Christmas was great, quiet, but very nice. Jean and Frank came up Christmas Day, with a prime rib dinner that was delish! We are so lucky to have them in our lives. Jean brought up tins and tins of cookies for us to have when people drop by. Fortunately, people have not been dropping by, so we've been eating all the cookies.

Sandy got her iPhone activated and then went nuts yesterday, downloading apps and ringtones and in general, having a blast playing with it. She loves it now. Last night we lay in bed, each of us with our respective phones, watching the penquins in the aquarium in Japan (on the LiveCam app) and playing Bejeweled Blitz...and losing, of course.

I love that LiveCam app. Every night I check the front desk at that Russian hotel, to see who's working. There are two young women there who seem to like their jobs. They are always smiling and laughing, even when the customers aren't around. I love "spying" on them.

Today I go to the dentist to get that tooth fixed, hopefully. Then we'll swing by Jean's to pick up meat loaf that she's made for us and then over to Lynne's to drop off a tin of cookies from Jean and a little something-something from us. Lynne has been so faithful to us this past year. She's gone through some hard times herself, but has never wavered in her support of us. We really appreciate all she's done to help me and help Sandy. It's been tough at times, but it's always been fun too!

Maria and Phil and Renee and Austin came down on Saturday, bringing gifts from the family. We had a nice visit and had some laughs. After they left I crawled upstairs and slept for two hours. Did the same thing yesterday and I think I should be napping every day. I'm just so tired, all the time. If I go too long, I get feeling really sick. Sleeping makes it so much better.

When I go up to bed, my little boy, Rocky, is right with me. He climbs up on the bed, kisses me and then goes under the covers, snuggling right up to me. It makes me feel so good. Bubbles comes to bed with me too, but she always goes down by my feet. Rocky stays up near the pillow and lets me put my arm around him. It's so comforting and I slip right into a deep sleep.

The weather doesn't know what to do with itself. Since I've been sitting here it has rained, snowed and now the sun is out nice and bright. Make up my mind!

Oh, I slept until 11:30, it's now 1:30 and I could go back to sleep already. And I still have to go to the dentist, etc. PLEASE!

Huskies play tonight...I have to nap when I get home so I can watch them. Or maybe I'll record it and watch it later.

Go Huskies!!!

Christmas Eve

Well, it's Christmas Eve and for the first time in.....ever, I'm not going to Phil's for the annual family get-together. It's just too much for me right now. It would take too much out of me and I need to work on getting strong for the chemo that is on the horizon.

It kills me to not be there....mostly because I always wonder if this Christmas will be the last Christmas that we will have with Bob Miller. I am almost positive that this is the last year that he will know who we are. His memory is going faster and faster. He is 89 years old after all...it is to be expected. He loves his life and he loves Wini and that's all that matters. He's happy.

I'm doing much better now. My bowels are about 60% back to normal. I was able to eat some filet mignon and baked stuffed potato for dinner last night. I can go for longer periods of time between pain meds now. I am sleeping better....not so many trips to the bathroom to interrupt my sleep.

It feels good.

Last night, after dinner, we were sitting talking and I felt something in my mouth, sticking to my tooth. I poked at it and out fell a good sized chunk of filling. This sent a chill through me. When you are getting the chemo I get, you can't have dental work done. I got scared that I wouldn't be able to get into the dentist before the chemo started and what if this turned out to be something bigger? Today I got the answer: the dentist will see me Monday. Hopefully he can fix this and maybe even get my teeth cleaned before chemo starts up again.

I find out Wednesday when I see Dr. McCourt when she plans to have me start getting the chemo. I hope that it doesn't interfere with the plans for Maine, I really am looking forward to that trip. I told Maria that even if I just laid around up there and slept, it would still be worth it to me to go. I do want to go to Remy's though, and that store near it where they have the great buys on clothes and shoes. I hope it's still open. Please be open!

So, we are having a quiet night tonight and tomorrow we'll "wrap off" and spend the day quietly with the pups. Of course there will be the usual chaos in the AM when the dogs open their gifts. I love watching that scene....I never get tired of watching them rip the wrapping paper off and pull the toys out. Then they run off to their respective "safe places" to tear the toy apart to get at the "squeaky" that is inside. Some toys last longer than others...some don't get torn apart at all, and some don't last more than two minutes. It's good that Sandy finds toys at cheap prices!

