Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Tuesday 9.30.2008

It is now 0230 Wednesday morning. 24 hours ago I got up to use the bathroom, and out it came, both ends, forcefully. I have slept the majority of the day, up to visit the bathroom. Although my head and body feel somewhat better, I was awakened by .... well, you know. I got up, cleaned up, and came out to the living room to call in sick to work. And I stopped by here.

Excuse me, nature's calling.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Monday 9.29.2008

Wow. I woke up around 9, and Daniel not until 10. I had breakfast, and didn't do much the rest of the morning. Dan was on the computer for a while, then went to the chiropracter again for his back. He was gone a couple of hours.

When he got back, I went over to Meijer to pick up a few things that were on sale, and to browse around. I think I just wanted to get out of the house.

After I got home, Dan and I fixed supper and ate. We cleaned up the kitchen, and watched TV until Dan drifted off to bed. I wrote here.

My breast has become bothersome, in that it's tender and sore, mostly in the woundbed, and underneath, or at the bottom of the breast. Hm. Might that be gravity pulling the fluid there?? I don't know. I just take a couple motrin and a tylenol and I'm good for a few hours. My shoulder gets achy too. Tomorrow I see Ike.

I hope all is well with all of you. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Sunday 9.28.2008

I woke up hungry about 9:30 and got up; Dan was still sleeping and got up about 10. Maybe he smelled my breakfast.

We visited a bit, I went in and got myself ready for the day. Dan's granddaughter Amanda called asking if we were going to be home--she wanted to stop by and show us her "new" car.

She got here about 11:30, and had her sister Kayla, and Manda's younger child, Skylar, with her. Skylar is doing well, having been born approximately 3 months early. He's just starting to walk, at 13 months, birth age. She brought a couple of new pics--I've been on the computer most of the day today "manipulating data", but haven't scanned those in yet. They stayed about a half hour or so.

We went down to check out the car--it seems to have been outdoors on a dirt road--that light sandy silty dirt was in all the cracks, seams, inside and out. Grandpa found a couple of screws and put her license plate on for her, and Grandma (tee-hee, that's me) sprayed WD-40 on all the door hinges to stop the creaky squeaks.

They left, then Dan left to golf. I enjoyed my quiet day at home. I caught up on the email, downloaded photos, etc, and took a nap.

Dan got back about 8:30. I continued writing here, and I'm sure we'll be in bed before too long.

I've "noticed" my breast again today. It's "filling"--getting sore, full, tender. I've had a couple doses of tylenol/motrin with relief. And the upper area of my upper arm is starting to itch again, too. I see Ike again on Tuesday.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Saturday 9.27.2008

I got up about 9 this morning and breakfasted, then showered. Dan was engrossed with whatever he was doing, and I reminded him of the time. He got ready, and we were on the road at 11:00.

We had a beautiful drive to Glen Arbor, MI. Sunny blue sky with the dark green summer foliage changing to yellow-golds and orangey-reds. The color was maybe 40%.

We arrived in town about 2:30 ish, found a place for lunch, and had a bite to eat. The name of the place escapes me right now, but they had a large outdoor eating area and bathrooms out there, too, which was convenient for me to change into a dress to attend the wedding.

We drove the few blocks over to the Glen Arbor Township Hall, parked, then walked a few blocks down to the beach, the site of the wedding. It was a perfect afternoon. Temp low 70's, the gentle waves rhythmically breaking on the beach, the 3 piece string band, Daisy Mae on violin and vocals, Seth on acoustic guitar, and an unnamed person playing bass, creating the musical romantical backdrop for this wedding event and the 80 or so guests.

Click here to see the photos, or the link at the top left of the page.

After the ceremony that was written by the bride and groom, we lingered on the beach before walking back to the Township Hall. Dan and I sat in the car and changed from our beach shoes to dress shoes, and while we were enjoying the air conditioning, my phone rang.

My brother Dave called; he and his wife Catherine were camping a few miles down the road. I told him if we could get away soon enough we'd stop by on the way home, and that I'd call him either way.

The hall was beautifully decorated, and sometime after 6pm we were treated to a delicious meal prepared and served by Kelly's Catering. Lots of laughter at our table--we were seated with the brothers and one of the sisters of the father of the bride, all of whom lived next door to Dan as elementary age youth. They have all kept in touch through the years, sometimes sporadically, and it was fun to hear them razz each other.

It was a low-key party, and we were able to leave about 8:30. We headed to the campground. I called Dave and got directions, and we got there ok, and found their site.

Dave and Catherine had a rainfly over the table, and good thing, too, as it had been lightly sprinkling. Dave put another piece of wood on the fire, we visited, then sat around the table and played dominoes. A few rounds of that, and we had to go. Hugs and good wishes. Thanks, Dave and Catherine, for calling. It was good to see you.

We headed south. I drove, Dan helped navigate the first half hour or so until we got to the highway. Just outside the entrance to the park, a few minutes down the road, there were 2 deer crossing. Fortunately I saw them, slowed and stopped for them to finish crossing the street. I waited another moment to look for others behind them, but there weren't. Continuing on, we stopped at the Meijer in Cadillac and refueled, and when we got back onto 131, he went to sleep. He said when he woke up, the sign showed 21 miles to Grand Rapids. That makes a fast trip, sleeping.

We arrived home about 1:40am. There were several dead animals on the roads, and thankfully we didn't contribute to the count. We were tucked into bed by 2:30. Ahhhh....

I did pretty good overall today, though I did have an "episode" during the reception. The room had gotten quite warm, even though the windows were open, and I was going to have a hot flash. John, the father of the bride, was at the microphone speaking, and I was thinking I had to get outside where it was cooler. I thought to myself, ok, just breathe, you'll be ok. Well, I wasn't. It got worse, and by the time I got outdoors my forehead was wet. That is just yucky.
I sat on the bench out there for several minutes, then stood in the doorway. After a while I went back to the table. Sometimes those hot flashes take my breath away.

May your personal thermostat function well for you.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Friday 09.26.08

OoooKaaayyyy. The radio came on and it was time to get up. The brain said back to sleep. I got up and got ready to go.

An uneventful drive, now completely dark with a crescent moon and morning stars hanging on.

I got into a parking place, there was a shuttle, (thank you), and started the workday. The morning was slow, but the afternoon picked up. And the last 2 hours, we were bombarded with patients coming to the floor one after another. I think we got 5 patients. Ahh, well, that's why it's a job.

