ASKING FOR IT

If you ask for something often enough, sometimes you get it. I got it last night. The story starts on Friday night when I went to Five Flags Speedway with some friends. We got there a little after 7pm and didn’t leave until midnight. We had a great time but it had rained earlier in the day and so the evening temperature was in the 80’s. That’s fine but we sat up high enough to catch a breeze. I was without an arm sleeve to protect my arm all night. It was a little hard to get to sleep that night and I slept until 11am. Then we went to Eileen’s school. Once again I didn’t think about an arm sleeve, which I usually have extras in the car or in Eileen’s purse. Eileen’s classroom was cold. We couldn’t do anything about the temperature because the air conditioner and heater are controlled from the administration office downtown. While writing yesterday’s blog in the classroom, I did wrap my arm up in a towel but the damage was already done. Eileen worked until around 5pm. We then went to Wintzell’s Oyster House to eat supper. It was cold in there too. Afterwards, we went to the historic downtown area of Pensacola to walk.

To make a long story a little shorter, I was still up pacing the floors with my arm at 3:30am. I went to look for my narcotics when I realized that I hadn’t taken my Gleevec and other pills at supper, which Eileen had packed for me. So, I went looking for her purse. I couldn’t find it. What to do? Do I wake her up and ask her or do I go without my chemo dose? So, I asked her. She got up and got her purse with my Gleevec and then my narcotic. I took them and went to bed. But, I took them on an empty stomach so my nausea went through the roof. Eileen got me a vomiting reservoir and then began to massage me. I suggested that she go back to sleep but she quipped, “I’ve slept enough.” She wanted to see if she could help me relax enough to get to sleep. For about an hour her loving hands and fingers released the contracted state of my contracted muscles. It was a little after 5am when she stopped. She then got in bed and held me close. I soon fell asleep.

Although my arm is a constant battle, it had been a little while since it had given me that much trouble. Yet, it is my own fault. I asked for it by not taking the precautions that I know I must take. I was enjoying my time at the races and then with Eileen at school and dinner so much that I threw caution to the wind. My arm is still not in a very happy state today but it is much better. While it is my own fault and I asked for trouble by not taking care of myself, Eileen is the kind of woman who loves me even in my dumbest hours. It’s amazing that she got up at 3:30 am, helped me with my medications, and then massaged me for over an hour. I’m pretty sure I didn’t do anything to deserve her.