On the Juice

Sunday - June 17, 2012

Yesterday I began a four day course of dexamethasone to supplement Friday's vincristine infusion.  As it did in the hospital, this steroid has revved me up and impacted my sleep.  Dexamethasone is more than 6 times as potent as prednisone and I definitely feel its effects.  On top of my already wakeful state, the odds of a sold Christine-like 8+ hours were low.  Coupling this wakefulness with my high pulse and my physical weakness is taking some adjustment of expectation.  But I do believe I may have found a solution ...

Being generally a glass half full type of person, I see this wakefulness as a means to indulge a long-standing guilty (and more mindless than email) pleasure.  The steroids' GOOD news is that I am using its infused energy not to tackle lesson plans as I did when I was successfully juicing in February but to tackle the Sunday NYT crossword in the wee hours of the morning.  Last night, I relocated to the downstairs couch, welcomed the hounds as they snuggled alongside, pulled out the iPad, and whipped out today's and then 4 more Sundays before I could fall asleep.  I have loved (and obsessed) over my paper and pencil NYTs over the years and will even confess (in the comparative anonymity of the written word) to having a special box where I organize and collect the completed, in progress, and pending.  Oh yes, I love my NYTs... having been converted by my friend Delores Jackson at PS 183 who did the daily every day on her way to school - in ink.  Now, the iPad app with its archive and timer (!!!) is REALLY rocking my boat.  I am at a whole other level of self-competitiveness!  Oh my my..... AND when the hospital server does NOT allow interface with my newly beloved iPad NYT Crosswords app, I keep my pen and paper NYTs handy, try to break my WordFlick record (approaching 30,000 points folks!), and research post-1600s European history (I am currently following internet wormholes about Britain's Queen Anne).  So, a Type A, no longer working, on steroids, and lacking the mental acuity and emotional resources to respond meaningfully to a plethora of pending emails, I take solace in my ability to fit trivia and bizarre background knowledge into a grid.  And I time myself  :)  I am a happy nerd.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Carolyn and Joe are highly communicative about this day - day 13 - being the time when my neutrophils plummeted and I fell ill last cycle.  Our family mantra is "NO HOSPITAL ADMISSION" until cycle #3 begins on June 26.  With this knowledge and caution in mind, I was so excited to get out of the house to have breakfast with Carolyn and my dear friend Gina at artCafe 26, one of my favorite restaurants!  How wonderful to introduce Carolyn and Gina to each other and what a pleasure to hear Gina tell about her end-of-the-school-year!  I do miss the hustle and flow of the classroom and school.  Hearing about Gina winding down her classroom gave me a vicarious thrill!  Someday....