Friday PET Scan Day

I installed some updates yesterday and a new version of Windows Live Writer was part of that update.  Now I have to figure out a new program – cheeesh.

Looks like I will still have to keep my eye out for a small meek Bassett to foster.  The one I thought might work out got adopted.  That’s the best solution for him.

PET Scan Day (Positron Emission Tomography).  The hospital called yesterday to schedule a PET scan for Friday (this)  afternoon.  They must be running short of patients.  

I still have my parking pass for the back near the PET scan area.  So I didn’t get a blister from walking from the regular parking area. 

These scans take a while, first you get the shot of radioactive sucrose, then you get an hours nap in a very comfortable chair with a warmed blanket over you.  That is you get a nap if you don’t snore and wake yourself up. 

Try laying down on the couch with your arms over your head for 20 minutes (it used to take 40 minutes).   You do get a pillow under your knees to make this more comfortable. 

One of my arms always goes to sleep and has to be hauled down by the other one.  Once the sleeping one fell off the table and I couldn’t find it for a moment.  Real funny feeling.

Had to miss lunch for this test so I took some chocolate along for in the car on the way home.   I’ll have a good supper and a bedtime snack to catch up.

They did an extra 6 minutes on my brain.  Some people might insist that is a useless quest but when the results come in I will have proof that something is in there.

I’ll get the results….

later….

Wednesday – Doctor Day

The plumber came and measured and explained.  They do not make a plain bathtub with a walk-in door.  All of them have built in seats and a lot of them have high sides and heaters.  The heaters are probably because it would take so long to fill them up the water would be cold by the time it was full.  Forget it.  Besides I couldn’t wash a dog in the small space left after the seat is there.

So I will opt for a new regular bathtub.  It will involve a trip to the supply store to see which one I like.  Maybe some of them have a shorter side.  I am told it will take 2 or 3 days to install as it will involve drywall work. 

Today was doctor day.  I got blood work and Zometa and Faslodex.  The doctor says the Faslodex seems to be working at keeping the cancer spread under control, although the blood work “markers” have increased a little bit.  So they will call with an appointment for some scans.  I now have appointments for Nov. & Dec. for meds and one in Jan, 2011, to see the doctor again. 

Yesterday we had RAIN.  There were tornados north of here and some wind here.  There were all sorts of warnings.  The rain was fast and furious.  There are analogies for that, like “a cow pissing on a flat rock”.  This was maybe 2 cows at the same time.  A semi or 2 was blown off the road and lots of people lost power.  I was very lucky with no damage and no loss of power.

The dogs were very happy to see me come home after being gone for all of 3 hours.  Bandit had to go out in the yard to do some figure eights and some barking.  I had to give them treats to get them to settle down.  I took the chance and left them out of their cages while I was gone and they seemed to do okay.  Yeah for the dogs – and for me.

Later….

Monday Again

In the summer of 2009 I had city water installed.  That involved a large ditch being dug from the street to the front of my house.  See the link below –> http://katbulue.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html

That involved a large heap of dirt over the former ditch.  We waited until spring of 2010 to level it out and plant grass seed.  Tim and Willie did the leveling job for me.  Lory and John planted the grass seed and it has grown nicely.

The ditch has sunk more and there are now cracks in the ground on both sides of the former ditch/mound. 

Maybe it’s because of the very dry weather we have had this year.  Maybe it will fix itself when we get rain. 

Maybe I don’t really care much whether it does or not.  I figure I will buy a couple bags of top soil every year and spread them around on the low area and see if that helps. 

We are supposed to get some rain soon, along with wind.  Could do without the wind but we really need the rain.

I am planning on getting a new bathtub.  While I am at it I am considering a walk-in bathtub.  

Lowes does not install walk-in bathtubs, something about unions and contracts.  Home Depot wants $50 to give an estimate.  I have a call in to my plumber to see what he has to say about it.

Things shouldn’t be so complicated.  I don’t want a spa or anything fancy, just a tub with a door. 

It would make it easy to bathe the dogs since I wouldn’t have to lift them into the tub.  They seem to be able to jump out on their own.  Maybe it has something to do with being happy the bath is over.

The plumber just called and is coming tomorrow to measure and see what is needed to get me a bathtub.  YEAH!

I even got the trash out before dark.

Later….

Lists

Today my list of things to do included move the RV, move the car, get the mail, move plants inside, & empty the drier.  

Yes, the RV is back and I am a lot poorer.  But the roof is good for another 10 years.  I had my grandson, Jake, climb up the ladder on the back of the RV and check the roof for me.  Since I don’t climb up there anymore I wanted verification that it had been freshly coated.

Some of my to do lists have been a lot simpler, like get out of bed, get dressed.  Somehow marking things off a list makes me feel as if I have accomplished something.  Some days there is no list at all.

