Tuesday 03.31.2009

Whew, what a day. Not so much that it was terribly busy, but that I really tried hard to stay focused to stay on top of the day, so that I could give my orientee a good experience. And I did, I think, for the most part. I kind of tuckered out about 5pm, but she's catching on pretty good and we finished up the shift ok.

I made it home on wet pavement, light rain, darkness setting in.

Daniel was happy to see me. We visited a bit.

He was busy re doing his laptop after reformatting it. I wrote here.

I'm really tired; I'm off to bed.

Hugs.

Monday 03.30.2009

I sure didn't sleep much last night. I guess I'm not real surprised, after sleeping pretty good the previous two nights. Anyway, I got up and went to work.

A safe drive there, thank you God, and the shuttle drove us over to the hospital. We had a good group with an oddly busy day. The night shift came in and it was finally time to leave.

I changed clothes and went to the funeral home for the prayer vigil for my co-worker/friend. It was very nice. Something about our mortality lends me a somber tone. I did ok there, but I'm not going to attend the funeral. Not quite ready.

I got home without difficulty.

I was so hot today, and so perspire-y, that when I scratch my itchy skin, you can feel the fine sandy grit. Eeeewwwww. I got in the shower.

That's better. I kissed my husband and told him I love him.

I'm going to bed. Love you, too, and thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 3.29.2009

I slept pretty good again. Woo Hoo!! It's the little things, isn't it?? (thank you God, for the little things) I woke when Daniel got out of bed about 8, but really woke up about 10:30. I got up.

I had breakfast after a while. I had lots of email/internet reading to catch up on. My reading is slower than it was BC (Before Cancer) so it takes me longer--not only to read, but comprehend. I hadn't gotten all the way through the reading but I had wanted to go outside today and jog. It wasn't raining, yet.

I got ready, and the rain started. Actually, snain. Snow-rain mix. Just a light precipitation, but enough that my coat was wet when I got back in. It was actually very nice outdoors--the rains and now snain have pushed the worms out and the birds were talking about it while they were feeding. I also had a fairly easy jog today, going all the way around without walking.

When I came in and got my wet clothes off I had lunch before getting in the shower. That felt good. Then over to the library. It was snaining pretty good by that time, turning to slush on the windshield.

The rest of the evening we had dinner, did computer stuff, watched Tiger win another tournament. He sure is something.

My shoulder has been achy and the incisions on the breast/underarm were very itchy after the shower. I put on the compression vest which was uncomfortable for the first half hour or so. I did take tylenol/motrin, too. My shoulder does feel better this evening.

Tomorrow is a workday. I'm off to bed soon.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday 03.28.2009

I slept well until after 4, then again until 8:30 or so. At that time I put the headphones (earbuds) on and listened to the radio. I ended up waking just after 11!!! I wish I could say I was full of energy and restless and ...

Daniel had been up for a while and already breakfasted. I had my own breakfast. Neither one of us did much. And then I remembered that rustoleum paints were on sale at Meijer.

We went out, ate at Los Tres Amigos, then on to Meijer. We got what we wanted and came home.

The rest of the evening was more of the same.

Tomorrow? I don't know...

Be nice to each other. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 03.27.2009

I slept "solid" last night, at least between midnight and 0418. Of course I got up and got ready for work. It seems so odd that I get up in the middle of my sleep time. Although, I'm happy to have a job...

And we were very busy today. We kept plugging along, and finally the shift ended.

On the way home there was a tow truck on the shoulder of the road, lights flashing. It was mostly dark by then. I moved over into the other lane, seeing there was a car being picked up. And ran over the remnants of a deer. EEWWWW. Thunk. Ugh. I don't know what part of the animal I hit, but it felt like something hit the undercarriage somewhere. The car drives ok, and I don't think I hurt anything. And just as I was taking a breath, there was another dead one off to the median edge. Ewww again.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, other than the beautiful early night sky. Mostly clear, with just the lower edge of the waning crescent moon glowing a soft orange. So peaceful.

Daniel was happy to see me, and I him. We visited a little. He was looking at the television; I scanned email and wrote here.

My shoulder is a little sore,, and the very odd thing is that the incision on the breast is peeling tonight. White skin flakes. Geesh, I don't know...

I had tylenol/motrin a bit ago, and I'm feeling better enough to go to bed.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 03.26.2009

A pretty good day today. We woke around 9.

After breakfast and reviewing email, I went out for a jog. I was able to go the whole 2+ miles today without walking!! I came in, and after cooling down, showered.

I had lunch before leaving for Jackson for a meeting for work. We had a good meeting, and I went on over to the storage unit to visit the speedboat. I haven't been there for (gasp) a couple of years. It was still there, looking like it has been in storage. Dusty, dirty. And 2 flat tires on the trailer. Boo.

