take me a couple of hours one day a month now drags out for a week or more. I find it almost impossible to stay awake long enough to balance the checkbook, go through the old receipts in my wallet and match them up to the bank and credit card statements, write the checks, put the stamps and address labels on the envelopes, and put the rubber band wrapped bundle in a mail box, so I do a little bit one day, like get everything together that I need, then take a nap. The next day I go through the bank statement, then I take a little nap, the next day I match up the receipts, then nap, the next night I write a couple checks, and you get the idea. Therefore, I have to start this process much earlier than I used to or risk the dreaded late fees. So the reason I was late to pick up Ashley, which is the point of this whole bill paying tirade, is because my property tax bill had to be postmarked on Monday, so I had to go to the bank to get money in and make sure my accounts were all in order, and then get that darn property tax bill into the post office safely. Mission accomplished. If you ever want to hear the story of the year I forgot to put postage on my property tax bill, and the angst associated with that dreadful mistake, I will be happy to tell you about it.
So I picked her up, and she was dutifully waiting right outside ready to go, so even though I was very late, we got to the clinic only a few minutes past appointment time. The afternoon was very quiet in comparison to the morning, especially the chemo suite where the blood draws and the infusions are done. Ashley and I dutifully worked on a puzzle while we waited, and I've got to say I was in the zone for once. I was finding just the right pieces with very little trial and error. I'd probably placed a dozen pieces before they called me in to draw blood, and that was only about 5 minutes after we arrived. For me, that's phenomenal puzzle building.
As usual now, there was no trouble with the port access and smooth sailing with the blood draw. Ashley and my nurse talked a little shop while the draw was in process, and that was fun to listen to--a little nurse lingo. In no time we were back at the puzzle having fun, only to be ripped away again to see the doctor. Of course there's no waiting in the lobby, where it's comfortable and nice to be, and then there's always lots of waiting when you're sitting on the little bed with the crunchy paper on it in the exam rooms where there's only really old magazines you've read the last 10 times you were waiting for the doctor and a few wildlife pictures and pictures of the clinic's doctors on a bulletin board and the four walls and the sink and the cupboards and a door and a blood pressure cuff and not much else to look at. That's where all the good long waiting happens ironically. Luckily Ashley was there to save me from lonely boredom because the doctor probably was behind since it was the afternoon so he was much slower than usual. When Ashley met him she was impressed with his computer screen staring and his evil chemist wrinkly-eyed smile, and his total absorption in his calculations of exactly how much toxin he could prescribe to kill cancer cells without killing his patient. After he decided he was off without so much as a stethoscope coming in contact with any part of my body. He could tell just by looking at my blood counts that I was the picture of health and vitality.
Only moments after arriving back in the nicely appointed lobby with a fountain and windows and juices and comfy couches, I was called in to infusion. The chemo suite, where infusion happens, is also a pleasant room and the chairs are definitely chosen with comfort in mind. Everything went quickly there, since there were still several nurses available and very few patients for them to attend to.
After treatment, Ashley steered me in the direction of a new place in that little pink strip mall on Broadway right near the hospital. One of the surgical supply reps had recommended a new place called the Idaho Fry Company. They serve burgers, sodas, milkshakes, and 6 or 7 different kinds of fries. You can choose sweet potato fries, yam fries, Yukon gold fries, russet fries, white potato fries--you get the picture. Then they have different sauces and seasonings for the fries and different cuts, like curly or homestyle, and they cook them in healthy oils and all that kind of thing. Very chic. Big city fries. It was pretty good, but although I don't love all their food, nobody has fries as good as McDonalds. On certain kinds of foods, like fries, why mess with success? The hamburgers were much better than McDonalds, however. And Ashley is so delightful food tastes better in her company.
I was sad when I had to take her home at the end of the day, but although Rachel had taken Kate to swimming and piano for me, I still had some movies to return and a little grocery shopping to do. I have failed to mention that much of this time Tadman was at Melissa's house being well tended. Unfortunately, we had a little failure to communicate between Greg and I, so I thought Tadman was already picked up, but actually he was at Melissa's still all during my errands, so he was there a long long time before I finally came to get him when I realized he wasn't home after grocery shopping. Thank you, Melissa, for putting up with the boy all afternoon and into the evening. He must have played hard, because he was pretty tired when he got home!
Only one more Adria treatment until I move on to Taxol! According to reports by my doctor and nurse the symptoms with Taxol are much less severe. Of course, my doctor may say next week that it was 20 doses of Adria, not 15 that he scheduled, but I hope not. That would be very bad news.
As usual, I have many acts of kindness to report this week. Many of the ladies in the 9 o'clock water aerobics class I've been going to, but have missed the last few weeks because of swimming lessons, have written me cards and letters of encouragement. It has been very uplifting to get one or two of them in the mail each day. I love how they sign them with their name, and then their usual spot at the pool, such as "Love, Anne (lap lane closest to diving board)". I hope to get back to class soon to thank them. We're still getting great meals, Carrie Nielson brought me a perfectly beautiful pink rose in full bloom, Laurie Gabrielsen took me on an excursion to the temple and bought me a smoothie and lunch afterwards, and just today Brenda bought me lunch at Costa Vida and then she and Stuart packed up our bikes and bike trailer and took Kate, Tadman, and me on a bike ride on the Greenbelt, and bought us an ice cream at Dairy Queen after. Isn't that nice? Kate had a great time riding her little bike a million rotations a minute and then running out of steam and stopping for multiple water breaks. Every time Tadman would wiggle out of the bike trailer and Stuart would round him up and strap him back in again. My long suffering sister is still helping with laundry several times a week. I've missed seeing my mom the last few times, but she's still helping with that job. I know that's a sacrifice for my sister's whole family, because time spent doing my laundry means time she can't do her own. Please forgive me if you've done something nice for me and I've failed to mention it. I have so many people do things for me that sometimes I can't remember them all when I write, but please know how much I appreciate everything each of you do. With all this support, I just might make it through this long, long process. I'm really enjoying the summer, the kids, the yard, and the varied and mostly cool spring weather. All in all, life is pretty good with my biggest disappointment being myself and my own human frailty. Endurance is the key, and we'll see if I have it.