DeBary, FL.
74 deg. Partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 91F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.
Yesterday, Jim had an appointment with the Chemo Doctor, (Dr. Gupta), and so he and Linda finally got some answers!!
You see, Jim took a disk of his PET Scan to the hospital and answered a bunch of questions way back on the 20th. He was told that the doctor would look at the scan and then they would call him and let him know when he should come in for the biopsy.
Well, , , , , he waited and waited. Linda finally called the hospital but never could get an answer. She then called the chemo doctor, (who had ordered the biopsy), but got no answer there either. Both places said that "they'd get back to her", but never did! :-( However, at one point, someone did say that they didn't know if Jim was a "good candidate" for the procedure as the left lung was "compromised" and he does have some emphysema.
Anyway, yesterday, he had an appointment with Dr. Gupta and he and Linda finally found out what was going on. The doctor at the hospital didn't think it was a good idea to do the procedure, but somewhere along the line, there was a lack of communication and that fact was never relayed to Jim and Linda. There was one more option, but it involved surgery and it would be risky as well, so it was decided to just go ahead and treat the new spot on the lung as though it was a worst case scenario.
This next Tuesday, Jim will go to the chemo doctor's office for "Patient Education" and then on Friday, he'll have his first treatment. They will be using the new drug, OPDIVO, and it will be given to him every other week for at least 9 weeks. At that time he will have a "scan" and any further treatment will depend on that.
There are some side effects of this drug, but he was told that most patients were able to tolerate the drug very well. Hopefully, the treatments won't be too bad.
Also, either sometime this next week, or possibly the first part of the next, Jim will start radiation treatments. It sounds like they will be scheduled just like they were the last time. 5 days a week, Monday through Friday.
So, , , , , , now you know just about all of what I know. These last few weeks have been very stressful, but now that we know when and what these treatments will be, it takes a lot of the stress out of it. Hopefully everything will go fairly smoothly and we can get back to a more normal life.
A Quote to Ponder : "Look up to the sky. You'll never find rainbows if you're looking down"
Charlie Chaplin
Woof!!!
Showing posts with label Hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hospital. Show all posts
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Back To December 31st and Treatments Begin
DeBary, FL.
57 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 73F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Well, lets see if I can get this all straight!!!! I'm going to go back to December 31st and try bring you up-to-date on what has happened since then.
So, lets begin!!
As I wrote in my post on December 30th, Jim had an appointment with the Oncologist, (Dr. Saferali), on the morning of the 31st to get the results of the Pet scan. Well, Jim and Linda headed over there and the news was good and bad. The good news is that the growth, (probably cancer) was all located in one part of the lung, (the inlet), and there were no other indications of any unnatural growths in the rest of his body.
Now the bad news. From the time Jim had received the Cat scan on the 4th of December and the Pet scan on the 29th of December, the opening of the lung had closed and Jim's left lung had collapsed!! This sent up an immediate alarm and Dr Saferali said that she thought is was very important that Jim head straight over to the hospital for treatment.
So, that's what they did.
Now, you have to remember that this was New Years Eve day and there were a lot of people off for the long holiday weekend. That meant that it was hard to get people together for some of the tests that the pulmonary doctor wanted to preform. And, I might add that it was not where Jim and Linda wanted to be to bring in the New Year either. :-(
They did an electrocardiogram in the ER and then immediately put Jim on heavy antibiotics because there is a high risk of infection in a collapsed lung. They also administered other medications to help him breathe easier. Then, on Saturday, the 2nd of Jan, Jim received an echocardiogram.
All showed no heart problems.
Monday, the 4th, they did a bronchoscopy which involved sedation and then running a scope down to his lungs where photos were taken. It was during this procedure that a biopsy was also taken and sent in for diagnosis.
Tuesday morning, Jan 5th, Dr. Ahuja, the pulmonary doctor that had been looking after Jim since he entered the hospital, and who is also the Dr. who preformed the bronchoscopy, came to the room and informed him of what she saw from the procedures. She is 99% sure it is cancer (no biopsy report yet), and showed Jim and Linda photos of the blocked area of the left lung and said that she thought that Jim could go home later in the day and should start getting radiation treatments to start shrinking the growth as soon as possible, preferably the next day.
Calls were made and an appointment was set up to see the radiation doctor, (Dr. Graham, the same doctor that gave Linda her radiation treatments) yesterday morning. (the 6th), by 10:00 AM, they were talking to the doctor, and by about 11:00, they were finished measuring Jim and deciding on just where the treatment needed to be directed. After that, they came home for awhile and rested, only to go back to Dr. Grahams for Jim's first radiation treatment last evening at 6:15 PM.
You see, Dr. Graham also said that it was of great importance to get that tumor shrunk down to get air entering and exiting the lung as soon as possible to head off a possible problem of the lung not wanting to start working on it's own again, which could be the case if it was blocked off for too long.
This morning, (the 7th), Jim will go back in for another radiation treatment and will continue getting treatments 5 days a week for the next, 5 to 7 weeks. (I can't remember just how long the doctor said). During this time, Jim will also see Dr. Saferali and get started on once a week chemo treatments. That means that for quite awhile he'll be doing both radiation and chemo at the same time.
It won't be easy and I'm sure it'll take a lot out of Jim, but because he's very healthy otherwise, the outlook is good. Dr. Graham also said that Jim has a good chance of full recovery, but as many of you know, cancer is a very hard thing to completely eradicate.
Jim and Linda both have very strong hopes and believe that this is just another one of those large bumps in the road that one has to go over. And besides, we still have places to go and things to do before hanging up those RV keys. ;-)
I don't know how much I'll be posting, but I'll try to keep all of you informed of anything important happening.
Jim also wants to thank all of you that have already called, e-mailed or commented. It really means a lot to know that so many of you out there are thinking and praying for his full recovery.
A Quote to Ponder : “All the really valuable things you own are things you can't photograph.”
Author Unknown
Woof!!!
57 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 73F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Well, lets see if I can get this all straight!!!! I'm going to go back to December 31st and try bring you up-to-date on what has happened since then.
So, lets begin!!
As I wrote in my post on December 30th, Jim had an appointment with the Oncologist, (Dr. Saferali), on the morning of the 31st to get the results of the Pet scan. Well, Jim and Linda headed over there and the news was good and bad. The good news is that the growth, (probably cancer) was all located in one part of the lung, (the inlet), and there were no other indications of any unnatural growths in the rest of his body.
Now the bad news. From the time Jim had received the Cat scan on the 4th of December and the Pet scan on the 29th of December, the opening of the lung had closed and Jim's left lung had collapsed!! This sent up an immediate alarm and Dr Saferali said that she thought is was very important that Jim head straight over to the hospital for treatment.
So, that's what they did.
Now, you have to remember that this was New Years Eve day and there were a lot of people off for the long holiday weekend. That meant that it was hard to get people together for some of the tests that the pulmonary doctor wanted to preform. And, I might add that it was not where Jim and Linda wanted to be to bring in the New Year either. :-(
They did an electrocardiogram in the ER and then immediately put Jim on heavy antibiotics because there is a high risk of infection in a collapsed lung. They also administered other medications to help him breathe easier. Then, on Saturday, the 2nd of Jan, Jim received an echocardiogram.
All showed no heart problems.
Monday, the 4th, they did a bronchoscopy which involved sedation and then running a scope down to his lungs where photos were taken. It was during this procedure that a biopsy was also taken and sent in for diagnosis.
Tuesday morning, Jan 5th, Dr. Ahuja, the pulmonary doctor that had been looking after Jim since he entered the hospital, and who is also the Dr. who preformed the bronchoscopy, came to the room and informed him of what she saw from the procedures. She is 99% sure it is cancer (no biopsy report yet), and showed Jim and Linda photos of the blocked area of the left lung and said that she thought that Jim could go home later in the day and should start getting radiation treatments to start shrinking the growth as soon as possible, preferably the next day.
Calls were made and an appointment was set up to see the radiation doctor, (Dr. Graham, the same doctor that gave Linda her radiation treatments) yesterday morning. (the 6th), by 10:00 AM, they were talking to the doctor, and by about 11:00, they were finished measuring Jim and deciding on just where the treatment needed to be directed. After that, they came home for awhile and rested, only to go back to Dr. Grahams for Jim's first radiation treatment last evening at 6:15 PM.
You see, Dr. Graham also said that it was of great importance to get that tumor shrunk down to get air entering and exiting the lung as soon as possible to head off a possible problem of the lung not wanting to start working on it's own again, which could be the case if it was blocked off for too long.
This morning, (the 7th), Jim will go back in for another radiation treatment and will continue getting treatments 5 days a week for the next, 5 to 7 weeks. (I can't remember just how long the doctor said). During this time, Jim will also see Dr. Saferali and get started on once a week chemo treatments. That means that for quite awhile he'll be doing both radiation and chemo at the same time.
It won't be easy and I'm sure it'll take a lot out of Jim, but because he's very healthy otherwise, the outlook is good. Dr. Graham also said that Jim has a good chance of full recovery, but as many of you know, cancer is a very hard thing to completely eradicate.
Jim and Linda both have very strong hopes and believe that this is just another one of those large bumps in the road that one has to go over. And besides, we still have places to go and things to do before hanging up those RV keys. ;-)
I don't know how much I'll be posting, but I'll try to keep all of you informed of anything important happening.
