Champaign, IL
67 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast tonight = Mostly clear. Lows overnight in the mid 50s.
Forecast tomorrow = Sunny, high 81F. Winds light and variable.
Since I've last posted, both Jim and Linda have been fairly busy. Monday morning, Lily took Linda and Jim to Fisher, IL, where Linda had an appointment with her GP doctor. Everything went fine, except her blood pressure was a little high, (which often happens when Linda goes to the doctor's office), and she needed Linda to come back for a fasting blood test to check her A1C glucose count. (She scheduled her to come back on Wednesday morning).
Tuesday was open, but Wednesday proved to be a pretty busy "doctor" day.
Wednesday morning, Linda's appointment with her GP doctor was at 9:15. After the blood test, they stopped by the Blue Star Restaurant in Fisher for breakfast before coming back here. Then, at 2:30, Linda had an appointment with her retinologist, (Dr. Gandhi). Again, everything went well and he told her that her eyes were "stable", which considering everything, is very good. :-) Then, at 3:00, Jim had an appointment at Dr. Gandhi's office to get a OCT Scan of his eyes to check on his glaucoma. (These results would be sent to his Glaucoma Dr., Dr Anderson),
It was after 4::00 by the time Lily brought them back home.
Thursday and Friday were free days, but this morning, Jim had his appointment with Dr. Anderson, so they left here about 9:30 so as to make his 10:00 appointment.
Again, everything went well, and the Dr. gave Jim the good news that his eyes were doing fine.
So, , , , , , , except for Linda having to go back to her GP doctor on the 28th of August to get the results of the A1C test and to get her blood pressure checked, both Linda and Jim are done with their doctors!!
Now, let me tell you a little about where we're staying. It's called Woodspring Suites and is an extended stay hotel. (Click on name to go to their web site). It is kind of spartan, butt that keeps the cost down. They don't furnish dishes, pots or pans, or even have much furniture in the room except the bed, table and 2 kitchen type chairs. There is a kitchen with a full sized refrigerator, microwave and a 2 burner electric cook-top. And of course a large TV and a full bathroom. Jim and Linda brought along 2 comfortable lawn chairs that they sit in while watching TV or they can lay on the bed which is supplied with bedding.
Some folks may not like this set-up, but Jim and Linda brought along an electric skillet, some cookware and silverware, went to the local Goodwill store to buy a pot they needed and seem to be getting along quite nicely. And, being that they are staying for a month, the nightly rate is less than $35.00 per night.
Not too shabby!!! ;-)
Nothing much scheduled for this next week. I know Jim and Linda have some things they want to do and people to see, so they'll probably do some of that. In the meantime, I'll just say that Linda was very relieved to get the good news about her eyes and in fact both of them were happy that all the doctors visits went well.
Thanks for reading this and check back again. I'll be posting about things that are happening during this next week.
Did you know that in In 1991, Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, married Russi Taylor€”the voice of Minnie?
Woof!!!
Showing posts with label Blood Test. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blood Test. Show all posts
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Doing Better and Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
DeBary, FL.
75 deg., overcast, SE wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 84F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
To all that e-mailed, commented, called or contacted Jim this last week, Thank You very much!!! He needed that after the rough week he had.
Jim has continued to feel better this week. He's been eating better and drinking lots of fluids and has gotten some of his energy back. :-) In fact, yesterday when he went to get his blood test, the test showed that all of his counts have come back up to normal or near normal readings so he doesn't have to worry too much about his resistance to germs, etc. so much.
Through all the chemo treatments so far, Jim's hair has not fallen out. He's had times when it seemed like there was an excess of hair in his comb after combing his hair, but nothing real serious. But, yesterday, Jim noticed a whole lot of hair is starting to fall out, so Linda called Laura yesterday afternoon and last evening, she and Lindsey brought their hair clippers over so that it could be cut. More than likely, sometime today, Jim will get his last haircut for quite awhile. :-(
Jim's not looking forward to not having any hair, but there's really nothing that can be done about it. If it's not cut off, he'll end up with bald spots and that will look really bad. And eventually, it'll all fall out anyway. :-(
If everything goes according to plan, Jim will get his last Chemo treatment this next Friday. It'll be another large dose treatment, so he probably won't be feeling too well for awhile after he has it. Then, if the PET Scan shows that all these treatments were successful, the recovery will begin.
On a lighter note, Jim and Linda went out to eat at the Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant in Orange City yesterday evening. From what I understand, the food was pretty good, but overall, neither Jim or Linda were too impressed with the place. They enjoyed themselves though and it was nice to get out of the house for a change.
Did you know that April is "National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month"?
Woof!!!
75 deg., overcast, SE wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 84F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
To all that e-mailed, commented, called or contacted Jim this last week, Thank You very much!!! He needed that after the rough week he had.
Jim has continued to feel better this week. He's been eating better and drinking lots of fluids and has gotten some of his energy back. :-) In fact, yesterday when he went to get his blood test, the test showed that all of his counts have come back up to normal or near normal readings so he doesn't have to worry too much about his resistance to germs, etc. so much.
Through all the chemo treatments so far, Jim's hair has not fallen out. He's had times when it seemed like there was an excess of hair in his comb after combing his hair, but nothing real serious. But, yesterday, Jim noticed a whole lot of hair is starting to fall out, so Linda called Laura yesterday afternoon and last evening, she and Lindsey brought their hair clippers over so that it could be cut. More than likely, sometime today, Jim will get his last haircut for quite awhile. :-(
Jim's not looking forward to not having any hair, but there's really nothing that can be done about it. If it's not cut off, he'll end up with bald spots and that will look really bad. And eventually, it'll all fall out anyway. :-(
If everything goes according to plan, Jim will get his last Chemo treatment this next Friday. It'll be another large dose treatment, so he probably won't be feeling too well for awhile after he has it. Then, if the PET Scan shows that all these treatments were successful, the recovery will begin.
On a lighter note, Jim and Linda went out to eat at the Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant in Orange City yesterday evening. From what I understand, the food was pretty good, but overall, neither Jim or Linda were too impressed with the place. They enjoyed themselves though and it was nice to get out of the house for a change.
Did you know that April is "National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month"?
Woof!!!
Saturday, March 26, 2016
A Rough Week
DeBary, FL.
80 deg. mostly cloudy, E. wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 87F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Yeah!!! I know!!!! It's been over a week since I've last posted, but I wanted to find out what happened at Jim's doctor visit yesterday before I did.
If you remember, Jim was scheduled to get a larger dose of the Chemo treatment on Friday the 18th than he had been receiving in the past. Well, that went off without a hitch, but he did have to go through 5 hours of treatment instead of the normal 3 hours.
Saturday, Jim was feeling fine and Dave and Dee Dee, (the part of the "Illinois bunch" that wintered over by Tampa), stopped by for a couple hours. They were visiting some friends in Orange City and were able to swing by here for a visit. It sure was good of them to come as we hadn't seen them since last fall, up in Rantoul. From here they were heading over to Ocala to see someone else and then heading home to Illinois for the summer.
Sunday Jim was still feeling pretty well, although he was starting to get some bone/muscle aches from the heavier dose of Chemo. He was pretty much able to control it with normal pain meds though.
Monday, Laura took Linda over to an appointment with Dr. Molpus, the doctor who did Linda's surgery at the Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach a few years ago. Linda was real worried as one of the tests that she had when we returned here last fall came back "abnormal"!!! Everything turned out OK though and a further test and an examination confirmed that there was no cancer present!!!!!!!
Yaaaaay!!!!!
Meanwhile, "back at the ranch" Jim was dealing with some severe bone/muscle pain throughout his whole body, that even the pain meds that had been prescribed by the doctor would not help much. He was also experiencing very heavy fatigue which made it very difficult to even walk from one end of the house to the other. This pain and fatigue was to last all the way to Wednesday when the pain subsided some but the fatigue persisted.