We finished up, having to stay over about 15 minutes or so to keep up with the post-op checks, 24 hour baby check, and report. We got through it--and I was glad to clock out.

Home. I changed clothes, visited with Daniel, checked the computer, and wrote here. I'm pretty tired tonight. I had an episode of nausea again today that lasted maybe about a half hour. My breast is sore from therapy, but overall still better. Hot alternating with cold. Ahh. Life is good.

Tomorrow we go to Glen Arbor in the Leelanau Penninsula for a 4 pm wedding. (Dan's childhood friend's daughter) We are planning on driving back again late night, although we've been told to bring an overnight bag. I'm not traveling 4 hours in dress clothes, so I'll have a change of clothes with me. We'll see how it works out.

I'm off to bed. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Thursday 9.25.2008

Another Beautiful Day!!

Yes, I know I said that yesterday. Today is just as beautiful, with the blue sky, sunshine, pleasant temperatures.

I got up and got ready for my 0900 appointment with Ike.

Over at the therapy place, I was several minutes early, and I read a little. She came to The Door and called me back, and we went to room 2. A little chit chat, and she looked me over. The inner half of the breast was still pretty soft, and around the areola and nipple was better, too. Under my arm and around the side, though, still had fluid, as well as the outer side of the breast. Both incisions were still dimpled. I don't know if there are adhesions or if they are ever going to flatten out; I don't know if the adhesions are something to be concerned about.

Ike did her thing, and it was sore and uncomfortable, leftovers from Tuesday along with what she was doing today. At the end of the hour, the area under my arm was much better. I felt like my arm/shoulder was "hanging" right, or better, or something. Thank you, Ike, thank you God.

I went back home, made some fresh brew, started laundry. Daniel and I visited a bit, then he was off to a golf game. I spent my afternoon finishing laundry, doing food prep, minor household upkeep. I was just about to take a nap when Dan's daughter Kim stopped in, with her son Taylor and granddaughter Ja'Lynn. She had a large bird cage leftover from the garage sale that she had here, and she had someone meeting her here to pick it up. We visited a bit, then went outside to wait for the guy. He showed up before long, transaction completed.

They all left. Dan came home shortly after. I finished up supper, we ate, I cleaned up the kitchen.

My breast is pretty sore tonight--I haven't had any more tylenol/motrin since the early morning dose--and I'm pretty tired. The hot flashes are frequent, of course.

Tomorrow is a workday. I'm off to bed. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Wednesday 9.24.2008

Another Beautiful Day!!

I slept fair, listening to the radio earphone a few different times during the night. Daniel was restless, too. One of those nights, I guess.

When I woke up, about 8:30, Dan was already up. I dozed a bit longer, then got up before 9. I stripped the bed and started laundry. Throughout the day, I had gotten the bedding done, and had put the pillows, damp sheets, blankets, etc, outdoors for several hours to freshen up. I brought the shop vac in and vacuumed the mattress; Dan flipped and turned it, and I vacuumed the box spring. I sprayed everything with Lysol.

We went out for the few groceries that we needed. When we got back, we put the bedding back on, then he went out to the golf range. When he came back we fixed dinner.

His back has been bothering him for awhile--he had gone to the chiropractor in the morning and now was sore. We went to the clubhouse and got into the hot tub. I was a bit leery of that--I'm hot enough as it is. I was very surprised that after getting in, I was able to stay in maybe 15 minutes or so. And to describe it--my skin was now the temperature of the inside of me. I had sweat running off my head. I had taken the piece of pool noodle and had that under my left forearm to support it, so it wasn't dependent (hanging down) while in the water. (I think I read somewhere that hot tubs may not be a good thing for the swelling in the arm) The warm water felt good on my shoulder, though. When I started to get queasy I got out. I did ok. Cooling off, I stood in an open doorway and waited for Dan to come out of the bathroom. He drove back, I walked.

At home, I showered, he showered, and then I wrote here. He rubbed my arm a little--I think he did some good. I see Ike tomorrow at 9:00.

I'm tired tonight--thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Tuesday 9.23.2008

I slept pretty good, and when the radio came on, I wasn't done sleeping. I got up anyway, and got into the shower. We are really spoiled in the United States--or maybe I should say that we are spoiled here in Michigan. I lingered in the shower, enjoying the warm water running over me. My thoughts were--this sure feels good, and--I'm being wasteful and irresponsible with resources--water, electricity to heat the water, sewer, treatment plant--boy, does this feel good.

I got myself ready and went over to the therapy place for my 0730 appointment with Ike. We went into room 2. She looked me over--I think she was surprised at how much fluid had accumulated since Thursday. I told her that my shoulder had started aching again, that I wasn't surprised there was a fluid buildup, because I'm recognising the shoulder discomfort as an indicator. She worked on me for about 40 minutes, moving the fluid out of the deep tissue of the breast. It isn't all gone, though, and I think she was surprised at that, too. Better, but not done. I see her again Thursday. Thank you, Ike, for sharing your gifts.

I went home--Daniel was up and getting ready to go out to do errands. We chatted for a few minutes, he left, I decided to go back to bed for an hour or so.

I did, and slept for another hour or so. When I woke, I felt a bit better, like I had finished sleeping. Cool.

I had some fresh brew, then got ready to go to the health screening event at the Lansing Center. We got there and checked in, and had our screenings. We had an ultrasound of the carotid arteries (the big vessels in the neck, both left and right sides), a 4 lead EKG to rule out atrial fibrillation (a type of abnormal heart rhythm), and a pulse pressure reading to rule out atherosclerosis. This last test was unfamiliar to me. We had an 11x14 size small print list of questions to answer for this screening process; not one question had a reference to any type of cancer history. The technicians were doing there things, wiping off different areas on our skin, using ultrasound dopplers and gel and wiping that stuff off, sticking those tabs on us for the EKG leads then pulling them off, then wrapping something around each upper arm and each ankle. Mind you, there were probably 7 or 8 technicians moving among 3 exam tables that we participants we lying on, and they were cooking along like an assembly line processing us. The technician hooked up something to the thing wrapped around my left upper arm--wait, I said--is that a blood pressure cuff? Yes, she said, we'll check pressures in all 4 extremities. I told her I've had breast cancer...she said, "In this arm?" Yes, I replied. She took the cuff off and seemed like it was a bother, or that it was going to invalidate their test or studies or something. I told her there was nothing on the questionnaire about cancer. She was thoughtful a moment and acknowledged that I was right as she proceeded to the other arm, then each lower leg. The leg cuff was inflated and she used a doppler to catch the pulse (at least, that's my guess).

