good thing there's only two more

The radiation tech commented on my arm being swollen and the Doc examined my arm for a while, but ultimately said it was good that I'd get the weekend break, and then also only had two more days.  Safe to say that it's hot, bothered, itchy and sore, which all indicates, of course, that the radiation is working, i.e., killing cells.  So my body has sent in the white cell marines.  At least I can supplement with Tylenol (but not ice, because they want it to be hot).

Meanwhile, I called MD Anderson to try to get someone on the reconstructive surgeon's team to call me back.  No luck today, but maybe Monday.  I'm trying to figure out whether I can come home to Colorado when I'm released from the hospital, or whether I'll need to stay in Houston.  With the surgery in August, they put a cast on the skin graft site, to protect it, and I had to go back after one week to get the cast and special dressing changed, and then the next week for the stitches and another check.  But that was outpatient surgery.  This will be more complex, I'll be in the hospital for longer, but from a planning standpoint, I don't want to be released from the hospital at day 5 and fly home if I have to return to the hospital on day 7.  And, given that a week out is 12/18, obviously lots of air travel after that will be happening during the "holiday season."  The cancer surgeon's physician assistant has no idea what the protocol might be, and I've not had a face-to-face consult with the reconstructive surgeon, so if I can't get some basic idea from his PA, I may need to go down there again to get more info.

We woke up to snow today -- about an inch. But it was sunny all day, so most of it is gone, and the weekend is supposed to be sunny and back to 60 degrees.  Our maple and catalpa tree still have most of their leaves, so the maple's boughs were touching the ground in the morning; now they're lifted.

I'm so tired ...