Last week I had a lab and a doctors appointment. The white blood cells were too low to do chemo. Instead I was put on antibiotics. Another appointment was scheduled for labs today. Usually labs are done on Tuesday and chemo on Wednesday. Today the labs were good and they shipped me right over to the infusion center which I wasn't expecting.
While waiting I decided I would take Klonopin (sp). I stuck my finger in the bottle, one stuck to my finger which was transferred to my mouth. A sip of water and I thought I had swallowed it. When I stood up at my name being called, a pill rolled off me and hit the floor. Not being one adverse to the 5 second rule of blowing on it and ingesting it, I grabbed it and swallowed it. I thought that it was the one I had put in my mouth earlier and it had escaped. Thinking back, I realized the one on the floor was DRY. Had it been in my mouth and slipped out, would it not have been a bit moist?
I slept through most of the chemo administration. Something I have never done before. Based on that, I surmise that was an extra pill that stuck to my finger upon extraction from the pill bottle.
I slept most of the afternoon when I got home.
A quick bike ride in the misting rain, and then dinner of a grilled chicken and salad for my healthy eating goal.
One more chore. I went out and cleaned some more on the shed. It is neat and tidy and the Treks were stored there for safety. There has been a lot of home invasions lately and leaving those bikes behind the locked 8ft board fence still doesn't leave me comfortable with them being there. I'm going to find the keys to that "little house" (shed) and lock it up. Thieves are everywhere now and armed and dangerous. Big towns and little towns, it makes no difference.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Sunday, May 25, 2014
It's Heating Up Here in the Deep South!
..and what better time then to spend it on a bike in the hot sunshine, slathered in sweat and seeking a breeze by pedaling quickly along the route.
I will be doing early morning and late afternoon rides. We went to Capital Bike yesterday and bought the bike I had looked at last week. A 17.5 frame Trek Verve 1. A nice solid black, the hybrid rides softly and quickly.
I haven't rode for over a year. The past week has found me walking. I'm determined to get some strength back in my legs. The bike will help with this too. A friend in the neighborhood wants to ride with me but that won't happen for a while. He can clip off 30 miles on a ride. I'm lucky to do 2 miles right now.
By direction of the husband, I downloaded an app for my phone called Bike Meter. You can mount your phone on your bike and turn on that app and it will clock your mileage and the route you take and the calories burned. I won't have to buy a trip meter. I did buy a water bottle carrier this morning. My 2 mile trip found me stopping at the one mile mark for water with a friend and on the way back another stop.
'Continued:
We just got back from a ride. A whole mile and a lot of sweat and I was exhausted. The quads were burning. I'm so disgusted that I have lost all the strength gained from riding over a year ago. I'll continue to add a little more mileage..or at this rate, feet and yards to my trips.
I've also dropped the top on the roadster and taken it out a few times. It is one of the vehicles on recall because of the ignition thing but I've been told that using just the key only in the ignition should allow it to be safe to drive. Should you hear of me eating a big ole oak tree here, please notify someone that the "key only" information was bogus.
I'm off to the daughters' house to see Carrie. I'll not be on the bike on this trip. My legs have had enough for today!
I will be doing early morning and late afternoon rides. We went to Capital Bike yesterday and bought the bike I had looked at last week. A 17.5 frame Trek Verve 1. A nice solid black, the hybrid rides softly and quickly.
I haven't rode for over a year. The past week has found me walking. I'm determined to get some strength back in my legs. The bike will help with this too. A friend in the neighborhood wants to ride with me but that won't happen for a while. He can clip off 30 miles on a ride. I'm lucky to do 2 miles right now.
By direction of the husband, I downloaded an app for my phone called Bike Meter. You can mount your phone on your bike and turn on that app and it will clock your mileage and the route you take and the calories burned. I won't have to buy a trip meter. I did buy a water bottle carrier this morning. My 2 mile trip found me stopping at the one mile mark for water with a friend and on the way back another stop.
'Continued:
We just got back from a ride. A whole mile and a lot of sweat and I was exhausted. The quads were burning. I'm so disgusted that I have lost all the strength gained from riding over a year ago. I'll continue to add a little more mileage..or at this rate, feet and yards to my trips.
I've also dropped the top on the roadster and taken it out a few times. It is one of the vehicles on recall because of the ignition thing but I've been told that using just the key only in the ignition should allow it to be safe to drive. Should you hear of me eating a big ole oak tree here, please notify someone that the "key only" information was bogus.
