Month: June 2023

8 June 2023

Hoo! I kinda know what they mean when they say fatigue sets in. Yesterday morning, John had just dropped off a dish for dinner tomorrow night when I decided to crawl into bed and read a little. That was around 11:30 am and I waked at 1:30 pm. (Sorry, but I was taught by Mrs. Duncan in 9th grade English that the past tense of wake is waked. I know that goes against popular convention.) Again, because I fell asleep, I had missed one of my nausea pills so I took that immediately.

It was bulk trash day and as you may have seen in previous posts, I had a lot of bulk trash. They picked it up but when they do, they usually rake up the small stuff and take that too. This time, my yard and road in front of the house was scattered with the debris of the small stuff. I can’t stand that so I headed out and raked it up and got it semi-cleaned up. This was in the heat of the day. I was exhausted. All I want to do is get back into bed.

I didn’t want dinner so I had an Ensure (peach flavored) and went to bed at 6:30 pm. Twelve hours later, I got out of bed, had breakfast and did my morning walk. This morning was 1.5 miles. I was wiped out after the walk until I cooled off. Still have a little chem fog and have a little trouble reading small print but otherwise OK.

Unfortunately, the Imodium worked too well. I’ve gone two days without a significant bowel movement but made up the difference this morning in a big way. I guess the Imodium had to work its way through my system. Mother’s gift keeps on giving.

The nurse told me today would be the hard day but after my walk and after cooling down, I feel pretty good. I think yesterday was my nadir for this round on chemo. I realize the chemo is cumulative and as I go through five more sessions of the four drugs, it’ll be harder on me but for the first session, I feel that if I can sleep it off, I’ll be OK.

Summer has certainly arrived in south Florida. Temps drop to the high 70’s at night and we are in the mid-80’s during the day but what makes it difficult is the humidity. Currently, the temperature is 79°F but with the humidity at 85%, the “feels like” temp is 85°F.

I think back to my childhood and remember none of our schools had air conditioning. The school year in the south was eight months from September until May. You really didn’t want to keep kids in a classroom much past May. Another reason was a lot of kids were farm kids and had to go work the crops or chop cotton (the term chop means to hoe the weeds around the cotton plant).

The first a/c I remember was my grandmother on Mom’s side. She had a window unit on a small addition to the main house. You pretty much lived in that room all summer during the day. At night, she had a gigantic attic fan. You left the windows open for about three or four inches and the attic fan would pull air from outside, through the windows and up into the attic and out the vents in the attic. It kept you pretty cool at night.

I suspect young kids are a little more immune to the heat than adults and young adults a little more immune to heat than an old fart like me. Summer camps were in June-July and we never had a/c in the dining hall and we slept in tents in campgrounds and we seemed to have survived the heat. I couldn’t imagine trying that today. Give me a/c!

Stay tuned!

7 June 2023

In the battle of drugs for constipation and diarrhea, the diarrhea drug won. I just bought stock in Imodium. Mother strikes again.

Yesterday was the injection to boost my immunity. The drug is Pegfilgrastin APT (Nyvepria) which stimulates the growth of white blood cells which helps prevents infections. It’s used in cancer patients whose immune system is depressed by the chemotherapy. In essence, the cancer drugs are killing all actively dividing blood cells (including cancer cells) in the body. The infusion center recommended taking Claritin for bone aches so I’ve got a stock of that.

When I got back yesterday, Jose was putting the skim coat on the vestibule walls. He did an excellent job. It’ll need to dry for a day and then it’ll be sanded, primed and painted. I’ve opted to pain instead of putting wall paper back. The only reason I wall papered in the first place was the condition of the dry wall before.

Pills! I was taking a lot of pills before the cancer diagnosis. Now it has grown exponentially. On a regular basis I take Metformin for diabetes (2x) Rosuvastatin for cholesterol (1x) Losartin for blood pressure (1x), Omeprozole for acid reflux (1x) Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, CoQ10 for muscle cramps from the Rosuvastatin, and until recently, 81 mg of Aspirin.

Since the cancer diagnosis, I’m on Ondansetron and Prochlorperazine for nausea control, Claritin to offset the bone and joint aches from the immune booster shots, and Imodium for diarrhea.

I really have trouble keeping up with them. The regular medications are OK – I have them in weekly pill boxes (one for morning and one for evening). However, I even sometimes forget a dose of these.

The real problems is the Ondansetron (every 8 hours) and Prochlorperazine (every 4 hours) so I alternate those two every four hours. The Claritin I currently use is once every 12 hours, and the Imodium is as needed. I’ve missed a couple of the nausea doses (to no ill effect) and my alarm, for some reason, didn’t go off for two of those.

