Happy Birthday Linda and Starting To Get Ready

DeBary, Fl.

75 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 94F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.


Nothing real exciting going on around here. Jim and Linda have been getting things together to take along on our Illinois trip. They've made some lists so they could remember what they need to take and have already started packing some things into boxes and bags. 

Saturday, was Linda's birthday, so at noon, they met Laura, Lindsey and Anna over at the Longhorn Steakhouse for lunch. Then, in the evening, they headed to Laura's where they had Cupcakes and ice cream. Marv, Inez, Ashley, Chris, Anna and of course Laura and Lindsey were there and it sounds like everyone had a good time. ;-) 

Linda blowing out candles on cupcakes

Yesterday, Jim took Lily and went to Walgreen's to pick up a few prescriptions and to the local Winn Dixie store where he bought some groceries to use on or trip up North. Today he wants to get outside early and get a few things done out there before it gets too hot. We're right in the middle of the hottest time of the year down here now and almost every day, the temps are in the mid-ninety's with rain showers/storms in the afternoon, causing lots of humidity.  :-( 

Jim seems to be feeling pretty well. For now, most of the side effects from the Opdivo seem to be gone, but he is still taking medicine to counter those effects. Hopefully by the time that medicine is gone, so will be the side effects. 

It's still not completely decided on just when we'll be leaving DeBary. If they get everything ready, we may leave here as early as Sunday. I think Linda is worried about how Jim will be feeling after traveling for 4 or 5 hours a day, and said yesterday, that she thought that adding an extra "rest" day to the trip would be good. 

Well, that's about it for now. I'm going to make a real effort to post more often, especially while we're traveling.  


Did you know that on this date in 1966 - The Monkees recorded their first single? The song was "The Last Train to Clarksville" and was later included on their self-titled debut album. 

Woof!!!

Yeee!!!! Haww!!!!

DeBary, FL.

73 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast today = Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High near 95F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Jim was still having the side effects from the Opdivo treatments when he went in to see the chemo doctor on the 7th of July, so he didn't get another treatment. The doctor did decided to raise the dose of the medicine that he was receiving to counter-act the side effects and since then, that has done the trick. ::-) 

Last Thursday, (the 13th),Jim had another PET Scan and then this Monday, (the 17th), he and Linda went to see the Radiation Doctor to get the results. Again, the weekend was stress filled, waiting to get the results, but it seems like that's just part of this whole process. 

So,  ,  ,  ,  , , what did the doctor say??? 

Well, it's all good news!!!!! The spot in the left lung has dissipated and there''s just a little "fogginess" which he thinks is just some scar tissue from previous and latest radiation treatments. and the very small spot in the right lung has all but disappeared. There is just a minute spot that may or may not be something, but at this time he doesn't recommend any treatments. The PET Scan was for Jim's whole body and there is no indication of any spreading of the cancer!!!!

Yeee!!!!! Haww!!!!

Tuesday, Jim had an appointment with the Chemo doctor and after seeing the PET Scan results, she agreed with what the Radiation Doctor had said!!!!

Yeee!!!! Haww!!!!  (Sorry about all the "Yee Hawing", but I couldn't help myself) ;-) 

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  What comes next???  Well, Jim and Linda have already started to make plans to head up to Illinois. Jim has made some reservations at an "extended stay hotel" near Rantoul, and Linda has already set up doctor's appointments with most of the doctors that will need to be seen up there. Jim had already made a "trip plan" that he refined yesterday and it looks like we'll be leaving here on or about the 31st if July!!!!     

Traveling by car instead of RV is going to be a big change, but both Jim and Linda seem to have pretty much figured out what they can and can not take along. The extended stay hotel has a refrigerator, microwave and a 2 burner stove, so once we get up there, Linda will be able to make some meals. She has an electric skillet that she'll take along and can make quite a bit in it, even while we're traveling, and I'm sure, some meals they'll eat out at restaurants. 

Jim doesn't know how much energy he'll have, so he's figured 5 days to get up to Illinois, (about 4 hours a day, traveling). The little trip to Cedar Key helped them get an idea of how to pack the car to get everything in, and staying in that motel helped with learning to cook some food in just a microwave. 

Years ago, Jim and Linda went on "vacations" and managed OK, so it's just a matter of relearning the process. I;m sure that there'll be a few "bumps" but they'll deal with them and I'm sure it'll all work out in the end. 

I can't wait ot get on the road again!!!!!

Yeee!!!! Haww!!!!

Did you know that on this date in 1969 - Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. became the first men to walk on the moon?


Woof!!!!

Long Overdue Update

DeBary, FL.

95 deg. Mostly cloudy, SE Wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast = Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.


Sorry about the length of time that has gone by since I've last updated this blog. :-(

Mike, Gina and the kids did stop by on their way down to the attractions, and in fact, they stopped by on the way back also!! Jim and Linda had good visits with them even though they only stayed for a couple of hours each time.

Jim's last Opdivo treatment was to be on the 23rd of June, but because of some digestive side effects from the treatments, the last treatment still hasn't happened!!! :-(  First of all it was rescheduled for the 30th of June and now it's been rescheduled for the 7th of July. Hopefully, the side effect will have disappeared by then so he can get that last treatment.

