Day 100

Juvenile coyote in our back yard

We're Home!!!!!!!  We've actually been home for over a week now.  Sorry I haven't updated y'all on that.  Yes, we are back with javelinas, coyotes and rabbits running amok in our neighborhood.  No slugs and seagulls here.  The plants in our yard can defend themselves better than some small countries.  And our tap water is almost 90 degrees.  Yes, that's the cold water.  Toto, we're definitely not in Washington anymore. 

The flowering Saguaro in our front yard
attracted a cactus wren and a dove

Heidi passed her Day 80 tests with flying colors.  Her immune system is more than 93% donor and she had no leukemic cells.  She is still taking ~20 pills every day, but that amount is decreasing.  We still have to pump in magnesium sulfate into her chest port every day.  Actually every other day now.  The decreased tacrolimus dose requires less IV magnesium, but we have this surplus of 36 MEQ MgS, so she is taking it every other day.  Hopefully soon the 10 magnesium pills/day will be sufficient and she will require no IV magnesium.

The drive here was much more relaxing than the drive to Seattle.  Back then we had this ominous weight of unknown severity bearing down.  Four months of SCCA magic later and we are back home and back to normal.  Well, almost normal.  Once the 20 pills and the IV magnesium disappear, we'll call it normal.

Heidi is running a little.  More of a run-walk combination.  Pretty damn good progress, really.  We both signed up for a 1/2 marathon in January.  It's a goal.

Walking home from childcare in Costa Mesa

Escape from Seattle

Our Last Appointment with Nurse Diane

It's funny how things have changed during our stay here.  Priorities have progressed.  Past problems became routine procedures.  Present problems are merely issues. 

Like today.  I was thinking about beer.  Understand this isn't a frequent concern.  But it is a concern now.  In days past we were worried about how to prevent infections, how to infuse magnesium sulfate, whether they would find a suitable donor, and whether we would ever be healthy enough to go on the tour of Underground Seattle.

With Irresponsible Kris at McCormicks & Schmicks

Now our concerns are about things like the temperature in Tucson.  And beer.  You see, there is more beer in our fridge than I can drink in our remaining days here.  And Heidi is really no help.  So I'm trying to figure out the optimal consumption protocol that minimizes wastage.  Oh, so you think this is a trivial problem, huh?  Well, remember, there is also whiskey and gin to consider.  The whiskey is further complicated by both good and cheap stuff.  And you can't drink good scotch after beer, but not for the reasons you are thinking.  No, not because it is risky.

The cackling noise you heard Tuesday
was DeAnne, Jamie, Heidi and Jane

This problem is further complicated by the need to attend all the tourist activities we've been considering since we first considered coming here.  And further further complicated by the need to eat at all the good restaurants nearby.  And what is the first thing they offer at restaurants?  More beer and drinks.  It's a viscous circle.

Kris is probably thinking to herself, "Self, there goes Scott talking about himself again."  But no, Kris, I am actually talking about you.  Because you are contributing to our restaurant habit, keeping me from my fridge and the aforementioned beer utilization optimization problem. 

The only solution here is to go on the tour of Underground Seattle, go to all the nearby restaurants and sign up for as many other tourist activities as we can before getting kicked out.  Which is Monday, by the way.  We're starting our drive home on Monday.  Should be home by June 11.  Yes, Toto, we're going home.  Except not to Kansas.  Unlike Dorothy, we have some serious non-witch types of problems to solve involving beer, underground tours, restaurants . . . Did I mention we have excessive yogurts remaining?  Aaaaargh!  Don't even get me started on the Cheerios depletion requirements.