Mara now delights in many moments of normality: Reading get-well cards, taking her picture together with Elise in a taxi on the way to occupational therapy at the hospital, enjoying a meal cooked by her mother, who is back in town. Then there is plain lying on a couch reading or watching a movie.
There are also difficult moments. Every six hours it is time for another steroid pill, which means food in the stomach or else Mara feels sick. This morning she threw up her breakfast when trying to swallow another medicine. The pill was too big. Going out of the house --so far the only reason has been to go to the hospital for therapy-- means anxiety attacks because Mara gets very tired very fast. Then there are the long bouts of hiccups, day and night (those steroids again?). The occupational therapist said that Mara's right arm still is at a little less than half it's normal strength. Her fine motor coordination skills need to be improved too.
Elise gets the credit for the first three photographs. I took the last one Someone asked a couple of days ago about this scarf. It is a design by one of Mara's favorite artists, an Austrian named Friedensreich Hundertwasser. An extremely nice man picked it up for her from the duty free cart on a recent Lufthansa flight.
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14 comments:
Hmmmm, I can just imagine who that extremely nice man was. And is!
Mara, it is so great to see you up and about again. Yesterday I had a powerful Mara Moment as I watched the full moon rise over Mt. Hood. It was stunningly beautiful; you would have loved it. Oregon awaits your next visit!
Love,
Laura
Dear Mara bubeleh,
Ohmigod I LOVE that scarf!! Perhaps some extremely nice man in my life will pick one up for ME. In fact, I've already specifically instructed him to - and have a great photo to show him so he can't possibly screw it up ;-).
Mara, I am so glad you're able to relax a bit at home, watch tv, hang out, and in general just take it easy and work on healing yourself. I'm so sorry you're still suffering from nausea . . . it didn't occur to me a few posts back, but of course perhaps (mind-fog inducing) marijuana isn't quite the best nausea curative when one is recuperating from BRAIN surgery (DOH!) And it's also well, er . . . illegal, I guess ;-). Well, eventually you'll get chicken soup from Liz M (I hope you enjoy making it, Liz) in DC, and perhaps even now - cooking it can be David's trade-off for making you do MATH!
Speaking of which, all the various commentary on Mara and Math (starting with Liz's Lord & Taylor bit ;-) was just hilarious. I am SO glad I'm not the only one who read the David/Mara math dialogue and thought hell, I'm having trouble following this addition and subraction crap, and I don't even have the excuse of brain surgery! David, I've never met you but I'm getting a distinct impression of who is the free spirit and who is a bit more . . . well structured in this relationship! Hopefully Mara will only throw a few lemons at you ;-).
Anyway Mara darling, you keep on hanging in there, and test your brain with metaphors and poetry instead of math. Be well and rest.
(Ems - a rutabaga is another root vegetable, kind of like a turnip, only it's orange-y in color and its outer skin has a purple color as well. It has a bit of a milder flavor then a turnip, too. The soup won't suffer if you leave it out; I just love them so I always throw in a medium size one just for me.)
Love, Lisa
HI, Mara
You look so great now that you're in a normal environment! I'm sure it must be a relief. Please give your Mom a big kiss from me.
Love
Joanie Harris
Hi Mara,
Your out of the hospital! This is great! I mailed you a present, but it went to your cousin's house where you were staying during the radiation treatment. Just a little something two Buddhist monks picked up in between spinning the prayer wheels in Bouddhna....
You're looking great, it is so wonderful to see you back with your family and out of the hospital. Hang in there, sweetie, and we hope to see you very soon. A big hug to your mom, dad, Elise, and David too.
Love from Dhaka,
Luke and Chris
Mara, Ain't real life fun?
I read once that squeezing the skin between your thumb and first finger can help quell nausea. I used that when I was first pregnant with Rhys. Don't know if it would help with drug-induced nausea, so I was reluctant to suggest it at first, but it can't hurt and it might help. You could use either hand.
Hey extremely nice man -- good on you!
Hugs, JMRR
Mara, it is nice to see you out of the hospital.
That extremely nice man must feel his own share of anxiety, when beautiful scarves don't take away nausea. The nausea is just so awful and despiriting.
I can only imagine that the bad associations of throwing up make each pill harder, and the anxiety of getting tired compounds the feeling of exhaustion.
Reading Laura G's post at the top here makes me wonder how we can lessen those negative associations by replacing them with incredibly welcoming imagery. Can you see yourself scaling Mount Hood every time you have to take a steroid pill? I know, I know, that must sound like a stretch. But I know how well Mara's imagination can conjure up pleasing visuals.
If my memory is correct, I think that some herbals like peppermint are helpful at mitigating nausea. Would peppermint tea before pills help a bit?
Love,
LizMcK
Rhys says, "I hope you feel better soon!"
Radhika says, "When you back to Jordan, can we go get smoothies?"
Love, JMRR
Dear Mara,
don't throw up on that scarf!!
I did feel a big burp coming up when reading about a certain man , though...
There are some sayings in Dutch about this and they all have "afwul smell" in it( David ! Stinkdiertje!) but I won't bother you with that now.
Hope you are feeling better and better.
Thanks for the veggie-description, Lisa !
Big kiss, Ems
Dear Mara,
We're so happy you're out of hospital. Now you'll have time to rest, relax and recover slowly. We three send you big hugs from the Black Forest. By the way...we celebrated my mom's birthday and ate too much Black Forest Chocolate Cake! Keep smiling! Dany, Gadi and Lilly
Mara:
I am looking forward to making you chicken soup with matzo balls and deliverying them to the house when you are in DC. It will be a celebratory meal. Greg and I send you our love.
Bobbi
Oh, Mara, It is SO fantastic to see you in the "outside world" again! Like Laura G, I, too, saw that gorgeous moon rise last night behind Mt St Helens and as it appeared fully I thought of you and how courageous you are.........
We have my son Steve's girls with us this week end from Bend so I had them come out and watch with me. I can only hope and pray that they have some of that strength and courage you have shown in your life throughout their lives. So far they have been phenomenally brave!
Much love, Karen
Dearest Mara,
You are shining ever so brightly amidst these incredible trials. I hold you close everyday as I follow your progress. Your deep reservoirs of strength and light and love are always there for you. Keep leaning on all of your wonderful loved ones as much as you possibly can!!! I send you endless encouragement, beautiful Mara. Abrazos y besos, Paula
Dear Mara,
We have been quietly following your journey from here in Chapel Hill, but following nonetheless, and pulling with you all the way. What a wondrous inner circle you have. THAT must be nurturing!
Thank you for letting us be with you in this virtual way. All the love and vitality you and those who have been posting here have shown is so palpable.
Wow, that scarf is a hit! I'll send you via your mom a stylish pic of another sort -- your little cousin Imara dressed as a (R)ed iPod and her sister Jalia got up as a Goth Cheerleader for Halloween!
All our love,
Philip, Suzan, Jalia, and Imara
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