Then, Wednesday night nausea set in and he battled that until well into Thursday. Being that he was feeling lousy, he didn't eat or drink much, so by the time he and Linda went in to see Dr. Saferali on Friday for a follow-up appointment, he had lost a bunch of weight and was dehydrated!! :-( Dr. Saferali strongly suggested he stay for awhile and get an infusion for the dehydration, so that's what he did while Linda waited in the waiting room.
Jim's white cell blood count had also fallen quite low, so he received an injection to help that and was given instructions not to be around too many people for the next week so as not to get any kind of infection or virus as his immune system would not be able to fight the off and he could get very sick.
Of course, this Sunday is Easter Sunday and Jim and Linda have been invited over to Marv and Inez's house for an Easter Dinner, but being that their small home will be packed with family, it's been decided that because of Jim's low white cell blood count, it would be better to be more "safe than sorry" and just have something here at home. :-(
So, , , , , that pretty much brings us up-to-date. Jim seems to be feeling better right now, (Saturday afternoon), with less fatigue and not as much pain, but that injection he received for his blood count may cause more bone/muscle pain in the next few days. We'll just have to see what happens.
His next appointment is this coming Friday, where they'll do another blood test and see how he's doing. Then if everything is going well, the week after that, (April 8th), he'll get another large Chemo dose which should be the last one of the series. After that, he'll have another PET Scan to check for cancer and then it'll be a matter of trying to recover from all the chemo and radiation treatments, which could take months.
A Quote to Ponder : “When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'”
Sydney Harris
Woof!!!
80 deg. mostly cloudy, E. wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 87F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Yeah!!! I know!!!! It's been over a week since I've last posted, but I wanted to find out what happened at Jim's doctor visit yesterday before I did.
If you remember, Jim was scheduled to get a larger dose of the Chemo treatment on Friday the 18th than he had been receiving in the past. Well, that went off without a hitch, but he did have to go through 5 hours of treatment instead of the normal 3 hours.
Saturday, Jim was feeling fine and Dave and Dee Dee, (the part of the "Illinois bunch" that wintered over by Tampa), stopped by for a couple hours. They were visiting some friends in Orange City and were able to swing by here for a visit. It sure was good of them to come as we hadn't seen them since last fall, up in Rantoul. From here they were heading over to Ocala to see someone else and then heading home to Illinois for the summer.
Sunday Jim was still feeling pretty well, although he was starting to get some bone/muscle aches from the heavier dose of Chemo. He was pretty much able to control it with normal pain meds though.
Monday, Laura took Linda over to an appointment with Dr. Molpus, the doctor who did Linda's surgery at the Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach a few years ago. Linda was real worried as one of the tests that she had when we returned here last fall came back "abnormal"!!! Everything turned out OK though and a further test and an examination confirmed that there was no cancer present!!!!!!!
Yaaaaay!!!!!
Meanwhile, "back at the ranch" Jim was dealing with some severe bone/muscle pain throughout his whole body, that even the pain meds that had been prescribed by the doctor would not help much. He was also experiencing very heavy fatigue which made it very difficult to even walk from one end of the house to the other. This pain and fatigue was to last all the way to Wednesday when the pain subsided some but the fatigue persisted.
Then, Wednesday night nausea set in and he battled that until well into Thursday. Being that he was feeling lousy, he didn't eat or drink much, so by the time he and Linda went in to see Dr. Saferali on Friday for a follow-up appointment, he had lost a bunch of weight and was dehydrated!! :-( Dr. Saferali strongly suggested he stay for awhile and get an infusion for the dehydration, so that's what he did while Linda waited in the waiting room.
Jim's white cell blood count had also fallen quite low, so he received an injection to help that and was given instructions not to be around too many people for the next week so as not to get any kind of infection or virus as his immune system would not be able to fight the off and he could get very sick.
Of course, this Sunday is Easter Sunday and Jim and Linda have been invited over to Marv and Inez's house for an Easter Dinner, but being that their small home will be packed with family, it's been decided that because of Jim's low white cell blood count, it would be better to be more "safe than sorry" and just have something here at home. :-(
So, , , , , that pretty much brings us up-to-date. Jim seems to be feeling better right now, (Saturday afternoon), with less fatigue and not as much pain, but that injection he received for his blood count may cause more bone/muscle pain in the next few days. We'll just have to see what happens.
His next appointment is this coming Friday, where they'll do another blood test and see how he's doing. Then if everything is going well, the week after that, (April 8th), he'll get another large Chemo dose which should be the last one of the series. After that, he'll have another PET Scan to check for cancer and then it'll be a matter of trying to recover from all the chemo and radiation treatments, which could take months.
A Quote to Ponder : “When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'”
Sydney Harris
Woof!!!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving, Somebody Told Jim and Doctor Visit And Tests
DeBary, FL.
65 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Showers early, then partly cloudy for the afternoon. High 78F. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
First of all I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a great day with family and/or friends. Most of us really do have a lot to be thankful for.
Somebody told Jim that I let everyone know that he wasn't feeling well, but to my surprise, he really wasn't all that upset with me. :-) Oh, he scolded me, but I can deal with a scolding.
Monday, the 23rd, about 1:00, Big RED took Jim and Linda over to the doctor's office where Jim had to fill out bunches and bunches of papers. Then, he was taken into one of the rooms where he and Linda met Dr. Mathura.
After the "meet and greet", Dr. Mathura proceeded to check Jim out. He looked in his ears to make sure that the passageway to the other side was unobstructed, ;-) , stuck a wooded stick down his throat, listened to his heart and his lungs and pushed on Jim's chest and stomach with his hands. After he was done poking and prodding, a nurse came in and hooked Jim up to a machine that had a whole bunch of wires which connected to little band-aid like things that the nurse pasted all over Jim chest.
As you may know, this machine and procedure is called an EKG and soon after the nurse was finished with the test, the Dr. came in and told Jim and Linda that everything looked OK. Then, as expected, the Dr. told Jim that he wanted him to have chest X-Rays and get a blood test.
He also gave Jim prescriptions for an inhaler and some pills to try to help his breathing.
There's a place called Orange City Imaging right in the same complex of buildings, so after leaving the Dr's office, Jim and Linda headed over there and had the X-Rays done right away.
Jim couldn't get an appointment for the blood test until Wednesday, so Wednesday morning, Jim took Big RED and headed over to the Quest Diagnostics place in Orange City. After sticking him in the arm and draining out some blood, Jim headed back home and had something to eat, cause he couldn't eat anything before the test.
Wednesday afternoon, a nurse from Dr. Mathura's office called and told Jim that the Dr. had looked at the X-Rays and found something on them that needed further inspection. The Dr. recommended a CT Scan and the nurse said that Jim could have the scan done at the same place as he had had the X-Rays done if he wanted to. Jim said OK and soon Orange City Imaging called and Jim now has a 9:00 appointment for next Friday to have the CT Scan.
As you can imagine, this did not make Jim and Linda happy. It's never good when the Dr. finds something wrong on a test and tells you that you need further tests.
Today, Jim and Linda are invited to go over to Marv and Inez's house, (Lindsey's parents), for Thanksgiving dinner. At first, Jim said that he wasn't going to go, but after Laura stopped by yesterday evening and talked to Jim for awhile, he decided that he may as well go, rather that sitting around here, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and feeling sorry for himself. :-)
Did you know that The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620 and by the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower, survived? The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to give a thanksgiving feast.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Woof!!!
65 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Showers early, then partly cloudy for the afternoon. High 78F. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
First of all I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a great day with family and/or friends. Most of us really do have a lot to be thankful for.
Somebody told Jim that I let everyone know that he wasn't feeling well, but to my surprise, he really wasn't all that upset with me. :-) Oh, he scolded me, but I can deal with a scolding.
