Day Twenty Two - Jump Group and the nutritionist

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 

and I will give you rest. 

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and humble in heart, 

and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS." 

Matthew 11:28-29 

One of my favorite ways to relax is to find a few chairs in the Jardin du Luxembourg and just hang out. Sarah and I would get four chairs. She'd read and I'd do cross stitch.

Last night my sleep was not good.  The spot where they did the biopsy suddenly started to act funny and drip on Tuesday.  So by last night I had run out of the bandages that the doctor had given me and at 12:30 I desperately needed to have a new bandage.  Poor Riley, he combed the whole house and could only find ordinary little bandages.  But then I remembered the bag with gauze and tape left over from when Emily's hands were badly burnt when she was just one (not on my watch).  I had been the one given charge of taking care of her wounds every day, and there was still just a little gauze left.  By the way, she healed perfectly and the doctor (an important burn specialist, was truly amazed, as was his staff).  The gauze and tape worked pretty well, but I did not sleep well at all.  Then this morning I knew if I didn't get a good bandage I couldn't even wash my hair.  And since my days are numbered for how long I will have hair, I don't want to go around with it looking bad.  Also, I had told Riley that if he didn't plant the vinca major it was going to die.  So the dear man got up quite early and planted the vinca, and then I told him he had to go get me some water proof bandages.  Turns out he needed to get to the dentist by nine, and it didn't look like he'd make it.  I didn't realize this and when he asked for a ride I said I didn't have time, as I was meant to take Emily to her jump group.  But a bit later I said I would.  He got there quite on time, and I was only 20 minutes late for the jump group.

I at all my breakfast - muesli, a peach, and a glass of blueberry juice, and all my vitamins.  This sounds like a piece of cake, but for some reason I'm not hungry.  But after the jump group, and after lunch, I went to a nutritionist and got an idea of why this is.  I say later.

Though I was a bit sleepy, the jump group (that's Emilyese for play group) was very enjoyable.  Sarah and Caleb joined Annie and I.  Laura came up to me during the time and asked how I was doing.  She had learned from other people that I had cancer.  She assured me that I had lots of people praying for me.  That is always so nice to hear.  It's right up there with the doctor telling me I'm going to be fine.

After the group I took Annie and Emily home, and Sarah came over to my house for lunch.  She put Caleb down for a nap at first and we had tea and ate some of the healthy tea bread that Annie made for me.  Then Caleb woke up and we all had lunch.  I made yummy egg salad sandwiches with baby carrots on the side.  The pieces of bread were too big, so I cut the crusts off and that made for even better sandwiches.  Caleb is a very good eater, and Sarah feeds him very good food.  He's going to grow up nice and healthy.  After lunch I dashed off to the nutritionist appointment, and Sarah went to visit with Annie.

I got their five minutes late, but got a perfect parking spot.  This is a good thing because it was at Good Sam in NW Portland.  It turned out that the receptionist was late returning from lunch, so there was no problem.  The nutritionist was a very delightful person, and we had a really nice time talking.  I found out that all the changes I've had made in my diet were exactly what I should be doing.  Not a single mistake.  One thing I wasn't sure about was getting enough protein, but she assured me I'd get it from the foods I was eating.  She explained that when you don't eat beef for a while it becomes even harder to digest, thus creating an aversion to it.  She said to just eat the other proteins.

I asked about the fact that I already don't like eating, and I haven't even started chemo.  She explained that when you lose weight (I've lost about 7 pounds in just over two weeks) your body takes the stored up energy you have (another name for fat) and converts it to energy, but in the process of this change in body matter, your body gives off a slightly unpleasant chemical.  Now if I had been losing weight at say a half pound a week I wouldn't notice.  But since I've been losing weight at the rate of a half pound a day, I notice this chemical in my mouth and am left not particularly wanting to eat because of it.  I said I was worried about not wanting to eat when taking chemo, and she said I could just eat several mini-meals.  She also said that when I'm feeling particularly bad about eating I might really enjoy soft foods, like baked custard or tapioca pudding or yogurt or smoothies.  My baked custard recipe is low in sugar, so this is a good thing.  And I love baked custard.

All in all I felt really good about my session with the nutritionist because it confirmed that I was on the right path and helped clear up a few issues I was fuzzy about, like dairy products - they're okay.  She's going to mail me some more facts sheets.  I left Good Sam and called Sarah and said I was really thirsty, would she like to meet me at Pete's for some iced tea.  She and Annie and the kids had walked to the LLoyd Center and would gladly meet me at Pete's.  We had a lovely time, and when I parted with them and gave Emily a kiss, she said "Bye, love you."  That was so nice.

Shortly after I got home someone from Good Sam called to ask me a lot of questions ahead of time for my little operation on Monday.  I had a very nice time talking with her.  I think that being a full time nanny was far too unsocial of a job for me.  I am so enjoying having conversations with people.  It's like having no one to talk to except a two year old was killing my spirit.  

Right now I'm at home with a terrific storm going on outside.  I battened down everything I could, and now I'd just like to see all my family get home where they belong, but I can't contact any of them, as cell phones are being a bit fouled up.  My gorgeous apricot English roses are all hanging their heads, and I can hear thunder in the distance.  This all brings to mind one of my favorite Old Testament stories, and especially the passage in Hebrews that refers to it.  In school I got a chance to translate the entire book of Hebrews from the Greek, and I really enjoyed that.  

Hebrews 12:18-24

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."

 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

That passage just leaves me in awe.