Progress

Mom went in to the hospital early this morning for a blood test.  Her doctor wants to keep a close watch on the effect of the chemo drugs because she has "skinny bones".  Last time they almost killed her when her ability to fight infection dropped off the charts without them knowing it for two weeks.  Thank God Mom has good hygiene habits and didn't pick up any bacteria or virus then.  She still pets me, so maybe I'm a clean dog, right?  Her test came back with very encouraging results.  The chemo drugs smacked down the malignant white blood cells and she still has enough to fight infection.

Mom came home from work about 5:30 tonight which is earlier than normal.  She and Dad took Lou and me for a walk.  Dad set a slow pace since Mom is still weak from the treatment.  She was really happy to have walked the 1.5 miles with a couple hundred feet elevation change.  I was happy that she was out walking with us.  The air was unusually heavy and the sky was grey.  Very unusual for this time of year, or ever in this area for that matter.  A sub-tropical moisture came in and made us feel like we are living in Florida.

After the walk, Dad cooked a whole pound of bacon, five ears of fresh sweet corn, a pint of heavy cream, and a quart of homemade chicken stock into corn chowder.  Mom ate a half a bowl which was good.  She is eating better and regaining her strength and her personality is returning to reflect the warm and generous soul she is.  It was a good night at home tonight.  We are making progress.

Dad read the blood report and while it looked good that the cancer is being treated, he could see that Mom is changing from the last time.  Two markers of particular concern are her platelets are low.  And she has a market that suggests she might have an infection.  If the infection is lurking, it could really challenge Mom as the treatment continues.  We need for Mom to get the treatment she needs and not have an infection that, well, I don't want to think about it.  Diet affects platelet production so Dad did some digging to find out how to prepare foods that will help Mom.  Turns out, they already do what they should be doing.  Dad will keep making fresh and wholesome foods for Mom.  I just wish he would give me more of them!