Lory stopped by and helped with bringing the plants inside.  There is a frost predicted for tonight but I don’t think we’ll get it here.  I hope for a hard freeze to kill the ragweed which I blame for a lot of sneezes. 

DOGS – I have put a barricade across my bedroom door that makes a noise when the dogs try to get in there. 

I refuse to close the door, I want the heat to circulate.  There were 2 attempts to push thru it yesterday and 1 attempt today.

I’m sure they will find another way to compete.  I can’t believe it will be more offensive than using my bedroom for a bathroom – but you never know.

Later….

Another Tuesday

It’s amazing what photo studios can do for a person given enough time and effort.  It is also amazing what 20 years can do TO a person.

Lory, my darling daughter, found these pictures while she was moving.  She posted this on Facebook.  They were taken 20 years ago at Glamour Shots on the occasion of my 50th birthday.  A wonderful birthday gift from my daughters.

I had a very quiet Sunday and Monday.  I find I can take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon and still sleep well at night.  I hope this is a way of getting over the fatigue caused by the radiation treatments.

Slowly I’ve been moving summer clothes into the closet at the foot of the stairs and getting the winter clothes moved into the wardrobe in my bedroom.

This house is listed as a two bedroom house for tax purposes.  To be a bedroom the room must have a closet and the front room I use for a bedroom has no closet.  I bought a cedar wardrobe a few years ago and it does very well as a portable closet. 

The last time the tax people came by they asked if I had a finished basement.  I told them it is as finished as it will ever be.  It is a stone cellar with pipes and heat ducts overhead.  You should be prepared to duck while walking around down there.

The man who checks my furnace every fall is tall.  He goes downstairs and I stay upstairs.  Soon I hear a loud thunk and then hear “d@#n it”.  The happens at least three times before he is done.

Thanks to my sister who found her picture of the barn I was looking for.   I tried to post it here but it didn’t work.      

DOGS – The battle over who can defecate in my bedroom is still going on.   Teddy won Sunday but Bandit won today.  Bandit gives himself away by barking when he wins.  Thank goodness for paper towels and Natures Miracle.  I might advise you to buy stock in those 2 items.

I have found it is best to let Bandit outside when he decides to do the Bassett 500.  He runs and runs until he is out of breath then runs some more.  He wants company on these runs and Teddy helps a little.  I clap my hands and make pretend starts but can’t keep up with him. 

I am hoping to get another Bassett soon.  He is very small and I’m hoping Bandit will be able to get along with him.   Maybe we will have a 3 way pissing contest….

Later….

The Times

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil in the superlative degree of comparison only.

That is the first sentence/paragraph in Charles Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities” (1868).   I had never read this book and when a friend offered a selection of books to me, I chose it to read. 

As I read that first paragraph I was amazed at how well it described our present time.  All the politicians take one extreme side or the other. 

Apparently there really is nothing new under the sun.  I sure will be glad when the political ads go away after the election.

Yesterday my brother called and said they were taking a spur of the moment vacation to Tennessee and would be near my home for a short while today.  Of course,  I invited them to stop by.  We had a short visit and went across the street to the local hangout for a meal.  It was dark when they drove away.  I snapped a picture of them and their new car and my sister-in-law snapped a picture of my brother and me.

They are headed to Gatlinburg.  Hope they have a good time and a safe trip. 

Later….

Hump Day

If you need a fall color fix try the link below.  It is a group of webcams in New Hampshire.

http://www.nhtourguide.com/live_web_cam_nh.htm

I am enjoying not going for treatment every day.   I have been told that retirees do only one thing per day.   I’m trying to do more than that.  Yesterday I got dog beds at Walmart and picked up a few grocery items.  

Today I brought the house plants onto the deck in the hope that it will rain tonight.   Also washed dishes and looked for a picture of an old barn that my cousin wants.  Linda, you know the one across from where the old house was.  Can’t put my hand right on it but it will turn up.

DOGS - I opted for the $12.99 dog beds as opposed to the $19.99 ones.  I put them in the dogs’ cages so they would be forced to use them and also identify which one was who’s. 

Bandit loves his.  He is in there most of the time.   He has some age issues along with the stubbornly independent issues. 

Often I want to make sure they have been to the bathroom outside and then come right back inside.  He refuses to come right back inside and chooses to cast a glance my way and then sniff off in the other direction.  “You made me come out – now I’ll come in when I’m ready and not before”.

When he does decide to come in he stands with his head in the door checking for who-knows-what.  The flys and mosquitoes like that but I don’t.  I’ve tried starting to close the door a bit and touching him with it.  That seems to give him the idea to get himself in the door

HEALTH - My pink skin in the radiation area is looking a bit better and feeling a bit better.   My itches are fading, my nausea is getting a bit better. 