Done. Simple, painless. We'll get the results in the mail in approximately 3 weeks.

On to a breakout session, scheduled to start at 1:15. We chose "Brand Name vs. Generics", where the guy talked about the differences and similarities and costs, etc. I thought it was interesting, and he was very careful to say that most people don't have problems with generics, and to not make all-inclusive statements.

After a 20 minute break, Daniel went to the Social Security presentation, while I went to Financial Planning. His was finished first and came down to the room I was in, as we were finishing up.

From there we went into the banquet room for dinner, being served at 4:30. Very nice buffet of turkey, fresh steamed vegetable medley, fresh green bean amandine, real mashed potatoes, and several other choices. I was happy there were decent vegetables, and not much seasoning (ie fresh black pepper) used. I enjoyed it.

After everyone had their plates and well into their meals, there was another presentation while we were eating. This one was about market volatility, and why it's so important to diversify investments. When the presentation was done, we were too, and we left.

We got home about 7:30. We chatted a little while I did some food prep, then Dan had the TV on while I wrote here. As of now, I don't have much planned for tomorrow, maybe groceries. I don't think Dan has anything planned either.

My breast is sore and tender from manipulating the tissue, and I'm off to bed soon.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Monday 9.22.2008

Another workday. The radio came on, I got up, blah blah. Drive 35 minutes south. Blah blah. We had a good crew and a good workday. Other than having an extremely upset stomach today for about 3-4 hours. Yuck. I don't know what it was, but I sure felt yucky. Fortunately, I was able to sit and rest at intervals. It did pass without anything happening--you know, like gas passing up or down, or oopy-doops, or throwing up. I just started feeling better. And tonight, I feel almost all better.

I had visitors today at the hospital--Carianne the Beautiful and Wrestlin' Drew. Seems Drew hurt is ankle last week and decided it had hurt long enough and doctor said it needed x-rayed. Negative films, good news. I visited with them while they were having lunch. It was good to see them.

I got home and visited with Daniel. He was excited to have played Warwick Hills Golf Course in Grand Blanc, MI today with a group of folks that work the Buick Open. (I think they are volunteers) He was able to sign up to assist with the Open next year.

I had a bit of cereal, checked the computer, and wrote here. Dan has gone to bed.

Tomorrow I have therapy with Ike at 0730, then Dan and I are participating in a free health screening and retirement information program put on by the City of Lansing for retirees. I hope it's worth the time ...

I have had many hot flashes today. I guess not any more than any other day. They're pretty frequent, though. And sometimes I perspire on the top of my head and along my spine from the shoulders to waist. Weird. The shoulder is a little achy, too.

I thank God for having a good day--surrounded by good people, sunshine, and life.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sunday 9.21.08

Boy was I surprised when I woke up this morning. It was 10:00!! Daniel was up, of course, and said he had been up for a couple of hours. It looked gloomy and gray outside--there was a thick foggy haze and about 65 degrees.

Dan left for his golf date, I fooled around on the computer a while, then got busy in what used to be Breon's room. I vacuumed, then got the shop vac and did the edges and corners and such. The bed is still assembled, and there are still some of her things in there, but I did what I could.

Dan came home about 7:15--I showered, and we left to meet Bre and Nick for dinner. We had a nice visit. They seem to be ok, adjusting to married life.

Back home, we settled in. I wrote here, and I'm off to bed soon. Tomorrow is a workday.

My shoulder started to feel achy again today, and my breast is uncomfortable, too. I've had tylenol/motrin to help with that. The hot flashes are still happening.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Saturday 9.20.2008

What a Beautiful Day!! Although neither Dan nor myself slept well last night, I felt fairly good today. I woke up kind of punky, but I had breakfast with the tylenol/motrin and fresh brew. A couple hours later, I was feeling better. I showered and primped...

We didn't do much--putzed around the house, a few chores, etc. After a while Dan asked about dinner. We decided to go out. Halftime of the MSU football game, we left.

We had a good dinner at Finley's, then drove through the car lots, dreaming. Back home, we chatted and watched football games and such. I wrote here, and might have another dose of tylenol/motrin before going to bed. Yep, my shoulder and breast are sore again.

Did you notice the upper left corner of the page?? My brother Jim is doing the photography thing, Affordable Photography, LLC, focusing on Senior Pictures and Family/Individual Portraits. My niece, Carianne the Beautiful, is doing the accounting thing, CD Wilson, LLC, Accounting and Bookkeeping for Your Small Business. Please consider utilizing their talents. They are both very good at what they do.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Friday 09.19.08

Wow. I was sleeping when I had to get up. So I did, and got myself ready for work. Down to Jackson and clocked in. I realized as I was changing my shoes (and having a hot flash) that I didn't have a hot flash during the 35 minute drive. That might be a first. These "warm-ups" don't seem to have any preferences or triggers as to when they like to show up.

We had a good group today on West, and even though we were busy, we were all good natured. I felt pretty good, overall. I had a couple of those types of hot flashes earlier in the day that almost seem to take my breath away, and I have a hard time focusing on anything until it is mostly gone, which might take up to 15 -20 minutes. Mid-afternoon, after I had taken the tamoxifen and effexor, I was feeling a little punky, and a little queasy. I don't know what that was about. When the yucks let up some, I took a couple motrin and a tylenol, because my shoulder was bothering me a little.

I did feel better for a while. 7 PM finally rolled around, and we were able to leave. I changed my shoes, gathered my things, and went to Meijer on my way home. Yes, I know we were just there, but I forgot a couple of things, so I stopped in to pick them up. On the way home, I got really queasy. Ewww. What is this?? I didn't feel throw-up queasy, just yucky.

I got home just before Daniel did. He said he had a good time, and he was tired and sore. We visited a bit, then he drifted off to bed. I got really hot a couple of times again this evening. The queasy/nausea stuff has let up some, but I still don't feel real well. I'm going to take myself to bed.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Thursday 9.18.2008

I slept pretty good last night, and woke about 8:50. I could have dozed back off, but I had to get up and get over to the physical therapy place for my 10:00 appointment with Ike. I didn't set the alarm on purpose.

