Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Home

We've been home since late Monday night (a day and a half ago), and Patty and I are back at work, and the kids back at school. Our trip was wonderful, and so relaxing that I didn't even compose any blog entries in my mind! Things have been busy since our return, with unpacking and work, so I've been waiting for inspiration on posting. What a delight it was to return and read all of the comments after my last post before we left. I felt well supported and prayed for! I haven't downloaded any pictures from our vacation, but should have some ready by my next post.

While we were away, we swam, snorkeled, sat (or played) on the beach, and generally relaxed. It was wonderful to be away, and to put down all of the details of daily life. Since we were camping, we went to bed early, and read for a while in our tent, and got up with the sun in the morning.

Since we were camping, we had a few camping challenges. The sand fleas and mosquitoes really LOVED Nathaniel and Lucy, and we had some nights with lots of complaining about itchiness and trouble sleeping. We finally figured out how to spray the insect repellent around the tent, tie all of the little ribbons (no zippers in this tent!), and minimize the bugs. And, we had a resident lizard in our tent. We kept encouraging it to eat lots of fleas and mosquitoes, but it had trouble keeping up with the volume.

The beauty of camping at Cinnamon Bay Campground in St. John, USVI, is that the beach was just minutes from our tent. We could roll out of bed and check the water, go for an early swim, stake out some shady territory on the beach, and go back to our site for breakfast. We visited some other beaches and did some hiking, but the kids like staying put once they had made friends, and so we stayed close to the tent many days.

How have I been feeling? Not as good as I would like. I still feel side effects from the oxaliplatin, especially cold sensitivity (but not to cold foods). The warm Caribbean water gave me goose bumps, but fortunately, we had bought a wet suit for me, so I could snorkel without freezing. When I took my cold shower (they don't heat the water at the campground), I was the only one yelping through the cold water as I quickly showered. And the appetite thing really has not improved. My appetite is best in the morning, and diminishes as the day progress. Some days, I can't eat any dinner, although I did discover that baked potatoes sit well. I thought my appetite would return this long after my last infusion, and I could regain some of the weight I've lost. One fun thing about being in the Caribbean is that it was easy to buy Ginger Beer (non-alcoholic), which was zingy and gingery, and tastes like the ginger drink that Tia described how to make in a comment a few posts back. Yummy!

This Friday, I go for my next infusion, and I've had conversations with the oncology nurse, and others about the side effects I'm still feeling. I just hope that means the chemo drugs are still working against the tumors, and that the tumors have not taken advantage of this vacation to grow!

So, pictures and more information soon. For now, back to work!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome back! The BVI's are very nice, too! I just got back from a cabin in the North Georgia mountains...chillier than you would like but a welcome snap for me. The silence in the woods is deafening but beautiful!
Spring Break is never long enough!
Susan H

Anonymous said...

Welcome home Lynne, Patty, Nathaniel and Lucy!
I have missed you! Lynne, your description of your campsite near the beach paints a very relaxing picture. How nice to leave schedules and alarm clocks behind and let your body determine when you will sleep.
I'm sorry your appetite hasn't returned to normal, but happy to hear that baked potatoes go down well. I think the poor potato has received some very bad press in the last few years, since carbohydrates became unfashionable. They are crammed with nutrients, and can be very filling. I hope you can eat the skin, too - that is my favorite part!
I hope your reduced dose of the "stuff" this Friday helps with the side effects. I will be praying for that.
Good to know you are back safe and sound, and I'll see you on Sunday!
Love,
Mary McCarthy

Anonymous said...

We are so happy that you are all back ( we missed you!) and have had such a relaxing, rejuvenating vacation!! I can HEAR the infusion of energy in your writing! The thought of rolling out of bed and out to the beach is so inviting! Potatoes are yummy...and can be topped with just about anything! One of my favorites is a bolognese sauce and lots of cheeses. YUMMY
Pizza Potatoes!
ha!
And you know....eating a breakfast like a King, lunch like a Queen and supper like a Pauper has been said to be one of the healthiest ways to eat!!...so...don't feel guilty. Why waste energy worrying about it? The Ginger drink sounds yummy. I can just see you stopping at the market for some fresh ginger and seltzer to brew up your own brew!
(Ginger is known for it's stomach settling qualities...how nice!)
See you Sunday!
Cori

Lipglossles said...

Welcome back, it sounds like you all had a wonderful time. We hope to see you all soon :-)

Stacey

Anonymous said...

hi friend- welcome back to the area, and thanks for your post to lex- she has had a bit of a time lately- and i have had a bit if a time watching her-
but i wanted to wish you good luck tomorrow with your infusion, and to say i can't wait to see the pics !!!! i will try to image myself there until it gets really warm here -
love you lots- missed the communication, but so glad you had a great time and got rested !!!!
love, alice

Anonymous said...

Hi Lynne,
I've missed reading your blog, but am delighted that you were totally relaxing. Can't wait to see some of the pictures.
Bev

noone said...

It's impossible to type with a cat sleeping on my arm and lap :)

Okay now that he's finally gone..I'm so glad you're home and that you had a beautiful vacation. Honestly, camping on the beach - now that's a great way to camp!

I hope your appetite starts improving. Mom is the same pretty much. Just keep doing what you're doing and look after yourself. The potatoes thing too is one of the few solid foods Mom can stomach. Weird eh? Makes you wonder what's up with taters!

{{Hug}} So glad you're back :)

Anonymous said...

It was so good to run into you at the airport, looking tanned and a little frazzled. I'm really glad you're back! - Cathy