The End of 2010–Beginning of 2011

A spring day to end the old year, 56 degrees.  Kids are out playing in short sleeved shirts, tops are down on convertibles.  We know how to appreciate good weather when we get it.

Went to the antique barn/shop today and visited with my friends.  Everyone seems ready for a new year.

I got over my snit about the dogs and the rescue people.  People are strange, you can’t always avoid strange people.  I have to remember one of my favorite sayings – “get over it”.

Health wise I still have a rash on my head and now have sores on my tongue. 

We had a very small earth quake yesterday morning about 7:55 a.m.  I felt it but thought it was just me doing my usual wobble walk in the morning.  There wasn’t any damage, just a little tremble.

I took a walk around the back yard, the snow is gone and there is green grass here and there.  Spring is just waiting to spring – but not quite yet.

later….

 

Thursday–Melting Day

The snow is melting!  Next we are to get rain.  This is Ohio after all.

Went shopping today, the post office, the drugstore, and groceries. 

Wore out carrying packages into the house but then didn’t nap. 

I actually happened to buy a dog food that Bandit eats without broth on it.  It is for older dogs – maybe he can count.

RANT WARNING 

Bandit is a rescued dog.  In this dog rescue thing I am to ask for heart worm and flea protection for the dog.  I can also buy it and turn in the bill. 

I was given a name of the person who handles this.  I emailed her and told her what I needed.

I received an email back telling me to see another woman (first name only) about that.  There are at least two women in the group with that first name.

Now this is a “group” on yahoo so if you email the group everyone gets the message. 

So I emailed the group with my question about getting the meds for Bandit.

The first person I had asked emailed the group saying – “I already answered her question!”

That is yelling! 

So I privately emailed her again telling her the problem of there being two people with that first name and told her I didn’t need the hassle.

Maybe I’m just in the mood to be angry but I don’t appreciate being yelled at thru the email.

I have only met one of these women and she was a very nice lady.  I hope someday to meet more of them, maybe even the one who is rude.

Guess I had forgotten how some people can be as my friends are so wonderful.

Thank goodness for my carefully chosen friends.

later….

 

Day after chemo

Okay, I spoke too soon.  I got heartburn and burps and hiccups in the evening Monday and took a pill for nausea.  Slept very well.   Still a bit groggy Tuesday morning.  Stomach still not happy. 

Maybe it’s the snacks I eat like chocolate pretzels.   Why eat chocolate pretzels?  Why do people climb mountains?  Because they are there.

Another nausea pill today.  Trying to behave better about eating.  Took a nap this afternoon.

Since some of my medical team is reading this I am trying to keep it real. 

A PET scan had been set up a week too early so I got that straightened out.  Now it is the 11th of January.  That will tell the tale of how all this chemo is working.  Won’t have results for a while so patience is in the future – and the present.

It got above freezing for a bit today so the snow is sinking, not down to mud yet but it will be soon.

And, yes, that little white dog is very tasty but he will have to wait until the stomach thing settles before he gets finished off.

later….

 

Chemo Day and Another Dog?

Today was chemo day.  I spent most of the time there chatting with the other patients. 

One woman’s husband had worked at the same place I had.  When he called she handed me the phone.  We chatted about old times and agreed to connect on facebook.

She was being treated for some sort of myoloma.  She explained how she had been able to use her own bone marrow for a transplant.  That was amazing to me.  They took it out and then were able to separate the bad cells from the good ones.

My blood tests were all high.  That shot they gave me really hepped up my bone marrow. 

Lory took me and brought me home.  She did some shopping while I got drugs.

When I got home I made a few phone calls and ate some of a small pork roast I had put in the crock pot this morning.  Very tasty and tender.  My sense of taste isn’t as good as it once was but I eat anyway. 

Had some burps on the way home but ignored them.

A friend of mine brought me a cake for Christmas.  It was a very cute little dog with footprints around the plate.

I listened carefully and am sure I heard him say “bite me” so I did, in the rear.

So the “another dog” will not be around long as I have a sweet tooth.  This may be the best kind of dog to have.

I know I will sleep well tonight as I only dozed last night, 1:30 to 4:00 a.m.

Tomorrow I plan to do some shopping – that dang food thing again for both me and the beasts I live with. 

later….

 

Every Day Day

Boring post alert.

