Today was iron infusion day. Pat, bless her, was my nurse again and she hooked me up early. It must be the Tootsie Rolls.
Pat neatly inserted the IV and hung up the bag of iron and I noticed she didn’t put a bag of saline up. They use saline to flush the line to make sure all of the iron goes into me. Apparently the saline dilemma has hit Holy Cross. Pat said that 80% of the saline produced in the U.S. is by that company in N.C. that got hit by the flood. She was reduced to using to saline syringes to flush the rest of the iron into me.
AJ texted and wanted to drop my Christmas goodies off today and I told him only if after 4 pm. I got home at 3 and told him it would be OK to come early but we both decided to postpone until Wednesday. I can just imagine 40 boxes of stuff and no where to store it.
Tom called with the anticipation he would be discharged on Tuesday. After that, I think he changed his mind and was going to contest their letting him go too early. It now looks like he will come home on Thursday. I’ll pick him up and drive him home. His Jeep is already there compliments of Holley and Jim. We seem to have a tight healthcare network going on here.
Michel had a birthday today. I quickly informed her she was older than me – by 11 days. I moved into my house in 1995 and Michel lived kitty-cornered across the street from me. It took us a while to warm up to each other – about 5 minutes. Michel is like having an oldersister. She and I both share a cautious gene where we look around to see what things might go wrong. Saying she is a good friend is an inadequate description of what she means to me.
We went in together to have a 60th birthday party and we both were asked to speak. I’ve never had anyone say the wonderful things she said to me. It almost brought me to tears.
You can’t saw we weren’t cute kids!
The party was at the Hi-Life Cafe and they closed it for our party. We each invited a select number of friends and had a ball! Sadly, the Hi-Life went out of business (but not because of our party).
I also had the privilege of introducing Michel to her wife, Nancy. It wasn’t hard. Nancy was my book rep at the college and I’ve known her since 1985. Michel, very simply, is good people. Happy Birthday from your younger brother.
Tomorrow, Kurt and I will go to lunch at Spencers in Wilton Manors. He’s Jonesing for a corned beef sandwich.
I knew it was too good to be true. Yesterday afternoon my innards begin churning and around 11:30 last night they decided to empty with some force. I’m back on Depends and nervous anytime I have gas. What’s probably worse is the belching. I took the Walgreens version of Imodium and have taken one since. I got around 4 hours of sleep last night. I’ve spent most of the day in bed.
I needed groceries and put an order in through Instacart for Publix. It’s more expensive that way but at least I don’t have to walk up and down the aisles with my low energy state. Of course, I did buy some Halloween candy (only what I like: Butterfingers, Baby Ruth and Snickers) so that means I will not have any trick or treaters and my blood sugar will stay high for a few months.
My passport expires this November so I spent some time yesterday applying for a new one online. If you meet their qualifications, you can do everything from home. The only real problem came with the photo. It has to be “just so” and no more than 4 months old. I asked my neighbor Trevor to take the photo and after a little slight of hand with the editing, I finally got one that the government accepted (until it could be further reviewed).
I think I was upset I had to shave for the photo. You cannot smile and you cannot wear glasses. The government wants to see the color of your eyes (green) but I don’t know how you take a close enough photograph to see that. Maybe if I put toothpicks to prop up my eyelids. They were more than happy to accept my $130 for renewal.
The passport office, is, of course backed up and I should hear back from them in 4-6 weeks. You can sign up for email notifications if you so desire.
Happy Birthday to my cousin Jimmie! I won’t tell you her age but let’s just say we’ve been close for more than a few years. She was my first friend, playmate, confidant, and co-conspirator. It’s only luck we survived childhood from some of the stunts we pulled. We managed to stay out of jail (barely) and I must have married her twenty times (Sorry Stephen – now you know the truth – she’s a bigamist).
Her Dad chewed cigars (never saw him smoke one) and he saved the cigar bands and gave to us as “wedding rings.” We even had “official” ceremonies. We played hard and had an outdoor life most parents would be locked up for today. Our only rule put on us by our parents we had to been in by supper. We took that to heart.
She’s accomplished so much in her life (PhD) raised a great kid (who is not a kid anymore) and she and Stephen are doting Grandparents. Jimmie, here’s to many more years and many more cigar band weddings!
It’s another windy, blustery, fall-like day with threats of rain here and there but no delivery. You’d think that pretty much anything that can blow off a tree has blown off after four days of this but something still gives way and blows across the patio on occasion.
The fourth day was not a charm. I don’t feel poorly but I don’t feel as well as I did for the previous three days. Even so, I managed the bare minimum of cleaning the bathroom, sweeping a little along the floors, and mopping here and there. Life’s little rituals also got me to thinking about housecleaning services again.
