Last Day of Treatment

Another restless night. Part of it was anticipation for today and making sure I didn't oversleep. Part of it was the loud sounds that came from the wall which were probably related to the heating unit. Jimmy did not sleep well either. I was awake by 5:15 and lay there until I had to get up at 5:40. I prefer to wake up before the alarm goes off then I am not startled from my sleep.

We took the 6:30 MSK shuttle to the hospital for Jim's 8:15 PET Scan. This is an important scan. It will show how well the immunotherapy is working to squash the B-cell lymphoma. What we want to hear is that the cancer is in remission enough to continue to the transplant phase. If that is the case then Jim will be admitted shortly and within 2 weeks will have the transplant. 

After Jim was taken back for the scan I walked down the street to the Catholic church. This is the church I have walked by many times and always wanted to go inside. This time I did. I sat in the second to last pew, put down the kneeler and prayed. Afterwards, I just sat in silence for about 30 minutes taking in the beauty of my surroundings. There must have been 6-7 people who came in to pray during my time there. Before I left I gave a donation and lit a candle. It's a Catholic thing. The candles are known as vigil lights. Mine was a votive candle. Lighting a candle is a way of extending one's prayer and showing solidarity with the person on whose behalf the prayer is offered.

Back at the waiting room a couple came in with a small boy. It was obvious he was the patient getting ready to have a procedure or test. The dad came in first with the boy and the mother appeared 10 minutes later. It's possible she was parking the car but I got the impression they were separated and she appeared very restless. The boy leaned against his dad the whole time and there was no communication between any of them. I am a people watcher. I always wonder what other people are going through. You can tell a lot from watching facial expressions and body language.

After the PET Scan we had time to kill before Jim's treatment.  He was hungry because you can't eat or drink after midnight the night before the scan and he wanted to visit his old go-to eateries, BagelWorks and Padoca. We decided to go to separate places and meet at Starbucks. Jim went to BagelWorks and ordered a whole wheat everything with veggie cream cheese and then a monkey babka, a coffee cake type Brazilian treat. I walked to the Verizon store and someone looked at my phone. He thought the problem was just a matter of upgrading the software. We'll see. After Verizon I went to Vegan Diva Bakery and bought two gluten free goodies. I met Jim at Starbucks. We sat at the counter facing the window, had coffee, ate our snacks and watched life walk by on 1st Avenue.

Treatment was uneventful luckily. Dr. Horwitz's PA came in to check on Jimmy's cold and how he was feeling. She is a tiny thing who looks about 25.


 During treatment I walked to the post office and CVS to pick up a refill for Jim. I texted back and forth with Jane and Laura. At the post office there was a lot of mail and even two magazines. There also was a box for Jim from Debby...goodies??? I saw my share of canines on the way back to the clinic. Can't wait until I get my camera fixed so I can take better pictures. Oh and I took a picture of my shadow.

After treatment was over we would have had to wait an hour and a half
to take the MSK shuttle back to the Hope Lodge. We decided to take the subway. Jim was tired and it was a lot quicker. What an experience. It was rush hour and we had to squeeze our way onboard when the train finally came. While waiting on the platform we saw a rat on the tracks.

The rest of the night we relaxed, packed, had dinner and watched the Iowa Republican Presidential Debates. Tomorrow Skye comes to visit...YEA! and we move back to the Upper East Side...YEA!

Jim and I both miss our boy but he is in good hands with Jane and John. Here is a picture of Boo (on the right) with his best friend JJ. They like to switch beds. JJ is in Boo's and Boo is in JJ's. Too Cute!

Venturing Out On My Own

Today was a day of doing laundry, running errands and beginning to pack for our next move. Jim was  tired today. He slept in which he needed. I spent the morning doing laundry and hanging out in the kitchen. I brought my computer in there and had breakfast. As I sat in the kitchen it is quiet. I am alone. I can faintly hear the noise from the street below as cars and buses travel back and forth. Looking out the window I can see the city people in their black coats scurrying along to work. Everyone is in a hurry. The pigeons perch under the overhang of the building across the street. On the floor most of the residents have likely gone to the hospital or clinics for their appointments. No one comes into the kitchen. Solitude is good.

