A Visit from Nicholas

Nicholas drove down from Seattle with his friend Kevin late last night. This morning, we got caught up on his adventures and work - it gave Tashie a lift to see him, and get his oh-so-strong hugs.
The tiredness seems (to me) to be slowly slowly abating in a subtle way - the changes are barely discernible, (although I don't think it's purely my imagination run wild). She naps frequently, and listens to conversations more than participating in them.

But glory be...she is finally eating with a tiny smattering of gusto, especially if she sees B&M Boston Baked Beans on her plate! She misses the brown bread, but I can't seem to find it here. Anyone knows where to get it, give me a shout.

Masque of Mystery

Tashie did not want to take her mask home, but I begged her to let me take it - after all, if she wanted to see it someday, it would be here. We would maintain that option. But if we left it to the hospital rubbish bin...no options for revisiting. When she started radiation, she was curious about the mask, and said she'd take it home for Hallowe'en or some sort of dress-ups, but then as she started to feel the double burdens of fatigue and burning, its charm vanished. Anyway, it sits in our closet, to be revealed or not as she sees fit.
She is tired still, and today decided not to get dressed at all, as she plans to be back and forth in bed for naps. We're slathering on that aloe and Vitamin E mixture, which seems to really help - much more than the Vit E alone. The neti pot is helpful as well for congestion.
She asks when this tiredness will go away, and I remind her that it will, but it will take a couple of weeks.

Burning time...

The burn across her nose, cheeks, and forehead is hurting more, and getting even darker. It is probably fortunate that she can't see it too well. She feels the burn though, and skin tenderness. We are putting an aloe/vitamin E combination on it - hopefully it will start to make a difference.

It's been cloudy, but here's an opening into the sun!

She sleeps a lot, and we have been indulging her inclination to move only when necessary - we'll resume the walking and exercise program later. Micah the kitty isn't feeling well himself - I think it's a sympathetic ailment!

Whoopee! Last Day of Radiation!

At least that's the way we were feeling as we led up to that day of finishing...
But by the time the day came, the profound and legendary fatigue of radiation had set in. Tashie wanted to want to celebrate, and itemized her wishes for dinner:
Dungeness crab cocktail
Steamed spinach
Sautéed mushrooms
Corn on the cob
Crispy fried potatoes
Custard
She listed these yummy items as we drove home from the hospital. So I dropped her (in the gentle care of Terry) off at the apartment, while I set off to procure the food stuffs.
By the time I got home, arms laden with treats, Tashie was curled up in her bed and dozing. After checking with her that she was indeed hungry, Terry and I cooked, while Clarke  set the table and lit the candles.
Our Tashie took her time getting out of bed - as she describes, "I'm weak as a kitten."
She sat down, and took a couple of bites of crab cocktail. She was clearly yearning for bed, and jumped at our suggestion, adding "All this good food, I'm so sorry." We reassured her that she needn't eat anything more, we'd cook again when she would be ready. So she gratefully tumbled back into bed, and slept soundly.

Even more tired...

The fatigue is getting more pronounced. Even when she was with Bruce and Bethany this weekend, she did no rowing - that speaks volumes, as she is always up for rowing when she's with Coach Bruce. She went to Bethany's opening at the Brian Marki gallery, and enjoyed seeing Bethany's incredible creations. Her vision is definitely compromised, but she seems to get the flavour and essence of those paintings. And Bruce tells me that other than that, she spent a quiet weekend.

Fatigue sets in...

