Sunday 05.31.2009

The last day of May already.

Silly me--I thought I would sleep last night. Not!! I tossed and turned until after 1 o'clock, and got up after a non-refreshing nap. I made it, though, to work this morning. I only did routine morning stuff then clocked out at 0900. It was good to be back home.

Daniel was just leaving for golf. I changed clothes and laid back down on the bed. I ended up with a short nap, getting back up after an hour.

I had something to eat, put dinner in the crockpot and talked to Jeremy for a bit. He sounded good, we had a nice chat.

After that, I rode my bicycle over to the library. Surprisingly, it wasn't any more time to ride than to drive. And it was a beautiful afternoon.

Back at home, I added potatoes (I cut them up and microwaved them first to precook a little bit) to the crockpot, then went outdoors and planted the flat of flowers I got yesterday. I decided that I was going to put some in the landscaping around the building here, in my line of vision from our window. I get so much enjoyment just looking at the plants--I think I'm a bit daff. Anyway, they're in, and I like it.

I've been gathering things to take to the lake when I go Wednesday, and got most everything done on my list. I'll be able to finish the last couple of items without difficulty.

Daniel got back, dinner was yummy, and the rest of the evening was kind of laid back.

Tomorrow is a workday for both of us.

I've had my tylenol/motrin to go to bed with. You know, same discomforts.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday 05.30.2009

Hey!! I slept last night!! The tylenol/motrin/fatigue combination worked. I went to bed shortly after 10, Daniel came in sometime after 11. I may have woke up enough to reposition, cool off, cover up, but I remember waking about 5am. 5 AM!!! I got up for a biological break then went back to sleep. Dan got up 7:30 ish, and I was surprised when I woke at 9:40. Whew. Finally.

Dan went out to do errands, I got up and had breakfast. After a while I went out for a jog. When I got back in and cooled off, I showered.

I had a "first" in the shower.

My showering habit is 20 to 30 minutes. As I was almost ready to turn the water off, it felt like the water was getting hot. Huh? Why is the water getting hotter--when, if anything, it might be getting colder. Oh....I get it. A hot flash in the shower. I didn't want to turn the water temp cooler because my legs and feet are cool anyway, so I just stepped back out of the water for a few minutes. When I was feeling cooler, I rinsed off again and turned the water off. Sheesh.

I had a nice lunch then took myself out grocery shopping.

Dan was home by the time I got back, and he helped me with the groceries.

He was down checking the tires on the Pontiac to see if they were low. They were, and he aired them up.

The rest of the evening was quiet.

I felt pretty good today, thank you God. A couple more motrin and tylenol and I hope to sleep again tonight. The girls from work called looking for help tomorrow--I told them I would come in for just a few hours in the morning to help get the day started. That allows me to help them out, but to take care of myself, too.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 05.29.2009

I woke to the radio--ugh. Out of bed.

I got ready for work and headed out in the new-to-us car. It rides real nice, the seat fits me nice, and I got to Jackson safely, thank you God.

We had a nice work day--busy in the morning, but better in the afternoon. Labor and Delivery was busy all day; of course that will trickle over to us after the girls deliver, probably sometime during the night.

Clocked out, driving home. One of the display features on this car is the projected miles for the amount of fuel left in the tank. It showed 67 miles when I left for home, and since "home" is approximately 30 miles, I thought I would get gas in Lansing, as it's often times lower priced.

Ha. I was just north of Leslie and the fuel gauge binged. Huh? What do you mean "low fuel"?? It wouldn't display how many miles projected to be left in the tank, so, not knowing how accurate that whole system is, I hoped I made it the three or four miles to the Mason Meijer.

I did, but WHAT IS WITH THE GAS PRICES???? Holy dogs. $2.75. This whole gas price increasing like it does is nonsense. $40 to fill the car.

The manual shows that the gas tank is 16.3 gallons, and I put 14+ in it. So I did have about 60 miles or so left in the tank. Now I know.

