Laura's Visit: Day One

I arrived in Taipei at 6am, Tuesday. The plan was for me to take the Express bus to Sun Yat Sen Memorial and from there mom picked me up. It was rainy and cold and I was so happy when I saw my mom. We got into a cab and went straight to the apartment.

When we arrived at the apartment, my dad was still sleeping. I had over a week to prepare myself for when I saw my dad's weightloss. I walked in and was a little shocked. I woke him and told him that he looked good. He sat up and flashed me a big smile and said "you too". I knew it was going to be a good day.

I started to unpack the forty pounds of luggage that I brought. Some more organic pasta, a toaster, an answering machine, a digital camera, two small bottles of spices, two pounds of granola cereal, four bottles of Isotonix, a bottle of organic olive oil and half a dozen bagels. My mom was impressed that I was able to pack everything into one suitcase. I told her that I had a great teacher. She laughed because she knows that she's able to pack any amount of clothing into a single suitcase and have it come out without a wrinkle.

I started to make breakfast. Liu family eggs over half a toasted bagel. Everyone was happy and we were just enjoying each other's company. Dad took his medicine and almost instantly fell asleep. He walked off to his bedroom and fell asleep as soon as his bed touched his pillow.
This was when my mom and I went out for some grocery shopping at the market down the street. As tiring as her daily schedule is, I know that there's something fun and interesting everytime she goes to the market. She told me that the clothes here are cheap and everyday there are different vendors. The other day she saw people selling pants for 100 NT. That's about 3 US Dollars. She said she figured she wouldn't get them that day. The next day, they were gone.

We get back and dad's awake and ready to go to the acupuncturist. Dad's arm still hurt and going to the acupuncturist's office gave him some relief. They also wanted to see if I could find some relief for my neck and headaches.

When we arrived at the office dad sat in a chair and they put a heat pack on him while I sat next to him with six needles in my neck and shoulders. After the time was up, I got onto the massage table and this short stalky man started to treat me with tui na. It's like a massage but the person presses a lot harder, so it's not relaxing, and it hurts a lot. Afterwards, dad got on the table and the man starts tui na on him.

It hurt him as well, but he's positive that it's been beneficial. He told me that after his first visit, he urinated a white fluid. I read online that those with cancer often experience swelling. That the lymph nodes were being blocked which release a white fluid. I thought that maybe the tui na was massaging the lymph glands and helping the release of the fluids. Of course, it only happened that one time.

When we were done with the treatment, dad was ready to go out for lunch. Mom and I objected because we had already planned the lunch and dinner. We got home and cooked lunch and when we were done, we all sat around and watched a little tv.

Dad dozed off and once he was asleep, mom and I were off shopping again. We didn't need much, but I think the time shopping is a chance for my mom to get out and moving.

We made dinner early because I was already starting to crash. I made some penne pasta with marinara sauce. I added some red chili peppers. Dad was looking forward to the chili peppers because he loves adding it to his spagetti. However, this time, it was too spicy for him and he couldn't finish his pasta. Dad was stuffed, took his medication and got ready for bed.
Dad told me that he's hungry all the time, but he can't eat much because he feels bloated. And when he feels bloated, he gets really uncomfortable and cranky. It was good news to hear that he had an apetite, but unfortunate to hear that he can't satisfy his hunger.

We all started to watch The Sixth Sense and I passed out. I woke up in the middle of the night and heard my dad moving around. I went into his room to keep him company. He was feeling bloated. I tried to hang out with him. He just told me to go back and keep my mom company.
And that was Day One.