Rainy Day Monday

Today was a good day for Jimmy. He woke up rested, no fever and was feeling a lot better. After breakfast he walked with me to the laundromat. It was crowded and several of the washers were broken. I needed three machines but there were only two available. After I got settled Jim walked on to Whole Foods. His mission to buy some good beer. He also had to stop by the bank. Reluctantly I crammed the dirty clothes into two washers. The change machine wasn't working but fortunately I brought enough quarters with me. There was a homeless lady with her large folding cart in the middle of the laundromat. It had plastic bags of "stuff" hanging off the cart. After I started my wash I began a conversation with a nice couple Eddie and Janet. They were very friendly and engaging. He had a humorous sense of humor and was making light of the homeless lady taking over the center of the laundromat. It was raining outside so I get it she didn't want all her possessions outside but the laundromat is a very narrow space. Finally it got so crowded she did move her cart outside.

Eddie and Janet have lived in the city for 25 years. They originally came from California and have been married for 35 years. No kids or pets and both are retired. Eddie spent 45 years in the daycare business and Janet was an occupational therapist with the VA. He makes his own bread and does a lot of the cooking. She has a loom which takes us most of the living room in their one bedroom apartment but she says she spends a lot of time making curtains, table runners and gifts for people. They were so cute sharing the same cup of green tea from a thermos. I enjoyed talking to them.

                      

The lady with the bag was a little off. Sadly I think she was homeless or mentally ill. About the time the laundry was finished Jimmy reappeared from his adventure. We walked back to the apartment and had lunch. I am so glad he is feeling better.

Later in the afternoon we walked to the post office and then another 10 blocks to find the Dockers store. Unfortunately google maps was not notified because the store was no longer there. We stopped by an Enterprise business to inquire on renting a car for a day. Jim thought it would be fun to explore Long Island or the Hamptons.

Mexican is on the menu for dinner and I made some guacamole. We will probably watch a couple of episodes of Breaking Bad.

Weekend Interrupted

I haven't blogged in a few days. It has been busy and I have been away from the computer.  Friday Jimmy had his checkup at the center. It was cold out, we were 15 minutes late so we took a cab. Still we had to wait before being seen. Dr. Horwitz was out of town but we met with Peggy, our favorite nurse practitioner. Jimmy had blood work, vitals, the usual questions on how he is feeling. Most of his blood counts looked good except his platelets which were only 36. As I mentioned before platelets help the blood clot. He has to be extremely careful not to cut himself or even knock or bump himself because any bruising can cause internal bleeding. Everything else looked pretty good. He will now have a full week off from all chemo so hopefully this will allow his body to recover before it starts all over. His stomach has been upset and his appetite is down but all in all he tolerated the first round of treatment.

After the clinic visit we stopped to buy some wine and munchies and went back to get the apartment tidied up for Debby and Tom's arrival. They got in NYC and to their hotel by 2:30. The Vamoose bus from Lorton to the city is an inexpensive, convenient way to travel. I am thinking at some point I will take it home to change out our winter clothes for spring clothes. I'm not sure when because the timing has to be right with Jim's schedule.

We had a great visit with Tom and Debby. I made a spread of food: chicken salad, shrimp, smoked salmon, hummus and veggies, chips & salsa and a tomato, hearts of palm, cucumber salad. There was plenty to eat and we just stayed in the night and talked. Luckily the apartment has fold up card table chairs for extra seating. They aren't the most comfortable but they provided extra seating.

Later that night Jim's stomach was distressed. The next morning, Saturday, things worsened. Originally we had planned to take Debby and Tom to Central Park. Saturday was sunny, beautiful and cold. As it turned out I called the doctor on call because I was concerned Jimmy might have C-diff, a potentially serious bacterial infection. The physician told us to go to the Emergency Room at MSK. Reluctantly Jim agreed to go.