Jim also wants to thank all of you that have already called, e-mailed or commented. It really means a lot to know that so many of you out there are thinking and praying for his full recovery.
A Quote to Ponder : “All the really valuable things you own are things you can't photograph.”
Author Unknown
Woof!!!
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Update On Jim
DeBary, FL.
53 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Overcast with showers at times. High near 70F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
I know!!!! I said that I'd report right after Jim got the results from the scan last Friday, but there were some major developments.
The results of the scan were not good and Jim was sent directly from the doctor's office to the hospital with the diagnosis of a collapsed left lung!!!!! It seems like the growth that was detected in the CAT scan and PET scan, had completely closed off the opening to the lung and no air at all was getting through!!!!
So, because I don't have time right now to go into all the details, I'll just tell you that Jim was finally released from the hospital last evening and returned back here about 6:30 PM. Today, he has an appointment with Dr. Graham, (the same radiation doctor that Linda had), to begin radiation treatments to hopefully shrink the "mass" so that air can get in and out of the lung. Once that is accomplished, we don't know how many or what kind of treatments will be required. All of that will be determined after the lung is able to work again.
The growth is cancer but it is all located in the one spot on the lung. There is no evidence of cancer anywhere else in Jim, so that is good. And, all the doctors seem to agree that the prognosis is good and they're expecting a good end result.
Thanks everyone for your comments and calls. Now that Jim will be home, I'll try to catch you up-to-date on what happened in the hospital and what's going on at the present.
Jim is doing well and is not in any discomfort. The only problem is that when he tries to do too much he gets severely out of breath, panting just like I do after a long run around the house. :-)
A Quote to Ponder : “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.”
Abraham Lincoln
Woof!!!
53 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Overcast with showers at times. High near 70F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
I know!!!! I said that I'd report right after Jim got the results from the scan last Friday, but there were some major developments.
The results of the scan were not good and Jim was sent directly from the doctor's office to the hospital with the diagnosis of a collapsed left lung!!!!! It seems like the growth that was detected in the CAT scan and PET scan, had completely closed off the opening to the lung and no air at all was getting through!!!!
So, because I don't have time right now to go into all the details, I'll just tell you that Jim was finally released from the hospital last evening and returned back here about 6:30 PM. Today, he has an appointment with Dr. Graham, (the same radiation doctor that Linda had), to begin radiation treatments to hopefully shrink the "mass" so that air can get in and out of the lung. Once that is accomplished, we don't know how many or what kind of treatments will be required. All of that will be determined after the lung is able to work again.
The growth is cancer but it is all located in the one spot on the lung. There is no evidence of cancer anywhere else in Jim, so that is good. And, all the doctors seem to agree that the prognosis is good and they're expecting a good end result.
Thanks everyone for your comments and calls. Now that Jim will be home, I'll try to catch you up-to-date on what happened in the hospital and what's going on at the present.
Jim is doing well and is not in any discomfort. The only problem is that when he tries to do too much he gets severely out of breath, panting just like I do after a long run around the house. :-)
A Quote to Ponder : “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.”
Abraham Lincoln
Woof!!!
Monday, June 15, 2015
Indiana To Illinois, That "Back Home Feeling" and My Injury
Rantoul, IL.
71 deg. clear, SW breeze @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 83F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
We left the Lake Haven Retreat Campground, South of Indianapolis about 10:15 and headed back North to I-465 on Rt 37. 465 then took us on around the SW and W sides of the city and up to I-74. 74 then took us NE through the West part of Indiana and into Illinois, where we pulled into a Rest area so Jim could do a "walk around" to make sure everything was OK after going over some very rough road sections.
In Illinois, we had Road construction for about 20 miles, but the traffic moved well and we didn't have any delays. Once we got to the little town of St. Joseph, we turned off of I-74 and took county roads up here to Rantoul and the Prairie Pines Campground.
It was 11:40 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us just 1 hour and 25 minutes to travel the 135 miles over here.
Wait!!! Wait!!! that can't be right!!!! Oh, I forgot!!! we crossed into the Central Time Zone so it was 12:40 when we arrived. It took us 2 hours and 25 minutes! That's better. ;-)
We'll be staying here at Prairie Pines for most of the summer. We really like it here and it always seems like we're coming back home and it feels very "comfortable" when we arrive. We know quite a few people who come here regularly and in fact, a few of them have already stopped by to welcome us back. :-)
Well, I guess I'd better tell you about me getting hurt on the way here to Rantoul, in case I end up in the hospital or something!!
You see, on the way here, we were on a rough section of I-74 and Linda opened the little cooler that we have to get out a bottle of water. Well, just as she was closing the lid, we hit a big bump, I slipped and before I could react, the lid was closed on my leg!!!!
Wow!!! That really hurt!!!!
I don't think it's broken and neither do Jim or Linda, so I think I'll be OK in a few days, but it's really sore now!!! Luckily it was my back leg or I wouldn't be able to write the Blog!!!
Did you know that there are between 20,000 and 23,000 animal hospitals in the United States?
Woof!!!
71 deg. clear, SW breeze @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 83F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
We left the Lake Haven Retreat Campground, South of Indianapolis about 10:15 and headed back North to I-465 on Rt 37. 465 then took us on around the SW and W sides of the city and up to I-74. 74 then took us NE through the West part of Indiana and into Illinois, where we pulled into a Rest area so Jim could do a "walk around" to make sure everything was OK after going over some very rough road sections.
In Illinois, we had Road construction for about 20 miles, but the traffic moved well and we didn't have any delays. Once we got to the little town of St. Joseph, we turned off of I-74 and took county roads up here to Rantoul and the Prairie Pines Campground.
It was 11:40 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us just 1 hour and 25 minutes to travel the 135 miles over here.
Wait!!! Wait!!! that can't be right!!!! Oh, I forgot!!! we crossed into the Central Time Zone so it was 12:40 when we arrived. It took us 2 hours and 25 minutes! That's better. ;-)
We'll be staying here at Prairie Pines for most of the summer. We really like it here and it always seems like we're coming back home and it feels very "comfortable" when we arrive. We know quite a few people who come here regularly and in fact, a few of them have already stopped by to welcome us back. :-)
Well, I guess I'd better tell you about me getting hurt on the way here to Rantoul, in case I end up in the hospital or something!!
Wow!!! That really hurt!!!!
I don't think it's broken and neither do Jim or Linda, so I think I'll be OK in a few days, but it's really sore now!!! Luckily it was my back leg or I wouldn't be able to write the Blog!!!
Did you know that there are between 20,000 and 23,000 animal hospitals in the United States?
Woof!!!
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Shopping Finished, Anxiety and Is There A Move In The Near Future?
DeBary, FL.
63 deg. partly cloudy, light fog, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
As of this last Sunday, all the Christmas shopping is finished and as of yesterday morning, Linda has all of the presents wrapped. Now, most of them need to be boxed up and sent off to family in VA, NC, WI, IL, and OR.
Other than day to day living not much has been happening around here. Yesterday, Linda had her first medical appointment since we've been back here in Florida. It was a scan at the Imagining Center at the Florida Hospital, (where she received her radiation treatments). Then, tomorrow, she'll go to see Dr. Graham, (the radiation doctor), to find out the results.
Linda has been having a lot of anxiety about going to get the scan and then going to the doctor to get the results. I can understand that. The outcome is going to make a huge difference in her life.
So, we wait. She's trying to stay busy, so she not always thinking about it.
Oh, and one other thing. As some of you know, Jim is not happy with the site that Nora is in over at Highbanks. Well, I think it was last Saturday, when he and Linda were out and about, buying Christmas Presents, that they spotted a Campground over in Deltona, that they didn't even know was there. They stopped in and talked to Beverly, (a lady that works for the CG part time). She was very nice and let Jim and Linda drive around in the park and see which sites were available. She also suggested that they come back on Monday and talk to Kelly, the manager, to get more information and the monthly rates, etc.
So, Monday morning they went back, talked to Kelly, (a very nice young lady that is the grand daughter of the original owner of the park). Jim and Linda were very impressed with her. The park doesn't have all the amenities that Highbanks has but it is quite a bit less expensive. It's about 15 minutes from the house here in DeBary, so it's not too far away, there are some nice shady sites available, the people in the park seem very friendly, the park is on a very nice lake and the park is gated, so it's not easily accessible to the public.
On the down side, the roads are not paved but do seem well maintained, there's only 30 amp electric in the park, it's farther from the house than Highbanks, it's in a more "rural" setting with not as many businesses nearby and probably about 80% of the sites are filled with permanents. (Highbanks also has a lot of permanents though).
I haven't seen the park yet, but Big RED says that he likes it. I think Jim and Linda like it also. And, from what I can gather from listening to what Jim and Linda have said, it sounds like on the 16th or 17th of this month, they'll be moving Nora over there.
A decision will have to be made very soon.
Did you know that today is "National Cookie Day"????
Yumm Yumm!!!!!
Woof!!!
63 deg. partly cloudy, light fog, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
As of this last Sunday, all the Christmas shopping is finished and as of yesterday morning, Linda has all of the presents wrapped. Now, most of them need to be boxed up and sent off to family in VA, NC, WI, IL, and OR.