During the chemotherapy on Monday, my phone started playing music for absolutely no reason. I had to shut the volume down. Then Monday night, it starts playing the same music at 11:30 pm. I thought it was my alarm going off so I overdosed the nausea medicine (again with no ill effects).

Add to that the four cancer infusions, the antibiotic they give me when they dose me and the corticosteroid for muscle aches brought on by the chemotherapy and I’m a pretty hopped up individual. I suspect my pee is toxic and I’m turning the Fort Lauderdale sewage treatment plant into a toxic waste dump.

Jose finished sanding the drywall this morning so the next step is priming. Now I need to chose a paint color. Any suggestions?

Stay tuned!

4 June 2023

Somehow I haven’t turned over the calendar. I’ve been typing the month as May for the last two blogs. At least I got June 1st correct.

It was 10:30 am before anyone showed up for yesterday morning for the renovation. Eric said the others (including him) had a hard time getting out of bed and that he was the only one working. He immediately got busy and pulled the one piece of drywall off the east wall and then insulated all the spaces. He reinstalled that one piece and finished adding the drywall to the rest of the vestibule. He then left for another job. Eric apparently works six days a week. He says that on Sunday, he and some friends head to the beach to relax.

Jose should be in Monday to tape and put a skim coat on the drywall. There’s still a lot to do but I’m pleased with their progress. Once the skim coat is dry and sanded (I dread the dust) then it will be primed. I don’t know if they will put a coat of paint on it but if they don’t, I think I can handle that. I still haven’t decided whether to have it wall papered or just paint.

The outside east wall will need to be stuccoed. They have to wait a while for that stuff to dry before you can do anything with it but it’ll eventually dry and I’ll try to match the house color to that spot. The good news is that it is one entire wall and the color can be off a little bit and no one will notice. It may take a month or more (we are definitely in the rainy season) for it to dry properly. I’ve seen houses in the neighborhood that wait 6 months or more before painting stucco.

The outside paneling is all primed and all it needs is a coat of paint (again, as close as possible to the house color). If they have any paint left over, I’ll used that on the outside east wall. They need to replace the lower part of the pegboard in the garage that was removed because of flood damage. They’ve already sprayed it with a fungicide and bleach. They also intend to power wash the garage floor.

Eventually, they will move the washer and dryer out of the utility room, spray fungicide and bleach, and then either put down indoor/outdoor carpet or a water resistant vinyl. At that point, they’ll have to move everything back in and reconnect the washer and dryer. When done, the work should be complete.

John came over yesterday at noon and brought over rice crispy treats. I remember Mother used to make those when I was a kid. I can’t remember when the last time I had one but I think I was on one of my cross country trips and saw the commercial version in a quick stop and ate those. His were delicious, but he thinks the type of marshmallow he used was the wrong kind.

After showing him the construction, we headed to the Georgia Pig. It’s been in business since 1953. The original owners passed and their son took it over. I used to talk to him over breakfast at the counter. He was a former Coastie like me. Back in 1953, the road in front (US 441 or SR 7) was a two-lane road and that was the boundary of the Everglades. Today, it’s six lanes. You might say it has changed a little since then.

We always eat the same thing at the Georgia Pig – the deluxe pulled pork sandwich with fries and Cole slaw. They used to serve it with a dill pickle spear but no such luck this time. Their BBQ sauce is mustard based and really good. So is their Cole slaw. In a major change of the menu, they switched from curly fries to plain cut fries. They tried that switch pre-Covid but apparently went with a cheap version and had to switch back when customers complained. The new plain cut are pretty tasty.

After the son retired, three brothers bought the place and when you go into the restaurant (through the side door) it’s like walking back in time. The son’s wife used to make pies every day and she handmade the pie crusts. My two favorites were chocolate creme and coconut creme. Both reminded me of Mom’s.

Speaking of food, Tom and Kurt invited me to brunch today at Top Hat Deli. This is a new place for me but the menu looks good. I had the Grand Schlam with 2 eggs, latke, maple sausage with rye toast.

On the way home, I stopped at Whole Foods and found a pre-made sandwich for tomorrow. I’ll take it, some water, some carrots, and one of John’s rice crispy treats for food tomorrow’s 6 hour marathon of an infusion.

Last night was the first night since the port implant that I was able to sleep on my right side. Usually, when I turn over to the right, I get a tugging sensation at the site of the port. That seems to have gone away – at least for now. It’s still sore to the touch but at least I got a full night of sleep last night.

I’ll probably be up around 5 am tomorrow to get my morning routine out of the way and Tom will pick me up around 7:15 am. I have to be at the center by 7:45 – probably for the same paperwork I’ve already completed online.

Stay tuned!

