23 August 2023
Looks like the 6% chance of diarrhea with the Taxol dose I’m on kicked in. I was up at 5:30 am and have been back 6 times. I texted Dr. Velez and he immediately responded. I told him and that I would be in for the 3:30 pm hydration infusion. He said he would stop by and check on me then. He reinforced I needed to take 2 Imodium every 4 hours. My next round will be at 11:45 am.
In the meantime, Salvador dropped off materials to repair my fence. While Chad had to tear out my west wall due to termites and rot (during the flood repair) the gate to the fence at that end started to fall apart. His crew did their best to put a temporary fix to it but I knew more needed to be done.
In addition, the second gate on that section of fence (a double gate) had a 6×6 that was rotting at the top and I knew it was only a matter of time before that went. When Ariel Reyes was trimming my palms, I asked if he knew anyone that could do fence work and he recommended Salvador.
Salvador told me he would do it for approximately $100 and the cost of materials. I asked if he needed a deposit and he said no. He would provide me a receipt for materials from Home Depot. He’ll be back tomorrow to work on the fence. It’s quite an undertaking because he’ll have to jackhammer the concrete away from the 6×6 and replace it and concrete that into the ground. I assume he’ll have to remove the gate. The smaller gate closer to the house will entail removing the gate and the panels of the fence and replacing a 2×4 to which the panels are attached.
The fence has lasted a while. I had it put in in 2014 at a cost of $6567. After nine years, you’d expect a little rot. Samada Fence, Inc. installed it and the guy told me the panels were not a problem but the posts would often rot at the ground. When I painted the fence, I spent extra time painting the top of each post to try to stave off rot but looks like I missed a few spots. Of course, now I’ll have to see if I have any of that stain left around to paint the new posts, 2×4’s and panels. Or, I could just let it weather.
It’s beginning to look like I need to make an investment in Imodium AD. After today’s hydration infusion, I’ll stop at Walgreens and probably clear out their section.
Best laid plans…. I decided to go to Walgreens early and get the Imodium before the infusion. I got a bargain. There was buy 1 get 1 free and it was the Walgreens brand which was $6 cheaper than the brand name. I walked out with 6 packs of 24 tabs each.
I drove back home and was waiting for time to leave for the infusion. Somehow, I got confused about what the time was and when I got up to leave for the infusion, I thought it was 2:45. No, it was 3:45, 15 minutes past my appointment. I have no idea how that happened.
I texted Dr. Velez and he suggested the routine of 2 tabs of Imodium every four hours until there was no diarrhea for 12-24 hours. I hate missing appointments. It goes back to my teaching days and as an undergraduate running between buildings to get to class. He may reschedule the infusion but I have another chemo on Monday, so I’ll find out for sure then.
Stay tuned!