It's been an up and down time for me, emotionally and physically the past month. I have made some important decisions about my life, some which I will talk about here and some which I will not share.
I find that I have been weepy lately. Maybe it's because I haven't felt too good, the allergies are hitting and I ended up with a raging UTI last week and am now on 14 days of antibiotics. I drag around alot, even though I have been working out and trying to get lots of protein and energy foods.
Todd came over and looked at the bathroom and heard the work I need to have done and he recommended a guy he knows who does small jobs and does good work. That guy came over and gave me a good estimate. Now I just have to finish removing the damned wallpaper...I have worked on that for four days and still have a lot more to go, then the painting of the ceiling, walls, vanity and then I can have the workers come and do the shower and the floor. Oh, and I have to rip up the stupid pink carpet and the tile in the bathroom before they do the work.
I took a two week break from the wallpaper job as I wasn't feeling well. This week I'm taking it easy as well...I have chemo on Thursday. Next week I'll go at the wallpaper again, this time armed with the steamer I bought at Home Depot.
I did get to go out to lunch with Sue...we went to Rein's. I brought home corned beef, chopped liver and seeded rye and have enjoyed a few sandwiches since our trip. Oh...and I also got to go see Grace and go to Pauline's birthday party...so I have been out a bit.
Robin is teaching six weeks of classes in energy and I signed up for them. I missed the first one because I'm a dope and then missed last week because I was sick. I have attended two of the classes and have enjoyed them...and learned from them. We are learning about chakras and doing some relaxation exercises. I do them at night to help me get to sleep.
At our agility trial I felt sick on Saturday and kind of stayed close to the RV. I got my work done for the volunteer snacks, but didn't do much extra stuff. Sunday it rained and I felt a bit better. Sandy paid for me to have a Reflexology session with Christine Seifert. I didn't know much about this process, I just knew I needed to make sure my feet were clean! Well, she hit a spot on the soles of both feet that sent pulsing waves through my whole body! When I was en route to her tent for the session, my abdomen was hurting, I was hunched over and my breathing was shallow. I really questioned whether I should keep the appointment. When I left, my abdomen didn't hurt (and didn't start hurting later, either) and I could walk upright.
I am going to have to have another session sometime down the road. I think it really helped my pain and my diarrhea has really slowed down for the first time in a long time.
Went to see Dr. Valin for follow-up on my hernia surgery. He is very pleased...no sign of the hernia and he says the mesh is wonderful. He also said I don't have to come back again for follow-up for that surgery...just for the by-pass tests.
I decided to take antacids regularly since I think I have reflux and that contributes to the diarrhea. It can't hurt...and I think it helps keep up whatever the Reflexology started.
Dr. Valin is concerned about my rapid weight loss (32 lbs since Jan) and told me to "liberalize" my diet...which means to eat stuff that have heretofore been forbidden. But food doesn't taste good to me, due to the chemo and that's what makes it hard for me to maintain my weight. I don't mind losing a few more pounds but I am getting to the weight where Dr. LaChance wanted me to be and it's dicey going below that.
So, I went online and looked up taste issues due to chemo and found two cookbooks that help with this and with maintaining a good energy level. I ordered the books on Amazon and look forward to getting them soon. They have recipes that address diarrhea issues too.
Sandy thinks that even though the literature doesn't say it, I need to really flush my system after chemo. Supposedly Avastin is not one of those drugs that need to be flushed, but every time I get it, I have symptoms of a UTI....itching and burning when I pee. This last time it turned into a full-fledged UTI. I can't go through that every two weeks...I'd never get off antibiotics!
The dogs are barking now because they think Sandy is home. This reminds me of our "nightmare day" yesterday. The guys came to clean the furnace and service the AC units....they ended up being here for about three and a half hours. And for three and a half hours, the dogs barked at them. It was a friggin' zoo here. I told Sandy that when the crew is here working on the bathroom, we are moving to a local RV park. I'm not going to put up with that nonsense. I ended up in tears yesterday after the guys finally left and the dogs started barking again because they thought Sandy was home. It wore me out.
I'm hoping May flies by fast. It always makes me miserable. I'm already having the headaches, stuffed nose and the aching chest. I have to take the inhaler four times a day already...and it barely makes a dent. I can't wait to go back to Dr. Ber, my allergist. I'm hoping he can do more to help with the breathing problems.
It seems to me that I'm doing nothing but whining in this blog. So be it. Let me whine here.
I am looking forward to some visits with friends coming up...some plans to go kayaking and a trip to Maine on Memorial Day Weekend, to watch Sandy and Rocket run in the Canicross. Oh...and the JRT trials in Hebron the third weekend of the month...and working the Truck event in Voluntown for the Ovarian Cancer Coalition. And other fun stuff.
See, it isn't all whining.
Later.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
April
Lots of s... going down...figuratively and literally.
I worried a lot over the past month over a few things and this is how it turned out:
My CT scan results showed that one of the tumors is almost nonexistent and the other continues to shrink. It's been awhile since I thought of the fact that I have actual tumors in me...somewhere up near my liver...and I don't like to think about it, so I had successfully put them out of my mind...until Sandy asked Dr. D about them. Thanks Sandy.
I can't blame her...she didn't know that I am all about forgetting that I have tumors. She knows now.
I had been worried because I had been having some abdominal pains and am getting full fast when I eat...which continues. Both of these could be symptoms that the cancer is back. But it isn't.
I continue to handle the chemo pretty good. It is starting to build up again in my system, since my month long chemo hiatus in Jan/Feb. My blood pressure remains reasonable with the medication...so that is good.
The other thing I have had weighing around my neck like a millstone is the situation with my father, or should I say, with Wini. She has been resistant to getting help in the home, the housekeeping situation continued to deteriorate after my stay there. Well, long story short...we had words, she ended up going with me to the Homemaker agency and she agreed to start at two hours a week, to have someone come in twice a week to help Bob bathe.
She called the house cleaning lady and had her come this week and told her she wants her to come every two weeks! YAY! AND, she actually called the Homemaker agency and arranged for services to start next Tuesday! REALLY YAY!
I know that once she gets more comfortable with the person they send, she will expand the services. I have been telling her all the possibilities--they could transport Bob to get his hair cut, go to the personal trainer, etc...non medical appointments--giving her some free time. They could sit with Bob and do an activity with him while she goes out shopping for herself...or out with a friend, etc. To give her a break. They could help her with grocery shopping, menu planning, etc.
I did not go up to Putnam this week and plan to not return until the end of the month when we go back to Dr. Botta's office.
I slept so good the night after we went to the Homemaker's office. I could finally see some hope on the horizon. If I don't have to run up to Putnam so frequently, I can get somethings done here...like all the work I want to do in the bathroom.
There is a LOT of work to be done. I plan to (with some help) do the following jobs: strip wallpaper in main bath and the WC; paint the walls in the main bath, WC and laundry room; remove the yucky pink carpeting and the sections of tile floor in MB and WC and laundry room; remove shower door, shower insert and shower floor and maybe destroy the wall next to the window; remove vanity top; sinks and faucets; paint vanity; install new vanity top; sinks and faucets.
I want to pay people to: plumb the shower so the shower head can be moved to back wall (or the other wall); install plumbing for whirlpool tub; tile shower-with storage nooks and a built-in seat; install a handheld shower and a "rainhead" shower on an adjustable pole; install a glass wall (or half wall) on the side of the shower next to the window; install a glass door; install a river rock shower floor and tile the MB; WC and laundry room.
I think that by doing a lot of the jobs ourselves, we can keep costs down to a dull roar. If we do, then I want to also have the pros install a whirlpool tub with a deck around it--tiled to match the shower. And glass tile as the back splash.
I still have to decide what to do about the HUGE mirror we have over our oversized vanity. Do we keep it, even though it's a "dated" look; or do I go for individual mirrors over each sink? What about the lighting? Would it be possible to lower the shower ceiling (it's about 12' high now) and install a heat lamp feature in it? Should I put in heated floors? The mirror and the lighting is stuff we can do, lowered ceiling/heat lamp/heated floors are something I would want the pros to do.
No matter what, our bathroom is going to look a lot nicer! I'm also thinking of putting in some shelving for linens, we have only a small linen closet and we have so many linens! We need a place to store all the medical supplies we have for ourselves and for the animals. Maybe I move all that to the other bathroom or to my "office" in one of the spare bedrooms. Nah, shelving in the bathroom would be a better option...we do have the room for it.
