A much better day

As soon as I woke up this morning, I knew things were going to be better than yesterday. I no longer had that awful achiness and lethargy, and I was quite hungry (I hadn't eaten much the day before). Marty was delighted when I suggested that we go out to breakfast, which we did shortly after listening to Will Shortz (the crossword puzzle editor of the New York Times) on NPR, which we enjoy every Sunday morning. We went to the nearby Arlington Diner, where I always order the same thing, a veggie omelet with cheddar. It is huge, with tons of onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting, and with home fries, whole wheat toast, and a side order of sausage, is definitely more than I can eat at one time, but we have discovered that it all reheats successfully in the microwave, so I know what I'll be having for breakfast tomorrow!

In spite of feeling considerably better than yesterday, I can see that I continue to get weaker, and I've been resting for the rest of the day. Any little exertion leaves me gasping for breath, and I have to sit and concentrate on my breathing for awhile until I feel comfortable again. Marty went out at around one to help his friend Donna with some things, and Judy arrived shortly after he left. He had gotten me set up in the living room with all the things I needed in easy reach, including some delicious cherries, and the fan going, but when Judy got here I decided I needed the air conditioner, which is very powerful and cools off this big space in just a few minutes.

As always, having Judy around is very cheering. I haven't been into the bedroom, but I know she cleared off the collection of newspapers and other things that were cluttering up the bed, and got various other things organized ("Let me tidy up" is what she usually says when she arrives). We chatted for awhile, and then she and I sat comfortably reading. I wasn't hungry for most of the day (I'd been munching on the cherries), but eventually I asked her to bake a sweet potato for me, and I'll probably have some other light meal once Marty gets home.

One of the things I read today was an article by Peter Singer in the New York Times Magazine concerning the rationing of health care. Singer has been quite a hated figure in the disability community because of some deeply insensitive remarks he's made devaluing the lives of disabled people, but at least he addressed that question in the article, although I don't think hewent nearly far enough to answer his critics (of which I am one). But what I found most frustrating about the article was that, like almost everything else I read on the subject, he managed to address the questions of long-term and end-of-life care without mentioning the value of hospice care, which has certainly made a remarkable difference in my life, and I know the lives of many others. When something is both cost effective and better, you'd think it would be brought up more often in these discussions! It made me want to write a letter to the editor, but I'm not sure I've got the energy to do it (I think it would have to be done in the next two or three days).

Marty called a little while ago to say that Donna suggested he set up an Excel program to keep track of the responses to the invitations, so when he finished helping her, the two of them sat down and worked on that for awhile (the responses have been coming in at a steady clip). Once he was on his way back home, and Judy felt comfortable that I wasn't going to be alone for too long, she left me with some fresh iced tea and the computer, and I expect that Marty should be here very soon. I hope he's not too tired to want to attack the Times puzzle, which we started at breakfast but have barely put a dent in.