I stayed in the kitchen all morning with the exception of going back and forth to the laundry room to check the clothes. At noon I contemplated on the prayer that Sandy sent me. The bells from the church tower next door began ringing right at noon. It made me smile. I opened the window a bit so I could hear them better. I love hearing the bells. I was reminded they also ring at 7:00 in the morning. I woke to them ringing today.

Denise called to ask about Skye's diet and what she should buy for her. Skye will be visiting Naples at the end of her trip. She arrives in New York this Friday, then goes to Savannah for a few days. After that she will visit Bryanna in Tampa and Bryanna will drive her to Naples.

Jim finally surfaced after 12:00 and I made him a bowl of oatmeal. I also made a shake using apples, strawberries, banana and beet greens. Rose was in the kitchen by now preparing something for herself. I was getting ready to leave and she came over to give me a bowl of food. Oh no! Not again. I told sweet Rose I was full but I would save it for later. I tried to understand what it was and all I could gather was corn masa with vegetables and little fish, probably sardines.

Again it was a nice gesture. Here is a picture of Rose and the meal she offered me.

By 1:30 I was on the bus to go to the camera shop. My camera stopped working about a week ago and I found a shop in midtown that repairs Nikon cameras. The bus driver was friendly and engaging. A funny guy got on the bus and was conversing with a woman about the good ole days. They were sharing stories and he was telling jokes. It was quite humorous. True New Yorkers.

After I got to my stop I walked to where I though the camera store was. I walked into the building and it was like a flea market with lots of individual booths and everyone in there was a jeweler. It was kind of like a pawn shop with individual counters. Obviously I was in the wrong place. Luckily I had the number in my phone for the shop and the recording mentioned the address. It was 1.1 mile away back towards the Hope Lodge. I needed the exercise so I looked up the best route on my phone and started walking. I ended up going right through Times Square. Creepy Statue of Liberty people walking around.

Finally I found the shop and decided to leave my camera with them. They seemed legitimate. I did have to pay upfront after he told me the shutter wasn't working and needed replacing. Hopefully that is all that is wrong with it. It cost me $212.00 and will be ready Monday or Tuesday. I just want my camera back. 

After the shop I walked another mile to Whole Foods. Finally I got my greens! I ducted into a Verizon store to see if they could look at my phone but it was just a retail store. That will be an errand for another day.

Back at the Lodge Jim was resting so I went down to the 6th floor. Every Wednesday they have tea time from 4-6. A group of ladies bring snacks (mostly sweets) and offer tea and coffee to the residents. They also had homemade split pea soup which I tried and it was good. Jim came down to find me and joined in too. He was in heaven with all the sweets. Even though we had some snacks we still ate chili nachos and salad for dinner.

The rest of the night I started packing. It takes a while to get all my stuff packed. Tomorrow will be a long day at the clinic. PET Scan in the morning and treatment in the afternoon. 

Exploring The Village

Last night was another restless one. Jimmy has a cough that just won't quit. He is on his second antibiotic and some over the counter medicine but he still starts coughing in the middle of the night. His blood counts have come down since the new immunotherapy treatment started. His immune system is compromised therefor the cough and congestion is lingering. We got out of bed around 8:00, had breakfast and prepared to leave by 11:00. Getting going is the hardest part.

Our destination today was Greenwich Village. Jim Waters told Jimmy he had to visit the Village while in New York. We were thinking of bringing Skye here when she visits so we wanted to do a test run. By 11:30 we were on the bus headed to Washington Square Park, a 9-acre public park in the NYC neighborhood of Greenwich Village. It has been the landmark as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity.

I could only imagine what it is like in the warmer months to visit this park. The large fountain in the center would be flowing with kids and adults
splashing in the waters, musicians playing music,
poets reciting poetry and artist painting pictures. Most of the area surrounding the park now belongs to New York University.



We walked around the streets but unfortunately the melting snow and crowded sidewalks took away from the true vibes of the area. There were a lot of college kids out and about. Jim wanted to stop at a craft beer pub he had researched so we went to The Malt House to warm our feet and take a break. It was a quaint pub with old brick walls and thick wooden tables. We ordered drinks and relaxed for a while.

After warming up we walked around and couldn't decide if we should find a bite to eat in Greenwich Village or go on to Whole Foods to gets some groceries and buy something to eat there. As we were trying to decide we passed Chloe. It was packed with college kids and looked like a burger joint. As we looked closer we saw that it was a Vegan Cafe with many gluten free options. SCORE!!! I was so excited. Needless to say we went in and had lunch. Our food was delicious. I will be back even if I have to take the subway.

