Eight Down

This week was my first full week of getting radiation treatments. To date I have had eight sessions, leaving 14 more to go.

The routine is pretty simple. Up in the morning, shower and breakfast, leave the house by around 9:45. Arrive in Rochester and find a place to park. (Most days the parking ramp has space available but that is not a sure thing.) Get parked and head into the clinic. Stop at the COVID-19 screening station, answer some questions, get my ‘day pass’ sticker to put on my shirt. Head for the check-in desk.

Arrive at Radiation and Oncology check-in desk, give my name, date of birth, and answer more screening questions such as “do you feel dizzy or nauseous” and complete check-in. Head for a seat and wait for my name to be called.

On my first visit I was assigned a changing room that I would use for each visit. In my case, changing room G. When my name is called I head for that room. Right turn, left turn, down a hallway, left turn, right turn, down the hallway to room G. Grab a hospital gown from the Clean Linen locker and get ready for the treatment.

I am ushered into the treatment room, lie down on the table, get positioned by the two ladies who work that room, and the lights go down as the treatment starts. (The nurses leave the room during the radiation treatment.) Music is playing in the background, usually soft rock or easy listening tunes. After about 8 minutes the lights come up and the nurses return. Treatment is over. They help me off the table and I return to my changing room, get dressed, and head out of the building.

Once I am back at the car it may take a bit of time to leave the ramp. Parking is $2.00 for the first hour and $1.00 for each additional hour and I generally pay the $2.00 charge. There is always a backup of cars waiting in line to pay. Eventually I leave the ramp and head home.

I may or may not stop for small items at Walmart or other stores. For example, none of the local stores carries Lava hand soap (which we use to get paint off our hands, frequently). Walmart stocks this stuff. A trip to the Home Depot resulted in stocking up on house paint and other project supplies. There may be other sundry items on my list as well.

I’ll get home between 1:30 and 2:00 PM, check in to see what Pam is doing and discuss my morning, get some lunch, change clothes, and then take a look at any tasks that I can do during the rest of the afternoon. This does not amount to much as my energy levels are quite low.

I do attempt to keep dandelions eradicated in the dog run and garden areas. I spread some “Weed and Feed” stuff on other parts of the lawn in an attempt to keep the dandelions under control, but Pam doesn’t like to use chemicals in the location where the dogs spend their outside time. Same in the garden, where the chemicals might damage seedlings. Manual weed control is the order of the day in these areas.

And, of course, there are always routine tasks such as mowing the yard, grocery shopping, and doing laundry. I put together a painting station in the garage so we can begin to paint the siding that will be used on the south wall of the house.

How am I doing with the whole cancer thing, you ask? OK, I guess. I have no discomfort from the treatments although that may change as I get deeper into the program. The Flowmax the doctor prescribed has me going to the bathroom more frequently, including at night, so I’m up quite often. I don’t really feel refreshed when I get out of bed in the morning. It is also frustrating that I don’t have the energy I would like to have to tackle more projects. I am counting down the number of treatments left and will be glad when this is over. I try to stay positive but it is an uphill battle at times. Having any form of cancer upsets your mental equilibrium.

Pam has been busy decorating in the snug, adding hand-painted morning glory and [a few more] vines to the walls. More artwork was hung and she began removing the old, and quite worn, carpet in there. Which turned out to be a real job as the old backing is literally sticking to the floor. Removal will require a lot of hand work but the floor under that mess is in better condition than we had hoped. One half done, one half to go.

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of Pam reading “Katy and The Big Snow” to our kids when they were young. Pam found the book [the one actually used in the photo!] in our storage room, framed it, and hung it next to the photo. Pam used this story for first grader activities when she ran an elementary Gifted & Talented program back in the 1990s, and “Katy” also used to be one of my childhood favorites.

We did get some rain last weekend which helped freshen the yard. The bleeding heart plants are flowering and all the other plantings are doing well. The maple tree and oak tree we planted last fall deployed actual leaves. Both of these trees had sprouted from seeds and we are pleased to see they made it though the winter OK. The three rhubarb plants and two blackberry bushes planted earlier this spring are displaying new growth and look to have survived the late frost NE Iowa experienced earlier this month. Spring is a good time here at Heart House.

Photo Archive

I have always taken pictures of flowers; here are a pair from my collection.

Colorado’s fall colors were a frequent target of my camera.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Himself is correct; as anticipated, his energy level is very low these days. Which was totally to be expected with his body taking in all sorts of meds and chemicals. The yard work – mowing, weed whacking, dandelion pulling – lends itself to be broken into small(er) projects and done a little bit at a time. But Himself is used to doing hours of yard tasks at once, and therein lies his frustration.

I’m trying to complete this phase of the two-room refresh indoors, because it’s now time to start painting outdoors. One of the first outdoor tasks will be painting barn red on that cement siding, so it will be ready for Bob the Builder when the window we ordered arrives. (BTW, the painter we talked to at the home show never did show last weekend to give us a quote on painting the second floor of 702. That’s the second no-show painter. I guess painting Victorians is not popular.)

On totally another topic, were you surprised Bill and Melinda Gates filed for divorce? Himself was. Me, not so much. Around married years 27-30, when the kiddos have moved out, and you look across the room at the person you married, I think it’s perfectly normal to think “Is this all there is?” No amount of money changes that dynamic. A phenomenon called “Gray Divorce” is apparently a thing, the Gates’ being the latest example. l think a couple has to develop a different “relationship plan” of some sort then — something that benefits both individuals — so divorce doesn’t have to be the conclusion. But it is NOT easy. And I don’t judge anyone who decides to call it quits.

Be well. Happy Trails.