Still Gettin' Used To Myself

Sleep eluded me last night.  Tired to the core but only caught about three hours of sleep.  Maybe too much excitement getting a blog post completed!  LOL!  I had really strong pins and needles that just kept me moving,  and I kept generating hot flashes, and just in case I didn't remember to stay off my right side while my lung gets better I get the dull ache to roll over.  Too many things firing off in my mind and body I guess.  I don't need the ambien as much as I used to but I'll use the assist tonight to make sure I get a good solid snooze.  This body needs the rest as it faces much change in the upcoming months. 

Keep Your Cooties To Yourself!

Geez so we have been getting up early and getting to the gym.  I think I am amazing if I say so myself for getting to the gym around 5a.m. going to work and getting myself home again.  I remain total toast at the end of the day and my bedtime is quite early - like 9pm now...   I am still the most compliant patient and I have had very few bumps in the road.  If people would keep their cooties to themselves I could continue to breeze along.  Had a little rattling cough around the night of the 22nd, noticed a slight weeze on Wednesday and after getting to work on Thursday had some real sharp pains while trying to take a breath.  First call to the oncology triage nurse gets me an appointment in the afternoon but after the doctor reviews the call, I get a call back saying please come right along.  I got the wheelchair treatment for a trip up to imaging for a stat angio CT.  Just a quick check to make sure I didn't have a pulmonary embolism.  Phew. I didn't know that was what they were initially checking but the whole - can't breath well part - took up my focus.  Bill met me up in imaging and that's not a great way to reconnect during the day giving my favorite guy a startling call.  A batch of antibiotics and lots and lots rest a week later I am feeling better.  I'll get myself in tip top shape for chemo on September 8.  It'll be my next to last one!  Yahoo!  So I'll continue to hand wash and sani-wipe my way along the path to great health. 

Getting healthy!

Since the middle point of Tracy’s treatment schedule, she had been in a physical fitness program called “Wellfit” at Synergy Fitness  & Health (http://www.synergyfit.com/). Well, we learned it was to be canceled at the end of July (funding issues), but that if she wanted, she could join as a full member at a special rate.  We talked about it, and decided to both join (me in an exercise club – ha) so as to keep each other honest (keeping me honest is more like it I think), and to get back to those pre-college days of six-packs (abs, not beers).  Not only did we get a reduced rate, but Tracy had no initial fee to pay.  $$$ savings all around.   The way I figured it, I could justify / realize almost half the cost of the membership by eliminating bagels and fritters.  Bagels, by the way, are the trivets used underneath the new USDA MyPlate (the replacement for the Food Pyramid).  You just don’t see them, but they are there keeping things spinning freely. Trust me.    Oh – and I also found out that Dunkin Donuts apple fritters are apparently *not* considered a fruit.  Who knew??

Aside from diet changes, probably the most stressful thing is deciding what to wear.  For a while now, I have had a pair of (still new) New Balance cross-trainers standing guard down next to our treadmill.  They did their job well, as neither the treadmill, nor the cross-trainers were moved from their assigned locations - ever.   They were the obvious choice for footwear, just as long as I only had to wear them from the car to the club and then back to the car.  I did make the mistake the other day in wearing them out in public when we went for coffee.  Being that they were white (very white) with silver tips, they sort of made me stand out a tad.  Won’t make that mistake again.

The other decision was whether or not to get my old early 1980’s spandex out of the cedar chest.   I had been saving it for our kids, or maybe grandchildren (someday), but thought – hey – people still wear Neon Spandex when working out, right?

Anyway – you be the judge(s).  I think we looked good today. So there.

Yankee Yards...

Yes – I know – I KNOW - I have not posted in a while.  Sorry.  

With the end of Tracy’s radiation regimen, and the subsequent reduction of the daily visits to Oncology down to once every three weeks to (for her Avastin trial infusion), we / I sort of got off the blog band-wagon for a bit.   

The summer has flown by all too quickly (they always do), with both Jeremy and Taylor heading back to school soon.  Jeremy is already in Boston, and he starts in 3(?) weeks, but Taylor needs to get out to Ithaca next week because he is moving into the campus student apartments rather than the dormitories.   So – we are making a mad dash out on Friday with him (two cars – due to the amount of “stuff”), with Tracy and I returning sans one kid and one car on Saturday.



Our house, normally.  Really.



Speaking of kidkars…  One of the things I have tried being good at was keeping their cars relatively well maintained – not necessarily cosmetically (they have to drive them, not us) – but definitely mechanically.   Over the last two weeks, the driveway (yes – we do have a garage – but that’s for storing “stuff” and not for cars apparently) has taken on the role of an outdoor Yankee Garage.  This includes:  Multiple old cars in the driveway, stacked horizontal tires, multiple jack stands, hydraulic floor jack, tilted cars, and at least yesterday (it was raining) an expandable awning over the front of one car.  Suffices to say – Ms. Tracy was not pleased.  Tolerant, but definitely not pleased.  Hopefully things will get back to normal this week – whatever normal “is”. Hey – at least I didn’t erect an iron pipe pyramid over the engine compartment with an engine dangling from a chain hoist.  I do pride myself on having some (minimal) level of restraint.



Our house - this past two weeks.



Final tally in order of quantity, not necessarily cost, complexity (removal, installation, or both), or amount and type of expletives generated):10 pair nitrile gloves, 8 brake rotors, 4 sets of brake pads, 3 rolls paper towels, 2 tailgate lift supports,  2 drive axles, 2 struts, 2 tires (see: struts - arrgh),2 quarts DOT3 brake fluid, 2 cans brake cleaner, 2 quarts ATF (type F),  1 gallon antifreeze, 1 wheel  bearing / hub assembly, 1 brake caliper, 1 bleeder screw, 1 power steering pump, 1 (new) power steering pump pulley puller, 1 tube anti-seize, 1 tube Permatex “Blue”, 1 (new) “external” Torx socket set, 1 new ½” Craftsman ratchet. 

Regarding the ratchet – and for the record – Sears really does honor their “lifetime warranty” on most Craftsman tools.  The clerk asked if I had used an 8-foot long breaker bar on my ratchet.  I said - simply - “It wasn’t an 8 foot long bar” and left it at that.  In actuality, it was a 6 feet long old thick-wall steel roof rack bar– and it too was seriously bent, but it was from Sweden, not Chicago, so as they say: "Vi ärar inte medvetet missbruk av verktyg."

And God Bless...

My prayers of comfort and peace go out to Donna's family.  She was diagnosed with uterine cancer just after me, had surgery and finished all her treatment before me, got her hair back way before me.  Just got our hugs in 5 weeks ago.  She passed yesterday.

And for Matt who battles on like a true cancer warrior.  His wife was traveling and he just didn't feel so great so he drove himself over to the Brigham, gave his car to the valet and got himself checked in.  Oh yeah double pulmonary embolism.  Wrote to him and told him to take the chauffeur next time via ambulance.

To Kevin and Tracy, a husband and wife both fighting with everything they have.

A good vibe shout out to Naomi who is a dear friend of Peggy's.  Peggy is married to my cousin Peter and we had a great visit this weekend with the cousins.  Peggy's tells me how strong you are Naomi.  You are on my list for the power of positive thoughts!

Brave Heart

You can't quite read it but it says BRAVE.  Belinda raised my spirits during my silence and followed it up with a sweet necklace.  While I couldn't write - she sent me a writing - by David James Duncan titled My Heart Went Out.  It appeared in The Sun December 2010.  Too long to put here - suffice to say it was packed with the powerful feelings you all bring to me to help me say live forever...