Hair Today....Good Grief, Charlie Brown

I had to go get a "hair cut" today. My fuzzy helmet wasn't "fitting" anymore and looked even worse than usual. So Della trimmed it. I'll bet there wasn't a full tablespoon of hair on the floor!!! What a hair cut!!! She didn't even charge me and said "Go home and grow enough hair to help support me." So I'll try. She said it will take a year or more to know what my new hair will be like...so far it is even finer than before, darker, and just plain nappy.

So now I've had to address hairy issues like every other woman. My eyebrow hairs came in dark and all over my eyebrow...what's this about??? I haven't plucked stray eyebrows for decades!!! Now I do like my new eyelashes. They are dark, which is a change from the pre-chemo lashes which were grey. Lashes are not as thick and are shorter, don't touch my glasses. I can use the time I save by not putting on mascara to pluck my eyebrows!!

I've had to shave my legs and pits twice now. And my arms are hairy again. So except for the hair on my head, all is back to some acceptable level of the new "normal."

This heat wave is really doing a job on my lymphodema. I can't get the left arm down to a size that is close to the right arm. The therapist said I will probably have to go back to the ace bandage wraps to get the size down.  Well, that is no fun in 100+ heat!! It is bad enough to wear an oven mitt from finger tips to arm pit all night and then try to sleep with it propped up on pillows to encourage the lymphatic fluid to drain down to the shoulder then trunk and finally out. Do I want to be even hotter all day and all night..............not really.

Bone scan was all clear so the long bone pain is just a result of the aremidex which I have to take for 5 years. That is better than having the bone scan show bone cancer or breast cancer showing up in the bone marrow. I had to go back to hospital for an Xray of my elbow because the scan indicated that the dye collected in the elbow pit OR there was something going on there. It was the dye. It was so hard to get the vein and then get the dye to go in....I'm not surprised that the dye didn't get moved around much. I really should have asked the RNs before I jumped on Dr's idea to take the Port out!!!! It would be much easier to keep the port flushed than to go through this vein stabbing!!!

Geneva update: Our baseball fan is fitting in nicely. She had a vet tech check up for the ears today and there is still some problems. We will continue the flush and treatment meds for another 2 weeks. She is eating nicely even without wet food. No accidents in the house. She is now bold enough to jump up in our bed after we go to sleep. Wonder how long it will be before she claims her own spot in our bed?? Domino "sleeps around" and spends sleep time in various dog beds, our bed, the couch etc. He often goes to bed with me and then back to the living room to finish the ballgame with Husband.

I'm having a good time cooking! Tonight we had sea bass with cumin dusting, saffron rice and a squash corn saute. Fresh peaches and blackberries for dessert. Pinot Grigo wine. NICE. It is good to feel well enough and have enough energy to shop and cook. Slow return to the new normal.

Dogs and Doctors...........what a life!!!

Husband LOST the new dog. It is 100+ on a HOT afternoon, I'm an hour away for an important meeting, and when FEDEX wanted an autograph Geneva ran out the door and down the street!!! She doesn't know her name yet, has never been on a walk in the neighborhood [still can't walk with corset or cord touching her] and she doesn't have a tag on yet. She is just plain GONE. Husband and lawn crew search and give up. Hours later I get home and Domino and I take out in the direction she was last seen. She was hiding in the scrub brush tree line behind OUR house....in the cedar stickers and POISON IVY. She was HOT and glad to see Domino and me, came right on in the yard. It took a long time to get the stickers off of her and then she had a nice bath. We all stretched out under the fans and enjoyed the air conditioning. Dogs, bah hum bug!!!!

This week is my week to get to the doctors I have ignored while doing chemo and radiation. So far so good. The dermatologist did a couple of freezes and one "slice and dice" but all is well. The eye doctor was nice enough to NOT change my glasses so there is a big savings. The dentist gave me a good report. The follow up visit to the oncologist was so-so. I' m having considerable bone pain and he ordered a bone scan just to be sure all is well. I would have preferred he say I was a wimp and "buck up" but that didn't happen.

