Another Dr. Visit, Sorting and A Sewing Class For Ashley

DeBary, FL.

73 deg. clear, no wind, humidity 88%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 95°F. Heat index around 108°F. West wind to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 30%.


Early Thursday, Linda had another appointment to see Dr. Saferali, the Chemo Doctor. All reports were good but the Dr. decided that Linda was still dehydrated so she prescribed another Saline Transfusion. Rather than come back another day, it was decided that they would do the transfusion right away.

So, while this was happening, Jim took Big RED and headed over to Wally World to purchase a few items. I really don't know why he went to Wally World, He always has problems finding what he wants to purchase there, and this time was no different. :-(

About noon, Jim  went back and picked up Linda and they returned here to the house.

Because Linda had gotten up at the "crack of dawn", ;-)  she spent a good part of the afternoon dozing in her recliner. After taking it easy during the afternoon, she and Jim took Big RED and headed over to Gram's Kitchen for dinner.

Yesterday, Laura came over for awhile and helped Linda sort through the kitchen cabinets here at the house to determine what things she wants to take over to the trailer, what to get rid of and to reorganize the rest. By the time they were finished, there was one box full of items to take to the trailer, a bag and a box of groceries for Laura to take home and a list of items to take to the trailer just before we leave for Illinois, in just over 2 weeks from now.

Thanks Laura!!! ;-)

I don't know if you remember or not, but back on about the 8th of June I wrote about Linda, Laura and Ashley going shopping to buy some material, patterns and supplies for Ashley to use to learn how to use her new sewing machine. Well today, Ashley is going to stop by so that Linda can teach here how to operate the machine and get her started on the sewing project.

I think it'll be fun for both of them. ;-)

Did you know,



Woof!!!

Improving, Life In A 55+ Community, Starting To Get Ready and Weather

DeBary, FL.

74 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 95°F. Heat index around 106°F. West wind to 7 MPH.

It's been a little while since I've posted so I thought I'd bring you up to date.

Linda has been improving each day. She's now eating normally and is getting some energy back. The dizziness also seems to be getting better, but if it follows previous patterns, it will come and go from day to day.

The big news here in the gated community, where the house is, is that they've been seal-coating the streets and that has caused some of the folks here to get all upset because while they're working, they've been closing streets and making it impossible for the people to come and go as normal. Of course, some of the people who have gotten upset are the ones who never go anyplace anyway, but as soon as they close the street, they decide that they have to go someplace, right then.

I think they're about finished with the re-seal project, so soon everything will be good again. ;-)

Ahhhh!!! Life in a 55+ gated community!!!!

Laura and Lindsey stopped by for awhile yesterday. They were glad to hear that Linda was doing much better. Other than that, not much else going on.

We're still shooting at leaving here by the 14th of July. Both Jim and Linda are starting to gather "stuff"  together to take to the trailer for the trip. Jim went over to Highbanks yesterday to check on the trailer and re-arrange some of the things in the outside compartment. He didn't stay over there too long though, it was too hot to do too much.

Speaking of weather.  We're now into what they're calling "The rainy season". I call it the "muggy season", but that's just me. Anyway, every day in the afternoon it rains hard with thunder and lightning for awhile and then usually, the sun comes out again. The temperatures each day have been in the 90's and with the rain, the humidity has been right up there too. Also, since the "rainy season" began, it doesn't cool off much at night. Lately, it's only been cooling off to around the mid 70's and the air is thick enough that you can cut it with a knife!!!

I knew that there was a reason that we didn't want to be in Florida in the summer!!!  ;-O

Did you know that Colgate's first toothpaste came in a jar?

Woof!!!

Stepping Forward Again

DeBary, Fl.

72 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 93°F. Heat index around 102°F. Northwest wind 1 to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 20%.

Linda's appetite was slowly returning and she was eating some but was still very weak. In fact she was so weak that Jim and Linda called Laura and Lindsey to come over to help get her to her scheduled Chemo  Dr's appointment yesterday. The appointment was to have the normal blood test, but when she told them about being sick and hadn't been eating or drinking much, they checked her out and determined that she was severely dehydrated, so they gave her a saline transfusion.

