If you read this and you think I'm talking about you, you're probably right.
Rant #1: Married people who mess around. Now, I don't think the two people I'm thinking about right now are actually messing around. I think they're probably just flirting, having some fun. Maybe they're bored, looking for a little thrill in their lives. And maybe if the conversation that was exchanged between them was verbal and not in text message, it probably wouldn't sound so bad. But the fact of the matter is...if you are married, or in a "committed" relationship, there are certain lines you probably shouldn't cross. For me and DH, determining exactly where those lines were was a long time coming. We have now known each other for 18 years and been married for over 16 years. There have been things I have done that he did not appreciate. There have been things he has done that I did not appreciate. We have both experienced serious pangs of jealousy over different things. He's not a fan of me dancing with other men...so I don't do that anymore. I'm not a fan of women who are not friends of both of us hugging him. Now we can't control what others do (he can't stop another woman from hugging him but he can release quickly and introduce the lovely lady to his lovely WIFE) but we certainly can control our own actions.
My line in the sand, and I think DH's too, is...don't do or say anything away from your spouse you wouldn't do or say in front of your spouse. This is not the easiest thing to do. But secrets that are meant to not hurt the other person only seem so much worse once they are found out. In a relationship you have to be able to trust one another. I know that when DH is away he's faithful. He knows I'm faithful too. I know that if he looks at my phone or my Facebook or e-mail he wouldn't find anything that would make him uncomfortable. Same for me, except he doesn't have a Facebook. That's probably smart on his part!
It seems to me that maybe something is missing in the lives of the people I'm talking about. I hope they can 1. find whatever it is they are looking for and 2. work out their problems in their relationships.
Rant #2: Putting everything "out there" on Facebook/MySpace/Twitter, etc. Why do people air their dirty laundry on the internet? I realize when you're pissed off you want to share your anger and show everyone exactly how much of an ass the person you're mad at is. I've done it too. And I regretted it. I hurt someone I really love because I talked about her on the internet. I hope the relationship wasn't damaged permanently...I'd like to think she cut me some slack because of what I've been going through the last few months.
Sometimes putting dirty laundry out there does damage that cannot be repaired. It's like when you talk to your best friend about what an ass your boyfriend is being and you break up with him and then get back together a couple weeks later. Your best friend is still going to harbor those negative feelings about your boyfriend. Now that's not to say that you shouldn't talk to someone about your feelings, but you probably should use a little restraint, especially if you're not ending the relationship permanently. Or talk to someone who's not so emotionally attached to you. If you tell your mom or sister about the shitty thing someone did to you, they are NEVER going to forget it. However, you can pay a counselor $100/hr or sit at the bar and tip the bartender well and get all those feelings out there without them biting you in the ass later.
Finally, I just have to say that I'm not taking any sides on what is going on. I don't know the entire situation and it's none of my business. I'm only commenting on what's been put out in a public forum. I hope that everyone involved can work through their problems and I still LOVE ALL OF YOU!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wow, where to begin?
It's been so long since my last post I don't even know where to begin!! I believe I left off last time bitching because I wasn't feeling good. I've done lots of stuff since then but probably the most important is that I had my last chemo this past Monday. Yay! I'm glad I'm done. Of course I'm not out of the woods yet...I still have to take a daily pill for 5 years, a monthly IM shot for at least 6 months, reconstructive surgery and possibly either irradiation of my ovaries or surgical removal of my ovaries. So we're not quite done yet. But...I have to say, the worst part is probably over.
BFF went with me for chemo this week and we actually had a lot of fun. We met up with Kondee's Mom and Mando Man at their winter job, camel rides, donkey rides, and a petting zoo. And guess what? I got BFF up on a camel! And we have the pictures to prove it! Now I just have to get around to scanning them so I can put them on Facebook for all the world to see! Actually, BFF said she'd ridden a camel before when she was a kid. We also posed for a pic with the donkey for the donkey ride and we have big plans for a little Photo Shopping fun.
When I went into Dr. B's office for my boob fill, the nurse found that the port had moved on one of my boobs! So instead of poking the needle into the top, she had to poke it into the middle. The good thing was it didn't hurt, since the port was below where the feeling has come back. Unfortunately, the other one DID hurt, because the port is where it's supposed to be and the feeling is back! I'm glad the feeling is coming back, don't get me wrong, but ouch! Not much fun to have a needle poked in your boob and be able to feel it!
