One of our house sitters came over yesterday to get a key and the security codes. The other comes tomorrow. We're very well covered.
The Dead-related t-shirts have been dug out of storage and washed, and the suitcases will come down off of the closet shelf today.
Swept and mopped yesterday, cleaning the dining room table, bathroom, and kitchen today.
And counting down.
One week from today, we will be getting ready to head from my sister and brother in law's house into the big city of Chicago.
The last Grateful Dead concert ever will be that night at Soldier Field, and, thanks to a network of our friends raising money and helping score the tickets, my brother, myself, and my husband will all be in the audience.
We also were able to get a downtown hotel room and a limo with the money that was raised.
It's finally almost here!
This will be a very short, very busy trip, but I am getting excited about it!
I am feeling pretty good, and am glad that my oncologist gave me an extra few days to feel good before my next treatment, so that I can fully enjoy this adventure.
I will be off work all next week thanks to my co workers donating paid time off hours to me.
It's all just so amazing.
SO, probably no blog post next Sunday. Stay well and have a happy July 4th to my US readers.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Good day sun shine....
This has been a great weekend!
I've felt almost completely normal, with normal energy levels, and normal desire to do stuff around the house.
This is VERY good.
Dave took a nap, and I did NOT...total change of roles! HAH!
The week after treatment wasn't much fun. I called off sick from work on Monday. That's the first time I have had to miss work because of chemo. I just felt horrible on Monday. I really needed a full 4 days to recover this round.
The body/skin pain lasted 72 hours this time (I still think that may be the immune booster med in the on body injector, not the steroids), and I had much more nausea, though I never got sick. I am also thinking that the constipation causes me to feel nauseous.
I had really bad constipation for a full week (TOTALLY not normal for me), and I got super tired every day, and have this bizarre "cold from the inside out" feeling that I get when I sit in air conditioning.
But this weekend, I think my new sleep medication is finally working, and I've been getting much better quality sleep, and both yesterday and today, I have felt really good!
Today is Summer Solstice, too, which may have something to do with my energy. Being in tune with earth and sky as part of my religion helps me to draw on power and energy that folks who ignore that stuff can't benefit from.
It's been a really nice weekend, too, weather wise.
I can't express how pleased I am that it has not yet been 100 degrees outside!!! Today, it's only 87, and in the shade, it's perfectly comfortable.
I am thinking of changing my plan for tonight's dinner, and making us wrap sandwiches that we can eat out on the patio instead of the skillet supper I had planned. We'll see.
Dave is mowing the back 40 right now, so I have some time to decide.
Hope any dads reading this are having a nice Father's day. Happy solstice to any who celebrate!
I've felt almost completely normal, with normal energy levels, and normal desire to do stuff around the house.
This is VERY good.
Dave took a nap, and I did NOT...total change of roles! HAH!
The week after treatment wasn't much fun. I called off sick from work on Monday. That's the first time I have had to miss work because of chemo. I just felt horrible on Monday. I really needed a full 4 days to recover this round.
The body/skin pain lasted 72 hours this time (I still think that may be the immune booster med in the on body injector, not the steroids), and I had much more nausea, though I never got sick. I am also thinking that the constipation causes me to feel nauseous.
I had really bad constipation for a full week (TOTALLY not normal for me), and I got super tired every day, and have this bizarre "cold from the inside out" feeling that I get when I sit in air conditioning.
But this weekend, I think my new sleep medication is finally working, and I've been getting much better quality sleep, and both yesterday and today, I have felt really good!
Today is Summer Solstice, too, which may have something to do with my energy. Being in tune with earth and sky as part of my religion helps me to draw on power and energy that folks who ignore that stuff can't benefit from.
It's been a really nice weekend, too, weather wise.
I can't express how pleased I am that it has not yet been 100 degrees outside!!! Today, it's only 87, and in the shade, it's perfectly comfortable.
I am thinking of changing my plan for tonight's dinner, and making us wrap sandwiches that we can eat out on the patio instead of the skillet supper I had planned. We'll see.
Dave is mowing the back 40 right now, so I have some time to decide.
Hope any dads reading this are having a nice Father's day. Happy solstice to any who celebrate!
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Half way home!
Friday marked the half way point not only through the four rounds of "Red Devil" (or "Red Petunia," as my sister suggests we call it.....that's less scary), but it was also HALF WAY THROUGH ALL OF CHEMOTHERAPY!
A milestone in this journey to be sure.
Treatment went like last time, but left me feeling worse on the day of than last time. The benadryl and steroids really kick my ass.
I still pretty much feel like crap today.
The redness and swelling of the last round was attributed to the steroids by both the on call doc I had spoken with at that time, and by my own doc. Sure enough....it started this time before the on body injector thingie ever went off.
So it's the steroids. The skin of my back hurts again. This really sucks. I am glad it's the weekend, and I hope I feel better by morning.
The on body thing hurt this time, too, and left a welt on my arm that still hurts. Ow.
Good thing I won't have to have it next time because my treatment will be on a Thursday, and I can go back to the clinic on Friday to get a regular injection.
Not my favorite thing to do, but since the on body thing was less friendly this time, I am paranoid about what it might do if I have to have it again.
Also, since my reaction to this cocktail is pretty profound for a couple of days, I will probably schedule off work on Friday after all, so missing work for the shot won't be an issue.
I'll just be off that entire week, because it includes the three days off for the trip to Chicago, and then a treatment day...so why bother going to work on Friday?
I still have donated hours in my time bank from my wonderful co workers. This will eat up most of them, but at least I will be paid.