John and Joel came over around 11:30 for lunch with John delivering the BOGO mini-bundt cakes. Joel got a lemon and I went for the pumpkin spice. The next decision was where to eat. We started to order from Sassano’s but when I dialed, a recording let us know it was closed for renovations. The next choice was the Georgia Pig for barbecue but before we got out the door, we changed to Flanigans.
John and I both got burgers and Joel got the chipotle salmon sammich which led to a constant bantering as to whether or not the “l” in salmon is silent. I was raised to sound out the “l” and John said it silently. Joel bought lunch as a treat for both John and me.
Back home we gathered around the lemon and pumpkin spice mini-bundt cakes trying our best not to dive into them without success. They were, as expected, delicious. Joel ate half of his and mine didn’t withstand my assault. I don’t expect to eat anything for dinner tonight. My sugar levels must be off the chart.
I’ve always had a rule not to call anyone after 9 pm (as per my parents) but haven’t really thought what is the earliest to call someone? I really think 10 am is better but I called and left a message for Kurt around 9:45 and then called my long time friend Jenny to wish her a happy birthday. I’ve been negligent on sending out birthday cards but I do try to remember to call.
Tomorrow’s easy. Jimmie’s birthday is tomorrow and we always FaceTime on Sunday’s whenever possible. Regardless, we always try to touch base with each other on birthdays. I like to remind her she’s older than me – by one year.
After Joel and John left, I headed to bed and went into a food coma for a nap of around 2 hours. Since I washed, dried, and folded clothes yesterday, I have the rest of the afternoon free. I’ll probably watch a ballgame or two and then tonight continue my binging Emily in Paris.
Winter lasted one day. The low this morning was in the 70’s and the humidity was back up. It is very windy (like the last three days) overcast, and threatening rain. It reminds me of winter in Mississippi where we would get similar conditions, even the temperatures.
Even sunset made me think of winter weather.
I’ve had three very good days with high energy levels and sense of accomplishments. That is my usual system operations and then I crash on the fourth day. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I don’t crash tomorrow.
I cleaned the pool filter as per usual Friday, hosed off the iguana poop from the pool deck and washed down the patio. After a shower to get off the insect repellent, I stripped the bed, washed clothes, dried clothes and I’m now in the process of folding them. That’s usually a Saturday chore but I figured strike while the iron is hot and when I feel like doing it.
I checked in with all my “patients.” Kurt is doing well and Chris is still in the netherworld of having tests and getting the results so there can be a plan of action. At least he’s out of the hospital.
Joel and John are coming over for lunch tomorrow. We’ll either order pizza or sandwiches. John is doing the bogo for the mini-bundt cakes. My choice this time is pumpkin spice! These are really delicious cakes and I usually finish it in two eatings or, if I’m really hungry and my sweet tooth is aching, in one.
I think the rest of the afternoon will be taken up with folding the last load of clothes, reading a little more, and having a pumpkin spice muffin from the last batch I made.
The temperature dropped down to 69°F last night. Winter is officially here! OK, maybe not but it’s the first time in the 60’s in a very long time. We’ll probably see our “winter” more likely in November but the rest of October may be tolerable.
Movie night last night was It Happened on 5th Avenue, a 1947 release so it’s officially one year older than I am. It stars Don Defore, Ann Harding, Charlie Ruggles, Victor Moore, Gale Storm and Alan Hale (Gilligan’s Island fame). It’s considered a classic Christmas movie (we started a little early) and it brings home the story of no housing available for veterans of WWII at the end of the war. Charlie Ruggles (one of my favorite actors) plays Charlie Ruggles. Tucker got sufficient treats during the movie and I got sufficient wine. Good selection, Chris!
I took Kurt for his wellness check with his GP this morning. He’ll get blood results tomorrow but things look good. Afterwards, we had lunch at J Marks. For an appetizer we had Bam Bam shrimp which came out the size of an entrée. I had chicken fingers and Kurt had the Oriental chicken salad. Both were supposedly “lunch” size items but Kurt’s salad was huge and I was fully stuffed with chicken fingers by the end of the meal.
Kurt needed to pick up a prescription at Walgreens and unfortunately we drove by the drive through at the time they are closed for lunch. We then took a leisurely drive down A1A until the time the pharmacy reopened, picked up the prescription and then got him home in time for his physical therapy appointment. It was a great morning and early afternoon. Windy, decent temperature, overcast.
After I got home, I took a nap and I plan a binge of some of Emily in Paris.
It was a busy day. I slept until 8 am. After breakfast, I got ready to go over to Kurt’s to make sure he was OK. We had a great conversation until it was time to get something to eat. We chose Rosies. I had the chicken salad sandwich which was delicious and Kurt had the Philly cheese steak. We dawdled at Rosies and finally left to go to Publix.
