Must drink water, must drink water ....

Pretty boring as far as mantras go, right? But after yesterday's infusion I learned without a doubt that two days of coffee and diet soda is a bad, bad idea. Oh sure, my brain was saying 'put down the coke.'  Me, listen? Not so much. 

 

We haven't chatted about cancer lately have we? I tend to put it in the back of my mind and carry on painting furniture. Lately, tho, it's been demanding my attention. Stupid cancer. I'm busy! Leave me alone!

 

The new chemo regiment is knarley,  especially after a six month break. This isn't the clinical trial I've been waiting for, this is a new mix of old drugs. They mixed a breast cancer drug with 2 myeloma drugs and the result kicks my butt. Fatigue and nausea are my new best friends. The fatigue is why I was chugging caffeine. Not that it works for me, but I really wanted to get some work done of the garage-saleing kind.

Because of the dehydration yesterday, the nurse couldn't get the IV to work. She called the next nurse.

Meanwhile I was happily looking at Craigslist.

 

Notice the cute green bracelet? I get to wear those almost all the time, so if something happens, I get to go to the first of the line in the emergency room.

The second nurse called the third nurse. The third nurse did no better so they called another nurse who has always got the IV in first time. (I have valvey, wiggly, rolley veins at the best of times and only a couple nurses can get the IV in on the first try.)

I think she was kinda shattered when she hit a valve and sent me straight to the ceiling from the pain. But she got it on the second try - a nice little vein that wasn't too sludgy.  By now you couldn't see much arm through the bandages.

The nurse took a picture for me but she was a little shaky.

Ahhh, almost done. Just waiting for the bag to finish dripping. And this my friends is how I looked when I went to fluff my booth right after, Luckily I'm not self-conscious about it - I actually forgot I was covered in bandages.

I got home dead, stupid tired. And then!! My master gardener, gourmet cook neighbor called and said she was bringing over fresh Garlic Roasted Artichokes. Oh HEAVEN! 

 

They take such good care of me. Actually the whole neighborhood does. We're a cluster of five little farms up a steep gravel mountain road and we all have each others back. With Mr. Bad Rabbit on the road every week it's nice to know I'm not alone up here.

 

Here is the recipe my neighbor used - you'll have to click through to Pinch of Salt. The artichokes are delicious! I wanted to eat all 4. 

Try them with canned Chipotle Peppers or Chipotle Sauce mixed into mayo. Oh yum. That dip was what put me over the edge.

 The following is from www.createamazingmeals.com

 

Garlic Roasted Artichokes

This technique is inspired by Pinch My Salt.  Her instructions are impeccable and accompanied by step-by-step photographs.  I followed her technique exactly.  The only difference is that I used Pasolivo's Citrus Blend Olive Oil - and she's right, the roasted garlic is great to eat, too!  We eat artichokes a lot, so it was fun to try a different technique.

Wrap in foil and place in the oven with the Artichokes for 1 hour.

Serve with your choice of toppings.

So it was a good day! I fluffed my booth, got to spend hours chatting with my favorite nurses and came home to Garlic Artichokes! 

Not bad for a Monday!

Oh, did I mention I get to lose all my hair again? I might dye it green again before its all gone.