When I start the work I'll take lots of before, during and after shots to document the horror. HA HA! I'm sure that there will be moments of horror, but that's what home improvement is all about.
So, that is my goal, to begin work next week on the bathroom. To get the wallpaper off and get some paint samples and see how they look on the wall. I have all day Monday, Tuesday after my workout and all day Thursday to work on this. Sandy is off on Wednesday, but we aren't going to spend our time together working on the bathroom!
I'm getting psyched!
Oh, on other things...I continue to lose weight. My workouts have kickstarted my metabolism, but I also continue to fill up fast and most food tastes like shit (side effect of the chemo)...so losing weight is easy. I have to go shopping for new jeans, I can slide these off without unfastening or unzipping them! I like it. I want to get down another 10 pounds or so and then I'll start to worry if I'm still losing. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Our SNEAK trial is coming up on the 21st and 22nd of the month, at the Chester Fairgrounds. We'll be taking the RV on her maiden voyage (of the year). We just picked it up today from Arlington where we had brought it last week to have the new awnings put on over the bedroom windows and the dining area window. It looks SO GOOD! If you want to see it, swing by the house, or come to the agility trial, watch the doggies run and get a tour of "Jacks-in-a-Box."
Dori has finally retired and she and I promised ourselves some kayaking. I'll be using the new trailer, hitched up to Sandy's car, to haul my kayak and anyone else's to get us down to the water! Can't wait! I may even take Bubbles with me, she is the best behaved of all of them on the kayak. She loves it too.
It's Red Sox time and I'm loving the sounds of Jerry and Don's voices sounding in the house as I do my work. I even manage to take some time to sit down and watch. The other day their voices put me to sleep in the recliner! I woke up in time to see the Sox briefly rally in the ninth and then lose it at the bottom of the ninth. Figures. Oh well...I love baseball and so I am happy that it will be on just about every night from now until ?
Oh, I got a new Weber grill (a small portable one) and stand for the RV and have tried it out a couple of times. It could become our main grill..it is THAT good. We also got a shade for the big awning...it will hang down from the edge of the awning to give us side shade...we had been using the silver dog shades for that, but this is so much easier to employ and will look a lot nicer than those silver things. So, we have been spending $$ on the RV and now we have to save for the gas! That Social Security check comes in handy for things like that...the "extras."
So, you can see that Life is Good...things are humming along and plans are being made. Will report on all as we progress. Anyone who feels like painting, ripping out floors, etc...feel free to come on over and we'll put you to work!
Later...
I worried a lot over the past month over a few things and this is how it turned out:
My CT scan results showed that one of the tumors is almost nonexistent and the other continues to shrink. It's been awhile since I thought of the fact that I have actual tumors in me...somewhere up near my liver...and I don't like to think about it, so I had successfully put them out of my mind...until Sandy asked Dr. D about them. Thanks Sandy.
I can't blame her...she didn't know that I am all about forgetting that I have tumors. She knows now.
I had been worried because I had been having some abdominal pains and am getting full fast when I eat...which continues. Both of these could be symptoms that the cancer is back. But it isn't.
I continue to handle the chemo pretty good. It is starting to build up again in my system, since my month long chemo hiatus in Jan/Feb. My blood pressure remains reasonable with the medication...so that is good.
The other thing I have had weighing around my neck like a millstone is the situation with my father, or should I say, with Wini. She has been resistant to getting help in the home, the housekeeping situation continued to deteriorate after my stay there. Well, long story short...we had words, she ended up going with me to the Homemaker agency and she agreed to start at two hours a week, to have someone come in twice a week to help Bob bathe.
She called the house cleaning lady and had her come this week and told her she wants her to come every two weeks! YAY! AND, she actually called the Homemaker agency and arranged for services to start next Tuesday! REALLY YAY!
I know that once she gets more comfortable with the person they send, she will expand the services. I have been telling her all the possibilities--they could transport Bob to get his hair cut, go to the personal trainer, etc...non medical appointments--giving her some free time. They could sit with Bob and do an activity with him while she goes out shopping for herself...or out with a friend, etc. To give her a break. They could help her with grocery shopping, menu planning, etc.
I did not go up to Putnam this week and plan to not return until the end of the month when we go back to Dr. Botta's office.
I slept so good the night after we went to the Homemaker's office. I could finally see some hope on the horizon. If I don't have to run up to Putnam so frequently, I can get somethings done here...like all the work I want to do in the bathroom.
There is a LOT of work to be done. I plan to (with some help) do the following jobs: strip wallpaper in main bath and the WC; paint the walls in the main bath, WC and laundry room; remove the yucky pink carpeting and the sections of tile floor in MB and WC and laundry room; remove shower door, shower insert and shower floor and maybe destroy the wall next to the window; remove vanity top; sinks and faucets; paint vanity; install new vanity top; sinks and faucets.
I want to pay people to: plumb the shower so the shower head can be moved to back wall (or the other wall); install plumbing for whirlpool tub; tile shower-with storage nooks and a built-in seat; install a handheld shower and a "rainhead" shower on an adjustable pole; install a glass wall (or half wall) on the side of the shower next to the window; install a glass door; install a river rock shower floor and tile the MB; WC and laundry room.
I think that by doing a lot of the jobs ourselves, we can keep costs down to a dull roar. If we do, then I want to also have the pros install a whirlpool tub with a deck around it--tiled to match the shower. And glass tile as the back splash.
I still have to decide what to do about the HUGE mirror we have over our oversized vanity. Do we keep it, even though it's a "dated" look; or do I go for individual mirrors over each sink? What about the lighting? Would it be possible to lower the shower ceiling (it's about 12' high now) and install a heat lamp feature in it? Should I put in heated floors? The mirror and the lighting is stuff we can do, lowered ceiling/heat lamp/heated floors are something I would want the pros to do.
No matter what, our bathroom is going to look a lot nicer! I'm also thinking of putting in some shelving for linens, we have only a small linen closet and we have so many linens! We need a place to store all the medical supplies we have for ourselves and for the animals. Maybe I move all that to the other bathroom or to my "office" in one of the spare bedrooms. Nah, shelving in the bathroom would be a better option...we do have the room for it.
When I start the work I'll take lots of before, during and after shots to document the horror. HA HA! I'm sure that there will be moments of horror, but that's what home improvement is all about.
So, that is my goal, to begin work next week on the bathroom. To get the wallpaper off and get some paint samples and see how they look on the wall. I have all day Monday, Tuesday after my workout and all day Thursday to work on this. Sandy is off on Wednesday, but we aren't going to spend our time together working on the bathroom!
I'm getting psyched!
Oh, on other things...I continue to lose weight. My workouts have kickstarted my metabolism, but I also continue to fill up fast and most food tastes like shit (side effect of the chemo)...so losing weight is easy. I have to go shopping for new jeans, I can slide these off without unfastening or unzipping them! I like it. I want to get down another 10 pounds or so and then I'll start to worry if I'm still losing. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Our SNEAK trial is coming up on the 21st and 22nd of the month, at the Chester Fairgrounds. We'll be taking the RV on her maiden voyage (of the year). We just picked it up today from Arlington where we had brought it last week to have the new awnings put on over the bedroom windows and the dining area window. It looks SO GOOD! If you want to see it, swing by the house, or come to the agility trial, watch the doggies run and get a tour of "Jacks-in-a-Box."
Dori has finally retired and she and I promised ourselves some kayaking. I'll be using the new trailer, hitched up to Sandy's car, to haul my kayak and anyone else's to get us down to the water! Can't wait! I may even take Bubbles with me, she is the best behaved of all of them on the kayak. She loves it too.
It's Red Sox time and I'm loving the sounds of Jerry and Don's voices sounding in the house as I do my work. I even manage to take some time to sit down and watch. The other day their voices put me to sleep in the recliner! I woke up in time to see the Sox briefly rally in the ninth and then lose it at the bottom of the ninth. Figures. Oh well...I love baseball and so I am happy that it will be on just about every night from now until ?
