Paint Christmas Fun. Paint 2012 ???…Oh, Let’s Just Paint Over It.
So much to say and so little time! For a Buddhist, I have way too much enthusiasm for Christmas. I guess it speaks to the four-year old in me and the peace-on-earth speaks to the Buddhist. My in-laws from Texas joined us at my daughter’s home for Christmas brunch. They showed determination in attending the festivities. Their flight from Au
stin was cancelled due to bogus reports of bad weather hitting Chicago. Never happened. They had to detour to Dallas, then spend the night in St. Louis before flying on to Chicago. Their luggage decided to take another route and didn’t show up until two days later. In spite of it all, we had a wonderful visit. And it’s even more special when there are kids around to enjoy it too.
This year, I had time to make some items and I am proud to say the majority of gifts were homemade, or purchased at independent retailers or from artists.One of the gifts was a painting I did for my daughter. She doesn’t have any of my art, so I thought a painting of the building where she was born would be appropriate. It’s a large court building in Rogers Park. Yes, she was born at home with a doctor and nurse in attendance. Hey, it was the 70s.
Anyway, this building presented a challenge because every unit has a sunroom jutting into the courtyard, which is a perspective nightmare. I could have worked on it for another 10 hours adding detail, but you have to stop sometime and Christmas Eve was a pretty good time.
On the Healthfront
Today, after two months and four rounds of Atra, I visited Dr. G. Since I’ve only been able to be in a vertical position three to five hours a day, I planned to lobby for two weeks off between pills instead of one. This horizontal demise may be a surprising because people see me out and about looking all pulled together, but what people don’t know is that I go home and bury myself in the sofa or lay in bed. My mile walks are a distant memory. I’ve got NO energy and I’m achy all over much of the time. Because inaction begets inaction, I thought spreading out the doses of Atra might give me more recoup time. Plus, my second opinion doctor informed me that the “normal” regimen is one week a month, not the two I had been prescribed. Happily, Dr. G. saw the need to ease up and changed the regimen to one week a month. WhooHoo. I might even have a glass of brandy during my treatment sabbaticals.
Meanwhile, I cracked a tooth! I was chewing something and noticed something hard. I took it out and just thought it was a bone or something in the food. Now it definitely feels as if something is very wrong. And the dentist can’t see me for a week. Perhaps I will lose some weight because it is not easy to eat on the left side. Is there no reprieve from more doctor visits!!!!
Stay tuned for a hair update. I must take a photo and show you. If I’m not back by New Years, have a great one.
In Emily's Head 
hi, emily — we haven’t been in contact for awhile. i was away for a week in louisiana visiting an old friend from the 70’s who lives in cajun country so i got behind with christmas – no decorations, no cards sent. i had a private driving tour/guide the whole time in La.. went to hear cajun music where we were the only non-cajuns. hey, they looked just like we do. imagine that. soooooo friendly. i saw an alligator, a snake swimming in the marsh right outside our door (i’m not going in that water), swamps, cyprus trees, etc. i love cajun music and heard a lot. emily, call the office (they are open today til about 1 pm (i’m not there again til thursday) and ask sherry if they can refer you to someone for your cracked tooth. see what she says. she can be tough as far as scheduling although she has to do what lehtman tells her. i like the fact you are getting second opinions. ask the nurses what they think. i am a big fan of nurses. my oldest great-niece just was accepted into the school of nursing at univ. of tennessee. is the horizontal position because you have no energy or are those orders to rest that much because of the treatment? well, i have 5 days off and plan to get my act together so maybe i should get started. may 2013 treat you better than 2012. you got a kick in the pants that was not fair. let’s talk soon. happy new year to both of you…pam
pamela brunstrom
December 29, 2012
Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for the advocacy about calling the office, but with the holiday no one is even open. It’s not bothering me too much right now. I think I can wait. If I wind up at the office on Thursday, would you be available for lunch? I like nurses too. Happy New year to you too!
emilyshead
December 31, 2012
Hi Emily, I just stumbled upon your blog. I am also an APL survivor in the Chicago area. I am treated at LoyolaUMC. Happy New Year! If you’d ever like to compare war stories or treatment plan, I’m an open book.
Marci Melkonian Lapinskas
January 10, 2013
Wow…we are rare birds. Yes, I would love to chat. I’ll back channel with my contact info.
emilyshead
January 10, 2013