I got up and breakfasted and on my way.

Ike came out for me just after 10, and we went back to room 2. She looked me over, checked me out; I told her I'd been having breast and shoulder aches. She checked the area under my upper arm and armpit, and you know what she found?? That cording was back. I was surprised. I didn't realize it until she was pressing around on it. It was quite uncomfortable.

She worked on that cording almost 40 minutes, then the scar tissue of the 2 wounds, and then some on the breast tissue itself. I was surprised at how uncomfortable the treatment was today, even with the tylenol/motrin that I had taken at 9:00 when I got up. I'm truly blessed that God brought me Ike, and I told her so.

She also had looked over my chart and seen that I needed a new prescription to continue treatment, and had the new order to do so. When we were done today, we scheduled for the next 3 weeks. My hope is that as time goes on, and as the radiated tissue continues to change, that the lymph fluid will figure out where it needs to go, and I won't have long-term "issues".

I went home, drank water, visited with Daniel a bit, before he went out to the golf course. After a bit, I went out to Meijer for some fresh fruit and veggies and a few other items. Back home, I had a bite to eat. Daniel got home a little while after.

We went out to the Eagles building in north Lansing for the annual dinner for the retired police officers. That was interesting--it was nice to see Dan warmly greeted by his peers. We chatted, mingled, had a buffet dinner, and the folks started drifting off. We did, too.

Back home, I cut up veggies for tomorrow, checked email, and wrote here. Tomorrow is a work day for me. Dan is golfing, then going to a football game in Flint with the guys.

I'm off to bed. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Wednesday 9.17.2008

I slept pretty good, waking (the usual) several times with hot flashes and bathroom trips, but returned readily to sleep. It was really nice to sleep this morning--we got up about 8:30.

I had a slow morning. Emails took a couple of hours (what with the subscriptions to the breastcancer.org forums and such), I enjoyed breakfast, and fresh brew, then a shower. We chatted occasionally, and the beautiful blue sky made the flowers on the balcony look even more beautiful. The hummingbirds like the flowers, too, as well as the feeder. Lots of activity after the 3 days of rain.

One of Daniel's grandsons had a football scrimmage this afternoon in Springport, and we went over there to watch.

On the way home, we stopped and got a bite to eat. The rest of the evening was just as uneventful.

Dan has drifted off to bed, and I'm going soon.

My breast and shoulder are achy, with the numbness coming back under my upper arm. Tomorrow is physical therapy with Ike, who, I hope, will make it go away.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Tuesday 9.16.2008

I slept pretty good, and when the alarm came on I was kind of awake. I got up and got ready for the day. An uneventful drive to Jackson, and the parking lot was full. On to the next one--there's room here. I park and get out. Hey, what's that, the shuttle?? No kidding... I climb aboard and ride over to the hospital.

Clocked in, ready. Oh, boy, we're in for it today. Lots of patients and almost enough staff. It was my job role that was the challenge. It ended up that there was someone to help me throughout most of the day, well, three people ended up covering the hours, and talk about me being confused. I got through it, but I sure had to consciously and intentionally work on staying on task and getting things done. As it was, I missed 2 things that I had been asked to do. Nothing that was life or death, or even pivotal. Just routine stuff. The end of the shift finally happened.

The shuttle took me over to the car, and I got home ok. Daniel was home. We chatted some, he watched tv, I checked email and wrote here.

I'm pretty tired. I've had a couple of doses of tylenol/motrin today for breast and shoulder discomfort, and the hots have happened, sometimes the ones that take my breath away. I'm glad I don't have morning appointments tomorrow.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Monday 9.15.2008

The radio came on at 0430, but I didn't hear it until 0440. That's unusual for me. I got myself out of bed.

Happy to have power, I flipped on the light. Yippee! I got ready to go.

An uneventful drive to Jackson (thank you God), I walked the block over in the light drizzle, and clocked in. Another day at the office.

I had a good day; someone had agreed to come in and work for me so that I could attend a committee meeting. That worked well, and since there was a unit meeting to follow, I went back to the floor and let her go to the unit meeting. The rest of the afternoon/evening went by. I was able to go to the first half hour of the next unit meeting, but couldn't stay. I had to get back to the floor and finish up.

Clocked out, uneventful drive home, and Daniel greets me with a warm smile and a big hug. We catch up on our day, and soon he drifts off to bed. I finish writing here. I work again tomorrow.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 9.14.08

Rained all day today, as the effects of Hurricane Ike have swirled their way into Michigan. We slept until maybe 9. Dan doesn't do well in the gloom of rainy days. I lit a couple of candles to try to improve the ambiance.

We basically did nothing all day. He took a nap, and slept another couple hours in the afternoon. When he got up, we fixed something to eat, and got that taken care of.

The rain had let up some, from intermittent heavy rain in the morning to a steady light rain alternating with sprinkles. The temperature was low 60's, and I was getting restless. I had to go outside.

I put my "water-resist" hikers on, a jacket, and took an umbrella with me. Daniel opted out. I went out for a lovely walk in the rain, heavy sprinkle, really. I went out around the pond, which was really full. Like maybe 3 feet up the banks. And then I heard a splash. What? I looked over, and saw a muskrat, swimming, diving, splashing. Funny. I continued on, looking at how the low areas are flooded. Interesting. Every once in a while the wind would gust, and I would have to hold on to Dan's black golf umbrella, wondering if I was going to take off like Mary Poppins and hoping I wouldn't. Whoa--and then I giggled. The wind would really grab that umbrella. I figured out how to angle it so it didn't catch so much. Whew.

On to the other ponds. Up by the clubhouse, the water was almost up to the top of the rocks, and the whole low area was flooded along the road. That's a lot of water. I kept going around to the undeveloped part. Of course, being open, the breeze was stronger. The pond back there was full, too. Not much interesting back there today, other than I scared up a deer who jumped up and bounded away. Hm. That was something. I continued on, and had to go through about a 2 inch deep collection across the road. I tried to hurry, enjoyed splashing through it thinking it was a good trial for my "water resist" boots, and made my way back to our building. Another block or so, and I felt the cold water seep into the top of my left foot. Hm.

