At the beach

Himself

So much for the sabbatical.

As always, Jimmy attacks every endeavor with a single minded focus, and at the moment, he has his sights set on getting back to normal. Today he got all spiffed up and attended an afternoon long monthly board meeting at the bank. He went to the advisory board meeting yesterday, and to church for the first time Sunday since he broke his back.

All of this sitting has been facilitated by a wonderful inflatable pillow that Cathy Bright told us about. Positioned in the small of his back, it enables him to sit with much more comfort.

Mother hen

With the second transplant now successfully behind us, Jimmy and I are trying hard not only to get him healthy again, but to establish more of a normal, non-medical mindset. It isn't easy. I'm still clucking and fussing over him like a mother hen.

He's doing great, but it's going to take time for him to regain strength and fitness. He tires very quickly, and is the thinnest he's been since college days. I got tickled this morning, hearing him describe himself to a friend on the telephone as an olive with toothpicks stuck in it for arms and legs. It's not quite THAT bad.

I've decided to take a sabbatical from the blog: I'll periodically update it, so check it every week or two. If there are any pertinent developments, I'll post them. Also, the 100 Day tests come in mid-August, and that's when we'll know where we are with the cancer.

Jimmy has so many friends, and their love and prayers for him have helped us stay afloat through this awful time; I'm glad this information conduit is available so that everyone could be involved in our journey. And writing it has helped to keep me sane, so thanks for listening.

Lonely Road

Jimmy and I hit the highway at eight-thirty this morning, to give ourselves plenty of time to get to Emory for our one o'clock appointment. We could've left an hour later, the traffic was so light. Around Unadilla, while Jimmy was napping, I managed to dig my phone/camera out of my pocketbook and snapped a couple of pictures. You can barely see a car, way in the distance ahead of us, and a truck and a car over in the southbound lane, and that's about it: I-75 in the middle of June, prime vacation time. Surreal.

Jimmy's blood work looked good, and we left with these instructions:

1. Drink more water (creatine is a little high)

2. Take prescribed potassium pills (potassium is a little low)

3. Stay away from sick people (his immune system will be sub-normal for months, and even "well" people can be germy, so no hugging, definitely no kissing, preferably no touching. After one of my lectures, Jimmy, in exasperation, asked, "Ellen, what do you want me to do? Every time I leave the house, wear a big sign that says, 'DO NOT TOUCH' ?" "YES!" I told him. I can't help it. I've been in this hyper-protective mode for so long now, I admit that it's become a little obsessive.)

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We did Priceline last night: we requested a 4 star hotel in Buckhead, and offered $100, and got rejected, then offered $125 and got turned down again. Finally, $150 (too high) was accepted, but we got the Grand Hyatt again. Jimmy was disappointed because he was hoping for The Intercontinental, since he's never stayed there. But this is fine. We like Priceline: not only does it satisfy our Scottish sensibilities, but it's fun to see what you can get, and how cheap you can get it.

Remembering our fathers

James Lovett Dewar, Sr. (September 18, 1911 - August 19, 2006)

Berkley Moreland Mackey, Jr. (April 24, 1916 - February 24, 1987)

Ups and Downs

When I walked out onto the porch Friday afternoon, Jimmy was sitting there in his favorite chair with a stricken expression on his face, and tears in his eyes. "What's the matter?" I asked, alarmed. He barely whispered it, disbelief in his voice: "Tim Russert died this afternoon."

Jimmy's favorite program on television has long been "Meet the Press" and he loved Russert, considering him the best in the business. His sentiments obviously were universal, as the networks accorded his passing the nonstop coverage usually reserved for heads of state, or possibly Anna Nicole Smith.

Saturday brought thrills and joy in the sports arenas: Jimmy was as happy as could be, switching back and forth between channels, watching Tiger sink those impossible putts in the US Open, and the Bulldogs rallying in the 9th inning to beat top-ranked Miami in the NCAA semi-finals.

Hope Springs Eternal

As I was walking through the living room today, I spotted a glass lying on its side, along with two golf balls and Jimmy's favorite putter: between power naps, he'd been working on his short game. You gotta love 'im.

Dog gone

We've been looking forward to reuniting with our little dog, Andy, but it was late when we got home yesterday, so my son Jackie waited until today to bring him over. In Andy's two years of life, he has lived with Jackie and Mary as much as with Jimmy and me, and though he's undoubtedly confused about where home is, he seems to love us all.

He adores Jimmy, and in his excitement and joy over seeing him again, jumped up on him and accidentally scratched his arm. Jimmy's post-transplant skin is thin and fragile, so it bled a little. I immediately treated it with alcohol and antibiotic ointment, and poor Andy was distraught that he had injured his beloved master.

Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't have thought twice about it, but things being as they are, I called Emory and told Dr. Kaufman what had happened and as a precaution, he called in antibiotics (875 mg Augmentin) for Jimmy to take twice a day for a week. And Jackie took Andy back home with him for a few more days.

Later, while I was at the drugstore waiting for Jimmy's prescription to be filled, I happened to see a greeting card with a dog on the front that looked like Andy with a worried expression on his face. I bought it and took it home to give to Jimmy, along with his antibiotics.

This was the front of the envelope:

And this was the front of the card

And when you opened it, the message inside said:

(By the way, Jimmy's not mad at Andy.)

Home again, home again, jiggedy jig

We got to come home a few days early, and will spend the weekend here in Valdosta, then go back to Atlanta next week for Jimmy's 30 Day tests. We've given up the apartment, so we'll stay in a hotel, since it's only for a couple of nights.

Jimmy is progressing beautifully, although he's still quite frail, and we're being very careful not to expose him to any infection. As time goes on, we can relax a little more, but it's still very early in the game.

Throughout all of this, for well over a year now, Jamey has been as devoted and selfless a son as could be. Quietly and cheerfully, he has done anything and everything he could do to help us: from buying groceries and bringing his Dad milkshakes, and loading and unloading the van, to coming daily to the hospital to stay with Jimmy so I could take a break. He found the apartment, bought the van, and a decent television for us to watch. He has been a constant source of security and comfort for us both. He inherited his Daddy's razor-sharp intellect, and he and Jimmy talk for hours, and it's fun listening to them.

We love you, Jamey.

The battle rages on

(This fierce warrior lives in the sculpture garden outside our window.)

Another day spent at Winship Cancer Center was productive: Jimmy's numbers continue to improve, and the detested central line (for the tubes in his chest) was removed in Interventional Radiology. Taking it out was a much simpler process than putting it in. Its insertion necessitated general anesthesia, but today, all that was required was a shot of Novocaine and a little yank, and voila, it was gone.

Just what the doctor ordered

Computer problems: after several days of being unable to access the Internet, Jamey took my computer to a professional computer person, and we're operational again. I don't know what we'd do without Jamey.

Jimmy got another excellent report Friday, and Dr. Lonial said a change of scenery would do us good, and encouraged us to go to Highlands for the weekend, so we did. We stayed two nights, and hardly left the house, but it was heavenly, just being there. When we left at 4:30 this afternoon, it was 78 degrees, and by the time we'd gone down the mountain to Dillard, the thermometer had soared well into the nineties.

Scruggs hugs

Kenny Scruggs had an appointment at Emory this morning, and he and Suenelle donned masks and came by the apartment for a visit.

Busy body

When we went to the clinic this morning for Jimmy's follow-up appointment, we expected to spend the day there, assuming that Jimmy would need infusions of blood, platelets, potassium, the works. I have been concerned about his extreme fatigue, and the fact that he's sleeping literally sixteen to eighteen hours out of twenty-four.

He didn't need anything! His WBC is up to 3.2, his hematocrit is 38.4, platelets 72, electrolytes look good. And he has done it completely on his own, without any growth factor hormone shots this time. His body has been busy, busy, busy.

Food for thought

Hospitals are universally reviled for their food, and Emory is certainly no exception. This didn't affect Jimmy, because during our stay, I brought in the most of the things he could/would eat, but it posed a problem for me. In January, I lived on candy bars and junk food out of vending machines and felt terrible most of the time as a result, so I resolved to do better this go round.

Every day I'd fill out Jimmy's menu form, and circle the plainest, healthiest things I could find: things they'd have a hard time messing up. For breakfast, cereal and fruit and juice was a no-brainer, and I'd usually choose grilled chicken and whatever vegetables were available for the other two meals. This was strictly consumption for fuel, not pleasure.

Since we've moved back to the apartment, meals are more interesting, and infinitely more enjoyable. I just pick up my ecologically correct food carrier and trot on over to the Whole Foods next door and have a shopping good time.

Jimmy likes the soups, although he's progressing to other bland items of cooked food. Because he's on a bacteria restricted diet, he can't have any fresh fruit or vegetables, but I gravitate to the salad bar. I love what Jimmy calls "weird food": tabbouleh, gazpacho, hummus, tofu, olives and artichokes, and all kinds of marinated vegetables.

I could learn to like this part.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

Jimmy slept twelve hours last night (I slept nine) and took three two hour naps today. We've taken a couple of walks (with mask) outdoors, and Jimmy seems okay, just lethargic. No fever. Compared to where we were at this point after the first transplant, I think he's doing fine.

First granddaughter

Rosey sent her Daddy some new 5 1/2 week photos of Caroline Rose a/k/a Patty, and she's such a little beauty we wanted to show her off. We haven't seen her since she was not much over a week old.