It's been a difficult week....

 Our very dear friend, the one who introduced us, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

She had surgery yesterday, and they found that it has spread to her liver.

After she recovers from the surgery, they will start chemo.

I have known her since 1994, when cancer brought us together.  She was in treatment for breast cancer at that time, and found my massage therapy flier.

We became friends through her weekly visits to my office.  We discovered, quickly, that we had nearly identical Spiritual beliefs, and that solidified our connection.

Shortly there after, her husband also became a massage client, and we became friends as well.

There is a lot of history between us.

They then met Dave through an on-line radio station that had a "listener forum," back in the early days of internet chat rooms.  That listener forum still exists, in fact!

Funny how things work out, right?

So, anyway, please keep Cathy in your prayers.  Light candles, do dances, shake rattles...do whatever it is that you do to reach out into the Universe for help.

Thanks.

In other news, my 96 year old Aunt Janet passed away on the 19th.  She had been in nursing care, after a stroke last year.

My sister and brother in law went to visit in December, and she was still doing okay then, but had declined sharply in the ensuing weeks.

It comforts us to know that she and her siblings (my dad, Uncle Neil, and Aunt Judy) are all together again.

May she find peace in the Light.

The deep freeze from this past week has now thawed.  We finally saw temperatures above freezing yesterday.

Today should reach the 60s, and tomorrow, the 70s.  Crazy Oklahoma roller coaster weather continues.

The nice thing about the weather last week was that my office was closed, and they did not force us to drive on ice, or to go out in record-breaking cold weather.

I have to go for labs this week, so hopefully, the numbers will be closer to normal again.  Chemo is Thursday, if all goes well with the labs.

We are headed out the door to Costco.  Have a good week. 

Wintry

 More wintry weather has arrived in central Oklahoma.  We got a lot of wind, and a little snow, yesterday.

Earlier in the week, we had a minor ice storm.  I had to go to the office the next day ("safety be damned, you have to come to the office!"), and the streets were awful in the morning, but there was no traffic, so that helped.

Going home, the streets were completely clear, so that was good.

This coming week, they're predicting another ice storm, a substantial (for Oklahoma) snowfall, and then low temps below zero, with wind chills in the negative twenties. Whee.

We got a heated shelter for Sammie a couple of weeks ago, and she has been using it faithfully, thank goodness.

Her thick styrofoam box full of straw is also available to her, but she is preferring the heated one at the moment.

Pete got his injection on Monday, and has been doing SO MUCH BETTER!  I just wish we knew what is really going on with him.

Since we don't, though, we are taking advantage of this time while he is comfortable, and making sure he thrives ahead of the next bout of whatever it is that's wrong with him.

We may have to "bite the bullet" and spend the $1000 on an ultrasound. Ugh.

Dave has one more appointment with his IRA guy this coming week, and also has a couple more irons in the fire that he needs to get done - SOON - regarding his retirement. 

It's amazing to me how LITTLE support his company has given him, leaving him to figure things out on his own that no one should have to figure out on their own!

For example, no one told him that he had to fill out an entire packet of forms- that are found on a website that no one gave him the address for!  

Instead, they gave him a phone number to call, so he called it, and the person he spoke with said "you need to contact your HR department, and fill out the packet first!"

He said "....but THEY said I had to call YOU first...."  SO completely inept.

This has to do with continuing MY HEALTH INSURANCE, and our vision and dental, so it's CRITICALLY important.

Anyway, he called, got the web address, the site was down!  Of COURSE, it was.... so he called I/T, and they never called him back.

REALLY??

It's just SO aggravating.  

In any event, this coming week, he has GOT to get all of these things (plus another I have not mentioned here) FIXED and DONE!

We have insurance until April 1st, but without the above mentioned process being completed and fully in place, I could lose coverage, which means I would have to stop treatment. That would be bad.

This is why I have been having nightmares.  That, and the confirmation of RFK Jr as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

BUT, anyway.... Today, it is cold and sunny outside.  I will be making cottage pie (ground beef, veggies, with a layer of mashed potatoes on top), and doing a little laundry.  Talking to my brother, and visiting with a friend.