When I got home I told Daniel. We had talked about the tires previously, that being flat was a possibility. He thinks all will be well, and we'll take care of it however we need to. I was bummed, but feel better after talking with him about it. (I thank God for my Daniel every day)

I had my supper, cleaned up the kitchen, got my food ready for work tomorrow. Visited with Daniel and wrote here.

I'm slightly nauseated again tonight--I'm sure it's from the tamoxifen/effexor, and my shoulder and breast are uncomfortable, too. I took tylenol/motrin hoping that these little discomforts quiet down so that I can get some sleep tonight.

May you have a blessed day. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday 03.25.2009

I finally slept last night. I went to bed shortly after 10 and woke up, what seemed like several hours later. Looking at the clock, I thought it showed 2:15. Looking again, it was 12:15. Whoa. I've been sleeping hard; I'm going back to sleep. I did, and continued to wake up at intervals, but returned fairly easily to sleep. Dan's phone woke us shortly after 9. I got up about 9:30. When I asked Daniel if I had slept hard, he just gave me "the look". I know I did, I was tired.

We had breakfast and since it was raining, I got started on the reading in my inbox. I got partly through that when I had a phone call. Then I showered. I had received another phone call--it was the hospital. I called back, as I had signed up for a computer class this afternoon. Sure enough, class was cancelled, but it is due to a death of one of our co-workers. Sudden, unexpected death shakes us up, and since the class was specifically for our unit, it was cancelled, to be rescheduled.

Well. That frees up my afternoon. Hm.

I fixed the food for Daniel and me and got that in the oven. We ate, then Daniel went in for a nap. I finished the email reading.

When he got up and moving, I asked him to join me for a walk. He finally agreed to go, and we went out for a blustery walk through the complex. We did hear the spring peepers, though, and noticed that some bushes and trees are beginning to bud. Spring will burst out soon...

I baked cookies for a bake sale our unit is doing, and that's about all for the rest of the evening.

I've been wearing the compression vest since showering. I'm not sure about it today, but I haven't felt the need to take it off yet.

Tomorrow is a Unit Meeting in the afternoon.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday 03.24.2009

Yep. Worked today. Wasn't too bad in the morning, but the last third of the day was steady-busy. I was glad to leave.

Uneventful drives each way, thank you God. The wind was interesting each way, pushing against the car.

Dan had a quiet day today. He's glad to be home.

I was nauseated maybe 3-5 hours this afternoon. I finally took tylenol and motrin with some relief. I've gotten tired the last hour or so and I'm going to bed soon.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday 03.23.2009

I got up and ready for work this morning, finishing my hair and thinking about breakfast. The phone rings. It's the hospital, calling to tell me the census is low and I'm on-call. Woo Hoo! I love these bonus days off. I'm glad I didn't have hairspray on yet. I took off my work clothes, back into pj's and back into bed. I finally got back to sleep, waking about 9.

Dan and I had a nice day. Dan went out to do errands while I spent time in my "new room" (I still haven't figured out what to call it). The whole of the day and evening was very low key.

And now, Dan's been sleeping for a bit, and I'm off to bed too. Tomorrow really is a workday.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 03.22.2009 He Made It!

Just as the GPS had estimated, I saw the van pull in about 0115 ish. Woo Hoo! I was happy to see him. They had an uneventful drive (thank you God) and the New-To-Us van did well for them. Much to my surprise, we stayed up until about 2:30. Dan's friend stayed over, and in the morning we had breakfast before he continued on his way.

Of course Daniel was a "noisy" sleeper, so my interrupted sleep had looong periods of wakefulness. Yep. Happy to have him home.

Dan and I had a quiet day, catching up some of the past week. He had a lot of time on the computer; unpacked, did laundry, took a nap, shared dinner prep and clean up.

I've had some wicked hot flashes this evening--the kind that I feel like I can't breathe. And the sore shoulder and breast. I did take tylenol/motrin once today.

Tomorrow is a work day for me. I think Daniel is going to to continue his recuperation.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday 03.21.2009

Surprisingly, I slept last night, going to bed about 11. The usual interrupted sleep. This morning I dozed to the radio, surprised that it was after 9 when I felt like I was done sleeping.

I was hungry, too. I had breakfast, stretched, played on the computer. The overcast sky cleared in the early afternoon. The sun was beautiful while I went out for a jog. Oh, Yeah. Warm sun, smells like spring.

I came in and showered, fixed some food and ate. I decided to go to Meijer to take advantage of their Super Saturday sale--two $5 coupons for anything over $19.99. I had my eye on a couple of things. One was a Ladder Ball game. $39.99, on sale this week for $19.99 Minus $5. That was good. The other was a skort (a two-in-one garment consisting of shorts with a skirt over it, or a skirt with shorts under. Quite comfortable, and I think they look nice, too) for $21.99 Minus $5. And the big jugs of bug spray for the perimeter of the cabin were on sale too. I "saved" $30.00.

