It's another August in the hot humid South. We had a huge rain storm yesterday, the temperatures plummeted. This will be short lived. When the sun hits all these wet trees and grass, we will be struggling to breath. September is peeking it's head around the corner and I'm ready to embrace any month that heralds the end of summer and the beginning of fall.
Today is Chemo Tuesday for me. This is round 3 of 4. There may be more but only after testing is done after round 4.
The waiting room blasted cold alr down upon us. I was relieved when the lab person called my name. A CBC was ordered along with the tumor markers and the CEA. These tests are over 570.00 and my insurance company had been denying payment. When I contacted them, the insurance person assured me that these tests if done on the day of ftreatment would be covered. Until I see that actualized on paperwork I will proceed as though these labs are not covered. When I visited with the P.A. this morning, I mentioned this to her and she said "it's not a definitive test and we don't have to do them each time you come in. We can space them out so she cancelled the ones drawn for today. Ya gotta be on your toes and watch everything with these insurance companies and hospitals. I'm sure there are a lot of patients that would never question what was being ordered. I"m not one of them. As with the chemo pills that were ordered at a cost of 5000.00 per month and not covered by my insurance company and my choosing to have it given by infusion which my insurance company would cover saved me a charge of 5000.00 a month. I wear a pump in a fanny pack that infuses that chemo over a two day period. The chemo is called 5FU while the pill is called Xeloda. Both are the same medicine but one is liquid infusion while the other is in pill form.
As soon as we are seated and the medi port is accessed, the chemicals are started. We eat a Klonopin. I dig through my purse and extractr the Klonopin. ONe for the daughter and one for myself. We toss one down our troast, toast each other with a can of Lemonadi aaand tip our cans to swallow that litttle bit of relaxation. W need this Klonopin. by the time we leave here, both of us will be ready for a nap and won't understand how that can be as we will have forgotten about taking that Klonopin.
Right now my eyelids are getting heavy. The chemo running will be finished in about an hour and a half. Iam finding the button that areclines this chair. Covered in a warm blanket, I'm ready to take a nap.
I'm out of here.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
What You May Ask.........
has kept me so busy that I haven't had time to post? I've had a ton of mail (a lie) inquiring about my laxness related to this blog.
I've been cooking and cleaning (another lie, partially). I have been cooking and if yard work counts as cleaning, then I have been cleaning. I had such wonderful plans to clean this house. One room at a time, dusting and wiping down all the furniture and then cleaning the floors before moving on to another room. I vacuumed and mopped the floors. The dust still surrounds each object that sits on the shelves and table tops. I'm very stressed if things are out of place in this house, or the floors are sticky or dishes aren't done and the laundry too. That gets done. I never stress about dust which is probably why it still holds it's position on all the flat surfaces. The only time I notice is when house guests arrive.
This morning I attacked the storage building better known as "The Little House". When the husband hauled the table saw out of it for the fascia and soffit repair job, he had to move items out of the way to get to the saw. Those "items" were left strewn all over the floor. It was a hazardous path around bed frames, chairs and paint cans. I'm making a trip to the Goodwill to drop off some things and later this afternoon I will go back and sort through Christmas decorations. I now have a nice clean and swept out storage unit.
Ribs are simmering in the crock pot and the hot rolls are rising on the counter. Baked beans and cheesy potatoes will be cooked later today for dinner tonight.
I'm going to catch a movie this afternoon. I've heard The Butler was a good choice.
Chemo will be on Tuesday so I'm trying to get a few things done before then. I might get that "tired" feeling after the chemo which leaves me sleeping all day for a few days.
It's time for a shower and some fresh clothes...and that, folks, is what I have been doing with my life lately!
I've been cooking and cleaning (another lie, partially). I have been cooking and if yard work counts as cleaning, then I have been cleaning. I had such wonderful plans to clean this house. One room at a time, dusting and wiping down all the furniture and then cleaning the floors before moving on to another room. I vacuumed and mopped the floors. The dust still surrounds each object that sits on the shelves and table tops. I'm very stressed if things are out of place in this house, or the floors are sticky or dishes aren't done and the laundry too. That gets done. I never stress about dust which is probably why it still holds it's position on all the flat surfaces. The only time I notice is when house guests arrive.
This morning I attacked the storage building better known as "The Little House". When the husband hauled the table saw out of it for the fascia and soffit repair job, he had to move items out of the way to get to the saw. Those "items" were left strewn all over the floor. It was a hazardous path around bed frames, chairs and paint cans. I'm making a trip to the Goodwill to drop off some things and later this afternoon I will go back and sort through Christmas decorations. I now have a nice clean and swept out storage unit.
Ribs are simmering in the crock pot and the hot rolls are rising on the counter. Baked beans and cheesy potatoes will be cooked later today for dinner tonight.
I'm going to catch a movie this afternoon. I've heard The Butler was a good choice.
Chemo will be on Tuesday so I'm trying to get a few things done before then. I might get that "tired" feeling after the chemo which leaves me sleeping all day for a few days.
It's time for a shower and some fresh clothes...and that, folks, is what I have been doing with my life lately!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
I'm a Car Rider, Gumbo and Cooking
Carrie is proud of her new status. She is a car rider. No more big yellow buses for this little girl. We've decided this in the last two months of school last year when we heard about the children on the bus shooting staples at each other. HEY! You could put an eye out with that kinda stuff!
