Bon voyage, Bruce and Lea
No sign of nausea so far. I can attest to this; I stayed up all night watching him through a magnifying glass so I would be there to assist if anything occurred. Maybe it was not a good idea; it’s not even 6:30 P.M. and I‘m wilting.
Gilly slept like a baby, both downstairs and up. I had to rouse him at 9:00 for his 10:00 psychotherapy appointment, and this was no easy feat. We made it there exactly on time, only to discover that the appointment was for last Wednesday. Gilly was not too pleased, but I was furious. The doctor made the appointment with Gilly last Monday after meeting him for the first time. I was not in the room. He was not given a card with the date and time on it, but he assumed it would be Wednesday of the following week as opposed to the day after next. When he saw Gilly today he accused him of not even calling when he missed the appointment last week. Under the circumstances, especially since he’s a mental health professional, I feel he could have called when he failed to appear. Instead, he sent Gilly off with a new appointment for next week.
I put in a call to the social worker at the Jewish (Naomi) who is on vacation until August 1st to see if she has any alternative suggestions. I am hoping to have Medicare foot the bill, which was the reason I called this fellow in the first place. Gilly needs mental health support, but from a truly caring professional who understands Gilly’s predicament. He is not 100% on top of verbally transmitted details. The brain is involved in a big way (in fact, it couldn’t be bigger, when you think about it).
Andrew and Nicole came to visit, and brought a feast for a whole gang. My mom, Auntie Ruth and Susie joined us (the only other Blauers in town and not working). It was extremely sweet of them to come all this way with a 2 year old (Hannah) and a 10 week old (Samuel) and serve US lunch to boot. We really are blessed with kindness and generosity from family and friends. Gilly was able to enjoy the visit for a short period, and then went downstairs to rest in his chair while the rest of us spent more time together. He’s exhausted, and this is not surprising, given the medication he is on. It is to be expected, so I'm not frightened.
Nicole wondered if I mind someone else working in my kitchen. I usually man the show in this domain, even though I appreciate helpers, so it’s weird to stand completely back and allow others to take over (as Nicole so expertly and respectively did). But I was too tired, really to get anything together (even though I originally asked them to come for lunch). I valiantly attempted to draw the line when it came to clean-up, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Thanks, guys, for a wonderful afternoon and the loving gestures.
During the meal the phone rang and it was nelda from the CNR program. Thi had expressed concern about Gilly's lingering lack of appetite, and she called to offer more support and ideas. She suggested i double the protein scoops for the next while duing the 5 days of chemo. She spent time on the phone with me, and offered to have me call her back if I need to between now and when we see her on Wednesday for our scheduled visit. What an amazing program we fell into!!!
Tamara came by after work to visit and wait for Max. We are all going to a party at the Zigman’s tonight to commemorate Bruce and Lea’s imminent departure (they’re moving to B.C.). I asked Tamara to help me get the lawn mower going, because Gilly adamantly refuses to allow me to cut the lawn single handedly. She promised she’d do it later, after their walk. I couldn’t believe my ears; Gilly agreed to take a walk with his two daughters (one sweet and hairy and the other quite deliciously terrific). When they returned, they took out the equipment and Tamara set out to cut the lawn, insisting I rest. I didn’t understand how she convinced him to let her take over so easily. He looked at me and explained, “It’s because you do enough.” Tamara was touched by her father’s words, and his tenderness brought tears to my eyes. How can I argue with that? In his own way, he’s still my protector. He knows that I have taken on the job of pharmacist, nutritionist, chauffeur and physiotherapist, not to mention countless other jobs I do that he used to take care of around here. He is watching out for my welfare, and this makes me feel so very deeply loved and appreciated.
The jungle of a lawn is now under control to some extent, and we’re off.
Gilly slept like a baby, both downstairs and up. I had to rouse him at 9:00 for his 10:00 psychotherapy appointment, and this was no easy feat. We made it there exactly on time, only to discover that the appointment was for last Wednesday. Gilly was not too pleased, but I was furious. The doctor made the appointment with Gilly last Monday after meeting him for the first time. I was not in the room. He was not given a card with the date and time on it, but he assumed it would be Wednesday of the following week as opposed to the day after next. When he saw Gilly today he accused him of not even calling when he missed the appointment last week. Under the circumstances, especially since he’s a mental health professional, I feel he could have called when he failed to appear. Instead, he sent Gilly off with a new appointment for next week.
I put in a call to the social worker at the Jewish (Naomi) who is on vacation until August 1st to see if she has any alternative suggestions. I am hoping to have Medicare foot the bill, which was the reason I called this fellow in the first place. Gilly needs mental health support, but from a truly caring professional who understands Gilly’s predicament. He is not 100% on top of verbally transmitted details. The brain is involved in a big way (in fact, it couldn’t be bigger, when you think about it).
Andrew and Nicole came to visit, and brought a feast for a whole gang. My mom, Auntie Ruth and Susie joined us (the only other Blauers in town and not working). It was extremely sweet of them to come all this way with a 2 year old (Hannah) and a 10 week old (Samuel) and serve US lunch to boot. We really are blessed with kindness and generosity from family and friends. Gilly was able to enjoy the visit for a short period, and then went downstairs to rest in his chair while the rest of us spent more time together. He’s exhausted, and this is not surprising, given the medication he is on. It is to be expected, so I'm not frightened.
Nicole wondered if I mind someone else working in my kitchen. I usually man the show in this domain, even though I appreciate helpers, so it’s weird to stand completely back and allow others to take over (as Nicole so expertly and respectively did). But I was too tired, really to get anything together (even though I originally asked them to come for lunch). I valiantly attempted to draw the line when it came to clean-up, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Thanks, guys, for a wonderful afternoon and the loving gestures.
During the meal the phone rang and it was nelda from the CNR program. Thi had expressed concern about Gilly's lingering lack of appetite, and she called to offer more support and ideas. She suggested i double the protein scoops for the next while duing the 5 days of chemo. She spent time on the phone with me, and offered to have me call her back if I need to between now and when we see her on Wednesday for our scheduled visit. What an amazing program we fell into!!!
Tamara came by after work to visit and wait for Max. We are all going to a party at the Zigman’s tonight to commemorate Bruce and Lea’s imminent departure (they’re moving to B.C.). I asked Tamara to help me get the lawn mower going, because Gilly adamantly refuses to allow me to cut the lawn single handedly. She promised she’d do it later, after their walk. I couldn’t believe my ears; Gilly agreed to take a walk with his two daughters (one sweet and hairy and the other quite deliciously terrific). When they returned, they took out the equipment and Tamara set out to cut the lawn, insisting I rest. I didn’t understand how she convinced him to let her take over so easily. He looked at me and explained, “It’s because you do enough.” Tamara was touched by her father’s words, and his tenderness brought tears to my eyes. How can I argue with that? In his own way, he’s still my protector. He knows that I have taken on the job of pharmacist, nutritionist, chauffeur and physiotherapist, not to mention countless other jobs I do that he used to take care of around here. He is watching out for my welfare, and this makes me feel so very deeply loved and appreciated.
The jungle of a lawn is now under control to some extent, and we’re off.
posted by Gilly at 5:47 PM
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