Daniel has called a few times keeping me posted on his progress home. The most recent was about 9 PM--they decided to drive through and estimate being home around 0100. I'll stay up until then.

No plans for tomorrow.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 03.20.2009 Spring Equinox

So after 2 mornings of getting up early for work, being very busy the first 2/3 of the days and just plain busy until "out" time, the alarm was set for 0850 this morning. Aahhhh, massage. When the radio came on I struggled for consciousness. I finally came to and got feet on the floor and myself upright. Geesh. I washed up and staggered out to the kitchen. I had time for breakfast, barely, but I decided to skip it and drank a bunch of water instead.

It was gloriously sunny and 25 degrees. I got over to Leah's about 10 minutes early and the client before me was still there. I took a slow drive down the country mile looking at the landscape, how it had fared through the winds and the winter. A couple of trees had lost larger branches, some of the vegetation is showing color changes, and even swelling buds. The birds will tell you, if you listen.

Back at Leah's the door was opening. As the previous client left, I went in.

After a few pleasantries she got right to business. My neck and shoulders were tighter than I thought, and she did a great job taking care of me. The hour passed with lots of controlled breathing, and I was thinking that we couldn't be done already. Then I tried to get up. Ugh. Good thing we were done. We scheduled through the summer and I left. Thank you, Leah.

I was hungry and fixed breakfast. She released something, I don't know what, but I was feeling like I needed to go back to bed after eating. I read a bunch of stuff on the computer instead. And tried to stay awake. I drank more water and decided to take a nap about 3:15.

Hm. I slept. I came to the surface and back under. A couple of odd dreams. Finally, when I was able to open my eyes, I noticed the sun seemed quite low. 5:30!!! Wow. I've got to get up. I felt hungover, or drunk, or something. I walked around the house, drank more water, fixed my dinner.

I finally felt better after I ate. I really haven't done much more today.

Tomorrow is open. Daniel called, saying they've had a good time and that they'll be leaving in the morning to head home.

That's about it.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 03.19.2009 #500

My last chemotherapy treatment was one year ago today. And as I was getting onto Blogger to write tonight, I see that this post is number 500. Can you believe it? I'm amazed that I've written 500 times. 500 days of blessings. 500 days to thank God for the gifts He's given us.

What are your blessings? Gifts?

Wednesday 03.18.2009

I do believe Spring has sprung! Seeing and hearing robins, hearing the other birds noisily chattering, and I heard spring peepers last night. And today, the peepers were even louder.

I had my interrupted sleep and got up for work. I got there without incident, thank you God, and security was there to take us over to the hospital. Thanks again.

I'm orienting another new girl to our floor. Her second day today. We started out pretty good, then the fan turned on and blew. Hard. From 0720 until 1030. (now that I see the times I think wow, that's not so bad.) It took us until after 2 o'clock to catch up. The rest of the day was still busy, but not like the morning. I still feel like I've been in a whirlwind.

We finally were able to leave. When I got to the lobby I didn't see the shuttle, and I didn't want to wait, so I walked the 2 blocks to the car. Even though it's a bit cool (48 degrees) it felt "springy".

Another uneventful drive home, thank you again, Lord, and a beautiful sunset showed itself on the edge of the front line. Oranges and reds and yellows. The view I had was almost too perfect, with the juxtaposition of the horizon and the clouds and the sun.

Daniel called--he's tired after golfing today. He sounds good, though, and is enjoying himself.

I got myself turned around for work again tomorrow.

I'm off to bed.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday 03.17.2009 Green Day

I slept pretty good, waking to the noisy birds welcoming the fair weather.

I checked email, started a load of laundry, had breakfast. I spent the entire afternoon in the Room Formerly Known As Bre's Bedroom (what do we call that room now?) sorting files, organizing, purging. I took a break about 5 and grilled outdoors. I ended up with 4 loads of laundry being washed, dried, folded, and put away, too. I got to an ending point shortly before 9 pm in the files, then got my things ready for work tomorrow.

Daniel called a little after 9. They played 27 holes today, temperatures in the low 60's. (kind of like here...) He was tired, but ready to go out tomorrow.

Several times today I thought of Mom, and how she's been gone for a year now. Peaceful in heaven.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday 03.16.2009

What a beautiful day!

I slept fairly well, all events considered. I woke a little before 8, turned on the radio, listened/dozed for a while before getting up. The sun was promising.

