Fractured

 It's been 10 days since my first treatment, and I have had marked fatigue in the late afternoons, but am otherwise feeling okay.

Had blood drawn after work on Friday.  I am assuming that my nurse will call me if anything is amiss. 

Here's hoping that we don't have to quit this treatment, like we did the chemo we tried at the beginning of 2020.

This weekend marks the end of 8 years of treatment for stage 4 breast cancer.  My very first treatment was right before Martin Luther King Jr weekend, in 2015.

Saw the podiatrist on Thursday, after having to wait WEEKS to get in.  

They took xrays, and he confirmed that I DO INDEED have a minor stress fracture in my left foot, where I had them 20 years, or so, ago. 

Damn.  

FORTUNATELY, he indicated that I had been doing everything right since the pain started, weeks ago.  

I have been making sure to support the foot, and to baby it, taking fewer walks, gentler walks, and trying not to aggravate the pain by cutting activity short when it hurts.

It appears that the fracture is already healing, so he prescribed some "medical inserts" for my shoes.  

I am grateful that he did that, INSTEAD of putting me in a soft cast and walking boot, and ordered me to rest it as much as possible for a month, then call him.

When I broke the foot 20 years ago, I had to be in the soft cast and boot for TEN WEEKS, and then a surgical shoe for another two weeks. 

Unfortunately, resting it as much as possible means no dance class, and no strenuous activity (he specified doing a day of yard work in old sneakers, as an example...HAHA.  It's like he knows me).

The fact that it's a minor "greenstick" type of fracture, and appears to already be healing, is why it sometimes doesn't hurt at all any more.  

It was much more consistently painful when I called for the appointment.

So, I had not gone back to dance class after winter break because of the pain, and now I can't go back until about Valentine's Day.

Yesterday, when we did errands, I sat in the car for half of them, and, for weeks, have been very conscious of how I step on the foot when I do any walking.

Other than that, it's been a quiet week. This is a three day weekend, which is nice, so soon after the winter holidays.

A friend is having surgery next week, and I've promised her that I will make some meals for her to have on hand for her recovery days.  She's going to have a friend stay with her, so I will make sure to make enough for them both.

 Today and tomorrow will see Paula's Production Kitchen up and in action! Today, I am making a batch of bone broth for myself, as well as a pot of chicken rice soup to share with her.

Then, tomorrow, I am going to bake a huge batch of mostaccioli.  Half will go to her, and half will stay with us.

In the process, I also hope to clear out the pantry cabinets and re-organize them.  Not fun, but needed!

I can do that sitting down, with a folding table next to me to put stuff on.  I did this about a year ago, and it's already past due to be re done!  We have to little storage space, and it's really easy for it to get jumbled. 

It's chilly and brutally windy out, so no woods walk today. Maybe tomorrow.

One down

 Well, things went okay for my first treatment.

Dave walked back into the treatment room with me like he belonged there, and no one said a word about it.

AND, Markie, the treatment room nurse, said that Sara, the other nurse (who could NEVER find my port access) had switched to part time, and wouldn't be there. 

YAY!!

Then, Markie said I could have my treatment through an IV instead of through my port, so I went for that option, and all of my stress just -- vanished. 

I'd much rather get a poke in the arm than have my port accessed, as I've said before.

I'll do the port next time, because it will be time to flush it.  Markie has really good luck with getting the port on the first try.

So, I did okay with the treatment.  No weird or unexpected issues, other than a head ache for 24 hours, that started as soon as the Enhertu went into the IV. 

It's listed among the "less common" side effects, so it will be on my list when I see Doc on the 26th.

The steroids did NOT keep me up all night, and they made me angry, hungry, and hot the next day, but I was working from home, so it didn't effect anyone but me.  

Dave went out in the afternoon for a hair cut and an errand, so he missed the rage attack I had.

Good.

The steroids also made all of my pain go away for a day....which was lovely!

I did have to take the anti nausea medication on the night of treatment, and again once the next day, but have been fine since.

I have to go for a blood draw on Friday, and again the day before my next treatment, to make sure my immune system isn't tanking.

I also finally have my podiatrist appointment this coming Thursday.  The pain in my forefoot is still there, but it's intermittent, and better than it was when I made the appointment WEEKS ago.

In other news, I've been wasting so much produce lately, even with sharing my farm bag deliveries with a co worker (and sometimes a neighbor), that I have decided to cancel my subscription.  

I've had so much fun with it, but, over the past few weeks, it's been a total waste.

On the other hand, we were gifted some free deliveries of meal kits, which have been really good!  So I signed up for one of those services instead, to remove some of the stress of meal planning.

Yeah, that means more cardboard to recycle, but they've VASTLY improved their packaging since we first tried one of those services many years ago.  Everything in the box is recyclable.

I will probably cancel this subscription after a few boxes, but it will be nice for now, while I am adapting to being back in treatment.