Can you tell Rosies gets into Halloween? By the way, a new state law in Florida says you cannot photograph and individual without that individual’s permission. I think it has something to do with people videoing police officers.
At Publix, I needed some fresh fruit and Kurt needed a few dairy products for the house. After making sure he was OK, I headed home for a FaceTime with Jimmie. I was only 5 or 10 minutes late. We had a good FaceTime and I hung up to get ready for movie night.
Tucker tends to get excited on Wednesdays, but then I do to. Chris and I really enjoy watching movies but we have as much fun talking after the movie.
Tomorrow I will take Kurt for a doctor’s appointment and then my week calms down a little bit.
I felt pretty good today. No diarrhea but then again no bowel movement whatsoever. I had good energy for most of the day.
Whew! I was really worried my cancer had returned when I noticed a tenderness in the same region that alerted me to the cancer in the first place. I called the surgeon and she worked me in at 9:30 this morning. It seems, like usual, I always catch her on her way out of town.
As I walked into the Cancer Center, they had all kinds of goodies for sell in a fundraiser. As I looked around, I saw Lorraine, my original nurse with the surgeon who has since retired. She gave me a great big hug and told me she didn’t always like all her patients but she liked me. After a quick chat, I headed to Dr. Burgers’ office.
The receptionist remembered my name and we chatted a bit before I was taken back, weighed, checked temperature, dissolved oxygen and blood pressure. My weight was 171, down from 180 and my diastolic pressure was 68. I assume I’m dehydrated from the diarrhea.
After the vitals, the nurse showed me to a room where I waited for 30 minutes. One difference from my last visit was I was given a pink gown that opened in the front. It was really nice and I started to take it with me. I was then shifted to a room that had an ultrasound device. Dr. Burgers came in shortly after and after I pinpointed the region on the left breast, she did a physical examination and then did an ultrasound. Everything was A-OK. In her opinion, the nerves from the surgery were acting up. She suggested diclofenac gel which I already have on hand. It’s a topical ointment that I already use on my fingers for arthritis.
Upon leaving, I headed back to the “fair” in the lobby and got another hug from Lorraine. We talked a good bit and Dr. Burgers joined in for a while. She’s all business and is not one for small talk or jokes. I like that in a physician. Lorraine complained she didn’t have enough time in the day since retirement. I observed that when we worked, we often had to be more organized to get things done while working. She said she filled some of the time with two new pups. Dr. Burgers said if she had that much time on her hands, she should come back to work. You can tell Lorraine is a good nurse when the doctors want you back.
On my way out, I purchased one of their pink tee shirts for $10.
I put the shirt on backwards so you can see the back. The words from the top, clockwise, for those who can’t read backwards, are Hope, Support, Thrive, Survive, Cure, Treat, Prevent, Screen.
The also good news is that I haven’t had an episode of diarrhea today. Keep your fingers crossed!
I made it home in time to meet with AJ Staps who is going to purchase an artificial tree for me with decorations, and also install it in the house. He will then, in January, take it down so I can store it in the house. He’s one of the main decorators for The Christmas Place in Fort Lauderdale. That place has been open for business ever since I came down here. John once worked for the original owner.
I haven’t put up a tree in a very long time and had actually gotten rid of all my Christmas ornaments collected over the years (some were gifts and were quite expensive). That meant I had to buy some more. AJ will be purchasing the ornaments he wants to use and I’ll also have some fancy ribbons, bows, artificial flowers and something he calls pick. We’re set for 8:30 on December 11 for installation. Sadly, he’ll send everything over this month and I’ll have to store it until installation.
You might wonder what the price is. I’m embarrassed to tell you so I won’t. Suffice to say my savings took a hit. At least, next year, all I’ll pay is for installation and removal.
I was very particular about the tree. Most artificial trees I see at Lowes and Home Depot look cheap. I asked AJ to show me the boughs of his planned tree and it definitely looked realistic. He says trees have improved on their appearance over the years. He suggested his favorite tree, the Belgium Fir. He showed me pictures of the boughs and I agreed it look realistic.
To make it more realistic, I purchased some Frasier Fir spray to give the right atmosphere when you walk into the house. That and my very potent egg nog.
I loved Christmas as a kid. Once when I was very young, I swore I could hear sleigh bells on the roof of my Grandmother’s house telling me Santa had arrived. My favorite thing on the tree was the bubble lights she had on her Christmas tree.
Later, Christmas took on a more sad meaning. Family arguments, sadness on my Grandmother’s part since she married on Christmas Day, and at times me being the one to celebrate instead of my parents.
When I moved to Fort Lauderdale, I started putting up live trees and I loved the smell but not so much the mess.
This is Rocky looking guilty – like he had been watering the tree. He never bother it but he didn’t care for it because it blocked his view out of the window.