Chemo was pretty much the same as usual...start the IV, give me the pre-meds, give me the poison and get me out of there. BFF and I didn't cut up like Little T and I did, but we still managed to have a good time. We found an ad for a vintage clothing and antique store in a local shopping guide and we got out of there in plenty of time to actually go shopping.
Retro 101 in St. Louis was awesome!! When we got there, the power was out, so we were afraid we weren't gonna actually get to buy anything, but the power came back on in about 20 minutes or so. Thank goodness, because I found a bunch of stuff to buy! I got several new/old scarves to use as head wraps and some awesome platform boots! There was a lot more that I wanted to buy but since I'm not made of money...I had to leave it there.
To celebrate the end of chemo, we went to a nice Italian place in the Hill. OMG it was so good! Delicious bread, yummy salads, wonderful pasta and veal parmigiana, Chianti and cannoli and some kind of light ice cream for dessert. It was heavenly!
And then we got on the road. We made it maybe a mile and rain started falling. Another mile and traffic was stopped ahead of us. I thought maybe it was a wreck or something up ahead. No, it was a torrential downpour that you could not see through. It was like a wall of water. And my usual 3 hour drive turned into over 4! By the time I dropped BFF off and visited everyone at the bar for a few minutes it was after midnight before I got home. What a day!
Between the steroids with chemo, the stressful drive and a coke around 9 PM, sleep did not come easily. I think I finally fell asleep around 4 AM. Thank goodness NOS and Ms. Thang got themselves up and ready for school, because it was time for Ms. Thang to get on the bus before I even dragged out of bed. And I had a PTA meeting at 9! Needless to say I was late! Fortunately, one of the other girls took notes for me till I got there. Then I got lunch for BabyBoy, took him to school and ran a few errands. And then I hit a wall. I laid down to take a short nap and that was it! My alarm went off to pick BabyBoy up and I just couldn't do it. I called CPrez and she picked BabyBoy up and brought him home. I made it upstairs to open the door for him and back to bed I went! Poor NOS had to take care of dinner and get the little ones in bed. At least there was no school Wednesday.
I was supposed to go to my parents for Thanksgiving on Wednesday but I still was not feeling well. I pretty much laid around all day until around 9 PM when I made a quick Braums and Wal-mart run. I got the few odds and ends I needed to get through the weekend. Yesterday we made pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans, carrots, crescent rolls, and cherry pie for our Thanksgiving dinner. It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually was. The kids were very helpful. Ms. Thang and BabyBoy made placemats for the table and NOS helped me cook. But by the time we were done eating I was down for the count!
It would have been nice to spend Thanksgiving with either my family or DH's family or even with some of our friends, but I just was not feeling like getting out of the house and the weather was not cooperating with going anywhere. The kids and I shared things we are thankful for and I suppose at the top of the list is that my cancer was caught early and now I'm cancer free.
I have lots more to talk about but it's just gonna have to wait till another day!
BFF went with me for chemo this week and we actually had a lot of fun. We met up with Kondee's Mom and Mando Man at their winter job, camel rides, donkey rides, and a petting zoo. And guess what? I got BFF up on a camel! And we have the pictures to prove it! Now I just have to get around to scanning them so I can put them on Facebook for all the world to see! Actually, BFF said she'd ridden a camel before when she was a kid. We also posed for a pic with the donkey for the donkey ride and we have big plans for a little Photo Shopping fun.
When I went into Dr. B's office for my boob fill, the nurse found that the port had moved on one of my boobs! So instead of poking the needle into the top, she had to poke it into the middle. The good thing was it didn't hurt, since the port was below where the feeling has come back. Unfortunately, the other one DID hurt, because the port is where it's supposed to be and the feeling is back! I'm glad the feeling is coming back, don't get me wrong, but ouch! Not much fun to have a needle poked in your boob and be able to feel it!
Chemo was pretty much the same as usual...start the IV, give me the pre-meds, give me the poison and get me out of there. BFF and I didn't cut up like Little T and I did, but we still managed to have a good time. We found an ad for a vintage clothing and antique store in a local shopping guide and we got out of there in plenty of time to actually go shopping.
Retro 101 in St. Louis was awesome!! When we got there, the power was out, so we were afraid we weren't gonna actually get to buy anything, but the power came back on in about 20 minutes or so. Thank goodness, because I found a bunch of stuff to buy! I got several new/old scarves to use as head wraps and some awesome platform boots! There was a lot more that I wanted to buy but since I'm not made of money...I had to leave it there.