I breakfasted, checked email, researched the 'net for changes in breast tissue after radiation treatment. I found several clinical/research papers, which I added to a favorites file to read later, but in looking through them quickly, it seems that tissue changes can occur within weeks of starting radiation therapy. However, a few of the studies had time frames of 11 months to 6 years, and a couple of them many years further out. I need to review the articles again, although my impression is that what I'm experiencing is "normal" discomfort as the tissues change in response to the radiation. Yippee. I'll do my best to deal with the constant discomfort and Praise God that I'm alive and cancer free.

I had been a couple hours looking at the literature, it was time to get moving. I stretched and went out for a walk/jog out in the neighborhood to the north of us. I haven't been back there since we had this last group of snowfalls.

It was lovely. Spring flowers are up, the birds singing, and I saw several robins picking worms out of the ground. I jogged mostly, but walked some, too, as it had been a while. I felt good and had to remember to slow down, to pace myself.

I came in and waited until I cooled down (read as stopped dripping) before getting in the shower.
Between hot flashes and good old physical activity I had really perspired. Eww.

After the shower, which felt really good, I fixed a plate of nachos for myself. That was really good, too.

I was restless. I went out to Wal Mart to return a top I had gotten, browsed around there a bit, then went over to Meijer. (Even though I didn't need much, there were a few things on sale this week, and today was additional per cent off with the credit card purchase) I ended up getting back home just before 9. Daniel called shortly after.

He said it rained all day there, supposed to stop during the night sometime. They went out anyway and golfed the first nine, taking a rain check for the other 9 holes for later in the week. He sounded good, and it sounds like they're having a good time.

No plans for me tomorrow. Guess I'll look at my "project list".

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 03.15.2009

What a beautiful day! Even though it was a cold 25 degrees this morning, the spring sunshine warmed the air to 54 degrees. Walking across to the hospital, I noticed that the daffodils have poked up through the mulch. And on the way back to the car, they were up an inch or so. Isn't that amazing?!!

We had a good day, my co-worker and myself. Yep. Just the two of us. And when 4 of our patients went home, we moved the remaining 2 over to the other wing, closed our wing, and we were able to leave. Yippee!! (on-call, of course, so we would have to come back "if the bus pulled in")

I came home and putzed around. I was sleepy, as it was late afternoon, but I thought, No, I'll stay awake. I entertained the idea of going up to the lake--I could be there before dark--but I talked myself out of it after checking the weather and overnight lows of 20's, I wasn't sure I wanted to do that by myself. And I can enjoy the nice weather that is predicted here. I should have laid down for a rest/nap. I've felt kind of punky this evening. O well. I've just got a head start on tomorrow, not having to stay so late at the hospital.

I received a text from Daniel that he's arrived at wherever he is in Myrtle Beach. He's happy, golfing. He phoned a little while ago saying all is well, tee time 0900 tomorrow. And it's raining. Has been for 2 days, though predicted to end in the next 24 hours or so, and the rest of the week is dry.

I have laundry and other light housekeeping chores to do tomorrow, and I'd like to go out for a walk and hear some birdsong.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday 03.14.2009

I listened to Daniel sleeping the majority of the short night. Alternating between hot and cold, it was finally time for me to get up.

I got ready for work, and before I left I woke Dan and kissed him goodbye. He's leaving this morning at 0700 ish for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a week of golf with a total of 10 other guys. Two are riding with him in our new-to-us van.

I had an uneventful drive in the dark, thank you God, and parked a block away. I walked over to the hospital--I don't recall seeing security this morning. Nor did I see security this evening.

We had a good day with a good group of co-workers. We sent a lot of patients home without replacing them with new ones, so we sent staff home in the afternoon, too. It will be my turn tomorrow to leave early if the census warrants.

I stopped in to Meijer to pick up the other items I forgot the last 2 times I was there, than came on home.

Daniel said they got to North Carolina before stopping for the evening, in a town modeled after Mayberry (?). OooooooKaaayyyyy. Whatever works.

I got myself turned around/ready to go to work in the morning, and wrote here.

The house is quiet. I'm going to bed soon.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 03.13.2009 Lucky Day

I slept surprisingly well, but short. I had a good block between 1 and 5. By that I mean that I was able to go back to sleep quickly. I dozed off and on until about 8, then got up.

Dan was already up. We had a quiet morning. He went over to the chiropractor's office for an adjustment before he leaves tomorrow. I took the title of the van over to the repair shop where the van will be picked up on Monday. I walked around the van, climbing inside of it, having memories, and saying goodbye. Silly, I know. I've had that van since 1995 and driven the majority of the 110,000 miles that we've put on it. (It has about 165,000 now) I'm ok with the "moving on" process.

I went to Meijer to pick up a couple things I forgot yesterday, and browsed around the store a bit. Back home I laid down for a brief rest.

Daniel had gone to "hit golf balls" and was back. He fixed his dinner. I wasn't ready to eat yet. After a while, I fixed my own supper.

