Teddy Pushes My Button

I didn’t have to wait long for “something” to happen.  The morning after the machine was installed Teddy pushed my button. 

He sleeps on the foot of my bed and in the morning he politely waits until he is sure I’m awake. 

He snorts now and then and if I snort back he snorts again.  If I snort back again he gets so pleased he squirms to the head of the bed and greets me. 

His greeting included a foot on the button – which triggered the machine in the kitchen to start saying “EMERGENCY”.  It says it three times before it makes a call. 

I made a dash for the kitchen and pushed the “Clear” button before it called. 

Now if Teddy figures this whole thing out he will know how to get me out of bed in a hurry.

It would have been appropriate for me to have fallen while dashing to the machine, thank goodness I didn’t.

It is still hot and humid.  If you are in a store with lots of air conditioning and walk out into the hot, humid air, your glasses steam up.

I was on my way to Walmart this morning at 8:00 a.m. and was home by 9:00 a.m.  I avoided the worst of the heat.  There are still some bags in the car.  I just brought in things that had to go in the refrigerator. 

My feet hurt, especially the right one which is swollen all the time.  This is probably due to the long term effects of chemo I’ve taken and the radiation I had last Oct.

When I mentioned this to the doctor she gave me a prescription for something for nerve pain, gabapentin.  I haven’t taken it yet.  I read the paper about it and have decided I don’t want to take it.  It can cause swelling of the extremities – duh – I’ve already got that so do I really want to make it worse?  

Some of the other side effects don’t sound so good either so I will do without that one.

I go tomorrow afternoon to get a blood test and Zometa.  I still get Zometa every two months.  It’s a bone strengthener.  I had it monthly for two years then they dropped it to every two months.

I’ll get to see my friends in the chemo room. 

Later….

Emergency Button

Today Susan stopped by and we set up my emergency button.  It had arrived the other day but I have been looking at all the papers and avoiding the issue.

It came without the button you wear so I called them and they sent it overnight.  It arrived today. 

Also they wanted $3.00/month for a lockbox on the door to keep a key in (so emergency people can get in if I’m not able to open it). 

I got on ebay and found one for about $14.00.   It will be delivered next week.   It has a three letter code to open it.

Susan set it all up and we pushed the button and I talked to the guy on the other end.  We tested different rooms and he could hear me in every room downstairs.  Susan went upstairs and she had to stand at the top of the stairs for him to hear her.  I don’t go upstairs much.

I am to test it once a month so I have marked my little calendar book that I keep in my purse.   The button is on a black cord around my neck and I’m sitting here waiting for an emergency. 

This could get boring.

later….

 

 

A Movie and UPS

Wednesday had been a very busy day.  I did three loads of laundry, including stripping the bed.  Then I got a phone call suggesting that I join some friends at a movie in the afternoon.

We went to see Bridesmaids at a second run theater.  The tickets were only $3.00 but the snacks and drinks were out of sight.  $5.00 for a small bag of candy.  We just watched the movie.

It was very funny and sexy.  The foul language was prolific.  It seems to me that the writers didn’t have a very big vocabulary.  But then I don’t get out of the house much.

The UPS man came this morning with my next round of Xeloda pills.  They start next week.

He also brought my emergency button system.  I haven’t really looked at it yet.  I’ll take it out tomorrow and try it out. 

There is a bunch of papers to fill out and send back.  Some of them will take some thought.  Like do I want them to call 911 first or my contacts first.  I’m thinking they should call my contacts first as maybe I just fell down and need help getting up.  One of my kids could do that.

It’s been a very busy day.  G’nite.

later….

 

 

Friends & Walkers

My two daughters went out to lunch together on Friday.  Susan had to go back to work but Lory came over to visit me.  Since Friday afternoon was an appointment with my oncologist, she came along. 

The doctor wanted to know about the side effects of the Xeloda.   She examined the bottoms of my feet and the palms of my hands.  That is one of the possible problems with this chemo.  It can cause blisters and peeling.  The bottoms of my feet were a bit red but no blisters.

So far so good, so I get a week off and then another 14 days of Xeloda.

Teddy shared my shower on Friday morning.  He wasn’t at all happy about it but he is a lot cleaner.  He also got his bangs trimmed so he can see better.

Today I went to visit my fellow friends/dealers at the antique barn.   They are way too nice to me.  They got me a very fancy walker, with a seat and a basket and wheels on all four legs.  Of course, I’m still waiting for the rear view mirror and horn. 

Thanks don’t seem sufficient at times like that.

THANKS!

later….

 

Weather & Walker

Forgot to mention the shower I took yesterday before going to the blood work appointment.  It rained a bit in the morning – Bandit paced for a while and then headed for the bathtub. 

It came time for my shower and Bandit was still in the tub.  So I managed to fit in with him, turned on the water, used Head & Shoulders to wash him.  Well, at least one side and his back.  He didn’t move a bit.  He was even blocking the drain so I know my feet got a good soaking.

