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Wednesday was sooo hot--mid 90's and humid. A great time to be at the lake. It was too hot to do much of anything other than sit outside in a shady spot that had a little breeze. The inside of the cabin stayed pretty comfortable (thanks to the new insulation?) until evening, when the humidity oozed it's way inside.
Frank and I went up to the Long Lake Bar for supper, meeting Jim and Polly there. We had some laughs and good conversation to go along with the good food.
An electrical storm moved through sometime after dark; most of the night was lightening and some intense thunder. So I'm told. I had the good fortune to return easily to sleep after waking. It was sometime after 3 am when I noticed that the temperature of the air coming in through the window had finally cooled off.
This morning it was only 62 degrees, and the temp continued dropping throughout the day. Windy and cool, 54 degrees when Dan and his friend Al, and Frank, got our dock put in. Frank cleaned our eaves (BIG thanks to Frank) and trimmed a branch over the roof. I raked the remainder of the leaves and got that debris burned. Dan and Al went off golfing, while Frank and I went to the GC to help Jim and Polly put the sailboat and fishing boat in the water. I had to put air in the tires of the van first, though. J&P had their own tire adventures today, too.
Frank and I came home and rested, which was really nice. When Dan and Al were done golfing, we picked up J&P and went up to Big Bob's restaurant for a good bbq rib dinner. Al wanted ice cream, and we all went over to the Hale Ice Cream store.
We had a quiet evening back at the JC.
Tomorrow Dan and Al will leave in the morning to go to their golf tournament. Frank and I will have to go home sometime tomorrow. Hope it doesn't rain.
I've been feeling pretty good. Especially since I slept last night.
Thank you for reading. Hugs.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday 06.07.2011
I think I slept a total of 40 minutes during the night. UGH! But I chose not to fret about it, got up and went to the J.O.B.
And we were busy again today.
I was happy to have someone come in and cover me so that I could attend a meeting, after which, I took care of some banking and headed home.
Dan was home, having gone to his appointments today, and rested in-between. Frank got there shortly after I did. I gathered and packed, and we all loaded the car.
Frank drove us up to the JC, uneventfully.
It had cooled down from the 95 degrees in Holt to 72 degrees at The Lake, and a quiet breeze. The bullfrogs were croaking and the mosquitoes were out.
I'm looking forward to sleeping.
Thank you for reading. Hugs.
And we were busy again today.
I was happy to have someone come in and cover me so that I could attend a meeting, after which, I took care of some banking and headed home.
Dan was home, having gone to his appointments today, and rested in-between. Frank got there shortly after I did. I gathered and packed, and we all loaded the car.
Frank drove us up to the JC, uneventfully.
It had cooled down from the 95 degrees in Holt to 72 degrees at The Lake, and a quiet breeze. The bullfrogs were croaking and the mosquitoes were out.
I'm looking forward to sleeping.
Thank you for reading. Hugs.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Monday 06.06.2011
I opened the computer to blog last night, and it didn't connect to the internet. I was tired and didn't pursue further; I went to bed instead.
I am now three years out of treatment. I was looking forward to having three years without "questionable" symptoms, or anything that may, even obscurely, be cause for concern.
Then, Saturday, I had that one episode of fresh, bright red blood (vaginally) that gave me pause. It wasn't much, less than 5 ml, but it made me say "whoa, what's this?"
Today I called the Oncologist's office to ask "where do I start?" I spoke to Amy Jo, who left a message for a nurse to return my call.
Phyllis (remember her?) did call me later this afternoon. She was very kind, and took almost 20 minutes with me on the phone.
After reviewing the event, she told me her crystal ball doesn't work very well. But, she offered me her ideas and options. 1. Break-through bleeding. Not uncommon with these meds. (I was thinking--yes, maybe if I was younger. But I haven't had any bleeding since February of '08. Maybe, but I think it's unlikely.) 2. Because of the negative genetics test, it's also unlikely that it would be uterine/endometrial cancer. My kind of cancer (ER+ PR+ HER2-) metastasizes to brain, bone, liver, and lung, historically. 3. The fact that the Femara was a generic, and the last of the first 30 day fill, could be the reason. (Yes, we know that the generics are supposed to be all that. But we also know that they are not.)
Options? 1. Do nothing, as it is probably nothing, and mention it to Dr. Williams at the July 8 appointment. 2. See my primary care physician (not interested in seeing my doctor of 20 years for something that has a rare chance of being "something". I would then need to be referred...) 3. Come in to see the nurse practitioner, Iman, tomorrow. (I work tomorrow, and by now I'm thinking about a gynecologist....) 4. See a gynecologist. We talked about an oncology gynecologist, but Phyllis didn't think this episode warranted a physician in that particular specialty. There is a gynecology group within the Mid Michigan Physician's overall spectrum. I was liking that option. I usually have my "yearly" in the summer, and it's coming up, and I especially liked that when I went to the cardiologist, for example, my whole chart was available on the computer. With just keystrokes, they can view lab results, treatment history, etc. So the pap results would be there for the oncologist (Dr. Williams) to see, too.