Other than day to day living not much has been happening around here. Yesterday, Linda had her first medical appointment since we've been back here in Florida. It was a scan at the Imagining Center at the Florida Hospital, (where she received her radiation treatments). Then, tomorrow, she'll go to see Dr. Graham, (the radiation doctor), to find out the results.
Linda has been having a lot of anxiety about going to get the scan and then going to the doctor to get the results. I can understand that. The outcome is going to make a huge difference in her life.
So, we wait. She's trying to stay busy, so she not always thinking about it.
Oh, and one other thing. As some of you know, Jim is not happy with the site that Nora is in over at Highbanks. Well, I think it was last Saturday, when he and Linda were out and about, buying Christmas Presents, that they spotted a Campground over in Deltona, that they didn't even know was there. They stopped in and talked to Beverly, (a lady that works for the CG part time). She was very nice and let Jim and Linda drive around in the park and see which sites were available. She also suggested that they come back on Monday and talk to Kelly, the manager, to get more information and the monthly rates, etc.
So, Monday morning they went back, talked to Kelly, (a very nice young lady that is the grand daughter of the original owner of the park). Jim and Linda were very impressed with her. The park doesn't have all the amenities that Highbanks has but it is quite a bit less expensive. It's about 15 minutes from the house here in DeBary, so it's not too far away, there are some nice shady sites available, the people in the park seem very friendly, the park is on a very nice lake and the park is gated, so it's not easily accessible to the public.
On the down side, the roads are not paved but do seem well maintained, there's only 30 amp electric in the park, it's farther from the house than Highbanks, it's in a more "rural" setting with not as many businesses nearby and probably about 80% of the sites are filled with permanents. (Highbanks also has a lot of permanents though).
I haven't seen the park yet, but Big RED says that he likes it. I think Jim and Linda like it also. And, from what I can gather from listening to what Jim and Linda have said, it sounds like on the 16th or 17th of this month, they'll be moving Nora over there.
A decision will have to be made very soon.
Did you know that today is "National Cookie Day"????
Yumm Yumm!!!!!
Woof!!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The Illinois Bunch Leaves and 2 Down And 0 To Go
Rantoul, IL.
50 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Areas of patchy fog early. Partly cloudy. High 67F. Winds light and variable.
There was rain just North of here yesterday morning and if you checked the radar, you could see that there was more rain heading right towards Rantoul. So, both Denny and Dave started "breaking camp" earlier than they normally would have. It's a good thing that they did because just as they were finishing, it started raining and rained fairly hard for the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon.
I don't remember just what time it was, but after h and h, (hugs and handshakes), they pulled out of their sites and headed for home. :-( (I think it was around 10:30). It sure was good to see them again and more than likely, we'll see Dave and Dee Dee down in Florida sometime this winter. :-) However, Denny and Bev have decided not to go to Florida this winter, so we probably won't see them until sometime next summer. :-(
After they left, it was time to start getting ready to head down to Urbana. Linda's appointment at the Hospital was at 12:45 so being that it was raining quite hard at times, Jim and Linda left here about 11:45.
Big RED said that it only sprinkled on the way down there and by about 12:15, he was pulling into the patient drop-off/pick-up area where one of the volunteers came out and took Linda inside with a wheelchair. By the time Jim found a spot to park Big RED in that scary parking garage, with the low clearance, and returned to the main entrance, Linda had registered again and was waiting for him in the lobby.
Another volunteer then took them up to the surgery area on the 2nd floor where Linda checked in and then waited in the waiting room for a nurse to come and get her. After about 1/2 hour, the nurse came and took Linda back to Pre-Op and then about 45 minutes after that, Jim was told that he could go to room 28 on the 2nd floor to be with her.
Then, it was time to wait again. :-(
Things did go much better this time though. About 3:30 they came into the room and took Linda into surgery. (again, Jim was able to just stay in the room to wait), and with-in a half hour, they brought her back again, surgery completed!! :-)
By 4:30, Jim was retrieving Big RED from the parking garage and pulling up to the patient pick-up area. In just a little while, yet another volunteer brought Linda out and by a little before 5:00 they were pulling into the parking lot at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant. (Linda was hungry because she wasn't allowed to eat anything since midnight.)
After enjoying another good meal, Big RED brought them back here to the CG where both Linda and Jim relaxed, dozed in their chairs and watched TV until about 10:00 when they went to bed.
So, that's over with!!!! The surgery went well and both Linda and Jim were talking about how good it was to have the surgery completed. Now, maybe they can both relax a little. Linda will have to go for a follow-up on the surgery tomorrow, (Wednesday), and then on the 30th of Sept. she has an appointment to see Dr. Gandhi to see if she needs another injection. And, Dr. Anderson may want to see her again to check on the cataract surgery one more time before we leave here.
As far as leaving here, Jim has been working on trip plans and has decided that if at all possible, we should leave here by at least the 13th of October. If everything goes well, we may leave a little before that date to give us a little more time to head East to NC and VA to see Mike and Joe and their families and then head South to Florida,
Again, everything is written in pencil and Jim still has that big eraser. ;-)
Did you know that your eyes are always the same size from birth?
Woof!!!
50 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Areas of patchy fog early. Partly cloudy. High 67F. Winds light and variable.
There was rain just North of here yesterday morning and if you checked the radar, you could see that there was more rain heading right towards Rantoul. So, both Denny and Dave started "breaking camp" earlier than they normally would have. It's a good thing that they did because just as they were finishing, it started raining and rained fairly hard for the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon.
I don't remember just what time it was, but after h and h, (hugs and handshakes), they pulled out of their sites and headed for home. :-( (I think it was around 10:30). It sure was good to see them again and more than likely, we'll see Dave and Dee Dee down in Florida sometime this winter. :-) However, Denny and Bev have decided not to go to Florida this winter, so we probably won't see them until sometime next summer. :-(
After they left, it was time to start getting ready to head down to Urbana. Linda's appointment at the Hospital was at 12:45 so being that it was raining quite hard at times, Jim and Linda left here about 11:45.
Big RED said that it only sprinkled on the way down there and by about 12:15, he was pulling into the patient drop-off/pick-up area where one of the volunteers came out and took Linda inside with a wheelchair. By the time Jim found a spot to park Big RED in that scary parking garage, with the low clearance, and returned to the main entrance, Linda had registered again and was waiting for him in the lobby.
Another volunteer then took them up to the surgery area on the 2nd floor where Linda checked in and then waited in the waiting room for a nurse to come and get her. After about 1/2 hour, the nurse came and took Linda back to Pre-Op and then about 45 minutes after that, Jim was told that he could go to room 28 on the 2nd floor to be with her.
Then, it was time to wait again. :-(
Things did go much better this time though. About 3:30 they came into the room and took Linda into surgery. (again, Jim was able to just stay in the room to wait), and with-in a half hour, they brought her back again, surgery completed!! :-)
By 4:30, Jim was retrieving Big RED from the parking garage and pulling up to the patient pick-up area. In just a little while, yet another volunteer brought Linda out and by a little before 5:00 they were pulling into the parking lot at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant. (Linda was hungry because she wasn't allowed to eat anything since midnight.)
After enjoying another good meal, Big RED brought them back here to the CG where both Linda and Jim relaxed, dozed in their chairs and watched TV until about 10:00 when they went to bed.
So, that's over with!!!! The surgery went well and both Linda and Jim were talking about how good it was to have the surgery completed. Now, maybe they can both relax a little. Linda will have to go for a follow-up on the surgery tomorrow, (Wednesday), and then on the 30th of Sept. she has an appointment to see Dr. Gandhi to see if she needs another injection. And, Dr. Anderson may want to see her again to check on the cataract surgery one more time before we leave here.
As far as leaving here, Jim has been working on trip plans and has decided that if at all possible, we should leave here by at least the 13th of October. If everything goes well, we may leave a little before that date to give us a little more time to head East to NC and VA to see Mike and Joe and their families and then head South to Florida,
Again, everything is written in pencil and Jim still has that big eraser. ;-)
Did you know that your eyes are always the same size from birth?
Woof!!!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Lots Of Visiting With The "Illinois Bunch" and Cataract Surgery Today
Rantoul, IL.
51 deg. cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 64°F. South wind 1 to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation 60 percent. New precipitation amounts up to one quarter inch possible.
Not a whole lot going on around here except a whole bunch of visiting. Friday, Dorthy drove down here to the CG and stayed until early evening. The Pot Luck went off without a hitch and everyone got plenty to eat. The only thing that could have been better was the weather. It was cloudy and quite cool with some wind. :-(
Saturday was sunnier and a little warmer, but there was still some wind, so if you were in the shade, it felt pretty cool. That, of course, didn't stop everyone from getting together around the campfire or inside of Denny and Bev's motor home to visit though.
Also on Saturday, Dave found out that the furnace in his trailer wasn't working. After some investigation, he found a wire shorted out down by the furnace. The wire was rerouted, but the furnace is now making some noise from the fan, so he'll probably have to take it back to the dealer for repairs.
Yesterday was very nice with lots of sun, temperatures in the upper 60's and almost no wind. Linda spent most of the afternoon over at Bev's, visiting and Jim, Denny and Dave spent the afternoon visiting and solving all the problems of the world. ;-) Dee Dee went shopping with her daughter who drove down here from her home, somewhere North of here.
