Leave it to Pam to remind me that I need to update this blog.   Since I last wrote I "turned some kind of corner" and my health has definitely been on the upswing.   I have a LOT more energy, not having the side effects from the stupid Lexapro--dizziness, light headedness, staggering around, disembodied feelings, etc.  I was able to go to the gym last Wednesday and had a great workout.  I was going to go again on Friday, but then realized I had to work in the afternoon, so I took the dogs for a walk instead.

I worked two days last week and it felt great.  Also spoke at Kathryn's retirement party on Thursday night.  We had great fun, got to sit with Lynne, Charmine, Karen, Mary Cahill, Claire Evento, Vickie Severin and a woman named Heather who we met for the first time that night.  We told "old personnel horror stories" and had a good laugh.

It was great to see Kathryn.  Hadn't seen her in years it feels like...I bet it's been around three or four years.  She looks great, as usual and I got to see Joe too.  Haven't seen him since 2003!   Mary McKay organized the evening and was the MC...did a fantastic job.  The food was very good, the ambiance was very nice (the Hilton in Glastonbury) and the program was fun.

I have made arrangements for Sandy to accompany me to my next therapy session.  I realize that my therapist doesn't really know much about me when she admitted being surprised that I was funny.  I think I have been too serious in our sessions!  She is "dying to meet" Sandy as she wants to get Sandy's take on things.  I think it will be good for me and for Sandy as well.

This week I have to have my mammogram and ultrasound tomorrow at 9:30, then to work at 2:15.  After that, I have the week off.  I hope to make arrangements to go to Putnam and spend a day, at least, with Bob and Wini.  Have to make an appointment with a social worker at Westview to see if they can help me with the financial information on the application for Bob.  I have to get that job done!

We got about two inches of wet snow last night...very scary how the trees were bending under the weight of the snow.  We didn't lose any major branches, thankfully, but it sounds like there were plenty of other folks who weren't that lucky.  More power outages than they had with Hurricane Irene!
 

Again I am so happy we paid the bucks to get the trees trimmed.  It was more than worth it.  We just had Ed, the "Tasmanian Tree Devil" up to the house to check out the trimming job we want to have him do.  He brought his fiancee with him and I gave them a tour of the RV.  They are sold, they want one.  We will bring them with us to the RV show in Jan/Feb...whenever it comes to the Big E.  I'll bet they buy one on the spot.

Speaking of the RV, we brought ours up to Arlington and left it yesterday to have it winterized, and some minor repairs done.  I miss it already!  When it's ready, we'll drive it down to Waterford and park it in Jean's yard. 

Jean and Frank are going to be running a storage facility in their back yard this winter.  Our RV will be out there and Neil is putting his boat there.  Then Taylor's boyfriend, Andrew, asked if he could put his boat there also.  We told Jean that her neighbors are going to think they hit the lottery!

We are getting a cover for the RV and it should be quite interesting when it comes time to wrestle that cover over the unit!   That's 34' we're talking...it's not going to be easy!  I went shopping in the RV store and bought some stick-on levels that you use to help you figure out if the rig is level.  I can't help myself, I love buying things for the RV.

Speaking of buying things, I spent a couple of hours online today, shopping for BMX gear for Mariah.  She lost her stuff when the house caught fire.  Too much smoke damage.   So, I got her pants, shirt, helmet, gloves and shoes.  Still have to get the chest, elbow and knee pads.  It's fun shopping for this stuff, I never played the sport myself and it's neat learning about these things.

Mariah got all A's and B's last marking period, so I'm very happy to get these things for her.  She loves the sport and gets so much out of participating, as does  her mother and her sister, when they go to watch and cheer for her.  It's something I can really see has benefits for the whole family, so I'm happy to be involved any way I can.  Just wish I could be there to see her race. 

Huskies start up soon....first game next month.  Can't believe that it's already basketball time and I can't believe that we got snow!  