VEHICLES - I took my car to the garage this morning to get the check engine light analyzed.  It was the E.G.R. pressure sensor.  They replaced it and I now have my car back and I’m $200.00 poorer.   They give me a ride back home and pick me up when it is done.   Can’t beat that service.

The RV is still at the shop getting it’s roof worked on.

Just have to figure out what tomorrow will bring

later….

# 20 of 20

Had the 20th radiation treatment today.  Hooray!!!

You get to sign a large framed canvas that eventually gets hung on the wall and ring a bell (everyone applauds when you ring the bell) and they give you a certificate and a water bottle and a tote bag.   Oh yes, and everyone hugs you.  Hugs are the best.

So what will I do with myself now that I’m not going to the hospital every day.  HMMMM. 

Maybe I’ll get the house plants brought in, but first make room for them. 

Maybe I’ll make room to get to the area where I want to put them. 

Maybe I’ll take a nap.

Teddy seems to have fully recovered from his encounter with the neighbor dog.  I think the neighbor dog is missing Silly (the poodle who passed away).  They were the best of friends and loved to run up and down the fence and touch noses at each end of their run.  

Teddy still flinches a little when I examine him so there are probably still bruises.   He likes best to snuggle up with me on the couch for a nap.  Bandit paces for a while when that happens and then finds a spot to rest. 

I think I’ll get a couple of dog beds for them and try to stop locking them up in the cages at night.   It will probably involve a couple of sleepless nights, putting Teddy back into his bed over and over.

Victoria on “It’s Me Or The Dog” on Animal Planet does not like dogs in their owners bed.   I have never minded it since I’ve been living alone.  It might not be good for the dog as some mornings I would wake up with Teddy cringing at the foot of the bed and all the covers pulled loose and messed up.  I must have been sleeping like a tornado those nights.

Oh dear, it’s Monday, trash day – and I haven’t put it out to the street.  Gotta go…

later….

Showdown in the Backyard

Yesterday Teddy persisted in pushing under the fence into the next door backyard.  The next door backyard is inhabited by a large dog, a part pit bull, part rotweiller, female with attitude.

She is a beautiful blue/gray color.  She owns a young boy about 11 years old.    She is usually tied on a cable but getting her from their back door to the cable takes a moment. 

Teddy was in her backyard trying to get back home when they (boy and dog)  came out and saw him.  It only took a moment for her to pull loose and go for him. 

I couldn’t see anything, bushes blocked my view.  But I could hear yelping and crying and snarling.  I had no doubt who was doing the yelping and who was doing the snarling.

To get over there I had to go around the front of my house to get to the neighboring backyard gate.   By the time I got there the boy had his dog under pretty good control.  It took a moment to get hold of my dog and carry him home. 

There was no blood but there was a lot of dirt and leaves and fear.  He got a bath in the afternoon after he had settled down.  I found no damage but he didn’t want to jump up on the couch or anything.  Maybe some sore muscles?

Do you suppose Teddy learned anything?  I doubt it.

The neighbor man came over to make sure everything was okay.  We do not let animals acting like animals interfere with our neighborliness.   He said he would block up his side of the fence to keep this from happening again.

That fence is a challenge.  I refuse to replace it.  It is patched with pieces of wood fencing that were left on the property, even an old broken down wheelbarrow blocks one weak spot.   It has become a contest between the fence and me.  I will win!

  

A snapshot to prove that Teddy survived his ordeal.

Below are two pictures of the tree across the street, taken about 3 days apart.  Fall is coming fast! 

After all the excitement in the backyard I went to the grocery store and picked up a few needed items, basics like bread and mayo.  

Teddy has been outside a couple of times today with no incidents.  I’m glad Bandit didn’t get adventuresome also.  He is a wise old gentleman.  He gives me the opportunity to rub his belly a couple of times a day and seems to be really settling into this home.

Later….

TGIF Again

The hospital called and said the machine was down so Thursday’s appointment was postponed.  So to get all 20 treatments I will be done on Monday instead of Friday.

So I took a 3 hour nap and slept all night and felt quite rested. 

The feeling that I am sitting on only one spot and that spot being the bone in my right hip, is almost gone. 

There is still an occasional dull ache in the whole area.  I am told that the full effect of this radiation treatment may not be felt for weeks to come.  I am already encouraged that it is making a difference.

DOGS –  This morning when I went to let the dogs back into the house Bandit was at the back door but there was no Teddy in sight.  I called him with no response.  I asked Bandit to find him and he showed me.

Teddy had found a spot he could squeeze under the chain link fence and get into the neighbors yard.  He got back into my yard on his own which showed me exactly where the weak spot was.   That fence is kind of a hillbilly fence. 

I piled some rocks and bricks up at the spot he came back through and hoped that would hold until I found a better solution. 

It didn’t work for getting out of my yard but it did keep him from coming back from the neighbors yard. 