For dinner yesterday, Jim and Linda and Denny and Bev decided to have Pizza for dinner. So, they ordered a Pizza from Monical's Pizza. After a little while, Big RED took Jim and Denny to pick it up and bring it back here to Denny and Bev's.
Again, the pizza was very good and they all enjoyed even more visiting and catching up on this last year's happenings.
Linda was getting pretty tired, so Jim walked with Linda back here to Nora and then went back to visit some more with Denny and Dave who had started another campfire.
After visiting for awhile Jim came back here and then he and Linda watched "Da Bears" win a pretty good game over the 49ers.
This morning, Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee will be packing up and leaving. Then, about noon, Big RED will take Linda and Jim down to Urbana so that Linda can have the Cataract Surgery on her other eye. Linda is not looking forward to the surgery, but is looking forward to seeing a little better out of that eye. (This is the eye that has the diabetic damage.)
Hopefully everything will go a little quicker at the hospital this time and she won't have to wait so long.
Did you know that the muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body? It allows you to blink 5 times a second.
Woof!!!
51 deg. cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 64°F. South wind 1 to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation 60 percent. New precipitation amounts up to one quarter inch possible.
Not a whole lot going on around here except a whole bunch of visiting. Friday, Dorthy drove down here to the CG and stayed until early evening. The Pot Luck went off without a hitch and everyone got plenty to eat. The only thing that could have been better was the weather. It was cloudy and quite cool with some wind. :-(
Saturday was sunnier and a little warmer, but there was still some wind, so if you were in the shade, it felt pretty cool. That, of course, didn't stop everyone from getting together around the campfire or inside of Denny and Bev's motor home to visit though.
Also on Saturday, Dave found out that the furnace in his trailer wasn't working. After some investigation, he found a wire shorted out down by the furnace. The wire was rerouted, but the furnace is now making some noise from the fan, so he'll probably have to take it back to the dealer for repairs.
Yesterday was very nice with lots of sun, temperatures in the upper 60's and almost no wind. Linda spent most of the afternoon over at Bev's, visiting and Jim, Denny and Dave spent the afternoon visiting and solving all the problems of the world. ;-) Dee Dee went shopping with her daughter who drove down here from her home, somewhere North of here.
For dinner yesterday, Jim and Linda and Denny and Bev decided to have Pizza for dinner. So, they ordered a Pizza from Monical's Pizza. After a little while, Big RED took Jim and Denny to pick it up and bring it back here to Denny and Bev's.
Again, the pizza was very good and they all enjoyed even more visiting and catching up on this last year's happenings.
Linda was getting pretty tired, so Jim walked with Linda back here to Nora and then went back to visit some more with Denny and Dave who had started another campfire.
After visiting for awhile Jim came back here and then he and Linda watched "Da Bears" win a pretty good game over the 49ers.
This morning, Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee will be packing up and leaving. Then, about noon, Big RED will take Linda and Jim down to Urbana so that Linda can have the Cataract Surgery on her other eye. Linda is not looking forward to the surgery, but is looking forward to seeing a little better out of that eye. (This is the eye that has the diabetic damage.)
Hopefully everything will go a little quicker at the hospital this time and she won't have to wait so long.
Did you know that the muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body? It allows you to blink 5 times a second.
Woof!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
One Down And One To Go
Rantoul, IL.
60 deg. mostly cloudy, SE wind @ 3 mph. Thunder in the distance.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 82°F. South southeast wind 5 to 10 MPH. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
Yesterday morning was kind of hard for Linda and Jim. That's the problem with having "later in the day" appointments, you can't really start anything and you end up just sitting around, thinking about what's going to happen and worrying about it. :-(
About 11:45, they headed out to Big RED and he took them down to the Carl Hospital in Urbana.
The trip down there was uneventful, but once Big RED dropped Linda off at the hospital door and the nice volunteer took Linda inside, it was time to try to find a parking place for RED. Well, the only place to park was in this huge parking garage. He told me that as he went into the garage, there was a sign that said that there was a 7' height limit inside and he was sure he wasn't that high.
Once inside and making his way around the corners and up the ramps, he was sure that some of those beams from the above floors were below 7' though. He said that at times, he thought for sure that he was going to hit some of those beams with his roof!!! They looked really low!!!! :-O
Well, he made it up to the 3rd level where Jim backed him into a parking spot.
And, that's where he stayed for the next 5 1/2 hours!!!!!!
Yep, you read hat right!!!! 5 1/2 hours!!!!!
By the time Jim got into the hospital, Linda had registered and was waiting for him in the lobby. From there, another nice volunteer wheeled Linda up to the 2nd floor and to the section called, "Same Day Surgery", where Linda signed in at another desk.
After waiting in the waiting room for awhile, a nurse came out and took Linda back to the surgery area where she started the pre-op procedure.
After about an hour, Jim was finally led back to Linda's room by a very nice volunteer lady where he and Linda waited and waited and waited for Linda's turn in the operating room!!! :-(
It was so cold in the room that after while, Jim went to the nurses desk and asked for more blankets for Linda. One of the nurses brought her a couple blankets that she evidently got out of a blanket warmer because they were very warm when she put them over Linda. :-)
About 4:45, they finally came and got Linda out of the room and took her to surgery. The surgery only took about 20 minutes or so and in about 1/2 hour she was back in the room where Jim was still waiting.
As soon as she returned, they gave Linda some crackers and something to drink. Soon Dr. Anderson came into the room and gave Linda instructions on what to do, as far as putting drops into her eye etc. After that, the nurse got Linda up and dressed, got her into the wheel chair and told Jim to go get the car and they would bring Linda down to the patient pick-up area.
Big RED said that coming back down the ramps in the parking garage was even scarier than going up!!! He was on the inside of the turns and now he had to try to turn real sharp to miss cars that were going up the ramp, plus worry about hitting his roof on one of those beams!!!
He made it though and soon was parked in the patient pick-up area, waiting for Linda. :-) In just a few minutes, Linda arrived, (Wheeled there by another volunteer), and got into Big RED.
Whew!!!!
Being that Linda had not had anything to eat or drink, (except the crackers and drink up in the room after surgery), since about 10:00 the night before, she was very hungry and asked Jim if they could stop somewhere and get something to eat. So, , , , , they headed over to the Urbana Gardens Restaurant where they both had very nice meals and relaxed a little. (Jim had to read the menu to Linda). ;-)
After eating, Big RED brought Linda and Jim back here to the CG where they both relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Linda's eye seems to be doing fine. Everything was still blurry when she went to bed last night, but that's normal. I think she slept well and in fact is still sleeping, so, she must be comfortable.
Wednesday, she has an appointment at Dr. Anderson's office for a follow up check of her eye. Then, it will be decided for sure when she will have surgery on the other eye.
Did you know that today is "Wonderful Weirdoes Day"?
Woof!!!
60 deg. mostly cloudy, SE wind @ 3 mph. Thunder in the distance.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 82°F. South southeast wind 5 to 10 MPH. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
Yesterday morning was kind of hard for Linda and Jim. That's the problem with having "later in the day" appointments, you can't really start anything and you end up just sitting around, thinking about what's going to happen and worrying about it. :-(
About 11:45, they headed out to Big RED and he took them down to the Carl Hospital in Urbana.
The trip down there was uneventful, but once Big RED dropped Linda off at the hospital door and the nice volunteer took Linda inside, it was time to try to find a parking place for RED. Well, the only place to park was in this huge parking garage. He told me that as he went into the garage, there was a sign that said that there was a 7' height limit inside and he was sure he wasn't that high.
Once inside and making his way around the corners and up the ramps, he was sure that some of those beams from the above floors were below 7' though. He said that at times, he thought for sure that he was going to hit some of those beams with his roof!!! They looked really low!!!! :-O
Well, he made it up to the 3rd level where Jim backed him into a parking spot.
And, that's where he stayed for the next 5 1/2 hours!!!!!!
Yep, you read hat right!!!! 5 1/2 hours!!!!!
By the time Jim got into the hospital, Linda had registered and was waiting for him in the lobby. From there, another nice volunteer wheeled Linda up to the 2nd floor and to the section called, "Same Day Surgery", where Linda signed in at another desk.
After waiting in the waiting room for awhile, a nurse came out and took Linda back to the surgery area where she started the pre-op procedure.
After about an hour, Jim was finally led back to Linda's room by a very nice volunteer lady where he and Linda waited and waited and waited for Linda's turn in the operating room!!! :-(
It was so cold in the room that after while, Jim went to the nurses desk and asked for more blankets for Linda. One of the nurses brought her a couple blankets that she evidently got out of a blanket warmer because they were very warm when she put them over Linda. :-)
About 4:45, they finally came and got Linda out of the room and took her to surgery. The surgery only took about 20 minutes or so and in about 1/2 hour she was back in the room where Jim was still waiting.
As soon as she returned, they gave Linda some crackers and something to drink. Soon Dr. Anderson came into the room and gave Linda instructions on what to do, as far as putting drops into her eye etc. After that, the nurse got Linda up and dressed, got her into the wheel chair and told Jim to go get the car and they would bring Linda down to the patient pick-up area.
Big RED said that coming back down the ramps in the parking garage was even scarier than going up!!! He was on the inside of the turns and now he had to try to turn real sharp to miss cars that were going up the ramp, plus worry about hitting his roof on one of those beams!!!