To celebrate the end of chemo, we went to a nice Italian place in the Hill. OMG it was so good! Delicious bread, yummy salads, wonderful pasta and veal parmigiana, Chianti and cannoli and some kind of light ice cream for dessert. It was heavenly!
And then we got on the road. We made it maybe a mile and rain started falling. Another mile and traffic was stopped ahead of us. I thought maybe it was a wreck or something up ahead. No, it was a torrential downpour that you could not see through. It was like a wall of water. And my usual 3 hour drive turned into over 4! By the time I dropped BFF off and visited everyone at the bar for a few minutes it was after midnight before I got home. What a day!
Between the steroids with chemo, the stressful drive and a coke around 9 PM, sleep did not come easily. I think I finally fell asleep around 4 AM. Thank goodness NOS and Ms. Thang got themselves up and ready for school, because it was time for Ms. Thang to get on the bus before I even dragged out of bed. And I had a PTA meeting at 9! Needless to say I was late! Fortunately, one of the other girls took notes for me till I got there. Then I got lunch for BabyBoy, took him to school and ran a few errands. And then I hit a wall. I laid down to take a short nap and that was it! My alarm went off to pick BabyBoy up and I just couldn't do it. I called CPrez and she picked BabyBoy up and brought him home. I made it upstairs to open the door for him and back to bed I went! Poor NOS had to take care of dinner and get the little ones in bed. At least there was no school Wednesday.
I was supposed to go to my parents for Thanksgiving on Wednesday but I still was not feeling well. I pretty much laid around all day until around 9 PM when I made a quick Braums and Wal-mart run. I got the few odds and ends I needed to get through the weekend. Yesterday we made pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans, carrots, crescent rolls, and cherry pie for our Thanksgiving dinner. It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually was. The kids were very helpful. Ms. Thang and BabyBoy made placemats for the table and NOS helped me cook. But by the time we were done eating I was down for the count!
It would have been nice to spend Thanksgiving with either my family or DH's family or even with some of our friends, but I just was not feeling like getting out of the house and the weather was not cooperating with going anywhere. The kids and I shared things we are thankful for and I suppose at the top of the list is that my cancer was caught early and now I'm cancer free.
I have lots more to talk about but it's just gonna have to wait till another day!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
crappy day
So Kondee's Mom said I'm too damn upbeat in my blog posts and people think I'm doing just fine. Well, today, I ain't so fine. I totally overdid it yesterday and I've paid for it today. Thursday is Girlfriends' Coffee today but I had such a hard time getting out of bed to straighten up and make coffee. BeBe was the only person who came over which was just fine because I don't think I could have handled a houseful today. And I was so cranky with BabyBoy this morning. I just didn't have the patience to listen to him whine that he can't find his shoes when he hadn't even looked for them yet. And just where the heck are all their socks?!? I've been doing laundry it doesn't seem like socks ever make it to the laundry room. CPrez picked BabyBoy up for school, BeBe left soon after and I attempted to take a nap. No luck though, I just could not relax! By the time I was starting to get a little sleepy, it was time to pick him up. I didn't even get dressed today. And I was afraid to take a late afternoon nap because I want to sleep tonight.
Fortunately, TPrez texted me earlier this week and asked me if I needed anything and I'd requested dinner tonight. So she whipped up some yummy beef stroganoff, green beans and dessert. And she brought me flowers too! It's so good to have friends to help out. I knew I'd be on the downhill slide by Thursday or Friday and sure enough I was right. She's a lifesaver!
My college best friend is supposed to come visit this weekend and specifically told me not to clean or do anything, she wants to come help me. I'm really looking forward to seeing her because it's been almost 10 years! So I hope she gets to come visit. I don't know if I'll let her clean my house, but I know she's not expecting Martha Stewart. She's known me way too long.
So I'm gonna spend the rest of the night laying low, watching TV, waiting for bedtime. And wake up tomorrow and have a better day.
Fortunately, TPrez texted me earlier this week and asked me if I needed anything and I'd requested dinner tonight. So she whipped up some yummy beef stroganoff, green beans and dessert. And she brought me flowers too! It's so good to have friends to help out. I knew I'd be on the downhill slide by Thursday or Friday and sure enough I was right. She's a lifesaver!
