Catching up!

Wow, the previous two weekends were SO busy that I had no time to sit down and write a blog post.

Two weeks ago was the dance retreat.  My dear friends from Chicago came and took the workshops with me, and we performed at the dance party on Saturday night.

They arrived on Thursday evening, and came straight to our house.  We rehearsed for a couple of hours, and then ordered dinner to be delivered.

They Ubered to their hotel, and we went to bed because we had to work Friday.

Friday evening, the workshop started with 2 hours of lecture.

We danced literally ALL DAY Saturday. The teacher, who is Algerian, partnered with me for the whole first half of the day, and it was an honor and privilege to have her compliment my dance.  She said "you're VERY good!  Maybe I hire you!"  *blush*

It was fun, but exhausting.  I was in so much pain on Sunday, probably due to the treatments I am on right now.

Then, Sunday's classes were about sacred dance, and Sufi healing traditions.  It was very powerful.  I experienced a healing and cleansing that I didn't expect.  I have felt released from fear, and much lighter, ever since.

It changed my perspective on several areas!  I once again believe that I will be fine.

SOMEONE anonymously paid for me to attend this weekend, because I could not justify it with medical bills on the way, and I am SO grateful.

Then, last weekend, my friend Margaret came down to spend Valentine's weekend with me.

It was also the 6 month anniversary of the sudden death of her husband, Bill, whom I had introduced to her in 1999.

We cruised around town on Saturday, spent time in the hot tub, and ate good food.

Sunday, we went to the art museum and did some more cruising and eating.

Both nights were spent relaxing and talking (and crying) in the hot tub.

It was good that we had this time together to reconnect.  We've been friends since we were in high school. She was an incoming freshman, and I was one of the youth group leaders at our church.

She's 3 years my junior.  Her family was originally from Oklahoma City, and she spent a few years living here at the end of high school when they moved back down here from Wheaton.

After college, she moved back to Illinois, but her parents lived out their lives here in Oklahoma.

When I saw her back home in September, we only had a couple of hours together, and Bill's death was still VERY fresh.

She has made a lot of progress in getting things settled, and getting their house ready to sell.  She plans to move to their house in Michigan, which is paid off, and was always their retirement destination.

She will be able to retire early, and move up there-- hopefully this summer.  There are also things that need to be done to the Michigan house, but she is all set financially, so it won't be a problem.

We took her to the airport Monday after breakfast, and then went to see Pop.

Pop was up, and watching tv when we got there.  We took more batteries for his tv remote (someone keeps stealing them), and got him set up with being able to change channels and turn the tv OFF again.

Then, we got him into his wheel chair and took him to the dining room for his lunch.

THIS weekend has been a LOT quieter!  We finally celebrated Dave's birthday (which was the weekend of the dance retreat).  We met two other friends who have February birthdays and went out for dinner.

We got our taxes done yesterday, and sent off via TurboTax.  There WILL be a refund this year, which pleases us no end.  We had heard rumors that the real estate interest deduction was being taken away by Trump, but it was not.

We don't have any MAJOR repairs for the house this year, so we will buy a new bed, and a new water heater, the wash basin faucet, and maybe some other small things, and save the rest for ... MEDICAL BILLS.

Yay.

Today, I am taking a 2 hour class in bodywork techniques and yoga.  I already know a lot about the technique (myo-fascial release), but this will be a new approach to it for SELF care.

I am hoping it will give me some new tools to work with the pain caused by treatment.

Speaking of treatment, I completed my first round of the chemo pill, and have started taking the hormone blocking pill.

The pain in my legs from the dance retreat never fully went away, and this concerns me.

I have had poor appetite, some nausea and diarrhea, and my finger and toe tips are going numb.  My eyelashes are falling out, and my hair is thinning.

Whee.  At least I know it's all temporary.

Now, during my first break from the chemo, my stomach/intestinal tract is fine, my appetite is good, but the numbness hasn't changed, and my hair is all over the place.

I will get a blood draw tomorrow, and then Tuesday, everything else happens.... port flush, bone builder injection, and that awful hormone blocker injection in my belly.

I will see the doctor, find out my bloodwork results, and give him my list of complaints, and see what he says.

I start round 2 of the pills on Wednesday if he orders it.

In happier news, I am writing a story that was inspired by a silly post on FaceBook.... this is HUGE!  I used to write stories, and had a fiction blog about a dragon.  It's been AGES since I have felt inspired to write.

When it's finished, IF I actually finish it, I will post it here.

Off to the shower.  My dance class is rehearsing after the myo-fascial workshop, so I need to get my day going.

Never fear, gentle readers...

I have had out of town company last weekend and this weekend.. I will post an update soon!

Ground Hog Day update

Dave's dad fell yesterday.