These dogs have so many toys. We have a toy basket in the living room and another one in the bedroom. These get washed every few months and there is a big box in the basement filled with toys that replace the ones being cleaned. The cleaned ones go into the basement box and so everything gets rotated.

That's how we roll here at 60 BMW.

I'm hoping that the President gets some kind of healthcare bill on his desk soon. If it isn't perfect, we'll figure that out and fix it. Nothing is written in stone. At least get something going and we'll take it from there! PLEASE! Get 'er done!

Nighty Night and MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Lately I've had that old ditty that you used to see posted on pay toilet walls (back when they had pay toilets)..."here I sit broken-hearted, paid to shit, but only farted."

I've been broken-hearted plenty of times in the past two weeks. Those of you who were reading this blog last year are familiar with my bowel "difficulties." I don't know if it's the anesthesia, the pain meds or the fact that they had to remove a section of my bowel (this time around) that has made having a BM such a challenge, but it has been.

Finally! After 13 days (a new record for me) my bowels are moving. The past three days have been particularly trying and exhausting. Something is causing me to have tremendous cramps that won't quit. I told the nurse Friday that it's like menstrual cramps gone horribly wrong.

I have had the heating pad pasted to my abdomen for the last two days. It has helped a bit but the pain meds help even more.

A weird thing I've noticed. A good portion of the upper part of my thigh is numb. I don't know why, and Sandy can't figure it out either. I'm going to mention it to the doctor Wewhen I see her next week. Maybe they hit a nerve or something.
We got about 18 inches of snow here Saturday night. Sandy had to work and she said the trip to the hospital that night was "gnarly." She said it was almost white-out conditions. She made it home all right in the AM. She didn't go right out and run the snowblower as she had planned, she was too tired...so she went to bed. In the afternoon, as she was getting ready to go out to clear the snow, she looks out and sees someone running their snowblower, clearing our driveway. She thought it was Mark, but it turned out to be Mike Sullivan. His wife said that he got in a groove and couldn't stop! It was so nice of him.

We recorded the Survivor finale and didn't watch the conclusion until this AM. I can't believe Russell did not win. We started out hating him and ended up rooting for him to make it all the way. He did play a masterful game and I don't think that what'shername deserved it at all. See, I can't even remember her name! What does that tell you?

Sandy is off with Truman and Rocky...they have their physical therapy sessions today. Rocky broke a nail, so he won't be able to go on the treadmill. Poor guy. She took him to the vet's today to have the nail checked. They cut it off, put stuff on it to keep it from bleeding and he was a perfect patient. When the same thing happened to Truman, she had to muzzle him and wrap him up in a towel so they could work on him!

I realized today that I don't have any stocking stuffers for Sandy...and she realized that she doesn't have any for me...so we are going to leave it that way. I can't go out and get stuff and she doesn't have the time, so we aren't going to stress about it.

I don't know if I'll be able to go to Phil's for Christmas Eve. I'll have to see how I feel. I've been so tired lately. I can sleep until 10:30, come downstairs, fall asleep in the chair around 1pm, go upstairs and take a nap from 4-7 come back downstairs, eat and watch tv...go upstairs to bed at 10 and start the whole thing over again. I am up multiple times in the night, but I fall asleep quite easily after each of these episodes. I'm a sleep machine.

Speaking of sleep machines. Sandy bought a new sound machine to replace our old one which was breaking down. We've had it for about 10 years I'd say...it runs every night. Well, we don't like the "waves" sound on this one...they have sea gull sounds in it...and they don't sound like sea gulls and whatever they are is not relaxing! I prefer the "Sleep Machine" and "Silent Island" programs that I downloaded on my iPhone for a fraction of what she paid for the sound machine! When she's working, or when I'm taking my naps, I put my iPhone on and use that to sleep. Otherwise we play the "waterfall" sound on the sound machine, which to me sounds more like white noise...which I don't mind at all.

