Wednesday

Wednesday was clinic-and-ultrasound day (to check on the clot). Nadine and I watched the fascinating moving images again. Nadine said she saw the clot, but I couldn't see anything. Because of timing, I had to give her her Fragmin injection in the ultraound room.

Dr. Bruckner made a brilliant observation at clinic. She noticed that Nadine's itchy rash was exactly where clothing covered her, and nowhere else. She suspected allergy to detergent, explaining that chemo can lead to new sensitivities. Since Nadine's Goodwill bash, she'd been wearing only clothing she'd bought there, so maybe it was THEIR detergent. I brought her home and she changed out of the Goodwill wardrobe -- and the itching got milder. I guess I've got some laundry to do now, rewashing the Goodwill stuff. A relief, though.

I got more info from Dr. Bruckner on The Clot. When Nadine's PICC (catheter) line was pulled out on July 4th, it dragged Nadine's clot from a deep vein into a superficial vein further from her heart. The clot lodged in that vein -- although it is blocking the vein, there is another "pathway" for Nadine's circulation, so all of Nadine's body still receives blood flow. The Fragmin should prevent new clots from forming around the old one. It will take a long time for the original clot to disappear, but at least for now things look stable.


The rest of Nadine's visit was amazingly routine -- Dr. Bruckner, unlike Laurie Johnson, thought Nadine's "counts" might drop, so we still had to be watchful. Nadine was getting hungry a lot but only able to eat a little at a time, so she was urged to "graze". Dr. Bruckner will be away for about 2 weeks -- I requested Dr. Mullen for her next appointment. He originally diagnosed her and is the head of the pediatric oncoloty department. I respect his knowledge. His son is going to be in the Roch Phil.Orchestra with Nadine in the fall, which adds some familiarity.

Eric the cheery radiant and beloved social worker, came over and chatted. He suggested Nadine meet TLC (Teens Living with Cancer), a Rochester based group that has a nearby space. That's completely her decision, although I'd like her go once and see who she meets. She already has plenty of friends. She's already joined the TLC Facebook group.
_________________

Bach has been a mainstay for me to play at the house, along with improvisations and infusions of Beethoven, Chopin and Enesco. I love to bring out the individual concurrent lines in Bach, while affirming the synergy among them. While Nadine rested after her clinic visit, I played for a long time, whatever came into my "head", this time Bach and a Latin style improvisation. Sometimes people listen. I don't want to disturb people. A dignified woman commented that my music "brought the house to life". I was honored. She turned out to be the executive director, and a nice person to talk with -- I learned a lot. I've been curious about how the house works.

That night, there was chicken and potato salad dinner prepared by a real chef -- what a treat.

Then there was a marionette show, with much pomp and elaborate set-up -- about 40 people, about 3/4 of them kids, watched. The puppeteer, who is attempting to go "full-time", is from Reno Nevada and was visiting his sister here. The music was "old strut style" (recorded) with narration and some history by the puppet man. The elaborately-costumed marionettes, "themed" to early-20th-century American entertainers, were quite amazing, and Nadine enjoyed it. Afterwards, Nadine tried out a marionette and did amazingly well at getting "walking" to happen. I accompanied her with a live rendition of some of the music that was on tape.

After the show was put away, Nadine and I played some tunes together, contra dance medley style. Montebello, Camel Hump, Reel Ti-Me, Coleraine, etc., ending, traditionally, with a waltz. We stopped before Nadine had a chance to tire out. It was a joy to hear her flute again, mixed with the bittersweetness of her reduced strength.

That night our bedtime reading was "Frog And Toad".

It would be our last night at The House. Bedtime.