Okay, I don’t post every day because I assume you don’t want to hear about the boring routine of my everyday life. 

I get up, let dogs out of their cages, let dogs out of the house.  Go to the bathroom, put on more clothes, let dogs back into the house.   Turn on Fox News, Feed dogs, eat something, usually yogurt. 

I take a shower & put eye drops in my eyes and chew my vitamins, I’ve switched to chewable vitamins as regular ones get stuck in my throat.

I check for email and check www.woot.com.  That is a site that sells one thing each day.  I got a TV on there once.  You never know when they will have a deal I can’t refuse.  Some of their chatter is entertaining, also.

I watch Dr. Phil if I am staying home, or run errands, like the post office or the grocery store.

I eat about every 2 hours and drink V-fusion all day long.  I’m supposed to be eating nutritious foods.

The dogs go out again at noon time or maybe before and they expect a treat when they come in.

After lunch I take a nap, Teddy joins me on the couch.  Once in a while Bandit does, too, but only when he is already there and I fit in around him. 

I watch Animal Planet or USA or TNT on TV.  I play games on www.pogo.com.

I do a load of laundry or wash dishes.  Some days a cook a lot but most days I reheat food already prepared.  Feed the dogs again in the evening.

Today is a steroid day before chemo day.  So I take more pills than usual. 

I call people to be sure I have a ride to and from the doctor’s office on Monday. 

Snow has been drifting down all day long but not adding up to anything. 

I once talked to a couple of girls in Texas who had never seen snow.  Their friend had seen it once and said the strange thing about snow is that it is quiet.  All other kinds of weather make some sort of sound.

Actually as I read over this post it sounds like I am pretty busy.

later…. 

 

Merry Christmas & New Bathtub

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas.  Happy Birthday to the baby Jesus.

No picture of the tub on the front porch, sorry.  It was carried straight into the house.  It is impossible to get a good picture of it in the bathroom, can’t get far enough away in that small room.

So, take my word for it, I have a new bathtub.  I used it Thursday morning and it worked fine. 

Of course, getting a new bathtub involved removing all the little extras from the bathroom, like the shower curtain and the hamper.  Also putting them back afterward.

I have a rash of little red itchy bumps on my scalp.  For now I am just wearing a silk scarf in case I’m allergic to something I’ve been putting on my head.  Synthetic fabrics have made me itchy in the past so I am sticking to natural fibers for a while.

The weather predictors are changing their minds every few hours about what will happen the next few days.  Just a little snow can cause lots of problems around here. 

People should learn to test the streets in a safe spot, step on the brakes and see if they can keep control of their vehicle. 

Hope everyone has a safe and peaceful holiday season.

later….

 

Monday and Tuesday

Monday evening - Promptly at 12:00 midnight Sunday night, my La Crosse Technology sonic clock changed from p.m. to a.m. so the verdict is in – 12:00 midnight is 12:00 a.m.

Yes, I was up at midnight Sunday night.  I drowsed for 4 or so hours that night. 

Susan took me to my chemo appointment.  She stayed to hear what the doctor had to say.  There was not a lot of encouraging news.  There will be a scan in January to see how the chemo is working after taking 2 three week rounds of it. 

There are several options – it could have stopped the tumors from growing, it could have reduced the tumors size, it could have eliminated the tumors.  Or it could have done nothing to stop the spread of the tumors in the liver. 

We just won’t know until the scan is done.

I got a prescription for a wig.  I will call and ask if my insurance will cover most of the cost.  Maybe a professional one won’t be so scratchy and uncomfortable on my head.

I received Zometa and Taxol today.  I slept through most of the chemo.  I get all slack jawed and zombie looking when I sleep.  Sorry for the observers of that.

Tuesday – I took tylenol p.m. at bedtime and slept until 3:00 a.m. then woke up wide awake.  Got up and read for a while, then fell back asleep until 9:00 a.m.  I think I’m getting enough sleep.

Just called the shop that provides things for us women cancer patients and asked about wigs. 

The lady tells me that Medicare won’t pay anything for wigs.  Must be that since bald men are accepted so bald women are okay, too.   She will call my supplement insurance to see if they will pay anything.  She will call me back.

I have gotten dressed early because my new bathtub is supposed to be delivered today.  They may just leave it on the front porch until they come to install it. 

This is a hill billy sort of town so that will be cool to have a bathtub on the front porch, even for just a day.  I may have to get a picture of that.

