PICC Line and Garden Update

First of all, Theo would like to extend his greetings!

OK, so last week I had my PICC line installed. PICC stands for "peripherally inserted central catheter". A catheter is inserted into a large vein deep in my arm and the 44 cm length of it is threaded up into an even bigger vein and ends just above my heart. As long as we maintain it well it should serve me well. The biggest problem with these is infection. Here's how it looks:

Generally it's kept covered up in some fashion. The company that is sending me supplies has sent me a few of these white sleeves which are very breathable. Before we got these sleeves we were using cohesive bandages. No matter what I use it isn't really that visible under the covering and to the public eye it looks like perhaps I hurt my arm and am wearing a bandage.

I started my new chemotherapy today. I am getting CPT-11 (Camptosar) and 5-FU. In a few weeks Avastin will be added. Avastin interferes with healing and it's too soon after my liver resection to start that.

On to other news, we finally got a break in the rain and tilled the fava under. First David used a lawn mower to chop up the fava. Here's what it looked like right after that:

Then he proceeded to till the garden, ensuring that the nitrogen from the fava are safely in the ground:

And he was very happy to do it!!

Here's what it looked like when he was done. Nice, dark, rich soil!

I have drawn out a rough garden plan and will need to tweak it once I go out to take measurements. In a week or two I will plant the peas, lettuce, spinach, and anything else that needs to get going early. In the meantime I am going to start some seedlings using our Aerogarden to get a head start.

Chemo Angels

A couple of weeks ago I was told of this group called "Chemo Angels" which is a non-profit organization. They send cards and little gifts to chemo patients throughout chemotherapy. All I had to do was sign up and then I was assigned to an Angel. This Angel (mine is named Sue) then will send the cards and gifts. I signed up a week or two ago and this past week I received something from her twice. The first time she sent me a box of Dots candies, some gummy bugs, and a card. Yesterday (for Valentine's Day) she sent me a cute white teddy bear with a pink sweater, some Valentine's M&Ms, some Sweet Hearts , and sent David some Valentine's candy too. She enclosed a card as well. They make it clear that we should feel no obligation to communicate with our angels and we do not need to say "thank you" but she did give me her email address and it doesn't kill me to be polite so I did thank her for these gifts. They did brighten my day!

If anyone wants to look into this organization here's the link to their website: http://www.chemoangels.net/

Chemo Update, Garden

There's really been no change here in the Coleman household. I'm still recovering but have my full energy back. However, I still am not supposed to lift anything over 5 pounds until 2 months after the surgery so I still need Dave to do a lot for me. My appetite is back to normal and I am eating well. My chemo starts February 23rd and I will have it every other week. The oncologist has decided (at our prodding) that I should have an MRI of my liver before the chemo starts. This is because neither the PET scan nor the CT scan saw the 2nd tumor that the surgeon removed. Plus, the surgeon wasn't able to see the right side of my liver since it was under my ribs. So it would be good to get another image of that area.

Scarf news: The scarf is now about 3 feet long and I will make it 5-6 feet long. I think 6 feet is best. Then I will make another one like it and combine the two, to get a double think scarf. There are 2 reasons for this: First of all, it's a bit too narrow. I didn't actually plan for it to be a scarf to begin with but as my "practice swath" grew I decided it could become useful. If I had planned correctly it would have been 30 stitches wide instead of the 20 that it is. Doubling it won't make it any wider but at least what I do have will be nice and thick. The second reason for doubling it is that it is really curling up. I think blocking it should help but another way to fix it is to line it with a woven cloth or to double it like I have proposed. So, I have decided to make 2 scarves and join them. I'll be working on this for a while!

The fava are just about ready to mow down and till under but now we have to wait for the rain to take a break. Which is concerning me a bit. Once the fava are tilled then I will have to let it rest and decompose for a few weeks before planting. So, the longer I wait to till the fava the later it will be that I plant. Some of these things (like peas) need to go in rather early so I am a bit worried about that. Here's a pic of the fava now. My, how tall it's grown!

Also, here's a pic of the planter boxes:

The Brussels sprouts are growing nicely and the kale is very slowly getting bigger. I think once spring rolls around properly and there is lots of sun and some warmth then the kale will take off in earnest. So, we will be eating lots of kale and Brussels sprouts until the rest of the garden is in and growing. Here is what I hope to plant: corn, tomatoes (3 kinds), carrots, asparagus, salad lettuce mix, California blackeye pea, an heirloom red okra, salsify (description: Heirloom, native of Europe, tasty in soups and stews, or cooked alone. Plant in spring, dig in fall, a non-sweet parsnip-like root. This variety dates back to the 1800’s.), summer squash, spinach, peas, a couple of types of sunflowers. I'll also replant some of the herbs in the herb box that died off when it got cold.

Last, but not least, is a photo of the nice tulips I have growing on the kitchen island. Yes, you read this correctly. Here's the proof:

My Accidental Scarf

A week and a half ago, my mother in law, Mary, started paving a new path for my idleness. She brought over a few starter knitting supplies and showed me how to do the basic stuff. I started practicing on a light blue yarn and decided that if I keep going it will actually become a scarf. Here's how it looks today:

The dark blue band is also from a practice session. I asked Mary how to change colors in the middle of a project, so she showed me. I decided that a dark blue band on each end would look nice so I switched it back to light blue and will make the other end the same, when I finally reach it. I was also thinking that a fringe using a combination of the light and the dark blue will set the whole thing off nicely when it's complete.

So, anyway, I just wanted it on record that it's her fault when I spend money on knitting-related items. Just so my husband knows!

Decreasing Pain, Knitting, and Food

Dave said I should post... I wonder when he will start up his own blog?

OK, here goes. As it so happens I do have some stuff to say, so I guess it's time to make a new post. The pain has decreased to a point where I don't have to be on pain meds all the time. The last two days I took a pain pill only once per day, and nothing yet today. I'll only pop one if something starts to get too sore or achy. Otherwise it's feeling better. I still have trouble sleeping on my side, though. I try to roll over on it from time to time to give my back a break and sometimes it's comfortable and sometimes my ribs ache. So, I do it when I can. I am up and about most of the day now with perhaps a midday nap. I am also trying to stand straight again which will help my back a lot. We have a follow-up appointment with the surgeon on Thursday. Maybe he'll give me clearance to drive!

The other day my mother-in-law, Mary, came over to hang out with me while Dave was at a hockey game with his dad. She brought me some beginner knit supplies and an instruction book and tried to teach me how to knit. After practising yesterday I am finally getting it but I still need to learn how to hold the needles. I do this thing where I sort of prop the left needle up in my lap to free my left hand to manage the yarn. It's actually working quite well for me. They say everyone develops his or her own techniques. OK, I guess I'm developing mine! It may be a while before I can make anything useful. I'll start out with a scarf attempt and see what happens.

The people from work have taken up bribery! They have organized to make wonderful meals to bring for Dave and me to eat. I suspect the underlying goal is to guilt me into returning to work when my treatments are over! That's a joke, but no matter the motive, Dave and I are so touched to have such great people supporting us. Probably soon I can (and will feel like) meal prep again. But having ready to eat food in the fridge has been a real treat and has taken one task out of our hands during this difficult time.