1/11/2011

Hi there!

Summary: Not a great day. Tank is very tired.

Last night, we visited Tank in the early evening, with a chocolate cookie Sally made and some herb-fried fish from Bayview Inn. He was too tired to visit. He didn't want the heated fish. He ate the cookie, which pleased us. He was simply exhausted. It was sad to watch his face, and know that he was too tired even to smile.

Sally and I went back today for an early lunch. We gave him his chemo pills. He ate pretty well. For some reason, I'm very focused on his eating. :) I should monitor my calorie intake as closely. He ate some rotisserie chicken, some coleslaw, and some peaches from a jar. He had some of a chocolate muffin. Maybe a total of 300 calories. We visited for a while. He said something dear. He said he wished he felt better so that he could take Sally and me to a really good restaurant in Marin County, outside San Francisco. Couldn't quite remember the name of the place, and said it was old-cafeteria style, and very tasty, and he'd like to take us. Then, he was to tired to talk.

We left. Partly because we knew he'd like it, and partly because it sounded fun (there's some overlap), we drove to Guadalupe. Sally is my passenger, but, in a way, she's my prisoner, too, 'cause I just started driving to Guadalupe without really ASKING. :) She's a sport. Tank has a favorite Mexican restaurant there that he calls Larry's, and we've all been there, and it's very tasty. Next door is a grocery store run by a Mr. Masatani (or something like that), who, as a child, lived in a California internment camp. I think that's the right term. Tank really likes Mr. Masatani, and buys Hershey bars there, every single time he goes to Larry's. Sadly--tragically--Larry's is closed on Tuesdays. We bought Hershey bars, asked the locals for a recommendation, and drove up the street to La Forgado, or something like that, for chili verde. I'll admit to an over-inflated sense of achievement at even being able to FIND Guadalupe. Sally helped. Some highway driving, and some farmland. Gorgeous. Smelled of cabbage.

We hurried home, and went to Albertsons for some sugar-free treats for Tank, and for some other supplies. We hurried to Bayside, and Terry was there at Tank's side. He seemed tired. She'd been running errands all day, and had bought him yellow pads for writing, :) and some hospital-supply stuff for his bedroom. We're joining her at home in a few minutes to help her lug it in, and set it up. She hates everything about shopping, including lugging in and setting up.

Tank told us that he had physical therapy this morning. Terry talked to Jeff, the physical therapist, and he said Tank couldn't go home for at least three weeks. Tank kind of rolled his eyes when Terry said that, but I couldn't quite READ the eye roll. Probably exhausted him to roll his eyes. She said that Jeff is concerned that Tank can't eat much, because of a throat problem, so they've made an appointment with a throat specialist. In the meantime, Jeff said that Tank should eat whatever he can, so--when we arrived--he was drinking a chocolate shake from Carl's Junior. He drank most of it. The nurse tested his blood sugar, and it was 247, so they gave him some insulin. Terry mentioned again that a doctor said that too much insulin is bad for Tank. It's difficult to know what to do. Sally and I had arrived with a bowl of sugar-free chocolate pudding, with sugar-free whipped topping. Granted, not a lot of nutritional value, but some calories and a bit of calcium. But Tank just ate the whipped cream off the top, and then went back to the shake. I know this is a lot of detail (thus, the summary). I don't know what to do, and neither does Sally, and neither does Terry.

There were awkward silences.

Tank was tired.

Sally and I bought the ingredients for something Tank requested: a mixture of diced rotisserie chicken, Cream of Chicken soup, well-cooked broccoli, and well-cooked egg noodles. I'll make that tonight (while Sally bakes the rest of the cookies), and I'll put it in small food-storage containers. We'll take some to Bayside tonight, but I bet he won't eat it. We're trying to make three visits a day, but they're usually short visits.

We have one more day tomorrow.

I'm going to make a list of stuff that Peggy might want to take to Tank, that I think he will eat. He liked the chicken (leg and thigh) right off the warm carcass, which surprised me a bit. More like a caveman than a patient.

It seems like he might be getting a cold, which is concerning.

(Sally and I just got scolded for breaking a library rule. We were appropriately ashamed. It's like being 8 and 9 again.)

I hope he shows some improvement tomorrow. I KNOW he likes having us here, and the relationship is important to him, and he wants us to have a good time while we're here, and he thanks us for ANYTHING we do. He's very kind. Oh! He made a request of me. :) A mildly surprising request. He asked that when I get back to Utah I go to Ancestry.com and check out the Chief's backstory. :) I'll do that. Maybe tomorrow morning, before we leave town. Bless the LDS church. :) I THINK that's an LDS site. I don't know what else it would be.

You all take care. See you soon. Polly.