He made it though and soon was parked in the patient pick-up area, waiting for Linda. :-) In just a few minutes, Linda arrived, (Wheeled there by another volunteer), and got into Big RED.
Whew!!!!
Being that Linda had not had anything to eat or drink, (except the crackers and drink up in the room after surgery), since about 10:00 the night before, she was very hungry and asked Jim if they could stop somewhere and get something to eat. So, , , , , they headed over to the Urbana Gardens Restaurant where they both had very nice meals and relaxed a little. (Jim had to read the menu to Linda). ;-)
After eating, Big RED brought Linda and Jim back here to the CG where they both relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Linda's eye seems to be doing fine. Everything was still blurry when she went to bed last night, but that's normal. I think she slept well and in fact is still sleeping, so, she must be comfortable.
Wednesday, she has an appointment at Dr. Anderson's office for a follow up check of her eye. Then, it will be decided for sure when she will have surgery on the other eye.
Did you know that today is "Wonderful Weirdoes Day"?
Woof!!!
Monday, September 8, 2014
Shopping, Weather and Cataract Surgery Today
Rantoul, IL.
55 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. Highs around 79°F. East wind to 7 MPH.
Haven't posted because there's not been much happening around here.
Friday morning, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to a Menards store in Champaign so that Jim could buy some hooks to put on the walls here in Nora. He also wasn't happy with the way the bottom of the sliding door on the bedroom was held in place when latched open in the travel position, so he bought some hardware to remedy that situation too.
After shopping at Menards, Jim and Linda had breakfast for lunch at a Denny's Restaurant. (because it was right there). The food was good, but it took a long time for the food to come, after it was ordered.
When they returned back here to the campground, Jim put up a couple hooks in the bedroom to hang clothes on and then put up 2 small hooks on the end of the kitchen cabinet, (next to the outside door), so he had someplace to hang his baseball type caps.
Friday evening, we had a storm come through the area. It got real windy for awhile and we ended up getting just over 1/2 inch of rain.
55 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. Highs around 79°F. East wind to 7 MPH.
Haven't posted because there's not been much happening around here.
Friday morning, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to a Menards store in Champaign so that Jim could buy some hooks to put on the walls here in Nora. He also wasn't happy with the way the bottom of the sliding door on the bedroom was held in place when latched open in the travel position, so he bought some hardware to remedy that situation too.
After shopping at Menards, Jim and Linda had breakfast for lunch at a Denny's Restaurant. (because it was right there). The food was good, but it took a long time for the food to come, after it was ordered.
When they returned back here to the campground, Jim put up a couple hooks in the bedroom to hang clothes on and then put up 2 small hooks on the end of the kitchen cabinet, (next to the outside door), so he had someplace to hang his baseball type caps.
Friday evening, we had a storm come through the area. It got real windy for awhile and we ended up getting just over 1/2 inch of rain.
The sky really looked nasty for awhile.
Saturday was a much cooler day. Jim went to the County Market Grocery Store in the morning and then he and Linda enjoyed the nice weather sitting outside under Nora's awning. Oh, and he did install the hardware that he purchased on the bedroom door. Now it'll stay in place better when we travel.
Yesterday, Jim and Linda went over and talked to Paul and Louise for awhile. Again the weather was so nice that they sat outside to visit.
Today, Linda is scheduled for Cataract Surgery on her left eye. She and Jim are supposed to be at Carl Hospital in Urbana at 12:45. I don't know just what time the surgery will be, but that's the time she needs to be there to register.
Did you know that on this date in 1945 - In Washington, DC, a bus equipped with a two-way radio was put into service for the first time?
Woof!!!
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Tests, Shopping, Things Change and A Very Nice Meal
Rantoul, IL.
70 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High 92F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Tuesday, about 10:00, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Gibson City to get Linda's tests done. Everything went really smooth and in about an hour, they were heading back towards Rantoul.
On the way back, they stopped in Fisher, IL and had lunch at the Blue Star Family Restaurant.
Nothing much happened during the afternoon, but after grabbing a sandwich around 5;30, they again took Big RED and headed over to Wally World where Jim purchased a new coffee maker and a couple other small items. The coffee maker that Jim had was old, wasn't working too well anymore, and was all cruddy down inside of the water reservoir. :-( Besides that, he uses one of those little 5 cup coffee makers, so they don't cost a whole lot to replace.
You know, that brings up another subject I've been thinking about.
Years ago, Jim would have tried to salvage that old pot and use it a little longer. He would have been scrubbing the inside of the reservoir with a brush or something, pouring vinegar thought the maker to remove any lime that might have accumulated and maybe even gone shopping for a replacement pot if needed.
But, things / times have changed! Somewhere along the way, he has changed his attitude about things like that, and has decided that he doesn't want to, or it's too much trouble to go though all that work. It's the same way with repairs on the RV or other vehicles that we've had lately. He used to do all the maintenance and repairs on them, but now, except for some small repairs, he has someone else do the work.
Yeah, part of it is technology. He sometimes doesn't have the tools or the testers to do the work. but for the most part, he just doesn't feel like crawling around under a vehicle or inside of a cabinet or storage bay to do the work, anymore. And to be honest, he doesn't feel too safe when he's up on the roof of an RV, (and Linda doesn't like it when he goes up there), so, unless it's an emergency, he doesn't go up there anymore either.
I don't know, it might be age. Jim says that it much harder to get under a vehicle or do something inside of a cabinet or storage area than it used to be and if he does manage do the work himself, he's sore for quite a few days afterwords.
I know I can't run and jump around like a puppy anymore. I used to run and run and run, but the old joints just won't let me do that now. :-(
Getting older is not easy, but when you think of the alternative, it guess there's not much choice.
OK, enough of that!!!!!!
After going to Wally World, Big RED took Jim and Linda over to the Dairy Queen for a treat. They hadn't been there at all this year and really enjoyed it. ;-)
When Jim was over talking to Louise the other day, she gave him a couple of filet mignon steaks that she had gotten from Paul's son, who has a farm up near Galena, IL. So, yesterday evening, being that the weather was nice, Jim decided that he'd try to cook them on his grill.
Well, I'm here to tell you that they sure smelled good, and both Jim and Linda thought they they turned out really well! :-) They had them along with some potato salad, some sliced tomatoes, (out of Louise's garden), and bakery bread.
A very nice meal, indeed!!!! ;-) Thank you very much, Louise!!!!!
No plans so far for today. I'ts supposed to be quite hot and humid, so Jim and Linda will probably be staying inside a lot. It's supposed to really cool off for the weekend though.
Did you know that September is "National Prime Beef Month"?
Woof!!!
70 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High 92F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Tuesday, about 10:00, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Gibson City to get Linda's tests done. Everything went really smooth and in about an hour, they were heading back towards Rantoul.
On the way back, they stopped in Fisher, IL and had lunch at the Blue Star Family Restaurant.
Nothing much happened during the afternoon, but after grabbing a sandwich around 5;30, they again took Big RED and headed over to Wally World where Jim purchased a new coffee maker and a couple other small items. The coffee maker that Jim had was old, wasn't working too well anymore, and was all cruddy down inside of the water reservoir. :-( Besides that, he uses one of those little 5 cup coffee makers, so they don't cost a whole lot to replace.
You know, that brings up another subject I've been thinking about.
Years ago, Jim would have tried to salvage that old pot and use it a little longer. He would have been scrubbing the inside of the reservoir with a brush or something, pouring vinegar thought the maker to remove any lime that might have accumulated and maybe even gone shopping for a replacement pot if needed.
But, things / times have changed! Somewhere along the way, he has changed his attitude about things like that, and has decided that he doesn't want to, or it's too much trouble to go though all that work. It's the same way with repairs on the RV or other vehicles that we've had lately. He used to do all the maintenance and repairs on them, but now, except for some small repairs, he has someone else do the work.
Yeah, part of it is technology. He sometimes doesn't have the tools or the testers to do the work. but for the most part, he just doesn't feel like crawling around under a vehicle or inside of a cabinet or storage bay to do the work, anymore. And to be honest, he doesn't feel too safe when he's up on the roof of an RV, (and Linda doesn't like it when he goes up there), so, unless it's an emergency, he doesn't go up there anymore either.
I don't know, it might be age. Jim says that it much harder to get under a vehicle or do something inside of a cabinet or storage area than it used to be and if he does manage do the work himself, he's sore for quite a few days afterwords.
I know I can't run and jump around like a puppy anymore. I used to run and run and run, but the old joints just won't let me do that now. :-(
Getting older is not easy, but when you think of the alternative, it guess there's not much choice.
OK, enough of that!!!!!!
After going to Wally World, Big RED took Jim and Linda over to the Dairy Queen for a treat. They hadn't been there at all this year and really enjoyed it. ;-)
When Jim was over talking to Louise the other day, she gave him a couple of filet mignon steaks that she had gotten from Paul's son, who has a farm up near Galena, IL. So, yesterday evening, being that the weather was nice, Jim decided that he'd try to cook them on his grill.
Well, I'm here to tell you that they sure smelled good, and both Jim and Linda thought they they turned out really well! :-) They had them along with some potato salad, some sliced tomatoes, (out of Louise's garden), and bakery bread.
