Friday, October 1, 2010

Well...I read an article today that described the latest Ovarian Cancer research. The new study revealed that women who started taking chemo again as soon as their CA125 went over the limit fared no better than women who waited until they had symptoms to show that they had relapsed.

This gives me an answer. If the cancer comes back within the next year, according to the CA 125, I think I will defer treatment until I have symptoms. This may give me time to recuperate from the last wave of chemo. I'm still having troubles with being tired and I know I couldn't take it if I had to undergo chemo again in the beginning of the new year. Or even if it started in the spring. I need more time to come back.

That said, I'm not planning on having a relapse...just keeping this option in the back of my mind...I am a Girl Scout after all, Be Prepared.

I have just about finished my project of cleaning the grout in the kitchen tile floor. I don't think anyone every cleaned that floor the way it should be cleaned, judging from the color of the grout when I started and what it looks like now.

I had looked up on the internet what to use that would be the easiest for me and found out about the magic of Oxi-clean. I did one treatment on half the floor (the worst half) a week or so ago and I finished it up with scrubbing on hands and knees today. It looks great! Now I have done the first treatment on the second half of the floor and will finish that next week, I guess. It won't be as bad as the first half of the floor, I bet I won't have to scrub.

While I was letting the floor soak the stuff up, I took a break and went online to the Apple store and picked out a new MacbookPro....and then, in another break I chose the options I wanted....photo and video programs, etc. Then on my last break, I went ahead and ordered it! YAY!

I am SO SICK of PCs. This laptop that I'm using now is getting stuck again, taking forever to load, I can only hear sound if I plug in headphones (who knows why?!) and I'm just sick sick sick of it.

Now I can't wait until it gets here.

Joycie (Migneault) Kuusela is featured in today's Norwich Bulletin...the story about her breast cancer battle. They have a great picture of her on the website, I hope it's in the paper too. I have Sandy picking up a copy for me and I posted the online story to my Facebook page.

Joyce and I have been friends since high school. We "lost" each other and then a few years back, found out we lived really close to each other. She lives in Lisbon. We have gotten back together again and she and Bill and Sandy and I have enjoyed each other's company.

Joyce and I say: we went thru high school together and now we are going thru cancer together...and we are. And quite successfully too, I might add!

Right now I'm hoping to hear from Mark Russell...another old school chum. Hoping we can get together this weekend, when he comes up for the Marianpolis Bd of Directors meeting. Haven't seen him in ages.

Next week I'm going to see some other old chums...Janine is coming down from New Hampshire and the old office gang, Maureen, Russ, Richard, Tina and I (and who knows who else?) are getting together at Chuck's in Storrs.

It's old chum time! Wonderful! I wonder what other old chums I'll hear from?

Oh, I got an email from Barb at work, checking on dates in Jan and Feb for the phyical exam series for the Yale 2nd year students. I checked off that I was available for every date but one and sent it back to her IMMEDIATELY! I can't wait to get back to work on a regular basis.

I'm paying for endulging in the "luxury" of leaving the deck door open so I wouldn't have to let the Russells in and out a billion times a day. I did that two mornings this week. Well, now the flies are in the house, and Sandy can't understand where they are coming from...shhhhhhh....don't tell her.

I ask the dogs to catch the flies and one would think this was right up their alley...jobwise, but they aren't too interested. Oh, Rocky has mild interest, but it passes quickly. I have dragged the fly swatters out and got one a few minutes ago, but there are more...I know there are.

Off to feed the pups and then take a shower. Jean's house for dinner tonight, with Taylor and Andrew in attendance.

Later!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Been watching that new show, "The Big C" on SHO...it's pretty good. The woman has cancer and hasn't told her family. She has only told the old lady across the street. I can't imagine.

She's going nuts with this stuff....cashing in her 401K and spending it on stuff. Having an affair with a guy at her school, etc. WHAT???!!!

Oh well...everyone is different...it's what makes the world go round.

Sandy's vacation was wonderful...made us wish that she could retire soon, so we can always be "off" together.

We did go golfing at Chanticleer. It was a perfect day for golfing...sunny but not too hot. And not too many leaves either! I golfed the best nine holes I've ever golfed, which isn't saying much.... We had a great time. Just as we left the course and headed to Harry's for lunch the car place called and said Sandy's car was ready. What great timing!

Friday I went over to Lynne's to make good on our birthday present to her....an agility lesson for her and Franklin. I brought two jumps, a tunnel and two weave poles. I showed her how to get him to do these things and they practiced a bit. Franklin caught on quickly...he will "work for food." I think if Lynne keeps up working with him and going to classes, they will have a lot of fun and will do well.

Sandy took Bubbles out in the kayak to see how she would do. She did great! She was able to balance on the very tip of the kayak without falling in....something Truman and Rocky can't manage to do. So, when we go out together, she can ride with me...the soaking wet boys can ride with Sandy.

On Saturday AM I went and got my hair cut for the first time since last October...well, except for the two times that Sandy shaved my head...that doesn't count. Kelly trimmed me up nicely and it looks good.