Jimmy ordered the Classic Burger- a tempeh, lentil, chia, walnut patty with pickles, onion, beet ketchup and special sauce.
Piggy had the Quinoa Taco- spicy tempeh chorizo, black beans, sweet corn, avocado, tomato, tortilla strips, crema with agave-lime vinaigrette. We shared air baked sweet potato fries and Jim had the cinnamon espresso chocolate chip cookie.

After lunch we decided to skip Whole Foods and return home on the bus. Something went wrong and the bus never showed. We waited a good 20 minutes or more for it. The subway station was right behind us so we decided to go for it and took the subway home. It took half the time. The rest of the night we chilled or should I say warmed in the room. Here are a few more pictures of our adventure to Greenwich Village.

A lady waiting for the bus with us. She had a fur coat on and pink rubber boots with a duck face. You see all kinds of people in New York. I think Jimmy gets a little annoyed that I take so many pictures. 

DOGS

DOGS

DOGS

DOGS

DOGS

DOGS

DOGS

DOGS 

Wide Open Spaces

Today Jim and I were determined to leave the Hope Lodge and make it to Central Park. We planned to take the 11:00 MSK shuttle to the Upper East Side. The Hope Lodge has a complimentary shuttle that runs back and forth to the hospital every hour and a half during the day. We had cereal for breakfast and made it downstairs with ten minutes to spare. As it turned out the shuttle was running an hour behind. We eventually decided to take the bus. First we had to walk to the entrance to the subway and purchase metro cards. I think we looked like newbies trying to decide how much money to put on the cards. We grabbed some coffee at Starbucks and went to the bus stop. I learned from my google maps app what bus to take and how often they run. Lucky for us the bus stop we needed was directly in front of the Hope Lodge. An hour later than planned we were headed to the Upper East Side.


Our first stop was the post office. The walk there was pretty good. The sidewalks were cleared well. The problem came when it was time to cross the streets. So much snow was piled against the curbs and there were large pools of melted snow that at times were difficult to walk around. We have mail. Today was the first day we received some of our forwarded mail. All of it was bills except for a nice card from Micky Plum who lives at the river. Our next stop was Corrado Bread and Pastry Shop. Jim loves their bread. It is a tiny bakery with more seating outside than in. Luckily we were able to snag a table inside. Jim ordered a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich on pumpernickel. I brought my lunch (GF crackers, nut cream cheese and smoked salmon). For dessert he treated himself to a piece of carrot cake and I had a Kind Bar.

I'm really glad Jimmy decided to travel today. Before we left this morning he was feeling tired. Getting out in the fresh air is so good for both of us. We can always catch a bus home now that we are pros.

Our next stop was Central Park. It was beautiful. The trees and hills were covered in snow. People were out taking pictures, walking dogs and some were out for jogs. We even saw small children sledding and one lady on skis.

The dogs of New York are so pampered. Many of them have winter coats which is really needed in the cold weather. We have also seen a lot wearing booties and some even hats and scarves.

This scene makes me think of the movie Love Story with Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal. The scene when he is ice skating and she is sitting on the bleachers watching him. It was filmed at the ice rink in Central Park. Below is an actual picture from the movie.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this woman walking through Central Park alone in high heels. Right as I was getting ready to take a picture she stopped and bent over. OOPS.

We came across a few snowmen. This particular one was Jim's favorite. She was very patient as he posed with her.

After the Park we made our way back to the Hope Lodge and warmed our feet up back in the room. For dinner I made a measly dinner of spaghetti. No lettuce, no salad, no good. We will have a big breakfast tomorrow.

It was a good day!

Concrete Jungle in the Midst of a Blizzard

I was excited to go out into the city to take pictures of the snow. I was excited to see what it looked like and how much snow the city got. We knew from watching the news that Manhattan had at least 27 inches. Our view from the Hope Lodge is limited. We have two big windows in our bedroom that look out over West 32nd Street and across from other tall buildings. From the communal area on the 6th floor there are windows but again the view is a city street and other tall buildings.