A very nice meal, indeed!!!! ;-) Thank you very much, Louise!!!!!
No plans so far for today. I'ts supposed to be quite hot and humid, so Jim and Linda will probably be staying inside a lot. It's supposed to really cool off for the weekend though.
Did you know that September is "National Prime Beef Month"?
Woof!!!
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
They're All Gone, Yet Another Dinner With Mike And Terri and Going For Tests
Rantoul, IL.
69 deg. cloudy, SW wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Isolated thunderstorms this morning. Skies will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 84F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
They're all gone!!!! Yep, yesterday, the CG just about emptied out!!!! Early yesterday morning, some of the RVers started packing up and by mid-afternoon, they had all left. From now on, this park will be mostly empty and the only campers here will be a few like us who are staying for longer periods of time or the occasional travelers who stops by, some of them heading South for the winter.
Louise says that she has a couple "clubs" coming in this next weekend, but I don't think that they're very big clubs.
Mike and Terri came over yesterday evening and everyone ordered sandwiches from Monical's Pizza. Jim and Linda both had the Italian Beef, Mike had the meatball sub and I think Terri had the turkey sub. Anyway, they all said that their sandwiches were very good and really seemed to enjoy them. :-)
After eating, talking awhile and h and h, (hugs and handshakes), Mike and Terri left and headed to their RV. They'll be leaving here this morning to start heading to Virginia, where they used to live. It's sure been good to have them here and I know that Jim and Linda have really enjoyed visiting and sharing some meals with them.
Safe Travels, Mike and Terri!!!! Maybe we'll see you down in Florida this winter!!! :-)
Jim and Linda won't see them again this morning because Linda needs to go and have those test for her cataract surgery. (You know, the EKG and the urinalysis test that I told you about the other day.) She and Jim decided to go to the Gibson City Hospital to get the test done rather than try to find their way around in the very large Carl Hospital down in Urbana.
Carl is closer and it's where Linda will have her cataract surgery, but Gibson City is smaller and Linda has had test done there before and knows where to go once they get there.
Did you know that until the 1960s, men with long hair were not allowed to enter Disneyland?
Woof!!!
69 deg. cloudy, SW wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Isolated thunderstorms this morning. Skies will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 84F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
They're all gone!!!! Yep, yesterday, the CG just about emptied out!!!! Early yesterday morning, some of the RVers started packing up and by mid-afternoon, they had all left. From now on, this park will be mostly empty and the only campers here will be a few like us who are staying for longer periods of time or the occasional travelers who stops by, some of them heading South for the winter.
Louise says that she has a couple "clubs" coming in this next weekend, but I don't think that they're very big clubs.
Mike and Terri came over yesterday evening and everyone ordered sandwiches from Monical's Pizza. Jim and Linda both had the Italian Beef, Mike had the meatball sub and I think Terri had the turkey sub. Anyway, they all said that their sandwiches were very good and really seemed to enjoy them. :-)
After eating, talking awhile and h and h, (hugs and handshakes), Mike and Terri left and headed to their RV. They'll be leaving here this morning to start heading to Virginia, where they used to live. It's sure been good to have them here and I know that Jim and Linda have really enjoyed visiting and sharing some meals with them.
Safe Travels, Mike and Terri!!!! Maybe we'll see you down in Florida this winter!!! :-)
Jim and Linda won't see them again this morning because Linda needs to go and have those test for her cataract surgery. (You know, the EKG and the urinalysis test that I told you about the other day.) She and Jim decided to go to the Gibson City Hospital to get the test done rather than try to find their way around in the very large Carl Hospital down in Urbana.
Carl is closer and it's where Linda will have her cataract surgery, but Gibson City is smaller and Linda has had test done there before and knows where to go once they get there.
Did you know that until the 1960s, men with long hair were not allowed to enter Disneyland?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
10 Months and 14 days and FL To GA
Thomasville, GA. (City of Roses RV Park)
75 deg. overcast, no wind. humidity 96%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 88°F. Heat index around 97°F. West wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.
Yep!!! 10 Months and 14 days. That's how long we were in Florida to get Linda's cancer treated. If you count the days from the day she was diagnosed till the day we arrived, you have to add another 9 days onto that, making it 10 Months and 23 days, a total of 327 days.
Anyone who has gone through the diagnosis and the cancer treatments knows what it's like.
First, there's the "I can't believe this is happening to me" stage when you are diagnosed. Then there's the "fear" stage where you realize you have this thing inside of you that may very well kill you!!
Then, you start researching specialist who poke, prod, take X-rays, CAT scans or PET scans, run a myriad of other tests and finally, after what seems like forever, give you the diagnosis that you were scared to death to hear!!!!
In Linda's case, an exam under anesthesia was needed, then, after multiple doctor's visits, surgery. This would then be followed by Chemo, Radiation and more Chemo treatments. These treatments all have serious side-effects, so there were many many days of emotional up's and down's, dizziness, fatigue, the change in appearance, (hair loss and skin changes) and feeling completely miserable.
If course, there are many doctor's appointments throughout the whole procedure.
And then, there's the family. They're scared too and the main caregiver, in this case, Jim goes through the whole process with the person who actually has the illness.
Finally after all the treatments, you get the final diagnosis, (and hopefully it's a good one), you can start the recovery procedure and start getting back to some kind of normalcy. The recovery from the surgery is long past, but there are still the side effects from the chemo and the radiation treatments that the doctors say may last as long as 1 1/2 years!!!
I'm sure there will be many more doctor appointments throughout the years ahead and I'm sure there will be emotions to deal with before every one of them.
There'll always be that fear that the cancer will return.
Linda's emotions are still right on the edge and when we left the CG in DeBary Monday, she broke down and started crying. I don't think she really knows why, but thinks that it was probably because we were finally RVing again and at times, during her illness, she wasn't sure that we'd ever be on the road again.
________
Yesterday, we left Chiefland about 9:40 and headed North on US 19. 19 took us up through Cross City and Perry where we hit some serious thunder storms. In fact, at times we were down to about 40 MPH because even Big RED couldn't see where he was going. By the time we crossed I-10, the rains had subsided and it stayed dry the rest of the way to Thomasville, GA., where we pulled into the City of Roses RV Park.
We have been to the City of Roses RV Park many times before. It's another Passport America park. ($15.00 per night) It is an old park with quite a few "permanent" RVs but the owner is very nice and always welcomes us back to the park.
It was 12:05 when we arrived, so it took us 2 hours and 25 minutes to travel the 130 miles up here.
As Jim was putting down the stabilizer jacks and hooking up the electric, it started sprinkling again and just after he came inside the trailer, it started raining hard and rained off and on for the rest of the day.
Did you know that you see your nose at all times, your brain just chooses to ignore it?
Woof!!!
75 deg. overcast, no wind. humidity 96%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 88°F. Heat index around 97°F. West wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.
Yep!!! 10 Months and 14 days. That's how long we were in Florida to get Linda's cancer treated. If you count the days from the day she was diagnosed till the day we arrived, you have to add another 9 days onto that, making it 10 Months and 23 days, a total of 327 days.
Anyone who has gone through the diagnosis and the cancer treatments knows what it's like.
First, there's the "I can't believe this is happening to me" stage when you are diagnosed. Then there's the "fear" stage where you realize you have this thing inside of you that may very well kill you!!
Then, you start researching specialist who poke, prod, take X-rays, CAT scans or PET scans, run a myriad of other tests and finally, after what seems like forever, give you the diagnosis that you were scared to death to hear!!!!
In Linda's case, an exam under anesthesia was needed, then, after multiple doctor's visits, surgery. This would then be followed by Chemo, Radiation and more Chemo treatments. These treatments all have serious side-effects, so there were many many days of emotional up's and down's, dizziness, fatigue, the change in appearance, (hair loss and skin changes) and feeling completely miserable.
If course, there are many doctor's appointments throughout the whole procedure.
And then, there's the family. They're scared too and the main caregiver, in this case, Jim goes through the whole process with the person who actually has the illness.
Finally after all the treatments, you get the final diagnosis, (and hopefully it's a good one), you can start the recovery procedure and start getting back to some kind of normalcy. The recovery from the surgery is long past, but there are still the side effects from the chemo and the radiation treatments that the doctors say may last as long as 1 1/2 years!!!
I'm sure there will be many more doctor appointments throughout the years ahead and I'm sure there will be emotions to deal with before every one of them.
There'll always be that fear that the cancer will return.
Linda's emotions are still right on the edge and when we left the CG in DeBary Monday, she broke down and started crying. I don't think she really knows why, but thinks that it was probably because we were finally RVing again and at times, during her illness, she wasn't sure that we'd ever be on the road again.
________
Yesterday, we left Chiefland about 9:40 and headed North on US 19. 19 took us up through Cross City and Perry where we hit some serious thunder storms. In fact, at times we were down to about 40 MPH because even Big RED couldn't see where he was going. By the time we crossed I-10, the rains had subsided and it stayed dry the rest of the way to Thomasville, GA., where we pulled into the City of Roses RV Park.
We have been to the City of Roses RV Park many times before. It's another Passport America park. ($15.00 per night) It is an old park with quite a few "permanent" RVs but the owner is very nice and always welcomes us back to the park.