After I got me washed I managed to pull him aside so the water could drain.  I dried me and then him, as much as I could as he still wasn’t moving. 

He finally got out with help.  Then he ran all over the house rubbing on the floor and any rug he could find and shaking all over the place. 

Next shower I’ll take Teddy in with me so he will be clean, too.  Don’t want him to be jealous.

Today I ran a couple of errands.  I stopped at the thrift store and found a walker for $3.99.  It folds up and has wheels on the front.  When I went to check out I discovered it was half price day – so I got a slightly used walker for $2.13.  It isn’t a fancy one with a seat but it will do for now.  Of course, I’m not using it yet.

Bandit is back in the tub this evening as we had a little wind and rain earlier. 

After the camera flash he decided to get out.

Tomorrow is supposed to be the hottest day so far.  The heat is supposed to break next week.  I sure hope so.  This is worse than winter.  When the low temperature for the day is 82 at midnight, that’s too hot.

later….

 

 

Blood Work & Shopping

Since I had blood work this morning at the general practitioner’s office I combined it with a small shopping trip.

The blood was very simple, draw it and go.  They said it might be two days before they got the results to the doctor.  It takes a half hour or less at the oncologists office.

Our local grocery store closed over a year ago.  Now the Dollar General has taken over about a third of the grocery store space and is selling some groceries along with all the other items they usually carry.

A lot of items on a grocery list are not really food so I did well at the Dollar General. 

My kids and friends are getting on my case about getting a medic alert system installed.  You know, one of those “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” things.

That’s the kind of thing I, like most people, resist.  I may give in and get it just to shut people up. 

later….

Xeloda

The new chemo, Xeloda, is going okay.  I have a booklet to fill out with the time I take the pills and any side affects I have.  I’m trying to remember to fill it out.

My hands and feet tingle now and then which reminds me to put Udder Cream on them.

I have been having a headache but I lay that onto the fall I took while trying to put Bandit in his kennel. 

My nose is still sore and may have a permanent bump in it.  While it was still numb from the fall (I was still on the floor) I pulled it straight.  Of course, that made a bigger blood puddle but not enough to make a CSI expert think there had been a murder.

Makes me think of the time Shadow (the Great Dane) stepped on a piece of glass and cut her foot very badly.  We had just moved here and the ground was frozen so the glass was embedded in the ground, sticking straight up. 

After trying to stop the bleeding myself I put her in the car and headed for a vet’s office.  It happened to be Wednesday afternoon when most of them are closed so I headed for the emergency vet’s office.  They didn’t open until 5:00. 

I panicked, she was bleeding to death in the back seat and I could do nothing about it.  I finally thought of one more vet I could try and found them open. 

She got emergency surgery to put her foot back together.  They were surprised that I was willing to spend that much money on an 8 year old dog. 

Then there was the problem of the blood that soaked through the quilt and into the back seat of the car.  I found a place that said they would do it for a reasonable price. 

They didn’t even ask why there was blood all over the back seat.  Made me wonder what they would have done if I hadn’t explained that it was dog blood. 

Shadow recovered and lived to be 10 years old.

The weather was so nice yesterday that I sat outside at the picnic table and read my Nook for an hour or so.  I’m supposed to stay out of the sun so a hat was required.

I need to water the potted plants today.

later….

 

 

 

Storms and Black Eyes

Bandit is in the doghouse today.  Yesterday evening we had a thunder storm.  He gets very upset about them.  I was trying to put him in his kennel (cage) and he wanted to get in the bathtub.

He won the battle and I did a face plant on the floor.  Results?  Two slightly black eyes, a busted lip and a bloody, bruised nose.   He has four feet drive and I’ve only got two feet drive.

Is that his I’m sorry look?

In spite of all that I got a urine sample from him this morning and took it to the vet.  He is fine.  The conclusion is that he is built so low that he can pick up urinary tract infections from the grass.   Maybe that’s why he pees on the deck and patio. 

I have taken two doses of the Xeloda and have had no major side affects yet.  I take three pills twice a day.  My hands tingled shortly after the first dose last night.  I didn’t notice it on my feet but they are still pretty numb from the first chemo, Taxol. 

I am to use Udder Cream on my hands and feet several times a day.  One of the possible severe side affects is blisters and peeling of palms of hands and soles of feet.  I will be getting more flexible as I check the bottoms of my feet each day.

When you start a new treatment they give you a bunch of info on it.  If it is very expensive you get a LOT of stuff.

One packet was given to me at the doctor’s office, the other came with the pills.  So I have two pill holders, two recipe books, two zip bags, two tubes of Udder Cream, and a whole lot of pamphlets.  Just one pill bottle though.

Can’t figure out if the headache today is from the fall or the chemo.  Maybe I’ll figure it out….

later….

 

Pills & Carson’s First Garden

10:00 a.m.