I feel pretty drugged this morning – DUH.  Doing some laundry and the usual Tuesday stuff.

Stay tuned….

Later….

 

 

 

Early Christmas Celebration

It isn’t often that I get all my grandchildren AND greatgrandchildren together at one time AND held still long enough to get a picture.

We met at Susan and Tim’s home for our celebration of Christmas.

Left to right – Jake, Willie, Jaryen held by Charlotte with Carson in front of her, and Andrea.

Carson was all dressed up with a tie and jacket.

 

Carlotte and Derrick, her special friend posed with Jake looking on.

Cookies were baked by all the women.  There is a story behind these cookies and it’s a bit of a ramble so look out. 

When my parents got married in 1935 my Mother baked cookies but my Father didn’t like them much.  So she asked his Mother what kind of cookies he liked.  She got the recipe for molasses cookies from her Mother-in-law. 

The recipe was passed to me along with the story and instructions for exactly how to bake them, which is a bit tricky. 

The first time I went to buy the molasses for this “old family recipe” I read the label on the bottle – it was our recipe right there for all the world to read.  What a surprise.

When they are baking you wait until they puff up and the tops crack, then you take them out and let them sit on the cookie sheet to finish baking before you take them off.  That way they are nice and soft and chewy. 

If you wait too long they are harder.  Some people probably like them that way but we prefer the soft ones.

Lory took pictures while her special friend, John looked on with approval.

Last but not least – me and my girls.  We ate, we laughed, we remembered old times. 

I even had a private concert from Willie on his guitar with the new amplifier.  

I was a little gabby as I am taking those steroids again today since tomorrow is a chemo day for me.  It’s not always a bad thing to gab – I hope. 

Later….

Snow is a four letter word

Just that ridge at the end is left to shovel. 

Tips on shoveling snow -  don’t dress too warmly as you will be exercising and you don’t want to get too sweaty in the cold temperatures.

- throw the snow a bit back from the edge you want so if there is more snow you will have a place to put it.

- at the end of the driveway throw all the snow to the right side so the snowplow cannot move your heap back into the middle of your driveway.

- if possible throw snow against the foundation of the house for insulation.

- don’t rush, get a count going to pace yourself.

- have some hot chocolate when you are done.

These things were learned while living in New Hampshire.  They know about snow in New England. 

I got all dressed up to shovel snow today, found the shovel, and then noticed that my wonderful, kind, thoughtful neighbors had already made a good start on my driveway. 

I shoveled for a short while but will have to do it in short efforts.  My energy isn’t too great.  Maybe if I wait a while that neighbor will finish it for me.

I’m not planning on going anywhere today or tomorrow but someone will pick me up on Sunday and Monday and they need to get into the driveway.

As you can see Teddy has been eating snow.  Do you need to tell a dog not to eat yellow snow?  I hope not.  Bandit is camera shy and runs for cover when he sees it.  He has no mustache for the snow to stick to anyway.

Later….

Snow & Lab Test

The snow didn’t add up to a lot but it was enough to delay schools by 2 hours.  It also postponed my grandson’s performance last night.  At least I didn’t have to miss it due to the weather. 

In the picture below you can see Bandit, the looong dog.  He is very careful going out the door when there is snow.  He has seen snow before.  It might be deeper than it looks and his legs are short.

The sun on the snow helps but we aren’t supposed to get above freezing this week so the snow will stay.  Didn’t need to use the 4-wheel drive at all.  The wind blows light snow off the driveway and this was a light fluffy snow.

The roads weren’t bad this afternoon.  Some side streets were still snow covered and in some places the wind had blown the snow back onto the road.

The blood test today, this is a no chemo week, showed a low white blood cell count.  That means I might catch a cold or flu easily.  I was given a shot of Neupogen to jazz up my bone marrow so it will make more white blood cells. 

After the Dr’s office I finished my Christmas shopping and went to the health food store.  Also went to the thrift store and found a couple of tops.

I haven’t shopped for winter clothes for quite a while.  I am not a big fan of shopping.  When I was getting dressed today I found a couple of tops that should be thrown out.  So I have now replaced them.  It just happened that the ones I liked were 1/2 off so for less than $5.00 I got 2 good tops.  Good on me.

My daughters consulted their calendars and have designated Sunday as our Christmas so it’s a good thing I got my shopping done today.

later….

