2002 Story Set
| May 31, 2002 OK - the heat was ungodly. It was over 85 degrees. It was certainly hotter in a van without a working air conditioner. It was fine taking off this morning for the hospital. And I packed a change of clothes. During chemo, the van was in the botom of the garage under the overhang, shaded. But after chemo, we headed for my CPA and we were no longer in the shade. Ooops. She's out of town. Next Thursday (which is a long chemo day) I will try again. Need to file taxes before she goes on vacation. Noce to have a client in Reno. So off we went to see my older child. Across town in the heat, windows open, back airconditioner trying to cool something, when we remembered to flip it on. Even working, it needs recharging. We stop at CISCO and go in. Once upstairs at my older son's office, I read, and the boys do their bonding thing. Then it's off to Subway and fetch food back to the older one. (Hey - who is unemployed here!) By then, I am HOT. So is my younger son who is also dizzy and flushed. It is 1:30 and we have a 4-hour wait to go to Team in Training. I call the shot. Home boy. No hanging around to go to Team in Training. He sips soda with ice, I sip a warm canned soda as I race home in traffic, windows open, hair flying. I am dizzy and exhausted by the time we get there. This is heat exhaustion. As an old lady, I feel the heat more than most people. As a cancer patient, he also feels it more than most people. Besides, he had those leg shots this morning. And it's my time of the month to stay near a restroom. Love that patch! We settle in the newer (and hence insulated) family room that has a small older airconditioner beating itself to death. I am contemplating a bigger more efficient unit. Properly installed since my contractor, besides messing up a few other things, didn't do this right either. I turn on every fan in the house and we both strip - him to boxers and me to a nylon nightgown and not much else. I remove even makeup that is merrily melting down my face. We flop on the broken and soon to go couch, drink and have our Subway sandwiches, after a decent interval of cooling down. [The couch leaves when my son does. The boys have gone through about seven of them.] I then end up flopped on the floor until my hips complain while he hogs the couch. I decide my room is better, warmer, but I can lay down in slightly more comfort. I argue that I want to go to be. I have to argue because he has not let me leave the family room since we got home. He finally relents, turns off the TV and --- follows me! My child, on hearing that the date with Fabio really will happen at long last, wants to cuddle his Mom. He does not want me out of his sight! He climbs up on my bed and snuggles. All 240 lbs, 6'1" of him. My overhead fan is on high. The hallway has a whole-house fan on high - pumping family room cooler air into my bedroom. To do this, he has locked the cat into his bedroom. So he snuggles. And he is HOT. Overheated. I finally fetch him a 2-liter bottle of flavored water. He sips and cuddles. Once in awhile he has to roll back so I can cool down! Gads! He is like cozy-ing up to a radiator! He finally relents because I said so after about an hour (I was falling asleep - or maybe unconscious) - and he goes to take a shower to cool off, my idea. I fetch him more water. I take periodic trips to the bathroom as the volume of water I have consumed hits me. But I am not losing that much. I grab a few chips. But they do not have enough salt. The doctor said drink water. Lots of it. She said this by email when I went to check his spinal schedule. So I could schedule the date. I have to run to San Jose tomorrow. I will be driving the new truck that has a working air conditioner. Time to call Toyota and hurry up the van repairs! I will leave an iced pitcher by his bed for while I am gone. I will cool down the house (the nights require comforters) by opening the wondos until I leave. My windows being 6' sliding glass doors that I have all over the place (four of them). And I will fetch salty chips or nuts to eat. Salt is essential when the weather gets this hot. It helps you retain fluid. Of course, every woman in the world knows this! |
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