Loved Florida, but it's a big dose of reality today

We got back on Sunday from ten days in Florida - glorious warmth and sunshine, at least most of the time.  We spent our first few days with our friends Bob and Joyce at their wonderful home in West Palm Beach.  Enjoyed a couple of nice dinners including at Seasons 52 - one of my favorite Florida restaurants.  All the entrees are less than 450 calories and the desserts are presented in double shot glasses - just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth without wrecking your waistline.

Then we moved on to Marco Island, one of the nicest beaches on the gulf side.  We spent three nights there, and I have to tell you that Rick spent six hours in a beach chair under an umbrella.  I can't even imagine the last time he did that.  He would normally go play golf and then meet up with me later on the beach.  But it was exceptionally relaxing and he enjoyed every minute!

We then drove up the coast to Lutz, north of Tampa. He played golf with the guys, my friend Ann and I met a couple of blogger friends for lunch, and walked around the mall a bit.  The temperature was heading downward so we didn't get to enjoy their pool.  As a matter of fact, I was wrapped in a blanket most of the time.  The tile floors gave off a chill that I couldn't shake. 

And I wasn't feeling so great through most of the trip.  Daily nausea attacks and limited appetite made me a very fussy houseguest.  There's not a whole lot that tastes good these days, although I did discover ice cream, mashed potatoes and gravy, scrambled eggs and mac & cheese.  And...Rick is off to the store to get fixins for Chinese Pie.  I think it's something I will enjoy and it will be fun to watch him whip it up!

Yesterday I endured a brain MRI - and endure is the word.  I've never had one and it has to be the most uncomfortable test ever.  The pounding of the magnets was matched by the attempt to listen to music through headsets.  All in all, it just sounded like a cacophony and I couldn't wait for the 45 minute test to end.  Afterwards, we went to Friendly's because I had earned a treat - a "happy endings" sundae with chocolate and coffee ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry!  I almost licked the dish - it was the best thing I tasted in days.

Today I started the second round of weekly carboplatin treatments.  We were there at 8:00 promptly to try and minimize the waiting.  But alas, our PA was late so we were there for 3 hours for a 30 minute treatment.   Labs, exams, pre-meds...it just takes time.  And the PA noticed one of my pupils was smaller than the other, he went and looked at the MRI pictures and the brain mets are back, or were never gone completely.  I'm back on 2 mg of decadron a day and I'll find out next week what's next as far as treatment for the mets.  I didn't have a discussion because there was no formal report and the Radiation Oncologist wasn't on site.  Next week...