Rock Lobster

Hi Friends,
Thanks to all of you for your emails and wishes over the last few days. I'm feeling better on this round of Taxol because we now have a better sense of what to expect. I started taking the Tylenol 3s sooner, knowing that when the growth hormone pain adds in tomorrow I have the Percocet to manage all of that. Last time I was afraid of maxing out and running out of options over the weekend and stubbornly resisted taking the full amount (against Catherine's better advice). This time, however, it feels like we have pain management covered.
I can't tell you how much better this past Thursday went over the previous round. Catherine had all of the bases covered and looked like she was moving in when Julie dropped us off at the hospital. She brought my fave cozy blanket, a beany bag to warm my feet, a pillow, and attended to my every need. Once the Taxol started, these needs were significant. For instance, around noon Catherine went down to the Druxy's downstairs and got us each our "usual": a delicious grilled Swiss cheese on challah bread. We have this every chemo day. The only problem was, with my nails on ice this time, I couldn't feed myself. (Several of you emailed asking about this process, so Julie took a photo, above. The bags have pockets in the back where you slip your fingers in so as the ice melts your nails are protected. You just look like you have lobster claws. The design is quite clever.) So Catherine fed me my lunch and people around me were commenting on how lucky I was to have such support. So true.
Catherine also encouraged me to start with the pain medications before the infusions started and this also made a huge difference. Not having that nasty pain for the 6 hours really made it more bearable.
I'm pretty tired today, and about ten minutes ago Tito started to burn. I'm going to have a rest now and just feel this illness leave my body.
Much love,
Kip