At home, Daniel was doing stuff on the computer for his J.O.B. He found out he'll be starting on first shift, 0700 - 3:30.

I wrote here, trying to wind down. I'm really tired, hoping that the tylenol/motrin will let me sleep restfully, as well as take care of the discomfort in that left breast and shoulder.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 05.28.2009

This morning I got up and ready for work after a night that seemed too long during the several periods of wakefulness and too short when I finally did sleep.

I drove to Jackson in the new-to-us Pontiac G6. What a nice car. It was the first time I had driven it, so I was adjusting the seat and mirrors (fine-tuning) and checking out the displays for most of the way there. It was a nice drive, thank you God.

The shuttle pulled in shortly after I did. Celeste, the driver, looked, and when I got on the bus she mentioned the nice car, and you gave up your convertible?? "Oh, no, this one is a hard-top convertible," I said. "Even better," she said.

There were a couple other riders and we chatted on the ride over to the hospital. Thanks for the ride...

The day went well with a good group of co-workers, and a group of very nice patients. (and family members) It seemed like aaallllll daaaayyyyyy, and finally the night shift arrived.

When I got home Daniel was home. He was excited about his job. Today was a Human Resource Day--you know, forms, orientation type stuff, insurances, forms, blah blah. It was nice to see him enthusiastic. He goes in tomorrow at 0800.

We chatted, I wrote here.

Tomorrow is a workday for me, too.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday 05.27.2009 Testing, Testing...

I was surprised that I didn't sleep very well. I was awake when the alarm came on at 0630. Time to get up....

I got ready to go. Daniel was still in bed. He offered to go with me, but I could tell by the way he spoke that he really didn't want to. I knew that it would be a long appointment; I wouldn't be having any drugs that would make me unable to drive, and he doesn't do well waiting. I told him I could go by myself, thanks for offering. Off I went.

I got there and checked in, she made a copy of my driver's license. I'm not sure what I think about that. There are enough of our "numbers" out there in our files without adding another. Anyway, I waited until about 8:25 before being called back.

The girl who opened "the door" was using some kind of assistive device that I had not seen before. A three-wheeled, almost tricycle like, handlebars and hand brakes, and along the horizontal bar was a padded cushion. She had a "walking boot" on her right knee to foot, and rode the thing with her knee and shin on the cushion, holding the handlebars, pushing like a skateboard. It was kind of neat, but I'm sure it was a challenge during the workday. It did have a basket on the handlebars and the ability to lock the brakes.

Her name was Lisa, and she was going to put my needle in, inject the radioisotope (MBD technecium?), and do my bone scan at noon.

She told me she had broken her foot 11 weeks ago, that this is what she's got for the healing process. She gets rechecked in two weeks to see if it's healing or needs surgery.

In the meantime, she did a good job putting the IV needle in. First poke in the right antecubital (inner elbow). She taped it with the plastic tape, then the clear 4 x 3 dressing, injected the isotope, flushed the needle, gave me a bottle of Mixed Berry barium stuff to drink, and led me to the waiting area. Thank you Lisa, see you later.

I sat in the waiting area looking at magazines, people watching, trying not to hear their conversations, drinking the stuff. 0930, the first bottle done, I went to the window for the second bottle. It doesn't taste real bad, but not all that yummy, either, and by the second bottle it's losing it's appeal. I got it in by 10:30 when a very pregnant girt called me through "the door" for the CT scan of chest, abdomen and pelvis.

I forgot her name, Darby or something. She was very nice. She asked if I needed to use the restroom, as we were going past it. I did, then she led me to the CT room. Forms, questions: surgeries? New answer for me--yes; mastectomy or lumpectomy?--lump and nodes; chemo? radiation? Ohmygosh. This is my new normal. Even when well we can't get away from the C word, put it behind us. Breathe.