He plans to leave about 0700 tomorrow for his golf trip to Myrtle Beach for the week with a group of 10, I think. He's been checking the weather there for the last several days...

I work the weekend. We're off to bed.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 03.12.2009

I didn't sleep well last night--seems I listened to Daniel sleeping in-between snoozes. I listened to the radio a couple of times during the night, turning it off when I felt that I was going off to sleep. Ah, well, time to get up. I'll sleep eventually.

Dan and I went over to Dr. Al-Sheikh's office for his 11 o'clock appointment. That office usually runs late, and we didn't get called back until almost noon. Dan was getting anxious.

The good news is that his weight has stayed the same. Doctor wants him to continue with the same medications, including the same doses of insulin, and return in three months. He wrote out a lab slip for Dan, and after some general chit chat, we were done.

We stopped at Zeus Coney Island on the way home--Daniel likes the gyros there. I had a chicken gyro. The pita bread there is wonderful, soft and warm. I ended up taking most of the chicken out of my sandwich--there was a lot of it, and I'm not sure I'm keen on the seasoning.

At home, I did a little research about vehicle donation, talked about it with Daniel, and went to the shop where the '91 van is. I've been given a preliminary estimate for brake lines and electrical grounding problems and a few other things that put the cost of the repair at more than the vehicle is worth. I called the donation place and was told it didn't matter what condition the vehicle is in. It could be sitting out in the yard for years and they come get it. And we get a tax write-off. When I told the manager, he was relieved, and said that people often donate vehicles when the cost of the repair is greater than the value of the vehicle. Oh. New to me. I had also taken 3 six gallon gas cans with me, as Frank had filled the tank when he brought it back. I asked the manager if it was possible to get the gas from the tank? He said "sure", he would call me when it's ready for me to pick up. Ok, thanks. I paid the nominal bill for the tow in and some of the labor. I'm sure that I wasn't charged for the actual amount of time that had been spent on it.

I went home and was settling down when the guy called and told me the gas was ready. Ok, thanks. I went back over there and the nice man Leroy put the filled containers into my trunk. I looked through the van again, and oh-my-gosh, nostalgia. I know it's just a vehicle, but I've driven that van since 1995. Yep. I'm sad it has aged. I took the floor mats with me. I thanked the vehicle for the many years of reliable service, and thanked God for timing of the brake line failure. (sitting in the parking space, not when being driven) That could have been really ugly.

Back home, Dan and I were settling in again, and there was a knock at the door. Breon! We both had forgotten that she had called yesterday to stop in this evening.

We went out to Los Tres Amigos and had a yummy meal with good company. We hadn't seen her since Christmas, and we caught up. She looks good and seems to be doing ok, fair, pretty good. She stayed and visited the remainder of the evening, leaving just before 10.

Daniel watched a little television while I caught up on email and wrote here. He went off to bed a while ago. I'm ready, too, soon.

I was able to wear the compression garment for about 6 hours today. I tried putting the single sleeve on the lower half of the arm, overlapping the garment sleeve just below the elbow. The hem of the garment sleeve is just uncomfortably snug; the compression sleeve seemed to continue that compression down to the wrist. I tried the hand gauntlet, too, but that was plain too tight and uncomfortable. I didn't wear that.

The garment is actually quite comfortable, other than a bit warm. I don't think there's much that can be done about it. Smile and wave.

I guess that's it.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday 03.11.2009

Yippee!! I finally slept last night. Sure, I had intervals of wakefulness, and temperature instability, but I slept in between those intervals. And woke about 8:30.

Dan woke shortly after I did. I was listening to the radio through the earphone, dozing in and out. He got up when his phone rang. Me, too, after a bit.

I had breakfast while he showered and got ready for his eye appointment. He had a quick breakfast before leaving.

I enjoyed fresh brew after taking a couple phone calls myself, then went in to shower. I stretched my arm/shoulder. That breast is still sore; I don't know if it will ever not be. *sigh* Oh well. I'm alive and cancer free. Thank you God.

Daniel seemed to be gone a long time. When he got back, he said the office was running behind (somewhat unusual for that office). He also said the doctor said that Dan's eyes have fared well through the high blood sugars, and that the blurriness is indeed a symptom of higher blood sugar, and should resolve as the he gets down into the "normal" range. He has another appointment in July.

I was finishing a pedicure when Daniel asked if I wanted to go out on a date. Sure, I said, smiling. He sifted through the restaurant gift cards that we've received, and chose Olive Garden. As soon as I'm done here...

We went out and had a lovely dinner. It was nice to sit across from my husband, smile at him, and see the love in his eyes. Yes, we are truly blessed. I thank God for bringing him into my life.

We stopped at Meijer on the way home for bananas and eggs. The wind is really blowing today--a wind advisory, in fact. And cold, too. 25 degrees with a wind chill of 9. But very sunny and bright. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon/evening from the inside looking out.

