1: I finally saw the grandkids!
2: My skin passed the pinch test.
First, 2: Passing the pinch test is mostly good and a little bit bad.
Good because when I went to Dana-Farber last week, Melissa, my nurse practitioner, agreed with me that the skin on my thighs has enough "give" to show that the benefits of ECP, the light therapy, have stuck with me despite the abrupt stop.
Bad, because I'm one of those graduates without a celebration. Normally I would have gone to every four weeks, from every three where I have been, and then gradually phased out. Those nurses at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center were so kind to me, and they had become my friends. I would have liked a proper goodbye. I'm going to send them something and hopefully, when things calm down a little more, pop in and say hello and thank you and even though you were sticking needles in my arms I'll miss you.
Well, it looks like appointments are back to being in person, as my visit with Melissa attested. Next week: dermatology in person.
Here's something I wrote about graft failure, the crazy scary thing that happened when my second donor packed up his bags and left. It was a long time ago, but not long enough to keep me from having an occasional nightmare about it, mixed in with pandemic anxiety.
2. So, I finally got to see the grandchildren!
I met them at the beach in Fairfield on a weekday morning when there weren't a lot of people around, the chairs were spaced a good distance apart, and there weren't too many people having lunch. Holding a little hand is the best feeling. There is something so precious about it. I did stay too long, however. After all this time, who wouldn't? It was hard to leave. But it was almost a two-hour drive, and I struggled on the way back. I had to get off and get peanut M & Ms. Even a coffee with three shots of espresso didn't do it.
Nell is taking tennis lessons. Everyone at the courts wears white. The little girls look so cute in their white dresses. Ben said I could go down and play, but on and around the courts there is not too much social distancing. I decided not to go, but I would like to go down and watch a lesson .
I'm doing a few more other things out and about. I have to realize that not everyone is going to follow the rules and either not get freaked out about it or stay in my house. I wrote the following on Facebook, then took it down. Sometimes just writing it is a help.
I've started this post many times and then not gotten back to it, thinking it might be time to stop the blog. It's hard enough to concentrate on my paying work. I was used to getting out of the house to write. The inspiration doesn't flow the same way at my dining room table. It was better in the kitchen, which still isn't finished. More on that later. My deleted FB rant:
I went into Trader Joe's in Hadley for the first time since forever. The sign at the door said wear a mask. I was only picking up a couple of things but the person at the door said to take a cart because that's how we keep distance. There weren't many people in the store, around 7:15 p.m., so it felt like a good time to go. As I was leaving, an employee was leading an older, maskless, cartless woman in and saying "that's OK, that's OK." They passed pretty close to me as I was going out. I called the store when I got home. The person who answered said that for health reasons a few people can't wear masks so they let them in. I said I wondered why they didn't have someone shop for them, then. She said it was a good question. I assume it is "ableist" to think that if people, for example those with asthma, can't wear masks, then they shouldn't go into stores where the rule is to wear a mask. But that is what I think.
No comments:
Post a Comment