Day 66 - Shiva

Today was very fun. Ana came over and we hung out at my house and then headed up to Portsmouth for lunch, coffee and to take her to Byrne and Carlson. She brought Maggie a new toy, a pink bunny, that she really likes. She is sleeping with it now so that no potential opportunities for play are lost. We had a really nice time and after she left, just like Maggie, I had played too hard with my friends and needed a nap.

I also have a sore tooth for no apparent reason (but no fever!) which has me worried. I did go to the dentist between induction and consolidation to help avoid this exact situation, but when one is neutropenic, the few white blood cells one has can act unpredictably. Hopefully, a lot of tooth brushing and mouth wash will clear it up. The dentist was very pleased with my gums and teeth and said there was really no work for him and nothing that looked like a potential trouble spot. He has been very kind to me over the years, because I have not been the best patient, no showing or being late frequently enough that I probably would have discharged myself from my own clinic. He puts up with it somehow and after my most recent no show (about a year and a half ago), I had decided I was not going to go back because it was just too embarrassing and they called me to say "you're way overdue; are you coming in?" So, I went back and have been a model patient since then. We'll see how long it lasts. I really mean to be good; I just get going in too many directions sometimes.

Today, I got a really nice present in the mail from Rick and Betty. Rick is the chaplain from HHH who thought perhaps I was reading rodent porn a couple months ago. It was a beautiful windchime and a Shiva statue. The card with the Shiva statue says that "Shiva is known as the destroyer...Shiva destroys in order to create. Only through destruction of the old can rebirth occur and  new life begin." It is funny to read this because the first time I heard this view of Shiva was maybe two years ago in one of my favorite books "Cutting for Stone" where a character names one of her sons Shiva because of a similar feeling.  I listened to it on my ipod so I do not have a copy of it to look up exactly what she thought. (By the way, if you are a medical type and haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. They tell me that non-medical types don't like it as much, but it might be worth a try anyway.) The Shiva statue seems very apt for me at this point and the windchimes are beautiful. I really like the present. Thank you, Rick and Betty.

In other news, Terry went on a little road trip to try to clear his head from the whole leukemia thing this weekend and darned if he didn't get to his destination and come down with a huge cold so all he could do was lie in bed, take tylenol and sleep off his fever. I am glad he was not infectious around me, but felt badly that he was sick all by himself and I couldn't help except to be sympathetic. He came home a couple hours ago and it is nice to see him for sure! He looks a little the worse for wear, but probably nothing that a few long naps won't cure.

I will be going to bed early today as well, to sleep off a busy day of playing. Plans for tomorrow are wide open. Hopefully, something fun will drop into place as it usually does. I hope for you, too.