The friend who recommended it said it's actually less expensive than grocery shopping, and the added bonus is that Dave is willing to learn how to cook dinner with these kits.  Easy, step by step instructions help him get some hands on practice!

We ended up being out for over 4 hours yesterday getting our errands done.... this delivery service will cut back on errands, as well.

Today should be an easy, stay at home day.  It was too cold this morning for a woods walk, but maybe next weekend.  

Here's hoping that you, gentle readers, had a good first week of 2023.

Happy New Year!

 We enjoyed our usual quiet New Year's Eve yesterday... with appetizers, and cool beer, and the hot tub, and watching "Harvey," with James Stewart.

Champagne at 10:30pm, because we were both too relaxed and sleepy to stay up.

While Dave snored through midnight, though, I was awake because of all of the usual fireworks and gun shots.

Someone on the back of our block had a semi-automatic weapon, and someone else on the back of our block called the cops on them, HAHAHA!!

I just hope that wasn't because the bullets rained down into someone's house.

Today is supposed to be a spectacular, 65 degree day, so we are headed out to the woods soon.

In other news, I have my first treatment scheduled.

After our day off tomorrow, I will work at the office on Tuesday, then Wednesday morning, I have to go get an echocardiogram done to establish a baseline.  I will also stop and get my blood draw completed.  Then, I will clock in and work however many hours are left of the day.

Thursday morning, I will clock in and work the first half of the day, and after I clock out for lunch, the rest of the afternoon will be spent in the chemo chair.

The nurse who called me said that the first treatment is the longest, at about 3 and a half hours.

She also said I am not allowed to have a visitor with me, but that she could make an exception for me and Dave.  

(this was not my usual nurse)

That's about all the news for today.  We are headed out.  Later, we will do the traditional cleaning out of the fridge, and a friend is coming over to help us finish off the appetizers we didn't get around to cooking  yesterday.

Happy New Year, gentle readers!  May 2023 bring you good health, security, and happiness. 

Merry Christmas!

 I almost forgot it's Sunday!

 Our Christmas eve dinner last night was lovely.  Everyone, who said they would be coming, came.  The food was great, and being together was even better.

I got to do my usual Christmas eve things...and, though I always miss my family most painfully on this one night of the year, my heart was full.

This morning, I got up and threw frozen biscuits into the oven to bake, and put the coffee on.  We emptied our stockings, and opened our gifts, had our biscuits and cold ham, and I talked to my sister and brother in law.

It's been very nice. 

There are no other plans for today, and we will indulge our new tradition of ordering Chinese food for dinner.

There were a few years when I made an elaborate dinner for myself and Dave on Christmas day, but that's so much work, after several days of SO MUCH WORK to get the house clean, put up decorations, and coordinate a pretty table, and guests....

I'll be making gin punch to sip on, and we will just catch as catch can for a mid day meal.  There's plenty to snack on.

Starting to put stuff back where it was (we clear off lots of surfaces for this party, and there's nowhere to put any of the stuff other than load it into my office and close the door, HAHA!), and am doing the table cloth and napkins laundry.

Tomorrow, we have one more day off, and will take down the rest of the decorations, and put the tree back in the shed.

This has been a lovely break from work.  I am SO glad I got the day after Winter Solstice/Yule off from work!  Not only was it a nice way for me to experience my religious holiday, but it gave us an extra day to get stuff done for Christmas.

Even though there was a minor blizzard that day, with killing cold, and 60 mile per hour winds.  We were able to get our errand done, and got back home safely, and had the rest of the day to start getting ready for Christmas Eve.

In other news, we are still waiting for insurance to authorize my new treatment plan.  I will be going back into IV treatment, and will be "in the chair" every three weeks, indefinitely.

(Unless the new protocol doesn't work, or I react badly, this will go on indefinitely)

I guess I should be glad that I have hundreds of hours of sick time saved up at work, as I will have to start taking a half day off every three weeks, just like the "old days."

Both my doc and nurse are feeling confident that I will tolerate this medication well, and my nurse said I shouldn't lose my hair again, either, so that was good news.

I'm just relieved that we have a plan.  I can put it out of my mind now, until we start to schedule the infusions.

Hope you've had a lovely winter holiday time, and I'll see you next year!

Warrior Mode

 The scan results were not good.

My nurse called, and said "there's some progression."  So, when she offered to give me the details, I declined.  I didn't want to obsess over it all weekend. 

She said I could stop taking the Verzenio, which pleased me no end.

So, I suppose it's possible that the progression happened during the 3 months we were waiting for the genomic testing results to come back, and then the Verzenio halted it.... Or, it could have been happening gradually over the full 6 months. 

Doesn't really matter, I guess.

I will see Doc on Tuesday, hear the details, and we will decide on the next steps. 

This weekend is all about being busy and distracted, and it's working wonders!  I've slept SO well both nights, without having to get up multiple times to pee.