He had the television on, I caught up on the reading in my emails, and wrote here. He's gone off to bed, and I will be too, sometime.

Tomorrow we see Dr. Al-Sheikh, the family practice guy who manages Dan's insulin. Dan really wants to get off of the insulin and back onto the oral agent. We'll see what doctor has to say.

Pray for those who are hospitalized--Mary M, Sue T, and anyone else you know. Let's light up the Hotline.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday 03.10.2009

A short night; I think I slept a total of maybe 2 hours, total. Ok. Time to get up. An uneventful drive in the rain, thank you God, and I waited just a few minutes in the parking lot for the shuttle.

We had a steady busy morning, and with my orientee, we were keeping up on tasks but hadn't documented much. One more patient delivered, it was almost noon, and we hadn't had a break. I talked with the charge nurse. That new delivery put us at the census level to increase staff, and she called in an "on-call" LPN for us.

When she arrived, I asked her if she would cover the floor for us while we caught up. She did. (I tell you, I have great co-workers) The first thing we did was a bathroom break, then lunch. Next we caught up on documentation. In the midst of that, our surgical patient came back, and I wanted her to juggle all of the above, and she did, admirably.

Whew. She did a great job, and she was scheduled to leave at 3 pm. I think she was happy to do so.

The rest of the afternoon went on at much the same pace. Finally it was time to clock out.

44 degrees, drizzle alternating with light rain, very wet drive home. But safe. Thank you again, Lord.

Daniel was happy to see me, and we had a quiet evening. I wrote here.

Tomorrow he sees the eye doctor.

I'm getting pretty sleepy, I'm off to bed.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday 03.09.2009

I've discovered that I don't like the wind. It unsettles me, especially at night. So, last night while Daniel was busy with his beauty sleep, I was not. I ended up going up to the loft and laying on the sofa up there and dozing for a bit. When I woke, the wind had settled down, and I went to bed.

Yesterday, one of my co-workers called and let me know the census was down, and one of us would be "staffed", or "on-call". She didn't want to be off the whole day (thereby losing 12 hours of pay), so she offered to work the first half of the day knowing that I don't like to get up in the morning. That sounded good to me. I left my alarm off. Dan and I woke up shortly after 8 this morning.

We had a quiet morning, then all too soon, it was time for me to leave for work.

It was nice to be going to work in the daylight. And I was very surprised to find a parking place. The shuttle wasn't in sight, though, and I walked the 2 blocks to the hospital.

We had a good afternoon, moderately, steady busy. And I was happy to see the night shift come in.

An uneventful drive back home, thank you, God. And with the Daylight Savings Time, it was still light out, though dusk was approaching.

The rest of the evening Daniel had the television on and I caught up on email and wrote here. I've been really hot for most of the day today, and my breast is sore, and my shoulder is sore, too. Just another day, I guess.

Tomorrow is a workday, and I'm off to bed. Dan went a short while ago.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 03.08.2009

What a nice day! Although I didn't sleep much, I feel pretty good today.

I got up and got ready for the day. I had breakfast and enjoyed a couple cups of coffee and visited with Daniel. Frank and his friend Amy were due to be here about 1, so I turned on the chicken stuff about 12:30.

We did some troubleshooting on the home computer network, trying to get the printer communicating. Something that Daniel will need to continue, as he didn't get it today.

Frank called saying they were leaving Dexter and would be arriving in about an hours, which made it shortly after 2. Ok.

I had just finished cutting the shortening into the flour for the dumplings when they arrived. I greeted them, then stirred in the milk and dropped the dough into the pot.

We had a great dinner--chicken and dumplings, green beans, broccoli, and Frank's first attempt at homemade apple pie. It was really good.

We visited and watched the Nascar race for the remainder of the afternoon. A couple of times the rain came down pretty heavy, with lightening, thunder, and sleet or hail. Yucky.

They left about 6:30 ish. Dan and I were each on our computers. (how exciting, huh?) I checked email and wrote here.

I'm scheduled to work Monday and Tuesday. I've been looking at my planner and projected work schedule to get some tentative dates that we/I can get up to the lake. Pretty soon...

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday 03.07.2009

We slept better last night, I think. I woke this morning to the sounds of the rain and the birds. I got up and had breakfast, checked email, and went to my hair appointment.

Lauretta did a good job, as usual, and cut about half the length off. She was surprised at how much hair there was. I'm happy at how much shorter it is now. Definitely much more comfortable.

Back home, Daniel had prepared food and eaten, and saved me some. (what a guy!) I went in and showered to get the little hairs off, then I put my food together and added more veggies. Yum! I looked over at Dan, who had dozed off in the chair.

He slept for maybe an hour; when he woke, he went in on the bed and went back to sleep. Hm.

