Covid Christmas

What do you think this tool is used for? (See photo.)

If you guessed salad tongs, you’d be correct but these days it’s serving as a tool to help me dress. Because of the neuropathy in my hands and lymphadema in my left arm, I can’t pull on tops or pants. Its very frustrating but I’ve ordered some real tools from amazon to help with dressing.

Many good things happened in 2020 but many bad things as well. The good things are always my loving friends and family. But quite honestly the election had me on edge but things seem to be smoothing out. God gave me a verse that comforted me: 1 John 4:4. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” I’m eagerly awaiting January 20. I just heard today of terrorist explosion in Nashville, so I hope ppl calm down—especially since I have to go there Monday for treatment,

For me, I was officially declared metastatic in June although technicalIy I was metastatic before then. The cancer going to my rib made me more aware it was on the move, however.

Also in June my 92 yr old dad died. He had a heart attack and died within a few days. His funeral was a beautiful military one and Elizabeth my daughter (and her sons) came with me. Dan may have been working.

In September I broke my ankle. Now that was interesting since I’ve never had a broken bone. Fortunately my dear sister Bev broke hers a few years ago and had the boot I needed. She also kindly drove me to ortho. I slept on sofa bed downstairs so I wouldn’t have to climb. But I was back driving to Nashville after a few weeks. Better now but have to wear compression stockings. My therapist said I looked bad the week I broke my ankle, had a uti, and my lung lining was filling, so i must have looked bad.

The covid deaths have bern horrendous. Right now Tennessee ranks as number one in nation for greatest number of covid cases. Dan got a covid shot on Monday at Crossville where he was working but many weren’t getting shot although offered.

And speaking of death, my sweet 13 year old dog started growing an inoperable mouth tumor, and we had to put her to sleep when it seemed to be causing her pain as well as bleeding copiously The vets came to our house. This was around the first of December.

i also had another thoranthesis (left side) at park west hospital after my echocardiogram showed fluid in lung lining. He drained about 500 ml and said an equal amount was in right lung but he would only do one at a time. He seemed skeptical of the urgency of the draining but when i went back to see him the next week, after a chest x-ray, he was much more subdued bc the fluid was already returning. I’m having shortness of breath, but I told him I’d try to wait til end of January to have another draining. I’m due for another Cat scan and bone scan about January 22, and we will see where we are. The doc at park west was not as painless as the one in Nashville. Not sure why.

I was excited to learn that the editor who accepted my poem for Jama teaches at Harvard medical school. That makes me even more excited about the publication of my poem—probably the high point of my year. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/finding-poetry-in-cancer/?referringSource=articleShare

And now Christmas. What could have been a quiet Christmas, ended up being wild and fun. My daughter and her family came for dinner (they’ve been isolating for 2 weeks and all just had covid tests). Daniel Wiseman’s dad who is a part of our bubble also came. But it started snowing and snowing, so we had a rare snowy Christmas eve and Henry and Hugo were here with us for Christmas morning! It was a very special time!

And now i’m including a photo Elizabeth took Christmas Eve to show I’m not all gloom and doom. I’m glad to be alive! It takes me an hour to dress and I can’t write finger-wise for crap bc of neuropathy but this insidious disease hasn’t gotten me down yet. I know 2021 will be a better year: The bright conjoining of saturn and jupiter was a good omen and now the special snow. New president, less covid cases we hope, and maybe a better drug for my cancer—and perhaps the lung lining filling will get resolved (It’s probably caused by my clincal trial drug that I’ll be on indefinitely).

Nevertheless I have great hope for2021!