Item 4. SURVIVING DAY TO DAY

Marilyn and I normally share cooking, she cooks 3 nights a week and I cook four. During the months of receiving chemo this will change--but we don't know how. Planning for anything is not very easy during this time. I'm guessing supper will involve Marilyn’s will cooking whenever she feels like it (but less than 4 nights a week), and me cooking whenever it needs to be done. I figure that Marilyn will either: (1.) eat a regular meal, (2.) eat small portions of a regular meal, or (3.) eat snacks. Of course there's a cast of generous friends waiting in the wings who are ready to buy or make meals and deliver them to the house. We really can't give a hint to these folks as to when or how often we need this service. It will take a few weeks of experience before we get the hang of it. In talking to other caregivers I've recently met, it seems that in general they run everything. Either their patient has a more disabling type cancer or the duration is much longer than ours. These caregivers often arrange visitors to come, suggest small outings, and other such things. Marilyn, on the other hand, thinks up a lot of these things ahead of time, which for me is a blessing. A blessing not only in having Marilyn as a patient but also in dealing with a form of cancer that is more manageable.