Space Junk

You are looking at a photograph of what Gil refers to as Space Junk. 

This is all the "stuff" -- used syringe caps and torn-open alcohol wipes and unit dose packaging for his many medications -- that accumulate on the floor of Gil's hospital room over the course of the day. It's not that the nursing staff discard these things on the floor intentionally. 

It's just that -- like real orbiting space junk -- these things seek to establish their own rightful place in the hospital room universe.  

Gil's day today was pretty much what everyone has been expecting. That is, the chemo is doing its job. It's killing the tumor cells but it's also causing the expected side effects of cell turnover inside the mucosal lining of the mouth, throat and gut. So he's uncomfortable but when asked, he says to me, "Don't worry. It's minor."

We've entered the week where the chemo is over and we're just waiting for the chemo to have its full and expected effects.

Stay tuned.