3 June 2023

It’s amazing what this team gets done in a short amount of time. There are three of them: Eric, Rudy and Jose. They took out a wall from my house and put it back!

They did forget the insulation but they’ll take that one piece of drywall off and then put in the insulation tomorrow. They will finish the drywall tomorrow, probably start the stucco, and then put the finish coat on the paneling. After that, all that’s left is to put pegboard on the bottom in the garage and disinfect and fungicide the utility room and put down indoor/outdoor carpet. Then it’ll be complete. They probably will not finish before my first chemo but at least I will not have this hanging over me for months.

The most problematical area was under the windows. Termites and seepage through the old windows took its toll. They pieced together under the window frames and then reinforced the studs. It’s pretty solid. They also sprayed a bleach and fungicide compound here and in the garage. Eventually, they will clean the tile and seal the tile floor in the vestibule.

They knocked off early today because of lightning, rain and Eric was wiped after only a few hours sleep from a job he finished at 1 am this morning. I didn’t know if I would see all three of them together again and I gave each $100. It’s seldom you see a group work together as well and as hard as they have. It was $300 well spent. They were very appreciative and told me any time I needed the for anything to let them know. I feel they were pretty sincere about their offer.

Eric even pulled me aside and said that Jose specializes in getting rid of popcorn ceilings. I told him I wasn’t interested at the moment but would keep it in mind. Personally, I don’t mind popcorn ceilings – at least not to the point to cover everything in the house while it is removed.

I don’t see the live termites to be a problem since their “home” in my home was removed and put on the bulk trash heap. Bulk trash pickup isn’t until 14 June but since the flood, Fort Lauderdale has been sending trucks around periodically to remove flood damaged construction materials, so that’s not a problem. The streets in the neighborhood look as though all the houses have decided to remodel all at once. Usually, if you put bulk trash out more than 48 hours before pickup, the city will cite and fine you. The bulk trash pile will get considerably larger the closer to the date because that’s when I have all my trees trimmed in preparation for hurricane season. Coconuts become cannon balls in hurricane force winds.

Speaking of which, looks like we now have Tropical Storm Arlene. What a thrill! We are under a flood watch until Tuesday. Just think, getting flood damage repaired just in time for another flood!

Make that $350. The pool guy showed up about the time it started raining. He found the pool store had my impeller in stock. He tried to wait out the rain but it just got worse. He then donned a raincoat and hat and started to install. I held an umbrella over him in a total south Florida monsoon. I just had to tip him $50 for dodging lightning bolts and a deluge – above and beyond what he had to do. He could have put me off until Monday. Anyway, my pool pump now pumps!

I picked John up around 10:30 am at Holy Cross. They were faster than he anticipated. He was given a clean bill of health for his colon – no polyps in sight. That should be the last one he needs as he will be 71 by the time the next period rolls around. After fasting and cleansing, he decided he wanted breakfast. He hadn’t been to a breakfast place since before Covid. Come to think of it, neither had I. He insisted I had eaten at this place numerous times but I had never eaten there before so it was neat to find a new place for breakfast. It’s called the Garden Restaurant and is part of the Garden Drug and Medical Supply.

There’s something about old Florida and pharmacies and cafes/restaurants. Years ago there was a pharmacy on Las Olas (Fort Lauderdale’s Main Street) and they had a restaurant that was the in place to go with outstanding breakfasts.

When I lived just off US 1 at 6th Street in a condo, fronting US1 was a pharmacy with a chef who worked there in the mornings and for lunch but worked at one of the best restaurants in town at night. Breakfasts there were outstanding and very, very cheap and lunch was pretty gourmet. It was known only to locals and me and my friends ate there so many times that we often didn’t have to order – the waitress (wife of the chef) knew our orders. I think you could get fresh salmon with honey mustard, glazed carrots and wild rice for something like $10.

As usual, development took over both places so it was nice to see a throwback to earlier times at the Garden Restaurant.

John is returning the favor of carrying him to his colonoscopy today by bringing over rice crispy treats and then we are having lunch at the Georgia Pig.

Stay tuned!

2 June 2023

I was awake at 1:30 am after going to bed a 9 pm. I needed to get up early to take a friend for a colonoscopy. By 3:30 am, I decided I wasn’t going back to sleep so I started reading on my iPad. I was able to get my morning routine in before leaving to pick my friend up and deliver him to Holy Cross. I seem to be fused at the hips with that institution lately. I’ll pick him back up around 11:30 am and take him home. Fortunately, with my age, I don’t have to get another colonoscopy unless something scary shows up in my poop. Age does have a few benefits.

It’s still pouring. After removing the drywall in the vestibule, termite and water damage (not from flood) was worse than anticipated. The east end of the vestibule had severe termite damage and it was obvious water was coming in from the outside stucco. About five feet of that area was soft plywood, soft 2×6’s and needs to be totally replaced.