My college best friend is supposed to come visit this weekend and specifically told me not to clean or do anything, she wants to come help me. I'm really looking forward to seeing her because it's been almost 10 years! So I hope she gets to come visit. I don't know if I'll let her clean my house, but I know she's not expecting Martha Stewart. She's known me way too long.
So I'm gonna spend the rest of the night laying low, watching TV, waiting for bedtime. And wake up tomorrow and have a better day.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
random randomness on a Tuesday...warning...it gets political!
OK so my puppy Buddy seemed like he was finally gonna start being good. He's super friendly, great with the kids, and one of these days he's gonna be a good dog. But night before last he peed on the floor at night and then last night he pooped three SEPARATE piles in my living room, peed on the floor AGAIN, and tore up one of my friends' books. I wouldn't be quite so mad, but I put the dogs out right before I went to bed and I'd picked up everything on the floor. Well, everything that wasn't papers or belonged to the kids (is that wrong? I tell them to pick their stuff up ALL the time!) He knocked the book off the table and chewed it up. Destroyed it! And of course my friend, when I told her, just said not to worry about it. Hello, hasn't she read the name of my blog? So I'm pretty sure there's a gift card in her future!
Not much of a commercial watcher (thank you Dish Network DVR!) but I keep seeing commercials for a new daytime show on CBS called The Talk. Sharon Osborne, Holly Robinson-Peete, Leah Remimi, a couple of other women I can't remember. Hmmm, the concept sounds familiar...oh yeah, The View! Except I think maybe the Talk girls are nicer than the View girls. I used to watch The View when I was a stay-at-home mom with NumberOneSon back in the late 90s. Now I pick up periodic snip-its on The Soup or when someone tweets about some asinine thing Joy Behar says. I'm glad Elisabeth Hasselbeck is on there to be a conservative voice of reason. However, that doesn't mean I'm gonna watch The View. I may set the DVR to pick up an episode or two of The Talk just out of curiosity.
Today will be a quiet day at home I think. Poor BabyBoy is sick and it's rainy and cold so I don't think it's gonna be a family fun day. Sadness! I do have some Pillsbury cookie dough in the fridge...maybe we'll make some cookies later. Cookies and hot chocolate, family movie maybe...that could be a family fun day! May even bust out the Connect Four!
I have a short list of errands to run and I gotta vote today! Still trying to decide whether to vote Libertarian or Constitution party for Senate...I sure as hell ain't voting for Carnahan or Blunt! I am no longer choosing between the lesser of two evils. And if someone wants to say I'm throwing my vote away or taking votes away from the "conservative," well, they can think whatever they want. Bill Clinton is more conservative than Roy Blunt! OK not really, but I'm so sick of politicians wearing the "conservative" hat and then voting to expand entitlements, increase regulation, and raise taxes. How much money can they really throw at the unemployment problem? Obviously what they've been doing has not been working. Unemployment is still rising and the only reason "statistics" show it isn't is because some people have fallen off the rolls or taken part-time work or a huge cut in pay just to get back to work. Or like me, they were fired and their unemployment was contested by the employer (for breaking a policy that wasn't in existence until after I was fired) therefore I'm not on unemployment and hence not unemployed. Or my friends who are self employed in construction who don't have any projects lined up. Or my friends who've finished school but don't have a job yet. The federal government would have been better off giving all the bailout money to THE PEOPLE so they would spend it. Think of all the extra money you'd have if they paid $100,000 of your mortgage and you could refinance the rest and lower your mortgage payment. What would you do with that extra money? You could put part of it in a retirement account, eat out a couple more times a week, take a vacation, pay down your credit cards. The possibilities are endless. THAT would stimulate the economy much better than funding government pork projects. Instead, they gave banks money to pay off bad debt assuming the banks would then turn around and lend money. Nope, they've sat on the money. The banks are continuing to foreclose on houses rather than working with people to keep them in their homes. Home ownership is continuing to drop. And how did all this get started? Government regulation forcing banks to lend money to people who couldn't afford to pay it back. Home ownership is not for everyone. And when you walk into the bank and they look at your finances and tell you you can afford a lot more of a mortgage payment than you actually can, it will not take that many months before you are struggling. I know that from experience. When we bought our first house the lady at the bank told us we could afford a huge payment! We ended up buying a house that didn't have quite so high a payment, but it was still about 50% more than our rent was. And for the first few months we struggled until I graduated from nursing school and we added my second income. I can only imagine how bad it would have been if we'd listened to the bank lady. And don't even get me started on the "reinvestment" money the feds gave to states. On my way back from visiting DH in August, every rest area on I-55 in Mississippi was closed for remodeling. Every one of them had a sign singing the praises of the "reinvestment" act. Really? Remodeling rest areas? Who even uses rest areas anymore? DH travels a lot for work. He always stops at gas stations and restaurants. Why would I pay $2 for a can of Coke out of a machine and have to struggle to reach through the bars to keep people from breaking into it or stealing it when I can stop at a Love's Travel Center and buy a 32 oz Diet Dr Pepper in a cup with ice for a buck and pee in a bathroom that gets cleaned a couple of times a day instead of once a week? Mississippi continually competes with Arkansas and Louisiana for the number 48-50 spots on the best education systems in the US. Wouldn't that money be better spent on remodeling schools or hiring more teachers or paying teachers more?