I got back in. I had been out about 45 minutes, and enjoyed it. I didn't get very wet, other than the ball of my left foot. Oh well.

I had gotten settled in, and was just getting started on the computer, when the power flickered. Hm. A few emails later, the power flickered again, several times, then went out. Yep. The whole complex was dark. The silence was lovely. It was about 8:40 pm.

Since I already had a candle lit, it wasn't completely dark in the house, but I got a few more lit, wondering what Dan and I could do for a couple of hours. To my surprise, he said he was tired, and went to bed. No kidding. Now what. And he's snoring already.

I found a deck of cards and played solitaire for a while, then went to bed myself. The lights came on about 1:30 am. Yippee! I was all set to get ready for work by flashlight.

That's why there wasn't a post yesterday.

Hope you're dry, and have power. Hugs.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Saturday 9.13.2008

I thought I slept pretty good last night, and got up about 8:30. Daniel got up shortly after. I was surprised that I didn't feel good--sore (breast and shoulder), kind of nauseated, punky, just yucky. I watched TV a little--the weather channel to check on the hurricane and our local weather, a landscape show, whatever followed that--I'm going back to bed.

And I did.

I woke up at 12:45.

Wow. I laid there and checked me out. Hm. I think I feel better!

I got up, had breakfast, and showered. That was really good. I still wasn't "all that", and I decided that if I couldn't ignore my discomforts, I was going to take some pain medicine. Tylenol and Motrin are my friends. I checked email, did a few little household things. Dan and I had been invited to a party from 2 til 7, and we got over there about 4:30 ish. It was nice; we didn't stay real long.

There was only snack-type food there, so we stopped on the way home and had a bite to eat. At home, I did a couple loads of laundry, and wrote here.

I haven't had another dose of medicine; the discomforts are there, but I'm dealing with it. We'll be off to bed soon.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Friday 09.12.08

The radio came on this morning, telling me it was time to get up. Shoot. I thanked God that I have a job, and that I'm feeling well enough to go to work. Up and at 'em.

I got to work ok, and it's totally dark now in the morning. Another day at the J.O.B. I was busy, as were all the others. I got really tired about 4:30-5:00, and had the challenge of trying to focus and stay on task. It was finally time to clock out and go home.

I made it home, driving through light rain, heavy rain, dry pavement, and drizzle. Daniel was home and we chatted a bit about our days.

I'm still really tired. I'm going to go to bed.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Thursday 9.11.2008

After a short night, the radio came on. I was coming to the surface, realizing that I was hearing the radio and it was time to get up, when the phone rang. My lucky day!! I could stay home!! Yippee!! I turned the radio off and settled back to sleep. It was close to 8 o'clock when I woke, and Dan was just getting up himself. I dozed a little, and finally got up about 8:20.

I enjoyed my morning; breakfast, shower, etc. Since I didn't have to go to work, (I was on-call, but highly unlike to be called in), Dan and I went out to get a few groceries. After coming back and putting those away, we had lunch, and Dan went out to the golf course.

I took the opportunity to go to Jackson and do the "Education Fair" for my unit's mandatory annual education/competency requirements. That worked out well, as it takes a couple of hours to complete, and I had been scheduled to work when it was being offered.

I came back home, did household stuff. Dan got home shortly after, and we just had a quiet evening.

He's off to bed, I wrote here.

Tomorrow I work, so I'll definitely be getting up early.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Wednesday 9.10.2008 Home Again

Dan and I were both awake intermittently during the night. As a result, neither one of us feels "quite right" today. He was up first, and so quiet that I thought he might have gone back to sleep in a recliner or on another bed. None of the above--he was up, just being quiet.

You know that I'm not a morning person, and I took my time enjoying breakfast, the very clear, very blue sky reflecting onto the mirror quiet lake. Absolutely beautiful. The critters--I saw 2 black squirrels, a chipmunk, bluejays, ducks, a seagull--all doing what they do in the peace of nature when there is minimal human interference. We woke to 40 degrees at sunrise, and by 10:30 it was 60. Daniel had his bag zipped up and ready to go; I went in to shower.

Seeing as how it was so beautiful outdoors, I had to go outdoors and walk around before finishing packing. I wandered around the backyard, looking at the trees and such, basically making sure all was well to leave for the winter. The neighbor, Evelyn, saw me out, and she and her dog Molly came out. We visited some, walked around to the front and checked out the seawall, and I knew I had to go back in and finish up. I said goodbye to her and Molly until next time.

Daniel had done the dishes, and had vacuumed the front of the house. Cool! I closed and zipped my suitcase, then went in and cleaned the bathroom--scrubbed the tub and sink, swished the bowl, washed the floor and the outside of the stool. There, that's done. I went out to the kitchen--wiped off the counters and the stove, gathered the food from the cupboards and the fridge, tied up the trash, helped move the chairs while he finished vacuuming, and we were ready to go. It's a lot nicer to have someone to close up with... *smile*

We were in the car and on the way at 2 pm. We had a good drive, stopping at Tom and Kathy Sue's for a visit. These last few days, she has finally started feeling better. The physical therapy has helped her back and neck immensely. Praise the Lord!! Dan and I weren't going to stay real long, but when we were ready to leave, it was 5 pm. We didn't want to travel during rush hour, so we accepted their invitation to share their meal. Kristen had fixed a Mexican Meatloaf, which was yummy, and we had rice, and beets, and green beans. Thank you, T & KS, & K, for good company and good food. I enjoyed our visit.

We cleared the table, and the kitchen was almost cleaned up, and Dan and I got back on the road about 6 pm. We got home about 7:30. It felt good to unload the car and be Home.

We each unpacked, and I have gotten all the laundry done that we brought home. I've also gone through some of my email, and written here. It's about 1035, and I'm going to bed.

Tomorrow is a workday, so I'll be up early.

My shoulder has been achy the last few days, and so has my breast, it seems like it's in the wound-bed. Tylenol and motrin are my friends.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Tuesday 9.9.2008

I was pleasantly surprised at how well I slept last night. Daniel got up and opened the blinds. Is there anything better than waking up and looking out at the lake?? It was a beautiful blue sky, the water just starting to ripple. And it was steaming. No kidding. I don’t know what the temperature got down to during the night, but the entire lake (at least where I could see it) had wisps of white coming up, not unlike the road in summer after a brief rain. So neat.