Luckily the ER was not crowded and they put Jim in a room shortly after arriving. We had a fantastic nurse, Alex. Unfortunately Jim's PICC line wouldn't give a blood return when Alex tried to draw blood for a work up. It flushed well and Jim was able to receive IV fluids through it. Alex had to stick Jimmy and his veins aren't very good due to all the chemo he has had over the last two years. Alex took his time examining all the possible areas on Jim's arms and was able to get a vein. To not go into too much detail we had to wait in the ER the entire day until Jim's results came back. C-diff is treated with antibiotics but in Jimmy's case they would possibly admit him so the antibiotics could be given intravenously. After 6 1/2 hours of waiting we were told it was not C-diff but probably a virus or just side effects from the chemotherapy. He was dehydrated and did get a liter and a half of fluid while there. By the time we left the hospital it was 7:00 and Jim was exhausted. Deb and Tom were Ok with going out to dinner on their own. Luckily they have a nice room down the street from our apartment which overlooks the East River and Roosevelt Island. We have stayed there a couple of times when we used to come up to NYC for doctor appointments. The plan now was to try to visit Central Park and have lunch out before they head back to Virginia.

SUNDAY-

Jim woke up at 4:00 in the morning with stomach distress. On top of things he had a fever. It was 100.2. Now we are both questioning if the C-diff test was accurate. After all it was a rushed test. Could it be a false negative? Normally it takes 24-48 hours to get results. By 8:00 this morning he still was having distress but his temperature was back to normal. I'll have to monitor it closely. 

I called Debby at 10:00 to let her know what was going on. We would not be able to go to Central Park. She and Tom decided they would go and take a horse-drawn carriage ride. Around noon they came to the apartment. They enjoyed the carriage ride and learning about the different celebrities who  live close to the park. 

        

Before Debby and Tom left we walked to get a bite to eat. Jimmy came with us but refrained from eating anything. We walked a few blocks over to the East River and enjoyed the sunshine. They took a cab back to Penn Station around 3:00. By 4:15 Jim's temperature was 102.0. We didn't want to call the doctor on call because they would tell him to go to the ER. He took Tylenol and laid down. I walked to 2nd Avenue Deli and got him some Matzo Ball Soup otherwise known as Jewish penicillin. His temperature came down and we laid low the rest of the night.  Tomorrow we will follow up with Dr. Horwitz's office.

Jane sent me a couple of pictures of the dogs. Top one Boo has found a bit of sunshine to lie in which is typical of him. The other picture finds Boo comfortably snoozing in JJ's bed. She is on the rug not looking too happy about it. These pictures really brighten my day. Thank you Jane!

A Higher Perspective

Pure-Spirit.com says when an eagle appears, you are on notice to be courageous and stretch your limits. Do not accept the status quo, but rather reach higher and become more than you believe you are capable of. Look at things from a new, higher perspective. Be patient with the present; know that the future holds possibilities that you may not yet be able to see. You are about to take flight. 

The other day I read an article about a bonded pair of eagles who have built a nest located in a tall Tulip Poplar tree at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. The nest overlooks the Anacostia River. The eagle pair named "Mr. President" and "The First Lady" have two eggs that are expected to hatch in late March. They take turns sitting on the nest. To follow the eagles the following website provides 24 hour coverage using 2 solar powered high definition video cameras.  View them at http://www.eagles.org/dceaglecam/

These are screen shot pictures I took from the website. What beauties!


Today didn't turn out as planned. Jim and I were going to walk the mile walk to Whole Foods and purchase some groceries for tomorrow night. Jim was looking forward to getting outside after the last two days of rain. His stomach was bothering him this morning and he was extremely fatigued. After finally getting out of bed he rested on the couch the rest of the morning. Not much appetite. We decided it would be better for him to stay inside and rest and that I would go to the store. I grabbed my two Trader Joe bags, backpack and headed out the door. Immediately after I left the building and started to walk down the street I saw a large couch rolling down the sidewalk towards me. There were movers up ahead putting furniture in their truck but it was very windy out and this couch was not secure. Amazingly enough the lady ahead of me walked out of the couches way so it picked up momentum. I  decided to go towards it and stop it before it crashed into a park car on the side of the road. Shortly afterwards the two movers saw what happened and we all had a good laugh.

