Time Off for Good Behavior

I got time off today for "good behavior." After nearly a week of hospital living 24/7, I was encouraged by Gil and the kids to go home, take a long hot shower, play with the dogs, pay the bills, eat something homemade, and check on my garden.

What you see in the photo above is how I found my garden this afternoon -- out-of-control, overgrown and neglected. I had no idea that tomato plants grew to be five feet tall. They've completely outgrown their space. It's a thicket in there. I don't think I can even reach in between the leaves and gather the tomatoes once they are ripe. Live and learn.

While I gardened, Evan and Marika entertained Gil for most of the day . When I came back to the hospital this evening, the kids were going to head in to Ann Arbor for a Friday night dinner at The Blue Tractor and a movie. They'll be back visiting again in the morning.

Gil says he had a good day although I was not here today and so cannot verify it! But take his word for it!

He was engaged with the kids which distracted him from some nagging back pain he's starting to experience. This is a new, and completely unwelcome, symptom.

Consider that the pelvic region is dense with bone and a major site for bone marrow activity. As bone marrow activity is increased (as in "Hey, let's make some more neutrophils!"), it makes sense that you might feel some localized discomfort in that area. And, in fact, it's a recognized side effect of Neupogen.

No neutrophils on the horizon, per the bloodwork drawn this morning. Another day of waiting.

As I watch Gil sleep tonight, with the assistance of some pain medication for the increasing back discomfort, I'm thinking of the day when we'll head out to the garden together and harvest some big, red, ripe tomatoes from our first-year vegetable patch.