Sunday, Lazy Sunday

I'm pleased as punch to report that mom is feeling loads better after getting lots of rest over the weekend.  Her soreness has improved on a daily basis, and today she says she only feels pain around her catheter when she has to lift her arms to change a shirt or if somebody bumps into her (whoops). She's really been enjoying her stay at my grandparent's house. It's so nice that Wendy and Grandma have been available to take mom to radiation every day, since her appointment time interferes with one of my classes. They've spent a nice chunk of time in the waiting room this week...

 Luckily radiation only lasts about 20 minutes each session, and the Cancer Center is very efficient. They recently remodeled the building and it's super nice inside.  I don't have class on Fridays, so I was able to take her to her last appointment before the weekend (she gets a break from radiation on Sat/Sun). She had her normal microwave session, and afterward we met with a physician representing Dr.Kelly, who was out of the office that day.  At first mom and I were both suspicious because we have only dealt with the same three doctors (Kelly, Mattar, Lipman) the entire time she's been sick. It was just a quick check-up to see if she had been experiencing any abnormal side effects after a week of radiation.  The doctor ended up being really nice and explained exactly how they were targeting the tumors in her lower spine. The tumors are in the lumbar region of her vertebral column, but since radiation goes directly through everything, including the organs in that area, he wanted to make sure she wasn't experiencing too much nausea or indigestion from her stomach getting zapped. He even showed us a picture, which her doctors have refused to do ever since our freak out at the scan we saw in April (Her tumors looked like chicken pox! You would have screamed too!) Everything just looked like blobs to us, so it wasn't that upsetting. We just nodded and acted like we could see what he was pointing out. But we did get a better understanding of where exactly the radiation was being targeted.

 

After the appointment, I was starving and mom had an appetite for the first time following her pleural effusion. So we split a huge burrito and it hit. the. spot.  We were both so happy we couldn't speak until we were done eating.

 

I took mom back to grandma's, and we all were actively engaged in an episode of  Jeopardy before I realized I was going to be late for work in Newton (I've been driving back and forth all week) if I didn't skidaddle. I jumped up to leave, which sent mom into an immediate panic. "DANIELLE JORDAN! DO NOT SPEED! COPS WANT TO GIVE TICKETS! I'LL KNOW IF YOU SPEED DANI. DONT EVEN GO TWO OVER THE SPEED LIMIT. JUST TAKE IT EASY YOU WONT GET THERE ANY FASTER IF YOU SPEED!!!" As she was giving me the same lecture I receive ten times a day (having to stop between every threat to take a huge breath), I snapped a picture of her without her realizing it. You tell me, should I be intimidated by a five foot tall lady attached to an oxygen concentrator? 

For the record, I didn't speed. I listen to my ma.

I had to work Saturday night as well, and mom slept most of the weekend. This morning I drove back to Wichita for church, and afterwards zoomed to my grandma's for what I knew would be a delicious home-cooked dinner. We've been sooo lazy all evening. I love to just sit around with my grandparents and talk about what so many people find boring; the gospel, genealogy, history. I have so much to learn from them and I'm grateful they're willing to teach me everything they know. They're just so...wise. As we were laying about, I burst into laughter as I saw my mom's chubby feet propped up on the coffee table:

I'm mad because that picture doesn't do them justice. She kept rotating her feet because she wanted me to catch them at a "slimming angle" (mama!) so you just can't tell how puffed up they are!  When they're swollen like that it's usually because of blood clots that have formed in her legs. Her filter (is supposed to) keep them from traveling to her lung/heart, so they're not technically putting her in danger now, but it takes a few days for them to dissolve.  Poor mama. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers....they are definitely working, because she has felt much more comfortable this weekend. Tomorrow she has radiation at 1 p.m. and that's it! Easy Monday. I, on the other hand, have a mountain of homework I need to begin now that mom has gone to bed for the evening. At least staying at grandma's means I'm approached with nice little surprises like this as I'm studying. Sigh. Grandmas are the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4vblG6BVQ