He does have a PET Scan scheduled for the 13th of July and a visit with the radiation Dr. (Dr. Graham), on the 14th. Hopefully that will not have to be rescheduled.

On the 26th of June, Jim and Linda took Lily and headed over to Cedar Key, FL. where they rented a motel room for 3 nights. The motel was located right on the gulf and they had an excellent view of the Gulf of Mexico from their 2nd story balcony.

They even had a real pretty sunset one night while they were there. ;-) 

It was a good get-a-way for a change. They really hadn't been anywhere since they returned here to DeBary last fall. 

They went out to eat a a couple local restaurants and had seafood, (it's the big thing in Cedar Key). Drove around the island some and basically just "kicked back" for the 3 days they were there. It was about 135 miles over there and it took them just under 3 hours to travel the distance. 

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , for now, we wait and see what is going to happen with Jim's treatments. The plan is still to try to get up to Illinois yet this summer, (or fall), to see doctors, friends and relatives, but as usual, all Jim's plans are in pencil. 

Jim's feeling pretty well, except for the digestive issues, and Linda is doing well. If we can just get past this bump in the road, we'll be on our way North and possibly up to NC and VA to see the boys yet this year. 

Did you know that 7% of Americans believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows?

Mooooo!!!! (I meant Woof!!!!) 

Side Effects and Yet Another Doctor Visit With Not-So-Good News, but, A Very Nice Mother's Day

DeBary, FL.

80 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast tonight  =  Clear skies. Low 59F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.


Nothing much happened last week. Jim continues to have muscle/joint pain, especially at night when he's trying to sleep. He's usually up a couple hours every night and that really messes up his sleep pattern. :-(

Friday, Lila took Jim and Linda up to DeLand where Jim had a blood test and a "visit" with Dr. Saferali. The blood test looked good so there's no problem there, but Dr. Saferali didn't agree with Dr. Graham's analysis of the PET Scan that Jim had on the 26th of April. She said that she thinks that Jim should have another scan in 3 to 4 months, rather than wait until November. :-(

That, really throws a wrench on any plans to travel this summer!!!!

She said that she didn't like the hazy section in the scan and wants to make sure that the cancer has not spread to that area. Jim and Linda explained to her that Dr. Graham thought it was just scaring from the radiation treatments, so she said that she would talk to Dr. Graham about it.

She also prescribed some new medication that she thinks will help the pain that Jim is experiencing and set up an appointment for him to come back for another "visit" on the 20th of this month.

Now, even if she agrees with Dr. Graham's diagnosis after talking to him, and she says that another scan is not needed until November, that only leaves about 3 weeks for us to get ready to hit the road if we want to leave here on the 13th of June. 3 weeks may seem like a long time, but Jim's energy/endurance is definitely not up to par, and we're getting into the "summer season" here in Florida and very shortly, the temperatures will be in the 90's every day with the humidity percentages
 right up there too, which will make getting the trailer ready and all the "stuff" hauled out there very difficult. Jim and Linda could start taking "stuff" out to the trailer now, but if we can't go this summer, it would all have to be brought back here to the house.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  we wait!!! I don't know what's going to happen. Needless to say, Jim isn't in a very good mood about this and has already said that "we might as well just plan on staying here all summer"!!!! :-(

On and lighter note, I hope all you Mom's out there had a great day today. Lila took Linda and Jim up to DeLand today where they had lunch with Marv and Inez, Ashley, Anna, Laura and Lindsey and 2 of Lindsey's brothers. It was a very nice visit with all of them and I think Linda had a very nice time. ;-)


A Quote to Ponder : “Expect nothing and accept everything and you will never be disappointed.”

– Laurence Overmire

Woof!!!

Some Good News

DeBary, FL.

77 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast =Saturday Night 04/23

A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 62F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday 04/24  Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 86F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph.

This past week has not been the best for Jim, but then I think it was better than the week before it. You see, he's still had a lot of bone and muscle ache and it's been especially bad at night, making for some very unrestful sleep periods. His appetite hasn't been too bad, but much of the food he's eaten didn't taste right and some of it, really tasted bad to him. And, he also still has a lot of fatigue, making it hard to do just about anything.  :-(

Yesterday morning, it was time to go back to Dr. Saferali.s office and get another blood test to see how the counts were doing. The test went off without a hitch and when Brittney, (the lab tech), looked at the results, she said, "Wow!!! Your test results look really good!!!"  :-)

Yep!! Almost all of the counts are right in the "normal" range, and those that are not, are just barely outside the normal range!!!!

Tuesday, Jim has his PET Scan and then Wednesday he and Linda will go to see Dr. Graham to get the results. I hope they're good results.


Did you know that all rose species have 5 petals, except for the Rosa Sericea, which has 4 petals?

Woof!!!

The Roughest Week Yet and A Secret

DeBary FL.

69 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Windy with thunderstorms. High 77F. Winds ENE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.



The injection with the "on body injector", went off without a hitch and by about 7:15 Saturday evening, the little machine was beeping and beeping, letting Jim know that the injection of the Newlasta  drug was complete.

