Neighbor -- Word for the Day -- Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Neighbor
Definition: one living or located near another

Yahoo has not posted a new Word for the Day in about four days, so I am choosing my own today -- Neighbor.

We had our doctor's visit yesterday, but again with a substitute doctor as last week. We are supposing the weekly visits are to just follow up and they can read the weekly reports while we are present. ChemoSabe asked to speak with the big kahuna, but we were told he was out. So, we can ask him specific questions, we thought, next Monday. ChemoSabe got a call yesterday afternoon that we have a sooner appt for Thursday at 3:00 p.m.

ChemoSabe is very, very tired. Tired from the WBC being so low and hemoglobin. Tired from not being able to work right now and even too tired to sleep. I wouldn't call it cabin fever. I would just consider him to be drained -- mentally, emotionally and physically. This last bout has been a massive drop in his system. The markers are low, his system has no sign of MM, his lesions are unremarkable and he doesn't have the M protein. He needs a break! He wants to ask big doc if we have have an extended break before the second transplant. Cross your fingers.

I desperately needed to mow the yard yesterday since all the rain we had last week. The boulevard was knee deep. It seemed to have jumped in growth overnight. Our yard has NEVER been so unkempt. ChemoSabe wanted me to wait another day. He claimed to miss me, but I could not see waiting as the heat will be increasing each day this week. So, I went out. I got the Joan Deere out and it started immediately. My problem with it is after it gets hot, it acts like it is out of gas and won't start until I pull about 1,500 times.

I was down in the knee deep stuff and had to stop to raise the blades. Crank, crank, crank, varoom. I got about two strips done and one of our neighbors came over to the curb and motioned for me to turn the mower off. I shook my head , "No" a few times thinking I didn't want him to see me struggle with restarting the thing. He made a few more attempts to get me to stop. So, with a sigh, I did... (much to my dismay). He commenced to tell me to get off the boulevard and he would bring his rider over and it would take much less time for him to cut the strip. Enters -- Pride. I tried to convince him I could do it myself as my tee shirt was already soaked with female sweat (you know us females don't stink). After much persuading, I surrendered.

The neighbor bit off more than he could chew. The grass was so deep and thick it took him three mow overs and four bags of grass to get it done. In the meanwhile I was doing the front and fence side. I walked down to thank him after putting some doe in my pocket to pay him. He didn't want to take it, but when he mentioned he would volunteer to take Poppy's bike out for a spin, I strongly convinced him to take the money. And, he offered to mow again in the deep area should I ever need it. What a blessing this neighbor was for me.

ChemoSabe wants to work tomorrow. We believe he will be ready with his WBC at 1.9, platelets at 44 and his last growth factor shot today. He did get another round of blood today since his hemoglobin was down. He came home with a potassium/magnesium infuser yesterday that ran for five hours. I had to disconnect it from his port and flush it out with saline and heparin (blood thinner for the IV). It was the first time I had ever done it. I have watched the nurses do it so much it seemed simple, and it was. We had called the niece, but she was working so I had no other choice. His CRP was coming down a little yesterday, but not enough to get by without antibiotics IV. He had none today.

He feels better this afternoon and I believe it is the blood and platelets he has received this week. He has gained about 10 lb. this week, but that is a direct result of the growth factor shots. He should be losing that in 2-3 days. The early mornings have been a drain on him, along with the sitting all day in the recliners at UAMS. We are just ready to slow down.

Our baby turns 40 tomorrow. He is the old one for we are still young at heart and spirit. He even looks older that we! ha

I did not mention that our neighbor's wife is paralyzed from the neck down and he still helps out people in our neighborhood. He works a full time job and takes care of her. She had an aneurysm last year and was informed she could take the risk of it bursting or have surgery with a risk of being paralyzed the rest of her life. She took the latter. He gets her out often for trips and just being in the yard. She was an avid gardener.

So, in closing -- I always thought the word, neighbor meant something special, but it 'only' means someone living near one another. Our neighbor on our other side has only given us grief and seems to be more intent on that when he found out ChemoSabe had cancer. Isn't that abnormal? That's another Paul Harvey story. He is what we call a real ___________... (horse's patooty). So, be a good neighbor when you see someone in need. I will be doing more of that myself.

Please continue to pray for our MM friends and for ChemoSabe. They are all doing so well in their recovery and especially with their attitude. They remain humorous and uplifting.

We love you... even if some of you are long distance neighbors.

Good day and Love -- Pepper