After breakfast Jim and I bundled up and walked to the CVS a few blocks away to pick up his medicine. Unfortunately, the doctor's office called his prescription to the wrong pharmacy. We ended up walking another few blocks to the next CVS. It was amazing how well the streets and sidewalks were plowed. We passed one building that was roped off to prevent people from walking directly below it. Sheets of ice would periodically fall from the high rise so you had to be very careful where you walked. The hardest part was crossing the streets. The curbs were either piled high with snow or they were a slushy mess to cross.

After CVS we walked another 15 minutes to a grocery store. We decided to go to Fairway Market which was closer than walking to Trader Joe's. What a mistake. Fairway was smelly, unorganized and dirty. I passed on the fresh produce and stuck to canned and packaged goods. We also stopped by the liquor store to buy a bottle of bourbon and some red wine. By now our feet and hands were cold but the sky was blue and the sun was out. It felt good to be outside even if we were in the middle of Manhattan.

After we got back to the Lodge I unloaded the groceries and Jim and I headed across the street to the "Mall". We wanted to buy a twin mattress pad for his bed. He has been sweating lately and the Hope Lodge mattress pad is a waterproof one which only exacerbates the situation. In the mall was a JCPenney's and we quickly found what we were looking for.

I decided to make dinner early although we wouldn't eat for a couple of hours. While in the kitchen Rose, another resident, was making something to eat. Rose is from Africa. She has breast cancer and her son insisted she come to America for treatment. He lives in New Jersey and brought her over here. She lived with him for a while and had a driver take her to the city for her chemo treatments. After she was more comfortable with the big city she moved into the Hope Lodge. She has been in treatment since April...9 MONTHS! Chemo is over and she is going through radiation now. Her English is limited but we communicate somewhat. She is a strong woman. While I was beginning to prepare the chili she came over and handed me a small plate of noodles with carrots, peas and beans.
I thanked her and then thought I can't eat this. I don't want to eat this but I wouldn't be able to communicate to her that I can't have gluten. Luckily when she was washing some dishes I put the food in one of my empty bean cans. It was a lovely gesture to offer me food. Rose is a neat woman.


We had the chili later in the evening and I made some Detoxinista's chocolate chip cookies. Jimmy watched the two football games and I did what I do every night: text, check emails and journal. Well now I blog. Tomorrow we hope to see the snowfall in Central Park.

Jonas Hits New York City

Today we woke up in anticipation of snowstorm Jonas. Very little snow had accumulated over night. The only view we could see from our room at the Hope Lodge was facing West 32nd street. From our bedroom window on the 9th floor we can only see a small portion of the narrow street below and the tall brick buildings in front of us. For breakfast I made buckwheat pancakes with bananas, chocolate chips and walnuts. I had just enough almond milk left for the pancakes. We are running low on food staples but will make due until I get to the store. Around noon we went to the 6th floor to watch the snow fall. The 6th floor of the Hope Lodge is the general floor where residents can go and spread out. There are many sitting areas, a full kitchen, library, meditation room, computer room and television area. There is a large deck that would be very nice during warmer months. The windows are floor to ceiling on one side which made for nice weather watching. Here are a few pictures from mid-day. The snow is beginning to come down harder.


 I was texting back and forth a lot today with Sara and Skye, Debby and Sandy, Jane and Laura. We were sharing pictures from the day. Northern Virginia and Charlottesville were hit hard too. Around 2:30 we went back to our floor and I made grilled cheese sandwiches. Jim had cheddar on sourdough and I had petit basque (a sheep cheese) on Le Pain's gluten free bread. It was my first grilled cheese sandwich in over three years. So delicious! I still have to watch my yeast intake. The bread is made with yeast so I can't be eating it every day but it is a nice splurge. After lunch Jim took a nap and I went back downstairs to watch the snow. Later for dinner I had to be creative with what little items we had left in our designated bin. The refrigerator is divided into 6 sections and each room has their own bin to store their food. We split a leftover bean and cheese tortilla, leftover tilapia from the other night and sweet potato fries. After dinner we went back to the room and I talked to Denise. We watched TV the rest of the night, mostly CNN. Much of the coverage was the DC area and NYC. Central Park got 26 inches of snow. We are going to try to walk to CVS tomorrow to pick up some medicine for Jimmy and check out the snow for ourselves. Hopefully we can buy a few more groceries.