I'm probably on my soapbox today because I started the day listening to Neal Boortz (streaming on the Internet since they play him on tape delay here in Podunk) and today is election day. So get out and vote...but only if you take the time to research the issues and candidates. If you're just voting because someone told you to or because you like the way someone looks or what they've promised to do (they usually don't keep their promises, by the way), don't bother.
Not much of a commercial watcher (thank you Dish Network DVR!) but I keep seeing commercials for a new daytime show on CBS called The Talk. Sharon Osborne, Holly Robinson-Peete, Leah Remimi, a couple of other women I can't remember. Hmmm, the concept sounds familiar...oh yeah, The View! Except I think maybe the Talk girls are nicer than the View girls. I used to watch The View when I was a stay-at-home mom with NumberOneSon back in the late 90s. Now I pick up periodic snip-its on The Soup or when someone tweets about some asinine thing Joy Behar says. I'm glad Elisabeth Hasselbeck is on there to be a conservative voice of reason. However, that doesn't mean I'm gonna watch The View. I may set the DVR to pick up an episode or two of The Talk just out of curiosity.
Today will be a quiet day at home I think. Poor BabyBoy is sick and it's rainy and cold so I don't think it's gonna be a family fun day. Sadness! I do have some Pillsbury cookie dough in the fridge...maybe we'll make some cookies later. Cookies and hot chocolate, family movie maybe...that could be a family fun day! May even bust out the Connect Four!
I have a short list of errands to run and I gotta vote today! Still trying to decide whether to vote Libertarian or Constitution party for Senate...I sure as hell ain't voting for Carnahan or Blunt! I am no longer choosing between the lesser of two evils. And if someone wants to say I'm throwing my vote away or taking votes away from the "conservative," well, they can think whatever they want. Bill Clinton is more conservative than Roy Blunt! OK not really, but I'm so sick of politicians wearing the "conservative" hat and then voting to expand entitlements, increase regulation, and raise taxes. How much money can they really throw at the unemployment problem? Obviously what they've been doing has not been working. Unemployment is still rising and the only reason "statistics" show it isn't is because some people have fallen off the rolls or taken part-time work or a huge cut in pay just to get back to work. Or like me, they were fired and their unemployment was contested by the employer (for breaking a policy that wasn't in existence until after I was fired) therefore I'm not on unemployment and hence not unemployed. Or my friends who are self employed in construction who don't have any projects lined up. Or my friends who've finished school but don't have a job yet. The federal government would have been better off giving all the bailout money to THE PEOPLE so they would spend it. Think of all the extra money you'd have if they paid $100,000 of your mortgage and you could refinance the rest and lower your mortgage payment. What would you do with that extra money? You could put part of it in a retirement account, eat out a couple more times a week, take a vacation, pay down your credit cards. The possibilities are endless. THAT would stimulate the economy much better than funding government pork projects. Instead, they gave banks money to pay off bad debt assuming the banks would then turn around and lend money. Nope, they've sat on the money. The banks are continuing to foreclose on houses rather than working with people to keep them in their homes. Home ownership is continuing to drop. And how did all this get started? Government regulation forcing banks to lend money to people who couldn't afford to pay it back. Home ownership is not for everyone. And when you walk into the bank and they look at your finances and tell you you can afford a lot more of a mortgage payment than you actually can, it will not take that many months before you are struggling. I know that from experience. When we bought our first house the lady at the bank told us we could afford a huge payment! We ended up buying a house that didn't have quite so high a payment, but it was still about 50% more than our rent was. And for the first few months we struggled until I graduated from nursing school and we added my second income. I can only imagine how bad it would have been if we'd listened to the bank lady. And don't even get me started on the "reinvestment" money the feds gave to states. On my way back from visiting DH in August, every rest area on I-55 in Mississippi was closed for remodeling. Every one of them had a sign singing the praises of the "reinvestment" act. Really? Remodeling rest areas? Who even uses rest areas anymore? DH travels a lot for work. He always stops at gas stations and restaurants. Why would I pay $2 for a can of Coke out of a machine and have to struggle to reach through the bars to keep people from breaking into it or stealing it when I can stop at a Love's Travel Center and buy a 32 oz Diet Dr Pepper in a cup with ice for a buck and pee in a bathroom that gets cleaned a couple of times a day instead of once a week? Mississippi continually competes with Arkansas and Louisiana for the number 48-50 spots on the best education systems in the US. Wouldn't that money be better spent on remodeling schools or hiring more teachers or paying teachers more?
