A Relaxing Weekend
We had such a nice weekend. We left Saturday morning for Evansville, taking a brief detour through some model homes in Franklin that John wanted to see. We arrived in Evansville mid-afternoon.
Saturday evening we took John's mom out to dinner at Cork 'n Cleaver. It's one of my favorite restaurants in Evansville. It was started by the same guys who started the original Chart House restaurant chain in California. And the food has never changed. (The Chart Houses are in lots of resort areas and beach cities; they have changed ownership and the last time I was there, it was still good - but different.) The Evansville Cork 'n Cleaver still has the original wooden menu and all the same original menu items, including Mud Pie and a salad bar with those great Chart House salad dressings and homemade croutons. I always enjoy eating there. Saturday night was no exception. (You will know the best places to eat in Evansville after reading this blog entry.)
We had a leisurely Sunday morning. And Sunday afternoon we got to spend a couple of hours visiting with John's sister, Lillian. She has been battling her own cancer for over a year and is now back in Indiana (from Reno, NV). It was SO good to see her.
We intended to have Roca Bar pizza for dinner, but forgot they are closed on Sundays. So we went to Turoni's. It's a toss up which is best. They are both excellent. Both have pizza with a thin and crispy crust. Their pizzas remind me of a place I used to love in California called "Straw Hat." Of course, I over-indulged. We then went to see The Moody Blues in concert at The Center.
It was a great show.
We checked out of our room at 11:00 and spent an hour or so at Marian's before hitting the road. I normally cannot leave Evansville without having donuts from Donut Bank. They are THE best donuts I've ever tasted. But I passed this time. I've been working hard at losing a few pounds lately and was down six before the weekend. So I had Raisin Bran for breakfast, then splurged on a cookie and a Starbucks latte for lunch on the way home.
I got up this morning and forced myself onto the scale. I was prepared for a two or three pound weight gain. Especially since we had Jet's pizza at The Gathering last night. But I had only gained a pound. I don't understand it. I thought I did more damage than that. But I'm happy. Hopefully, I can get right back on the wagon.
Tomorrow John has CT scans to determine just how much his lymph nodes have shrunk from the first cycle of CAL-101. His neck looks completely normal. But there are still a few he can feel (even though they aren't sticking out). So the scan will provide exact measurements. It is clearly apparent that in one month, CAL-101 has reduced the nodes more than six cycles of chemotherapy. Thursday is our second long day in the treatment room. John will take his morning pill and then we will sit there for seven hours while they draw blood at regular intervals. We will also find out the results of his CT scans. I'll share the results when we get home Thursday evening. But it's obvious to me that John has had a great response so far to CAL-101. I'm very thankful.
Saturday evening we took John's mom out to dinner at Cork 'n Cleaver. It's one of my favorite restaurants in Evansville. It was started by the same guys who started the original Chart House restaurant chain in California. And the food has never changed. (The Chart Houses are in lots of resort areas and beach cities; they have changed ownership and the last time I was there, it was still good - but different.) The Evansville Cork 'n Cleaver still has the original wooden menu and all the same original menu items, including Mud Pie and a salad bar with those great Chart House salad dressings and homemade croutons. I always enjoy eating there. Saturday night was no exception. (You will know the best places to eat in Evansville after reading this blog entry.)
We had a leisurely Sunday morning. And Sunday afternoon we got to spend a couple of hours visiting with John's sister, Lillian. She has been battling her own cancer for over a year and is now back in Indiana (from Reno, NV). It was SO good to see her.
We intended to have Roca Bar pizza for dinner, but forgot they are closed on Sundays. So we went to Turoni's. It's a toss up which is best. They are both excellent. Both have pizza with a thin and crispy crust. Their pizzas remind me of a place I used to love in California called "Straw Hat." Of course, I over-indulged. We then went to see The Moody Blues in concert at The Center. It was a great show.
I just love seeing the old bands from the sixties and seventies. I call them geezer concerts because the crowds are usually over fifty. But the music is incredible. I had the best time watching the woman in front of me. She was probably in her early sixties. From behind, you wouldn't have known it. She was wearing jeans and had a youthful haircut (no gray showing). And she didn't just stand up a lot and dance. She danced like she was taking LSD (or so I thought). I just couldn't stop giggling. Only the skin on her face and arms betrayed the age and sun damage of a grandma. And, let me tell you, she was having a great time reliving the sixties.
We took our time getting home yesterday. I love it when John is relaxed and in no hurry to get back by a certain time. One of the most positive things to come from his having CLL is that he is realizing he needs to take a little more time for himself. I am definitely on board with that.
We checked out of our room at 11:00 and spent an hour or so at Marian's before hitting the road. I normally cannot leave Evansville without having donuts from Donut Bank. They are THE best donuts I've ever tasted. But I passed this time. I've been working hard at losing a few pounds lately and was down six before the weekend. So I had Raisin Bran for breakfast, then splurged on a cookie and a Starbucks latte for lunch on the way home.
I got up this morning and forced myself onto the scale. I was prepared for a two or three pound weight gain. Especially since we had Jet's pizza at The Gathering last night. But I had only gained a pound. I don't understand it. I thought I did more damage than that. But I'm happy. Hopefully, I can get right back on the wagon.
Tomorrow John has CT scans to determine just how much his lymph nodes have shrunk from the first cycle of CAL-101. His neck looks completely normal. But there are still a few he can feel (even though they aren't sticking out). So the scan will provide exact measurements. It is clearly apparent that in one month, CAL-101 has reduced the nodes more than six cycles of chemotherapy. Thursday is our second long day in the treatment room. John will take his morning pill and then we will sit there for seven hours while they draw blood at regular intervals. We will also find out the results of his CT scans. I'll share the results when we get home Thursday evening. But it's obvious to me that John has had a great response so far to CAL-101. I'm very thankful.
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