Oh, I went to see Dr. McCourt and got a clean bill of health.  Of course, there was a snafu.  She had told me that I only had to get CT scans every six months, so I didn't have one done before I saw her.  Then she tells me I still have to have them every three months until next May.  So, I go to get it done and they didn't have the fax that the office sent.  The office wasn't open so they had to chase her down to get the order...but at least they did that.  If I had to drink that crap and drive all the way up there AGAIN I would have been pissed.  As a matter of fact, I don't think I would have done it! 

I really get so sick of medical people screwing things up.  I'm still looking forward to my appt with Kathleen at the beginning of December so I can tell her my complaints about my primary care doctor.  I don't think I wrote that up here, but suffice it to say, I am not pleased with her or the other nurse at all!  I only trust Kathleen now...and if she ever leaves...I'm outta there!

And Joyce and I had fun at the Putnam Great Pumpkin Festival last weekend.  We rode around town afterwards and then down to Alexander's Lake, checking out our old haunts.  Ha ha!  Get it?  It's October, so I said "old haunts!"

I'll leave on that dumb note....

Later!

Well, the erlichiosis killed most of my September....I did make it to the Red Sox game (Beckett pitched and they lost) and to the Ovarian Cancer 5k walk, made it but didn't walk it. 

Pam, Sandy, Charmine, Pat, Joanie, Carol and Steve comprised my team.  I got to sit and wait for them to walk the route and come back.  Steve ran the 5k and then when the walk started, ran it again!  I was so impressed with him.  A few other folks were signed up to walk but couldn't make it.  Oh well, I didn't make it either!  Next year...."Annie's Army" will be bigger and better.   We did make close to $1500 for the cause, not too shabby for our first effort! 

I had to miss a lot of work in September due to the exhaustion from the stupid illness.  Lot 'o money down the drain.  What are you going to do?

The day we left to go to Acadia I made the command decision to stop taking the doxycycline.  It was making me so sick to my stomach and I had already taken it for three and a half weeks.  I looked up on line about the criteria for taking it for erlichiosis...most said 7-10 days.  I was satisfied.

We did make it to Acadia, left on Wednesday and returned last Monday.  It was so gorgeous up there.  We stayed at the KOA right at the top of Mount Desert Island, our site overlooked the water---sweet!   The weather was great the first three days, we rode around the island, scoping things out on Thursday and Friday.  We climbed Bubble Rock...well, I partially climbed it, Sandy and the dogs climbed the whole thing.  On Friday we drove up Cadillac Mountain and hiked around up top....it was SOOOO windy!    We tried to hike down to the gorge, but it was way too steep for us and the dogs.  We had to be "content" with the hike around the top, checking out the gorgeous views of the park and the harbor. 

On Saturday the weather was nasty, rainy and cold.   We had planned to go shopping anyway, so that's what we did.  Hit Reny's, LL Bean Outlet and Marden's.   Got more socks...that's been my "thing" this year...buying socks.  I have picked up quite a few pairs of Smart Wool, LL Bean and the other brand of wool socks (the name escapes me now).   I'm all set for heavy duty, walking socks, hiking socks, you-name-the-activity socks....I got 'em all!

Sunday morning we were up and out early to hike around a pond on one of the carriage roads.   The carriage road was great...nice and broad, great surface for the us and the dogs, no rocks to scramble over, like the other paths we had been taking.  We hiked around "Witches Hole"  and got to a cross road.  Sandy asked me if I wanted to continue hiking in the direction we were traveling which would bring us back to where we started, but was 2+ miles or turn around and go the way we came, which was a mile.   I swallowed hard and said, "keep going."  

About a half mile down the road, I felt like puking.  I stopped and the feeling passed.  I took a few short breaks along the way back and made it all the way!   I was so shocked and proud of myself.  Sandy checked the distance listed for the hike and we had gone 3.2 miles!   What a difference a week makes!  And what a difference not taking doxycycline makes!

Being in Maine, without great tv reception, I missed the whole sad demise of the Sox.  Thankfully I was spared.  All I can say is, they sucked in September and I hope they got that out of their system.  I am so sorry that Terry Francona is gone, I loved him as a manager, but he had lost control of the jimokes in the clubhouse.  Grown men behaving badly.

So, now the decks are cleared for my Pats and the Huskies.  GO TEAMS!!!