Oh, I got a new Weber grill (a small portable one) and stand for the RV and have tried it out a couple of times. It could become our main grill..it is THAT good. We also got a shade for the big awning...it will hang down from the edge of the awning to give us side shade...we had been using the silver dog shades for that, but this is so much easier to employ and will look a lot nicer than those silver things. So, we have been spending $$ on the RV and now we have to save for the gas! That Social Security check comes in handy for things like that...the "extras."
So, you can see that Life is Good...things are humming along and plans are being made. Will report on all as we progress. Anyone who feels like painting, ripping out floors, etc...feel free to come on over and we'll put you to work!
Later...
Saturday, March 17, 2012
catching up
It's been rather busy around here the past week or so. Last week I went up to Putnam to see Bob and Wini and to take them out for lunch. We went to "Someplace Special" where we all had the eggplant meal. It was great! Next time I might try the eggplant grinder.
Then we went to get Bob's coat that I had dropped off at the cleaner's. They were able to get a lot of the grime off of it, but not all. It's a shame...a LL Bean, down coat with down hood and he didn't clean it often enough. Oh well, the zipper works and the coat is very light weight but warm, so he can use it for kicking around at home.
I had another talk with Wini about accepting help in the home. I reassured her again that there is plenty of money to pay for it and asked her to look at her schedule and let me know when we could make an appointment at the Homemaker agency.
When I went home and told Sandy, she suggested that I go ahead and make the appointment for next Tuesday as I'm going back up there anyway to take Bob and Wini to see Dr. Botta. What a great idea! I called and the agency is going to send someone to the house on Tuesday afternoon. AND, they will talk with Dr. Botta and HE will tell Wini about the appointment, to help keep me from being the "bad guy."
Wini was asking me about our Direct TV service, saying that they don't get many channels on their cable system...they don't want to pay for more channels. She was wondering if she could get more channels with Direct Tv without having to pay more. I had a brilliant idea last night while I was sitting on the potty (another night on the pot). I am going to use some of Bob's money to get them a large, flat screen tv and increase their channels on the cable system. I'll pay for the increased channels too.
If Wini doesn't see the money going out, she won't worry about it so much. I'm going to take part of his checking account and savings account money and open a separate account for his behalf. I'll pay for the lady to clean the house, the home maker/health aide people and the cable bill from that account. This will help keep Wini calmer about the money, and since she won't have a cable bill to pay, puts more money into her pocket, which might make her happier.
If I do get a new tv for them--they always LOVE our huge flat screen tv...then I will insist that all the other televisions in the cellar get pitched out, except for one. I think I counted four televisions down there. We have multiple tvs in our house, but at least we have hook-ups for each of them! I did get rid of a couple of TVs we had and I know that you have to either donate them to Goodwill or some organization like that or leave them by the side of the road out front with a FREE sign on them. None of your friends ever seem to want a huge ancient television.
I think Wini will benefit from an HD tv set. She has poor vision, not like "eagle eye Miller" and it will help her to be able to read the scores in ball games, etc.
I feel as though a weight has lifted a bit, with the thought that maybe, just maybe, we'll be getting help into the home for Bob and for Wini. Brian and I have been communicating more lately for their benefit and he is reinforcing things with her that I discuss with her.
Tuesday I went for my workout with Jessica, but got there late due to getting an unexpected phone call as I was leaving the house...we agreed to reschedule the workout to Friday. I stayed and worked out on my own for 40 minutes...and did well.
On Thursday I had to go for the CT scan I should have had before last week's chemo. Sue told me to make sure I wore my lucky shoes...and to hold a lucky penny face up in my hand during the scan. I did as told. Hoping that all is well. I have been having some abdominal pains after I eat, but that could have been from the sit-ups I foolishly did in my last work-out. I just say no to sit-ups now.
The chemo is building up in my system again. I'm having the nose bleeds again, the taste problems again and my mouth is very sensitive. The taste and sensitivity collude to help me to lose weight. I continue to drop weight steadily averaging over a pound a week now. I don't mind that at all. I can wear my grey corduroy slacks again, yay!
I just hope that the chemo doesn't become toxic. That is the big danger and would cause them to stop giving it to me and switch to a different drug. The side effects of Avastin can be very bad in the extreme. I hope that it stays at this level and there isn't a larger, cumulative effect.
The weather has me very busy. I put out the deck furniture last week, did some raking and started thinking about the garden. This year I want to plant some eggplant, winter squash, and maybe sweet potatoes, in addition to my roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes and herbs. Sandy plants the rest of the stuff.
It's March Madness and the UConn men have already eliminated themselves from the running. The women won handily today, look forward to seeing Monday's game. I love this time of year. So much basketball to watch! AND, in between I can catch some Red Sox preseason games!
We are planning more trips in the RV for this year. We might be going to New Hampshire for Labor Day Weekend...to Camp Wag-it! It's a camp for dogs and their people to go to and play. We already have trips to Maine in the works and the usual agility trial trips, beginning next month when we go to Chester Fairgrounds for our agility club's trial.
I ordered the awnings for the bedroom windows and to go over the dining area window. This will help keep the heat down and also allow us to open the windows when it's raining, without having the rain blow into the RV. We are also going to order a sunscreen that drops down from the big awning to provide some shade under the awning as the sun moves across the sky. We had been putting up the silver sunscreens that we have for agility, but this will be neater and easier to put up and take down.
I am on a spending spree it seems. I'm itching to buy a small table top grill for the RV and I'm leaning toward the Weber Q100 which gets good reviews. I love grilling and it would be great to be able to grill when we are RVing. Also it would cut down on the heat inside the RV, saving the air conditioning.
I'm also itching to get started on our master bathroom. I want to paint the cabinets, replace the counter top, sinks and faucets. Replace the shower. Remove the horrid pink carpeting and replace it with ceramic tile (or something equivalent)...maybe put the sub-floor heating system in so we have warm floors. Remove the wallpaper and paint the walls...I think a "sea foam" blue. That has caught our eye. All this takes $$. I will have to examine my finances and see how much I can set aside from my Social Security check. And figure out what we can do by ourselves (pull up carpet, remove shower, paint, install tile) and what we need to hire pros to do. I had wanted to put in a shower with glass on two sides and tile the other two walls. Perhaps a shower surround (with drop-down seat and grab bars) might be more the way to go. We shall see.
Today Sandy took Rocky down to meet the new dog at 690 Vauxhall, Lily. They hit it off beautifully so next we will introduce her to Truman. She had the good sense to roll over and play bow to Rocky when he initially snarled at her, so I don't think she and Tman will have problems. It's Bubbles we have to watch...she can't stand other females!
Now Sandy is en route home with my supper that Jean made....corned beef and the works! YAY!
Another busy week ahead. Keep fingers crossed that I DO NOT hear the results of my CT scan until I see the doctor in the first week of April....no news is definitely good news in this case. I have to admit that I am a little worried about this one.
Later!
Then we went to get Bob's coat that I had dropped off at the cleaner's. They were able to get a lot of the grime off of it, but not all. It's a shame...a LL Bean, down coat with down hood and he didn't clean it often enough. Oh well, the zipper works and the coat is very light weight but warm, so he can use it for kicking around at home.
I had another talk with Wini about accepting help in the home. I reassured her again that there is plenty of money to pay for it and asked her to look at her schedule and let me know when we could make an appointment at the Homemaker agency.
When I went home and told Sandy, she suggested that I go ahead and make the appointment for next Tuesday as I'm going back up there anyway to take Bob and Wini to see Dr. Botta. What a great idea! I called and the agency is going to send someone to the house on Tuesday afternoon. AND, they will talk with Dr. Botta and HE will tell Wini about the appointment, to help keep me from being the "bad guy."
Wini was asking me about our Direct TV service, saying that they don't get many channels on their cable system...they don't want to pay for more channels. She was wondering if she could get more channels with Direct Tv without having to pay more. I had a brilliant idea last night while I was sitting on the potty (another night on the pot). I am going to use some of Bob's money to get them a large, flat screen tv and increase their channels on the cable system. I'll pay for the increased channels too.
If Wini doesn't see the money going out, she won't worry about it so much. I'm going to take part of his checking account and savings account money and open a separate account for his behalf. I'll pay for the lady to clean the house, the home maker/health aide people and the cable bill from that account. This will help keep Wini calmer about the money, and since she won't have a cable bill to pay, puts more money into her pocket, which might make her happier.
