July 15, 2022 Update - DAY 72

 Is It Hot Enough For Ya?

It's 32 degrees outside, you're on the top floor of a 53 year old building with no air conditioning, you are at a place where there is no shortage of old folks wanting to chat, you know someone is gonna ask, "is it hot enough for ya?". Your internal dialogue goes something like, "no sir, I would like it better if my skin would instantly combust in the sun" or "actually, I would like to cook eggs on the hood of my black truck just a bit faster". But no, you muster a chuckle an respond with something like, "yeah, it's a scorcher".

You're not gonna hear me complain though, in two months we're all gonna be saying, "where did the summer go?" as it starts to cool off.  As Jackie and I had this very conversation, we realized that it was the tail end of winter and beginning of spring when we got here and it's going to be the end of summer/early fall before we leave.  Were we here that long or is our summer way to short?  Well, probably both.

We are fortunate as we did anticipate this heat and purchased a portable AC unit some time ago.  It is big enough to keep our room comfortable but that's about it.  If we happen to get a nice breeze, we can cool the rest of the apartment off pretty quickly, but it seems the past few days when it has been the hottest, the wind dies down completely.  So Jackie and I have grounded each other to our room.  I am not sure if we mentioned this before but in order to keep our distance and minimize her exposure to my second hand air, we are Flintstoning it with single beds.  This has also been a benefit in this heat as we still have our own space.  For those who didn't get that pop culture reference, what have you been doing with your life?!

Jackie has clinic appointments Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week.  They take blood these days to monitor any trends or changes.  One of the effects of the Jakavi is it can suppress production of some of the blood cells we spoke about earlier.  While her hemoglobin has been fairly stable (>100) her platelets and white cells have dropped a bit.  This med also likes to deplete magnesium so Jackie has been receiving an IV dose of that each clinic day as well.  Despite this, Jackie has been progressing well this week.  More outings mean more exercise (walking and even some stairs) which also translates into a bigger appetite, which is the ultimate goal.  But this does take its toll and Jackie usually needs to have a rest after lunch to ensure she is awake for three o'clock, cuz we all know what happens at three.  If not, you have some other posts to read.

It's FAJITA FRIDAY!!!

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for reading.

Mike