The blanket....

After the skin glue fiasco, the niggly headache that had been edging forward since I'd had the port installed, got worse and worse. My ears hurt and I was covered in a rash. I felt awful but since it was Friday morning, my first chemo day, I dutifully showed up to meet Dr Z., who immediately sent me back to Radiology to have the port checked. Nothing wrong with it at all. "You must be allergic to the dressing", they said, parroting back to me what I had just told them. I do wonder about some of these doctors. Common Sense 101 can't be on the curriculum at med school.

One of the downsides of chemo is that it knocks you down. Your white blood count drops so you can't fight infections so easily. If you're even slightly sick, you can't get the chemo. So, yours truly was packed off home with a prescription for antibiotics and told to report back on Monday. Aye, Aye, Sir!

As we went past the cancer center, I spotted by friend S zigzagging furtively down the corridor. It was a bit baffling to see her there, so I hailed her loudly: "What ho, young S, what are you up to?" Apparently she was there on the Q.T., dispatched by the United Rowers of Norwalk, to deliver the most fantastical, amazing gift which was going to wrap me in everyone's love while I was infused with the chemo potion.

Remember those Verizon TV ads where the mafia guy was down at the river bank and something bad was going down? Then the camera panned back and there was a phalanx of Verizon people in wing formation covering the dude's back? That, folks, is how I feel. I'm the point person, on the line, maximum danger zone, persistent bass line setting the tone -- but I have this huge army covering my back. There is NO WAY I can't get out of this ordeal!

The blanket will be my secret weapon, my security blanket. It is a testament to how versatile women can be. Here you have a body of dedicated athletes, muscles and hours of cardio endurance, and they can also knit, sew and crochet. Plus they're artists!! Here's my team with the blanket! How cool is this. It even has a pocket and a bunch of flowers on it and I love all the colors!

I tested the blanket's healing powers that afternoon by wrapping up in it to try to shift the headache. It lulled me deep into sleep....