Monday, the 23rd, about 1:00, Big RED took Jim and Linda over to the doctor's office where Jim had to fill out bunches and bunches of papers. Then, he was taken into one of the rooms where he and Linda met Dr. Mathura.
After the "meet and greet", Dr. Mathura proceeded to check Jim out. He looked in his ears to make sure that the passageway to the other side was unobstructed, ;-) , stuck a wooded stick down his throat, listened to his heart and his lungs and pushed on Jim's chest and stomach with his hands. After he was done poking and prodding, a nurse came in and hooked Jim up to a machine that had a whole bunch of wires which connected to little band-aid like things that the nurse pasted all over Jim chest.
As you may know, this machine and procedure is called an EKG and soon after the nurse was finished with the test, the Dr. came in and told Jim and Linda that everything looked OK. Then, as expected, the Dr. told Jim that he wanted him to have chest X-Rays and get a blood test.
He also gave Jim prescriptions for an inhaler and some pills to try to help his breathing.
There's a place called Orange City Imaging right in the same complex of buildings, so after leaving the Dr's office, Jim and Linda headed over there and had the X-Rays done right away.
Jim couldn't get an appointment for the blood test until Wednesday, so Wednesday morning, Jim took Big RED and headed over to the Quest Diagnostics place in Orange City. After sticking him in the arm and draining out some blood, Jim headed back home and had something to eat, cause he couldn't eat anything before the test.
Wednesday afternoon, a nurse from Dr. Mathura's office called and told Jim that the Dr. had looked at the X-Rays and found something on them that needed further inspection. The Dr. recommended a CT Scan and the nurse said that Jim could have the scan done at the same place as he had had the X-Rays done if he wanted to. Jim said OK and soon Orange City Imaging called and Jim now has a 9:00 appointment for next Friday to have the CT Scan.
As you can imagine, this did not make Jim and Linda happy. It's never good when the Dr. finds something wrong on a test and tells you that you need further tests.
Today, Jim and Linda are invited to go over to Marv and Inez's house, (Lindsey's parents), for Thanksgiving dinner. At first, Jim said that he wasn't going to go, but after Laura stopped by yesterday evening and talked to Jim for awhile, he decided that he may as well go, rather that sitting around here, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and feeling sorry for himself. :-)
Did you know that The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620 and by the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower, survived? The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to give a thanksgiving feast.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Woof!!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Rockin' And Rollin'
Rantoul, IL.
68 deg. light rain, SW wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
The eye doctor's appointments yesterday morning went well. Linda got the injection and Jim got the scan. It took awhile though as the doctor's office was backed up. ;-( By the time they left the doctor's office it was getting close to lunch time, so they stopped at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant in Urbana to eat before coming back here to the park.
Being that it rained in the morning, the humidity was very high yesterday. That, along with a high temp of around 87 made things down right uncomfortable. Then, around 8:00 PM a thunderstorm came through the area and we started Rockin' and Rollin'!!!!
I don't know for sure how strong the wind gusts were, but it sure made Nora move around a lot, and things got pretty scary for a little while!!!! That's one thing that I liked about the big Motor Homes we used to have, (Myrddin and Emrys), they didn't move around much at all in a storm.
We're OK though, and I don't think that there was any damage in the park. Just a few very small branches down.
This morning, Linda has to go to her primary care doctor over in Fisher, IL for her annual check-up and to get new prescriptions for her meds. She'll also be getting a blood test, so she won't be able to eat anything before she and Jim go. That means that they'll be stopping at the Blue Star Restaurant when they leave the doctor's office. ;-)
The weather guessers are saying that we should have very nice weather for the rest of this week. They're saying that it shouldn't rain or even be very humid until Sunday. I hope their forecasts are right as that will give Jim and Linda decent weather to get some shopping done and get everything ready to travel next Monday.
A Point to Ponder : A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
Woof!!!
68 deg. light rain, SW wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
The eye doctor's appointments yesterday morning went well. Linda got the injection and Jim got the scan. It took awhile though as the doctor's office was backed up. ;-( By the time they left the doctor's office it was getting close to lunch time, so they stopped at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant in Urbana to eat before coming back here to the park.
Being that it rained in the morning, the humidity was very high yesterday. That, along with a high temp of around 87 made things down right uncomfortable. Then, around 8:00 PM a thunderstorm came through the area and we started Rockin' and Rollin'!!!!
I don't know for sure how strong the wind gusts were, but it sure made Nora move around a lot, and things got pretty scary for a little while!!!! That's one thing that I liked about the big Motor Homes we used to have, (Myrddin and Emrys), they didn't move around much at all in a storm.
We're OK though, and I don't think that there was any damage in the park. Just a few very small branches down.
This morning, Linda has to go to her primary care doctor over in Fisher, IL for her annual check-up and to get new prescriptions for her meds. She'll also be getting a blood test, so she won't be able to eat anything before she and Jim go. That means that they'll be stopping at the Blue Star Restaurant when they leave the doctor's office. ;-)
The weather guessers are saying that we should have very nice weather for the rest of this week. They're saying that it shouldn't rain or even be very humid until Sunday. I hope their forecasts are right as that will give Jim and Linda decent weather to get some shopping done and get everything ready to travel next Monday.
A Point to Ponder : A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
Woof!!!
Saturday, March 21, 2015
We Missed Spring and Waiting
DeBary, FL.
64 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
I know they're saying that spring has just started, but down here in Florida, we're already into summer. (At least that's what it feels like). We've had temperatures in the mid to upper 80's for most of the last week and on our thermometer on the North side of the house, it was over 90 yesterday. I have to admit that the humidity isn't as bad as it gets later on, but it's been plenty high already.
The thing is, we have to stay here at least, for almost another month, and I'm not looking forward to even higher temperatures and humidity. :-(
Yesterday, Big RED took Linda and Jim over to the Quest Diagnostic place where she had her semi-annual blood test to be sent back to her GP in Illinois. The test went smoothly and afterwords, they headed over to the 4 B's Restaurant for breakfast.
Other than that, nothing much new happening around here. Pretty much, we're waiting until Linda has that PET Scan on the 6th of April. Only after that, can we be sure if we'll be able to get back out on the road about the middle of the month.
The uncertainty is not easy for Jim and Linda to deal with. They would like to make definite travel plans, but until the results of the scan are back, everything is pretty much on hold. Jim has already made a reservation on a waterfront RV site up in Myrtle Beach and hopefully he won't have to cancel it. There's only a few waterfront sites, and, as a matter of fact, when he called the other day, there was only one site left for the dates we're planning on being there.
So, we wait!! Jim and Linda will be getting Nora, (our travel trailer), ready to go and Jim has already started going through tote boxes to weed out things we won't be needing for summer travels up to Illinois.
A Point to Ponder : The best way to save face to keep the lower part shut.
Woof!!!
64 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
I know they're saying that spring has just started, but down here in Florida, we're already into summer. (At least that's what it feels like). We've had temperatures in the mid to upper 80's for most of the last week and on our thermometer on the North side of the house, it was over 90 yesterday. I have to admit that the humidity isn't as bad as it gets later on, but it's been plenty high already.
The thing is, we have to stay here at least, for almost another month, and I'm not looking forward to even higher temperatures and humidity. :-(
Yesterday, Big RED took Linda and Jim over to the Quest Diagnostic place where she had her semi-annual blood test to be sent back to her GP in Illinois. The test went smoothly and afterwords, they headed over to the 4 B's Restaurant for breakfast.
Other than that, nothing much new happening around here. Pretty much, we're waiting until Linda has that PET Scan on the 6th of April. Only after that, can we be sure if we'll be able to get back out on the road about the middle of the month.