The only other news is that my doc gave me a prescription for ambien. I was getting leery about using xanax for sleep, because it had stopped working in the quantity I was using, and I was requiring more.
It was time for a change. I can go back to using xanax for the anxiety that comes and goes, and rely on something else for a while to get some sleep.
I was sleeping okay for a while at first, but the worries are ramping up again (mostly fears about chemo side effects). Sleep is absolutely essential to me, so I will use drugs if I have to in order to get it.
This too shall pass.
Now, if only Pete the cat would be completely cooperative! HAH!! He's better, but still can be pretty disruptive at random times. Like this morning...starting at 2 and not stopping. Ugh.
At least it's the weekend. Happy Sunday, gentle readers.
A milestone in this journey to be sure.
Treatment went like last time, but left me feeling worse on the day of than last time. The benadryl and steroids really kick my ass.
I still pretty much feel like crap today.
The redness and swelling of the last round was attributed to the steroids by both the on call doc I had spoken with at that time, and by my own doc. Sure enough....it started this time before the on body injector thingie ever went off.
So it's the steroids. The skin of my back hurts again. This really sucks. I am glad it's the weekend, and I hope I feel better by morning.
The on body thing hurt this time, too, and left a welt on my arm that still hurts. Ow.
Good thing I won't have to have it next time because my treatment will be on a Thursday, and I can go back to the clinic on Friday to get a regular injection.
Not my favorite thing to do, but since the on body thing was less friendly this time, I am paranoid about what it might do if I have to have it again.
Also, since my reaction to this cocktail is pretty profound for a couple of days, I will probably schedule off work on Friday after all, so missing work for the shot won't be an issue.
I'll just be off that entire week, because it includes the three days off for the trip to Chicago, and then a treatment day...so why bother going to work on Friday?
I still have donated hours in my time bank from my wonderful co workers. This will eat up most of them, but at least I will be paid.
The only other news is that my doc gave me a prescription for ambien. I was getting leery about using xanax for sleep, because it had stopped working in the quantity I was using, and I was requiring more.
It was time for a change. I can go back to using xanax for the anxiety that comes and goes, and rely on something else for a while to get some sleep.
I was sleeping okay for a while at first, but the worries are ramping up again (mostly fears about chemo side effects). Sleep is absolutely essential to me, so I will use drugs if I have to in order to get it.
This too shall pass.
Now, if only Pete the cat would be completely cooperative! HAH!! He's better, but still can be pretty disruptive at random times. Like this morning...starting at 2 and not stopping. Ugh.
At least it's the weekend. Happy Sunday, gentle readers.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
The hot weather has started..
The rain stopped, and June came, and along with June, the oppressive heat.
This past week, I was able to get out and take my morning walks, but the afternoons were too, too hot and humid.
It has only been in the upper 80s/ low 90s but it's been horribly muggy because the ground is saturated.
Add that to being relatively new to the whole "hot flashes" experience, and, well....no more afternoon walks for a while.
The chemo side effects continue to be relatively mild. Afternoon fatigue, low grade fever comes with the fatigue, and my eyes burn, and my nose runs constantly like a drippy faucet.
Other than that, though, I have been feeling pretty good.
Sadly, my hair started falling out yesterday.
Next treatment is this coming Friday.
In other news, our plumber who was supposed to come over 2 weeks ago to fix the junction between our sewer line and the city's is FINALLY coming tomorrow.
Thank goodness that the original fix to get the line flowing again has remained effective through all this time. Also, thank goodness for credit cards. Sheesh.
And, the handy man we set aside tax refund money for is also finally coming.
He is going to clean and cap gutters, nail down some loose roofing shingles, and scrape, caulk, and paint all 23 windows.
The windows are the main reason we hired him. They are in DESPERATE need of work, which was why we set aside this tax money to get it done. We can't spend another winter with the wind whipping through the house.
Oh, and he's also going to paint the back door.
If he proves to do a great job, we will hire him with next year's tax refund and get the house painted. It is in pretty dire need when you take a close look at it!
Off to the kitchen to make egg cups for this week's breakfasts....have a good Sunday!
This past week, I was able to get out and take my morning walks, but the afternoons were too, too hot and humid.
It has only been in the upper 80s/ low 90s but it's been horribly muggy because the ground is saturated.
Add that to being relatively new to the whole "hot flashes" experience, and, well....no more afternoon walks for a while.
The chemo side effects continue to be relatively mild. Afternoon fatigue, low grade fever comes with the fatigue, and my eyes burn, and my nose runs constantly like a drippy faucet.
Other than that, though, I have been feeling pretty good.
Sadly, my hair started falling out yesterday.
Next treatment is this coming Friday.
In other news, our plumber who was supposed to come over 2 weeks ago to fix the junction between our sewer line and the city's is FINALLY coming tomorrow.
Thank goodness that the original fix to get the line flowing again has remained effective through all this time. Also, thank goodness for credit cards. Sheesh.
And, the handy man we set aside tax refund money for is also finally coming.
He is going to clean and cap gutters, nail down some loose roofing shingles, and scrape, caulk, and paint all 23 windows.
The windows are the main reason we hired him. They are in DESPERATE need of work, which was why we set aside this tax money to get it done. We can't spend another winter with the wind whipping through the house.
Oh, and he's also going to paint the back door.
If he proves to do a great job, we will hire him with next year's tax refund and get the house painted. It is in pretty dire need when you take a close look at it!
Off to the kitchen to make egg cups for this week's breakfasts....have a good Sunday!
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