Greetings from the Carter clan. It is a overcast Sunday morning and we are all having a lazy quiet morning.
Things are going along fine here- I haven't written for a while because I wanted to have some fun little antidote for you all, but the truth is, there isn't a whole lot around here that is particularly fun or antidotal.
We wake up around 7, have our chemo pill, have breakfast about an hour later. Nap a little, shower, rest. Vitamins, protein shake, lunch, maybe a doctors visit, maybe a visitor at the house, the mail comes, we get cards and presents from all you amazing people. I do laundry, dad does dishes, Carter and Nikky make a snack from all the leftovers, around 4 the doorbell rings and Gracie or Mimi or Gail or Brett or Brad and Molly arrive with dinner for us (they are true champions that lot)... we have dinner. We rest. Perhaps a movie, still more pills, and then it's bed, and time to do it all again.
The only real thing that changes around here is how Claudette feels. Some days we wake up and her neck doesn't hurt too bad and the headache is mild. Other days not so much. And so we maintain. We rub tiger balm and put moist heat, she sits in her favorite chair, and spends a lot of time in bed. (more than she would like, she would love to be out and about, taking long walks with the dog and getting fresh air.) But we're not quite there. So we remain patient.
Tate and I and the cats moved in downstairs. I was arriving at 7am and leaving at 11pm, it just seemed easier to stay here- and Tate is my hero, cuz he just came along... he walks joey now... he's such a good man.
Dad is starting a job this week, which is a distraction that I think is well deserved. He had a fantastic art opening this weekend at the Santa Monica Museum of Art on Friday night- there was such a good turn out and his work looked really really great, I was extremely proud of him.
And finally, and this is not such a small little note. We sold the house. And in the next few months we have to move. (Ha! Thats still just about the funniest thing I have ever heard.) Before mom's diagnosis we accepted an offer on the house in Santa Monica and being that this is a shit market, and it's a good offer, we have decided to move forward. We have identified a building in Basalt to buy as an office and a studio. And on July 15th when we close on this house we will move into a house that we are going to rent for 6 months or so. Meanwhile the front apartment in my building is coming up, so we will renovate that and when that is done they will move in there.
Sound easy enough right?
Honestly its the best thing. It is long past time to downsize, and mom can lie in bed and think about moving and packing and what furniture will go where (which is her favorite thing to do) instead of wondering if some random pain in her foot is a worsening of her condition.... she is thinking about the future and getting better. Because she knows that even though we will do a good job in moving her, she knows she had better hurry up and get better, else leave the decorating to us!
As for now, we are in a waiting period. Just taking the Tarceva (the chemo) and waiting until the 29th of this month when we go in and have our big doctors appointment. We get blood work, a new cat scan, and another dose of Zometa (the bone strengthening drug).
So if you are one of the people that has offered to help or wants to help or whatever, I have a job for you:
Send your serious good vibes to us on the 29th. We need all the love and light and positivity and other new agey hocus pocus voodoo shit we can get... that scan is gonna tell us so much. With any luck the tumors will have shrunk, and in the words of Dr Natale, "if this drug works, we are home free".
So heres to freedom.
Thanks all for the support,
until next time, as always, we will remain,
the carters.
ps: I attached a sketch dad did last week.
No comments:
Post a Comment