You see, the chemo treatments also dehydrate and that, along with being sick, really took it's toll on Linda.

 Anyway, they took her back to the chemo treatment room and gave her the saline transfusion. While this was happening, Laura and Lindsey went back home and Jim came back here to the house after stopping to Big RED a drink of #2 diesel and stopping at Harbor Freight to pick up a bottle jack to keep in the travel trailer in case it should get a flat tire.

About 12:00 Linda called Jim and told him that she was finished with the transfusion and that she was ready to come back home. Jim called Laura and Lindsey and they headed over to the chemo place also.

When they returned here to the house, I couldn't believe how much better Linda was feeling and how much more energy she had!!!! When she left, she had a lot of trouble going down the steps, but when she returned, she came back up them with just a little support from Lindsey!!!! Then, after she was settled in her chair, she asked Laura if she would make her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

She then proceeded to  eat the whole sandwich!!!!

By yesterday evening, she was still feeling well, so Jim headed over to Steak & Shake and brought back a couple "Steakburgers" for dinner. Linda ate about 1/2 of hers and said that she felt over-full, but that's normal after not eating much for a long time.

No real plans for today. Hopefully Linda will still be feeling good when she wakes up.

Did you know that  when you take a step, you are using up to 200 muscles?

Woof!!!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

DeBary, FL.

70 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast =  Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 90°F. Heat index around 95°F. East northeast wind 4 to 13 MPH, gusting to 18 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 20%.


Jim and Linda did get that Laundry done on Friday morning and then around 11:00 they headed over to the 4 B's Restaurant for breakfast. On the way back they stopped by Winn Dixie and picked up a few things that they were out of. Then, in the afternoon, they headed over to the Chemo place where Linda received the injection to help her bones produce the white blood cells that her body looses when she gets the Chemo treatments.

Saturday, not a whole lot happened. Linda wasn't feeling especially well, and by afternoon, the injection side effects started. (Or at least that's what they thought they were). :-(

By Saturday evening, Linda wasn't feeling well at all and only ate a little bit for dinner. Then as the evening progressed, she started feeling even worse and by about 10:00 PM, she was in the bathroom, sick to her stomach!! This lasted all through the night and all day Sunday and into the evening, when it finally stopped.

What caused this?  Well, we really don't know. She's never had a side effect anything like this from the injection and she and Jim had basically the same food at the restaurant and here at home so it remains a mystery.

Anyway, between the fatigue from the Chemo and the fatigue from being sick for so long, she ended up being really weak and Jim ended up helping her in and out of the bathroom for the best part of the night and almost all day on Sunday.

Not really how either one of them envisioned Father's Day. :-(  

Yesterday morning, Linda was able to keep a little food down and was able make her way into the living room so that she could sit in her recliner. Then in the afternoon Laura and Ashley stopped by and stayed for a couple hours. There really wasn't much Laura could do, but Linda felt better having her and Ashley here.

As of this morning, she seems to be feeling better, but of course is still very weak and is having a lot of problems with dizziness. Besides being dizzy from the chemo, she's probably dehydrated also, so today, she'll need to try to drink lots of liquids.

So, life goes on. Two steps forward and One step back. But, Linda is done with all of the treatments and now the process of recovering from all the treatments and their side effects begins. I'm sure there'll be some setbacks, but she should eventually, (they say that full recovery from the treatments Linda had may take a full year or more), recover completely.

Did you know that Paul McCartney dreamed the melody of "Yesterday" one night and immediately wrote the music the next morning? He then looked around for a month to make sure that he didn't subconsciously plagiarize it from somebody else.

Friday The 13th, A Full Moon, The Spare, Linda's Last Treatment and Happy Birthday Laura

DeBary, FL.

70 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy this morning with thunderstorms becoming likely this afternoon. High 86F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.

Whoooooo!!! Whoooooooo!!!!! Whoooo oo o o oo ooo o o o!!!!!!!!!!!

OH!!! Sorry about that. I just can't control myself when that big old moon is full and especially when it's on Friday the 13th!!!!

I'll try really hard to control myself.

Tuesday, Big RED took Jim over to Winn Dixie so that he could buy some much needed groceries. They weren't gone too long but Jim did manage to purchase quite a few items. He and Linda thought about doing a load of laundry, but that didn't get done.

