This week's marathon of appointments is finally over. I don't have another medical appointment until July 5th (except for the dental appointments I still need to make.) Yay.

On Monday, Mark and I met with a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) case manager who gave us an overview of what will happen to me, the procedures and medications, the risks and side effects, etc. Then I signed a stack of consent forms; it felt like we were buying a car except the atmosphere wasn't as cheerful.

I did not like hearing about all the potential side effects, especially about the mouth and throat sores that result from the radiation, chemo, and several of the medications they'll be giving me. She said most patients do not attempt to eat while they have the mouth sores (for about 2-3 weeks) so they are on IV nutrition. This did not make me happy, but I remember not feeling like eating much anyway when I was in the hospital in February since I couldn't taste anything and was nauseous. Still, I will be praying and asking God to minimize the mouth sores and nausea so I can get back to a semi-normal eating pattern as soon as possible.

I'll be on a special low-microbial diet when I do start eating, which also does not make me happy. (It's interesting to note that, among the myriad of risks and side effects I was informed of, I am most concerned about the food-related ones. Tells you where my priorities are. Let my hair fall out and my hands shake -- just let me eat good food!) Again, my prayer is that God will help my body recover quickly so I can get back to a normal diet (including fresh fruits and vegetables) as soon as possible. I haven't found out yet whether I'll be able to eat hummus -- this could be a big factor in how cheerful I am during my recovery.

Other appointments this week included my final visit with the hematologist who has been treating me (my care is now transferred to the BMT team), an echocardiogram, tests of my lung functions, a bone marrow biopsy, a meeting with a social worker, and a class on how to care for my intravenuous catheter (it is like a long-term IV port so I don't have to keep getting poked every time they draw blood or give IV medication). Fortunately for me, Mark was the primary student in the catheter care class -- my brain was having only intermittent moments of clarity by then.

I was still mostly stewing about the appointment with the social worker. I did not like her. I tried...while she was talking to Mark I was telling myself that she really was a nice person who meant well and I needed to give her a chance. But there is something about a certain type of person - in this case, a woman who did very little to enhance her physical appearance, speaking slowly in soft, low tones with a faint frown on her face while she asked questions such as, "How are you coping emotionally? Are you taking any recreational drugs?" I could feel my jaw tightening and my skin prickling. It's hard for me to concentrate with people like that; I'm just mentally trying to fix them. Put on some makeup, cut your hair, wear something that was made in this decade, sit up straight, quit talking to me like I'm mentally deficient, put a real smile on your face once in a while. Sorry, what were you saying?

I've got to work on that.

Anyway, when Mark and I got home last night we were rewarded with a lovely, healthy dinner buffet laid out by Jessica. I ate like a starving person (the food thing again -- I'm storing up), took 2 Tylenol, and watched baseball. I tried to watch "House" with the kids but had to change the channel during all the gory parts. Later, at about 10:30 p.m. which is when my household always seems to get a second wind, Mark and I were walking up and down the street with flashlights looking for Buster (the indoor cat who loves to escape). Then a bug with the body of a Goodyear blimp waddled out from under the sofa and Jessica trapped it with Tupperware until Mark killed it. We went to bed close to midnight, as usual, with Buster at our feet and the sound of crickets and the scent of summer jasmine slipping in through the screen door. I love being home.