Dan got up and had his breakfast, and went outside to get started on the dock. I got up and had my breakfast, too, but you know that I’m not all that in the morning. By the time I had my socks and shoes on and was ready to go outdoors, he was ready for some help. He had the dock apart, and I helped him get the sections up over the seawall and stacked. Pretty easy!

After that, we moved the furniture on the deck, took up the “floor”, which is a large woven mat, lowered the awning, got the garden hose out, washed and brushed the dirt off the top of it, and left it to dry. We put the garden hose away. Daniel was ready for lunch.

The sun was quite warm, but the breeze was picking up and the clouds were coming in. We took a break, and he had put a movie in. I told him that I was going for a walk, would you like to join me?? Not right now…

I went out toward the Goodwin Cottage. I took my time, enjoying the smells and the sunshine. There were no other “residents” at any of the properties between the Jacque Cabin and the Goodwin Cottage, and I wandered around, looking at flowerbeds, noticing how the buildings had changed through the years. I was in the field that we used to play ball in, when I saw Daniel heading down the road. Cool!

I walked through the now overgrown back lot where our driveway was, and came out to join Dan. We walked around the Goodwin Cottage, and all was well there. We inspected the basement project next door. That seems to be going well, too. We wandered back home.

Time to paint. I got my stuff out and painted the ceiling in the hallway. I was slow, but I got it done. And that was enough painting. As I was finishing up, Daniel got dinner ready. We ate, I cleaned up. We brought the grill inside for the winter, too.

The rest of the evening we just laid low.

Tomorrow we leave. It feels good to have the fall chores done.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Monday 9.8.2008

I got up at 0500 and got myself ready for the day. I got over to the therapy place about 0625, and the building was dark and lights were off. Hm. I checked my planner—yep, 0630 today. Just a minute or so later the lights came on, and I saw Ike walking around in there. She came and opened the door, and welcomed me in.

We went into room 2, where she evaluated the collection of fluid between the incisions, and she got started with her massage/treatment. When she thought she was done, she looked at the area, and decided she wasn’t done yet, and she kept doing what she does. When our time was up, my swelling was greatly reduced. Not gone, but better. Thank you, Ike.

Daniel was just getting up when I got home. I packed my bag, gathered a few grocery items, we loaded the car, and headed north.

We had a good drive, and got to the lake about 1145. We unloaded, put some things away, and just when we were wondering if Amerigas really was going to come this afternoon, there they are.

They changed out the propane tank again, taking the 250 gallon one and leaving a 100 gallon one. They are very good at what they do, and were done in 20 minutes or so. Cool.

Dan got the air conditioner out of the window, and he and I put the aluminum rowboat and the paddleboat up near the house.

We went into Hale, and decided to have lunch at Big Bob’s before going over to Kocher’s for the few groceries that we had planned to get. That worked well.

We got back home, Dan was tired. I was, too, but I can’t stay in the house at the lake. I went out and picked up sticks and twigs, got the saw and cut up one of those bigger branches from earlier this year, and built myself a little fire. I was sitting out there totally enjoying the mirror quiet lake, the flock of 6 bluejays in and out of the trees around me, the black squirrel, the chipmunk, and my fire. Then it started to rain. Just sprinkled lightly. I was under the canopy of the trees, so I didn’t get wet for a while.

Dan came out and joined me for a little bit. The light rain had continued, and it was starting to drip through my leafy umbrella. Oh well. Dan went in. I waited until I started getting more wet, then broke the fire apart, put the grate on the firepit thing, and went inside.

He had a movie in, and we watched that, and then another. By this time, I had laid down on the couch, gotten real comfortable, and was ready to go to bed. I’ve been up early the last three mornings…

We turned in about 9:30. I hope I can sleep halfway decent.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Sunday 9.7.2008

Today was a much better day.

Even though it was a short night, I slept pretty good from 11-3, then woke again about 0420 and dozed until the radio came on at 0430. Time to get up.

After an uneventful drive in the rain, I clocked in. I have great co-workers, which always makes a difference, and we work together well. The morning went on.

Andrew came down late morning--out for a walk. He's feeling much better. I was caught up with my work, and the others were ok with me taking a break, so Andrew and I walked around a bit before going back to his room. He hadn't been to the hospital to visit since he'd been a little boy with me, so we toured my floor again, then the rest of the main hospital. He was getting fatigued, and we went back to his room. He immediately sat down. We visited a bit, and just as I was leaving, one of his doctor's came in, so I stayed. He and Andrew decided to try the oral antibiotics, and if he could tolerate that, he could go home. He will need to follow up with the internal medicine doctor to make sure all is well. (There is no more blood in the stool, and the pain is much less frequent, and shorter when it does happen)

I went back to my unit. Early afternoon, Andrew was back, dressed in street clothes. He was discharged, and came to hug me good bye. I hope all goes well with him. I miss the little bugger.

The rest of my day went well, too, with patients trickling out the door, and just a couple new ones to replace them. I left in a timely fashion, and had an uneventful drive home. (Thank you God)

Daniel was home, tired, and sore. Overall, he thinks, Maybe too much golf?? I don't know. Maybe if he's able to rest, he'll feel better.

Tomorrow I have an 0630 appointment with Ike, then I come home, get things together, load the car, and we go to the lake for a few days. I may not be able to post predictably, but I'll write, so it will be here eventually.

Today was a much better day. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Saturday 9.6.2008

A short night. Remember a few days ago I wrote that my pillow didn't seem wet from perspiration during the night hots?? This morning, my pillow was very damp on each side. Yup. Spoke too soon.

I had a hard time dragging out of bed at 0430, but I did. The drive to Jackson was intermittently foggy, still thin enough to drive through, sometimes wispy. And uneventful. Thank you God.

I got there, started my day. Even though my workload was fair, I seemed to have difficulty staying on task. I was concerned about Andrew, and didn't have an opportunity to get off the floor until later in the afternoon.

He is better today, but not all the way. He still has intermittent cramping, frequent stools with lots of gas, no blood. He was also increased to a general diet. He ate a little of his supper tray, (which was when I was able to get up there) and before I left he had gotten uncomfortable and had to go into the bathroom. He may be discharged tomorrow if he continues to improve...

