The Arm Lady

It is unlikely that I will wake up and find it colder than I did this morning before I leave here.  If you can't read it, the wind chill factor was -13. 

But of course that was at 7 a.m.  By the time we left for the cancer center at noon, it had "warmed up" to 12.  And, ya know what?  If you're only going from house to car to office to car to home, it really isn't bad at all.  I didn't even wear my sweatshirt or gloves.  I don't have a hat, and I wore my lighter weight jacket and I was perfectly fine.  Of course, if I had to do anything outside, I would have needed more insulation than just my built-in blubber.  Tomorrow the high will be 21, which sound absolutely balmy.

Today there were two appointments, the first with a social service worker, which I didn't go to.  We thought the appointment with "the arm doctor" was at 2:30, but it was actually 3:30, so we had an extra hour to wait.  Fortunately, Peach found a recliner and was able to sleep a little.

When she finally came to call Peach, the "arm lady" (Occupational Therapist Kathryn Eberle) was delightful.  I liked her instantly.  She was empathetic, gentle, and gave lots of positive reinforcement.

She validated Peach's concerns about the bras she was told to wear and offered constructive ideas for alternative, less painful options.  She gave her some massage for her sore tight muscles...

...and gave her some exercises she is to do daily.

I hope she felt better at the end of the appointments, both from constructive suggestions, encouraging support, and practical solutions.

When the day was over, she was exhausted, so we stopped and picked up sandwiches at Subway for dinner tonight (didja hear that?  we picked up sandwiches for dinner...which means the diarrhea is over and with medication, she can eat without nausea.  Halleluiah!)

We are finished with medical appointments for the week (barring unforeseen problems), so the rest of the week should be pretty quiet, and time to get lots of healing rest.