The second time I went and got him with a leash.  I knew right away that was a mistake since being put on a leash is a big privilege.

The third time I moved the rocks and let him get back home on his own.  I was so irritated that I told Bandit “get him”. 

Now Bandit can’t hear or understand when I call him but he understood “get him”.  He chased him into the house and cornered him in the kitchen, standing as tall as his short legs allowed, and put his head over Teddy’s neck and head. 

From watching The Dog Whisperer I know that is a powerful thing for one dog to do to another.  Teddy knew without watching TV. 

There was no fighting as Teddy submitted right away, he’s a lover, and apparently a wanderer, not a fighter.

I went out and made a more permanent repair on the fence.  I wired a brick to the bottom of the fence.  Hope that works.

So now I know that Bandit is not deaf or dumb, just stubborn, and I know he can intimidate Teddy.

Teddy has been trying to make up to me all evening so I finally gave in and combed the burrs out of him. 

We have had a whole week of no accidents in the house.  I have blocked off my bedroom and put dogs in their cages whenever I am gone and at night.  

I am the leader of this pack – HAH.

Later….

Radiation # 16 & 17

When you walk into a building from the sidewalk/parking lot you are on the first floor or the ground floor.  But not here at the hospital.  You get into the elevator and push “G” to go down one floor.  What is wrong with “basement”?   This is a questions that will never be answered.

Navigation by pictures works in this basement/ground floor.  Turn left at the scenic fall picture.

Angle right at the swan.

Left at this picture of blue flowers.

Right at the white irises.

 

Right at the covered bridge.

On the way out you are almost to the elevators when you see this group of pictures.

The signs are helpful too.  The pictures are more fun.  I think I got those directions right – maybe not.

I am having some nausea lately.  Crackers are good for that, and light meals.  Think I’ll have a boiled egg for supper. 

I’ve enjoyed meeting the other people who are receiving radiation treatments.   I’ll enjoy not having to go there every day next week.

I have already made an appointment to get an engine light checked out of my car next Monday. 

The first rash of shingles are fading and pealing.  There are new itchy spots here and there but I get them early with the cream that stops itching.  

I’m just waiting around to see what is going to happen next.

Later….

Lazy Oct. Week-end

A very lazy week-end.  I didn’t even get dressed today.  I only went out once on Saturday to go see Lory’s new apartment.  Very nice place and she has big plans for it. 

I tried to put her new address in my GPS but it couldn’t find it.  I asked it to find something near there and it came up with a filling station nearby.  I think I can find the apartment from there. 

Her apartment is located close to just about anything she could need, including her work place.

My GPS maps are old.  New maps cost about as much as a whole new system so I guess I’ll just stick with what I have.

Lory stopped by and brought a wrench to get the hose off the outside faucet.  She also helped me light the pilot light on my gas fireplace.  These chilly evenings it’s nice to have the fire on for a while.

The dogs were all stirred up for no apparent reason.  They can hear things I can’t hear, I guess.  They went in and out and Bandit was trembling a lot.  I was about ready to put him in his cage when he settled down.

I had a nice call from my sister who is back in the USA after their summer long trip to Alaska.  What a wonderful trip they had.  Check it out on the link on the right side of this blog.  We caught up on all the family news. 

Also had a nice call from a cousin who keeps me up on all the news from where I grew up.  Telephones are wonderful things.

I’ve been using the cream prescribed for my “looks like shingles” and it is really helping with the itching.   The gel for the thin skin from the radiation also helps.   I’m doing pretty good, just lazy.

That means I have to get the car gassed up tomorrow and do several other errands soon.  So I better get over being lazy. 

Later….

Verdict is in

The verdict is in.  It “looks like shingles” according to a dermatologist.  I am to finish the pills my general practitioner prescribed and apply a .05 Clobetasol Propionate cream twice a day.   I think that is just a cortisone cream.

Sure glad it’s Friday.  I have been driving back and forth to the hospital for those radiation treatments for 3 weeks now.  I had forgotten traffic.  How can a person forget traffic?

I lived close to my work, when I worked, so it has been a VERY long time since I drove regularly in much traffic.  Friday is especially crazy.  I hate it when people pull out in front of you and depend on your brakes to keep from getting hit. 

When I drive the RV I expect to be passed and cut off and plan on it.  I like to follow a semi truck, one that is a little slower than the rest.  That way I can relax and just poke along. 

I took a picture of the tree across the street.  Ignore all the wires and imagine the orange a bit brighter.  It is starting to turn but since it has been so dry we may not get the usual color this fall.

Displays like the one in the picture below are starting to crop up.

And this is my 2 black boys waiting to come in from the backyard.  It was taken through a screen but you can still see Teddy’s tongue.  They keep me busy. 

They have been confined to the kitchen today as yesterday there were several accidents.  None today – yet.

Later….