The uncertainty is not easy for Jim and Linda to deal with. They would like to make definite travel plans, but until the results of the scan are back, everything is pretty much on hold. Jim has already made a reservation on a waterfront RV site up in Myrtle Beach and hopefully he won't have to cancel it. There's only a few waterfront sites, and, as a matter of fact, when he called the other day, there was only one site left for the dates we're planning on being there.
So, we wait!! Jim and Linda will be getting Nora, (our travel trailer), ready to go and Jim has already started going through tote boxes to weed out things we won't be needing for summer travels up to Illinois.
A Point to Ponder : The best way to save face to keep the lower part shut.
Woof!!!
Friday, June 6, 2014
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!!!
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!!!
Friday, May 30, 2014
Side Effects, Back To Highbanks? and What's Next?
DeBary, FL.
70 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High near 90F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
By Tuesday, Linda's bones were really aching from that injection that she received on Friday. Normally, the ache starts on the Saturday or Sunday after the injection, but for some reason it was delayed this time. She has also had extreme fatigue and although she doesn't have that rash anymore, she says that at times, it feels like her skin is burning. :-(
It's not all bad news though. She has been able to sleep pretty well and when Big RED took her and Jim to the Chemo Doctor's office yesterday morning, all her blood counts were with-in the normal range. Also, by yesterday evening, it seemed like she was feeling a little better and I heard her ask Jim if he'd like to go back to Highbanks to stay in the trailer for awhile, pretty soon? :-)
So, what's happening next? Well, depending on how Linda is feeling, we may end up over at Highbanks in a few days. Linda has another chemo doctor's appointment this next Thursday for another blood test and then she'll have her last Chemo Treatment on the 12th of June and her last injection on the 13th. After that, she'll have follow-up appointments with the Chemo doctor for at least 2 weeks.
Once the Chemo Dr. releases her, (we have no idea when that will be and it could be quite awhile), we will be outta here and on our way back North to Illinois. Jim already has a trip plan for the trip up North and the trailer is pretty well stocked up, so it wouldn't take us long to get going.
Of course all these plans are in pencil and Jim still has that big eraser. Ever since Linda was diagnosed and we came down here last August, we have not been able to make any real plans, and it's still that way. That has actually been one of the toughest things about this whole process, (the uncertainty of it all). I'm hoping that by next spring Jim and Linda will be able to make more concrete plans and we'll be able to get back to more normal, (for us), ;-) living.
Did you know that on this date in 1854 - The U.S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas were established?
Woof!!!
70 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High near 90F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
By Tuesday, Linda's bones were really aching from that injection that she received on Friday. Normally, the ache starts on the Saturday or Sunday after the injection, but for some reason it was delayed this time. She has also had extreme fatigue and although she doesn't have that rash anymore, she says that at times, it feels like her skin is burning. :-(
It's not all bad news though. She has been able to sleep pretty well and when Big RED took her and Jim to the Chemo Doctor's office yesterday morning, all her blood counts were with-in the normal range. Also, by yesterday evening, it seemed like she was feeling a little better and I heard her ask Jim if he'd like to go back to Highbanks to stay in the trailer for awhile, pretty soon? :-)
So, what's happening next? Well, depending on how Linda is feeling, we may end up over at Highbanks in a few days. Linda has another chemo doctor's appointment this next Thursday for another blood test and then she'll have her last Chemo Treatment on the 12th of June and her last injection on the 13th. After that, she'll have follow-up appointments with the Chemo doctor for at least 2 weeks.
Once the Chemo Dr. releases her, (we have no idea when that will be and it could be quite awhile), we will be outta here and on our way back North to Illinois. Jim already has a trip plan for the trip up North and the trailer is pretty well stocked up, so it wouldn't take us long to get going.
Of course all these plans are in pencil and Jim still has that big eraser. Ever since Linda was diagnosed and we came down here last August, we have not been able to make any real plans, and it's still that way. That has actually been one of the toughest things about this whole process, (the uncertainty of it all). I'm hoping that by next spring Jim and Linda will be able to make more concrete plans and we'll be able to get back to more normal, (for us), ;-) living.
Did you know that on this date in 1854 - The U.S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas were established?
Woof!!!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Doctors, Doctors And More Doctors
DeBary, FL.
66 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 77F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Linda has been having a lot of dizzy spells lately and they didn't seem to be going away, so Thursday, she called the chemo doctor's office to see what they said. They told her to come on in to the office at 2:15, so about 2:00 Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over there.
Once she got in, (they had kind of squeezed her in between other patients, so it was somewhat of a wait), they did a blood test and took her blood pressure. The blood test was fine, but when they took the blood pressure, they found it to be lower than normal and when taken while Linda was standing, quite low. The doctor asked about Linda's diet and fluid intake, and she decided that because of the chemo treatments and the amount of fluids that Linda was drinking, she was dehydrated.
So, being that it was already late in the day, she sent her home with instructions to drink lots of water and try to eat a little more. She also temporally took Linda off of one of her blood pressure medications and made an appointment for Linda to come in on Friday for a transfusion.
Being that Linda already had an appointment at the Radiation Therapy doctor for Friday morning, the appointment was set up for early afternoon.
Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda again took Big RED and headed to doctor's appointments. The appointment at Dr. Graham's office, (the radiation therapy doctor), was at 10:20. This was a preliminary appointment where they took x-rays and did some other test and measurements. After that appointment, they came back here to the house, had a little lunch and then headed to the 12:15 appointment at Dr. Saferali's, (the chemo doctor), for the transfusion.
The transfusion was just a saline solution, but by the time she got into the room where they do the transfusions, it was about 1:00 and then it took about three hours.
So, , , , basically, the whole day was spent at doctor's offices. It was about 4:30 by the time they returned here to the house. Both Jim and Linda were tired, so they just threw a couple micro meals in the microwave for dinner and then relaxed in their recliners.
Laura stopped by to visit for a little while in the evening, but other than that, the rest of the evening was spent watching the Olympics on TV.
Nothing much happening today or tomorrow. Jim is planning on going to the grocery store to pick up a few things and I'm sure he and Linda will be watching the Olympics. Then Monday, Linda has to be at Dr. Graham's office at 9:20 for her first Radiation Therapy treatment, and then to Dr. Saferali's office at 12:30 for another transfusion.
Then, for the rest of the week, Linda will go to Dr. Graham's each day for radiation therapy. These treatments will then continue every day, (Monday through Friday), for a total of 8 weeks!!! :-(
Did you know that it's been 26 years since the Jamaican bobsled team made its debut at the Olympics?
Woof!!!
66 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 77F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Linda has been having a lot of dizzy spells lately and they didn't seem to be going away, so Thursday, she called the chemo doctor's office to see what they said. They told her to come on in to the office at 2:15, so about 2:00 Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over there.
Once she got in, (they had kind of squeezed her in between other patients, so it was somewhat of a wait), they did a blood test and took her blood pressure. The blood test was fine, but when they took the blood pressure, they found it to be lower than normal and when taken while Linda was standing, quite low. The doctor asked about Linda's diet and fluid intake, and she decided that because of the chemo treatments and the amount of fluids that Linda was drinking, she was dehydrated.
So, being that it was already late in the day, she sent her home with instructions to drink lots of water and try to eat a little more. She also temporally took Linda off of one of her blood pressure medications and made an appointment for Linda to come in on Friday for a transfusion.
Being that Linda already had an appointment at the Radiation Therapy doctor for Friday morning, the appointment was set up for early afternoon.
Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda again took Big RED and headed to doctor's appointments. The appointment at Dr. Graham's office, (the radiation therapy doctor), was at 10:20. This was a preliminary appointment where they took x-rays and did some other test and measurements. After that appointment, they came back here to the house, had a little lunch and then headed to the 12:15 appointment at Dr. Saferali's, (the chemo doctor), for the transfusion.