As Jim was putting down the stabilizer jacks and hooking up the electric, it started sprinkling again and just after he came inside the trailer, it started raining hard and rained off and on for the rest of the day.
Did you know that you see your nose at all times, your brain just chooses to ignore it?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Gram's Kitchen and More Wheels For Linda
DeBary, FL.
67 deg. light rain, no wind.
Forecast = Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 81F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Saturday night Jim and Linda did go to Gram's Kitchen where they splurged on the Prime Rib special. Again, both of them thought it was very good and there was enough that they'll probably get another meal out of the leftovers that they brought home. ;-)
Sunday, Jim went to the Winn Dixie Grocery store in the morning and then watched most of the NASCAR race on TV, while Linda read, in the afternoon.
Speaking of Winn Dixie, Jim says that they've almost completely changed the layout of the store. The bakery, Deli, frozen foods and dairy are still in the same place, but all of the merchandise on the shelves have been moved to different locations!!! :-( It took Jim a lot longer to find what he was looking for and when he came back, I heard him telling Linda that there were some pretty angry customers over there. I really wonder why they do that? They haven't changed what merchandise they stock, they just moved it to a different place!!!
Monday, about 1:30, a truck pulled up in front of the house and being that Jim was out in the workshop, he went out to the street to see who it was. Come to find out, it was the medical supply company delivering the new "mobility chair" that the lady at the hospital had arranged to have sent here.
It seems to be pretty nice and it should be of some help when she wants to go shopping or to the radiation doctor at the hospital. In fact, yesterday, Jim loaded into the back of Big RED and they used it just for that purpose when Linda had her radiation treatment.
Jim says that it worked fine, but he's thinking that it pushes harder than a regular wheelchair. It's lighter weight than a regular wheelchair though, so its easier for him to load in and out of the truck.
They're forecasting rain off and on today, so I don't expect Jim and Linda to be going anywhere except the hospital for the radiation treatment and possibly stop by Walgreen's to pick up a few items on the way back here.
Did you know that March is "National Umbrella Month"?
Woof!!!
67 deg. light rain, no wind.
Forecast = Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 81F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Saturday night Jim and Linda did go to Gram's Kitchen where they splurged on the Prime Rib special. Again, both of them thought it was very good and there was enough that they'll probably get another meal out of the leftovers that they brought home. ;-)
Sunday, Jim went to the Winn Dixie Grocery store in the morning and then watched most of the NASCAR race on TV, while Linda read, in the afternoon.
Speaking of Winn Dixie, Jim says that they've almost completely changed the layout of the store. The bakery, Deli, frozen foods and dairy are still in the same place, but all of the merchandise on the shelves have been moved to different locations!!! :-( It took Jim a lot longer to find what he was looking for and when he came back, I heard him telling Linda that there were some pretty angry customers over there. I really wonder why they do that? They haven't changed what merchandise they stock, they just moved it to a different place!!!
Monday, about 1:30, a truck pulled up in front of the house and being that Jim was out in the workshop, he went out to the street to see who it was. Come to find out, it was the medical supply company delivering the new "mobility chair" that the lady at the hospital had arranged to have sent here.
It seems to be pretty nice and it should be of some help when she wants to go shopping or to the radiation doctor at the hospital. In fact, yesterday, Jim loaded into the back of Big RED and they used it just for that purpose when Linda had her radiation treatment.
Jim says that it worked fine, but he's thinking that it pushes harder than a regular wheelchair. It's lighter weight than a regular wheelchair though, so its easier for him to load in and out of the truck.
They're forecasting rain off and on today, so I don't expect Jim and Linda to be going anywhere except the hospital for the radiation treatment and possibly stop by Walgreen's to pick up a few items on the way back here.
Did you know that March is "National Umbrella Month"?
Woof!!!
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Company and More Wheels?
DeBary, FL.
48 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High near 70F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Everything has been going well here. Linda's still having dizzy spells but she says that she thinks her energy is coming back and is basically feeling a little better.
Thursday, we had company in the afternoon. Dave and Dee Dee stopped by for a few hours while on their way to see some people in Orange City. Dave and Dee Dee are part of the "Illinois Bunch" and are the couple who had the fish fry over by Tampa back in February. Because of the rain and an accident in Orlando, they didn't get here until about 1:30 or so, but still were able to spend a good part of the afternoon here.
Thanks for stopping by, Dave and Dee Dee, it sure gave Linda's spirit a boost!!! :-)
Oh, and Dave, if you're reading this, Linda's been doing the "Dave Dance" before she gets up from sitting. ;-)
Linda's been using her new walker everywhere in the house and has used it to go out to the truck when she goes to her radiation therapy session. At the hospital though, (where the radiation therapy is), she uses a hospital wheel chair as it's really too far for her to walk.
And, speaking of wheelchairs, Jim was talking to a social worker at the hospital the other day, and she said that she thought she could get what they call a "mobility chair" for Linda to use. From what I understand, it's different than a regular wheelchair, but I don't know much else about it, except that a woman called on the phone yesterday and told Jim that they'd be delivering one here to the house this Monday.
Don't think that there's anything special happening this weekend. Laundry needs to be done and there's other normal "chores" to be done so I imagine Jim and Linda will be doing that. They were also talking about going out to dinner tonight, so that may go to Gram's or someplace.
Did you know that today is International Fanny Pack Day?
Woof!!!
48 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High near 70F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Everything has been going well here. Linda's still having dizzy spells but she says that she thinks her energy is coming back and is basically feeling a little better.
Thursday, we had company in the afternoon. Dave and Dee Dee stopped by for a few hours while on their way to see some people in Orange City. Dave and Dee Dee are part of the "Illinois Bunch" and are the couple who had the fish fry over by Tampa back in February. Because of the rain and an accident in Orlando, they didn't get here until about 1:30 or so, but still were able to spend a good part of the afternoon here.
Thanks for stopping by, Dave and Dee Dee, it sure gave Linda's spirit a boost!!! :-)
Oh, and Dave, if you're reading this, Linda's been doing the "Dave Dance" before she gets up from sitting. ;-)
Linda's been using her new walker everywhere in the house and has used it to go out to the truck when she goes to her radiation therapy session. At the hospital though, (where the radiation therapy is), she uses a hospital wheel chair as it's really too far for her to walk.
And, speaking of wheelchairs, Jim was talking to a social worker at the hospital the other day, and she said that she thought she could get what they call a "mobility chair" for Linda to use. From what I understand, it's different than a regular wheelchair, but I don't know much else about it, except that a woman called on the phone yesterday and told Jim that they'd be delivering one here to the house this Monday.
Don't think that there's anything special happening this weekend. Laundry needs to be done and there's other normal "chores" to be done so I imagine Jim and Linda will be doing that. They were also talking about going out to dinner tonight, so that may go to Gram's or someplace.
Did you know that today is International Fanny Pack Day?
Woof!!!
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Starting The Radiation Therapy Process
DeBary, FL.
56 deg. clear, SW wind @ 12 mph.
Forecast = Possible showers this morning and then partly cloudy skies this afternoon. High 67F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
Yesterday morning, Big RED took Linda and Jim over to the Florida Hospital where the Radiation doctor is located. I guess I had the letters confused the other day when I said something about an MRI because that's not what they did. They did a CAT Scan instead.
Everything went smoothly but after the scan was done, the doctor came into the room and told Linda and Jim that for some reason, the CAT Scan machine wasn't giving them all the information that they needed and asked if it would be possible for them to go over to another Florida Hospital in Ormond Beach, FL., which is just North of Daytona Beach. Jim and Linda said that they could go over there, so after lunch, Big RED took them. This was also a painless procedure and soon they were back here at the house.
The weather was very nice yesterday, so Jim decided to take back roads which allowed them to stay off of the Interstates. It ended up being an nice ride over to Ormond Beach and back. :-)
The Radiation Doctor told Linda and Jim that Linda's radiation treatments would probably start late this next week, after they had had time to study the CAT Scan results and decide on a "plan of attack".
Linda is still having dizzy spells. She has to be real careful when she gets up from a sitting position and starts to walk. They're side effects of the chemo treatment and hopefully they'll soon go away.
Since the weather was nice, Jim cooked a couple brats on the grill for dinner while Linda got out some potato salad and chips to go with them. Then, after eating they watched the Olympic Games on TV.
I hope all of you had a nice Valentines Day yesterday and gave that special someone in your life a big hug. Jim and Linda didn't go out to eat or anything, but they tried to do special things for each other throughout the day. ;-)
Did you know that it wasn't until 1537 that St. Valentine's Day was declared an official holiday? England's King Henry VIII declared February 14th a holiday in 1537 for the first time.
Woof!!!
56 deg. clear, SW wind @ 12 mph.
Forecast = Possible showers this morning and then partly cloudy skies this afternoon. High 67F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
Yesterday morning, Big RED took Linda and Jim over to the Florida Hospital where the Radiation doctor is located. I guess I had the letters confused the other day when I said something about an MRI because that's not what they did. They did a CAT Scan instead.
Everything went smoothly but after the scan was done, the doctor came into the room and told Linda and Jim that for some reason, the CAT Scan machine wasn't giving them all the information that they needed and asked if it would be possible for them to go over to another Florida Hospital in Ormond Beach, FL., which is just North of Daytona Beach. Jim and Linda said that they could go over there, so after lunch, Big RED took them. This was also a painless procedure and soon they were back here at the house.
