Day 37, Continued Improvement

Sorry I haven't written for awhile, but there hasn't really been much about which to write. My appetite while not fully back continues to improve. However, it is still difficult to maintain my weight and I have lost about 20 pounds from my pre-stem cell transplant weigh-in. I hope to get accustomed to the appetite supplements, such as Boost, as a way to put back the weight. We'll see what happens.

My doctor is very happy with my progress--so much so that he has said I can skip a week of check-ins. So we won't have to fit in an appointment during Thanksgiving week as we get ready to host the entire family for the holiday. Andrew and Katie and their three girls will drive down from Minnesota for Thanksgiving. Then we will enjoy the wedding of nephew Dave Douglass Jr. and his wonderful fiancee Emily that Friday. It will be my first venture out to a big event with lots of people and I am hoping that all continues to go well in the days leading up to it so that Terri and I will be able to attend.

Terri and I did drive up to the stuga ( our summer home) last Sunday for the day to meet our friends, Marcia and Larry Anderson. Larry was nice enough to install a wireless thermostat and we needed to take some final steps to see that it was connected. Now I can monitor the temperature from home which is a good thing given the recent drop in temperatures. All is well. We did also feed the birds and take a short walk while we were there. It was definitely good to get out.

I have also taken some small trips out. Terri and I did some limited shopping at the drug store. On Veteran's Day, brother Dave drove me to the cemetery so that we could put a flag on our grandfather's grave. He was a veteran of the Spanish-American War! We also placed a wreath on Mom and Dad's grave as their anniversary is this week. Then we stopped at a nearby deli so Dave could pick up some chicken soup with matzo balls for us to enjoy at home. The soup was delicious, but I learned I'm not a fan of matzo balls. It's been great to get out and have a change of scenery from time to time. Otherwise the days can seem quite long.

Actually, after finishing this post, I guess there was much about which to write!