One chemo treatment down, five (or so) to go

[pegkerr]

New CaringBridge post. Bottom line: we're past the first chemo, side effects have been mild, so far, so good.

Caregivers are busy. I've put seventy-five miles on the car over the past two days, just running errands around town. One errand was to take Delia to the doctor's. She came back from camp a week ago with some kind of bug which blossomed into full-scale post-camp crud. The doctor tested her for strep, which was negative, but put her on antibiotics anyway, due to the importance of not taxing Rob's weakened immunity. She also advised that Delia use the neti pot (which Delia HATES. She used it once, and admitted it made her feel better, but has since avoided using it again).

I got my hair cut. My hairstylist reported that the bald spot at the nape of my neck is even bigger, and now I have another area where the hair is thinning on the side of my head. Argh. "You've got to cut it out with the stress," she told me.

Wish I knew how.

I keep checking Fiona's blog hoping for another post (mothers of students studying abroad are voracious for news) but at least I did hear from her via GoogleChat yesterday. She reported that she is in a flat with a kitchen, a bath, and five single rooms. She had been there a day and had not yet met any of her roommates, although she has heard some sounds at night. And that the only shampoo in the bathroom is a man's shampoo.

Hmm.

She says she finds this hilarious. I asked whether she might consider asking the housing office whether a mistake has been made. She said that apparently students in the UK are much more cool with co-ed housing situations. I said I wouldn't hyper out about this if she feels safe.

Still. I found this somewhat surprising.

We have a Skype date tomorrow, and by then, I hope she'll know more about the housing situation.

Comments

[wild_irises]

Can I just say that "You've got to cut it out with the stress" is a completely un-useful thing to say to anyone?

Good luck managing everything, and I hope you have good support!

[pegkerr]

I think she meant it as a joke. Anyway, it made me laugh.

[vacillating]

Best wishes to Rob and Delia. Re. Fiona's flat, the student flats and corridors I have known (across three UK universities) have usually been mixed - where all the single rooms and the bathroom have lockable doors, it isn't usually considered an issue unless students specifically request single-sex spaces.

[pegkerr]

Yep, we know that now!

We were surprised, but we're fine with it.

[elements]

I hate neti pots too, but I've found that the saline bottles you can get at the drug store will do the same work and not require as much machinating or mess. Or rather they are messy but you can more easily use them over the sink or in the shower.