I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay . . .

Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time
-- Otis Redding

I haven't updated this blog since last Friday, mainly because I didn't have much to say. I was stuck in wait mode again, plus I was rather tired out from my houseful of people on the weekend.

My friend Sandy from Toronto arrived last Thursday afternoon and we had a pretty good weekend. Since I had just started taking the pancreatic enzyme pills that Thursday, I was still rather short of energy, tired out quickly, and needed naps every afternoon. I'm sure Sandy would have had a better time had I been a bit more lively. We did get out to Stonewall to visit my sister, her husband, and their horses. We got horsy smelling in the process, what with petting them and letting them nibble on our jackets, and had a thoroughly nice time.

On Monday evening, both Sandy and my mom flew home, so I ended up spending a couple of hours at the airport - how exciting! - and I even drove both ways! (My mom gave me her "Are you sure you're up to this" glare when I climbed in the driver's seat, and I said to her, "If I can't drive TO the airport, I won't know if I'll be able to drive FROM the airport.") So the house has been emptier and quieter than the first few weeks since my surgery.

I haven't done a whole heckuva lot, read three books, puttered around, sorted a few things out, blah blah boring boring. However, I have been monitoring my energy levels and weight. Since starting the pancreatic enzymes that I take with each meal, my energy level has started to come up. My body is basically saying "Yes! Fat! Now we have stuff to burn!" I haven't put on any weight, but I haven't lost any either, which is a good thing because the only place I have any fat left is between my ears. Lord help me if that starts to go. Fortunately, the enzymes seem to have no bad side effects. I just gotta remember to take them.

As I said before, I have been stuck in wait mode again, waiting for an MRI appointment and word of when the chemotherapy will start. I got a call this afternoon from Dr. Cutie's nurse with the MRI appointment: Friday, November 21, 7:30 PM. It's good that it's in the evening because The Old Boot will be able to accompany me without taking any time off work. He won't be very happy with that, I'm sure; he likes taking time off work.

I'm actually looking forward to the MRI. I've had just about every other imaging procedure done, from ultrasound to CT scan to endoscopic ultrasound to chest Xray, so the last big adventure left in that area is the MRI. I hear it can be tough for people who are claustrophobic, and I do sometimes have flashes of claustrophobia, but that usually only happens when I get stuck in a closet. Goes back to my childhood when some lovely little fiends - er, friends - locked me in a closet and would not let me out.

Now all I have to wait for is the start of chemotherapy. Hopefully that will soon follow the MRI. Will keep everyone posted.

-- Lori

PS: Have a great weekend, everybody!