The transfusion was just a saline solution, but by the time she got into the room where they do the transfusions, it was about 1:00 and then it took about three hours.
So, , , , basically, the whole day was spent at doctor's offices. It was about 4:30 by the time they returned here to the house. Both Jim and Linda were tired, so they just threw a couple micro meals in the microwave for dinner and then relaxed in their recliners.
Laura stopped by to visit for a little while in the evening, but other than that, the rest of the evening was spent watching the Olympics on TV.
Nothing much happening today or tomorrow. Jim is planning on going to the grocery store to pick up a few things and I'm sure he and Linda will be watching the Olympics. Then Monday, Linda has to be at Dr. Graham's office at 9:20 for her first Radiation Therapy treatment, and then to Dr. Saferali's office at 12:30 for another transfusion.
Then, for the rest of the week, Linda will go to Dr. Graham's each day for radiation therapy. These treatments will then continue every day, (Monday through Friday), for a total of 8 weeks!!! :-(
Did you know that it's been 26 years since the Jamaican bobsled team made its debut at the Olympics?
Woof!!!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Normal Things, Thonotosassa and A Name
DeBary, FL.
50 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 72F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Not a whole lot happening the last few days. The laundry has been done, Jim's been working on re-arranging the workshop, Linda's been doing some embroidery work and they've both been trying to do the normal things that people do, day to day.
We've had a lot of rain the last few days so other than Jim taking Linda to the chemo place to get her blood test on Thursday, they haven't gone out much. It did stop raining for a short while yesterday afternoon though, so Jim took the new truck to the station and filled it up with some #2 diesel at $3.99 per gallon. He had 2 reasons for wanting to fill it up. One, was so that he could start to calculate the mileage that the truck is getting and second, unless Linda is not feeling well when she gets up later, they're heading to the fish fry in Thonotosassa this afternoon!!!! :-)
Speaking of the new truck. I suppose that you've noticed that it doesn't have a name yet. Well, I've been waiting for Jim or Linda to come up with a name, but so far they haven't. So, , , , , I'm taking the "Ram" by the horns and doing it!!! ;-)
First of all, the other day when I was out there checking it out, I realized that there is nothing meek or timid about this truck and with it's Cummins Diesel engine it's big and strong. To me, this means that it's a "he" and not a "she". The next thing I noticed when I was out there was that he had a name tag on his tailgate so he already has a name.
It's Laramie!!!!
When I was on his hood, (acting like a hood ornament), I talked to him a little and asked him if he minded if I called him Mr. L instead of Laramie? He said that he didn't mind and in fact he kind of liked it.;-)
So, , , , "Mr. L" it is!!!!
This morning, Jim and Linda will be getting ready for the trip down to Thonotosassa this afternoon. Linda baked a cake yesterday afternoon, and Jim will be putting some lawn chairs in Mr. L. The weather is supposed to be nice for a change, so it should be a great day for a nice ride and a cook-out/fish fry!!! ;-)
Did you know that the oldest man to compete in the Summer Olympic Games was Oscar Swahn of Sweden in shooting (1908, 1912, and 1920)? He became the oldest gold medalist when he won gold at 64 years and 280 days old in 1912, and the oldest medalist when he won silver in 1920 aged 72 years, 281 days old.
Woof!!!!
50 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 72F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Not a whole lot happening the last few days. The laundry has been done, Jim's been working on re-arranging the workshop, Linda's been doing some embroidery work and they've both been trying to do the normal things that people do, day to day.
We've had a lot of rain the last few days so other than Jim taking Linda to the chemo place to get her blood test on Thursday, they haven't gone out much. It did stop raining for a short while yesterday afternoon though, so Jim took the new truck to the station and filled it up with some #2 diesel at $3.99 per gallon. He had 2 reasons for wanting to fill it up. One, was so that he could start to calculate the mileage that the truck is getting and second, unless Linda is not feeling well when she gets up later, they're heading to the fish fry in Thonotosassa this afternoon!!!! :-)
Speaking of the new truck. I suppose that you've noticed that it doesn't have a name yet. Well, I've been waiting for Jim or Linda to come up with a name, but so far they haven't. So, , , , , I'm taking the "Ram" by the horns and doing it!!! ;-)
First of all, the other day when I was out there checking it out, I realized that there is nothing meek or timid about this truck and with it's Cummins Diesel engine it's big and strong. To me, this means that it's a "he" and not a "she". The next thing I noticed when I was out there was that he had a name tag on his tailgate so he already has a name.
It's Laramie!!!!
When I was on his hood, (acting like a hood ornament), I talked to him a little and asked him if he minded if I called him Mr. L instead of Laramie? He said that he didn't mind and in fact he kind of liked it.;-)
So, , , , "Mr. L" it is!!!!
This morning, Jim and Linda will be getting ready for the trip down to Thonotosassa this afternoon. Linda baked a cake yesterday afternoon, and Jim will be putting some lawn chairs in Mr. L. The weather is supposed to be nice for a change, so it should be a great day for a nice ride and a cook-out/fish fry!!! ;-)
Did you know that the oldest man to compete in the Summer Olympic Games was Oscar Swahn of Sweden in shooting (1908, 1912, and 1920)? He became the oldest gold medalist when he won gold at 64 years and 280 days old in 1912, and the oldest medalist when he won silver in 1920 aged 72 years, 281 days old.
Woof!!!!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Good Test Results and Laura and Lindsey Come For Dinner
DeBary, FL.
44 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High 56F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Haven't written because there hasn't been much to write about.
Linda's doing fine, but is tired all the time. Thursday, she had her blood test and everything looked good. Evidently that shot that she gets 24 hours after each chemo treatment is working, (its the one that makes her bones ache), because her blood test look real good and her immune system seems to be functioning well.
The last few days, Jim has been putting all the yard/garden items that were in the workshop/storage shed into the new little storage cabinet that he bought the other day. It really holds a lot of stuff and he was able to make some room in the workshop.
A few days ago, Linda put a large roast, some potatoes, carrots, and onion into her crock pot and let it cook for most of the day. (It sure smelled good in here while it was cooking). ;-) She and Jim had some that evening for dinner, but there was so much left over that yesterday she invited Laura and Lindsey over to have some for dinner. With Jim's help, everything was ready for the table when they arrived about 5:30 and in no time at all, there was just a little bit of the pot roast left. :-)
Everyone said that it really tasted good, and Jim made the comment that he thought that it was even better after being reheated for the second time.
Today I think that Linda and Jim will be doing laundry. The bedding needs to be washed and the clothes hamper is bulging at the seams.
Did you know that on this date in 1948 - "The Original Amateur Hour" debuted? The show was on the air for 22 years.
44 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High 56F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Haven't written because there hasn't been much to write about.
Linda's doing fine, but is tired all the time. Thursday, she had her blood test and everything looked good. Evidently that shot that she gets 24 hours after each chemo treatment is working, (its the one that makes her bones ache), because her blood test look real good and her immune system seems to be functioning well.
The last few days, Jim has been putting all the yard/garden items that were in the workshop/storage shed into the new little storage cabinet that he bought the other day. It really holds a lot of stuff and he was able to make some room in the workshop.
A few days ago, Linda put a large roast, some potatoes, carrots, and onion into her crock pot and let it cook for most of the day. (It sure smelled good in here while it was cooking). ;-) She and Jim had some that evening for dinner, but there was so much left over that yesterday she invited Laura and Lindsey over to have some for dinner. With Jim's help, everything was ready for the table when they arrived about 5:30 and in no time at all, there was just a little bit of the pot roast left. :-)
Everyone said that it really tasted good, and Jim made the comment that he thought that it was even better after being reheated for the second time.
Today I think that Linda and Jim will be doing laundry. The bedding needs to be washed and the clothes hamper is bulging at the seams.