Should be a nice Sunday.  

Have a great week!

Something new

 Well, my blood work showed something new this time.... Low potassium.

I reviewed my past several blood tests, and it was previously smack in the middle of normal, and now it's a point below "low."  Or, at least it was on the day my blood was drawn.

SO.... I am on a high dose prescription supplement for 7 days, and the doctor allowed me to have my treatment on Thursday.

The other level (that was roughly half a point above normal 3 weeks ago), creatinine, has improved with my increased vigilance regarding hydration, so hopefully, that trend will continue.

The low potassium is odd....since I take a daily potassium supplement.  Not sure what's going on there.

Either way, though, these changes MIGHT be the beginning of the end of this treatment protocol.   

I have been on it for over 2 years, and with this medication (Enhertu) the rules are that you just stay on it until you can't tolerate it anymore, OR if it stops working.

The good news is that I FEEL FINE, and have not noticed any effects from the blood levels being "off."

My treatment included the "push" steroid again, and, again, I had less of an issue with the cold sweats on the first night.  They were over with by 1 am again.

Sleeplessness was still a problem, though. Ugh.

Yesterday was Dave's 66th birthday.  I made jambalaya for dinner, and used real andouille sausage.  It was really good, and there's lots of left overs! 

We didn't do anything else special, though, because I had not slept very much the past two nights, due to the steroid.

He said it was okay.... he's not really into his own birthday anyway. Never has been.

In other news. Pete the cat has been doing so well!  Eating well, gaining his weight back, playing enthusiastically...

Everything was seeming to get back to normal.... until yesterday, when he started throwing up again.

UGH.

This morning, he seems fine, so we will see how today goes.  

He threw up at 12:30 and 4:30 overnight.... and I got up with him.... so I didn't sleep great last night, either, but I DID get more than 3 or 4 hours this time, which is an improvement over the previous two nights.

Thankfully, I can nap today.

We are seeing the possibility of an ice storm this coming week.  Our office day is Thursday, and we're supposed to have a pot luck that day for Valentine's Day.... but if the ice comes on Wednesday, like it's being forecasted at this point... that might not happen.

We shall just have to wait in see.

Right now, however, the quilt is in the washer (because Pete barfed on the bed last night), and I need to get it into the dryer.

Have a good week! 

Fingers crossed

 My visit with my oncologist was Thursday. She said we will monitor my blood work this coming week to determine if all is well, or if we need to further investigate the potential stress on my kidney function.

I have been consciously hydrating for 3 weeks, so hopefully, all will be well this time.  I will get my labs drawn on Tuesday, after our meeting with Dave's financial advisor.

If everything looks good, I will go ahead and get my chemo treatment on Thursday afternoon.

If things are still "off," or are any worse, I am going to assume that the doctor will call off my treatment, though she did not SAY that when I saw her, and I didn't think to ask.

In other news, Dave took his work computer, and giant display, back to the office on Friday!  It's so nice to be able to sit at my "place" at the table, and see out the living room windows again!

I also bought him a new lap top for his retirement and birthday. His birthday is a week from yesterday.

Hopefully, he will eventually abandon the dining room table, and move the lap top to the coffee table, where he can sit next to me when we are doing stuff on line.

This morning, I have a gathering for spiritual time with a couple of far-flung Sisterhood, to celebrate Imbolc, one of our Pagan holidays.

Then, after that, Dave and I are going to Costco to grab a few items, AND to stop at the cell phone kiosk to see about any potential discounts.  

I already have my service with the company that shall not be named here, and we are adding Dave, now that he has to give up his company phone.

I had not realized that my Costco membership could benefit me by offering discounts on my cell service, so we will investigate that, get my upgraded phone (it's past time), and add Dave, and get HIM a new phone.

Please wish us luck with all of that.

I am off to the shower, and will be making pancakes for breakfast.

Before I do, though, I want to shout out to one of my faithful readers, and wish her a Happy Retirement.  ENJOY, E!!  Love you!