Carrie spent the night. That's two nights in a row she has stayed with me. The evening goes by much too quickly. By 2030 hrs. (8:30pm) she has to be in bed. Lights out, television off, I wait the 10 minutes it takes her to relax and fall asleep. It's time for me to get out of bed and make my way to the living room where I either Skype with a friend or watch TV for a while.
The morning arrives; I've been awake for at least 2hrs before I make my way to the bedroom to wake Carrie. This morning I placed the laptop where she could see it and I gently nudged her awake. As soon as her eyes opened, I hit the link to the video showing a dog and his owner talking to each other. The dog's voice was a lip synch and I listened as Carrie broke into giggles watching this video.
By the time the video was over, she was awake and in such a great mood to start her day.
We have a routine and it never varies. She knows this routine so the mornings are stress free. Everything she needs to wear or take to school is laid out in exactly the same spot the night before. To the living room coffee table, her first stop there is to get her uniform and get dressed. She goes to the kitchen where her milk is poured into a short green tumbler. Carrie is not a big breakfast person but she did have a light breakfast this morning. Her hair and teeth get attention, her shoes and socks are last. She usually puts these on while in the car on the way to school.
Her book bag by the door is grabbed on the way out and we are off!
I have to be this organized and have a routine. I get too stressed if I don't have a plan. Carrie does better, as any child does, with a routine. There is no questions about what she is supposed to do in the morning, nor what she is wearing or where her clothes are.
After delivering her to school I returned home and doctored up the gumbo. More chicken and sausage was added to it and I let it cook for another twenty minutes. The daughter will be by later to pick it up and serve it to her family and house guests tonight.
I've spent another hour or so on the phone with family. My big brother calls daily to check on me and make sure I'm feeling fine; the niece in Germany called again for another nice conversation. I'm thankful for unlimited minutes on my cell phone and on her international calling plan that allows her to talk and still be frugal.
Chicken and dumplings are on the menu for tomorrow night. I'm in a cooking mood lately and since I'm alone here. The food gets directed to the daughter and I get to clean up a messy kitchen. It's time to do just that. I'm done with cooking for today and it's only 1030!
Carrie spent the night. That's two nights in a row she has stayed with me. The evening goes by much too quickly. By 2030 hrs. (8:30pm) she has to be in bed. Lights out, television off, I wait the 10 minutes it takes her to relax and fall asleep. It's time for me to get out of bed and make my way to the living room where I either Skype with a friend or watch TV for a while.
The morning arrives; I've been awake for at least 2hrs before I make my way to the bedroom to wake Carrie. This morning I placed the laptop where she could see it and I gently nudged her awake. As soon as her eyes opened, I hit the link to the video showing a dog and his owner talking to each other. The dog's voice was a lip synch and I listened as Carrie broke into giggles watching this video.
By the time the video was over, she was awake and in such a great mood to start her day.
We have a routine and it never varies. She knows this routine so the mornings are stress free. Everything she needs to wear or take to school is laid out in exactly the same spot the night before. To the living room coffee table, her first stop there is to get her uniform and get dressed. She goes to the kitchen where her milk is poured into a short green tumbler. Carrie is not a big breakfast person but she did have a light breakfast this morning. Her hair and teeth get attention, her shoes and socks are last. She usually puts these on while in the car on the way to school.
Her book bag by the door is grabbed on the way out and we are off!
I have to be this organized and have a routine. I get too stressed if I don't have a plan. Carrie does better, as any child does, with a routine. There is no questions about what she is supposed to do in the morning, nor what she is wearing or where her clothes are.
After delivering her to school I returned home and doctored up the gumbo. More chicken and sausage was added to it and I let it cook for another twenty minutes. The daughter will be by later to pick it up and serve it to her family and house guests tonight.
I've spent another hour or so on the phone with family. My big brother calls daily to check on me and make sure I'm feeling fine; the niece in Germany called again for another nice conversation. I'm thankful for unlimited minutes on my cell phone and on her international calling plan that allows her to talk and still be frugal.
Chicken and dumplings are on the menu for tomorrow night. I'm in a cooking mood lately and since I'm alone here. The food gets directed to the daughter and I get to clean up a messy kitchen. It's time to do just that. I'm done with cooking for today and it's only 1030!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Ambien Will Getcha
Is it really fatigue or could it be the Ambien I swallowed before I decided I might not be ready for bed. The Ambien encourages me to not take that straight path but instead aim for the one full of corkscrew turns, narrow paths and filled with obstacles. If not for the Ambien, I believe I could conquer this silly course.
Right now I might have trouble just ambulating to the bedroom and finding the right plane to coordinate with the plane of the bed. I really shouldn't be up and about after swallowing that Ambien. Judgement is off. Right foot in front of left foot, left foot now repeats the same maneuver.
See how easy this is? Bouncing off the hall way walls to get to the bed was planned. This has happened before and I've made it a point to always be beneath the sheets before I swallow that Ambien. It must be time for me to zig and a zag, a wiggle and a waller to get back down that hall to my bed.
This is a good night to all. I'll check for bruises tomorrow!
Right now I might have trouble just ambulating to the bedroom and finding the right plane to coordinate with the plane of the bed. I really shouldn't be up and about after swallowing that Ambien. Judgement is off. Right foot in front of left foot, left foot now repeats the same maneuver.
See how easy this is? Bouncing off the hall way walls to get to the bed was planned. This has happened before and I've made it a point to always be beneath the sheets before I swallow that Ambien. It must be time for me to zig and a zag, a wiggle and a waller to get back down that hall to my bed.
This is a good night to all. I'll check for bruises tomorrow!
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