The weather was very nice yesterday, so Jim decided to take back roads which allowed them to stay off of the Interstates. It ended up being an nice ride over to Ormond Beach and back. :-)
The Radiation Doctor told Linda and Jim that Linda's radiation treatments would probably start late this next week, after they had had time to study the CAT Scan results and decide on a "plan of attack".
Linda is still having dizzy spells. She has to be real careful when she gets up from a sitting position and starts to walk. They're side effects of the chemo treatment and hopefully they'll soon go away.
Since the weather was nice, Jim cooked a couple brats on the grill for dinner while Linda got out some potato salad and chips to go with them. Then, after eating they watched the Olympic Games on TV.
I hope all of you had a nice Valentines Day yesterday and gave that special someone in your life a big hug. Jim and Linda didn't go out to eat or anything, but they tried to do special things for each other throughout the day. ;-)
Did you know that it wasn't until 1537 that St. Valentine's Day was declared an official holiday? England's King Henry VIII declared February 14th a holiday in 1537 for the first time.
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!!!
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!!!
Monday, November 25, 2013
Meeting With The Radiation Oncologist and Roland And Louise Visit
DeBary, FL.
62 deg. mostly cloudy, NE wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = High temp. 72 deg. mostly cloudy, E. wind @ 15 mph.
Friday, Jim and Linda headed over to the Florida Hospital in Orange City for Linda's appointment with the Radiation Oncologist. This was an informational meeting where a nurse and then the doctor explained the Radiation Therapy procedure and then answered questions that Linda and Jim had.
Linda and Jim both learned a lot about Radiation Therapy and by about noon, CLT was taking them to the 4 B's restaurant here in DeBary. There, they had meals, ( Linda had breakfast for lunch and Jim had the Crab Cakes). They said that both meals were very good, and Jim especially enjoyed the clam chowder soup that came with his meal. ;-)
Yesterday morning, Louise and Roland called Linda and said that they were in Orlando at a phone store and if Linda and Jim weren't busy, they'd stop by for awhile in the afternoon. Both Jim and Linda thought that was a great idea and told them to come on over.
So, , , by early afternoon, Roland and Louise were pulling into the driveway. ; -)
The afternoon was spent visiting and catching up on what all has happened since Linda's surgery. Then about 4:00 Linda called Gentili's Pizza and ordered a pizza for pick-up.
After a very nice meal with very good friends, Roland and Louise decided that they needed to head back home. It's at least a 2 hour drive from here to Frostpoof so even though it was about 5:00 when they left, I'm sure it was after 7:00 by the time they got home.
It sure was good to see them again. Lately, it seems like there's always something going on that makes it difficult to get together with them. :-( Hopefully, Jim and Linda will be able to see them a couple times this winter or next summer.
A Point to Ponder : To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others use your heart.
Woof!!!
62 deg. mostly cloudy, NE wind @ 2 mph.
Forecast = High temp. 72 deg. mostly cloudy, E. wind @ 15 mph.
Friday, Jim and Linda headed over to the Florida Hospital in Orange City for Linda's appointment with the Radiation Oncologist. This was an informational meeting where a nurse and then the doctor explained the Radiation Therapy procedure and then answered questions that Linda and Jim had.
Linda and Jim both learned a lot about Radiation Therapy and by about noon, CLT was taking them to the 4 B's restaurant here in DeBary. There, they had meals, ( Linda had breakfast for lunch and Jim had the Crab Cakes). They said that both meals were very good, and Jim especially enjoyed the clam chowder soup that came with his meal. ;-)
Yesterday morning, Louise and Roland called Linda and said that they were in Orlando at a phone store and if Linda and Jim weren't busy, they'd stop by for awhile in the afternoon. Both Jim and Linda thought that was a great idea and told them to come on over.
So, , , by early afternoon, Roland and Louise were pulling into the driveway. ; -)
The afternoon was spent visiting and catching up on what all has happened since Linda's surgery. Then about 4:00 Linda called Gentili's Pizza and ordered a pizza for pick-up.
After a very nice meal with very good friends, Roland and Louise decided that they needed to head back home. It's at least a 2 hour drive from here to Frostpoof so even though it was about 5:00 when they left, I'm sure it was after 7:00 by the time they got home.
It sure was good to see them again. Lately, it seems like there's always something going on that makes it difficult to get together with them. :-( Hopefully, Jim and Linda will be able to see them a couple times this winter or next summer.
A Point to Ponder : To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others use your heart.
Woof!!!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Lots Of Support and A New Laptop
DeBary, FL.
63 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of rain. High of 79F. Winds from the NE at 10 to 15 mph.
Linda's had a lot of support the last few days. Family and friends have been calling to encourage her as she comes to terms with the upcoming treatments. Of course Laura has stopped over a few times and Jim has been trying to help her through this emotional time.
Dr. Molpus, the surgeon, has arranged it so that Linda will have her chemo and radiation treatments here in Orange City, at the Florida Hospital. That way, Jim and Linda won't have to make the 30 to 45 minute trip over to Daytona Beach for all those treatments during the next 9 months. Today, the Florida Hospital is supposed to call Linda to make an appointment for her to come in to a informational meeting to learn all about the treatments, the scheduling of them, and what side effects to expect.
I don't think I've mentioned it, but I have been doing this blog on the desktop computer lately because the notebook is having serious problems. Jim says he thinks it's been infected with a virus again, and it's causing it to slow way down and not even load some of the pages.
So, being that it's an old computer, "2006", that is still running Windows XP, Jim and Linda decided that a new one would be the best choice. After some research and talking to a "Computer Doctor" that has been highly recommended, they took CLT and went to Office Depot yesterday and bought a new one.
It was on sale as a "Pre-Black Friday" item and with a rebate, ended up being less than $400. :-) Of course with taxes and some software that Jim wanted, it ended up being more than that. :-(
After they left Office Depot, they headed over to the 4 B's restaurant here in DeBary. It's a restaurant that only serves breakfast and lunch and has been a "local" meeting spot for over 50 years. It's one of those places where the waitresses know most of the people by name and even brings some of them their, "usual" before they order it. ;-)
Oh, and the food is really good too!!!! :-)
Tomorrow, the "Computer Doctor" is going to come here to the house to set up the new computer and try to get all the files off of the old one and onto the new one. Then, Jim, Linda and I will have to learn all about the new Windows 8.1 operating system, so we can use it. :-0
Again, Linda, Jim and I want to thank all of you who have sent best wishes and encouragement Linda's way. The e-mails, phone calls and comments have been a great help in this time of stress. I want to assure you that Linda is doing very well and is getting stronger each day. I have great faith that she'll come through all of this with flying colors and before we know it, we'll be traveling again. :-)
Thank You!!!!!!!!
Did you know that today is "Name your PC day?"
Wow!! what a coincidence!!!!! Hmmmm, now what shall we name it?????
Woof!!!
63 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of rain. High of 79F. Winds from the NE at 10 to 15 mph.
Linda's had a lot of support the last few days. Family and friends have been calling to encourage her as she comes to terms with the upcoming treatments. Of course Laura has stopped over a few times and Jim has been trying to help her through this emotional time.
Dr. Molpus, the surgeon, has arranged it so that Linda will have her chemo and radiation treatments here in Orange City, at the Florida Hospital. That way, Jim and Linda won't have to make the 30 to 45 minute trip over to Daytona Beach for all those treatments during the next 9 months. Today, the Florida Hospital is supposed to call Linda to make an appointment for her to come in to a informational meeting to learn all about the treatments, the scheduling of them, and what side effects to expect.
I don't think I've mentioned it, but I have been doing this blog on the desktop computer lately because the notebook is having serious problems. Jim says he thinks it's been infected with a virus again, and it's causing it to slow way down and not even load some of the pages.
So, being that it's an old computer, "2006", that is still running Windows XP, Jim and Linda decided that a new one would be the best choice. After some research and talking to a "Computer Doctor" that has been highly recommended, they took CLT and went to Office Depot yesterday and bought a new one.
It was on sale as a "Pre-Black Friday" item and with a rebate, ended up being less than $400. :-) Of course with taxes and some software that Jim wanted, it ended up being more than that. :-(
After they left Office Depot, they headed over to the 4 B's restaurant here in DeBary. It's a restaurant that only serves breakfast and lunch and has been a "local" meeting spot for over 50 years. It's one of those places where the waitresses know most of the people by name and even brings some of them their, "usual" before they order it. ;-)
Oh, and the food is really good too!!!! :-)
Tomorrow, the "Computer Doctor" is going to come here to the house to set up the new computer and try to get all the files off of the old one and onto the new one. Then, Jim, Linda and I will have to learn all about the new Windows 8.1 operating system, so we can use it. :-0
Again, Linda, Jim and I want to thank all of you who have sent best wishes and encouragement Linda's way. The e-mails, phone calls and comments have been a great help in this time of stress. I want to assure you that Linda is doing very well and is getting stronger each day. I have great faith that she'll come through all of this with flying colors and before we know it, we'll be traveling again. :-)
Thank You!!!!!!!!
Did you know that today is "Name your PC day?"
Wow!! what a coincidence!!!!! Hmmmm, now what shall we name it?????
Woof!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)