Last night before bed Mel wanted to share her thoughts with me. My friend had raved about my food and Mel told me that while it was good, she only thought it was average compared to what I normally do. She did not want to offend me about it, but it did amuse me. I agree with her because when I made it, I did not know we were having guests for dinner and I made it quickly without the care I normally would. When I want to really make something special I will roast the tomatoes prior and take the time to confirm garlic and shallots in oil first. I then use that oil to fry up fresh shallots, onions and garlic and also had in black garlic so that there is more depth of flavour. It amuses me because i have raised expectations within our family for the food. The kids are similar where they thought it was regular and nothing special. I appreciate though that when I do spend the extra time and effort that they do appreciate it. Tonight we had a quick and easy dinner and finished it off by making chicken burritos to freeze. This went along with what we did over the weekend and it should last then a week or so.
I had mentioned that Mel had done research on the drug that I was provided and told the oncologist a couple of weeks ago. The nurse mentioned that they would look into it, and the oncologist said it might be difficult to get the non alcohol version. Mel was adamant that we should switch and at the appointment today she was concerned that they did not follow up or would not change it. When we arrived at the cancer center it was packed and there were quite a few people ahead of me. One of the registration clerks that I knew was at a different section and saw me and she called me over to register me passing the line. I much appreciated it as I did not need to pull out my health card. I go far too often that many people do not need to see my ID. When we got to see the nurse, Mel explained her concern with the nurse and she informed us that the oncologist was filling in paper work for the other drug and that it would probably go through. When we spoke with the oncologist he said that it should be ready for next week, but if not I would get the previous drug. We asked for it at a slower infusion rate as I had a better reaction to it with it. He agreed if we did not get the drug in time. Mel and I have commented that our previous contact in Spain was awesome and we wished that we still had her. Today she messaged us and told us that she had spoken to the doctor for us and she handled our questions. She was always super responsive so it is nice to have her back.
I have been sleeping well lately and my weight and appetite have been doing well. I am not sure if drinking coffee at night has had a bad impact or not so I have cut it out for now. This weekend I will re-evaluate and see what happens. I do miss my Corrado and affagato in the evenings though. When we were at the hospital we first spoke with a resident and she asked some questions and we answered them all. She had mentioned that I was drained a lot and we said it was not that much and that I monitor my weight to know when I need to get the procedure done. I think that I may monitor my weight and fluctuations more diligently than most and track it. This is when Mel had brought up her hypothesis about the alcohol as well. I think that the oncologist is quite receptive to things that we bring up and he shares research with us as well. Regardless of whether he initially thought that we would be approved for the drug, we would find a way to get it. It was nice to see the acknowledgement that Mel was right and that we should pivot our treatment. A lot of patients do not have someone like Mel to help out. There were previously cancer care navigators that would help patients navigate the system and assist with care. I consistently get messages from people about cancer care and I appreciate it all. I always look it up and see if it is applicable. Mel knows and understands a lot more and screens a lot of it for me and shares info when it applies or goes ahead with it chatting with my care team. It makes things much easier and I can focus on cooking in the kitchen.
Q