Sunday wasn't too bad, but by evening, Jim's bones and muscles were starting to ache so  he took a couple over-counter pain meds before he retired for the day. By 2:00 AM he was up taking more which didn't really have any effect.

He struggled through the day on Sunday, and before heading to bed took a prescription pain medication that the Chemo Dr. ,(Dr. Saferali), had prescribed for him when he started the chemo therapy,  It helped and Jim slept pretty much throughout the night and well into the morning. (This med also makes you sleepy).

And, so it went, with Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Lots of pain during the day, even with over-the-counter medications and restless sleep under the influence of prescription drugs at night. :-(  Jim was able to sleep some during the days, (probably from the lasting effects of the night medication), so he was able get some rest.

But during these days, Jim was not able to do anything. It hurt to walk, sit, or do just about anything else he could think of and when yesterday, (Friday) rolled around, he was very happy to realize that his pain was no longer near as bad. :-)  It's a good thing too because he needed to go back to see Dr. Saferali to get a blood test and have a "visit" (as they call it), with her.

Dr. Saferali looked at the results of the blood test and was satisfied that although all the counts were not in the the normal range, was sure they were moving in the right direction and thought that within another week, should be getting back to normal. :-)

So, now starts the recovery and then the "dreaded" PET Scan on the 26th and "nerve wrenching" Doctor's visit with Dr. Graham on the 27th of April to get the results of the scan.

Oh, one other thing!!!! Dr. Saferali asked Jim and Linda what their travel plans were for this summer and was wondering when they were thinking about heading North!! (She's well aware of our travels ever since treating Linda back in 2013).  Jim told her that he din't have any definite plans and she said that as far as she was concerned, it was all dependent on how Jim felt and how fast he could recover!!! :-)

Now, don't tell Jim I leaked this information, but Jim told Dr. Saferali that if it was at all possible, he and Linda were looking at the 13th of June as our departure date to head North for the summer!!!! ( The rent for the lot over at Paradise Lakes RV Park comes due on the 13th).  Well, she said that unless the PET Scan showed something that she didn't expect to show up, she didn't see why that date shouldn't be possible. She really expects Jim to be recovered enough to do what is necessary with the trailer by that time!!!! ;-)

Now, remember!!!!!! Don't tell Jim I told you this!!!! He doesn't want anyone to get their hopes up too high yet!!!!


Did you know on this in 1900 - The first book of postage stamps was issued? The two-cent stamps were available in books of 12, 24 and 48 stamps.


Woof!!!

Catching Up and Jim's Last Chemo Treatment

DeBary, FL.

76 deg. clear, S. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast for Sunday =  Partly cloudy. High around 80F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.


Well, most of Jim's hair is gone. Linda did cut it last Saturday and now it's only about 1/2 inch long. Jim said that he hadn't had hair this short since his military days back in the early 60's!! ;-)

Sunday, not much happened around here, but Monday, Linda and Jim decided to go grocery shopping. They went to the  Publix Grocery store in Orange City and they both grabbed one of those electric shopping carts to ride around on in the store. Everything went fine, but by the time they had carried the groceries into the house, Jim was completely wiped out and Linda was dragging her feet too. (These stronger Chemo treatments are really taking a toll on Jim's energy level).

For dinner, they had a Pizza delivered here to the house so no work was involved.

Wednesday was a "recoup day" but by Thursday evening, it was decided to use one of the gift cards that they had received for Christmas and head over to the 5 Guys hamburger place in Orange City. The burgers were good, but neither Jim nor Linda thought they were worth the price and were glad they had the Gift card to pay for them.

Yesterday morning, Lila took Jim and Linda up to Deland for Jim's Last Chemo Treatment. It was another one of the stronger treatments and by the time they stopped at Gram's Kitchen for a bite to eat and got back here, Jim was really tired and starting to have a lot of bone and muscle pain. Some medications that Jim had received from the doctor, helped that a quite a bit though.

If you remember, the last time Jim had received one of these stronger treatments, his white blood cell count had dropped to a level where he could have easily caught some type of an infection. Well, this time after the treatment, they put this "On Body Injector" on Jim and as of about 7 PM this evening, it will inject a drug call "Neulasta" into his body.  "Neulasta" stimulates the bone marrow which raises the white blood cell count. It also causes bone pain, so I'm sure Jim will have to take more medications tonight. :-(

This is the little device that Jim has stuck to his body. There's a little green light that flashes about every 4 or 5 seconds and tonight, it's supposed to "beep" 2 minutes before it starts injecting the drug and then it will take about 45 minutes to inject the drug. Then, after it "beeps" again, Jim can remove the device.

What won't they think of next??? Oh!! I guess I'd better explain that this Neulasta drug has to be administered no less than 24 hours after the chemo treatment. It was about 4:00 yesterday when the chemo treatment was finished. so 7 PM tonight will be 27 hours. 

This last treatment has really sapped Jim's strength and endurance. Hopefully this side effect won't last too long and he'll be able to do some things without getting tired right away. 

Did you know that on this date in 1833 - Peterborough, NH, opened the first municipally supported public library in the United States? 

Woof!!!

Doing Better and Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

DeBary, FL.