If I do get a new tv for them--they always LOVE our huge flat screen tv...then I will insist that all the other televisions in the cellar get pitched out, except for one. I think I counted four televisions down there. We have multiple tvs in our house, but at least we have hook-ups for each of them! I did get rid of a couple of TVs we had and I know that you have to either donate them to Goodwill or some organization like that or leave them by the side of the road out front with a FREE sign on them. None of your friends ever seem to want a huge ancient television.
I think Wini will benefit from an HD tv set. She has poor vision, not like "eagle eye Miller" and it will help her to be able to read the scores in ball games, etc.
I feel as though a weight has lifted a bit, with the thought that maybe, just maybe, we'll be getting help into the home for Bob and for Wini. Brian and I have been communicating more lately for their benefit and he is reinforcing things with her that I discuss with her.
Tuesday I went for my workout with Jessica, but got there late due to getting an unexpected phone call as I was leaving the house...we agreed to reschedule the workout to Friday. I stayed and worked out on my own for 40 minutes...and did well.
On Thursday I had to go for the CT scan I should have had before last week's chemo. Sue told me to make sure I wore my lucky shoes...and to hold a lucky penny face up in my hand during the scan. I did as told. Hoping that all is well. I have been having some abdominal pains after I eat, but that could have been from the sit-ups I foolishly did in my last work-out. I just say no to sit-ups now.
The chemo is building up in my system again. I'm having the nose bleeds again, the taste problems again and my mouth is very sensitive. The taste and sensitivity collude to help me to lose weight. I continue to drop weight steadily averaging over a pound a week now. I don't mind that at all. I can wear my grey corduroy slacks again, yay!
I just hope that the chemo doesn't become toxic. That is the big danger and would cause them to stop giving it to me and switch to a different drug. The side effects of Avastin can be very bad in the extreme. I hope that it stays at this level and there isn't a larger, cumulative effect.
The weather has me very busy. I put out the deck furniture last week, did some raking and started thinking about the garden. This year I want to plant some eggplant, winter squash, and maybe sweet potatoes, in addition to my roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes and herbs. Sandy plants the rest of the stuff.
It's March Madness and the UConn men have already eliminated themselves from the running. The women won handily today, look forward to seeing Monday's game. I love this time of year. So much basketball to watch! AND, in between I can catch some Red Sox preseason games!
We are planning more trips in the RV for this year. We might be going to New Hampshire for Labor Day Weekend...to Camp Wag-it! It's a camp for dogs and their people to go to and play. We already have trips to Maine in the works and the usual agility trial trips, beginning next month when we go to Chester Fairgrounds for our agility club's trial.
I ordered the awnings for the bedroom windows and to go over the dining area window. This will help keep the heat down and also allow us to open the windows when it's raining, without having the rain blow into the RV. We are also going to order a sunscreen that drops down from the big awning to provide some shade under the awning as the sun moves across the sky. We had been putting up the silver sunscreens that we have for agility, but this will be neater and easier to put up and take down.
I am on a spending spree it seems. I'm itching to buy a small table top grill for the RV and I'm leaning toward the Weber Q100 which gets good reviews. I love grilling and it would be great to be able to grill when we are RVing. Also it would cut down on the heat inside the RV, saving the air conditioning.
I'm also itching to get started on our master bathroom. I want to paint the cabinets, replace the counter top, sinks and faucets. Replace the shower. Remove the horrid pink carpeting and replace it with ceramic tile (or something equivalent)...maybe put the sub-floor heating system in so we have warm floors. Remove the wallpaper and paint the walls...I think a "sea foam" blue. That has caught our eye. All this takes $$. I will have to examine my finances and see how much I can set aside from my Social Security check. And figure out what we can do by ourselves (pull up carpet, remove shower, paint, install tile) and what we need to hire pros to do. I had wanted to put in a shower with glass on two sides and tile the other two walls. Perhaps a shower surround (with drop-down seat and grab bars) might be more the way to go. We shall see.
Today Sandy took Rocky down to meet the new dog at 690 Vauxhall, Lily. They hit it off beautifully so next we will introduce her to Truman. She had the good sense to roll over and play bow to Rocky when he initially snarled at her, so I don't think she and Tman will have problems. It's Bubbles we have to watch...she can't stand other females!
Now Sandy is en route home with my supper that Jean made....corned beef and the works! YAY!
Another busy week ahead. Keep fingers crossed that I DO NOT hear the results of my CT scan until I see the doctor in the first week of April....no news is definitely good news in this case. I have to admit that I am a little worried about this one.
Later!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Vacation and "vacation?"
Since I can't remember when I last wrote here I can only assume that I did not write about the Costa Rica trip. February is really a blur in my rear view mirror right now.
I' share some of my favorite pictures from Costa Rica--which was a FABULOUS trip! It met or exceeded all my expectations. I have many more pictures but these are some of my favs and I don't want to stress your bandwidth!
If you ever had a notion to go to Costa Rica go with Caravan. They are the greatest! We stayed at wonderful hotels, traveled around the country in airconditioned, leather seated style and went on so many great side trips--on boats up and down rivers, seeing wildlife, to volcanoes, to plantations, it was all amazing! The food and tips for restaurant and hotel staff are all included in the already low price. Our guide was fabulous and funny. I felt safe, secure and comfortable the whole way. It was wonderful.
Now I will only buy coffee from Costa Rica, will search out bananas that are from Costa Rica, etc. I will do what I can to support that wonderful country. How can you not like a country that got rid of their military about 70 years ago and used the money to build schools and provide national health care to their citizens? AND, their number one industry is eco-tourism...so they preserve a large percentage of their country for the benefit of the birds, animals and flora that lives there. Wonderful!
The week after I got home from that adventure I set off on another adventure of a lifetime. I went to Westerly to Zoe and Co and got fitted for bras! Sue Gardner came with me. We had adjoining dressing rooms. It was rather funny--my ample bosoms and her 'minus numbers" boobs....and we turned out to be the same size! 32! Of course the cup sizes were a bit different! We had a good laugh, I bought a bunch 'o bras and then we went for lunch.
So, now, for the first time since fifth grade, my boobs are right where they should be. It took awhile to get used to the tightness of the band around my chest...I had been wearing 34's for years. Now it feels perfect.
The next week I left for my Putnam adventure. Wini left a day early as she had a very early morning flight on Wednesday, so I went up there on Tuesday. Took Bob out to the Golden Greek for dinner so Wini could finish packing. When we got back she was gone which might not have been the best thing. He had said goodbye to her, told her he loved her and would miss her and all, but when we got back he was confused about where she was, etc. I had to keep telling him where she was going and when she would return.
The next day he called me Wini and didn't ask about her again until she called that night and he got confused about who he was talking to on the phone, who I was, etc.
This would go on every day. Some days were better than others as far as what he remembered about his life.
In the meantime, I was busy cleaning out his room, going through all the boxes that remained in there. I was very happy to find his original will and testament, the original of the Power of Attorney he had assigned to me. This enabled me to go to the banks and FINALLY get the financial information I needed to complete the application to Westview for him.
I was able to pull out items that he loved, could relate to and left those for him to see, touch, read in his room. Got his bedding all cleaned and went through his clothing and got rid of stuff he can't fit into anymore. In short, his room was totally cleaned. This, of course, was a change and even though he liked it and appreciated that he could move around and use his whole room, it still was change and he had some trouble adjusting.
Not that he was aware of all the "stuff" he had in his room, but I did reassure him that I was going to find people who would want/benefit from the stuff that I had removed. He was happy to hear that. When he first packed up these boxes that he had in his room and in the cellar, he had carefully categorized them: family stuff, Aspinock stuff, St. Mary's stuff, Troop 21 stuff. Wini had thrown the monkey wrench in the works when she insisted that I go through every piece of paper with him. This approach stalled the whole process and led to some items being removed from the collections.
It's all good now. I have five boxes of material that the Town Historian is taking. Peter Johnston came and hauled away four legal boxes and two huge garbage bags of stuff to be shredded--old checks, IRS stuff, medical stuff etc from 10-15 years ago. Brian and Pat came up and hauled away loads of trash. It was great having all the help from the family.
I was like a shark while I was up there, kept moving and moving. Every time I sat down to rest I thought of something else I could do. I cleaned the house (minus Wini's room) from stem to stern and hoped that Wini would accept having the cleaning lady come every week.