Did you know that on this date in 1948 - "The Original Amateur Hour" debuted? The show was on the air for 22 years.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Doctor's Visits and Hoping For Company Today
DeBary, FL.
68 deg. overcast, NE wind @ 3 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High near 80F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
The appointment at the "port" doctor went well. He basically just wanted to see how the incision was healing and asked how Linda felt. After the doctor's visit, CLT took Jim and Linda over to the 4 B's Restaurant where they both enjoyed some very tasty lunch specials.
Yesterday morning, Linda had to go to the chemo doctor to see how her cell count is doing. Everything seems to be going well and after a short doctor visit, they headed over to the Perkins Restaurant for breakfast.
So, both doctor's visits went well, but by the time she and Jim returned here to the house, Linda was completely worn out. Her energy level is really low, especially for a week or so right after the chemo treatment. But, that was one of the side effects that was anticipated, so she just has to make the best of it.
Today, we're all hoping that everything goes according to plan and that Laurie and George can come to visit. Jim and Linda have been spiffing up the house a little so that it looks presentable when they come. ;-)
A Point to Ponder : Good judgment comes from bad experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
Woof!!!
68 deg. overcast, NE wind @ 3 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High near 80F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
The appointment at the "port" doctor went well. He basically just wanted to see how the incision was healing and asked how Linda felt. After the doctor's visit, CLT took Jim and Linda over to the 4 B's Restaurant where they both enjoyed some very tasty lunch specials.
Yesterday morning, Linda had to go to the chemo doctor to see how her cell count is doing. Everything seems to be going well and after a short doctor visit, they headed over to the Perkins Restaurant for breakfast.
So, both doctor's visits went well, but by the time she and Jim returned here to the house, Linda was completely worn out. Her energy level is really low, especially for a week or so right after the chemo treatment. But, that was one of the side effects that was anticipated, so she just has to make the best of it.
Today, we're all hoping that everything goes according to plan and that Laurie and George can come to visit. Jim and Linda have been spiffing up the house a little so that it looks presentable when they come. ;-)
A Point to Ponder : Good judgment comes from bad experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
Woof!!!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Catching Up, The "Port" and Hair
DeBary, FL.
66 deg. overcast, NE wind @ 3 mph.
Cloudy. High around 80F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph.
Wow!!! I've really gotten behind with this blog, so I'll try to catch you up on what's been happening around here for the last 4 or 5 days.
Let's see now, , , , , , , Christmas Eve, Laura, Lindsey and Anna stopped by for awhile just to visit and then Christmas morning, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to their house to exchange and open presents with Laura, Lindsey, Ashley, Chris, (Ashley's boyfriend), and Anna. From there, they all headed over to Marv and Inez's, (Lindsey's parents house in DeLand), where they had a nice meal and visited for awhile.
Again, Jim and Linda want to thank Marv and Inez for their hospitality. It was really nice of them to include Jim and Linda in their holiday celebration.
Jim and Linda didn't exchange gifts this year because they had just bought this new laptop computer for Jim and the Kindle Paper White for Linda. Besides that, they both said that they have just about everything else they need and there really wasn't anything else they needed or wanted this year.
Thursday was a busy day with 2 appointments. First they had to go over to the Florida Hospital in Orange City for a pre-op procedure, so they could do blood test and get all of Linda's medical information in preparation for getting the "port" inserted on Friday. After that, they had to hurry over to the Chemo place where they took more blood to make sure Linda's white cells were still plentiful so that her immune system keeps working.
Thursday was a hard day for Linda. First of all, she wasn't happy about having the "port" inserted in her body and then, when she took her shower in the evening and combed out her hair, the comb was full of hair!! :-( Yep, the chemo is doing it's thing on her hair and it's starting to fall out. This was expected, but was still was a traumatic time for her. :-(
Yesterday morning, bright and early, Jim and Linda headed over to the Florida Hospital where they implanted the "port" in Linda's upper chest. This was what they call an "outpatient procedure", so by about 3:00 or so, they were pulling back into the driveway.
Linda doesn't like the idea of the "port" thing at all, but she's trying to look at the good points. It will now be easier to get blood drawn for tests and will be easier on her veins when they are giving her further chemo treatments. As for the hair thing, she says that she won't have to worry about washing and combing her hair for awhile and will be able to easily wash her head.
Yesterday evening, Laura stopped by for while because she knew that Linda wasn't having a good day. By the time she left Linda was in a much better mood and was feeling much better though. :-)
So, , , , that catches you up on the blog. Linda is feeling fine and only has minor pain from the insertion of the "port" yesterday. I don't know of anything special planned for today, but Sunday morning, because she has worked as a beautician, Ashley is going to come over here and shave Linda's head before she starts getting bald spots. She will also be helping Linda with some eye make-up.
Yet again, Linda and Jim want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement. It has really meant a lot.
Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!
Did you know that New Year is the oldest of all holidays, as it was first observed in ancient Babylon as many as 4000 years ago?
Woof!!!
66 deg. overcast, NE wind @ 3 mph.
Cloudy. High around 80F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph.
Wow!!! I've really gotten behind with this blog, so I'll try to catch you up on what's been happening around here for the last 4 or 5 days.
Let's see now, , , , , , , Christmas Eve, Laura, Lindsey and Anna stopped by for awhile just to visit and then Christmas morning, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to their house to exchange and open presents with Laura, Lindsey, Ashley, Chris, (Ashley's boyfriend), and Anna. From there, they all headed over to Marv and Inez's, (Lindsey's parents house in DeLand), where they had a nice meal and visited for awhile.
Again, Jim and Linda want to thank Marv and Inez for their hospitality. It was really nice of them to include Jim and Linda in their holiday celebration.
Jim and Linda didn't exchange gifts this year because they had just bought this new laptop computer for Jim and the Kindle Paper White for Linda. Besides that, they both said that they have just about everything else they need and there really wasn't anything else they needed or wanted this year.
Thursday was a busy day with 2 appointments. First they had to go over to the Florida Hospital in Orange City for a pre-op procedure, so they could do blood test and get all of Linda's medical information in preparation for getting the "port" inserted on Friday. After that, they had to hurry over to the Chemo place where they took more blood to make sure Linda's white cells were still plentiful so that her immune system keeps working.
Thursday was a hard day for Linda. First of all, she wasn't happy about having the "port" inserted in her body and then, when she took her shower in the evening and combed out her hair, the comb was full of hair!! :-( Yep, the chemo is doing it's thing on her hair and it's starting to fall out. This was expected, but was still was a traumatic time for her. :-(
Yesterday morning, bright and early, Jim and Linda headed over to the Florida Hospital where they implanted the "port" in Linda's upper chest. This was what they call an "outpatient procedure", so by about 3:00 or so, they were pulling back into the driveway.
Linda doesn't like the idea of the "port" thing at all, but she's trying to look at the good points. It will now be easier to get blood drawn for tests and will be easier on her veins when they are giving her further chemo treatments. As for the hair thing, she says that she won't have to worry about washing and combing her hair for awhile and will be able to easily wash her head.
Yesterday evening, Laura stopped by for while because she knew that Linda wasn't having a good day. By the time she left Linda was in a much better mood and was feeling much better though. :-)
So, , , , that catches you up on the blog. Linda is feeling fine and only has minor pain from the insertion of the "port" yesterday. I don't know of anything special planned for today, but Sunday morning, because she has worked as a beautician, Ashley is going to come over here and shave Linda's head before she starts getting bald spots. She will also be helping Linda with some eye make-up.
Yet again, Linda and Jim want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement. It has really meant a lot.
Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!
Did you know that New Year is the oldest of all holidays, as it was first observed in ancient Babylon as many as 4000 years ago?
Woof!!!
Friday, December 20, 2013
Feeling Better and More Appointments
DeBary, FL.