Wednesday morning, Jim called LaMesa RV, (where he and Linda bought the trailer), and asked about the spare tire and wheel that they were supposed to order from Heartland. If you remember, Jim found out that the spare was the wrong size and the wheel wouldn't even fit on the trailer. Well, the parts girl had told Jim that she would call as soon as it came in, but guess what? She didn't and Jim found out that it had been there since the 5th of June!!!

So, after Linda got up and had her breakfast, Big RED took them over there and the spare tire exchange was made without a hitch. :-)

One thing that Jim and Linda have learned about this RV place is that they almost never call you back when they're supposed to. The only person who ever called when they said they would was the salesman, to let Jim and Linda know that the trailer was ready to be picked up.

Yesterday, Linda had her final Chemo treatment. Dr. Saferali said that by her blood test, she was doing well and was pleased with Linda's progress.

While Linda was getting her treatment, Jim and Big RED took the new spare trailer tire over to Highbanks and mounted it on the trailer. After that, they stopped by Auto Zone and picked up some spare fuses for Big RED and some Leather Cleaner to use on Big RED's seats and on Jim's Barcalounger, (which is getting pretty dirty).  From there, they went up to DeLand and to the DeLand Truck Center where Jim bought some diesel fuel system conditioner. On the way back here to the house, they stopped by Gram's Kitchen where Jim had breakfast for lunch. ;-)

About 1:30, Linda called from the Chemo place and told Jim that she was just about done with her treatment, so he and Big RED headed over there to pick her up. Everything went well with the treatment and by about 2:30 Big RED was backing into the driveway.  

 Yesterday, was also Laura's birthday, so Inez, (Lindsey's mother) had a party for her last night. Ashley was there as well as Lindsey's brother, Danny. Everyone had a good time and Big RED said that he could hear them singing "Happy Birthday" to Laura way out by the street. :-)

Today some laundry has to be done and then this afternoon, Linda goes back to the Chemo place for that Injection. Then, we'll just have to wait and see what the side effects are going to be like this time. :-(

Did you know that the next time that there will be a full moon on Friday the 13th will be August 13th 2049?

Whoooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo!!!!!!!!!!!

A Shopping Trip With Laura And Ashley, Back At The House Again and A Comment

DeBary, FL.

73 deg. clear, S. wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Mostly sunny skies this morning followed by thunderstorms during the afternoon. High near 95F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%

Sunday morning about 11:00 Laura and Ashley came by the campground and picked up Linda and her wheelchair. You see, Ashley has a new sewing machine and Linda has volunteered to help her learn how to use it, so she needed a few patterns, some material and a few other supplies before they could begin. Anyway, after picking Linda up, they headed over to the Mall in Sanford where they went to a craft store where they were able find all the items that were needed. :-)

Of course by the time they were finished shopping, it was lunch time so they went to a restaurant called the Red Robin where they enjoyed some great conversation and a good "gourmet" burger. ;-)

 After spending a very enjoyable week in the trailer at Highbanks, Jim and Linda decided that yesterday, we'd return to the house. So, they started packing stuff up that needed to be brought back to the house as soon as Linda got up and finished her breakfast. Being that they're starting to get better organized, there wasn't that much to bring back, so by about 11:30, we were back at the house.

By the time Jim was finished carrying stuff into the house, the temperatures were up in the mid 90's and he was completely wiped out. Linda managed to get the refrigerator stuff put away but by that time she was exhausted also, so they both took naps before getting the other stuff put away.

Got a comment from Louise, (The Campground host up in Rantoul) yesterday and she said that she's getting ready for us to arrive and wanted to know if site #23 would be OK? Site #23 would be great!!! Jim has always said that he thought that 23 was one of the best sites in the park and it's also close to Paul and Louise's trailer so it would be easier for Linda to get over there for visits and gatherings.

Thanks Louise!!!! :-)

No big plans for the next few days. There's some laundry to be done and some groceries that will be needed. Then on Thursday, Linda will have her last Chemo treatment, so the whole day will be tied up with that.

A Point to Ponder: I've learned that money doesn't buy class.

Woof!!!