Whole foods was a brisk 20 minute walk. Once there I took my time perusing the aisles. The aisles are so narrow and crowded. I am definitely spoiled with my big grocery stores back in Virginia. The groceries were heavy so I took a cab back to the apartment. I am now comfortable stepping into the street and hailing a cab. When I got back to the apartment Jimmy was still in bed. I am glad he is allowing his body to rest when it needs it. Tomorrow night is his 14th day of the oral chemo. He then will get a week off all chemo. Hopefully during this time his body will have time to recover.

After I put the groceries away I made some lunch. I put a few chili & lime tortillas on my plate and when I bit into one of the chips somehow the powdered spice came off the chip and into my eye. OUCH!!! I groped my way to the bathroom to splash cold water in my eye. It's all good and they also are good chips.

Lazy, Inactive, Sluggish, Slothful Kind of Day

I feel like my bottom is spreading and I'm gaining weight. No really! Today the two of us sat on the couch most of the day on our computers researching, surfing the web and reading the news online. It was cold and rainy all day. I know we have been here two months but we still are not used to being in such close quarters and doing so little. There is the bedroom with bed and dresser in one room and there is the couch, TV and kitchen in another. After sitting on the couch too long we get sore and have to walk around the space.

Before Jim got out of bed I mopped the floor with vinegar water. I rearranged the food in the cabinets. That was it. My housework was done.

By mid-afternoon we finally got off our glutei maximi and ventured out in the rain. Jimmy went to get a take out bison burger around the corner and I went to return something to the grocery store and mail a box at the post office. We returned back at the apartment at the same time. Jim surprised me with some beautiful tulips to brighten up the apartment.

It was a low key day. Tomorrow we will take a long walk to Whole Foods and get some appetizers for Friday. We will have visitors. Debby and Tom are taking the bus up to visit. Jim will be on his off week from chemo and his last chemo pill is tomorrow night. Hopefully his blood counts will be ok when he has his blood checked Friday.

Rainy day and problem solving

Today was laundry day but this time I was accompanied by Jimmy. We left early to get it done before the rain came. It was blustery and damp out. After putting in the loads we walked to the bakery to buy a southern pecan loaf of bread Jim has been wanting to try. It was as good as he hoped it would be. We went to Starbucks on the way back and Jim snacked inside the laundromat. Luckily we had the place to ourselves this morning. After the laundry was finished we walked around and looked at three potential apartment buildings to rent in the future. I will need a place to stay once Jim is admitted to the hospital for transplant. There are several extended stay companies I have been in contact with and I know where the apartments are located so we just looked at the buildings and the locations from the street. Since we don't have definitive dates as of yet it is impossible to secure anything. I found one very nice apartment about 13 minutes from the hospital that would be perfect for me. I wish I could book it because I'm afraid it will not be available for long.

It started to rain so we hurried back to the apartment. When we got back we noticed the smoke detector was chirping. You know that annoying high pitched chirp every 30 seconds. We could only find one detector and the chirping sound did not seem to come from it. We spent the next half hour walking around the tiny apartment and freezing like statues trying to ascertain where the chirp was coming from. It really didn't seem to be the obvious smoke detector but Jim pull the battery out of it anyway. He tried to push the test button and nothing happened. We ended up going back out to the drugstore to buy a battery. Even with a new battery something was still chirping. Finally I called Denis, the Airbnb guy and asked him if there were any other detectors that we were missing. He said there used to be a carbon monoxide detector. Bingo. Jim found a chirping box under the sink behind a lot of junk. Problem solved.

Busy Yesterday, Lazy Today

Today is Monday. The internet is working again in the apartment. Jim is sleeping in this morning. I hope we didn't overdue it yesterday. It was a busy day.

Yesterday afternoon we took a bus to Battery Park, a 25-acre park located at the southern tip of Manhattan. There is a path you can walk that hugs the water and in the distance you can see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We watched ferries depart full of people going to see Lady Liberty. Aside from an occasional man trying to shove brochures in your face to take a ferry ride, our day was peaceful and pleasant. We walked through the park and stopped at the many statues along the way.