We are working on getting the RV ready for winter.  It will be sad to put her away for the season.  We have gotten good use out of her this year and we are quite attached to her already.  I have to clean it inside and wash the outside....and try to wax it too.  Then we have to get it to the RV place to have them winterize the tanks, gas and water lines.  Then we drive it to Jean's and park it, until the Spring.  Already I can't wait!

We had been talking about going to Nova Scotia next summer, but after our trip to Acadia, we are rethinking this.  We may go back to Acadia and do more exploring up there.  There is so much to see and do in the park and we would be happy to do that instead of Nova Scotia.  But...we skip Bar Harbor...too commercial and too busy.  We will be seeking out the quiet places in the park.  And we will go in the "off season" of September/October again.

So, this week I went back to work on Tuesday and Thursday, yesterday went up to be with Bob Miller while Wini went off with her daughter.  Nice.

I'm feeling stronger and stronger.  Still not back 100% but getting there.  Can't wait to be strong enough to go back to gym and do a good workout.

Now I have to get washed up and changed to go out to the Fisherman for dinner with Sandy and Jean.  We will be celebrating our anniversary...number 26 or something now.  I have lost count!

Later!

Erlichiosis

This erlichiosis is KICKING MY ASS!  I can't believe how much it wipes me out...about as much if not more, than chemo did!   I have to take two naps a day and in-between I feel nauseous (from the stupid pills) and out of it. 

Going up the driveway to the mailbox wipes me right out...stupid, damned ticks!

I am probably going to have to cancel out on working next week.  I was supposed to work three days...a lot of moolah...and go to a Sox game on Wednesday....and the walk on Saturday....

Well...I have my priorities...so, no work next week, but we WILL make it to the Sox game and the Ovarian Cancer walk!

The Sox seem to need the presence of a Miller in the crowd in order to win lately.  The only game they've won in the past week was with Maria in the stands, cheering on Tim Wakefield to his 200th!  YAY!  He FINALLY made it!

So we are scheduled to go see them on Wednesday when they host Baltimore...that SHOULD be a win for them, but we'll see.  The last two games that I have gone to see them play they have lost, despite having Beckett on the mound both times.  I hope he isn't scheduled to pitch on Wednesday.

The big drama around these parts has been Missy, the missing Mastiff.  She was in a car accident and took off into the woods.  Folks searched for her for almost a week and she was finally found.  The lesson to be learned in this is to seat belt your dogs in the car...or put them in a kennel.  Both mastiffs disappeared, the male was found the next day.  AND the husband, who was driving was EJECTED from the car...guess he wasn't properly secured either.  A lot of heartache and pain could have been saved if only all of them were a secured in the car. 


More drama, the race for the nomination of the Democratic party candidate for mayor in New London and the gay guy won!  He beat "Big Mouth" Buscetto, who sets a new low for whining and griping in at town that is so accustomed to whining and griping.  He even whined about losing...hinting at improprieties.  I am so glad he is out of there, and I don't even live in New London!  Maybe now they have a chance of cohesion, not the divisiveness Buscetto preaches.

So happy for Mary McKay who is making good her escape from DDS, by taking an early retirement next month, instead of February as she had planned.  She is so happy and I celebrate right along with her.  She's earned this one for sure!

My email has been screwed up so much lately, I don't know what mail I have or how to find it...nothing is synching the way it's supposed to.  I'm not going to use the me.com anymore, people should email me at anyeyball@aol.com if they want to get in touch with me.

This isn't making sense at all....I swear I am still feverish at times.  I'm hoping the weather hurries up and turns cool.  I can't go out in the sun because of the meds and I'm hot all the time, even with the air conditioning on.

Oh, and we are supposed to go to Wells this weekend, for our big trip with Jean.  Figures that I still don't feel good.  Probably should stay home.  But I'll probably go and end up sleeping all weekend in the RV. 

Wonder if I'll be smart and stay home? 

Later...

We go to the Trailer Trash Party

Sandy and I are all dolled up for the trailer trash party

My "Tramp Stamp"....Mike is Sandy's boss, he was the one having the party

Sandy with boobs, something you will NEVER see again!