I bought a hand held shower system and Peter installed it for me. I worked out a good shower routine for Bob...I helped him shower twice in the time I was there. He looked good and more importantly, smelled great! I would wash his hair and face...as the first time he showered he scrubbed at the spot on his temple where he had the cancer removed and caused it to bleed. So, after that I decided I would wash his head. He took care of the rest. Getting in and out of the tub is tough for him, but he has a grab bar to hold onto and that helps.
Bob and I enjoyed watching the Huskies play twice, he really got into the Notre Dame game. He went to bed early and napped, so he could get up for the 9pm start. He and I kept getting confused by the stupid uniforms the Huskies were wearing that night and more than once we found ourselves accidentally rooting for Notre Dame, who were wearing blue!
I got him over to the dentist to find out why he kept bleeding on the pillow at night. I had to throw out three pillows that had blood all over them. Turns out he had found an old pair of dentures in his room and had "mismatched" the old top plate with the new bottom plate! He had also been wearing the dentures to bed and was chewing his lip in his sleep....he had a laceration on the inside of his lip. We threw out the old dentures and figured out a procedure to insure that he didn't wear his teeth to bed. Hopefully his lip will heal. I had him rinse with salt water a couple of times a day to try to get it healed up. That's an old remedy he could relate to---he always had us rinse with salt water for all kinds of things, if you lost a tooth, if you threw up, etc.
We had fun during the week, we went out to eat a few times and I even went with him to church. He enjoyed the meals I prepared for him and praised my cooking. He always was appreciative of good meals and always thanked my mother for her meals. His mother wasn't such a great cook I learned, so he really loved my mother's cooking.
I would love to be able to say that when Wini came home she gladly accepted my offer to have the cleaning lady come in more frequently. No. That she and I set an appointment with DKH's Homemaker/Home Health Aide program to get someone to help them with transportation, cooking, bathing, etc. No.
I had told her that I didn't want her to shower Bob anymore...it is not safe. I told her I would come and help him shower until we could get someone in to help him. She refused.
Monday I am bringing the boxes to the Town Historian and will take Bob and Wini out to lunch. I'll try again to get Wini to accept the house cleaning services every other week--Bob has plenty of money to pay for this and for DKH services. I will try again to get her to stop stalling and set up an appt to meet with the DKH people.
If I am not successful with these important tasks, when Bob goes to Dr. Botta on the 20th I will be going with them and will be telling Dr. Botta my concerns. Wini needs help and if she can't/won't accept it, I don't think it is safe/healthy for him to remain in that home. They both need help now in order for him to stay there.
We did deliver the application to Westview and they did call me to confirm that they had accepted it. Bob does have enough money that he could do private pay for a decent amount of time...which must boost his name on the wait list. The Millers never thought we would get any inheritance anyway...I don't care if we have to spend it all...we aren't going to "cheap out" on his care, just so we can get some bucks down the road. We don't think that way.
I have to say that spending that time with my Dad was a mixed experience....we had fun--he can still be very funny; we shared some experiences--watching the Huskies; taking walks in his yard and in mine and we just relaxed and enjoyed each other. On the other hand, I learned how much time and attention and work he needs to be safe and healthy and I don't think Wini can do it alone.
This last bit is what has caused me to lie awake at night....and I can't afford to lose sleep and get run down...this affects my health. BTW, I lost six pounds in the week I was at Bob's.
Something has to give....
I' share some of my favorite pictures from Costa Rica--which was a FABULOUS trip! It met or exceeded all my expectations. I have many more pictures but these are some of my favs and I don't want to stress your bandwidth!
If you ever had a notion to go to Costa Rica go with Caravan. They are the greatest! We stayed at wonderful hotels, traveled around the country in airconditioned, leather seated style and went on so many great side trips--on boats up and down rivers, seeing wildlife, to volcanoes, to plantations, it was all amazing! The food and tips for restaurant and hotel staff are all included in the already low price. Our guide was fabulous and funny. I felt safe, secure and comfortable the whole way. It was wonderful.
Now I will only buy coffee from Costa Rica, will search out bananas that are from Costa Rica, etc. I will do what I can to support that wonderful country. How can you not like a country that got rid of their military about 70 years ago and used the money to build schools and provide national health care to their citizens? AND, their number one industry is eco-tourism...so they preserve a large percentage of their country for the benefit of the birds, animals and flora that lives there. Wonderful!
The week after I got home from that adventure I set off on another adventure of a lifetime. I went to Westerly to Zoe and Co and got fitted for bras! Sue Gardner came with me. We had adjoining dressing rooms. It was rather funny--my ample bosoms and her 'minus numbers" boobs....and we turned out to be the same size! 32! Of course the cup sizes were a bit different! We had a good laugh, I bought a bunch 'o bras and then we went for lunch.
So, now, for the first time since fifth grade, my boobs are right where they should be. It took awhile to get used to the tightness of the band around my chest...I had been wearing 34's for years. Now it feels perfect.
The next week I left for my Putnam adventure. Wini left a day early as she had a very early morning flight on Wednesday, so I went up there on Tuesday. Took Bob out to the Golden Greek for dinner so Wini could finish packing. When we got back she was gone which might not have been the best thing. He had said goodbye to her, told her he loved her and would miss her and all, but when we got back he was confused about where she was, etc. I had to keep telling him where she was going and when she would return.
The next day he called me Wini and didn't ask about her again until she called that night and he got confused about who he was talking to on the phone, who I was, etc.
This would go on every day. Some days were better than others as far as what he remembered about his life.
In the meantime, I was busy cleaning out his room, going through all the boxes that remained in there. I was very happy to find his original will and testament, the original of the Power of Attorney he had assigned to me. This enabled me to go to the banks and FINALLY get the financial information I needed to complete the application to Westview for him.
I was able to pull out items that he loved, could relate to and left those for him to see, touch, read in his room. Got his bedding all cleaned and went through his clothing and got rid of stuff he can't fit into anymore. In short, his room was totally cleaned. This, of course, was a change and even though he liked it and appreciated that he could move around and use his whole room, it still was change and he had some trouble adjusting.
Not that he was aware of all the "stuff" he had in his room, but I did reassure him that I was going to find people who would want/benefit from the stuff that I had removed. He was happy to hear that. When he first packed up these boxes that he had in his room and in the cellar, he had carefully categorized them: family stuff, Aspinock stuff, St. Mary's stuff, Troop 21 stuff. Wini had thrown the monkey wrench in the works when she insisted that I go through every piece of paper with him. This approach stalled the whole process and led to some items being removed from the collections.
It's all good now. I have five boxes of material that the Town Historian is taking. Peter Johnston came and hauled away four legal boxes and two huge garbage bags of stuff to be shredded--old checks, IRS stuff, medical stuff etc from 10-15 years ago. Brian and Pat came up and hauled away loads of trash. It was great having all the help from the family.
I was like a shark while I was up there, kept moving and moving. Every time I sat down to rest I thought of something else I could do. I cleaned the house (minus Wini's room) from stem to stern and hoped that Wini would accept having the cleaning lady come every week.
I bought a hand held shower system and Peter installed it for me. I worked out a good shower routine for Bob...I helped him shower twice in the time I was there. He looked good and more importantly, smelled great! I would wash his hair and face...as the first time he showered he scrubbed at the spot on his temple where he had the cancer removed and caused it to bleed. So, after that I decided I would wash his head. He took care of the rest. Getting in and out of the tub is tough for him, but he has a grab bar to hold onto and that helps.
Bob and I enjoyed watching the Huskies play twice, he really got into the Notre Dame game. He went to bed early and napped, so he could get up for the 9pm start. He and I kept getting confused by the stupid uniforms the Huskies were wearing that night and more than once we found ourselves accidentally rooting for Notre Dame, who were wearing blue!
I got him over to the dentist to find out why he kept bleeding on the pillow at night. I had to throw out three pillows that had blood all over them. Turns out he had found an old pair of dentures in his room and had "mismatched" the old top plate with the new bottom plate! He had also been wearing the dentures to bed and was chewing his lip in his sleep....he had a laceration on the inside of his lip. We threw out the old dentures and figured out a procedure to insure that he didn't wear his teeth to bed. Hopefully his lip will heal. I had him rinse with salt water a couple of times a day to try to get it healed up. That's an old remedy he could relate to---he always had us rinse with salt water for all kinds of things, if you lost a tooth, if you threw up, etc.