Under the impact windows that face south, there is some rotten framing that will need to be replaced also.

The contractor Chad is on his way over to survey the damage and probably give me a new price quote of the repair. Since this is not due to the flood in April, I may be able to file a claim with my insurance company. This damage has been taking place over a long period of time. It’s not as though all the damage can’t be fixed, but it is a question for how much and how long it takes.

Chad, the contractor estimated $300-$400 for materials and to add labor it would double. His estimate came in this morning at $1050. The newest information is that Eric, the foreman, discovered live termites when they removed the wall.

I called the termite company that has my contract and it’ll be three weeks before they can send someone out. They spot treat the house so I don’t have to have the place tented. Tenting is a pain in the ass. You have to bag up food stuffs and anything that might absorb the gases and then evacuate the place for a couple of days.

The good news is that the house, other than the missing wall, is pretty soundly built.

The pool guy just came by and the other little, little bit of good news is that the pool motor works but the impeller broke off. He’ll have to replace the impeller and the seals to the pump but it’s certainly cheaper than replacing the entire pumping system. Of course, the real question is if they have the part in stock or if they have to order it. He’ll try to get the part(s) and be back today but otherwise, it’ll be Monday. They are backed up because of the flood in April which apparently ruined many pool pumps.

Any bets on what my next disaster will be?

Stay tuned!

1 June 2023

Happy Hurricane Season! June 1-November 30. It’s time to start checking on supplies, buying bulk, checking shutters, and generally going insane. Not to mention, there’s a low in the Gulf right now with less than 40% chance of development. (New this morning – the low is anticipated to strengthen.) At least we didn’t have a preseason depression/storm like the last few years. It looked, for a while, they were going to have to extend the season into May.

When it rains, it pours. The good news is the contractor’s crew got an excellent start on the outside paneling. It was a real pain to take the old down but once they got the old paneling out of the way, the new paneling went up pretty quick. They primed the back side of the paneling before they put it up so all they need, once finished installing, is to prime and paint the outside and hope they match the color somewhat.

The pouring part of the statement is my pool pump chose to go kaput. I can’t complain too badly since it’s the second pool pump I replaced in 27 years. They still have my records at Pools ‘n More and I’ve been dealing with Scott at the store for that long. I know his people will do a good job. It’s just not something I anticipated or needed right now.

Yesterday, I stripped the walls (not the wallpaper) of the vestibule of posters/paintings, curtains, and then emptied the pie safe from all the china and the shipping trunk of towels, quilts and blankets. They should start on it sometime tomorrow and until then, neighbors can stare directly into my living room. No more walking around nude, I guess. Either that or charge for viewing. I washed the curtains (they’re 29 years old) and amazingly, they didn’t disintegrate on washing and drying).

The workers showed up early this morning (around 8:30 am) and immediately got to work with the paneling in front of the garage, the paneling at the entrance to the front door, and the peg board in the garage. In addition, someone began stripping the wall paper in the vestibule. (I really don’t know what to call that area but I settled on vestibule. One definition is a passage, hall or room between the outer door and the interior of a building, so I guess that works.)

This is an old house. Supposedly it was constructed as part of a subdivision in 1956 although the insurance company has it listed as 1957. There are always issues in old houses and mine is no exception.

While taking out the paneling near the front door, they discovered old termite damage. In south Florida, before you can sell a home, it has to be inspected and treated for termites or you need confirmation of treatment within a couple of years. That’s why I maintain an annual agreement with a company. They can guarantee no termites if you decide to sell the house. When I bought the house, it had a termite free certificate or otherwise the VA would not have given me a loan.

Of course, everything is fixable – for a price. They’ll replace the damaged wood and then put back new paneling. In the scheme of things, it’s pretty small but it does take more time.

While stripping the wall paper, they ran into mold a little higher up than anticipated on the east wall.

When I bought the house in 1995, I realized there was a problem there. I ended up cutting out the drywall of the section you see moldy and even had to sister in some 2×4’s to replace the rotted wood. I figured that was an old problem and not something to worry about.

I told the contractor a little of the history and we walked to the outside of that wall.

Then there is the garage.

The garage got about 9 inches of water in it. The good news is the 2×4’s seem to be in good shape, albeit wet.

Now, I’m just waiting for the next shoe to drop. I really appreciate the people doing the work. They work hard, keep me informed, suggest solutions to the problem. For example, for the cracks in the stucco, they have a plastic compound they have they can apply to the outside of the stucco to seal the leaks. He even suggested they may have enough left over from a previous job. That should stop the leaks so the repair will hold this time.

Stay tuned!