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August 25, 2005 (Day +20)
By Margot | August 25, 2005
Sammy, Grandpa and I are in the Mariott Residence Inn in Arcadia. Sammy is doing very well and feeling great. We’ve been trying to keep busy while at the same time avoiding major crowds, restaurants, etc. We went to the LA Arboretum on Tuesday which is right down the street. It was very beautiful and quiet. There were a lot of elderly people standing in front on trees saying, “Oh my, this is a Pink Silk Cotton.” Didn’t really thrill Sammy but Grandpa did find a tree full of spikes all over it that reminded us of Bowser from Super Mario. Also, there were peacocks everywhere and we tried to feed some of them a roly poly but weren’t able to get close enough. I was relieved for the roly poly. Grandpa bought Sammy a peacock feather at the gift shop and he’s using it to tickle us all the time.
Yesterday we went to get Sammy some new knee pads because there is a cool skate park just down the street. We went to the skate park but he was a bit intimidated by the big kids so didn’t skate much (probably much to the relief of his doctors). When we got back to the hotel there were some kids playing soccer on the little basketball court in front of our room. Sammy and I played with them for about an hour (I know, heart attack city for our oncologists but Sammy just lit up as soon as he started playing). I rationalize by the fact that it was outside and he didn’t run around too much. I mostly chased the ball down and then passed it to him so he could kick it. We bought a new Wiggles CD yesterday and danced before we went to bed. Sammy is dancing to the music as I write this. He’s a great dancer.
He’s still not eating much. His taste buds are completely fried. Mostly he’ll tell me he wants pancakes or pizza or a sandwich and then he’ll try one bite and spit it out and then ask for something else- a tad bit frustrating for the cook but it’s good he’s trying things. The doctor said that some things will taste like chewing on aluminum foil and others will taste like chalk. Lovely. He did eat some of Grandpa’s mashed potatoes the other night. It’s the most he’s eaten of anything. I’m currently making him a pizza for breakfast. He is still on TPN (IV nutrition) and I have to set it up every night, inject vitamins into the bag and hook him up to the machine. It’s a pretty intimidating process but I think I’ve got it down now. Grandpa helps remind me of the crucial things I’m forgetting like getting all the air out of the line first.
We’re off to the hospital today to get Sam’s blood checked and see the doctor. We have a consultation with the radiologist up here on Monday. They supposedly have a state of the art radiation machine so we may end up here a bit longer to do the radiation. If we do it here it will start on September 7.
I miss my little Boo Bots. Neil and Andy are coming up tonight and staying for four days and though I’m grimacing at the thought of trying to set up the TPN with Andy in the mix, I can’t wait to see them both.
Sorry for the long update. Will post more soon.
Margot
Topics: Progress Reports | Comments Off on August 25, 2005 (Day +20)
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