I'm off to the daughters' house to see Carrie. I'll not be on the bike on this trip. My legs have had enough for today!
Friday, May 23, 2014
New Goals
The past year has been one of two major surgeries, long runs of chemo and days of pure exhaustion from the chemo and surgeries.
Big surprise that I have very little stamina. Walking the block and a half to my neighbors left me looking for a place to sit and rest. My quads were screaming, I was huffing along concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, eyes on the concrete and the house in the distance that was my goal. I had to walk back to.
The next day I repeated this journey and was able to pick up the pace though the quads were still screaming. It must be as clear to you as it is to me, getting that stamina back is going to be an ongoing thing. I'm determined.
The shed that needed cleaned and was my goal yesterday got done this morning. I had to take a long break afterwards. I had moved stuff from the shed to the road way where the child's bike was hurriedly picked up by the drive bys. The bike was in excellent shape but outgrown by Carrie.
I'm on my way for a pedicure this afternoon and maybe a haircut. Both are seriously needed. That's my Friday plan!
Big surprise that I have very little stamina. Walking the block and a half to my neighbors left me looking for a place to sit and rest. My quads were screaming, I was huffing along concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, eyes on the concrete and the house in the distance that was my goal. I had to walk back to.
The next day I repeated this journey and was able to pick up the pace though the quads were still screaming. It must be as clear to you as it is to me, getting that stamina back is going to be an ongoing thing. I'm determined.
The shed that needed cleaned and was my goal yesterday got done this morning. I had to take a long break afterwards. I had moved stuff from the shed to the road way where the child's bike was hurriedly picked up by the drive bys. The bike was in excellent shape but outgrown by Carrie.
I'm on my way for a pedicure this afternoon and maybe a haircut. Both are seriously needed. That's my Friday plan!
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Galveston, Oh Galveston
It's Schlitterbalm time! The trip is on! Each year at this time we celebrate Ted's birthday by a trip to Galveston to visit the huge water park there. Carrie loves it. This year we are enjoying Lesie along with us.
This park allows you to bring in a cooler. Mine has wheels as the trudge across the park can be long.
Travel will be a big part of this year hopefully. The husband has been so busy the past few years; the chemo has kept me grounded close to home. We have trips planned to celebrate the end of treatment and to spend some of those paychecks that have been put away. I still need to shop for a new car, something I dread doing again.
In the fall we will be going abroad. We are making plans to return to Italy and maybe this time to Greece. Statewide travel will be a trip "out west". California here we come!
Hopefully summer trips will be with the kids close to home; maybe weekends or whenever the grandchildren can schedule time off from their jobs.
Ted finishes his second year of college and will matriculate on into the University this coming fall. Carrie will move into the third grade.
It seems the older they get, the busier and the less time we get to spend together. We now have to schedule our summer outings around when they can get time off from their jobs.
Ted and Lesie make phone calls to check on me and occasionally I find them at my door, stopping by for a cold drink and a quick hug.
It's time for some park fun!
This park allows you to bring in a cooler. Mine has wheels as the trudge across the park can be long.
Travel will be a big part of this year hopefully. The husband has been so busy the past few years; the chemo has kept me grounded close to home. We have trips planned to celebrate the end of treatment and to spend some of those paychecks that have been put away. I still need to shop for a new car, something I dread doing again.
In the fall we will be going abroad. We are making plans to return to Italy and maybe this time to Greece. Statewide travel will be a trip "out west". California here we come!
Hopefully summer trips will be with the kids close to home; maybe weekends or whenever the grandchildren can schedule time off from their jobs.
Ted finishes his second year of college and will matriculate on into the University this coming fall. Carrie will move into the third grade.
It seems the older they get, the busier and the less time we get to spend together. We now have to schedule our summer outings around when they can get time off from their jobs.
Ted and Lesie make phone calls to check on me and occasionally I find them at my door, stopping by for a cold drink and a quick hug.
It's time for some park fun!
Monday, May 5, 2014
Good Morning Monday!
I have been slacking. Not only have I been slacking but I've been slack. Chemo run and a hemorrhoid visit was on Wednesday. It was a busy day. Just some FYI....banding a hemorrhoid is painless. It's a bit embarrassing to have it done; the position and the area of focus leaves one wishing they were miles away. The good part of this is that it only takes about 60 seconds to perform this procedure. I, the ever curious, watched it on You Tube. This might not be for everyone. Moving along...
