Stomach Ache

Thursday October 29, 1992

Awoke at 7:30 feeling a bit better. Decided some toast and scrambled eggs might taste good and it did, but it gave me a stomach ache. When lunchtime came, I still had the stomach ache, but ate a little anyway.

My new washer and dryer arrive about 2:30. Frank has come home to supervise. All goes well.

I do 2 loads of wash. Frank goes back to Newbury Park. I put a pork roast in the oven. By dinnertime I still have a stomach ache, but my chest ache is much improved.

Joan Larson calls and we have a great visit talking about our kemo pumps.

I wish I knew what is causing my stomach ache. What next?

Katakolon, Greece

Friday October 2, 1992 Katakolon, Greece

Slept in til 8 a.m. Had 9 a.m. breakfast on the back of the ship. Ate too much. Terrible stomach pains again. Now I feel I want to sleep again. We are anchored out from the Greek island of Katakolan. It's a quiet little village and houses built right on the water. Looks like a high tide would flood them. We take the tender to the village where there are a few shops. It's a lovely day.

I don't feel well at all. We decide to cancel our 9-hour trip for tomorrow and change to a 5-hour trip. I must see the doctor to cancel. He gives me some antibiotics and sends me to bed, willingly. He says take the pain pills Dr. Schwartz gave me. I couldn't eat lunch or dinner today. I can hardly walk.

Doctor says I have a fever. Frank tells our table companions I have cancer at dinner while I'm in bed.

With all those tumors on her abdominal wall there must be tremendous pressure on her stomach. No wonder she can only eat small portions.

Katakolon is the gateway to Olympia, where the ancient Greeks flocked every four years for more than a millennium to celebrate the sacred games dedicated to Zeus. I would love to see that site some day. Too bad Mom wasn't up to the short ride to Olympia. Like I said earlier, both time I have been to Europe I spent the first week sick in bed from exhaustion and jet lag. Mom's immune system is already compromised from fighting cancer. No wonder she is sick. I think if I was ever to take a Mediterranean cruise, I would arrive in Europe a week early to adjust to the time zone.

At Sea

Thursday October 1, 1992 At Sea

Up early to have breakfast at 7:30 in the dining room. We both had waffles and ham. The ham was especially good. I'm having alot of stomach pain. I return to the cabin and lay down, sleeping off and on all morning.

We have lunch in the dining room with our table pals. After lunch we sit at the pool for awhile then check out the dance class. I watch Frank take a yoga class for awhile but feel so sleepy. I must return to the room where I sleep and try to watch a movie for an hour or so.

At 6:00 we are all dressed up for the captain's party where we have free drinks and snacks. I am careful to eat very little at dinner though the salmon is really good. We go to the Broadway show. I can barely stay awake. We go to the dance lounge until 12:30.

It sounds like a delayed reaction to the time zone change. Perhaps her body was running on adrenaline the first few days. I actually cannot believe she stayed up past midnight. Did she actually dance in the dance lounge?