Good Doctor's Report and Exciting Plans

DeBary, FL.
Highbanks Marina and CampResort

71 deg. clear, S. wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High near 95F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. 10% chance of rain.


Yesterday morning, Jim woke Linda up at what she calls, "The crack of dawn", so that they could get to Linda's Dr. appointment with Dr. Saferali at 8:00 AM!! :-) By 7:45 they were out of the door and Big RED was taking them over there.

Linda had the normal blood test and then she and Jim sat and waited for the test results and to talk to the Dr.  When Dr. Saferali came into the room, she checked a few things and then told Linda and Jim that the test results looked good and that she was very pleased with how Linda was doing. :-)

After asking Linda some questions about how she was feeling, the subject of Linda's last Chemo treatment, next Thursday, came up. Both Jim and Linda asked her if she had any idea how long it would be after the final treatment that she thought they would be able to make plans to head up to Illinois to see doctors, take care of business and see family and friends up there?

She brought up a calendar on her computer and said that she thought that Linda and Jim should be able to travel, (If Linda was up for it), shortly after the 4th of July!!!!!!!!!! :-)  :-)  ;-)

Wow!!!! I really didn't expect that!!!!!  I was hoping for sometime in August!!!!!

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , after stopping at the house and picking up a few things to bring out here to the trailer, stopping by the CG office to pay for another month and getting things brought inside, Jim got out his computer, the calendar and his big eraser and went to work!! ;-)

If, (and there's that "If" again), everything goes well and Linda doesn't get any more serious or different side effects from her last treatment, and "If" her blood counts don't do anything strange, it looks like we'd be leaving DeBary around the 12th to the 14th of July. (The rent for the site here at Highbanks runs out on the 14th). We'll take our time, with short days at first, to see how well Linda is able to travel, and even stay more than 1 night in a few campgrounds along the way so that she can rest up if necessary.

It's about 1,150 miles up there and by Jim calculations, (along with the help of "Trip Planner") we should be getting to Rantoul about 10 days later on about the 21st, 22nd or 23, of July!! ;-)

Oh, and one more thing. Dr. Saferali is setting up an appointment with Dr. Ogle to have the "port" removed before we leave too. (Linda has hated that thing since it was put in).

So, that's the new plan. Dr. Saferali doesn't see any problems and everything has already been cleared with Dr. Graham, (the radiation doctor), so unless something really out of the ordinary happens, we'll be on our way by, at least, the 14th of July!!! :-)

To celebrate, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Gram's Kitchen for dinner. ;-)

Did you know that on D-Day, it is estimated that nearly 2 million soldiers, sailors and airmen were involved in Operation Overlord, including U.S., British, and Canadians who were scheduled to fight after men on the ground secured a Normandy bridgehead?

Woof!!!

Catching Up and We're Back At Highbanks

DeBary, FL.
Highbanks Marina & CG
67 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High around 85F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. 10% chance of rain.

Saturday and Sunday, Linda still wasn't feeling too well, so not a whole lot happened around the house. Jim took Big RED and went to Winn Dixie and bought a bunch of groceries and he and Linda did a couple loads of laundry and then watched the NASCAR race Sunday afternoon.

I don't know if Lina was actually feeling any better or not, but yesterday morning, she told Jim that she'd like to head to Highbanks and spend some time there. She said that she was sick and tired of just sitting around the house and wanted a change of scenery, so she and Jim started packing things up. Being that they now have most of the things that they need at the trailer, it wasn't too big a job to pack up a few things and head over here.

By about 1:00 we were pulling up in front of the trailer and Jim was carrying stuff inside and Linda was putting it away.  After that, they both took a nap. ;-)

So, how long are we going to stay here at Highbanks?  I have no idea!!!! We don't have to decide that today. Unless something happens, I'm sure we'll be here for awhile, probably around a week.

The weather here hasn't been too bad. We're getting into what they're calling "The rainy season", so we're starting to have rain showers, (usually in the afternoon), just about every day. Of course this raises the humidity, so it's been getting really muggy some days. This will continue all through the summer.

Nothing much else to report, so I guess I'll quit for now. I'll be sure to let you know if anything exciting happens. ;-)

A Point to Ponder:  The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.