When I got home from Kelly's Sandy was packing her car for the agility trial on Sunday....I pulled part way into the garage to see that she had stuff piled up, blocking my way...so I started backing out of the garage. Suddenly I hear an awful scraping sound. Sandy went behind the car and directed me to keep backing out...so I did...and my side view mirror got whacked! So much for her skill at guiding me!

I was so pissed...way out of proportion to what happened. I was slamming the steering wheel and swearing...a lot. Then I got over it. Nothing that duct tape couldn't fix.


In the afternoon I went up to Woodstock to a party for Jim Donovan. Jim and Carol came up from Tennessee and a bunch of folks got together to see them. I hadn't seen Jim in almost 40 years! And I had never met Carol before, but we hit it off like we've always known each other.

I have been following Jim's journey with cancer on the internet and he has been following mine. It's like we are cancer buddies. I understand most of what he is going through, but he has had greater obstacles than I have. Carol and I hand out advice to each other and it really helps to know that there is someone out there who is sharing the experience.

Saturday night I had lots o' trouble sleeping. I think it was the full moon. I love it, but it makes me kind of crazy in my chest...keeps me awake.

We had to get up early Sunday AM, to head off to Wrentham for the agility trial. We took all the dogs. Lily was so relaxed in the tent....it was great seeing her like that. I got to see Rocky run a few events...he was the only one of the three to come home with a ribbon...he qualified and took first place in tunnelers! Truman made up his own courses out there so he didn't get anything. Bubbles ran all the courses perfectly (except for the weave poles) but she took her damned sweet time so she was way over time.

Sandy and I think Bubbles is going to retire from agility. She gets slower and slower every year. She likes doing it in the yard and she may take some classes every once in awhile...but as far as competing....not so much.

Sandy is back at work now and I've had a burst of energy in the kitchen....cooking dinner the last two nights. Last night I found a Rachel Ray chicken thigh recipe that made some sense and I cooked that up...just threw in garlic powder as it was kind of bland...it was good. Tonight I served up a eye round roast, with gravy, mashed potatoes and spinach...yum. First time I've ever made a roast...and I did this one in the crock pot.

I'm going to work hard to make more meals...and more importantly, to plan them ahead of time. We end up getting food to go way too often. Sandy is gaining weight and I struggle to maintain. So, I am going to plan menus like I should have been doing all along.

Of course, I don't know how to cook for just two. So we have a huge amount of roast, potatoes, gravy and spinach from tonight. I will have to learn to reduce.

Lately I've been having problems maintaining the ban on milk that the doctor ordered. I broke down and had a glass of chocolate milk the other night when I was desparate to fall asleep. For some reason the milk works like magic for me. I fell asleep before I finished the glass.

I don't think the milk is what was causing my bathroom problems. I think it may have irritated my stomach, but it wasn't the sole cause. I'm hoping I can go back to milk when all is said and done. I just love milk and cheese too much!

Oh, and people said how they loved coconut milk?? YUCK! I like the almond milk though...that's pretty good stuff. Can't kiss Sandy after I drink it though, she's deathly allergic to nuts! Go figure!

Anyway, I see the gastroenterologist next week. Maybe I'll get some answers from the tests she ordered. In the meantime...I'll try real hard to not have milk and hope for the best.

Oh and I went to see Bob Miller today. I went to the local Chinese restaurant and tried to get them some different things to try. I did order Bob's usual "chicken chop suey"...which he always gets. I also ordered sweet and sour shrimp for he and Wini to try. And egg drop soup, wonton soup, crab rangoon, steamed dumplings. Well, they really screwed up the order....even though I circled the items I wanted on the menu to help the new girl out. They forgot the sweet and sour part of the shrimp...just gave me a big box of fried shrimp; they gave me chicken and broccoli instead of chop suey (but Bob ate it anyway); they threw in barbecue beef sticks which I didn't order and they put the wonton soup on top of the bag...it fell over and all the liquid poured out into the bottom of the bag, making the crab rangoon and the fried wontons very soggy. YIKES!!!

They did like the egg drop and shrimp and chicken and all the rest of what I could salvage....so I left them with plenty of left-overs and the knowledge that they had tried something new and had lived to tell the tale.

Tomorrow Lynne is coming for lunch...she's bringing grinders. Taylor will be coming too...she comes up on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 to 1 (in between classes). In the afternoon I'll load all the dogs into Sandy's car and drive up to Colchester to order the replacement mirror for my car. For some reason they won't take a credit card number over the phone....weird. Sandy has to go to classes in Massachusettes tomorrow and Thursday so she will take my car.

This weekend I hope to be able to see my "old flame" Mark Russell. I found him on the internet finally after having lost contact with him some years back. He is coming up to CT for a Marianapolis Board of Director's meeting and we hope to be able to arrange a time for us to get together. It will be great to see him again and catch up on old times.

Well...enough now. I have to make an effort to write in this thing more often...so the entries aren't so long.

Nighty night!