| Here I am sitting in a bed on Ward 25 of the chemo ward worrying
myself sick as the doctors were due to arrive to tell me if I could leave
/ be discharged today (today I had my big date/weekend with Richard from
the South Island - he bought his ticket weeks ago) and so much depended
on my blood test results and invariably they were a shocker and had to
stay in an extra day. Or, my face was so swollen from all the chemo and
felt so god awful there was no way I could leave. I had a swollen face,
swollen eyelids and looked I had gone two rounds with Mike Tyson, and
was thinking, poor Richard, he is just not gona think much of me with
this face, I didn't even want to contemplate what he will think of me
not looking like my picture as I felt a fraud - even though I have chatted
to him heaps on the phone and mentioned this and stuff, I still felt horrible.
Anyway, I made sure the doc gave me some pills to take this fluid off
my face by tonight - they work really fast thank goodness.
On this most important day which I had been preparing for (yip, visited
that lingerie shop, stockings, sexy number in the window to boot) and
telling all the nurses about it because this was a Saturday. Now Saturdays
in a hospital are on 'go slows' there is only one or two doctors doing
the rounds discharging and then, they have to write up all the notes,
so, knowing this, I requested the House Surgeon the day before to have
all my notes typed up so the receptionist just needed to punch a button
and it would be all printed. Of course he was told why and decided this
was a great idea and made sure this was all done.
I finally got my good news, from the docs (told them I was feeling fantastic
! bit of a white lie there) got the discharge notes and flew out the door
to my taxi - this was now approximately 1.00pm. My big weekend was in
Auckland. Richard was landing at Auckland at 6.30 and told me he had booked
The Mecure Hotel with Waterfront views in an upgraded suite, and dinner
in their restaurant on the top floor. I figured I would Have plenty of
time to get ready. I had planned what to wear weeks ago and when I put
this outfit on I struck a major problem I forgot all about. Yes, the "mushy
chemo brain syndrome" strikes again (I have to point out, this dilemma
is worse than a "dumb blond" syndrome, you really do some dumb things,
you forget things, you leave elements on the stove after cooking, you
generally stuff up quite a lot !) well, this outfit I chose, was a medium
short skirt, matching waistcoat and black jacket - well, this skirt, was
almost uncomfortably tight ! I had forgotten about the ghastly 5 - 8kgs
I had gained from all the fluid and chemo they had pumped into me over
the past three days............ oh, I was so gutted. I went from 67kgs
to 75kgs - it really is horrible. However, I managed to do the button
and zip up and that was that, I was wearing this outfit. By now it was
approaching 4pm and I figured I would have a relaxed drive to The Mecure
and wait for Richard in the lounge at reception. At 4.30 as I was carefully
pulling up my stockings.. - by the way, I must point out I have a fibreglass
cast on my left arm - and it is so difficult pulling stockings up with
one and 3/4 hands as well as negotiating them up with fibreglass at very
close quarters ! My mobile goes. Almost simultaneously upon hearing my
mobile I forgot all about my cast and reached for my mobile and at the
same time a huge big ladder goes flying down my leg. Richard. He text
to see if I could pick him up at the airport. My brain goes sht ! it is
4.30, I am going to have to break the speed limit, as well as buy a new
set of stockings !
Decided to stop in Ngarawhaia, got a cheap pair of stockings at the service
station - and a quick change (had to throw away my $18 pair of stockings)
then proceeded to search on the road for an idiot to follow at break neck
speed hoping he had a tracker for cops and just follow his ars to Auckland.
Sure enough, just out of Huntly found the car and we were off.
Made it to the airport on time, as well as presenting myself to Richard
for the first time ever with no ladders in my stockings - I honestly felt
like Bridget Jones in all sorts of calamity but amazingly arriving on
the scene looking perfect without anyone realising all the laws broken,
laddered stockings wasted and terrorising half the Waikato on the road!!
Then to top this off, to look sexy as hell, when you have had three days
chemo and are feeling so nauseous and sick. That really is an academy
award in my books. When I told Richard all this he did laugh, but was
honestly in total admiration for my spunk and energy (god knows where
I got it though).
Richard and I had the most glorious dinner and got to know each other
and had huge laughs. He spent quite a lot of time on his laptop as he
had a huge business presentation the next day, so I amused myself watching
movies and before you know it, it was the next day. Richard was off to
his business meeting and said he would catch up later on in the day which
left me and those wonderful shops ! I had realised in my panic leaving,
I had forgotten my trainers and only had my high heel shoes. This meant
shops. A pair of trainers and a new shirt later every thing was much better
in the world and investigating Queen Street was the mission for the day.
I had such a glorious weekend in Auckland with Richard and sadly I dropped
him off at the Airport on Monday morning. Now your thinking nothing could
simply go wrong now. It is all pretty ho hum now, drive home, get over
the chemo carry on. But sorry to say, this story does not finish here.
I got lost. I promise you, I did read the signs to get back home,,,, honestly.
Would you believe I ended up in East Tamaki or Otara? I was so disorientated
and my sense of direction just was not working. It took me 40 minutes
to find State Highway 1 after I left the airport - unbelievable. However
I did have a great weekend..........
Thanks heaps Jen
Barbs
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