75 deg., overcast, SE wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 84F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%.


To all that e-mailed, commented, called or contacted Jim this last week, Thank You very much!!! He needed that after the rough week he had.

Jim has continued to feel better this week. He's been eating better and drinking lots of fluids and has gotten some of his energy back. :-) In fact, yesterday when he went to get his blood test, the test showed that all of his counts have come back up to normal or near normal readings so he doesn't have to worry too much about his resistance to germs, etc. so much.

Through all the chemo treatments so far, Jim's hair has not fallen out. He's had times when it seemed like there was an excess of hair in his comb after combing his hair, but nothing real serious. But, yesterday, Jim noticed a whole lot of hair is starting to fall out, so Linda called Laura yesterday afternoon and last evening, she and Lindsey brought their hair clippers over so that it could be cut. More than likely, sometime today, Jim will get his last haircut for quite awhile. :-(

Jim's not looking forward to not having any hair, but there's really nothing that can be done about it. If it's not cut off, he'll end up with bald spots and that will look really bad. And eventually, it'll all fall out anyway. :-(

If everything goes according to plan, Jim will get his last Chemo treatment this next Friday. It'll be another large dose treatment, so he probably won't be feeling too well for awhile after he has it. Then, if the PET Scan shows that all these treatments were successful, the recovery will begin.

On a lighter note, Jim and Linda went out to eat at the Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant in Orange City yesterday evening. From what I understand, the food was pretty good, but overall, neither Jim or Linda were too impressed with the place. They enjoyed themselves though and it was nice to get out of the house for a change.


Did you know that April is "National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month"?

Woof!!!

A Rough Week

DeBary, FL.

80 deg. mostly cloudy, E. wind @ 2 mph.

Forecast = Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 87F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.



Yeah!!! I know!!!! It's been over a week since I've last posted, but I wanted to find out what happened at Jim's doctor visit yesterday before I did.

If you remember, Jim was scheduled to get a larger dose of the Chemo treatment on Friday the 18th than he had been receiving in the past. Well, that went off without a hitch, but he did have to go through 5 hours of treatment instead of the normal 3 hours.

Saturday, Jim was feeling fine and Dave and Dee Dee, (the part of the "Illinois bunch" that wintered over by Tampa), stopped by for a couple hours. They were visiting some friends in Orange City and were able to swing by here for a visit. It sure was good of them to come as we hadn't seen them since last fall, up in Rantoul. From here they were heading over to Ocala to see someone else and then heading home to Illinois for the summer.

Sunday Jim was still feeling pretty well, although he was starting to get some bone/muscle aches from the heavier dose of Chemo. He was pretty much able to control it with normal pain meds though.

Monday, Laura took Linda over to an appointment with Dr. Molpus, the doctor who did Linda's surgery at the Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach a few years ago. Linda was real worried as one of the tests that she had when we returned here last fall came back "abnormal"!!! Everything turned out OK though and a further test and an examination confirmed that there was no cancer present!!!!!!!

Yaaaaay!!!!!

Meanwhile, "back at the ranch" Jim was dealing with some severe bone/muscle pain throughout his whole body, that even the pain meds that had been prescribed by the doctor would not help much. He was also experiencing very heavy fatigue which made it very difficult to even walk from one end of the house to the other. This pain and fatigue was to last all the way to Wednesday when the pain subsided some but the fatigue persisted.

Then, Wednesday night nausea set in and he battled that until well into Thursday. Being that he was feeling lousy, he didn't eat or drink much, so by the time he and Linda went in to see Dr. Saferali  on Friday for a follow-up appointment, he had lost a bunch of weight and was dehydrated!! :-(  Dr. Saferali strongly suggested he stay for awhile and get an infusion for the dehydration, so that's what he did while Linda waited in the waiting room.

Jim's white cell blood count had also fallen quite low, so he received an injection to help that and was given instructions not to be around too many people for the next week so as not to get any kind of infection or virus as his immune system would not be able to fight the off and he could get very sick.

 Of course, this Sunday is Easter Sunday and Jim and Linda have been invited over to Marv and Inez's house for an Easter Dinner, but being that their small home will be packed with family, it's been decided that because of Jim's low white cell blood count, it would be better to be more "safe than sorry" and just have something here at home. :-(

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  that pretty much brings us up-to-date. Jim seems to be feeling better right now, (Saturday afternoon),  with less fatigue and not as much pain, but that injection he received for his blood count may cause more bone/muscle pain in the next few days. We'll just have to see what happens.

His next appointment is this coming Friday, where they'll do another blood test and see how he's doing. Then if everything is going well, the week after that, (April 8th), he'll get another large Chemo dose which should be the last one of the series. After that, he'll have another PET Scan to check for cancer and then it'll be a matter of trying to recover from all the chemo and radiation treatments, which could take months.

A Quote to Ponder :  “When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'”
Sydney Harris

Woof!!!

Update and A Celebration In The Neighborhood

DeBary, FL.

69 deg.  mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Cloudy skies this morning followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 88F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.