51 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 82F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
By Tuesday, Linda's joint/bone pain was mostly gone with just a few aches here and there. It looks like the side effects from this injection, (she will be getting an injection after each chemo treatment), are going to last about 3 days or so.
In fact, Linda was feeling well enough that she, Laura and Jim went over to the Florida Hospital complex where they went to an American Cancer Society office, where a very nice lady who was also an RN, showed Linda some of the hats, scarves and hair pieces that they had for cancer patients. All of the items that they had have been donated or purchased with donations so there was no charge for the 2 hats and 2 small hair pieces that Linda selected.
They also had a whole wall of informational booklets available covering different treatments and types of cancer so Linda brought home some of them too.
Wednesday, Linda and Jim headed over to the doctor's office who is going to implant the "port". She still has a whole lot of reservations about the whole "port" thing but it sounds like she's going to go ahead and have it installed. In fact, she now has an appointment for pre-op on Thursday, Dec. 26th, and an appointment to have the port installed on Friday, Dec. 27th, all at the Florida Hospital in Orange City, which is only about 3 or 4 miles from the house.
The inserting of the port is an outpatient procedure and she should not have to stay overnight.
Yesterday, Linda had to go to the chemo place to get a blood test to see how the chemo drugs are effecting her immune system. The test results were satisfactory so it appears like the treatment is proceeding as planed.
After the test, and stopping by Walgreen's to pick up a prescription, Linda and Jim returned here to the house. Then, soon after they returned, Ashley stopped by and spent a good part of the afternoon visiting with them. ;-)
I don't think that there's anything special planned for today, or for this weekend for that matter. I think Linda would like to go out to eat somewhere, but the chemo doctor has told her that she should avoid large crowds or groups of people if possible because her immune system is compromised from the treatments and it would be easy for her to pick up some germs that could effect her health.
Did you know that in 1836, Alabama was the first state in the USA to declare Christmas a legal holiday?
Woof!!!
51 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 82F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
By Tuesday, Linda's joint/bone pain was mostly gone with just a few aches here and there. It looks like the side effects from this injection, (she will be getting an injection after each chemo treatment), are going to last about 3 days or so.
In fact, Linda was feeling well enough that she, Laura and Jim went over to the Florida Hospital complex where they went to an American Cancer Society office, where a very nice lady who was also an RN, showed Linda some of the hats, scarves and hair pieces that they had for cancer patients. All of the items that they had have been donated or purchased with donations so there was no charge for the 2 hats and 2 small hair pieces that Linda selected.
They also had a whole wall of informational booklets available covering different treatments and types of cancer so Linda brought home some of them too.
Wednesday, Linda and Jim headed over to the doctor's office who is going to implant the "port". She still has a whole lot of reservations about the whole "port" thing but it sounds like she's going to go ahead and have it installed. In fact, she now has an appointment for pre-op on Thursday, Dec. 26th, and an appointment to have the port installed on Friday, Dec. 27th, all at the Florida Hospital in Orange City, which is only about 3 or 4 miles from the house.
The inserting of the port is an outpatient procedure and she should not have to stay overnight.
Yesterday, Linda had to go to the chemo place to get a blood test to see how the chemo drugs are effecting her immune system. The test results were satisfactory so it appears like the treatment is proceeding as planed.
After the test, and stopping by Walgreen's to pick up a prescription, Linda and Jim returned here to the house. Then, soon after they returned, Ashley stopped by and spent a good part of the afternoon visiting with them. ;-)
I don't think that there's anything special planned for today, or for this weekend for that matter. I think Linda would like to go out to eat somewhere, but the chemo doctor has told her that she should avoid large crowds or groups of people if possible because her immune system is compromised from the treatments and it would be easy for her to pick up some germs that could effect her health.
Did you know that in 1836, Alabama was the first state in the USA to declare Christmas a legal holiday?
Woof!!!
Monday, December 16, 2013
Dealing With Some Side Effects
DeBary, FL.
46 deg. clear, N. wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = Sunny. High 67F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Friday afternoon, Laura swung by and picked up Linda and took her over to the chemo place where the nurses took a blood test and gave Linda that injection that will help Linda's immune system fight off infections and other nasty things.
Because it's almost certain that Linda will loose her hair from the chemo treatments, from there they headed up to DeLand to check out a few places that they had been told, sold hats and head coverings of different styles. The trip was unsuccessful though, as one place was closed and the other was out of stock! :-(
Saturday, Linda started getting the joint/bone pain that she had been told about. It has been quite severe at times and has made it very difficult for her to do some of the things she wants to do. Over the counter medications have helped some but not as much as hoped. They didn't tell her and she never thought to ask how long this joint/bone pain is supposed to last, but if it continues, she may have to call the doctor and see if she'll prescribe something a little stronger.
She also has had some nausea, but the medications prescribed for that, seems to be keeping it in check.
Linda says that she feels that if these treatments are making her feel so crummy, the treatments must be doing their job in fighting any cancer cells that still may be inside her.
I don't think that there's much planned for today. Linda has almost all of the Christmas presents ready to be boxed up and sent out. I think Jim is planning going to the post office this morning and getting some of those priority boxes and then hopefully, tomorrow, he can get them back to the post office and get them in the mail.
A Point to Ponder : Life is just a bowl of cherries, you just need to remove the pits.
Woof!!!
46 deg. clear, N. wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = Sunny. High 67F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Friday afternoon, Laura swung by and picked up Linda and took her over to the chemo place where the nurses took a blood test and gave Linda that injection that will help Linda's immune system fight off infections and other nasty things.
Because it's almost certain that Linda will loose her hair from the chemo treatments, from there they headed up to DeLand to check out a few places that they had been told, sold hats and head coverings of different styles. The trip was unsuccessful though, as one place was closed and the other was out of stock! :-(
Saturday, Linda started getting the joint/bone pain that she had been told about. It has been quite severe at times and has made it very difficult for her to do some of the things she wants to do. Over the counter medications have helped some but not as much as hoped. They didn't tell her and she never thought to ask how long this joint/bone pain is supposed to last, but if it continues, she may have to call the doctor and see if she'll prescribe something a little stronger.
She also has had some nausea, but the medications prescribed for that, seems to be keeping it in check.
Linda says that she feels that if these treatments are making her feel so crummy, the treatments must be doing their job in fighting any cancer cells that still may be inside her.
I don't think that there's much planned for today. Linda has almost all of the Christmas presents ready to be boxed up and sent out. I think Jim is planning going to the post office this morning and getting some of those priority boxes and then hopefully, tomorrow, he can get them back to the post office and get them in the mail.
A Point to Ponder : Life is just a bowl of cherries, you just need to remove the pits.
Woof!!!
Friday, December 13, 2013
So Far, So Good!
DeBary, FL.
48 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy skies. High 73F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
There have been some days lately where Linda was having doubts about this whole chemo thing. She got to reading all about the possible side effects of the treatments and that probably wasn't a good thing. One thing that did help was that she received some very positive comments and e-mails from some of my blog readers. Some of who had gone through the treatments themselves and others who had loved ones or family members who had. To those folks, Linda wants you to know that your advice and kind words helped tremendously.
Thank You!!!!
As many of you know, yesterday was Linda's first treatment. Everything went well, but they had trouble with her veins and she will more than likely have to have a "port" installed. I don't know a whole lot about it, but from what I gather, it's a device that's surgically implanted just under the skin and is hooked to a vein. This "port" can then be used for all further treatments.
Linda's not very happy about the idea of having a "port", but thinks it's probably the best solution. :-(
When Jim brought Linda home yesterday, she was feeling fine. So far, (and I even heard Jim ask her how she was feeling this morning), she has not had any side effects. She is taking preventive medication for nausea, and as of last night, her appetite was fine.
