Radiation Treatment - Day Ten

Up at the usual dawn, The Ex miraculously reported no pain when he finally sat down at his desk, fully dressed for work, promptly at 8 a.m.

I like to be at my desk promptly at 8 a.m., too... earlier if possible, but at my home in VA, I rarely take the time and trouble to dress.

So, Day Ten is also a big deal for me. That is 10 scheduled, calendar days that I have wakened, showered, dressed and made any appointment. It's good to know I can still do it, though it wouldn't be my personal fav for a Perfect World.


I think Day Ten has been a big one for The Ex, too. Instead of crying out in pain, he's back to yelling at the TV. Ahh... Just like the old days. If you like that sort of thing.

He's been so ill for so long, our poor kitty has suffered. She's been sick for a long time, too, and he's just been too ill to do anything about it.

She's not really "our" kitty. Technically, she is MY kitty (named her Jewel, after the cute folk singer with crooked teeth).

I adopted Jewel to fill a void in our family after we lost Dexter, a black-and-white cat who matched our black-and-white dog.

When The Ex and I divorced, of course I could've taken the kitty since she was mine and all, but we were worried about what that might do to the dog. They had become close, like feline and canine kin.

So, we decided the kitty had to stay with her REAL owner, our dog, and she stayed behind when I went away.

After weeks of discussion, The Ex finally felt well enough to take Jewel to the vet. She's lost 10 lbs, hasn't been to the vet in four years, and was dehydrated and weak. They took some blood, gave us some irresistible kitty food-- Kitty Crack, they called it (and a syringe with which to force feed her) and sent us on our way to wait for results.

Welcome to my world! The Greater Southeastern United States Cancer and Kitty Convalescent Clinic.

We'll find out more about Kitty tomorrow, and she and the patient are resting comfortably together on the couch tonight.

Today was almost a regular day. Yesterday, The Ex was feeling well enough to say and do things to piss me off, just like the old days. This a.m., we discussed some issues, made some compromises, and decided to forage ahead together for another day (though I would've sold him for a penny yesterday and relocated to Devil's Garden: a real, frequently not-so-nice place in Florida).

He was almost his old self today. Less slurry, more coherent, more productive. As advised, we kept extended release meds on track for a full 24-hours, using dilaudid every 4 hours or as needed.

Unfortunately, at about 5 p.m. he crashed, and he crashed hard. By that, I mean, he became overwhelmed with fatigue. I tried to reassure him that this was normal. To rest and go with his urges to sleep.

He had a nice coherent dinner, and he and Kitty are currently watching old Magnum PIs together on the couch.

With all this going on, I can't even begin to relate MY day with my job. I have too many project flying here and there, encroaching deadlines... ARGH!

All I can say is, TGIF! I don't have to shower and dress and be anywhere tomorrow. The Ex seems to be feeling much better, and is resting comfortably tonight, Kitty by his side. Another day has passed and I see improvement.

You can't ask for more than that in a day. Unless it is to ask that dawn come just a little later tomorrow.