The Storm

Jenny's mom attended church services today in Jenny's ward (a ward is what Mormons call an individual church congregation), of which I am also a member. I spoke to her briefly afterward as she was leaving and of course asked her how Jenny was doing. "This is the storm," her mom replied. "She's going through the storm."

As I'm sure you've all been able to piece together from the blog posts this past week, The Storm means that Jenny's body is simply getting beat down by the chemo. Positive attitudes and supportive friends notwithstanding, it's a rough ride and it's taking a toll on Jenny.

Since the doctors discovered Jenny's infections, she hasn't been able to leave her room for her daily walks due to the increased risk of further infection. Not that she has the energy to go for a walk most of the time anyway. Nor much of an appetite either (but also no nausea lately--yay!). Her good friend Mauri brought some falafel last night that tasted so good.

Today's big news that Jenny wanted all her blog readers to know about is that she spent an hour trying to blow her nose. Yes, you read that right. It took her an hour just to blow her nose. Here's how it went: Spray saline solution into the nose, try to blow the stuffiness out. Repeat. Repeat again. When all was said and done, some "scary stuff" had come out and she'd used almost an entire box of tissues.

When asked about her hair, Jenny said, "I don't want to talk about that." It has started to come out.

In spite of being in the middle of The Storm, Jenny continues to look for the positive elements in her days. For instance, her two sisters have been here all weekend, visiting from The West. (They fly home tomorrow.) It's been wonderful to have them here, not only to boost her spirits but also to take advantage of their mad artistic skillz. To wit, today they gave Jenny a pedicure. Not just any pedicure, but a very snazzy designer pedicure. Check it out:


This just in! One of the blood infections Jenny has is connected to her sinuses (hence, all the nasal congestion). Consequently, she's going for a CT scan (tonight?). Keep your fingers crossed they'll figure out what's going on.

Jenny continues to be very popular and hosted a steady stream of visitors this weekend (in addition to her sisters). She appreciates all the love and support everyone is showing her and enjoys seeing her friends. She also appreciates it when visits are short, as she tires easily. In fact, she had to end our phone call this afternoon after only a few minutes because all the talking was leaving her out of breath. Please keep that in mind when going to visit.

Tomorrow Jenny will get a new PICC line put in and another round of chemo. Two weeks down and two to go! I'm sure we are all counting down the days with her until the chemo is over. Hang in there, friend! I have no doubt you'll weather this storm and soon you and all your new white blood cells will be basking in the light of the rainbow that follows.