It has just been too hot to be outside. So I don't go.  And it is too hot to cook in the house. So I don't. Thank goodness we have a grill or we would starve. If we could turn on the grill via remote control...wow...there is an invention idea for you. We hurry in/out to turn the stuff and that is dinner. Life is simple punctuated by hysteria.

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

July 5 and 100+ and HOT HOT HOT so we went back to the Weatherford boonies to pick up our new dog. We had lunch with Husband's cousin Terry & Janice who now live there to be close to the grand kids. We don't get together often enough!!! It took us a while to get current on all the family news.

We found our way back to All God's Creatures and prepared ourselves for the tick brigade by tucking pant legs into socks and buttoning down our long sleeved shirt sleeves then spraying each other with maximum DEET. I guess the people wondered why we were stuck in the Jeep so long as they came out to check on us.  I even sprayed the lower door frame of the Jeep --- I hate ticks!!!

We went into the ALMOST air conditioned shed where the dogs were being bathed and found our little girl all wet in one of the crates. She was  quite scared when I reached in to dry her off. We introduced her to her new name GENEVA. After all the paperwork was done we took her to the Jeep and she was really scared. [Picking up Domino was so different---he KNEW we were there for him, leaped into the car and sat tall and straight up and never looked back at the rescue home.] So getting her into the crate was fun - she extended all 4 legs in different directions and increased her weight by at least double!!! [We each said "what if this was Beau? he weighs 60#!! and he wants Sylvia to lift him into the car.] Once in the crate [on her new quilt] she took forever to settle down enough to relax and never did go to sleep the entire trip back home.

Geneva has a new wardrobe - a pink harness. She doesn't like wearing "clothes." She can't walk in clothes. And what is this cord thing hooked to this corset thing?? So she didn't pee in the grass going into the vets offices because she can't pee when wearing clothes. What dog can resist the "inspirations" left in front of the vet's office??? Coming out of the office didn't go much better. I just slid her across the floor and she almost walked on the grass. No pee.

We got to our vet's office at 4:30 for Geneva's physical and shots and blood work. She checked out very well. Good physical confirmation and no apparent problems. No heartworms, no tick borne diseases - at this point. She will get regular re-checks for 3 months just to be sure and Vet started her on antibiotics because she has so many many scabs and sores from old tick bites. And I mean dozens of sores on each ear and zillions on her body. Then came the ear exam. You poodle owners know the drill - excess wax and yeast = big time infection. Plus Geneva has so many sores from ticks on her ears that some sores got infected. $400+ and 1 1/2 hrs later we left with sufficient meds to require a spread sheet to keep the administration correct  PLUS cans of super expensive dog food to get her started eating as well as slide the pills down. This canned food goes in with the expensive "duck and potato limited ingredient" dog food we have for all the poodles.

Domino spent the day at the day care and he was wired when he got home. He was happy to see Geneva and then proceeded to ignore her while he checked out his kingdom and then he went inside to claim the couch for his well deserved naps. We took Geneva outside every 30 minutes to see if she would pee/poop before we went to bed. Well, she can't pee/poop wearing a corset!!! She did eat expensive kibble mixed with even more expensive wet food ONLY AFTER I finger fed her about half her dinner. Domino thinks she is a great addition to the family simply because she brought wet food to go in the kibble - he scarfed his bowl of kibble in record time. We had not told him that the vet sells wet food!!!!

Geneva fell over into a nap after 8 pm., She fought sleep off just like a kid, but finally lost the battle. We crated her at 10 pm and didn't hear a peep all night. At 7 am I took them outside and she magically could pee wearing a corset!!! Breakfast with wet food was enjoyed by both poodles and she took her pills nicely. She is happy today, the tail hasn't stopped wagging and she is coming to each of us for petting. Yesterday we wondered how long her tail was and today she is walking around with the nice tail up in the air!!! She is a happy camper!!! She and Domino were playing tentatively in the yard. This is going to work out nicely.