I am so bad about keeping this blog up lately.  Seems like every post starts with that type of statement.  Oh well, I'm not going to think lose sleep over it.

Speaking of sleep, I've been taking Ambien lately...prescribed by the ER doctor on Sunday.  Long story short:  After having my knees hurt almost constantly for over two weeks, and culminating with a feverish Friday night, a horrid Saturday (except for seeing my pals at Secch's Pig Fest) and there being no let up on Sunday, Sandy took me to the ER....we went to the Convenient Care Center...(so I didn't take a bed from a true emergency) and I was diagnosed with Erlichiosis.  I thought I had a sinus infection!  My temp was up to 102, a region my body hasn't been in since I had the Swine flu...it went down a bit and then back up while I was there...even after they gave me tylenol.  Was I miserable, I was so damned cold and they couldn't give me a blanket for fear it would raise my temp even more.

So, now I'm on doxycycline, which works so good but I hate it so much.  He gave me Ambien because he said the nights are the worst and I would need it to help me sleep.  He was right, I didn't take it last night and I will say that it was maybe worse than any night that I spent after chemo!

I didn't take it last night because I needed to be able to drive to see Kathleen, my nurse, today at 10.  She told me the doctor gave me too high a dose of Ambien.  Well, I guess!  The first night, I don't remember much about what happened, but Sandy said I told her I was "couldn't figure out" my pj bottoms...about how to put them on!  Then I was dropping stuff all over the floor and other weird stuff.

The next night she told me to get in bed and THEN take it.  So I did...I got my sound machine on my iPhone going the way I like it and then went to drop the iPhone on the floor.  She reached across to get it from me and put it where it belongs and I bit her on the forearm!  YIKES!   I remember nothing.

So now I will take half the amount and Kathleen says I should be able to function in the AM, without staggering around and acting goofy.

We've had a "Big Blow" since I last wrote and suffice it to say these two Girl Scouts were prepared, most notably by having purchased that 33' Winnebago that sits out in our driveway.  We made sure we were loaded with water and turned the fridge on ahead of time to get it chilled, fresh sheets on the bed, etc. 

We didn't lose power until the storm was over, oddly enough.  It was still daylight, so we could see what we were doing when we evacuated the pups and ourselves to the "escape pod."   We even hooked up our fridge, freezer and the neighbor's fridge to the RV to keep them going!

The power came back on Wednesday....and then went out again for a few hours on Friday.  Not too bad at all.  Sandy made it to work every day after the storm and in fact, had to work extra because a few of her coworkers couldn't make it in and of course some major thing went bad. 

Another thing we did since I last posted...the day before Irene hit we took the pups up to LL Bean to see Gina jump Dory and Cue in the Dock Diving event up there.  Gina's boyfriend Andy was there and her sister Tracy too and we had loads of fun with them.  After we went to eat at a neat place around the corner and then headed home, making it with only a smattering of raindrops on the windshield.

Well, the big Ovarian Cancer Coalition 5k Walk/Run To Break the Silence is coming up and I'm trying to get folks to join "Annie's Army"...we're at squad level now, hoping to become a platoon soon.  Hey that rhymes!  Check out my page...make a donation....come walk with us!   My Donation Page   

5k isn't far to walk...a little over three miles.  If I can do it with erlichiosis and Ambien side effects, anyone can do it!

It's going to be fun....it's at Hammonasset Beach so the scenery can't be beat, there will be t-shirts for all the participants, gifts, great gift basket raffles, free snacks/drinks and great company...plus it's only $20 to register and all the money goes towards educating women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer...symptoms I didn't learn until the night before my surgery!

Anyhoo...it would be great to see old pals there if they can make it.  And I want to thank again those folks who have already signed up or donated, or both!

All right, that's enough for the likes of me...back to my pea soup (Carol made it...yum!)

Later!

OOOPS!

Long time no see....