I slept. Thursday, Friday and Saturday I could be found tangled in sheets and blankets, remote control in hand, sometimes asleep and sometimes gazing numbly at the television. The Chemo tires me. My red blood cell count is low adding to the exhaustion I feel. Occasional bouts of nausea minus vomiting and I'm hiding out for those days.
Sunday was the day I promised myself to get showered and dressed in street clothes. Shedding the pajamas, showered and dressed, I reentered the world of the "stressed out, employed and serving the public" world.
I shopped. Boring stuff like paper towels in cases, toilet paper in cases, these things I stock up on and the supply was running low. Our temperatures have exceeded 80 degrees and it felt good to be out in the sunshine.
It's 0400 hrs. and I've made a early start to this day. I plan on staying out of bed and on the move. I'll busy myself with washing and cleaning autos. I'm done with slacking.
I slept. Thursday, Friday and Saturday I could be found tangled in sheets and blankets, remote control in hand, sometimes asleep and sometimes gazing numbly at the television. The Chemo tires me. My red blood cell count is low adding to the exhaustion I feel. Occasional bouts of nausea minus vomiting and I'm hiding out for those days.
Sunday was the day I promised myself to get showered and dressed in street clothes. Shedding the pajamas, showered and dressed, I reentered the world of the "stressed out, employed and serving the public" world.
I shopped. Boring stuff like paper towels in cases, toilet paper in cases, these things I stock up on and the supply was running low. Our temperatures have exceeded 80 degrees and it felt good to be out in the sunshine.
It's 0400 hrs. and I've made a early start to this day. I plan on staying out of bed and on the move. I'll busy myself with washing and cleaning autos. I'm done with slacking.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Warning, Wild Child About
The head of tousled blonde curls and the angelic face hid the behavior that was to be witnessed.
We watched as the door to the house was commandeered as a toy. The storm door had it's turn at being abused before the "typical two year old" turned his attention to the wooden door that was sheltered by that storm door. Over and over the doors were opened and shut, banging loudly while the parent sat and watched. We watched as this child became angry and slashed his hands across the table holding his toys, sending them careening about the room and bouncing off one of the house guests. Occasionally his mother would smile as he performed one of these behaviors and remark "He's just a typical two year old." I doubt that she believed this even as she was making this excuse.
I had reports of what to expect. Apparently one of my siblings had visited while the mother was out and about and left this child to be babysit by her mother. The sibling that appeared for that visit observed for a while before she got up and smacked the little hands that were busy destroying the kitchen. She asked him to stop a few times to no avail. Soon the hands were being smacked, much to his dismay I'm sure. His grandmother issued the same warning by smacking his hands; something that would not have been allowed had that child's parent been there.
Time outs are the punishments this little one gets. Not a few but many many time outs.
A few swats might make him grow up to be an aggressive adult?
We watched as he attacked with his fists and fingernails, his parent and grandparent. As his grandmother pulled him away from the door and picked him up, he was facing way from her. He reached back with his hands and raked his nails down her face and throat. As she delivered him back to his parent, she could be seen running her hands down her face and throat checking for blood. The mother inquired of her mother "Does he need a time out for that?"
Soon he was back in the house and on the sofa by his parent. He became angry and started pummeling her with his fists followed by raking her face with his nails.
"Oh no *******. You will have to have a time out for that".
I would suggest that his aggressiveness isn't going to wait until he is an adult. More time outs. Six and a half hours later and many time outs meted out to this 'typical two year old' and I knew it was time to take a break. I was warned. Warned by others that had witnessed the behavior of this child and his parent.
This child needs some boundaries. He has no clue as to where he should stop. The parent shirks that responsibility of setting those boundaries and the child races from one object to another never finding a boundary or an "edge". There is no stopping place for him.
It will be interesting to monitor, from afar, this child's growth and development.
I was warned.
Soon someone reading this blog notified the parent. She didn't bother reading this post, but only relied on what she had been fed by the person who recognized this post as "the child". The parent went ballistic. She didn't believe that people were talking about her child's behavior. I received many messages from her pouring poison on "how I could attack her child". My question then remains, since no names were mentioned, how anyone knew this blog was about her child? Was it the specific descriptions of his behavior that had been witnessed by people on prior visits?