We'll give her a couple of weeks to adjust and then start introducing her to new people. I do plan to take some "arrival" pictures and in a couple of weeks some "real poodle" pictures. Her hair needs to grow out and her coat needs vitamins and Omega 3. I thought she was a red/brown color and that is not correct. After a good bath she is definitely an apricot color. She will be very pretty all fluffed up!!

We are EXPECTING....a girl.......soon!!!!!!!!!

What do retired people do on a HOT holiday in TX?  They stay INDOORS, in the air conditioning because they got smarter as they got older. This is how I know we are smarter:

The first 4th of July we were in North Texas [in the mid 70's] we had a family outing for a softball game and picnic in a nearby town. Man, was it HOT. The girls and I found a scrubby little tree in the vicinity of the field and we huddled in the "almost" shade around the ice chest. Husband was playing in the game so we couldn't go home gracefully. [That was then.......now I would drive that car home about the 2nd inning!!!] Well, I don't remember anything about the game or the picnic, but clearly remember on the way home seeing the bank thermometer reading of 107!!! That was crazy!!

This 4th of July it was only 100 and we stayed in all day. Husband read a book and watched an old movie on TV. I played in the sewing room and made a crate blanket for our new dog. Yes, we are expecting a girl any day now!!!  She is a 3 year old rescued poodle from a mill. She will be smaller than Domino and brownish red. She will know NOTHING about living in the house with air conditioning, or having to wait for an old person to open the door to go outside to pee/poop, or being able to eat premium kibble anytime. We hope that she will be fairly easy to house train. Some dogs who were "producers" at these mills can have a difficult time adjusting to house training simply because they were never asked to "hold it." And if she was confined to a crate all the time she may not be accustomed to keeping a clean crate. We won't know these things until she gets here. So stay tuned for the adventures of old folks training a new dog. At least she is old enough to sleep through the night...of course we can each get up and let her out during the night since we don't sleep through the night anymore!!!

Food Network Rocks!! Retirees confirmed it today!!

When one is confined to home and doing chemo it is so easy to watch much more TV than is ever "normal." Really. Reading is too much effort - books are heavy to hold, the Kindle is better however my attention span was too short to keep up with the books. So back to TV.  After a few weeks, months or so, I was wandering all over the AT&T U-verse offerings. [Some day I'll tell you about "American Pickers" and why it is just too close to my roots - not the pickers so much as the people they meet.] And tonight I'll recommend another "off the beaten path" show to you - DINERS, DIVES and DRIVE-INS on the Food Network.

Husband has been "out and about" since we started watching this odd ball show. The DDD's show has  really worked for husband, sending him to "great" places - gourmet hot dog places. I know that "gourmet/hot dog" is an oxymoron, but he doesn't so we won't go there, OK?

Today we went out to lunch with some of our "BFFs " from 'way back when our kids were grade school ages. We dined in great style with Bill and LaVerne in Watauga TX at the Chef Point Cafe. This is a gourmet restaurant in a convenience store/gas station. YES, really. The immigrant owners could not get a loan for a restaurant but could get a loan for a convenience store. So they got the CS and started a restaurant in the CS and they now have a big following. [Because I missed an interstate/highway junction between here and there] we didn't get to Watauga until smack dab noon and the place was packed!!! Parking was at a premium; however since I was along, my parking Karma prevailed and Bill got a parking spot right at the front door. [If you go without me you may be parking in the field out back.] And we got a nice table in the corner without undue traffic. The menu is awesome!!! LaVerne had the Hawaiian salmon with pineapple rice. Perfecto - and I will definitely try adding pineapple to my next Asian/Hawaiian rice dish. Bill ordered the Blackened Catfish which was served with Alfredo sauce on pasta and he said it was the best catfish EVER. Husband ordered the meatloaf and it came in a trough!!! He said it was the meatloaf best ever and he KNOWS meatloaf!! I went for the fried chicken with Belgium waffle and fruit - what an odd combination but it was PERFECT. My Mother-in-law couldn't have done the chicken any better!! 