A good drive home. I got my work stuff turned around for tomorrow, got my food together, visited with Daniel a bit, and wrote here. He's gone to bed, and I'm ready, too.

My shoulder is achy tonight, and the breast is sore. I've taken the tylenol/motrin to help with that discomfort. I also noticed this morning that the lower eyelashes on each eye, on the outer half, there are only the new, very short ones there. The longer ones have shed. Very odd.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Friday 09.05.08

Yippee!! I had another appointment with Ike today. She was concerned, at first, that my breast was sore. She asked me some questions, then decided it was ok that I have been uncomfortable. She worked again on the breast, and more so on the outer side and along my ribs and under the arm, also the incisions. That breast felt pretty good when I left, and definitely more the "normal" smaller size.

I went home and caught up on a couple household chores, then went to my massage appointment with Leah, Mason Massage. She did what she does, and she also worked on my left arm. She did a great job, and when she was done, the underneath of my upper arm has not felt this good since before surgery in November of 2007. No Kidding.

I have an appointment with Ike Monday morning, and she'll do an evaluation to see where we are progress wise.

Back at home, Daniel was home from his early golf game. He seemed pleased and impressed that my arm was so much better. Thank you God for putting the right people in place for me.

I showered, had a bite to eat, and headed to Jackson. Those of you who know me, know that I have a child from my "old life". Well, actually two children, but the older girl doesn't keep in touch with me. The boy, however, is now 18, and is currently hospitalized for abdominal pain and rectal bleeding. YUCK!!! He called me to tell me of this, and asked if I could come visit. OF COURSE!!! So, I was there for a couple hours, until 8 pm.

Andrew jumped off the bed and hugged me big. This poor guy has a lot of abdominal pain, but he's brave. He talked and talked; I think he misses me. A lot. He's got IV fluids running and IV antibiotics also. One of the doctors came in while I was there and told him if he wasn't greatly improved by Monday that he would do a colonoscopy to see what was going on. Andrew has already had a CT scan which the doctor said "showed signs of Crohn's Disease". But it could be "just an infection" Big stuff for an 18 year old. Pray for healing.

Back at home, I did food prep and got my lunches ready for the workdays Saturday and Sunday. The cafeteria food is less than optimal on weekends. Daniel is off to bed, and I'm ready also.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Thursday 9.4.2008

I am very happy to say that I had an appointment with Ike/Eeka this morning. She took me back to room 2, and when my sports bra was off, she was surprised, I think, that I was so full. She right away noticed the breast, which was obvious, but I was impressed that she also saw around to the side/over my ribs, and up under my arm near that axillary incision. She got to work right away, and I'm glad I took tylenol and motrin before my appointment. 45 minutes later my breast was just a little larger than it's "normal" size, and the area under my upper arm that has been so annoying was improved. Not all the way gone, but much better. I have an appointment tomorrow, too, so that should finish moving/removing the lymph fluid from those areas.

After we were done there, she had me dress, and took me out to the equipment, and I did 6 minutes on the hand bike. (like bicycle pedals for your hands). Since I've regained some range of motion in the left shoulder, she's addressing the loss of strength in that upper shoulder area. After the hand bike, we used the yellow therapy band for several different movements. Some of them hurt, and I can pinpoint where, and other activities just make it ache and feel tired. I also noticed how I had subconsciously learned to compensate for that loss of movement. When I mentioned that I noticed that I was compensating, Ike said that was normal, not only because of the frozen shoulder, but also because of the surgeries on the axilla and breast. I do need to be aware of how I move that arm.

I left, and stopped by the library to return some of the material I had borrowed for the Myrtle Beach trip last week, then stopped by the storage unit to drop off and pick up a couple of things.

Back at home, Daniel was fixing his lunch, and I fixed mine. We visited a bit, and before long, he was about asleep in the chair. He got up and went in the bedroom. I got a little restless, and the pain medicine was helping with the discomfort, so I went outside for a walk in the complex. It's about 67 degrees out this afternoon, and has rained and mostly dried up. I ended up at the clubhouse, where I read the newspaper, shot all the balls off the pool table, and went in the tanner for a few minutes (with the radiated area covered). I went back home and Daniel was still sleeping. He ultimately ended up sleeping about 3 hours this afternoon.

He says he's ok, he thinks the trip down, the 5 days of intense golf in the 90+ degree heat, and the trip back finally caught up with him. I hope that's what it is.

I had a yearning for baked sweet potato, so I went out and got a few groceries for us for dinner. I came back and cooked the steak on the grill, put the sweet potatoes in the microwave, and Dan prepared the sweet corn. Yummy dinner.

By the time we finished eating it was about 9 o'clock, and dark. It's raining again, too.

Daniel drifted off to bed about 10, I wrote here, and I'm ready for bed, too. Tomorrow is therapy at 10 and massage at 1:30. Ahh. I should be about on track tomorrow afternoon.

My breast is really tender/sore from being so full. I can tell when the medicine wears off. And I wait until 4 hours has passed before taking any more.

I'm going to do that now.... Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Wednesday 9.3.2008

I know that I finished yesterday's post with the hot flashes, and I want to add an awareness that I found during the night. I had been asleep for about 3 hours (which in itself is fairly unusual), and when I woke, I think I woke up because of the aura preceding the hot flash. During wake times, I've been perspiring across the top of my forehead near the hairline. Sometimes the middle of my back is wet, as well as the inside creases of my elbows, too. And other places, but I'm not going to go there. So, when I woke up after sleeping for a few hours, I was covered up all snuggly. I was curious as to--do I have hot flashes when I'm actually asleep?? Well, the pillowcase was dry, and my top sheet was dry where it was up around my neck, the bottom sheet was dry underneath me, and my pj's were dry. Does that mean that I didn't have an "episode", or did I just not perspire? As frequently as the hots happen during the day, I have a hard time thinking that they don't happen around the clock, asleep or awake. But, with as much perspiration that's been oozing, and the bedding being dry, I wonder...

Daniel got up to go for an eye appointment, then golf to follow. I went back to sleep. Much to my surprise, when I woke thinking I was hungry, it was 10:10!! Sometimes I think I'm sleeping a lot, but then I remind myself that I tell my patients that it can take a year to recover after childbirth, and surgery, too. And after what this body's been through, I guess I'm thankful that I'm able to rest and eat well and be active.

