That’s what they call it when it lands on DC. Here are some snaps of what it looks like:
It is beautiful, and there is plenty of time to enjoy it because the Government is closed. So, we are snuggled in and healing.
I did it!
Beth drove me down to the National Gallery today for a four-hour stint. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be…in fact, it was a little anti-climatic. I’ve been through so much, enormous changes, and the workplace seems like a very smooth,unruffled pond that didn’t change at all, except for the construction and plywood everywhere. Both reassuring and unsettling, the sense of time warp. The good news is that my energy held up just fine. Now tomorrow is predicted to have “historic” snowfall, so we are in a perfect situation to stay in, plant starts for our garden, and watch the fire burning in the fireplace. 
Not quite ready
I had though I would go downtown for a 4-hour workday today, but yesterday I was really not very well, with lots of dizzy spells and many naps. So, today I worked at home again. I’ll try to get to the National Gallery on Thursday. I got a call from a fellow-customer at Johns Hopkins, who had just gotten the all-clear from his PET scan! really wonderful to hear!
getting better, all the time
I was looking at back entries and that helped me realize the progress that I’ve seen. For example, my mouth sores have gotten small and fairly insignificant…I don’t need Lidocaine mouthwash to eat anymore. This morning, for the first time since the end of treatments, I woke up feeling a bit of energy! So, spring is on its way, I’m sure of it now. And I think maybe we’ll put some seeds in to sprout. hooray, hope!
so much to tell
The morning after our anniversary party I passed out, cold, in the bathroom–and NOT from drinking, darn it! So the next day, Monday, I called my GP and she ran some blood work etc. and decided that it was low blood pressure and prescribed lots of salt and liquids. The next day I was due for my big barium swallowing exam at JH. I passed with a “C”–normal for someone who has been through the radiation I’ve been through, impaired from actual normal function. But I can swallow and I am moving more and more into solid foods. I have had to give up on the idea that I would go back to work part-time on Monday for a full week. Instead, Beth will drive me in for a 4-hr. day Tues. and Thurs. and we’ll see how that goes.If its good, we’ll try three days the next week and maybe I’ll be on my own by late Feb. In the meantime, I am working from home a few hours a day to get the feel of it. As usual, progress but SO SLOW. 
Cathy pigged out!
Well, at least for Cathy… She ate a normal selection of food on her anniversary – pork, salad, mashed potatoes, and a soft cake. Probably not a normal portion and probably could not taste it correctly, but she did have a nice dinner, even though she is still very, very tired.
Little by little, she is recovering.
Happy Anniversary!
22 years! Congratulations Beth and Cathy! It’s been a delightful story. Let’s go for 22 more!
Experimenting
My mission is to try more solid foods each day. Today I had cake for breakfast–ok but the chewing was a little rough. Now I’m trying to finish a p.b.j. sandwich for lunch. This is a big unhappy surprise. It is really slow going and painful, even with Lidocaine mouthwash. I thought the peanut butter would be soft and easy but instead the whole business is very chewy and slow and my tongue is not at all happy. Well, I’m almost through it and I won’t do this again for a while. On the other hand p.b.j. and milk make an instant 650-calorie meal!
Now, if only my mouth and tongue would heal…
I saw the radiation oncologist yesterday, and he thinks things look really good inside my throat (yes, another floroscope exam). The tongue and mouth sores are still healing…he says to give it another week to ten days. But! this morning I had a two-egg omelet with cheese that actually tasted like eggs and cheese! A first! so hoping that more food will begin to taste like food soon.
Calorie counting works
I gained 5.5 lbs. in the past week. Obsessive calorie counting gets the credit. So, no new holes punched and no tubes added. The doc thinks it may take another week or two before the mouth and throat sores go and the taste buds begin to function again, so eating is still a chore, but at least it works, and its not beige liquids! Another doctor (radiation oncologist) on Thursday, and the trips to Baltimore begin to slow down, finally. whew.