9/11

Went out first thing this AM and put the American flag out....can't believe it's been eight years already!

They called LAST NIGHT to tell me that they had scheduled me for a CT scan at L&M at 8am. I said "NO WAY!" I needed a CT scan LAST Friday....not this Friday! I called and canceled the CT scan and left a message that I still wanted to keep my 10:30 chemo appt, not the 2:30 one that they had switched it to.

My stomach no longer hurts. I still have some residual pain in my abdomen, but that's from adhesions...I just know it! Nothing they can do about that....just need time and continue to watch the roughage. The Miralax is working.....so, life is good.

Got up to chemo and found out they forgot to order a urine test for me....so I had to pee in the cup and they sent it off. I told June (my nurse) that we were lucky...I had peed just before she broke the news about needing a specimen. Fortunately, I can pee on command! It took them forever to get the test done. An hour later, they were just getting the specimen in the lab! I got there at 10:30...didn't start getting my chemo until 1:00pm. So, I didn't get out until after 2pm as it was.

The woman at the doctor's office admitted to Sandy that the insurance company had approved the CT scan...but she lost my paperwork for a couple of days! I think they need a better system up there.

We got a wonderful anniversary card from Cathy's sister Linda, who lives in Maine. I have never met this woman, but we have a lot in common--she's a big animal lover and sends me papers from the dog park up there. Linda reads this blog and Cathy gives me good advice from time to time. Her Mom also checks the blog and sent good wishes to me when I was really sick. Nice family! Thanks Delawares!

We're getting ready to go on our trips...first up the one to Tennessee. We'll be leaving a week from this Sunday...so we are getting excited. Lots of planning. We're bringing the three Russells, Lily will stay with Jean while we're gone. We're hoping it isn't too hot and the days aren't too long down there. They say, "count on the days going from 7 am to 10-11 at night" and one woman said she was there until after midnight! NO WAY! We will NOT be putting our dogs and ourselves through that crap!

I am most looking forward to seeing our old pal Cindy as we pass through Virginia. We'll be traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway...a great trip. We haven't seen Cindy in over 10 years and we are staying in a hotel near where she lives. Hopefully we will get there early so we can spend some hours with her.

I also am checking out the "shore excursions" available for our cruise, coming up at the end of October. I found a zip-line excursion through the rain forest in Belize that I have always wanted to do; some kayaking and snorkeling in Cozumel and maybe a tour through Guatamala. It's going to be great! Can't wait.

Now I'm going to rest up for the Tennessee trip. I don't have to work this next week, just have a doctor's appointment and one other obligation, the rest of the week is free. Hopefully I'll be able to go to the gym and walk the dogs in the neighborhood. I'm reading a good book now--one of my favorites--an "OpCenter" book by Tom Clancy. I don't know why, but I do love those kinds of stories. I also have some new David Sedaris books and Kathy Griffin's autobiography arrived the other day. So I'm all set for reading material for awhile.

I also got my Beatles Rock Band game for the Wii....can't wait to have folks over to sing along. Who cares about the drumming and "guitar" playing? We've got the Beatles to sing-along to!

Now I have to watch the rest of Toddlers and Tiaras....the one I'm watching was taped in Hartford at the hotel at the airport--where we stayed once before we went to Disney. I told Sandy maybe next year we'll go sit in the audience and "scream, oooh and aaahh" maybe we'll get on tv! That show is a real train wreck....you hate to watch, but you can't stop!

I watched the President the other night and I totally love this man. He is so calm, articulate, intelligent, Presidential.

That idiot who yelled at him looked so foolish compared to the President. I may send money to the guy who's running against that jackass. What's with the South Carolina politicians? First the governor embarasses them and now this guy chimes in! Talk about train wrecks!

Anyway...."Toddlers" is calling me....

Nighty night!

Well....the pain continues in my abdomen....but it is slowing down a bit. I am doing the prune juice and sennakot route and today I dug out the Miralax that Dr. Lachance gave me months ago. All of this is working (occasionally)...but I have to keep up this routine or it doesn't come out.

And I was just thinking a couple of weeks ago, "remember when your stomach hurt so bad? Good thing that's over!" HA! I have to remember not to have such thoughts from now on.

I do believe it is adhesions from my surgeries. These are causing small blockages in my bowels and thus the pain. I don't understand why my stomach pouch was so painful though. Sandy thinks I might have had a virus of some sort.

I never got a call about the CT scan. When (and if) I do, I'm going to tell them to fahgeddabouddit!

I keep walking and moving about...that helps even though it hurts at the same time.

As I told Robin (who gave me great suggestions on what to do to help), having this is still better than having cancer!

The weather has been wonderful and it looks like it will continue. It proves the theory I have held since I was a kid...the week the kids go back to school is always the best week of the year...weatherwise! It always seemed that way when I was a kid in school. Anyway, I fell asleep on the deck, lying in the sun, this morning after having my coffee. It felt good.

I work two days this week, tomorrow and Thursday. Friday I have chemo. Then it's time to start getting ready for Tennessee!