I'm probably on my soapbox today because I started the day listening to Neal Boortz (streaming on the Internet since they play him on tape delay here in Podunk) and today is election day. So get out and vote...but only if you take the time to research the issues and candidates. If you're just voting because someone told you to or because you like the way someone looks or what they've promised to do (they usually don't keep their promises, by the way), don't bother.
Monday, November 1, 2010
chemo number 3
Well, today was a monumental occasion...chemo number three is officially OVER! So far so good but I am still hopped up on 'roids so check back with me this weekend to see how I'm doing. Kiddos are out of school (wonderful timing, Ozark!) so I made a rush trip up and back today. My friend Little T drove us and our friend Stoney went with us (wink, wink, nod, nod Rita Ballou!) OMG those two are a riot. We used to all work together (although I don't think all three of us have ever been at the bedside in the same unit at the same time, which is probably good for the hospital noise level). Little T's the only one who still does bedside nursing, Stoney has moved on to an ancillary procedure nurse type job and I had too until I was wrongly fired because of a lying you-know-what...but I digress! Anyhoo, I worked with Stoney and I worked with Little T and they see each other at work a lot and are neighbors...but I don't think I've ever hung out with both of them at the same time. It was like the Three Musketeers swashbuckling cancer. Or the Three Stooges poking cancer in the eyes. Woo woo woo. Or maybe the Three Blind Mice wandering around the 7th floor of Siteman Cancer Center...in any case, if you have to have cancer and get chemo, they are definitely a fun pair to bring with you.
Little T promptly showed up at my house at 5 and then we picked up Stoney in town and headed northeast. It was a relatively uneventful trip...couple of coffee stops, 3 losing dollar scratchers, bathroom break. We got there way early to check in for my lab draw so we had time for breakfast at St. Louis Bread Company before my boob fill appointment. By then we were on to our third cup of coffee each (Little T's 4th!) Yeah, we were starting to get a little silly. But the spinach/artichoke souffles were AWESOME!! Stoney said they could have been twice as big and I have to say I agree. Although when I had to weigh in at the doctor's office the scale would have to disagree! I've gained eight pounds in the past three weeks! I guess I need to lay off the Sonic cream slushes four afternoons a week...
Yep that's right I said I got another boob fill! I know I will do at least one more because they said I had to go at least one fill bigger than the final product so they droop a little and have a natural teardrop shape. That's probably good, because right now, they look anything BUT natural! They are sitting high and tight! I'm contemplating low cut shirts! They are also in the way and because they have to stretch the skin you can bounce a quarter off them. That will go down some in the next few weeks...for once I'm thankful for gravity. Little T went in with me to watch the boob fill...I tell you, nurses are just...weird. We are fascinated by the grossest things! Dr. B's nurse has the best nursing stories and she is so funny. She's been a nurse for over 30 years but she looks like she must have started when she was about 7. I realize she works for a plastic surgeon but she does not look like she's had work done...so he's either THAT good or she's just aged gracefully. I'm guessing it's a combination. Anyway somehow we got to talking about douchebag medical product/drug reps and bariatric patients...a non-nurse would have been alternately laughing and puking in the corner.