Now each plate - no.... platter -...is far more than 4 old retired persons need to be eating, but we did it anyway. And it is more than we usually pay for lunch; but trust me, it was worth every dime and we had enough leftovers for bedtime snacks.

The morale of this story is that you might want to check out DDDs website and find local Dives in your area. I can hardly wait to plan a road trip with DDDs as part of the itinerary!!! What fun!!!! Husband's gout may be a problem later and my weight will definitely be a problem, but O, well, these are the least of our worries at this point.

Thank you, Bill and LaVerne, for taking us to the Chef Point Cafe!!!!

post cancer treatment: Summer Heat related problems

It is HOT in North Texas. Dry heat, wet heat........who cares because it is just plain HOT. Ordinarily I don't care and just don't let weather stop my game plan.

However this year is different because of the cancer treatment. First the doctor took away my hormone pills. Well, that is enough to keep any woman indoors under the a/c. O, but that isn't enough ..... after chemo comes radiation which literally cooks your body from the inside to the outside. After 33 treatments my left shoulder was/is fried to the core and burned on the outside. That heat has to cool off and dissipate somehow. So it radiates outward from the core area and heats up the left shoulder, neck and head, back and trunk. The sweat just runs and runs. Especially at night. Fortunately, I am almost past the night sweat problems.

Now I can focus on the day sweat problems!! When I am out and about, even if it is a short period of time in the heat, the heat can trigger a radiation sweat blast that will last 10 minutes or so and really mess up an outfit. There is no solution because one has to get from the car to the store and just that little time frame can trigger a heat rage. I just mop off and keep on truckin'. I've been in the house far too long to let sweat keep me indoors ALL the time.

Recommendations: I've learned to keep a "cool tie" in the freezer and use that when I have to be outside for any length of time. We have sports spritz bottles which are insulated and keep ice water cold for hours. These are great when in very casual places like BBQs etc. And then the good ole ice chest rides along in the car to keep water bottles etc. It takes much more planning to just go outside now that I am a post cancer treatment person.

Post chemo and post radiation and well at last

Having heard from several of you that I have neglected the blog and need to get back to writing, here I am to update you on what is happening post treatment. The reason you have not heard from me is that I have been having just TOO MUCH FUN running around in the great outdoors, out of the house, and doing some shopping therapy!! YES, Joan and I have hit some estate sales and I've even done some retail therapy!!! Having been house-bound for 7 months I have some funds available for some therapy!!! There are a few advantages to being confined to quarters for  a while!!

Radiation effects are almost gone now at 2 months post treatment. I do have some burn scars that are healing and fading but that is minor. The radiation heat that is stored in the left shoulder has to be off-loaded and that takes time. I have only recently been able to sleep through the night without having to change beds to cool off. Sleeping through the night is a wonderful thing!!! Since chemo began I have been an insomniac and have listed to the BBC and NPR overnight. Thank goodness I have the satellite radio because if I get too much of NPR then I can switch to BBC. Sometimes the BBC sports is reporting on some Cricket tourney and that will put me to sleep INSTANTLY.....good grief, how is Cricket a spectator sport???? Just the scores are boring!!!! Anyhow, I can sleep now, but I haven't been able to give up NPR and US version of BBC to put me to sleep.

Joan and I have found some really nice estate sales over the Spring/Summer season. As cotton prices in the stores go up 20% or more it is nice to get a few things from someones stash or "resources" as my sister-in-law would say. I have been feeling well enough to get some sewing done and have taken some classes at the Bernina store. My chemo brain still struggles with the computer based embroidery software classes but I'm getting better. Corel4 is difficult for me since I don't work it every day. But I have the embroidery working nicely!!!!

OK, stay tuned.............I will make more effort to keep you updated.