Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Cancer Bitch - Gets Marriage Proposal

Went to West Virginia over the weekend for a family reunion, but first we stopped at Johns Hopkins Friday morning for a CT scan. (I'm becoming an expert at those). Chris, the attendant, started a conversation about driving to Florida on family vacations (I'm an expert at that, too).

I told him the best part of the trip was stopping in Atlanta for lunch at "Steak N Shake." That sent him over the moon! He watches the Food Channel and raved about steak restaurants in Arizona and Texas. He said he was going to Philadelphia with some friend this weekend to tour. I told him he should definitely go to "Spataro's" for a cheesesteak, "DeNics" for a Philly pork sandwich and the Amish Market for Apple Dumplings. And definitely "Ishkabibbles" for Cheesesteaks on South Street - not Pats and definitely not "Genos." At this point Chris told me I was his soul mate and that if he weren't married and I weren't married, he'd propose!

Left JH to go to Parkersburg with the grand-girls. Had a great time in the hotel pool then spent Saturday at a Cornhole tournament. Went out to dinner and brunch. But was tired and disoriented on the drive home so I mistakenly called Dianne Burr and wished her a Happy Birthday (a month late. Meant to call Carol Van Dam instead. (now two days late)

Went back to JH Tuesday morning, where I got some good news - no problems detected on the MRI (the doctor checked them from China where he was vacationing). He also said the CT scan (thank you Chris) showed the lesion on my liver had almost disappeared and my tumor had shrunk again.
The bad news - one more round of chemo. Dammit. Any of the posse up for another trip to Baltimore?

Had to take a photo of the fabulous spuds Mary McCowin brought us from Idaho.
Can you tell which one is the real spud? We had stuffed baked potatoes for dinner tonight.
They were damned good! (at least the one on the left is - we're afraid of the one on the right! We're looking forward to lying on the greasy
beaches of Pensacola, soon.
And, for once, doing absolutly NOTHING.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Cancer Bitch - Now its Bananas

(Brenda with friends doing her favorite thing in the world - eating)

About the only thing I enjoy during my trips to Johns Hopkins is eavesdropping on my fellow patients. (once heard a guy talking about his backwoods militia group).

Today the discussion was what to eat - one patient confessed to another that she had pigged out on bbq ribs and potato chips. I ducked my head in shame. I ate a whole bag of chips over the weekend! (and a carton of ice cream and all 5 desserts at tea with Jamie on Saturday)

The nurse told me my potassium levels were still high, and I confessed that I had given up on collard greens but I was eating a banana every day with breakfast. She gave me a look that pretty well said I was hopeless.

Went to Hopkins today so that we could leave for Grand View, NY on Thursday. Nelly has a job interview at a clothing manufacturer on Friday in Manhatten- I told one of my doctors about it today and she gave me a list of places Nelly could stay if she gets the job - including the number of her daughter in the Lower East Side! The power of networking.....

I'll try to do better on my diet - after we get back.