After the boob fill it was time for Dr. M, my oncologist. It was another fun visit, till we started talking about my labs. Seems my liver functions are higher than they were last time...not as high as they were the first time. My doctor was puzzling over why they would be elevated and started talking about doing a liver ultrasound and hepatitis panel...till Stoney spoke up and said, "Maybe it's all the beer you drank this weekend?" Ummm, yeah. He threw me under the bus! I mean, Little T and I were THINKING that, but we didn't say it!! Oh, well, it got me off the hook for the ultrasound, but I'm thinking I'm going to lay off until I'm done with chemo. And it wasn't THAT much beer, for those keeping score at home. Four on Saturday spread over 10 hours and three on Halloween. Doesn't chocolate increase your LFTs too? I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere...
This time I got checked in and back into chemo only 30 minutes late, so we actually got out of there around 3. With the late breakfast and all the caffeine, I was only hungry maybe the last hour, so a late lunch was just perfect. Today they were enforcing the only one visitor rule (I really think it depends on the nurse) so Stoney hung out in the waiting room and took a nap. Little T and I were in rare form creeping on Facebook pages and looking at friends of friends who didn't have their photo albums blocked...then one of my newest friends started IMing me. It was obvious English was not his first language, but Little T just could not understand what he was saying! I was cracking up at her cracking up at him. "What does he mean by that?" Geez! Hilarious! I enjoyed talking to him though...he was very nice...mutual friend of my lovely little sis-in-law.
I can't believe they didn't kick us out! Seriously I was completely expecting a nurse to come over and tell us to keep it down, there were sick people around. Or make me trade out Little T for the sleeping friend in the waiting room. Or to take my pump and finish my chemo in the parking lot! But they were so cool...I am impressed every time I go up there. Totally worth the drive and hotel expense (not worth it if I have to stay in the Barnes Lodge...shudder!!)
After chemo, we hit up Zio's in the Hill before we headed home. The food, in a word, was AMAZING. The only thing that would have made it better would have been some wine. My brain said yes but my liver said no...and I listened to my liver. And my supercool friends did not drink any either...although after spending the day with me and in a health-care facility on their day off they probably could have polished off a bottle apiece. I had this spectacular mostaccioli dish with veggies, chicken, prosciutto, and a white sauce, sprinkled with breadcrumbs and baked. Unbelievable! I could only eat half! And I was so looking forward to my leftovers tomorrow but...I forgot them in Little T's car! Can you believe that? I blame the chemo for screwing up my brain! Oh, well, maybe I'll have to make a trip to SpringVegas tomorrow and raid Little T's fridge!
Driving home was a little tricky since we had the combination of carb coma plus afternoon traffic, but after ANOTHER cup of coffee (for me and Little T, once she handed off the keys to Stoney...that makes sense, huh?) we made it uneventfully. I bet we saw 10 cops between the outskirts of St. Louis and the turn off to 65. Fortunately Stoney doesn't have a lead foot and they all pretty much had other people pulled over anyway.
My friend Crazy Irish Niece brought over dinner for my chillens tonight. We had some left over so I'll get to try it tomorrow. It looks and smells good. Sadly, I came home to BabyBoy having a fever. I hope he feels better tomorrow because a) I want all of us to do something fun and 2) I don't want to catch whatever he has. So I gave him some medicine, read him a story and put him to bed. Poor baby.
The kids have a four day weekend and NumberOneSon did great with the little ones as usual. And they didn't trash the house...I'm very, very proud of me. I have such good kids...good friends...good family...good health care providers...I'm the most fortunate cancer patient in the world.
And now, in spite of the caffeine, chocolate and Decadron, I'm actually sleepy so I'm gonna hit my fluffy bed! Nighty night!
Little T promptly showed up at my house at 5 and then we picked up Stoney in town and headed northeast. It was a relatively uneventful trip...couple of coffee stops, 3 losing dollar scratchers, bathroom break. We got there way early to check in for my lab draw so we had time for breakfast at St. Louis Bread Company before my boob fill appointment. By then we were on to our third cup of coffee each (Little T's 4th!) Yeah, we were starting to get a little silly. But the spinach/artichoke souffles were AWESOME!! Stoney said they could have been twice as big and I have to say I agree. Although when I had to weigh in at the doctor's office the scale would have to disagree! I've gained eight pounds in the past three weeks! I guess I need to lay off the Sonic cream slushes four afternoons a week...