I decided to go to the library. I made my selections, then went on to Meijer to pick up some chicken for dinner tomorrow. Frank and Amy are coming for a visit. I'm looking forward to it.

Daniel was up when I got home. We visited some, and I prepared the base for the chicken and dumplings, cleaning the chicken and cutting up some veggies. Smells good...

Dan has gone off to bed while I write this, and I'll be going myself, soon.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 03.06.2009

I didn't sleep well, what with being "warm" and hearing Daniel next to me. Although he didn't snore too frequently...

The radio came on when I was dozing quite nicely. (groan) I got up anyway and got ready for work.

The roads were wet, but it didn't seem to be raining. And it was 56 degrees at 0530.

An uneventful drive in the dark, and you know those wet roads seem even darker. Thank you God for keeping us safe.

The shuttle pulled in just after I did, and I rode over to the hospital.

We had a pretty good day, overall, opening the overflow unit and getting all the new patients. The night shift came in, and getting into report time.

A visitor came to the desk and said her friend was in the bathroom and bleeding a lot. Oh?? I jumped up and went in. Yup. Bleeding.

Without going into details, I clocked out after 8:30 tonight. She's better, but perhaps not all the way done yet. The night shift will continue to monitor her closely. I have The Best Co-workers.

I was surprised to see the shuttle there waiting. I rode back over to my car. Whew.

Another uneventful drive (thanks again, Lord). Daniel was happy to see me. We visited a little, he watched tv a while, then drifted off to bed. I'm really tired and am off to bed myself.

Saturday is haircut day. Yippee!! This hair is the longest I've been able to tolerate, it seems. Now, just how short do I want to have it cut....?

That's it for me. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 03.05.2009 He Made It!

I woke about 7, dozed til 7:50 or so, then got up. I got in the shower, stretching that left arm and what I can of the shoulder. I finished getting ready for my 10:00 with Ike and called Daniel.


"Hey Baby, Where are you??" I asked him. He was just outside of Gas City, Indiana. His GPS projected him getting in around noon.


At therapy, Ike took one look at me and saw that the breast was "full". Yup. Sore, too. She examined my arm and hand and got to work. At the end of the hour, I was feeling much better. I had taken the Rainey Compression Garment in to show her--I found it online and received it yesterday. Yes, it's kind of snug, but it's supposed to be. She helped me fasten the hooks-and-eyes closures in the front. She likes the way it fits me and thinks that it was a good find. She's going on vacation for 2 weeks, so she said she would put me on "hold" and for me to call the first week in April for an update. Ok, thank you, Ike, Have a great vacation.


I stopped by one of the local auto repair places to talk with them about the '91 Safari van. They said no problem and gave me the number for the tow truck. I went on home.


Dan arrived about 12:05. WooHoo!! I went downstairs to greet him. Big hugs, smiles, kisses---we carried up some of his things. The rest of the afternoon I tried to stay out of his way while he unpacked and re-acclimated to being home. The tow truck arrived and took the old van to get it's brakes fixed.


After a while the compression garment, though comfortable at first, was uncomfortable, mainly in the lower sleeve part. I don't know if it will loosen up a little, but I had to take it off. Ike and I are both concerned about the snugness at the end of the sleeve and where it sits on the arm; she told me to be very careful and to watch for any swelling or changes when I have it on. Other than that, it felt good across the shoulder blade on my back, the shoulder, and under my arm around the axillary incision.


Dan and I went out for food, then over to Meijer for a few grocery items. Back home, he was settling into his chair and his computer and his television. There were days that the tv wasn't on while he was gone....


I wrote here, and am going to bed soon. Tomorrow is a work day for me.


Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday 03.04.2009

I woke this morning after a typical night of intermittent sleep. After I got up and around, I called Daniel.

He was driving; he said he wasn't sleeping well, so he got up and got on the road about 0330 this morning. He had already stopped a couple of times and felt he was making fair progress.

I left to go to Jackson for a class on personal protective equipment, and how to don and doff the suit, boots, headgear, respirator/filter, and gloves. It was very interesting, and kind of fun. The reality of actually needing to use the equipment, though, is not so fun. The suits are, of course, fluid non-permeable, and one gets very warm while fully garbed. I was surprised when I removed the inner layer of gloves that my hands were actually wet. Not a good time for personal thermal irregularity (hotflash).

When the class was over I stopped at the credit union, then went to get the oil changed and headed home. What a beautiful sunny day!

I fixed what turned out to be a huge salad. I took what I wanted of it and put the rest in the fridge since there wasn't any dressing on it. I picked up the house again and was putting some things away when Daniel called again.

He was "somewhere in Indiana at a Motel 8". Near Indianapolis. He said he was pretty tired, but eager to get home. He'll start out again in the morning.