That iPhone is wonderful, I'll tell you what! I lie in bed, check my mail, Facebook, read the NY Times, check the weather forecast and play some Bejeweled Blitz as I sip my morning protein drink and wait for the bathroom to warm up before I get out of bed and take my shower. I wonder if they'll come up with an app that turns your iPhone into a handwarmer? I just thought of that one!

Tomorrow is a big day. Taylor is driving Ryan up to the house at 3pm. First time she's driving here. Jean and Frank are coming up too. We'll be having dinner (steak for them, hamburg and gravy for me) and then opening our gifts. I'll see how I feel after that to help me decide about going to Phil's the next night.

Christmas Day will be quiet here. Sandy has not made plans for her folks to come up again. She has to work Christmas night, and it looks like another storm will be hitting then, figures! I'm looking forward to the peace and quiet and sleeping! Maybe Maria can come down for a visit from Phil's on the weekend. That would be nice.

Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. Time to head back to the bathroom where I am no longer "broken-hearted." That's my early Christmas present!

Later....

Good news all around!

Landry had her surgery: had a 10 lb. growth removed from her abdomen! Poor thing! She feels and looks a lot better now! They did remove her spleen, which dogs need about as much as we do.....not at all.

So Carol and Mark are truly celebrating this Christmas. Now the challenge will be to keep her away from her stitches. She likes to pull stitches out. Even when she's half out from anesthesia, as the vet discovered the last time she had surgery.

I got my "stitches" out yesterday. They weren't stitches, but staples. A tech took them out and it didn't hurt much at all. They were all amazed at how good my suture line is healing. It really is quite special. Janet took me to get them taken out. Lynne was going to take me, but came down with a nasty cold....so I'm glad that I got Janet...who is on the OTHER side of the same cold.

When we got back it was noon....I had a little of Carol's chicken soup and then went up to bed and slept for five hours!

The nurse told me to double up on the Miralax....take it in the AM and the PM and take another dose of Colace. Seems like every two hours I'm doing something to help my bowels....when are my bowels going to start helping me??? It's not like I'm eating a whole lot....I dropped four lbs.,
but there has to be something up there! Little pieces of chicken, some crackers, maybe some rice krispies???

I guess I'm as ready as I can ever be for Christmas. I have my presents, just have to wrap them. The kids will be coming over Wednesday. Have to find out when the Huskies vs Stanford game is...I bet it's the same time that the kids are here. We'll be going up to Phil's for Christmas Eve, where we always have a great time.

I wonder if I can get my hair done before Christmas. Sandy is going on Tuesday....she was able to switch her appt easily. Maybe they have a space for me. I need a trim. My last trim before it gets shaved off!

I see Dr. McCourt the first week of January and I'm sure they'll set me up with my first chemo appt. I don't want it to be the Friday that we are going to Maine for Camp Husky. I'm going to push for starting the middle of January.

Get it going and get it over with.

Tonight we are going to have a big storm. Figures that Sandy has to work. Which means that she'll come home to a snowed-in driveway. She was hoping it would snow on Sunday as they originally said. Then she could sleep Sunday night and clear off the snow in the AM. It rarely works out that way. Good thing we invested in that great snow blower last year!

Rocky likes the snow, even though he has the thinnest coat of all the dogs. He likes to go out and fly around...which makes us nervous that he could injure that surgically repaired leg, sliding around out there. So, he'll be happy tomorrow and Lily will be too. She loves the snow too.
Truman and Bubbles...not so much!

Well....I have a quiet day ahead of me....in the recliner, Rocky on my lap under the snuggy throw, Bub in Lily's bed, Lily on the floor, snoring. Nice.

I leave with this thought? Am I wrong for thinking very very bad thoughts about Joe Lieberman? I used to love this guy......not anymore!

GO HUSKIES!!! The new guy plays tomorrow!

Update to the post I did this morning: Landry had her spleen removed. The tumor (?) weighed 10 pounds! The doctor doesn't think the tumor is malignant and it had NOT spread to other areas....don't know what the first vet saw on the images. They also found out that Landry has only one kidney! Don't know where the other one got to. It's very rare for a dog to be born with only one kidney...but if there is a dog like that, it figures Carol and Mark would have it living with them!

So, we are cautiously optimistic here. She is spending the night at the vets. Hopefully the sweetheart can come home tomorrow.

