Home On A Pass.

I am home on a pass from the hospital this evening! It's so wonderful to be at home. But I have to go back first thing tomorrow morning. :o(

I am just starting to exhibit some of the side effects the doctors and nurses have been warning me about. There's a horrible taste in my mouth, so I am almost constantly nauseous. I've been brushing my teeth often, and rinsing my mouth to try to keep the mucousitis away, but I can feel some sensitivity beginning in my mouth. The dreaded diarrhea has hit, but not to the extent that I feared--yet. :o\ I'm weak and tired, sick and pale, but I'm happy because I know this is part of the (rocky) road to good health again.

Ron and I left the hospital around 1:30 PM. It felt good just to be outside! I still had an appetite at the time, and was sick of the awful hospital food, so we went to Macaroni Grill for lunch. I had chicken marsala and it was so delicious!

When we got home I was happy to see the puppies, and they are happy to see me, too. Both of them, and Maggie, smelled me for a long time. I know I still smell weird--like chemo and stem cell transplant. They were very interested. Katy seemed worried, and looked at me with her ears down and sad eyes.

Around 4 PM, Ron went over and got Reece. He was going to come to the hospital to see me today, but since I got to come home, he came here, instead. He was glad to see me, and I was overjoyed to see him! He said to me, "Gramma, did they fix you?" :o) I told him that they were still working on it, but I was going to be okay. He knows I have to go back to the hospital, and has agreed to come visit me there again. :o)

Just after Ron left to pick up Reece, the sky opened and it absolutely poured rain. I had to hurry out and get Katy from the dog yard so she wouldn't be soaked. The pic at the top is our front room window late this afternoon.

Reece and I played quietly for a few hours, then Ron took him to HEB with him. He was going to drop him at home, but the kids had gone out to eat, so Reece wound up back over here for awhile, until his parents came to pick him up. Ron got him some little plastic animals at HEB, and Reece wanted to look them each up on YouTube. So we watched a black bear, a gorilla, a tiger, and a jaguar on YouTube. He had some other animals, too, but daddy and mommy came to get him before we found all of them.

I really dread having to go back tomorrow, but the doctors say I'll probably be neutropenic by then, and they need to keep a very close eye on my cell levels for the next two or three weeks. At the hospital they can also give me meds to help control the awful side effects, too. So I guess as much as I hate going back, it is necessary. :o(

Thank you all once again for all your support, caring and prayers.