Been very busy lately...and it feels so damned good!  Walked in the Deary Walk Saturday, met up with Sue, Katy and Ruthie, Wallie and Bill....all of whom left me in the dust as soon as the walk started, except for Susie...we walked together, bringing up the rear of the 8am walk group...and we finished the whole thing!

We were very pleased with ourselves and rightfully so.  I'm a little over a year away from chemo and am recovering from a major anemia problem and she is a recent pacemaker recipient...we are doing great!

After the walk I went up to Bob and Wini's...who had forgotten all about the Schultzberg family gathering.  No matter, I couldn't make it up there anyway.  We visited for awhile and then I drove a bit up the road to Katy's, where there was a cookout...I got to visit and recuperate with old friends.

I have been getting up with Sandy in the AM and taking my iron pill with OJ on an empty stomach and I think it's working to help my anemia.  I also have been downing loads of spinach. 

All this has enabled me to get to the gym more frequently (I'm going tomorrow, which will be the third time this week) and to get a lot of stuff done at home--cleaning, weeding, walking the dogs, and I got to go kayaking yesterday!

The kayaking was a real trip...I hooked up the trailer and loaded Bubbles in the car and off we went, just down the road to the Pachaug River, to the put-in just below the dam.  The water was running so high and so fast, we got swept downstream before I could even decide whether that was the direction I wanted to go in or not!

A bit downstream we saw some guys in a fishing boat, motoring their way back upstream.  They said there was no use fishing because the current was too strong, it was carrying their lines to places they didn't want to go. 

I should have turned around and asked them to tow us back right then and there.  Instead, we kept going the other way.   Until we met up with the TREE....the tree that was blown down across most of the stream.  The current turned us sideways and pushed us up against the tree.  I tried paddling to get past the end of the tree so we could continue downstream and couldn't manage to progress more than a few inches before we were pinned again.

Just when I thought I was going to have to call Sandy (my iPhone was in my new waterproof pouch around my neck), I got the bright idea to haul us hand over hand by pulling on branches on the tree.  Doing this I was able to pull us free of the tree and I managed to maneuver us in a quiet eddy on the other side of the stream.

That's when I decided it would be prudent to haul ass back up the river.  I have never seen the river this high and the current moving like this.  It's usually a slow float downstream and a mild effort to paddle back upstream.

Well, not on THIS trip!   I had to keep zig zagging across the current to be able to keep moving forward...and sometimes I wasn't successful at that 100% of the time.  Going under the Rte 138 bridge, we were forced backwards three times, before I finally got pissed.  I told Bubbles to hunker down in the bottom of the kayak (which she did....her nose sticking out) and I said, "Mommy has to be stronger than the river, Bub" and started paddling with all my strength. 

All I can say is I'm glad I've been working out and working the machines at the gym!  I dug deep and slowly but surely was able to fight the current and get us back to our launch spot.  Then I decided to keep going upstream to the dam.  Interesting enough, the closer we got to the dam, the easier it was to paddle...the stream is wider there and so the force of the water is not as concentrated as further downstream. 

I pulled over to the side, we got out and went for a swim up by the dam.  Bub loved it and I found it refreshing.  Then we floated downstream, put out and I loaded the kayak back on the trailer and off we went to home. 

It felt good to be out on the water in the kayak.  First time this year!  And this is after we bought the trailer for me to use to go kayaking more often!   Well, we have plans to go out on a pond somewhere this Sunday with Deanna and Lorraine.

Bubbles loved her "special time with Mommy"...she was prancing all day after we got home.  And this morning she rewarded me by killing two of my garden pond frogs!  The little crud!  Oh well, later on in the evening she finished off a mouse that Murphy had hauled up from the cellar and was just toying with...I had Sandy bring Bubbie down from upstairs to finish the deed.. Thanks Killer!

Tomorrow I'm off to the gym and then to shop for New Balance sneakers (Sue recommends them) and some cheap looking accessories for the "Trailer Trash Pool Party" we are going to at Sandy's bosses' house.  Well...his trailer.  His house burned down and they are living in a trailer...hence the Trailer Trash theme.