She had me lie on the table that goes through the circle. I kind of remembered the machine, although the one I had in November of 2007 was at a different facility. She hooked up the iodine solution to my iv site, put a bolster under my knees, told me to follow the directions when the machine tells me, and she went wherever she goes. I heard her say we were starting and the table slid into the circle. Whirs and clicks and hums and I slowly move through the thing from sternum to pelvis. After a pause of several minutes, the table moves and repositions at the sternum again. I think I went through 4 times. On the third time I heard her voice say she was injecting the solution now. I looked up and saw the cylinder and watched as it pushed the 100 ml of stuff through within 30 seconds or so. I could taste something, though I can't describe what it tasted like. And I could feel within my body as it circulated--it dilates the vessels so it feels "warm"--within seconds. That sensation only lasted a few minutes, and the table was moving through, taking another series of pictures. I think it went through once more, then we were done.

Darby (?) came back in, unhooked my iv, flushed it, took the bolster from under my knees, and directed me to the waiting room.

I could drink something now, and I went out into the main hallway looking for the coffee shop. I found it and got a 12 ounce brew. I took it outdoors and sat on one of the benches out there. It was humid and still, high 70's, the air fragrant with lilac and other spring smells. I enjoyed my coffee, saying a prayer of thanks.

I stayed outdoors until about 11:30 or so. The bone scan was scheduled for 12 noon, but I didn't want to miss my turn if it turned out to be early. I put in my earphones and listened to some soothing praise music.

Just as the last of that music played, I was turning off my device, and Lisa came to "the door" and called me back.

She offered the restroom as we went by, and I took advantage of it. We then went into a larger room with a different kind of machine, different than the bone scan machine that I had had in November at Ingham. Anyway, I got up on the table, she said it would take about 50 minutes. First thing she did was take out my needle. Thanks, that's been aching since it was inserted. She was very careful to not let any blood get anywhere, probably because of the isotopes in me. The tapes took off a thin layer of skin in just that short time. (I had forgotten about that) She attached arm rests to the table, then asked if I needed a blanket--I told her not right now, thank you, but I might at some point. She laughed and said no problem. She dimmed the lights and said we were starting. Ok, thanks.

There wasn't much noise. The plate of the machine hovered about a foot above my head, with the crosshairs lined up at the very top of my head. It started moving in small increments every few seconds. I closed my eyes.

I might have dozed off, as I remember jerking and thinking my left shoulder hurt and I can't move. I raised my head a little to see that the plate was over my feet, so I thought I was about done.

Lisa came in a few minutes later, saying we were halfway done. Oh. She offered me the blanket again, which I accepted this time. She covered me up as she explained that the plate thing would now move below the table and scan from the backside through. Oh. Thanks. She went out again saying we were starting.

I know I dozed out this time, as it seemed only about 5 minutes or so. I heard her come back in; my shoulder was aching and I was hot. "Done," she said. "Thanks," I said. Good. She took the blanket off and I got off of the table. Whew. That was a long day. It was 1:05. I stopped in the bathroom again on the way out.

Out in the van, I called Daniel to let him know I was done and on my way home.

I stopped in to check on the Sebring--it was in the paint booth. They've found more damage, like a transmission mount, I think that's what he said, and that part came in today. The paint guy came out and said he "took care of the stone chips" on the hood, as well as the minor damage that was done there. The owner, Dave, said that it might be done Friday. Ok, thanks.

At home, Daniel wasn't feeling too good, sore and tired. He had done our laundry, and I was surprised that he went in and laid down shortly after I got home.

I fixed myself something to eat and had a quiet afternoon. Daniel didn't wake up until almost 5, but felt better when he got up.

The rest of the evening was quiet, watching the rains come and go, and the hummingbirds inbetween showers.

Tomorrow is a workday for me, and Daniel's first workday.

Thank you for your energies, for being there with me today. I'm surprised at the feelings that were brought up today.

Hugs.