Wasabi Nose Burn

Yesterday started like any other other Monday. I woke up and did all my normal Monday morning stuff: groaned, talked to the dogs, scolded myself for leaving unfolded laundry on the table and dishes in the sink. I poured out tea from the day before and refilled my mug with fresh. Ate some breakfast and sent some work emails. Folded the laundry. The more I did, the more I panicked because I knew I was never going to be ready in time. We had to leave for Tate’s appointment at 9:30, and there was more that needed to be done than I could do. I looked terrible, too. I woke up with my hair looking like an 80’s rock star’s – frizzy, puffy, and slightly mullet-ish. It wasn’t until I was trying to shoo Tate into the bathroom to brush his teeth that he told me it was Sunday.

Yep, I woke up and didn’t even know what day it was! After three hours of frantic work, I finally realized why Greg was so annoyed with me for accidentally waking him up. It turns out he planned to have a peaceful Sunday morning and sleep in. (Sorry, Greg.) Everything got so much better when I had 24 hours added back to my weekend! I decided to embrace my rocker mullet and even enhanced it with a sleeveless Johnny Cash t-shirt and black rubber flip flops.

Today, truly a Monday, started much the same. Groan. Talk to dogs. Tea. Breakfast. Explain to my boss why I was sending emails at 6:30am on a Sunday morning. Rouse Tate so we can make it to his appointments on time.

The appointments went really well.

Dr. Bowman (Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Doctor) said Tate doesn’t need to wear his boot anymore unless he starts to notice some pain. If his foot starts to hurt again, he’s supposed to wear his boot for a few days. The doctor said there is “evidence of healing,” but not as much as he would find in a normal patient. He also said he expected Tate to be a “slow healer” because of everything else his body is going through. Unless there is a new kind of pain in his foot, Tate doesn’t need more follow up appointments with Dr. Bowman.

The appointment with the Nurse Practitioner Angie went equally well. Tate’s ANC is 1350! He is safe to have a life again. It was the most wonderful news.

I always ask Tate if he wants something particular to eat on the way home from the clinic. Lately he hasn’t had much of an appetite and has declined every time. Today, happy about good news at both appointments, he asked if we could go to Fry’s for sushi. That kind of made me laugh, but he has been craving it, so to Fry’s we went!

It has been weeks since we could take Tate anywhere other than the clinic, and I had forgotten how differently people move around you when you’re pushing what is clearly a very sick kid in a wheelchair. Some people give us a wide berth, some are extremely helpful, and many stare. None of it bothers us; we just notice it’s there. At some point we were rescued by a friendly cashier that could see Tate and I both had our hands full. She was awesome.

Not bad for a Monday. Ha! Tate has a pretty busy week ahead. He has school lessons with Maggie Tuesday and Friday, physical therapy with Janet on Thursday, and occupational therapy with Jen on Friday.

After weeks of being unsure, it feels so good to know Tate is heading the right direction again. His cold is starting to go away, he’s trying to walk around our house without the boot, and his ANC is high enough to give him some freedom.