Yep that's right I said I got another boob fill! I know I will do at least one more because they said I had to go at least one fill bigger than the final product so they droop a little and have a natural teardrop shape. That's probably good, because right now, they look anything BUT natural! They are sitting high and tight! I'm contemplating low cut shirts! They are also in the way and because they have to stretch the skin you can bounce a quarter off them. That will go down some in the next few weeks...for once I'm thankful for gravity. Little T went in with me to watch the boob fill...I tell you, nurses are just...weird. We are fascinated by the grossest things! Dr. B's nurse has the best nursing stories and she is so funny. She's been a nurse for over 30 years but she looks like she must have started when she was about 7. I realize she works for a plastic surgeon but she does not look like she's had work done...so he's either THAT good or she's just aged gracefully. I'm guessing it's a combination. Anyway somehow we got to talking about douchebag medical product/drug reps and bariatric patients...a non-nurse would have been alternately laughing and puking in the corner.
After the boob fill it was time for Dr. M, my oncologist. It was another fun visit, till we started talking about my labs. Seems my liver functions are higher than they were last time...not as high as they were the first time. My doctor was puzzling over why they would be elevated and started talking about doing a liver ultrasound and hepatitis panel...till Stoney spoke up and said, "Maybe it's all the beer you drank this weekend?" Ummm, yeah. He threw me under the bus! I mean, Little T and I were THINKING that, but we didn't say it!! Oh, well, it got me off the hook for the ultrasound, but I'm thinking I'm going to lay off until I'm done with chemo. And it wasn't THAT much beer, for those keeping score at home. Four on Saturday spread over 10 hours and three on Halloween. Doesn't chocolate increase your LFTs too? I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere...
This time I got checked in and back into chemo only 30 minutes late, so we actually got out of there around 3. With the late breakfast and all the caffeine, I was only hungry maybe the last hour, so a late lunch was just perfect. Today they were enforcing the only one visitor rule (I really think it depends on the nurse) so Stoney hung out in the waiting room and took a nap. Little T and I were in rare form creeping on Facebook pages and looking at friends of friends who didn't have their photo albums blocked...then one of my newest friends started IMing me. It was obvious English was not his first language, but Little T just could not understand what he was saying! I was cracking up at her cracking up at him. "What does he mean by that?" Geez! Hilarious! I enjoyed talking to him though...he was very nice...mutual friend of my lovely little sis-in-law.
I can't believe they didn't kick us out! Seriously I was completely expecting a nurse to come over and tell us to keep it down, there were sick people around. Or make me trade out Little T for the sleeping friend in the waiting room. Or to take my pump and finish my chemo in the parking lot! But they were so cool...I am impressed every time I go up there. Totally worth the drive and hotel expense (not worth it if I have to stay in the Barnes Lodge...shudder!!)
After chemo, we hit up Zio's in the Hill before we headed home. The food, in a word, was AMAZING. The only thing that would have made it better would have been some wine. My brain said yes but my liver said no...and I listened to my liver. And my supercool friends did not drink any either...although after spending the day with me and in a health-care facility on their day off they probably could have polished off a bottle apiece. I had this spectacular mostaccioli dish with veggies, chicken, prosciutto, and a white sauce, sprinkled with breadcrumbs and baked. Unbelievable! I could only eat half! And I was so looking forward to my leftovers tomorrow but...I forgot them in Little T's car! Can you believe that? I blame the chemo for screwing up my brain! Oh, well, maybe I'll have to make a trip to SpringVegas tomorrow and raid Little T's fridge!
Driving home was a little tricky since we had the combination of carb coma plus afternoon traffic, but after ANOTHER cup of coffee (for me and Little T, once she handed off the keys to Stoney...that makes sense, huh?) we made it uneventfully. I bet we saw 10 cops between the outskirts of St. Louis and the turn off to 65. Fortunately Stoney doesn't have a lead foot and they all pretty much had other people pulled over anyway.
My friend Crazy Irish Niece brought over dinner for my chillens tonight. We had some left over so I'll get to try it tomorrow. It looks and smells good. Sadly, I came home to BabyBoy having a fever. I hope he feels better tomorrow because a) I want all of us to do something fun and 2) I don't want to catch whatever he has. So I gave him some medicine, read him a story and put him to bed. Poor baby.
The kids have a four day weekend and NumberOneSon did great with the little ones as usual. And they didn't trash the house...I'm very, very proud of me. I have such good kids...good friends...good family...good health care providers...I'm the most fortunate cancer patient in the world.
And now, in spite of the caffeine, chocolate and Decadron, I'm actually sleepy so I'm gonna hit my fluffy bed! Nighty night!
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