Micah and Nesto

The fatigue that we were cautioned to expect has settled in for a spell. Tashie is very very tired, and having lie-downs in the morning and afternoon, and sometimes in between. Philip and Katherine visited this morning, and of course that was uplifting for her. It was especially exciting for her to hear that they are contemplating a move north to Portland. And again...I forgot to whip out my iPhone for some pix - shouldn't I have learned by now? Shortly after they left, Michael dropped by  for a very short visit with Nesto, who was greeted with cat-like enthusiasm by our Micah. I did get some photos of Terry holding Nesto, but none of Our Ladyship with her gentlemen callers. Tashie asked me to move her appointment back a little so that she might have a rest for half an hour before leaving for St. Vincent's. I was afraid that she wouldn't want to go at all once she got prone, but she was up and ready to go as soon as 30 minutes had passed - that seemed to be all she really needed. The staff in the radiation department are really wonderful with Tashie. They try everything to make her as comfortable as possible without disturbing their "mapping," bringing her warm blankets and moving her with kindness and gentleness. While we wait to go in, we work on crossword puzzles. And when Terry takes her, they stop at the Rose Garden afterwards

Champion in her Class

Kirk stopped by this morning (Tashie's twin, as they share a June 1st birthday) for a visit. He'd been helping Bruce and Bethany collect wood for the winter, so spent some relaxing time chatting and catching up with Tashie.
Later, Michele and Bill Failing stopped by for a quick visit. Tashie thrives at her place in the mountains, with her people. I hate to drag her back for more radiation...but it will soon end, and she will be able to return to her mountain and her stream.

We were all packed up to start our road trip, and headed toward the road, when Bruce suggested that Tashie work out a bit on the rowing machine. So we all trooped back into the rowing room, and while Bruce coached, her progress was recorded: Bethany on still camera, Eliza on video.

B

Martini time

Today is beautiful, sometimes sunny and sometimes clear, sometimes misty, and on the cool side. Kathy and David slept on the platform overlooking the bend in the river, and their reports ranged from simple mists to light rain. They loved the babbling of the river making its way downstream, and in the morning, saw herons and hawks wheeling above them. Kathy made yummy scrambled eggs from their friend's chicken farm. Fresh makes a huge difference - the yolks were almost an entirely different yellow than the ones we generally get. They took off for Eugene in the early afternoon, and it wasn't until evening that I realized that I took no photos of them, either on their own or with Tashie. Darn!
Mabsie came in the afternoon, and we brainstormed a bit about the fish hatchery land use, while Tashie napped. She is feeling the fatigue of radiation - she just noticed feeling it yesterday, so we are easing up a bit on her walking regimen, and encouraging frequent rest breaks.

The traditional "Martini time with Gail & Les" happened tonight, and  it was then that I realized that I had taken no photos since arriving - so I was determined to make up for it.
Bruce and Bethany spent the entire day, with lots of help and brawn from Kirk, cutting, chopping, and stacking wood. But they still managed to create a notable and bountiful dinner and brought it down to Tashie's.

Moving to the Mountain

Bruce, Bethany, Tashie, Clarke & Eliza drove up from Portland this afternoon - just getting out of town is a challenge! Kathy our-dear-cousin-from-Kaua'i
and her David are on a west coast holiday, including a visit to Tashie's. They actually beat us there, greeting us with a pot of hot tea and a fire being contemplated. Over a dinner of chicken and sides from Pollo Norte, we had a great evening catching up, reminiscing, and sharing and comparing island issues vs. central Oregon issues. These are images of two of Kathy's books - since I was too not-alert to take photographs of these dear cousins themselves, I am using the book covers as symbols of their stay. After dinner, Bruce got them settled with gear for sleeping outside, and we all turned in early.

Tashie tires after the long day of travel, and the mountain air perhaps relaxes all of us, tired or not! She is glad to be back in her nest, and so are the always amusing kitties.

A little tired...

This is the 7th day of radiation, and Tashie said she is beginning to feel tired.
Dr. Gannett assured her that this is quite normal. Tomorrow Bruce
will pick her up for her radiation treatment and then the drive to Camp Sherman. Clarke and I will follow, and our Hawaiian cousins, Kathy & David as well. K & D are on holiday from Kau'ai, visiting family in the Bay Area, Eugene, and Portland. It will be great to reconnect with them.
On Sunday, we'll be returning to Portland for another week of daily radiation.