Email after email was fired at me. Hurling insults after insults and even attacking Carrie's physical appearance, her time spent on the computer, and stories heard about me from the family. This is a family I have lived 2000 miles from for the past 43 years with infrequent contacts and fewer trips back to the town I was raised in. She assured me she had witnesses to all her rants. As usually my responses to bullshit, I didn't retaliate with any meaness though I was accused of being mean by posting the behavior of that unsupervised child. She even said she checked with "those that were supposedly talking about her child" and they said I was a liar. I've since talked to these same people and they haven't heard from her.
The point is, please get some control of that child now. This will only get worse and harder to reverse as time goes on.
When you take your two year old child to visit someone and they post "he is very inquisitive, that translates to "he is into everything". When that same statement is made about a 8 yr. old, it usually means they are "questioning" everything. Read between the lines people. If your child is destroying everything while on a visit to other people's home, your child is out of control and the blame lies with YOU.
We watched as the door to the house was commandeered as a toy. The storm door had it's turn at being abused before the "typical two year old" turned his attention to the wooden door that was sheltered by that storm door. Over and over the doors were opened and shut, banging loudly while the parent sat and watched. We watched as this child became angry and slashed his hands across the table holding his toys, sending them careening about the room and bouncing off one of the house guests. Occasionally his mother would smile as he performed one of these behaviors and remark "He's just a typical two year old." I doubt that she believed this even as she was making this excuse.
I had reports of what to expect. Apparently one of my siblings had visited while the mother was out and about and left this child to be babysit by her mother. The sibling that appeared for that visit observed for a while before she got up and smacked the little hands that were busy destroying the kitchen. She asked him to stop a few times to no avail. Soon the hands were being smacked, much to his dismay I'm sure. His grandmother issued the same warning by smacking his hands; something that would not have been allowed had that child's parent been there.
Time outs are the punishments this little one gets. Not a few but many many time outs.
A few swats might make him grow up to be an aggressive adult?
We watched as he attacked with his fists and fingernails, his parent and grandparent. As his grandmother pulled him away from the door and picked him up, he was facing way from her. He reached back with his hands and raked his nails down her face and throat. As she delivered him back to his parent, she could be seen running her hands down her face and throat checking for blood. The mother inquired of her mother "Does he need a time out for that?"
Soon he was back in the house and on the sofa by his parent. He became angry and started pummeling her with his fists followed by raking her face with his nails.
"Oh no *******. You will have to have a time out for that".
I would suggest that his aggressiveness isn't going to wait until he is an adult. More time outs. Six and a half hours later and many time outs meted out to this 'typical two year old' and I knew it was time to take a break. I was warned. Warned by others that had witnessed the behavior of this child and his parent.
This child needs some boundaries. He has no clue as to where he should stop. The parent shirks that responsibility of setting those boundaries and the child races from one object to another never finding a boundary or an "edge". There is no stopping place for him.
It will be interesting to monitor, from afar, this child's growth and development.
I was warned.
Soon someone reading this blog notified the parent. She didn't bother reading this post, but only relied on what she had been fed by the person who recognized this post as "the child". The parent went ballistic. She didn't believe that people were talking about her child's behavior. I received many messages from her pouring poison on "how I could attack her child". My question then remains, since no names were mentioned, how anyone knew this blog was about her child? Was it the specific descriptions of his behavior that had been witnessed by people on prior visits?
Email after email was fired at me. Hurling insults after insults and even attacking Carrie's physical appearance, her time spent on the computer, and stories heard about me from the family. This is a family I have lived 2000 miles from for the past 43 years with infrequent contacts and fewer trips back to the town I was raised in. She assured me she had witnesses to all her rants. As usually my responses to bullshit, I didn't retaliate with any meaness though I was accused of being mean by posting the behavior of that unsupervised child. She even said she checked with "those that were supposedly talking about her child" and they said I was a liar. I've since talked to these same people and they haven't heard from her.
The point is, please get some control of that child now. This will only get worse and harder to reverse as time goes on.
When you take your two year old child to visit someone and they post "he is very inquisitive, that translates to "he is into everything". When that same statement is made about a 8 yr. old, it usually means they are "questioning" everything. Read between the lines people. If your child is destroying everything while on a visit to other people's home, your child is out of control and the blame lies with YOU.
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