Tell me I have to stay home and I can come up with ten errands I should do.   And if I hadn’t been told to stay home and wait for a UPS delivery of pills I would have happily stayed home.

It’s the childish rebellion still going on in this old lady.

Yesterday Lory, Jake, and Carson came over to do some planting in the garden.  At four years old Carson is old enough to learn about where food really comes from.

It may be a little late in the season for planting squash but it has been so wet – we’ll just have to see what we get. 

1:30 p.m. 

The pills arrived.  One of my concerns was that they might be too big for me to swallow, but they are not.  I have them put into their little pill containers, 14 days, 3 pills after breakfast and 3 pills after dinner. 

I will start tonight.

later…

System Restore

Yesterday I decided I wanted to try a game I’ve heard about called angry birds.  I started to download the first website that came up.

Then I noticed it was putting a lot of spyware on my computer.  I stopped it as soon as I could.  Then I went to uninstall and started taking it out. 

It was all listed under “ShopperReport”.   I uninstalled it.  It was still there.  I uninstalled it over and over until I got a message “Error launching installer”. 

I thought I could ignore it but periodically a strange picture would pop up on my screen, this happened when I wasn’t using the computer as well as when I was using it. 

Next I went looking for System Restore.  That finally did the job – at least it isn’t listed anymore as being on my computer.  My computer is set back to what was on it two days ago.  

It would be nice if people came with a System Restore.   Hmmmmm.  Not sure where I would want to be restored to.   Some things I wouldn’t want to do over again.  If it came with a memory of what had happened before it might be a good idea.  Oh well.

later….

Pills to Arrive on Monday

After several phone calls the new chemotherapy pills (Xeloda) will arrive on Monday via UPS.  They have to be signed for so I will stay home that day.  That won’t be a problem, I’m a homebody anyway.

I was told my insurance, Medicare, was refusing them at first.  It was a week ago today that the Dr. put in the request.  Each time I get these pills I have to answer questions about my status. 

Questions such as “do you live in a nursing home”, “are you in an assisted living facility”, “do you receive assistance in your home” etc.  I think I would not get the pills approved if I answered yes to any of those questions. 

I understand that they want to spend their money on people who can benefit from it.  I told them I lived alone with two dogs and the only help I had was someone to mow my lawn. 

It rained a lot in the night so I didn’t have to water things today.  I went over to the antique barn for a while this afternoon.  They were very busy since they were having a sale.  It was nice to see the customers coming and going – going with packages! 

I might even have to take some more stuff over there….

later….

 

July–hot & humid

Sunny, dry days require watering plants.  I refuse to  carry water back to the garden so those plants are on their own.  The lot for this old house is 200 ft deep, 60 ft wide.  The garden is in the back.  Maybe two 100 ft hoses would do it.

I would say I had a quiet 4th of July but starting Friday evening there were lots of fireworks in the neighborhood. 

The noise doesn’t seem to bother Bandit much which makes me wonder about his hearing.  Teddy gets upset but I don’t comfort him.  I’ve heard that just encourages a dog to be upset.  I just tell him I heard that, too.

I used to give Shadow, my late Great Dane, some beer or wine when she got upset about storms or noises.   It didn’t calm her much but she liked it.

Something that had not occurred to me before was that the sound of fireworks upsets some veterans.  That makes people setting off fireworks seem cruel. 

I have arranged for my blood tests to be done at my local general practitioners office.  Lab people come there once a week on Tuesdays so I have appointments for the next 4 weeks.   They will fax the results to the oncologist’s office.

Still haven’t heard anything from the new pharmacy about the new chemo.  Medicare has to sign off on it which isn’t reassuring.  If I don’t hear something tomorrow I will call the dr’s office. 

Maybe Obama care is already in force and a committee is deciding who I might vote for next election. 

– that was very politically incorrect.

Later….

New Chemo and Happy July Fourth

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A

WONDERFUL 4TH OF JULY.

Took a nap this morning. 

I had an appointment with my oncologist this afternoon.  They drew blood and gave me a shot of Neupogen (<—link).  That jazzes up my blood.

The results of my PET scan showed that the chemo wasn’t working very well.  So I am in the process of getting a new kind of chemo. 

Xeloda (<—link ) pills will be the new regimen.  This involves getting some paperwork from Medicare so it will be next week before I get the pills. 

These pills will be delivered by Diplomat Pharmacy.  (<—link) I had never heard of them.  I guess there’s a lot of things I’ve never heard of. 

I will have to get blood work every week but I can go anywhere to get it done.  It just has to be faxed to the oncologist’s office. 

So I won’t be seeing the folks in the chemo room for a while.   I’ll miss some of the people.

I’ve started a grocery list.  Bandit is on antibiotics again and I have to hide the pills in a piece of hotdog.  Hotdogs are at the top of the list. 

I had no problem getting a urine sample from him this time.  I even remembered to carry the lid to the container outside with me.  I am trainable.

I’ve had to water some plants outside, would you believe? 

Later….