I'm going to wear one of my Survivor buffs as a tank top...leaving my heavily scarred and rather large belly hanging out, skimpy shorts to show off my ample thighs, and I'm going to be searching for cheap plastic sandals (hopefully with ugly flowers) and fake tattoos to apply.  Her bosses name is Mike, I wish I could find a fake tattoo that says "Mike".....I'm also going to "rat up" my hair and apply makeup liberally and then some. 

We are looking for fake cigarettes to use too.  Sandy is going to wear fleecy pj pants and a tank top...with fake BIG BOOBS....and a baseball cap. 

Oh...and the TEETH!   We will be sporting the "Billy Bob" teeth.

Are we missing anything?

Later!

PS...I'll take pics and post them here

Back from Vermont

Jean traveled with us to Vermont this weekend and I think she enjoyed the trip.  We went up Friday afternoon and got there in plenty of time to set up in the daylight.  We had a campfire that night and sat outside, enjoying the fire and chatting.

Saturday AM Sandy went to the agility seminar, taking Rocky and Truman with her...leaving us with Bubbles.  That's a piece of cake!   Jean and I dozed in our chairs outside under the awning and Bub stayed in the RV.  It was so peaceful out there, in the shade, with a nice breeze blowing, we felt like we were puddles in the chairs, we couldn't rouse ourselves awake if our lives depended on it!

In the afternoon, we hiked over to the camp office and I went swimming in the in-ground pool.   There were two birthday parties going on and lots of kids in the pool, which is why he dumped a horrific amount of chlorine in the pool I imagine.  I won't say there was a lot of chlorine in the pool, but I was afraid to open my eyes under water, I was sure my eyeballs would be burned out of my head!

It was refreshing though and I'm glad I got to cool off and get the exercise.  While I was swimming, Jean and Sandy went for ice creams...I skipped it.  That made me feel good.  I was burning calories and skipping the sweets.

That night we had another campfire...sweet.  This is the first time in a long time we've gone camping and had a fire.  It started raining and Jean and Sandy headed into the RV, but I stayed out listening to the rain drops on the awning...it was nice.  

Poor Rocky was exhausted from the seminar.  He had to do a lot of thinking which isn't exactly his forte.  He collapsed when he got back, first on the dashboard and then in the bed.  He was flat out for the duration of the weekend.

On Sunday Sandy went back for another seminar, this time Truman participated.  He and she did good...working on distance work, using only hand signals and footwork.  This is crucial as he can't hear anymore and he needs to get all his cues from her through her body motions.  Sandy learned some of the things she was doing wrong and how to correct them.  A good day!

We headed home around 3pm and got home around 5:45...not too bad, considering we got stuck in some traffic on the Mass Pike.  We decided to listen to the Garmin and take the Mass Pike, instead of going Rte 2 to 91....and we agree with her that it is shorter...you miss having to drive through East Htfd and Springfield.  I think we'll take that route from now on. 

I got up early and headed to the gym this AM.  Did some time on the elliptical, then a double round of the machines and then my stretches and home.  Had to go shopping for a new mailbox...did I forget to mention that I hit the mailbox with the RV on my way out of the driveway on Friday?   YEP!  I put the first dent/scratch/nick in the RV...it looked a lot worse than it was.  After we wiped off the scrape it doesn't look so bad.

The old me would have agonized, swore, worried and swore some more about this little incident.  The old me would have gotten all depressed and anxious about the fact that I scraped up the new RV....well, I like the new me.  I had shaken it off by the time we got to the bottom of BMW Drive....and forgot about it all weekend. 

Sandy, on the other hand, was all shook up.  I told her that was her right...but in the scheme of LIFE, this was extremely small potatoes.  It's funny how having cancer makes you change your perspective on things like that.  Why do we have to go through an experience like cancer to learn this lesson?  Dunno.

My new HD camcorder arrived and I'm figuring it out.  As soon as I have some decent video footage, I'll post it here.  Now the pressure is on to get some decent video footage....something with the dogs, yeah...that's the ticket!

Oh...and I couldn't believe all the birthday wishes I had sent to me on Facebook, in emails, cards and private messages!  It was wonderful...did a Leo like me a world of good to get all that attention!

LATER!