She said the referral would be made, so that I could see them before I see Dr. Williams. Ok, thanks.
She was very careful to say that she can't say with any certainty what is happening. Of course, I know that. It did mostly lift the cloud that I have been enveloped in for the last couple of days.
I thanked her again for her time, and for talking with me like a patient, not like I'm a nurse.
After that phone call I went back out to the craziness that had blown up my unit. All three of us were frazzled and doing the best we could. I'm sure that we gave the best care that we could, given that we were slammed with patients--both discharges and admissions.
We all clocked out late.
From the hospital, I went over to Sandy's apartment, taking some curtains over, as well as a hanging plant for her porch. She seemed pleased.
Dan was home when I got home, and had started laundry. What a guy!! It was good to see him.
I work tomorrow, and he has appointments.
Thank you for reading. Hugs.
I am now three years out of treatment. I was looking forward to having three years without "questionable" symptoms, or anything that may, even obscurely, be cause for concern.
Then, Saturday, I had that one episode of fresh, bright red blood (vaginally) that gave me pause. It wasn't much, less than 5 ml, but it made me say "whoa, what's this?"
Today I called the Oncologist's office to ask "where do I start?" I spoke to Amy Jo, who left a message for a nurse to return my call.
Phyllis (remember her?) did call me later this afternoon. She was very kind, and took almost 20 minutes with me on the phone.
After reviewing the event, she told me her crystal ball doesn't work very well. But, she offered me her ideas and options. 1. Break-through bleeding. Not uncommon with these meds. (I was thinking--yes, maybe if I was younger. But I haven't had any bleeding since February of '08. Maybe, but I think it's unlikely.) 2. Because of the negative genetics test, it's also unlikely that it would be uterine/endometrial cancer. My kind of cancer (ER+ PR+ HER2-) metastasizes to brain, bone, liver, and lung, historically. 3. The fact that the Femara was a generic, and the last of the first 30 day fill, could be the reason. (Yes, we know that the generics are supposed to be all that. But we also know that they are not.)
Options? 1. Do nothing, as it is probably nothing, and mention it to Dr. Williams at the July 8 appointment. 2. See my primary care physician (not interested in seeing my doctor of 20 years for something that has a rare chance of being "something". I would then need to be referred...) 3. Come in to see the nurse practitioner, Iman, tomorrow. (I work tomorrow, and by now I'm thinking about a gynecologist....) 4. See a gynecologist. We talked about an oncology gynecologist, but Phyllis didn't think this episode warranted a physician in that particular specialty. There is a gynecology group within the Mid Michigan Physician's overall spectrum. I was liking that option. I usually have my "yearly" in the summer, and it's coming up, and I especially liked that when I went to the cardiologist, for example, my whole chart was available on the computer. With just keystrokes, they can view lab results, treatment history, etc. So the pap results would be there for the oncologist (Dr. Williams) to see, too.
She said the referral would be made, so that I could see them before I see Dr. Williams. Ok, thanks.
She was very careful to say that she can't say with any certainty what is happening. Of course, I know that. It did mostly lift the cloud that I have been enveloped in for the last couple of days.
I thanked her again for her time, and for talking with me like a patient, not like I'm a nurse.
After that phone call I went back out to the craziness that had blown up my unit. All three of us were frazzled and doing the best we could. I'm sure that we gave the best care that we could, given that we were slammed with patients--both discharges and admissions.
We all clocked out late.
From the hospital, I went over to Sandy's apartment, taking some curtains over, as well as a hanging plant for her porch. She seemed pleased.
Dan was home when I got home, and had started laundry. What a guy!! It was good to see him.
I work tomorrow, and he has appointments.
Thank you for reading. Hugs.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Saturday 06.04.2011
I didn't sleep as well as I thought I would, but not having to get up early was a bonus.
After breakfast and some light housework and plenty of water to hydrate, I went out for a jog. I knew it was hot out there--83 degrees when I got back in. I did ok with the heat, just paced and didn't push it.
I showered, fixed food and ate, and Frank and a friend of his that we've known for many years stopped in for a visit. It was nice to see both of them.
When they left, I had a bit of a scare.
I went in to the bathroom, and found blood on the paper. Huh?? I should have NO vaginal bleeding any more, forever. I calmed myself down, certain that it was bright red, fresh, vaginal (not irritated hemorrhoids or anything else), and decided that Monday I would call the oncologist's office to talk with them.
The "thing" that is different, is that the Femara has gone generic. I just finished the first 30 days of that medicine. I know that generics are supposed to be equivalent, but there is lots of data to support that they are not.
So, I searched for, and found, a panty liner. There hasn't been any more since then, thank you God. It sure startled me. I'll wait and see what the office has to say.
And tomorrow is my 3 year anniversary of the last radiation treatment.
I went over to the storage unit, taking stuff over, and bringing other stuff back.