This afternoon, he has to go back to the chemo place and get an injection. This is to help her immune system. They've already warned her that it could cause bone and joint aches and have advised her what she should do if that happens.
For the next 2 weeks, she will have to go to the chemo place every Thursday and get a blood test so that they can keep an eye on what the treatments are doing to the blood. Then, in 21 days, (also on a Thursday), she will have her second chemo treatment.
In the meantime, the chemo place is making arrangements for her to get the "port" implanted, (an outpatient procedure), at the hospital.
Again, thanks everyone for the thoughts, prayers, comments and e-mails. And again, the RVing community has come through with flying colors!!!! :-)
A Point to Ponder : Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Woof!!!
48 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy skies. High 73F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
There have been some days lately where Linda was having doubts about this whole chemo thing. She got to reading all about the possible side effects of the treatments and that probably wasn't a good thing. One thing that did help was that she received some very positive comments and e-mails from some of my blog readers. Some of who had gone through the treatments themselves and others who had loved ones or family members who had. To those folks, Linda wants you to know that your advice and kind words helped tremendously.
Thank You!!!!
As many of you know, yesterday was Linda's first treatment. Everything went well, but they had trouble with her veins and she will more than likely have to have a "port" installed. I don't know a whole lot about it, but from what I gather, it's a device that's surgically implanted just under the skin and is hooked to a vein. This "port" can then be used for all further treatments.
Linda's not very happy about the idea of having a "port", but thinks it's probably the best solution. :-(
When Jim brought Linda home yesterday, she was feeling fine. So far, (and I even heard Jim ask her how she was feeling this morning), she has not had any side effects. She is taking preventive medication for nausea, and as of last night, her appetite was fine.
This afternoon, he has to go back to the chemo place and get an injection. This is to help her immune system. They've already warned her that it could cause bone and joint aches and have advised her what she should do if that happens.
For the next 2 weeks, she will have to go to the chemo place every Thursday and get a blood test so that they can keep an eye on what the treatments are doing to the blood. Then, in 21 days, (also on a Thursday), she will have her second chemo treatment.
In the meantime, the chemo place is making arrangements for her to get the "port" implanted, (an outpatient procedure), at the hospital.
Again, thanks everyone for the thoughts, prayers, comments and e-mails. And again, the RVing community has come through with flying colors!!!! :-)
A Point to Ponder : Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Woof!!!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
I Forgot and Waiting
DeBary, FL.
72 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of rain, then thunderstorms and rain showers in the afternoon. High of 90F. Winds from the ESE at 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Really hasn't been much to post about. In the last post, I forgot to tell you that this next Tuesday, Linda has to go over to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach to have some x-rays and some blood drawn.
Right now, it's wait, wait, wait, so nothing much has gotten done around here. Linda did a couple loads of laundry. As she was doing the first one, the washer quit. It went through the wash cycle but then wouldn't drain. Jim called an appliance repair service and they came the next day and found that it was only the lid switch that had broken, so it was a quick, fairly inexpensive fix.
The freezer door gasket on the new refrigerator has been leaking air into the freezer compartment, so Jim called GE. They sent a repairman out Friday and he worked on it, but by Saturday morning, the frost was reforming again. He tried to call GE but of course they don't make appointments on the weekend, so he'll have to call again Monday.
The freezer is keeping everything frozen, but there is a frost build-up along the bottom of the door.
Thursday evening, Jim and Linda went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner. Linda had breakfast and Jim had their chicken pot pie. Then Friday evening, Jim cooked some burgers on the grill.
Well, I guess that all I have to report. The "unknown" is wearing on both Linda and Jim. Hopefully in a couple weeks, they'll know more.
Did you know that George Washington is the only man whose birthday is a legal holiday in every state of the U.S?
Woof!!!
72 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of rain, then thunderstorms and rain showers in the afternoon. High of 90F. Winds from the ESE at 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Really hasn't been much to post about. In the last post, I forgot to tell you that this next Tuesday, Linda has to go over to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach to have some x-rays and some blood drawn.
Right now, it's wait, wait, wait, so nothing much has gotten done around here. Linda did a couple loads of laundry. As she was doing the first one, the washer quit. It went through the wash cycle but then wouldn't drain. Jim called an appliance repair service and they came the next day and found that it was only the lid switch that had broken, so it was a quick, fairly inexpensive fix.
The freezer door gasket on the new refrigerator has been leaking air into the freezer compartment, so Jim called GE. They sent a repairman out Friday and he worked on it, but by Saturday morning, the frost was reforming again. He tried to call GE but of course they don't make appointments on the weekend, so he'll have to call again Monday.
The freezer is keeping everything frozen, but there is a frost build-up along the bottom of the door.
Thursday evening, Jim and Linda went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner. Linda had breakfast and Jim had their chicken pot pie. Then Friday evening, Jim cooked some burgers on the grill.
Well, I guess that all I have to report. The "unknown" is wearing on both Linda and Jim. Hopefully in a couple weeks, they'll know more.
Did you know that George Washington is the only man whose birthday is a legal holiday in every state of the U.S?
Woof!!!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
She Told Me Her Name
DeBary, FL.
67 deg. cloudy, light rain. S wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast : Today: Mostly cloudy with showers likely. Highs around 75°F. South southwest wind to 14 MPH, gusting to 19 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 60%. Precipitation amounts up to one quarter inch possible.
Tonight: Mostly clear with isolated showers. Lows around 54°F. West northwest wind to 12 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 60%.
After spending some time with the new motor home, I asked her if she had a name. She said that she did but didn't much like it, so she goes by the name of Bobbie T. I asked her what the T stood for, but she wouldn't tell me, so I'll respect her wish and just call her Bobbie T.
Anyway, from now on, I won't have to keep calling her "the new motor home", that'll be nice. : )
Jim and Linda have been trying to re-organize Bobbie T's cabinets and compartments so that they can find things better. It's been a slow job because they're trying to maximize the limited space that they have available at the same time. Their gaining on it though. ; )
Laura, Lindsey and Ashley stopped by yesterday afternoon to see Bobbie T. They all seemed to like her real well and they all said that she looked really nice.
After they left, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Bob Evans to have breakfast for dinner.
Oh, I've got a few photos of Bobbie T to show you.
Today, Linda needs to get a blood test. It's one of those things that she really doesn't like to do, but her doctor back in Illinois insist on her getting one every 6 months. : (
Did you know that A dog gave birth to puppies on the sidewalk and was cited for littering?
Woof!!
67 deg. cloudy, light rain. S wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast : Today: Mostly cloudy with showers likely. Highs around 75°F. South southwest wind to 14 MPH, gusting to 19 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 60%. Precipitation amounts up to one quarter inch possible.
Tonight: Mostly clear with isolated showers. Lows around 54°F. West northwest wind to 12 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 60%.
After spending some time with the new motor home, I asked her if she had a name. She said that she did but didn't much like it, so she goes by the name of Bobbie T. I asked her what the T stood for, but she wouldn't tell me, so I'll respect her wish and just call her Bobbie T.
Anyway, from now on, I won't have to keep calling her "the new motor home", that'll be nice. : )
Jim and Linda have been trying to re-organize Bobbie T's cabinets and compartments so that they can find things better. It's been a slow job because they're trying to maximize the limited space that they have available at the same time. Their gaining on it though. ; )
Laura, Lindsey and Ashley stopped by yesterday afternoon to see Bobbie T. They all seemed to like her real well and they all said that she looked really nice.
After they left, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Bob Evans to have breakfast for dinner.
Oh, I've got a few photos of Bobbie T to show you.
Today, Linda needs to get a blood test. It's one of those things that she really doesn't like to do, but her doctor back in Illinois insist on her getting one every 6 months. : (
Did you know that A dog gave birth to puppies on the sidewalk and was cited for littering?
Woof!!
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