After a busy day of errands, last night, we went to the Immersive Van Gogh experience at the convention center.  We had purchased the tickets in MARCH, and looked forward to it all year.

It was SO COOL!

The thing that surprised me most was how emotional I got.  I soaked my mask, HAHA!

We came home from errands without a few of the items on my list, because Oklahoma grocery stores SUCK... so we have to go back out today for those remaining items, but other than that, we will be staying home.

It's tree-trimming day! 

I've got my plan for the Solstice medieval feast, and I will have friends around my Christmas Eve table again this year.  Both will be lovely.

Wishing you all a Solstice week filled with light, warmth, and love, no matter the source.  If you celebrate Hannukah and Christmas, wishing you happiness and many gifts!

Exposed

 Our office party was nice, this past Wednesday.

The catered lunch was pretty good (the turkey was totally dried out), and it was great to see everyone all at once.

No one was coughing, or sniffling, everyone was well, and we had a good time.  I made the conscious decision to NOT wear a mask, because everyone was well, and there would be lots of food, and treats.

And then. 

On Friday, three people were off sick.  One admitted to testing positive for Covid. 

We got the email from the director very late in the day.  I replied that I needed to know if it was anyone with whom I had direct contact.... She was at the party, she saw who played the games with whom, and who sat next to whom.... 

She did not reply before I had to clock out, so I left my email program connected, and we headed out to do our grocery shopping. 

When we got back, she had replied an hour after we all had to clock out....but she refused to answer me as I asked her to.... (don't name names, just say YES, it was someone you were directly interacting with, or NO, it was not).  Apparently, she does not understand that I have a compromised immune system.

SO, I had to assume that YES, it had been someone I sat next to (who was one of the ones off sick).

There was nothing to be done for it.  

If I had brought it home, it was already in the house, and in Dave, so we just had to wait it out.

The current incubation period is estimated at 2.8 days, so, I figured if we got to Sunday (today) symptom free, that we'd be okay.

And we are, thank the Gods!

I have kn95 masks in my tote for the office tomorrow.  I have a face to face meeting with the new director, and with my new "supervisor".  If they are unmasked when I walk into the office, I will hand them masks.

I'm assuming, though, that they will have the sense to be wearing them already.

And, if the person who I think it was is not there tomorrow, that will be my confirmation that it was the person I sat next to, as we ate and laughed.

In other news, we have had more desperately-needed rain the past few days!  More is coming tomorrow. This is very good, and goes against the predictions we heard, earlier in the year, of a dry winter ahead.

Lastly, my 3-month scans are this coming Thursday.  I am hoping that my nurse will call me before the week is out, like she usually does.  My doctor appointment to actually discuss the results is not until the 20th.

We are dragging the Yuletide decorations out of the shed later today, and, hopefully, will get the tree put up. 

My anxiety is pretty high, regarding the scans, and this will be a nice distraction, and bring in a little cheer.

Have a good week!

The one time...

 ... that I didn't take my phone on a woods walk.

It was Dave's idea to get up early today and go to Bluff Creek park, where we have often seen deer. 

This is the park where I really like to go off trail, and into the woods, to follow the deer tracks.

We got up moderately early and went.  It had rained overnight, and it was 35 degrees, so our hope was that there would be very few people there, and that the deer would be out and about.

I put on my lined pants and parka, Dave got his heavy jacket, and off we went.

We were not disappointed.

As soon as we were crossing the foot bridge into the park, there was a doe and her fawn right near the bridge.  

Just over the bridge, another doe crossing the paved trail.

Then.... the moment of moments....after we walked a ways down the southward path, I spotted two bucks to the right of the paved trail.  I saw the one who was up and foraging first. He was a smallish 4 point.

But then, a moment later, I noticed him:

A magnificent 8 point buck, reclining in the grass, mostly hidden by the scrub.  He was just stunning.... He saw us, but didn't spook.  They're pretty used to people, after all.

We stood, for several minutes, admiring the pair of gentlemen.  

At that moment, I wished that I had bothered to bring my phone, so that I could get pictures. My phone takes much better pictures than Dave's, but he was able to get one.

As we continued our walk, we continued to see deer... 11, in all.  

I'd been wanting, for years, to see a big buck, up close and safely.... so today fulfilled that wonderfully!

Not much else to report. Did I mention that my scan is scheduled for December 15th?  Follow up appointment is December 20th, so I get to clock out early on the day before my days off for Solstice and Christmas. 

With the change in management, I was able to get the days I wanted, at that time of year, for the first time at this job.  I am very well pleased about that!

Our office holiday luncheon is this coming Wednesday.  It will be nice to see everyone together all at once.  If everyone can come, this will be the first time we have all been in the office together since before the pandemic.  

With the exception of the large number of people who left in February, that is. Good riddance, I say.

Anyway, I've got most of my holiday gift shopping done.  Now, just waiting for things to arrive, so that I can wrap them and pack them up to send.

Have a good week.