The rest of the evening was quiet, other than the hummingbirds divebombing each other from the feeder. I enjoy watching them.
Thank you for reading. Hugs.
After breakfast and some light housework and plenty of water to hydrate, I went out for a jog. I knew it was hot out there--83 degrees when I got back in. I did ok with the heat, just paced and didn't push it.
I showered, fixed food and ate, and Frank and a friend of his that we've known for many years stopped in for a visit. It was nice to see both of them.
When they left, I had a bit of a scare.
I went in to the bathroom, and found blood on the paper. Huh?? I should have NO vaginal bleeding any more, forever. I calmed myself down, certain that it was bright red, fresh, vaginal (not irritated hemorrhoids or anything else), and decided that Monday I would call the oncologist's office to talk with them.
The "thing" that is different, is that the Femara has gone generic. I just finished the first 30 days of that medicine. I know that generics are supposed to be equivalent, but there is lots of data to support that they are not.
So, I searched for, and found, a panty liner. There hasn't been any more since then, thank you God. It sure startled me. I'll wait and see what the office has to say.
And tomorrow is my 3 year anniversary of the last radiation treatment.
I went over to the storage unit, taking stuff over, and bringing other stuff back.
The rest of the evening was quiet, other than the hummingbirds divebombing each other from the feeder. I enjoy watching them.
Thank you for reading. Hugs.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday 06.03.2011
Wednesday I went to see Leah for the Reflexology appointment. I still think it's odd, how following a pattern of manipulations on the feet and hands can have such effects on the body. She got to an area on my second foot, and I got extremely nauseated. Ugh. It's not the first time it's happened, but it was one of the more intense responses I've had. And my favorite thing to say is, "it's all hooey".
But I can't deny that I have physiological responses to the treatments.
When I got home, I drank some water and laid down. I ended up sleeping about an hour and a half!
When I woke, I realized I was hungry, so I fixed something and ate.
And after a while, I went out for a jog.
Thursday, I went to Jackson and took Sandy to get a few things for the apartment, as well as seeing about a library card. We had a nice lunch at Anna's there in Jackson.
When I got back home, I went out for another jog. I'm doing pretty good with the exercise.
Today, Friday, was a workday.
I was very busy. The census called for another person in my job role, but there was no one to come in until after 1 pm. So, with my two great co-workers, we plodded through the first half of the day. I did pretty good, initially. I recognized that I was getting overwhelmed, as my brain got "spacey" and I had a hard time thinking, keeping on task, sorting things out, making sense of my worksheet. I may have discovered why I felt so discombobulated--I had started a series of vital signs on a post op patient, doing them at the appropriate intervals, and recorded them on my worksheet to transcribe into the computer. The times I wrote on the paper were an hour later than actual. So every time I looked at them, well, you can see what happened. I caught it when I was finally able to document it into the computer, several hours later. By then, the additional nurse was there to help me, and she jumped in and took over on the "busy" stuff so that I could catch up. Thank you, Heather. And my brain started making sense of things again. It was such an odd feeling, that disconnectedness.
A safe drive home, thank you God. There are a number of dead deer scattered along the highway these last couple of days. I saw a couple of them this morning, and a couple this evening, on MY side of the highway fence. They were standing, feeding. They can turn around and hop back over the fence.
Tomorrow I'll catch up on housework.
Thank you for reading. Hugs.
But I can't deny that I have physiological responses to the treatments.
When I got home, I drank some water and laid down. I ended up sleeping about an hour and a half!
When I woke, I realized I was hungry, so I fixed something and ate.
And after a while, I went out for a jog.
Thursday, I went to Jackson and took Sandy to get a few things for the apartment, as well as seeing about a library card. We had a nice lunch at Anna's there in Jackson.
When I got back home, I went out for another jog. I'm doing pretty good with the exercise.
Today, Friday, was a workday.
I was very busy. The census called for another person in my job role, but there was no one to come in until after 1 pm. So, with my two great co-workers, we plodded through the first half of the day. I did pretty good, initially. I recognized that I was getting overwhelmed, as my brain got "spacey" and I had a hard time thinking, keeping on task, sorting things out, making sense of my worksheet. I may have discovered why I felt so discombobulated--I had started a series of vital signs on a post op patient, doing them at the appropriate intervals, and recorded them on my worksheet to transcribe into the computer. The times I wrote on the paper were an hour later than actual. So every time I looked at them, well, you can see what happened. I caught it when I was finally able to document it into the computer, several hours later. By then, the additional nurse was there to help me, and she jumped in and took over on the "busy" stuff so that I could catch up. Thank you, Heather. And my brain started making sense of things again. It was such an odd feeling, that disconnectedness.
A safe drive home, thank you God. There are a number of dead deer scattered along the highway these last couple of days. I saw a couple of them this morning, and a couple this evening, on MY side of the highway fence. They were standing, feeding. They can turn around and hop back over the fence.
Tomorrow I'll catch up on housework.
Thank you for reading. Hugs.
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