Not a whole lot to report.  Jim has been doing OK, but the fatigue has been pretty severe. It really bothers him that he can't even seem to get the smallest chores/jobs done without having to sit down and rest after just a few minutes of any kind of activity. Then, on top of that, he's been sleeping longer in the mornings and then taking long naps almost every day too.

Because of his low energy level, he and Linda have not gone out to eat or do any shopping, in fact, Linda went to Public's by herself the other day and bought a whole bunch of groceries. Jim was able to help carry the groceries into the house however, so that helped Linda a lot.

Tomorrow, Jim will have one of the 2 last chemo treatments that he'll be getting. Both of these last 2 treatments will be a larger dose than what he's been getting in the past. They'll also be spaced 3 weeks apart so that he'll have some recovery time between treatments. Needless to say, Jim's pretty worried about what the larger dosage side effects will be. :-(

Hopefully they won't be too severe.

There is a couple living across the street from our house here in DeBary, and they had a wedding anniversary this past Tuesday. There names are Bill and Margarete  (SP)?, and they are both really nice people. In fact, Bill insists on looking after our house when we're not around and will call Jim if anything out of the ordinary happens. He even cleans the junk mail out of the mailbox while we're gone for the summer and saves it for Jim and Linda's return.

Margarete fell and severely injured her leg about a year ago and has spent a lot of this last year in rehab, so she hasn't been too active, but Bill takes care of her and does all yard maintenance, the shopping and running around that needs to be done. In fact, Bill worked as a "porter" at a car dealership until just a few years ago.

Now, you might be wondering why I'm telling you all of this, but you see, both Bill and Margarete are in their 90's and Tuesday, they celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary!!!!!

That's right!!! 69 years!!!!!  

They are a great couple and we're so lucky to have them as our very good neighbors.

Happy Anniversary!!!!


Did you know that the St. Patrick’s Day custom came to America in 1737?  It was first celebrated publicly in, the U.S. in Boston.

It's Been Awhile

DeBary, FL.

60 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast - Sunshine and clouds mixed. High near 80F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph.


It's been quite awhile since I've posted, so I though I'd better let you know what's been going on lately.

Jim has been feeling pretty good, but still has a lot of fatigue. He get's quite discouraged every time he tries to do something and then has to stop and rest all the time, after just doing a little. He had a blood test last Friday and everything was OK there. He'll have another one this Friday and is hoping that those results will be as good.

Linda had an appointment yesterday with Dr. Barnard, (her retinaologist  down here in Florida), and everything looked good with her eyes. She was really worried that she would need an injection in one or both of her eyes, so it was a great relief when the doctor gave her the good news. :-)  Since it was lunch time by the time she was finished at Dr. Barnard s,  she and Jim  decided to head over to Bob Evans where they had breakfast for lunch.

Not much else to report. Jim hasn't been doing much because of the fatigue. Linda has been working on her Family Tree program. She really enjoys gathering all kinds of info about her and Jim's family and can work on it for hours at a time.

Did you know that today is "International Pancake Day?"

Woof!!!

Bummer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DeBary, FL.

51 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 78F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.


Bummer!!!!!!! Sunday morning at about 1:00 am, Jim woke up with a stomach ache. From that time on, until about 10:00 am, he spent most of the time in the bathroom!!! :-(  We don't know if it was a side effect from the chemo treatment he had on Friday or if he picked up a "bug" someplace, but it really doesn't matter as there was no way that he'd be able to make it to the much anticipated fish fry later in the day!!!! :-(   In fact, since he hadn't slept much during the night, he slept much of yesterday. When he was awake, he just watched some TV while trying to re-hydrate himself as much as possible.

Linda called Dee Dee to let her and Dave know that she and Jim wouldn't be able to make it to the fish fry. Of course Dee Dee understood and said that she and Dave would be in our area sometime in March and would try to stop by for awhile for a visit.

I hope they can. I'm sure Jim and Linda would enjoy visiting with them.

Don't really have much else to report. It sure was nice that Jim didn't have to head over to get a radiation treatment this morning. In fact, he actually slept in a little, getting up about 7:00 instead of 5:00 or 5:30. ;-)

A Quote to Ponder :  “Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams.”
Author Unknown

Woof!!!

Last Radiation Treatment and A Fish Fry?

DeBary, FL.

39 deg. clear,, no wind.

Forecast = Abundant sunshine. High 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night = A clear sky. Low 39F. Winds light and variable.


Nothing special happened since I last posted except, yesterday, Jim had his last Radiation treatment!! :-)  That means that he won't have to be getting up and leaving here by 8;15 every weekday morning and hopefully, some of the side effects such as the fatigue Jim has been experiencing, will start to fade away.

He also had his last weekly Chemo treatment yesterday. The next treatment will be in about 21 days, although, he will still have to go in to get a blood test every week, in-between the treatments. The Chemo treatments Jim has been receiving, have lasted about 3 hours, but these last 2 treatments will last about 5 hours, so it will be a longer day and who knows what the side effects will be from the heavier dose of the medications.

To celebrate Jim's last Radiation Treatment, He and Linda went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner last night. Jim ordered the Prime Rib Special that they have every weekend and Linda ordered meatloaf. As usual both dinners were very good.