He must be feeling better, because he got out of his bed (they have put a hospital bed in his room) when he was alone.

In the state of Oklahoma, side rails on hospital beds are considered "restraints," and are not allowed.

His hospice nurse (who visits several times a week) checked him out, and he didn't injure himself.

It's my strong opinion that he needs to be in skilled nursing, not memory care with a visiting nurse.

He should not be left alone long enough to get into trouble.

Speaking of hospice nurses, apparently, there are different levels of hospice care.

This is not "end of life" hospice, I guess.  I don't really understand it.  I thought hospice was palliative care to allow for death to come with comfort and ease.

Dave and Eric will be going to see him today.

I will be staying home, pulling out dance costuming, and rehearsing.

Next weekend, there is a dance ethnology intensive here in OKC at the dance studio, and my friends Felicia and Priscilla are coming down for it.

We have been asked to perform in the show on Saturday night.  Another chance to do a reunion performance! Yay!

SO, I have much work  to do.

Fortunately, I performed this same choreography last year as a solo dance for the flash mob after party, so it is relatively fresh, and it is a choreography that I have performed many times with these girls, and as a soloist on earlier occasions.

Thankfully, there is video of the staging for the trio, which we are sticking with since we are in different states, and have very little opportunity to rehearse together.

Today, I will refresh my mind as to who is where during the changes, and, when the girls arrive in OKC next Thursday, we will have dinner together, and then rehearse together!

We will also have time to rehearse on Saturday before the show, but those two times will be our only chances.

I went to my appointment on Tuesday, and all was well for me to start the new treatment program.... well, all BUT the fact that they hadn't gotten my usual monthly bone building injection approved by my insurance yet, AND they didn't have the new injection in stock in the on site pharmacy!

I think someone on staff at the clinic dropped the ball, because that appointment had been on the schedule for a month.

I had steeled myself for the shots, but I DIDN'T GET them, and had to go back the next day!!

What a pain!  Plus, there was the added "bonus day" of building up more anxiety over the unknown factor of the new shot!  Grumble.....

All I knew was that the literature said it was a subcutaneous injection.  The one I have been getting for years is subcutaneous, too.  I get it in my upper arm, and it hurts.  I was worried that this one might hurt worse....

SO, when I got my first of the new injections on Wednesday, I discovered that it is NOTHING LIKE the one I have been getting, and was actually sort of nasty.

I hope I get used to it!

They give me an ice pack to numb my BELLY first.  That flipped me out right off the bat!

Then, the nurse told me to look away, so I took Dave's hand and looked at him.  Or the ceiling....

The skin was numb, but the inside of my belly was not, and the needle going in caused a deep ache, and I could feel it going through layers of my flesh.  It actually felt like the injection was going into my intestines.

I am pretty sure it wasn't, but the experience was very unpleasant none the less, and I felt slightly faint and nauseous for a minute.

Thankfully, the process was also relatively quick.

Then it bled.

Shudder.

She put a big bandage on me, and let me stay in the chair for a while to calm down.

There is still a little scab from the needle poke.  Dave said the needle was big around.  Another shudder.  I am glad that I refused to look at it.  I will continue to do so.

Next time, at least, I will know what to expect, and I will either be MORE anxious, or LESS anxious, because I know what to expect!  HA!

Anyway, I also got my free month of the chemo pill.  Doc has me easing into taking it.

I took one a day for three days.  Yesterday, I upped it to two a day, and after three days of that, I will up it again to the full dose of three pills, taken all at once.

So far, there are no icky side effects, but it's early yet.

Doc is also not having me take the oral hormone blocker to start with.  That will be added after the first month on the chemo.

The new injection is a hormone blocker that works differently, so he is gradually increasing the hormone blocking factors as well, to ease my possible (probable) return to chronic pain.

I also got my first of the bone building injections of the year, so there should be some big medical bills on the way in about 4 to 6 weeks.  Yippee.

It's a beautiful spring-like weekend in OKC.  We have not really had winter yet, and Punxutawny Phil says spring will be early this year.

I hope we don't have a brutal summer.....Ugh.....

My daffodils, iris, and "star of bethlehem" are all coming up.

Theoretically, we are supposed to have cold weather, and possibly a little snow, later this week.

Usually what happens, is my daffodils come up, then they get frozen.  Other people around here have beautiful blooms, but I never do..... maybe one or two flowers.

The iris and star of bethlehem do much better, though.

Anyway...have a lovely Sunday.  I will be making jambalaya, which I have done on Superbowl Sunday since forever, because the Superbowl used to be played in New Orleans every year.

Not that I really care about the game itself, it's just jambalaya day for me!

If I remember, I will go to yoga tonight.  It's really difficult to get used to going to a class on Sunday night, but I am trying!