"The Sphere" is a 25-foot bronze statue that stood in the plaza area between the World Trade Center towers for 3 decades. The artwork was meant to symbolize world peace through world trade. After the attacks on September 11th the sphere was recovered from the rubble and was relocated to Battery Park.

Six months after the attacks it was formally rededicated with an eternal flame as a memorial to the victims of 9/11. It remains today as an icon of hope and the indestructible spirit of this country. It has become a major tourist attraction, due partly to the fact that it survived the attacks with only dents and holes.

The Immigrants is a sculpture celebrating the diversity of New York City and the struggle of immigrants in this bigger than life bronze sculpture. The statue depicts figures of various ethnic backgrounds and time periods including an Eastern European Jew, a freed slave, a priest, and a worker.








While strolling through the park there were musicians and street dancers. Everybody working for a tip. When we stopped to take a break we noticed a squirrel running along the ground with a paper bag in his mouth. We watched him climb a tree and jump from tree to tree until he got to a nest in a tree. All the while he had this bag in his mouth covering his face. It's amazing he could see where he was going. It was probably a female squirrel.









After we left the park we walked for about 15 minutes to the One World Trade Center. Obviously we could see it from Battery Park so it wasn't hard to find our way. It is the tallest skyscraper in the Western hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest in the world. As we approached the grounds there were a lot of people walking around. Everyone was quiet and very respectful. It was a somber feeling to see the names of all those who perished that day. It was a very beautiful memorial. The two reflecting pools covered the exact footprints of the Twin Towers. The names of all the victims of not only the 2001 attack but also the 1993 attack were etched in bronze along the walls of the pools.

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There was one lone tree that stood out from all the rest, the Survivor Tree. This callery pear tree survived the attacks of 9/11. The tree was discovered in October 2011 at Ground Zero. It was severely damaged with broken and burned branches but was removed and put in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. After its recovery it was moved to the memorial site in 2010 and remains there today as a reminder of resilience, survival and rebirth.

While walking back to Battery Park to catch a bus back we passed the National Museum of American Indian. It was free so we popped in for half an hour. Like all museums you need a full day to visit. The small section we looked at displayed wonderful old artifacts some dating back to A.D. 300. This was one museum worth visiting.

 I am so glad Jimmy was able to see a different side of New York City beside the filthy streets full of trash and dog poop.

We took the bus back closer to Upper East Side and got off to walk to a restaurant Jim has been wanting to visit. It is called Treadwell and there was a craft beer he wanted to try. We stopped in for a bit and a bite to eat. Nice place.

That was yesterday. Today we stayed in all day and around 4:00 I had to get out and stretch my legs so I went to the post office to check the mail. I also went by a possible future place to rent. As I was standing on the street looking at the apartment the most adorable bulldog full of personality walked by. I struck up a conversation with his owner. The poor dog was missing a lot of hair on his back. She told me he was a rescue and had been kept in a cage for most of his life somehow losing his hair. She named him Ray for a ray of sunshine. He is a lucky dog now.

I tried to get a good picture of him but he was so excited I was paying him attention that he kept knocking me down. This is the best I could do. On my way back home I passed two different homeless men sleeping on the street. Even in the Upper East Side there are homeless people. This one guy had his shoes off, a cigarette in his hand and an empty small bottle of liquor by his side...SAD.

SHORT

The internet is spotting in the apartment tonight so I had to use my personal hotspot on my phone to type this. Anyway Jim felt a lot better today and we spent the entire afternoon down at Battery Park. I took lots of pictures and will blog about it tomorrow. Hopefully the internet will be back up in the apartment.

Happy Sunday Night!

Platelets Low and Laying Low

Restless night in the apartment. Being Friday night I was aroused twice from my sleep. The first was 2:20 when some loud people came home. We not only hear the front door buzzard when someone rings it to be let into the building but our apartment is on the 2nd of 5 floors so you can hear everyone as they walk up the stairs. The second interruption was at 4:30. People came home and then I continued to hear them talking for awhile. Jimmy didn't sleep well either. The steroids they gave him during chemo along with espresso coffee contributed to his insomnia. He got out of bed earlier than me. His stomach was a bit nauseous and he started to feel chilled. Closely watching his temperature it climbed to 100.7 by 10:00. He sent an email to Peggy, the nurse practitioner, took 2 Tylenol and went back to lie down.