Buzz

I did it, or rather my granddaughter did it for me.  I went to her beauty school this morning and had her take off the falling hair. 

She also styled a wig for me.  The wig is not real hair so when it was cut the little tiny pieces are more prickly than real hair.  It is now drying from being washed in an attempt to get rid of those tiny pieces.

My whole head feels like the back of a little boys neck after that first trip to the barber.

Susan stopped by for lunch and took the pictures.

My head is cold even though it is above freezing today.  The snow is going away fast.  We are supposed to get rain or snow this week-end. 

Hope it doesn’t keep us away from Willie’s performance Sunday night.  He is in a band that will be playing at the Canal Street Tavern.

That’s all, just wanted to share the bald head with everyone. 

And the scar from where I had a cyst removed years ago is not a smiley face as I asked for, it is a tiny straight line.  You just can’t trust anyone.

Congratulations to my sister for passing her driving test in a 38 foot RV!

Later….

 

Wednesday Shopping

Pushed the energy level today to go do some shopping.  The list has been growing for several days.  Of course, it was very cold but it felt good to get out of the house and do something.  I got gift cards for most of the Christmas gifts I will give.  Just need one more that hasn’t been found yet.

I also picked up the laptop computer at the shop.  There was nothing wrong with it.  No charge.  

I give up.  It quit on me and wouldn’t come back on the next day.  Maybe the plug wasn’t in good and the battery ran down but it usually gives a warning before it does that.  All’s well and end well.  Now the old desk top computer can get a rest.

I took a nap when I got home.

I have been getting “comments” on old blogs, the comments do not publish.  Apparently this is a new way of getting ads to people.  I suppose there is a way to block them but it isn’t worth the trouble. 

Some of them are funny, some in French.  The French one I translated by going to a Google translation site.  It just said something about having great knowledge.  I’m sure I am supposed to try to find out what that is.

Short Ramble Warning -

Got a call from my brother today about a website he was interested in.  It has a film of how they harvested ice in 1919.  I watched it and it is interesting.  I never knew how they did that.

Of course the video is in black and white and there is no sound.

www.farmcollector.com is the website.  They have other videos on youtube.  Back then there wasn’t  TV or all the distractions we have today.  They worked hard and probably were ready for bed at dark. 

I guess I’m glad we have all the stuff we have today.

later….

 

Monday, Chemo Day #3

Today 2 of my friends and I went to lunch, then they dropped me at the Dr's office for my chemo.  Now one more person knows where I go and how to pick me up if I need them.  Friends are WONDERFUL.

I think I have found the limit of the reduction I can do on the steroids the day before chemo.  Today I burped a few times during chemo and that can be a precurser to upchucks.  Maybe even step it back up by 4 mgs.

Several of the other women there were chatting and we shared stories.  One young woman with lung cancer was particularly troubled.  This was her first chemo so some advise was shared.  We shared the reactions we both get to the steroids the day before.  Apparently that is standard issue. 

Lory picked me up and brought me home.  Getting home I had to be careful walking, a bit unsteady on my feet.  So I guess that solves the question of whether I should drive myself to and from chemo.  Bummer.  Next Monday is a week off from chemo, I just need to go for blood tests.  I CAN drive myself for that. 

Now for the projects of last night. The tote with a mixture of tools took a while and had to be done on my knees on the hard floor so I took it in small doses.

The before picture -

 The after picture - doesn't look like much difference but it really is much more organized.  There were pieces of metal that I had no idea what they could be used for so I threw them away.

 The really hard part was the string mess.  At least this could be done at the counter sitting in a comfortable bar stool.  Before -

 After - I found the plastic part in the bottom of the tote.  I think this is a thing to make a straight line, maybe in a garden to make long rows.  There is probably a second piece for the other end of the line but it was not found.  If anyone has other suggestions for its use, let me know.

That mess of string almost defeated me.  I got out the scissors and showed them to the tangles.  They immediately were solved - so I kept going.  By midnight I was still involved with knots and forgot to look at the sonic clock to see whether it said a.m. or p.m. at 12:00.  There will be other times to check that, if I remember.

So if I get my vegtable garden area tilled and if some one wants to help with a garden next spring and if we want straight rows, this tool may come in handy.  At least I know where to find it now.