We had fun during the week, we went out to eat a few times and I even went with him to church. He enjoyed the meals I prepared for him and praised my cooking. He always was appreciative of good meals and always thanked my mother for her meals. His mother wasn't such a great cook I learned, so he really loved my mother's cooking.
I would love to be able to say that when Wini came home she gladly accepted my offer to have the cleaning lady come in more frequently. No. That she and I set an appointment with DKH's Homemaker/Home Health Aide program to get someone to help them with transportation, cooking, bathing, etc. No.
I had told her that I didn't want her to shower Bob anymore...it is not safe. I told her I would come and help him shower until we could get someone in to help him. She refused.
Monday I am bringing the boxes to the Town Historian and will take Bob and Wini out to lunch. I'll try again to get Wini to accept the house cleaning services every other week--Bob has plenty of money to pay for this and for DKH services. I will try again to get her to stop stalling and set up an appt to meet with the DKH people.
If I am not successful with these important tasks, when Bob goes to Dr. Botta on the 20th I will be going with them and will be telling Dr. Botta my concerns. Wini needs help and if she can't/won't accept it, I don't think it is safe/healthy for him to remain in that home. They both need help now in order for him to stay there.
We did deliver the application to Westview and they did call me to confirm that they had accepted it. Bob does have enough money that he could do private pay for a decent amount of time...which must boost his name on the wait list. The Millers never thought we would get any inheritance anyway...I don't care if we have to spend it all...we aren't going to "cheap out" on his care, just so we can get some bucks down the road. We don't think that way.
I have to say that spending that time with my Dad was a mixed experience....we had fun--he can still be very funny; we shared some experiences--watching the Huskies; taking walks in his yard and in mine and we just relaxed and enjoyed each other. On the other hand, I learned how much time and attention and work he needs to be safe and healthy and I don't think Wini can do it alone.
This last bit is what has caused me to lie awake at night....and I can't afford to lose sleep and get run down...this affects my health. BTW, I lost six pounds in the week I was at Bob's.
Something has to give....
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Pats are in the Bowl!
Well, the Pats squeaked by Baltimore and will be playing in the Super Bowl! What an ending! Now the Giants and San Francisco are locked in a toe to toe battle...you know, just as in the Final Four, sometimes the most exciting games are played in the semi-finals....not the final.
Charmine and I will be watching the Super Bowl from the Marriott Hotel bar in Costa Rica. Should be fun. I've already packed my Pats t-shirt, so I will be dressed appropriately for the occasion.
We leave for Costa Rica a week from Tuesday. We'll be gone ten days. I went on line and looked up the hotels where we will be staying and they all look great! It's going to be an action-packed ten days...I just have two wishes...the weather cooperates and my body cooperates! I will have opportunities to rest on the bus rides and every day there is "free time" to relax at the hotel pool...which I plan to take advantage of as much as possible!
We got a foot of snow overnight Friday to Saturday. Sandy had to run the snow blower for the third time this week....she loves it! The doggies don't love it though. Rocket went out the back door and jumped down one stair, landing in snow up to his neck, he turned right around and trotted back inside! I didn't blame him. He snuggled under the blanket on my lap and slept like that the rest of the day, barely going out to pee.
We don't have a "snow dog" anymore. Lily was the snow dog...she loved it when the weather turned cool. She would go outside while Sandy shoveled and ran the snow blower and she would sit out there the whole time. She would be coated in white and loving it! She was big so she could also plow through the deep stuff without problem...the little dogs would follow in her trail, using her like their own "Mr. Plow." Now they have to wait for Sandy to plow the paths out back for them.
On Friday I successfully completed another half hour workout session with my personal trainer. We did aerobic on the treadmill, then lifting the pipe overhead, step work, squats against the wall and stair climbing. I felt pretty good afterwards. I go again on Tuesday for another half hour and maybe will schedule another session for Friday. Then I will be gone--to Costa Rica and then to Putnam to care for Bob while Wini goes to Florida. I'll start up again in March. I plan to sign up for at least four more sessions.
Speaking of Wini, she agreed to meet with the woman that Cindy told me about. This is a woman who knows them from church. She has experience with providing care for elderly people in their homes, cooking, cleaning, transporting, etc. I asked Wini if she would at least meet with the woman with me and she said yes! She is now willing to have help. Dr. Botta had spoken with her about it, I spoke with her and other people have too...it's all working! She told me the other day that she feels like "the old Wini" which is great! I think it's because she is letting go of some responsibilities and it is lightening her load.
I'm already thinking of things to do with Bob, besides transporting him to all his activities....I think we'll go to Worcester and get us some Coney Island dogs...it's been forever since he's had those. I'll take him shopping for stuff he needs and maybe see about getting some adaptive equipment in there...for the bath especially. And clean....I will clean out that bedroom, so he can move around in there without having to crawl over boxes, etc. Maybe I can even figure out something to do with the light, so he can't knock it over and break the bulbs....he keeps breaking bulbs.
I think I will go "doctor shopping" when I'm up there, too. I'm thinking I will go to Dr. Wreschner first and then get my name on the list for Dr. Botta. I have just about had it with my current doctor. I like my Nurse Practitioner, but it's not always easy getting in to see her and I no longer trust my doctor or the other nurse there. I don't really want to go to Backus if I have to be hospitalized. From all I know about that place, I have to say it isn't safe to be a patient there. I would rather take my chances in my small, hometown hospital.
I used to be Dr. Wreschner's patient when he first came to town. That should count for something. Dr. Botta sees anyone over 50...he is my Dad's doctor. I absolutely love and trust him. He works hard for his patients (as does Wreschner) but it is hard to get onto his patient list and I think you have to pay out of pocket some....but it is definitely worth it.
So, ch-ch-changes....all good. Things are rolling along now quite nicely. It feels good.
Speaking of feeling good, I can't tell you how great it is to not have my stomach hurting constantly. I noticed it when it stopped hurting. What a difference! The area that I though had herniated again, is clearing up nicely...I think it was muscle strain from the dry heaves. Thank goodness! I wasn't looking forward to my trip to Dr. Valin and have him find me herniated again! He would NOT be a happy camper!
Okay, back to the Giants/San Francisco game....
GO PATS!
Later...
Charmine and I will be watching the Super Bowl from the Marriott Hotel bar in Costa Rica. Should be fun. I've already packed my Pats t-shirt, so I will be dressed appropriately for the occasion.
We leave for Costa Rica a week from Tuesday. We'll be gone ten days. I went on line and looked up the hotels where we will be staying and they all look great! It's going to be an action-packed ten days...I just have two wishes...the weather cooperates and my body cooperates! I will have opportunities to rest on the bus rides and every day there is "free time" to relax at the hotel pool...which I plan to take advantage of as much as possible!
We got a foot of snow overnight Friday to Saturday. Sandy had to run the snow blower for the third time this week....she loves it! The doggies don't love it though. Rocket went out the back door and jumped down one stair, landing in snow up to his neck, he turned right around and trotted back inside! I didn't blame him. He snuggled under the blanket on my lap and slept like that the rest of the day, barely going out to pee.
We don't have a "snow dog" anymore. Lily was the snow dog...she loved it when the weather turned cool. She would go outside while Sandy shoveled and ran the snow blower and she would sit out there the whole time. She would be coated in white and loving it! She was big so she could also plow through the deep stuff without problem...the little dogs would follow in her trail, using her like their own "Mr. Plow." Now they have to wait for Sandy to plow the paths out back for them.
On Friday I successfully completed another half hour workout session with my personal trainer. We did aerobic on the treadmill, then lifting the pipe overhead, step work, squats against the wall and stair climbing. I felt pretty good afterwards. I go again on Tuesday for another half hour and maybe will schedule another session for Friday. Then I will be gone--to Costa Rica and then to Putnam to care for Bob while Wini goes to Florida. I'll start up again in March. I plan to sign up for at least four more sessions.
Speaking of Wini, she agreed to meet with the woman that Cindy told me about. This is a woman who knows them from church. She has experience with providing care for elderly people in their homes, cooking, cleaning, transporting, etc. I asked Wini if she would at least meet with the woman with me and she said yes! She is now willing to have help. Dr. Botta had spoken with her about it, I spoke with her and other people have too...it's all working! She told me the other day that she feels like "the old Wini" which is great! I think it's because she is letting go of some responsibilities and it is lightening her load.