Oh, speaking of food!!! The other day, Jim received an e-mail from Dave, (one of the Illinois bunch), and they are having their annual "fish fry" over at their home at the Southern Aire RV Park in Thonotosassa, FL tomorrow.

If you are a long time reader of this blog, you may remember that the whole Illinois Bunch used to spend the winter at that RV Park and we used to spend a couple weeks each winter camping over there and visiting with them.  Well, we lost Gordy a couple years ago and Dorthy sold their Motorhome. Denny and Bev have not been coming down to Florida for the last couple years, so that just leaves Dave and Dee Dee who have bought a Park Model Home over there.

Anyway, every summer, Dave does a lot of fishing up in Illinois. He and Dee Dee freeze the fish and bring them down here for a "fish fry" for their friends. Most everyone brings food along, so they end up having a Pot Luck Dinner with the fish as the main dish. If I remember right, there were about 50 people there for the last fish fry that Jim and Linda were able to attend, 2 years ago.

If Jim is still feeling well, Lila will take them over there tomorrow. They're  planning on eating around 3:00 but if they can, Jim and Linda will head over there earlier so that they can spend tome time visiting with Dave and Dee Dee, before they get too busy with meal set-up, preparation and cooking.

Should be a fun day, and it will be a good excuse for Jim and Linda to get out of here for a day. ;-)


Did you know that today is  International Sword Swallowers Day?

Woof!!!

Long Time Since Last Post

DeBary, FL.

52 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Saturday, Sun and clouds mixed. High 76F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.


It's been a long time since I've up-dated this blog, so I thought I'd better try and do it this morning. There's really nothing earthshaking to report, all of us are doing well.  Big RED is bored out of his mind!! :-(  He's really getting tired of just sitting under the carport and plugged into the battery tender that Jim bought to keep his batteries charged up. He says that he'd rather be out on the road charging his batteries himself!!!

Nora seems to be doing fine out at the CG. Last I heard, she was also getting pretty tired of just sitting there, although she says that she's enjoying watching the people walk by.

Linda and I continue to just do daily things. 5 or 6 days ago, Linda took Lila and headed over to Winn Dixie and bought a bunch of groceries.  (About wore herself out), and then a few days ago, made a run to Walgreen's to buy some much needed items. I continue to guard the house while Jim and Linda are gone to Jim's medical treatments and watch the people walk by on the street.

Jim continues to do pretty well, but some of the side-effects of his treatments continue to take their toll.  Fatigue continues to be a big side-effect. Both the chemo and radiation contribute to fatigue and the accumulative effect keeps getting worse. He only has 5 more radiation treatments though, so maybe that will help a little.

This last Monday, Jim was scheduled for his normal Chemo treatment, but his bowels were giving him all sorts of problems, (another side-effect of Chemo), so he called and told them he couldn't make it. That was fine, but the next available time when he could receive a treatment was yesterday. That wasn't a problem but now all the appointments for the rest of the treatments that he'll be getting are switched to Thursday or Friday, as they like to keep the treatments as close as possible to 7 days apart.  

I guess it really won't matter, but you do get used to doing a certain thing on a certain day.

For awhile, Jim's appetite wasn't too good and he wasn't eating well. (Yet another side effect of chemo)  He was starting to lose weight which didn't sit well with either of his doctors. That's one of the reasons that Linda went to the grocery store as she and Jim sat down and talked about what he thought sounded good to him. They came up with a list of foods and now since Linda has been preparing those items, he has started to put a little weight back on. ;-)

So, life goes on. Like I said, Jim only has 5 more radiation treatments left, so by next Friday, he should be finished with them. He actually only has 3 more chemo treatments left, but the last 2 will be stronger and will be spaced out at 21 day intervals, so it will be sometime around the 22nd of April before he's finished with the treatments, follow-up blood tests and doctor's appointments.

Oh, and of course, there will be another PET Scan sometime before then to make sure the treatments have  been successful.

A Quote to Ponder : “Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
Joshua J. Marine

Woof!!!

More Improvement But Also More Side Effects

DeBary, FL.

59 deg. clear, West wind with gusts to 20 mph.

Forecast = tonight, Clear skies. Low 33F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.


The day-to-day happenings around here have been pretty boring. Just normal living.

Monday, Jim had a radiation treatment at 8:45 in the morning and then headed up to DeLand to have his weekly chemo treatment which always includes a chemo doctor's appointment.

When Jim goes for chemo treatment, the first step is to get weighed, have blood drawn and then see the doctor. They have a lab right there, and by the time he sees the doctor, (Doctor Saferali),  she already has the results of the blood test. So far, Jim 's weight has been stable and the blood test results have been pretty good, but this time, he had lost some weight since last week and some of the numbers on the blood test were out of the "normal range".

Jim's appetite has not been real good lately and so he has not been eating as much as usual, thus the weight loss. And, his white blood count is getting low and this can be a very serious thing. You see, if your white count gets too low, you loose your resistance to any infections, such as colds, or other bugs you may pick up by being with other people or eating any fruit or vegetables that are raw and not washed thoroughly or not cooked properly.