Tomorrow I have a 10:00 with Ike. I found myself holding that breast yesterday--it was sore and lumpy with fluid again. Today I was uncomfortable, too, when the tylenol and motrin wore off.

Enjoy the changing of the seasons, and thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday 03.03.09 Square Root Day

Interesting how the mathmeticians and engineers and whoever else sees this date as "square root day". Personally, I think 03.06.09 is much more interesting.

I got up and got ready for work. I arrived several minutes early and waited for the shuttle. Just as I was gathering my things to walk over, the shuttle pulled up. Thank you, God. Not that I mind walking--it was 4 degrees out there. BBBRRR!

We had a good day, mostly. I had a meeting in the afternoon and someone came in to cover me so that I could attend. When I got back on the floor about 6:15, the fan had turned on, if you get my drift. I'm not quite sure just what happened, but I jumped in, not knowing just what or why it had seemingly fallen apart. The orientee and myself picked up pieces, but even clocking out 20 minutes late wasn't long enough for the floor to settle down. The night shift is very capable, and I trust that they will settle down after not too long.

The shuttle wasn't there when I got to the front door and I ended up walking the 2 blocks back to my car. The temperature felt much warmer--the thermometer on the car showed 24 degrees.

The northbound highway had several dead skunks along the road at intervals. Like, maybe, 5?? I was quite surprised at how many were there. I didn't hit any, though, tonight.

Once home, I put my things away, changed clothes, looked at the mail, checked email, and wrote here. I'm about falling asleep here.

Daniel called and is ready to get up and leave before the sun comes up. Pray he travels safely.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday 03.02.2009

I slept fair and had returned to sleep when the radio came on. Ohhhhh. Ok. I got up and got ready for the day.

It turned out to be a pretty good day, overall. An uneventful drive down, single digit temperatures this morning. The shuttle pulled in shortly after I did.

We had a busy day with a good group of co-workers. It seemed like we never got to the end of the list of tasks to do (patient care). In fact, it was more like a relay where we handed over the list to the next shift. I know, that's what we do anyway, but it didn't seem as though we completed anything. And I've got a feeling their night is going to be more of the same.

The temperature had risen all the way to 24 degrees for the drive home. The smaller critters were out--I saw a couple of I-don't-know-what's, and thump-thumped over an already thumped skunk. Oooooohhhhhhhhhh. I thought sure my car was going to smell, but to my very pleasant surprise, the odor dissipated quite quickly.

I got home, changed clothes, had a small bite to eat, and wrote here.

Tomorrow I work again.

So, thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday 03.01.2009

I woke up rested this morning, even though I didn't sleep much during the night, it seemed. Awake, restless, dozing. Finally, about 8 o'clock, I got up.

It was snowing and blowing, cold. Low 'teens. I didn't want to do anything. I didn't. I sat on the sofa and surfed the 'net. Geesh, the next thing I knew it was 11:30. No wonder I'm hungry!

I was enjoying my breakfast when Daniel called. He's bummed because it rained heavily, is blowing, and only about 50 degrees. Hm.

I got dressed and got started on housework. I ended up doing quite a bit--I wiped down all 6 of the dining room chairs, and the base of the table, took the leaf out, vacuumed everything. Even vacuumed the upholstered "side chair" in the living room. That had lots of food crumbs and dirt stuff under the cushion. I put the cushion out on the deck for the remainder of the afternoon, as the snow had stopped and the sun was out. I finished the vacuuming project, replaced the furniture.

Dan and I have a few old tablecloths from our mothers and grandmothers. There are 2 large rectangular ones that are so similar. I had had one on the table for Christmas and left it on because it was so pretty, but I wanted to take the leaf out of the table. That cloth and the other large one needed laundering, but they are getting fragile. So, I put them in the bathtub to soak with some (all ready dissolved) dishwasher detergent and Woolite. I let them soak for about an hour while I went outside to empty out the '91 Safari van. Whoo, was it cold out.

I came back in and gently swished the soapy water through and rinsed them in another tub of clear water with a bit of unscented/dye-free fabric softener. As I was squeezing the water out of them I felt a couple of threads pop, so I squeezed a bit more gently, then spread them out on the floor to dry.

Just as I was finishing up, I had a phone call from cousin Sue, and we had a nice visit.

After all that, it was about 7:30, and I realized I hadn't eaten since breakfast. (even though it was near noon) I rummaged around and found a serving of chili that I had made and frozen some time ago. Perfect! Into the microwave, and yummy, dinner's ready. A few cheez its crackers and a glass of milk...

I was enjoying my food when Daniel called again. We chatted, I finished my food, checked email, and wrote here.

Tomorrow is Monday, a workday for me. And Tuesday, too.

Please pray for those who are experiencing life's challenges, whether physical or emotional or otherwise.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.