I'm already thinking of things to do with Bob, besides transporting him to all his activities....I think we'll go to Worcester and get us some Coney Island dogs...it's been forever since he's had those. I'll take him shopping for stuff he needs and maybe see about getting some adaptive equipment in there...for the bath especially. And clean....I will clean out that bedroom, so he can move around in there without having to crawl over boxes, etc. Maybe I can even figure out something to do with the light, so he can't knock it over and break the bulbs....he keeps breaking bulbs.
I think I will go "doctor shopping" when I'm up there, too. I'm thinking I will go to Dr. Wreschner first and then get my name on the list for Dr. Botta. I have just about had it with my current doctor. I like my Nurse Practitioner, but it's not always easy getting in to see her and I no longer trust my doctor or the other nurse there. I don't really want to go to Backus if I have to be hospitalized. From all I know about that place, I have to say it isn't safe to be a patient there. I would rather take my chances in my small, hometown hospital.
I used to be Dr. Wreschner's patient when he first came to town. That should count for something. Dr. Botta sees anyone over 50...he is my Dad's doctor. I absolutely love and trust him. He works hard for his patients (as does Wreschner) but it is hard to get onto his patient list and I think you have to pay out of pocket some....but it is definitely worth it.
So, ch-ch-changes....all good. Things are rolling along now quite nicely. It feels good.
Speaking of feeling good, I can't tell you how great it is to not have my stomach hurting constantly. I noticed it when it stopped hurting. What a difference! The area that I though had herniated again, is clearing up nicely...I think it was muscle strain from the dry heaves. Thank goodness! I wasn't looking forward to my trip to Dr. Valin and have him find me herniated again! He would NOT be a happy camper!
Okay, back to the Giants/San Francisco game....
GO PATS!
Later...
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Long overdue, my apologies, I finally put my fingers on the keyboard to update this blog.
Since last we talked, I found out that my chemo regimen is working! The last CT scan showed that the tumors are shrinking (or rumors are shrinking) and my CA 125 level is down to SIX! It had made it up to 44 the last time it was taken.
Of course, I knew that the chemo was working. The chemo ALWAYS works for me. I hate to sound jaded, but I didn't celebrate too much when I heard this news...I knew the answer before they told me. I did high five Sandy....again...as we have every time we get the good news.
I also wasn't too excited because I felt so darned rotten. I don't know if I had written about the latest situation--on the day I went for my first workout with my personal trainer, I came home feeling ill and quite weak. I also got the chills, which didn't quit. Sandy took my temp later in the evening and sure enough, I had a fever! It was 100.6 degrees, which for me is high as my normal temp is around 97-97.5.
Sandy said there was a virus going around and I probably had it, so I decided to "ride it out," By Sunday, with my temp around 99.7 to 100.2 and my chest bothering me, I decided to break down and go to the hospital--Urgent Care Clinic. The doctor I saw was SURE I had pneumonia--my pulse ox was down to 94. She ordered a breathing treatment and a chest x-ray. The breathing treatment brought my oxygen level right up to 99. Good...but it didn't help me "feel" better. The chest xray came back negative--which really disappointed the doctor.
She ordered blood tests and prescribed Leviquin, in case I had an infection. I started feeling better the next day and thought I was in the clear. Then on Wednesday, I started having chest pressure, became constipated, couldn't pass gas and that is NOT good for my system. The end result? WICKED dry heaves that left me with my abdomen hurting....I think I may have activated the old hernia again....under the mesh. OUCH!
The dry heaves happened again on Friday night as we were heading to Jean's for Ryan's birthday party. I occupied the bed in the spare room all night--running back and forth to the loo to heave--as the rest of the family sat out in the other room, wolfing down steak tips, stuffed potatoes and other goodies...and birthday cupcakes. CUPCAKES! Jean also made fried onions that night and I think I shall always associate the smell of fried onions with dry heaves.
Okay...Sunday night, dry heaves again. So, three strikes and you're out! I stopped taking the Leviquin and haven't had any problems....yet. I called my doctor and left the message that I stopped taking the meds and why and looking for guidance as to what I do now. Haven't heard word one....I'm really getting pissed about this doctor's office.
I went for my second workout session--and we cut it in half to see if that helps. I came home very tired and ill feeling. I'm scheduled to have the other half of the workout on Friday--but I'm thinking I will delay until next month. I need to rest up for Costa Rica, which comes up at the end of the month.
I have been working on Wini to accept help in the house and I am really going to push her tomorrow.
She seems to be more amenable lately. I think there have been several folks talking to her about the matter and perhaps this will get her to finally make a move. I keep trying to pin her down on getting an appointment to speak to the Homemaker people, she keeps telling me she wants to, but comes up with excuses and diversions ("I need new shoes") about what her current priority is.
I know I can't keep going up there indefinitely...something has to give. I have to work on getting myself in shape or I won't be any good to Bob, Wini or anyone.
I spoke to the doctor about helping me manage the chemo side effects--most notably the waaaay high blood pressure. I am now keeping a diary. My BP shoots up right after the chemo treatment--and usually drops down before the next one...but two times in a row, my BP has been high (for me) when I there for chemo and this last time it didn't come down within acceptable limits and they had to get "special dispensation" from the doctor to give me the chemo.
So it looks like I'll be taking blood pressure medication and I hope I get it soon...before I go to Costa Rica.
Oh...speaking of which...I am working on my packing for the trip. My goal is to have one carry-on piece of luggage and my backpack...period. Nothing goes below decks. The reason is because 1) I usually overpack and I need to learn how to pack lighter and 2) we are going to be moving every few days while we are touring Costa Rica and I don't want to schlep around a bunch of bags.
I have most of what I am bringing for clothing in one medium sized plastic bag. I just have to add underwear/sandals/walking shoes/and my camera. Oh...and my meds. UGH! I think I will have room to spare! Not that I buy a lot of souvenirs---I tend to let my pictures be my souvenirs. I think I'm going to do this!
This is one of my "souvenirs" from our trip to Sweden in 2011......I can still remember the heat of that day....
We have our first snow on the ground today. I know lots of folks are hoping that's the end of it...but I do have those new cross country skiis that are calling to me...so I'm hoping we get more.
The Patriots are surprising me....I thought they didn't have a chance of making the Super Bowl....I was wrong. They play this weekend...of course the game starts at exactly the same time as our SNEAK club meeting on Sunday! We'll have to set the DVR and watch it when we get home. And OF COURSE, if they DO make it to the Super Bowl, that game will be played when we are in Costa Rica! I'll bet I can find it on tv down there, somewhere. That seals it though...now it's a guarantee that they will go to the Super Bowl...and they will lose. That's what happens to the Huskies anyway, when they are in the Final Four when I'm at Disney World.....that's life.
Okay...enough of this crap. I'm outta here!
Since last we talked, I found out that my chemo regimen is working! The last CT scan showed that the tumors are shrinking (or rumors are shrinking) and my CA 125 level is down to SIX! It had made it up to 44 the last time it was taken.
Of course, I knew that the chemo was working. The chemo ALWAYS works for me. I hate to sound jaded, but I didn't celebrate too much when I heard this news...I knew the answer before they told me. I did high five Sandy....again...as we have every time we get the good news.
I also wasn't too excited because I felt so darned rotten. I don't know if I had written about the latest situation--on the day I went for my first workout with my personal trainer, I came home feeling ill and quite weak. I also got the chills, which didn't quit. Sandy took my temp later in the evening and sure enough, I had a fever! It was 100.6 degrees, which for me is high as my normal temp is around 97-97.5.
Sandy said there was a virus going around and I probably had it, so I decided to "ride it out," By Sunday, with my temp around 99.7 to 100.2 and my chest bothering me, I decided to break down and go to the hospital--Urgent Care Clinic. The doctor I saw was SURE I had pneumonia--my pulse ox was down to 94. She ordered a breathing treatment and a chest x-ray. The breathing treatment brought my oxygen level right up to 99. Good...but it didn't help me "feel" better. The chest xray came back negative--which really disappointed the doctor.
