21 more to go...

Todd has undergone nine of his thirty treatments as of today, March 6th. We saw Dr. Yom, his oncologist, again yesterday. She examined his cancer sites (tonsil and lymph nodes) and said he was doing very well. Keep up the good work! He's feeling better, eating more (small meals, but more often) and the only problem seems to be constipation. We got more drugs for that, which he will try on Saturday when he is home all day. I remember what Glen told me: you get drugs to help your body deal with the treatment. But the drugs have side effects. So you get drugs to deal with those side effects. And sometimes drugs to deal with the side effects of the drugs dealing with the other side effects...and so on.

Todd has many drugs right now (mostly for the nausea), and more, different kinds for later. Plus all kinds of mouth rinses and a spray, gel, gum and special toothpaste with extra soft brush to help with the nasty mouth sores he will have next. I finally put away everything he isn't using now, as the countertop was getting too cluttered! He has been organized enough to write it down on a post-it each time he takes something.

I do need to create some kind of daily schedule for meds and the like because we keep forgetting to put the lotion on 3 hours before radiation to protect his skin from the "sunburn effect." His neck was bright red today when he came out after his second radiation session and I felt badly that I hadn't remembered about the lotion. On Fridays we have to be at UCSF at 7:45 am for radiation and an appointment with the nutritionist, and then back again at 3:30 pm for his second radiation session (the 2 sessions have to be at least 6 hours apart). We didn't get up early enough this morning to put the lotion on the required 3 hours ahead of time (no way were we going to get up at 4:30 so he could shower and then put it on!).

Driving to UCSF usually is a 50 minute drive each way, but can be longer depending upon traffic. Todd normally dozes on the way home, and then heads straight to bed for a nap or at least a rest of half an hour or more. He does have periods of energy, but you can't predict how long those will last. He told the doctor that in the last 2 days he's had short periods where he felt "perfectly normal," and that it was a little depressing when the naseau or bloating or fatigue came back.

Yesterday I could hardly keep awake the last few miles home. I cracked the window open and bit my fingers to stay alert! Todd was sound asleep. When we got home I decided to take just a tiny 15-minute nap before I went back to work. I slept for 2 solid hours! Thanks to the advice of Joyce and Glen, I put out an S.O.S for help driving to UCSF and for meals twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Everyone has been wonderful! Food has been arriving and I now have some help driving for the remaining 4 weeks. Although I love being there for Todd and really don't mind the driving (except when I am tired), it definitely has been crazy trying to get things done at work. Bill (and Jess and Shirley) have been so supportive of me during this time. A blessing, they are!

Today (Friday) was a double appointment day and we didn't make it back from the afternoon 3:30 radiation until 5:30. Then I went to Safeway for a few things (applesauce, non-citrus juices, whole milk) and stopped at Kaiser for yet another prescription. Lauren was still at work, but Carolyn and I met up at Kaiser's parking lot, where I tossed her a bag of Swedish Fish to take to the movies with her. Dash was at futsal practice, so the house was quiet when I finally got home.

Todd likes to have dinner as a family whenever possible, but can't deal with the sight of a lot of food, so Carolyn takes great pains to arrange candles and other decorations on the table so Dad cannot see the serving dishes from where he is sitting. We use little dishes for him, just a spoonful of this, 3 spoonfuls of that at a time. The nutritionist said that was important, not to overwhelm him with food. He enjoyed leftovers of Christine's ziti (including half a large meatball) today, and Carolyn's enchilada pie with fresh avocado was a big hit yesterday. Dash made sure there were no leftovers on that!

I am looking forward to the weekend, when we have relatively few obligations (just a soccer scrimmage here and there). I want to go out and see the tulips blooming in the garden and pull some weeds. It is good therapy, and (un)fortunately I have enough weeds for weeks of therapy!