So, what does this mean? Well, the doctor recommended that for now, Jim stay away from crowded places, like busy restaurants, stores or any place where there may be a lot of  "germs" floating around in the air. She also said that washing produce was very important and being very careful to cook things completely.  She also said that if the white count hasn't improved by next week, the best thing to do would be to skip a week of chemo and then resume treatment after the bone marrow has a chance to bring the count up some.

Jim is also starting to have more side effects from the chemo. He's noticed more fatigue, loss of appetite, some weakness, and some bowel problems. He pretty much expected these things to happen eventually so wasn't too surprised. Oh, and he's also noticed a lot of  hair in his comb when combing his hair, so that means soon he'll be losing all his hair. :-(

But,  ,  ,  ,  the good news!!!!

Jim's lung is working very well!! In fact the chemo doctor said that she couldn't tell any difference between the left and right lung when she listened to his breathing with her stethoscope!!! That means that the lung has completely re-inflated and the tumor has shrunk enough to allow good passage of air in and out of the lung!!!! :-)

Yesterday morning, Jim had his usual radiation treatment and then saw the radiation doctor. (He sees Dr. Graham every Tuesday after his treatment), He confirmed Dr. Saferali's diagnosis about the function of the lung and was very pleased with the results. If everything goes a planned, Jim has just 12 more radiation treatments. That means that on or about the 26th of this month, he'll be finished with the every day treatments.

He also only has only 4 more chemo treatments left, but that will stretch out into April as the last 2 treatments will be at 21 day intervals. (More on that in a future post).

The weather around here has been bouncing around all over the place. We've had high temps in the 80's with lows at night in the 60's. But we've also had high's in the 50's with low's near the freezing point. We've had quite a bit of sunshine, but also some very stormy days with very heavy rain. I can't complain though, it sure has been better than the weather up north in Illinois!! ;-)


A Quote to Ponder : “Every man dies. Not every man truly lives.”
Braveheart

Woof!!!

Big RED's Recall

DeBary Fl.

39 deg. clear, N wind @ 12 mph.

Forecast =  Sunny, High 62F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.

Bright and early yesterday morning Jim took Big RED up to the Dodge Ram dealer in DeLand. It was about 7:25 when they left here so that they'd be in plenty of time for Big RED's 8:00 AM appointment. By about 8:10 the mechanic was taking him back to a stall in the shop to do the Air Bag recall procedure of replacing the inflator housings.

Well, come to find out, the only inflator housing that needed to be replaced was the one on the driver's side. I guess it depends on serial numbers or something to determine what actually needs to be done. So, instead of it taking 3 hours, it took just over an hour and by about 9:30, Jim was backing Big RED back into the carport. :-)

During the recall procedure, the dealership disconnected the batteries, (Big RED has 2 batteries for his diesel engine), to change the air bag parts and while they were disconnected, they did a load test on them. The service writer told Jim that one of the batteries was getting weak and that he should probably replace the batteries pretty soon. He asked Jim if he wanted a price on new batteries, but Jim told him that he's take care of it.

So, if the batteries are getting weak, (and who knows how long they've been in there or if they've been properly taken care of), that will mean that at least before our summer travels, Jim will need to purchase a couple batteries. He did a quick look-up on-line and it looks like batteries with enough CCA, (Cold Cranking Amps), for the diesel will be right around $125 to $150 each. :-(

Nothing much else to report. Jim hasn't felt very good the past few days, but seems to be feeling better now. The weather has been pretty chilly and windy, (by Florida standards), so not much has been done outside. Linda did do 3 loads of laundry the other day. That's the first time in over a year that she's been able to go out to the shed, where the washer and drier are, that many times one day to do that.

She still has days when she's "light headed", but those days are getting to be less and less all the time. :-)

Did you know that it was on this date in 1986, that the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded just after takeoff? All seven of its crewmembers were killed.

Woof!!!

Visiting and A Linda Update

Moncure, NC.

42 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = High 68F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. 0% chance of rain.

Jim and Linda have been taking Big RED and heading over to Mike and Gina's house almost every day. Mike gets home from work a little after 5 most days, so they try to get there around 5:30. After eating a meal together, they visit until around 7:30 to 8:00, when Brenna, Savanna and Dillon start to get ready for bed.

During the day, Jim and Linda do "normal" stuff around here.

Yesterday, the kids were all busy with lessons of one kind or another, so Linda baked a small ham in Nora's oven, cooked some green beans and heated up some buttered french bread that was starting to get a little stale. It sure did smell good inside of Nora and evidently, it tasted real good too!! ;-)

Linda seems to be doing better all the time. She had some dizzy spells Tuesday, but the days she has them have been getting farther apart and fewer.  She still doesn't have a whole lot of energy, but that seems to be getting better also.

It's a slow recovery process.

Did you know that Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem, NC?

Woof!!!

Dave and Dee Dee Stop By and Happy Hour With Mike And Terri

Rantoul, IL.

60 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast =  Partly cloudy. Highs around 73°F. North northwest wind to 14 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH.

We had some pretty strong storms roll through this area Saturday evening. That was to be expected though as Saturday was real hot and humid and the forecasters were saying that there was a cold front coming down from the Northwest. We were lucky though, the heaviest storms passed just to the South of Rantoul. Yesterday was very windy with showers off and on. Again, the heaviest rain showers just missed us, this time, to the North.