Now for a quiet evening and maybe some sleep tonight.  One of the nausea medicines makes me sleepy so it may get used tonight.

Later....

Haircut

Do I look a little scared?  I think those big eyes are due to steroids and my hair usually looks better than that.  We were going for a big change so we didn't fix it for the before picture.

This is the before picture.  At the advice of my beautician daughter I just got a severe haircut tonight. 

I had to agree that the after was much better than a buzz as well as better than the before.  This will work until it all falls out and when it falls out it won't be such a mess.  I felt a draft during the haircut.

The floor was swept and it was done.  I think I look fatter fuller in the face without all that hair.

It's going to be cold this week so a hat may be in order just for warmth.  Not supposed to get above freezing this week.  Winter is really here.

Spent some quality time on the phone with my sister this evening - just before the haircut.  She got a hint of how I babble when on those drugs.  Also opened the box she sent and sniffed all the scented candles that they make in Fredericksburg, TX.   What an aromatic gift.  The cookies are good, too.  Thanks Sis.

Okay I have to get started on a project to use some of this hyperness.  It will not be as noticable as the one last week.  I will be untangling a tote with tools tossed in it.  Somehow a long string got in there and got all mixed with everything else, nails, saws, etc.  A scissors will be used. 

Still using the desk top computer and it took forever to figure out how to get the pictures on it and then posted.  Why do computer geeks have to change things when they aren't broken? 

Later....



Falling Things

Things are falling here, things like snow, things like hair.  It started this morning.  If I run my hands thru my hair I get 20 or 30 hairs.  The biggest surprise was that a couple of those hairs were brown.

The snow is also falling, slowly, not really a storm at all, but it has added up to 3 or 4 inches anyway. 

Last night my laptop died suddenly.  I am doing this on the old desk top computer.  Today I took the laptop to the Dr., the PC Dr whose office is just a few doors from my house. 

He said it would be Monday before I heard the extent of the damage.  Then he asked why I was still in town since I usually go away this time of year.  I told him I was tied to doctors this winter.  We chatted about the neighborhood and the weather and the fire that happened a few months ago in the restaurant next door to his store.  His area was also damaged so he was closed for a couple of months.

Tomorrow I plan to get a buzz and get this hair thing over with.  If it had started on top I could have worn a hat to cover that part but it started along my neck and around my ears.  So that plan won't work.  I will just be happy if my scalp stops tingling.

Tomorrow is another steroid day.  The dose will be reduced again.  Maybe I'll be able to sleep more.  Hope springs eternal.

later....

Usual Friday

I am being poisoned!  Looked up the chemo drug I am getting, Taxol, on the internet.  It is made from the bark of a specific kind of yew tree.  Do not chew on the bark of yew trees.

Still have my hair but my scalp tingles a lot. 

I am on a 2 hour eating schedule.  A whole big meal sets in my stomach like a brick.  So I break up the meals and eat more often.  Used to have yogurt with cereal mixed into it for breakfast.  Now I have the yogurt then 2 hours later, the cereal. 

Received a nice phone call from the doctor’s office this morning.  The test for HER2 was negative.  That means there won’t need to be another chemical added to my chemo – I think.  A negative test is always good.

The snow has melted but more is predicted. 

Spent the afternoon at the barn with Lory and my friends.  Tried on a purple wig – just not my style.  Picked up some scarves in anticipation of lost hair.

Picked up the mail and found a Christmas package from Texas.  It smells REALLY good. 

The temperature didn’t get much above 40 degrees today.  We are due some more snow tonight or tomorrow.  I have the snow melt stuff and a shovel in the mud room so I’m ready. 

later….

 

 

Snow

It started with just a few white flecks floating around in the air early this morning.  At noon it was still not amounting to much.  By 3:00 p.m. it had covered most of the ground. 

See those two bowling balls gazing balls? They show up nicely in the snow.

I guess no one wants to sit on the bench beside the driveway today.

I overate last night so had a stomach ache.  Lesson learned.  I will no longer be a member of the clean plate club.

Just received a breathless phone call from daughter, Susan, telling about her drive home from work and several close calls on the road.  She witnessed several accidents right in front of her and stopped to call 911 and be sure everyone was okay. No one injured but some cars were dented up. ICE on the road.

The dogs have been in and out extra times to check out the snow.  Finally got them settled down while I took a nap this afternoon.

I think I will hibernate till spring.

later….