Post #46: A "Wired" Day

Hello Anita Fans!

Now that I'm back home in Spain, I am nine hours ahead of PDT (Pacific Daylight Time). Which actually works out well in terms of reporting on Anita. 5:30 p.m. my time is 8:30 a.m. her time and as time and events permit, that is when I'll be talking with her each day. I last talked with her this Sunday morning July 15 around 10:30 a.m. her time.

The day started out great for Anita because she and John now have A DOG!!! Specifically a wired-haired terrier puppy approximately 3 months old that they have named "Tristan." The story:

Anita has been thinking about this for quite some time. She and John have owned dogs in the past, so having one is not a new experience. As a terrier owner myself (a Jack Russell mix), I know what an energy force and spirit booster a terrier can be. Mother studied up on possible breeds and settled on the wired hair terrier. While I was there I bought her some books on terriers, and one in particular on wired hairs. I also got her "Puppies for Dummies." This is a fabulous book, filled with incredibly good advice on how to raise and train puppies and Anita and I recommend it to anyone contemplating getting a puppy.

Anita reported that she had been up all day Saturday [her energy is returning!], that she slept like a log Saturday night, was feeling better Sunday morning, got up, made her own breakfast and then she and John got in the car and went to get the puppy. She says it felt so great getting out of the house - she felt like she was getting out of jail!

When I called they had just been home for about a half hour and the puppy was exploring the whole house and carrying on with amusing antics. I haven't heard Mother laugh so delightedly and wholeheartedly for quite some time! What a wonderful mood lifter!! And John too has fallen in love with the puppy. Although a puppy is work, I think it is a great idea for them. It gives them both a positive focus outside of Anita's illness. And there is no doubt that it brings bouncing life and action into their home!

What a trooper! Anita's nausea is gone. Her shortness of breath is better and she can now walk through the house only having to stop and sit down periodically to catch her breath. Saturday night she had some pain on her side, but she thinks it was related to heartburn and it later went away. Other than that, she has no pain. Since I left on the 10th she has read two books! And I know that each morning she and John sit together while they read the newspapers, drink their morning coffee and Mother does her crossword puzzle.

On Monday July 16th, she will get another shot of the Neupogen. She will also get a referral to a cardiologist. Given her symptoms, she shouldn't take chances with her heart, so she is going to get that thoroughly checked out! She will continue to have weekly blood testing. Her next chemotherapy session (the third and without Rituxan) should be somewhere around July 24th. After that she will have three additional sessions spaced three weeks apart.

So, I close this posting feeling joyful. To hear the joy and vibrancy in Mother's voice is the best restorative to the stress and uncertainty we have all felt - not to mention the jet lag!

Melissa