We are so happy for her and for Carol and Mark...and her "brother" Porter, who was a wreck today while she was gone.

Oh, and they did show Sandy in the gas wars piece on Channel 3. Fortunately for her they cut out the part where she said, "this is great, my dogs are happy and I got gas!" Of course, it would have been THE BEST if they HAD let that stay in! HA HA! I would have laughed myself silly and so would everyone else who knows her.

She looked so cute on tv.

Home

Came home yesterday, climbed the stairs, put on my pjs and went to bed. Slept for five hours. It felt so good!

Carol brought over a huge pot of homemade chicken soup. Came up to see me. She got bad news about Landry yesterday. She has a splenetic tumor. She hasn't been eating right for two weeks and her stomach looked big....for reason. This news made me cry. I feel so bad for Landry and for Carol and Mark. They have had so many heartaches with their pets. Carol is taking Landry to the vet in W. Hartford today...he may do emergency surgery. The tumor is wrapping itself around all kinds of organs and it's moving fast. I hope it works out all right for Landry...she's such a sweetheart.

I had some of that soup last night, a small bowl, along with a piece of Canadian brown bread toasted. It was delish. No comparison to hospital food.

Poor Bubbie cried when she saw me for the first time. She grabbed a toy, came in the bathroom with me and cried and ran around in circles. It was cute and heartbreaking at the same time.

Sandy went to run errands and left Lily and Bub home with me....we all got in the bed and that's when I took my long nap. Didn't hear Rocky barking later and didn't hear when the Overhead Door guy came to fix the garage door. I gues I was out like a light.

Did I write here how I broke my glasses in the hospital? They just fell apart...just like they did a few months after I got them...cheap frames. The nurse got me a roll of tape and I would have to retape it three-four times a day. Sandy finally brought me my old glasses when she came to visit on Sunday and you know what? I seem to see better with the old glasses than the new ones. I think I'm going to ditch the graduated lenses (or whatever the hell you call them) next time. I'll stick with bifocals.

When I lay on my left side it hurts like hell...but it also gets the gas blowing out. It took a few hours to work last night, but when it got started, the results were fantastic! Lily was also blowing farts and between the two of us, the air was "special" in the bedroom last night.

Great to sleep in my own bed. That hospital bed was the worst. There was a "hole" in the middle that would really hurt my back. Enough of that...it's over.

I also didn't have my little snuggle bunnies (Bub and Rocky) in the bed with me in the hospital. Last night they both snuggled up to me. Rocky would lean over and kiss me every once in awhile in the middle of the night.

We started watching the last Star Trek movie on the Blue Ray player last night. Sandy had bought the movie on blue ray. That movie is fantastic. We had to switch it off as Sandy was getting tired, I could have stayed up to watch the whole thing...it was that good.

Sandy took Rocky and Truman to their PT appt this AM. I read in the paper that gas in Colchester is the cheapest in the state...so I called her to suggest she tank up while she's there. She did and the guy from Channel 3 was there doing a story on the cheap gas and interviewed her. She might be on tonight. We'll have to record it. I want to hear that voice on the tv.

Well...Bub thinks Sandy is home, she's barking at the door. I didn't hear the garage door, but I have headphones on. Oh wait....they are home!

Gotta go.

Going Home

Big day today. Sandy will be en route in an hour or so. I'm getting out this morning. Had some rough patches over the past few days with the gas, but last night I blew out a HUGE amount of gas and this morning when I woke up, I felt FANTASTIC!

Katie, the resident that I know from UConn came in this AM and took out the Jackson Pratt drain that was in my right side. That went well. I gave her my email address and she's going to drop me a line from time to time to let me know how she's doing. I really like her and she likes me. Nice person.

Every day is pretty much the same here. I have my little routine now. I walk, eat, wash up, play on the computer, sleep, eat, walk, walk, walk, and sleep. Play on the computer some more. I'm so glad I am connected via the laptop and the iPhone. It makes the time pass faster and more pleasantly.

So, that's it from here. Going home. Will be happy to be in my home, with my puppies, in my own bed, on my own toilet, etc. Eating Jean and Carol's food. It's going to be so good.

I don't know when I'll get back to this blog again. I hope within the next couple of days. Maybe sooner. We'll see.

Until then,