She ordered blood tests and prescribed Leviquin, in case I had an infection. I started feeling better the next day and thought I was in the clear. Then on Wednesday, I started having chest pressure, became constipated, couldn't pass gas and that is NOT good for my system. The end result? WICKED dry heaves that left me with my abdomen hurting....I think I may have activated the old hernia again....under the mesh. OUCH!
The dry heaves happened again on Friday night as we were heading to Jean's for Ryan's birthday party. I occupied the bed in the spare room all night--running back and forth to the loo to heave--as the rest of the family sat out in the other room, wolfing down steak tips, stuffed potatoes and other goodies...and birthday cupcakes. CUPCAKES! Jean also made fried onions that night and I think I shall always associate the smell of fried onions with dry heaves.
Okay...Sunday night, dry heaves again. So, three strikes and you're out! I stopped taking the Leviquin and haven't had any problems....yet. I called my doctor and left the message that I stopped taking the meds and why and looking for guidance as to what I do now. Haven't heard word one....I'm really getting pissed about this doctor's office.
I went for my second workout session--and we cut it in half to see if that helps. I came home very tired and ill feeling. I'm scheduled to have the other half of the workout on Friday--but I'm thinking I will delay until next month. I need to rest up for Costa Rica, which comes up at the end of the month.
I have been working on Wini to accept help in the house and I am really going to push her tomorrow.
She seems to be more amenable lately. I think there have been several folks talking to her about the matter and perhaps this will get her to finally make a move. I keep trying to pin her down on getting an appointment to speak to the Homemaker people, she keeps telling me she wants to, but comes up with excuses and diversions ("I need new shoes") about what her current priority is.
I know I can't keep going up there indefinitely...something has to give. I have to work on getting myself in shape or I won't be any good to Bob, Wini or anyone.
I spoke to the doctor about helping me manage the chemo side effects--most notably the waaaay high blood pressure. I am now keeping a diary. My BP shoots up right after the chemo treatment--and usually drops down before the next one...but two times in a row, my BP has been high (for me) when I there for chemo and this last time it didn't come down within acceptable limits and they had to get "special dispensation" from the doctor to give me the chemo.
So it looks like I'll be taking blood pressure medication and I hope I get it soon...before I go to Costa Rica.
Oh...speaking of which...I am working on my packing for the trip. My goal is to have one carry-on piece of luggage and my backpack...period. Nothing goes below decks. The reason is because 1) I usually overpack and I need to learn how to pack lighter and 2) we are going to be moving every few days while we are touring Costa Rica and I don't want to schlep around a bunch of bags.
I have most of what I am bringing for clothing in one medium sized plastic bag. I just have to add underwear/sandals/walking shoes/and my camera. Oh...and my meds. UGH! I think I will have room to spare! Not that I buy a lot of souvenirs---I tend to let my pictures be my souvenirs. I think I'm going to do this!
We have our first snow on the ground today. I know lots of folks are hoping that's the end of it...but I do have those new cross country skiis that are calling to me...so I'm hoping we get more.
The Patriots are surprising me....I thought they didn't have a chance of making the Super Bowl....I was wrong. They play this weekend...of course the game starts at exactly the same time as our SNEAK club meeting on Sunday! We'll have to set the DVR and watch it when we get home. And OF COURSE, if they DO make it to the Super Bowl, that game will be played when we are in Costa Rica! I'll bet I can find it on tv down there, somewhere. That seals it though...now it's a guarantee that they will go to the Super Bowl...and they will lose. That's what happens to the Huskies anyway, when they are in the Final Four when I'm at Disney World.....that's life.
Okay...enough of this crap. I'm outta here!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
The New Year
Nami was Jean's dog, via our house. We had fostered Nami after she was turned in to Camp Bark (the doggie day care) by the CL&P guy who found her wandering the streets of Norwich. She was soooo skinny, at least fifteen pounds underweight. She was a pitbull, mix...probably, but she reached in and had my heart the first moment I set eyes on her.
I saw her out back at the day care, and felt so bad for her weight-wise, that I gave her a treat. She took it so gently and looked at me with those soulful eyes, that seemed to understand everything I was feeling. Her name at the time was No-Name. When we offered to have her come live with us while she was trained to be an assistance dog, I changed her name to Nami. I didn't think it was right to always use the word "No" when speaking to a pet.
Nami used to curl up with Truman and Lily on Lily's bed in the living room. The two of them were pups and Lily was the Mom. They loved her and she loved them. Nami would sleep under the covers with me at night, her head on my ankles when she first got in the bed, later she would have her head on my hip and when I would awake in the AM, she would have moved up to the top, head on pillow, from where she would lean over and give me a big kiss.
Jean didn't like Nami at first. She was afraid of the breed, and thought we were nuts for taking her into our home. We took Nami for a walk with the other dogs one day and then went over to Jean's for supper. Jean told us in no uncertain terms that "That dog cannot come in this house!" We agreed and left her in the car. When Sandy went out to take Nami out to potty out back, Jean watched suspiciously from the window.
When she saw how skinny Nami was, she felt a soft spot growing in her heart for the dog. Later, when Jean would come and clean our house once a week, Nami would follow her around all day. Nami loved Jean and knew that Jean needed a dog like her. Jean grew very attached to Nami and very proud of how, with her help, we were fattening Nami up. No more ribs showing like a Biafran baby.
Later, Nami was sent to live with a young boy who had seizures and behavior problems. Nami had the ability to sense when someone was going to have a seizure--only one in 500 dogs have that ability. She was trained to alert the family so they could be with the boy when the seizure hit. She helped with his behavior problems too. But the family didn't keep up her obedience training and when she growled at a neighbor, everyone panicked about the mean pit bull and the family sent her back to Camp Bark--and to us.
When Nami returned to our house, we were so overjoyed. We hoped that she wouldn't be placed in another home as an assistance dog. When she growled at our neighbor (and I can understand why she would...she was a VERY intuitive dog) it was decided that she couldn't be an assistance dog. YAY!
Nami moved down to Jean's for a weekend, on an experimental basis....to see if it would work. She never came back to our house, except to visit. That was 12 years ago.
Nami was one of the greatest dogs I have ever known in my life. She was so sensitive to people's emotions--Jean told me that Monday she was crying in the living room, because she knew that she was going to have to take Nami to the vet to be euthanized and Nami got up out of her kennel and came out to the living room to be with her. Nami had been refusing to get up from her kennel for two days--her hips were so bad...but she knew Jean need comforting.
Contrast that with this scene: I have two Jack Russells on my lap. Sandy calls me to tell me the sad news that Nami is dead. When I hang up I start crying...then sobbing. Do you think those Russells did so much as give me a glance? NO!
But Nami knew. She was a great ambassador for her breed. So many people learned to not fear pitbulls because they came to know her.
Years after she came into our lives we found out that her first "owner" was trying to make her be a mean dog--a fighting dog. He kept her locked in a closet and wouldn't feed her. She overcame that neglect and abuse and yet never held a grudge, against anyone. She was wonderful with children and didn't appear to have a fear of anyone.
There are so many Nami stories, so many ways she touched our lives. Suffice it to say, she had a wonderful life with Jean, she had her routine that meant so much to her, she had children to help raise--which she loved, she had a truck to ride in--which she loved and she had lots of visitors to love her and give her attention. She had a great life, and she appreciated all of it.
Jenny was the oldest of the J-Dogs....and the second of them to pass this year. Jordan departed this life earlier this year and now it was Jenny's turn. She was a dog of her own mind....and she was respected by all (human and canine) who knew her. We have no idea how old she was...she was rescued by Janet and the kids years ago and was of unknown age then. She lived a long and happy life with the Js and was a good "boss" for Jordan, Jaz and Jep. She will also be missed....
I wish I could find a picture of her to post.
Now I sit alone on New Year's Day thinking of these sweethearts, while my other sweethearts are off to an agility trial in RI. They are doing good, based on reports I've gotten via text messages with Sandy.
I had to skip the trial this year as my BP was up all day yesterday and up to about 2pm today. I guess this is what is going to happen after chemo...same thing happened last time too. As long as it doesn't keep me from getting the chemo, that's all I care about. I can handle a headache.
I've started out the New Year with a good diet....had cream of wheat with blueberries on top for breakfast and since I got up late I am only having two meals today...so dinner is salmon, pesto pasta and grilled tomatoes. Yum!
Happy New Year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)