The Bobby A! Show . . .

When we last left our handsome hero, Alex Montenegro*, he was just discharged from the U of M hospital with a whole new drug regimen, a better grip on the nausea from his first round of chemo, a home-routine of PT exercises and an appetite to write home about . . .

Lest I start posting too often and sharing too much detail, turning Bob's life into a real-life Truman Show, I just wanted to give a quick update and be done (and don't think for a second that I didn't hear you all thinking, "There's no such thing as a quick update with you, Jen . . ." because I did. I have ears on the back of my head. Or, ummm, well . . . whatever. You know what I mean). I keep riding Bob's a$$ to get on the blog and make a personal appearance, but he hasn't had the energy. The new meds he's on are doing a better job at helping his pain, better than the oxycontin/oxycodone routine, but they make him very sleepy. In time, if it seems too much an interference, the med levels may have to be adjusted, but I think the sleep is good, for now, as he's had so little in literally months. Lots of naps pepper his days, so lucky you, dear readers, you're stuck with me. At least for the time being, or, as they say in the Andrzejek family, till he breaks his second wind . . .

Bob would like everyone to know that overall, he's feeling pretty good. Much better than a week ago, anyhow. He appreciates the phone calls, text messages, e-mails, prayers, messages left on the blog, kind thoughts and pixie dust, and said to keep 'em coming (he asked me the other day, "What the hell is all the pixie dust about, anyhow?" Clearly, he doesn't read the blog too thoroughly, hanging on to my every written word. I told him I let everyone know he's a pagan). He might not have the energy to respond, but he reads/hears/feels you all, and appreciates so much that you take time out of your busy days to think about him. Makes him feel good, feel connected to the world . . .

Over the past few days, since being discharged, actually since the last few days while still in the hospital, Bob's appetite has improved, relatively speaking. Even with feeling better, though, it's still hit and miss, and we can't always make rhyme or reason with it. His appetite and gaining weight are so important to help get him strong 'n' healthy as he approaches his third date with chemo in a few weeks. Definitely want to do all we can to avoid a repeat of last week. We had salmon, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner last night, finished off with a bowl of ice cream. Breakfast has been a bowl of yogurt with fruit, a while later, an egg and cheese, an Ensure now and then.

Tonight, I made steak stir fry and rice. Bob thought it sounded good, but found he had a tough time with it, as beef is too hard to chew right now. It's a challenge finding foods that he can tolerate, due to sores on his tongue and in his mouth (chemo works by attacking fast-dividing cells . . . unfortunately, the drugs can't differentiate between cancer cells and other healthy yet fast-dividing cells of the body. Hair and skin cells divide rapidly and are most often affected by the chemo. Cells in the mouth are particularly affected). Certain things will sound appetizing, but then when he tries to eat, more often than not, it irritates his mouth. Not just spices, but textures—anything crispy, crunch, hard, rough, etc. Breads can be painful, as are crackers, chips, crunchy vegetables, even meat, because it requires more effort/pressure. So, it's been lots of soft foods—pudding, ice cream, mashed potatoes, risotto (no, I do not spend hours making creamy risotto for Bob. Trader Joe's comes through for me here, with bags of frozen risotto), cereal, yogurt, canned peaches, grapes. Cheese. Eggs. And sometimes he just has to try something to see if it'll work. So, he is getting variety, an increase in calories, and definitely getting more food in him, and that's a big ol' leap forward.

Last night, we slept in our bed together for the first time in months. Before y'all go and get all wink-wink, nudge-nudge-y on us, let it be known that I clung for dear life to my side of the mattress all night, for fear that I'd thrash about in my sleep, cross over to Bob's side and kick him in the leg. Funny as that sounds, it would not be. He said he was very self-conscious of me being next to him, because he's up so often at night, taking medication, going to the bathroom, moving around to change positions. I was awake whenever he made a move or a sound, whispering in the dark at him, "Are you okay?" "What's wrong?" "Do you need anything?" Not a great night of sleep for either of us. Even though it was the first time we'd shared the bed in what feels like forever, and it makes me sad to think about that, I think I'll go back to the couch tonight. We both need our sleep.

Tomorrow, I go back to work again. I'm getting used to these long weekends at home. Kind of cozy, kind of peaceful, in an odd sort of way. Maybe because it's winter, and what a helluva winter it's been, nice to just hunker down and ride it out in the comfort of home. I'm sure it's getting way old for Bob, though. On weekends, I run errands. Head to Target, grocery store, maybe meet up with a friend or family member on occasion. When Tuesday comes, I get to go back out into the world of work, friends, family again. He doesn't. I would love nothing more than to have our old life back, though. The life where we do things together, share in the activities, duties, goings on. I can't even begin to speak for Bob and the isolation, the disconnection, he is experiencing. So many things, I miss. . . countless more, he probably misses. But we will have all that back again. In time. But god, is this li'l redhead impatient. . .

Tune in tomorrow, when our dashing hero gets his first Netflix movie in the mail! The Hangover! Review to follow . . .

*When we were in Williamsburg, PA a few years back, we were touring one of the old settlements—Jamestown, perhaps? Don't remember for sure . . . but, we'd just signed the guest book and started walking up the path when a voice from behind us called out, "Excuse me! Excuse me!" Bob turned around and realized a man was talking to him. He asked Bob if he was Alex Montenegro. Bob replied, "No, why do you ask?" The stranger said, "I saw the name in the guest book, and that he was also from my hometown. You are the only person here who looks like his name could be Alex Montenegro . . ." We decided then that Alex Montenegro would be Bob's alter ego. . . or restaurant reservation name. Or great soap opera name. Or blog character name . . .