Thursday November 6th

Today has not been as bad as I thought it could be. I had my treatment yesterday afternoon and tried to do a few more things in the evening, since I was worried I might be really sick today. Fortunately, the nausea is under control with medication and the worst side effect is the sores on the sides of my mouth, also inside on my tongue and throat. I am using the magic mouthwash from last month and that helps a lot.

Today, I rested this morning, but was also itching to do a few things. David asked me right before Halloween, "What part of a pumpkin is pumpkin pie made from?" I was amazed that he really didn't know, so I gave some sarcastic answer like, "Well, it isn't from the rind or the seeds!" Today, to show David, I cut up and baked one of our Halloween pumpkins (one that had not been carved). I also cut a few remnant roses in our yard and did some organizing in my closet for about half an hour. It was tricky to come up with an outfit for this afternoon: I have some DI jeans that I got on Tuesday and they fit great, just needed a little hemming. After that, I had to find a shirt that would cover my swollen belly (I feel like I'm pregnant or something. Did you see that TCL show, "I never knew I was pregnant?") In my case, my ovaries are gone, so the swelling comes from my liver which is located on my right side, just under the ribcage. Ironically, it is the same side where I had a TRAM flap reconstruction for my right breast, so the main muscle (rectus abdominus) is missing on that side and was used instead for the blood flow of the newly reconstructed breast. Ok, long enough explanation!

My new friend Shirline offered to drive me around for my errands this afternoon. First we dropped Brenton off at his appointment, then drove to a new dentist that David's parents recommended. Each dentist I visit (This is the 3rd one) has a different opinion of the small sore located in the gum of my front tooth, above the crown. Also, the dentist gave me a prescription for the small sores in the corner of my mouth, kind of like cold sores. I can't believe how quickly they started, in less than 24 hours from my treatment.

Then, we picked Brenton up and went to a store called Allison's pantry. The owner graciously sent me a gift certificate to check out her store and pick up some items for our family. In fact, Shirline, bought some things as well. I liked this store, so if you live near Pleasant Grove, please check it out. It is at 580 W. State in Pleasant Grove, kind of set off from the road, on the east side of the street, across the road from Timponogos Cyclery and the uniform store. Allison's pantry has quality and fresh pantry items in bulk, including mixes, soups, nuts, dried fruits and snacks, as well as seasonings, frozen fruit, and more. We picked out some hot cocoa mix, yogurt pretzels, nuts, dried fruit and candy, plus a package of frozen soup (this is the kind the restaurants serve to patrons, just reheated). I'm looking forward to feeding the soup to my family. I'd love to get another gift certificate and try other items. Thank you, Allison!
Emilee