Any fever of 100.5 is cause for concern when undergoing chemotherapy. Since Jimmy's platelets are already low a high fever can eat them up dropping them dangerously low. One good thing going for him for now is his white blood count is in the normal range. At least he is not neutropenic so we don't have to worry as much about him catching something.

By 12:15 Jim's temperature was down to 99.4 so I was happy the Tylenol was working. He continued to rest in bed and encouraged me to go outside so I did. I wished he could have come with me. It was so nice out. Temperatures were close to 60. I walked to the post office first and then to the bakery to buy Jim a loaf of cinnamon bread but they had already sold out. I kept walking until I got to Central Park. There were so many people out and about. It was Saturday and it was a beautiful day. I entered the park and walked north passing the playgrounds full of children, people sitting on the benches chatting and lovers strolling hand and hand. Of course there were lots of dogs. I didn't want to be away too long so I exited when I could and walked past the Nuts4Nuts cart. The streets of New York City are peppered with these vendors selling fresh candied nuts that you can smell a block away.

Not an uncommon site

On my walk back towards our neck of the woods I passed a church that caught my attention. It was called All Souls Church of New York City. I walked in and luckily peeked through the crack in the sanctuary doors before opening them. Glad I did. A Celebration of Life ceremony was being held for an 80 year old member named Emily Blake. Quietly I exited. I did notice that the church runs a soup kitchen every Friday. It serves 400 lunches each week for approximately 250 neighbors in need. 

When I got home Jim was up watching college basketball. He was feeling better and his temperature has stayed normal. Just for precautionary measures he took 2 more Tylenol at 3:00. Luckily he has a two week break now from the IV chemo and his oral chemo break start Thursday. Hopefully during that time his body will recover some.

205 East 64th Street

Today we spent 9 1/2 hours at the clinic. Well I should say Jimmy spent the 9 1/2 hours there. We left the apartment together to walk the 15 minutes to the clinic but I detoured with my brand new rolling cart full of laundry. It may seem that I do laundry all the time but it is nothing compared to back home. Up here I usually go to the laundromat once a week. While in there I met a native New Yorker. She must have been in her late 60's and was born here in Manhattan. She told me she has lived here all her life. Prior to coming to the laundromat she went to the pharmacy to purchase a thermometer. She was lamenting about the "new" digital thermometers. She wanted to buy the old glass mercury one and the clerk told her they don't sell them anymore. She talked about her grandson who is 18 and autistic. He lives with his mother and sister in Queens and she babysits him from time to time. We talked about her losing her cat recently and her Chihuahua before that. She also said she had a wolf shepherd mix years ago. She would like to get another pet but would have no one to look after it when she travels to her daughters house. Her clothes almost finished shortly after we started talking or it would have been nice to chat with her longer.

After the laundry was finished I wheeled back to the apartment, put the clothes away and made lunch to bring back to the clinic. I snapped a few pictures of a dog walker on my walk back to the clinic. The pooches are always so well behaved. I got back around 12:15 and Jim was still waiting in the general area. It is such a long day because they have to draw his blood first and wait for the results to come back. His blood counts have to be high enough before they begin the chemo. Also he has to wait to be seen by the nurse practitioner, Peggy. As it turned out his platelets today were only 50. The range is 160-400. Protocol for the clinical trial is to not give the chemotherapy if platelets were below 80. Peggy had to discuss this with one of the oncologist and they decided to go ahead and continue with the treatment. Let's hope today's chemo doesn't eat up the rest of his platelets. He was finally hooked up around 1:00. The first two IV drugs they give him are a steroid and an anti-nausea drug. Then he has to have an EKG done before they start the Romidepsin chemo. That infuses over 4 hours. When the Romi is finished he has another EKG. The last chemo given takes 30 minutes to infuse and then we get to go home.                                            On our walk home we stopped at Pizza Park so Jimmy could get a slice of pizza, whole wheat Margherita.

Tonight we will continue our series Breaking Bad. Woo Hoo Friday Night!