Sometime during the late morning, yesterday, the phone rang and it was Terri. She wanted to know if Linda was up to coming over to their site about 4 or 4:30 for a "happy hour"? Linda said that it sounded like fun so plans were made to go over to Mike and Terri's around 4:30.

Then, around noon the phone rang again and it was Dave and Dee Dee, You long time readers will remember them. They're part of the "Illinois Bunch" and were the ones that had the great fish fry down in Tampa this last winter that Jim and Linda went to. Well, they were up in Kankakee, IL, (which is North of here), and were heading home to their house in Neoga, IL., (which is South of here), and called to find out if it would be alright if they'd stop by for a little while, on their way?

Linda told Dave that we'd love to have them stop by and visit. So, about an hour later, they pulled up along side of Big RED and came inside.

It was sure great to see them again and after a "nickel tour" of Nora they sat and visited for an hour or so. They've traded their large 5th wheel trailer for a travel trailer, and have a smaller pick-up truck ordered. (You don't need a big dually truck to pull a travel trailer). They're wanting to come here to Prairie Pines for while sometime in September, and it sounds like Denny and Bev, (more of the Illinois bunch), may be coming too. And even Gordy and Dorthy, (the rest of the Illinois bunch), may come down for a day. :-)

Gordy and Dorthy have sold their Motorhome because Gordy's health is not very good anymore and Dorthy has also had some medical problems also, but if they can they'll drive down for a day.

After Dave and Dee Dee left, Jim took a little nap and then about 4:30 he and Linda headed over to Mike and Terri's. They had a great time visiting and ended up staying for a couple hours. ;-)

By the time they left, it was fairly late, so they took Big RED and headed over to Arby's, picked up a couple roast beef sandwiches and brought them back here for dinner.

Linda's doing fine. She only had one severe dizzy spell as they were leaving Mike and Terri's. She was fairly tired by the time they got home, but said that she felt fine and was really glad that they went.

Thanks, Dave and Dee Dee and Mike and Terri!!!!!

No plans that I know of for today. I guess we'll just wait and see what happens. ;-)

 Did you know that on this date in 1896 - The city of Miami, FL, was incorporated?

Woof!!!

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!!!

It's Difficult

DeBary, Fl.

74 deg. clear, humidity 86%, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 91°F. Heat index around 98°F. South southwest wind to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 50%.

It's difficult trying to decide what to take with you on a 4 month trip, especially since Jim and Linda's mindset is still in the full-timing mode.

Let me try to explain.  You see, for the past 12+ years, anytime that we've been traveling in an RV, Jim and Linda had all of their possessions along with them. Now, we're going to be in a much smaller RV, they won't need or have room to take all of their "stuff" with them, but just what do you need for 4 months and what can you do without?????

Are you going to need that casserole dish that was used for so many pot-luck dinners? Are you going to need  all those cooking utensils, or all the items that you've used for grilling and cooking outside? What tools will you need, which lawn chairs, which clothes?????

We've been full-timing for so long, its hard not to try to take everything you own with you. After so many years of living in an RV, Jim and Linda had figured out just what was needed and what wasn't, but this is a whole new "game"!!!

Linda says that they have to try to get back into the "vacation mode" that they used many years ago. :-)

Anyway, trying to figure that out is what has been going on around here the last few days. Yesterday, they took a whole bunch of  "stuff" over to the trailer and got it all put away. Today, they'll probably be packing more items up to go over there, but they're getting down to the things that they need for everyday living, so most of that will have to be taken to the trailer at the last minute.

As of right now, the plan is still to leave here next Monday morning.although I suppose we could leave on Sunday if everything falls into place.

Linda has been doing a little better but.she's still fighting those dizzy spells which will probably stay with her for awhile yet. That, along with the extreme fatigue requires her to sit and rest a lot, but she's been really trying hard to do as much as she can to get ready to travel.

Oh, Big RED was telling me that they had a little excitement when they arrived at the trailer yesterday morning!!!! It seems that when they got there, there was no electric power to the trailer!!! Jim checked the circuit breakers and they were OK. Then, he checked the electric cords and  found out that there was no power coming out of the one that plugs into the trailer. Upon inspection, it was determined that something had happened inside of the connector and that one of the contacts was burned.

Jim had always thought that there was something that was not quite right with that connector, but the dealer said that they had checked it and everything was OK.

Well, I guess it wasn't!!!!  :-(

Anyway, because by that time, the temperature was already nearing 90 degrees and the refrigerator, (which already has quite a bit of food in it), had already been running off of propane and battery, for who knows how long, Jim decided rather than to mess around with trying to get LaMesa to warranty it, he just went and purchased a new cord.

When he gets time, he'll get a new connector for the old cord and then, he'll have an extra one in case something happens to the new one.

So, that's what has been happening around here. Tomorrow, Linda goes in to get that "port" removed and then it'll just be a matter of tying up all the loose ends.

I sure am getting "hitch itch"!!!!  :-)

Did you know that more than ten people a year are killed by vending machines?

Woof!!!!