What do I need now?

Thanks to all of you who have so generously asked about what I need. At the moment, my needs are relatively small and simple.

Re: your concerns that I may spend the holidays alone:

I did decide this was not the year to try to travel far to spend the holiday with any of my siblings or distant friends. My energy and endurance from day to day and still too much of a day by day experiment to want to put myself in a position where I could not retreat however inconvenient it became for me or my hosts.

But I will not be spending the holiday alone.

Christmas Eve day (Dec 24) I have to drive to Gainesville GA for labs. That will be about a third of the way home (Sylva). So I plan to just drive on, spend the night with high school friend Ginny and take in the Candles and Carols service at First Baptist, the Coward open house, and the tail end of the Ginny Walker Middleton & children and grandchildren Christmas Eve dinner - or at least as much of this as my energy will sustain. Over the decade that I worked Christmas at cherokee hospital while Dad was still alive this pretty much became my holiday tradition anyway.

I have an open invitation to drop in and visit a friend from Atlanta and her mother at her mothers new place in Tococca, Ga on the way to or from Sylva, and if my energy permits will visit.

I have another invitation to a drop in brunch on Christmas day and a family dinner later on Christmas Day in Atlanta, both from people I work with.

And since she will spend Christmas day accompanying one of her oldest ATlanta friends who shares her assisted living home to a family dinner, I will spend some time visiting with my Aunt Marian (mom's college room mate and now a 91 yo retired dentist in Atlanta) on Sat Dec 26.

On Dec 27 my high school friend Elaine arrives to take me to Chemo on monday Dec 28, and just to visit through Dec 30.

So I am booked. Possibly overbooked for my energy level. this is terrific as I rarely have even half as many options. My social life was never half this busy when I was healthy. Another side benefit of this disease.

So thank you all for your concern and kind thoughts but don't worry, I will not be spending the holidays alone.


Re: What I need after the holidays:

Mainly I need transportation to and from chemo on every Monday between Feb 1 and about mid-April.

This requires departing my house at about 8 AM on Monday and driving to Gainesville, GA, a drive that is just under 40 minutes from the time we leave my house until we are sitting in the doctor office parking lot, even taking into account the time required to drive through McDonalds and pick up the breakfast I always buy for myself and my chaffeur en route. Time required for chemo is variable, but last Monday I was finished by 11 AM and we were back by noon, even accounting for the time required to stop at a Cracker Barrel and buy myself and my transporter lunch. Other Mondays have taken longer but still had us back by mid-afternoon.

The Mondays starting Dec 7 through Jan 18 are already booked with confirmed volunteers.

Any dates after that can be claimed.

Just send me an email with your preference and I will confirm and pencil you in on my calendar.


Re: concerns that I may not be eating well enough

Never fear. My freezer is still stuffed with excellent home cooked healthy meals that cousin Jane and sister-in-law Debbie left behind. All I have to do is pull them out and thaw in the microwave.

And the junk food gap has been adequately filled by my considerate if less domestic friends here. In fact, this past Monday after a streak of Christmas chocolates (that did not make it to Christmas) and other treats provided by friends, I discovered at weigh in that I am possibly the only chemo patient in the history of chemotherapy to actually gain weight while receiving chemo.

Since the primary side benefit of this disease has been the weight loss that accompaied surgery and chemo, all I can ask is - cut it out. Please don't make it any easier for me to fall back into my old sweets habit. (maybe I should not blame my friends for my absence of will power and self-control, but why not? I am taking it easy on myself for the time being.)

Again, thank you all for all of your support.

Louisa