I went to Jackson to take care of some banking, as well as a haircut. My travel was at the time the heavy rain storms moved through. Just walking (sprinting) from the bank to the car, I was soaked. Really. I was so wet, that Lauretta The Haircut Lady didn't need to wet my hair any more. She just combed and cut. I used one of her towels to dry my arms, and set on my lap over my wet shorts to rest my arms on. Sheesh.

She got to going with her scissors today, and it's a little shorter than I like. It will grow, and in a couple of weeks it will be fine. When she was done, I commented about how short it was, and I think she was surprised, too, because she said "next time I won't take so much off there." Yeah, Ok. I'm happy to have hair.

The temperature had dropped, too, from 89 degrees when I left, to 69 degrees when I got back home. The humidity is still really high, though, so the comfort level hasn't improved much.

Daniel had eaten, and I fixed myself something to eat. He went in for a nap. After a bit, I woke up, too. I was surprised that I had nodded off. He got up after an hour or so.

We watched television and I wrote here. He's gone off to bed, and I'm on my way, too.

Tomorrow is my appointment with Ike, and I'm very ready for it. The area under my upper arm is a sensitive/numb/annoying sensation, as is the area directly above the axillary incision. Both incisions are puckered again, but I'm sure that's due to lymph fluid collection. She'll take care of that. I hope. Simple tylenol and motrin take care of the discomfort, but I'd rather get rid of the cause... Oh, and by the way, my nipple sloughed off again today. It was pretty sore afterward, and I put some silvadene ointment on it. Yikes. And a lot of the eyelashes that hadn't shed previously with the chemo are shedding now. Yep. They're the longer ones, and they just come out. There are lots of new, shorter ones, but it's really strange to be this far out of treatment and still having effects. I guess that's how it works, though. I'm just happy to be here.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Tuesday 9.2.2008

Workday. I got up after a short night, got myself ready and left for Jackson. Kind of foggy this morning--heavy wisps would be a description. Kind of reminded me of the fake spiderweb stuff you can find at Halloween. I expected to see more (dead) critters than the few I did see. That was good.

I arrived, parked, went in. Both units open. Hm. Students. Hm.

It turned out that I had a very nice day on 4 West, with four adults, three babies, two students, and two staff.

The day went on, two of our couplets went home late in the shift, and we moved the other patients over to South, closing West.

I had a nice visit from Carianne The Beautiful today--she stopped up to bring me some of her new business cards for her new accounting business, and a tasty trio of garden fresh tomatoes. Yum! I have to say I was touched when she showed me her cards--very tasteful, professional looking, classy--and what's that? A small pink ribbon with the initials KJJ under it. Whoa. I am humbled, honored, and beyond words that she included me in this way. As I looked at it, and looked at it again, and looked at it again, my eyes filled. I'm not sure that I can communicate what I was feeling at that moment, but I tried to be open to it, and I hugged Cari and thanked her. Wow.

Our visit was brief, as she had children coming home from school soon. She is a remarkable woman herself, and I wish her the best with this endeavor. I'll post a link to her web page when it's available.

I had an uneventful drive home, and Daniel was home when I got there. We had had the Post Office hold our mail for the week we were gone, and it was delivered today. There was quite a bit, and we went through it, him showing me the pieces of common relevance. The evening went on, him watching tv, I wrote here.

I'm going to mention these hot flashes again. Sorry. I get so cold, like bone-chilled cold, that I feel like I'm not going to warm up. At some point, though, I do. The time interval is always different, and just when I realize I'm not freezing any more, I have the aura for a hot flash. This feels like oppressive heat in my face, and I find myself opening my mouth and taking a large breath of air. Then I get restless hot. My forehead "glistens" as my co-worker says, and I feel so hot like I can't breathe. I try to control my breathing, like a type of biofeedback, and not buy into the underlying anxiety, so the hot flash won't last so long. I take the Effexor and tamoxifen at about the same time every day; and if I missed it yesterday it didn't gave me pause on the hots. I'm hot for 10, 15, sometimes 20 minutes. It's quite disconcerting, and definitely on my list to talk with Dr. Bolmer about at our next appointment. She asked me to give the meds a chance, and I have. I hope she has other ideas for this...

I also noticed that a lot of the longer eyelashes are gone. I seem to have a pretty good crop of short ones, but the longer (older?) ones are shedding. I don't know if that's normal life cycle of the hair, or an affect of the chemo. Doesn't matter.

I have a haircut tomorrow afternoon, to trim up my head again. Definitely thicker, definitely wavy.

I've got to get to bed. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Monday 9.1.2008 Labor Day

Ahh, my own bed. I was somewhat disappointed and somewhat surprised that I didn't sleep all that well. Daniel did, though. Perhaps that's why I didn't. No matter.

He got up and went to a golf thing. I dozed for another half hour or so, then got up.

I sorted laundry, and ended up doing 6 loads today. Wow. I was surprised that Daniel had gone through so much clothing on our trip. But, thinking about it, he wore something each day to golf in, if he got rained on he had a dry change of clothes, and he showered and changed when he got back to the hotel. 2-3 outfits every day. Hm.

I had watered the balcony plants last night, and I watered them again this morning. I also prepared a new batch of food for the hummingbird feeder, as it was empty. I took that down and cleaned it, refilled it, and replaced it. Then I had breakfast.

After a bit, I went out to Meijer for groceries. We didn't need much, but I got fresh fruits and veggies, and a few other items that were on sale, or that we were out of.

I had lunch, kept going with the laundry, checked the computer, sifted the household back. Daniel finally got home just before 5. We visited, then he went out on the balcony and cut his hair with the clipper things he has. I trimmed around the ears and the back of the neck. He does a good job, and I think it looks nice. I watered the plants again. They are looking much better.

I fixed us something to eat, and we ate. Dan was on the phone, I cleaned the kitchen, then I wrote here.

Not too much exciting. I'll be glad to see Ike Thursday for a treatment--where the underarm is numb it's annoying. I'm thankful it's just annoying. So is the breast, swollen and uncomfortable. Tylenol and motrin are my friends. I can't remember if I took the Tamoxifen and Effexor this afternoon. I decided that I'd rather miss a dose than to double up on it. I'm still having hot flashes, so if they are pill related, I must have taken it. But I really don't remember. No matter.

Tomorrow is a work day, and I'm ready to go to bed. Thank you for reading. Hugs.