Finally putting up and taking down got to be too much and I gave away all the ornaments, lights, bubble lights, etc. to a neighbor. She much appreciated it and had me come in and see how my ornaments looked on her tree.
This year, I’m putting up the tree for Wade (and me). As I get older, I get more morose and thinking more about my lost youth. Wade always liked my trees and he would help decorate when he came. I hope he’ll feel at home and have the Christmas spirit when he sees the tree in December.
I no longer attach a religious significance to Christmas but I do like the carols, the lights, and the smell of real Christmas trees.
It’s been a second day of diarrhea with this one starting at 3 am. I have no idea why the third hour is significant but what’s unusual about this form of diarrhea is that it sneaks up on you. I’ve messed the Depends before I even knew it was coming. At this rate, I’ll be ordering a crate of Depends.
In between rushing to the bathroom and changing Depends, I managed 10 hours at 50 minutes of sleep. You can safely assume I’ve been spending a lot of time in bed. I managed a banana, rice pudding, and an apple today.
Chris texted and suggested I lay off the coconut water. I will do that. However, coconut water was specifically recommended by the nutritionist as a source of electrolytes. Since I’ve stopped the coconut water, I’ve been using Pedialyte.
Joel stopped by Walgreens and picked up three prescriptions for me today and brought them over to the house. I rewarded him with pumpkin muffins I made before the diarrhea episodes.
With all this going on, I’ve noticed a tenderness in my left breast about the same location prior to my surgery. It’s sensitive enough that if the shower spray hits it, I feel it. I called Dr. Burgers office and I’ve got an appointment at 9:30 am tomorrow.
I had to reschedule a consult with a Christmas guy until 3 pm. I’m really curious as to what he has to say and what he will do.
As of this afternoon, the diarrhea has stopped but passing gas and belching has not. I hate belching. I don’t care about passing gas as long as no one is around.
This post may not make much sense. Forgive any typos or grammatical errors. Projectile diarrhea started at 3:30 am this morning and continued through the morning until the medicine kicked in. I’m pretty weak and certainly filled drained of energy (an other stuff). In addition to the anti-diarrheal medicine I’ve taken some Pedialyte and GatorAde to replenish my electrolytes.
I’ve been in bed all day except for the time I had to change linen on the bed (I didn’t have Depends on) and wash them and remake the bed. I started to go to bed in the guest room but decided I wanted to sleep in my own bed. I also had to wash the mattress cover.
Barbara checked on me and asked if I needed anything. She brought me precooked rice, turkey gravy, bananas, bread, applesauce, and some cantaloupe. Of course, she would let me pay her.
I did get some good news yesterday late. Chris has been discharged from the hospital and is now home with Judith!
The day yesterday started good when my cousin Jo called and we talked and laughed for a while. San Antonio has cooled somewhat and only hits 93 in the daytime.
I’ll spare you the details of the diarrhea. Suffice to say I am now back in depends. Anyway, I’m too tired to write more. I canceled my FaceTime with my cousin Jimmie. We’ll try to reschedule this week.
Monday was my iron infusion and I felt good the rest of Monday. I was good on Tuesday and Wednesday but started to fade on Thursday. Friday I pretty much crashed and stayed in bed. Pat, the nurse, told me it may take 2-3 infusions before I really start to feel better. I’ve pretty much taken the day off today with the exception of Saturday chores.
I managed to do what I call a clean of the house, change linen on the bed and start the wash. After that, I made a soup with ham, cannellini beans, onions, carrots and spinach. It turned out pretty good for lunch and probably for dinner. For some reason, this drop in temperatures to the 70’s at night have me craving soups and stews.
After lunch, I headed to the bedroom for a very short reading period and then a two hour nap. I used to never nap more than 15-30 minutes and now all of a sudden I’m sleeping 8-10 hours every night and 1-2 hours in the afternoon. Not that I’m complaining, I’m just not used to it.
The other day I was looking around for something to drink besides water. I was tired of GatorAde. I saw a small carton on coconut milk and when I checked, the expiration date was still good. My last order to Whole Foods included coconut milk. I really like the taste. What’s strange is I like the Whole Foods 365 brand. I’ve had other brands but they are not as tasty.
I remember cracking coconuts as a kid to get to the juice and “meat” of the coconut. Mother would put me to work on a few to get enough to shred to make a coconut cake. She made the cake from scratch and then used immediately fresh coconuts.
To open the coconut, there are three depressions at one end. I used a screwdriver to punch holes in those and drain the coconut water (which is liquid endosperm). Then after draining, I’d use a hammer to crack it into several pieces and use a knife to pry the white coconut from the shell. It was laborious to say the least, but the effort was worth it for the coconut cake. By the way, Mom hand grated the coconut on a box grater.
Coconuts are a big thing in South Florida. I only have one tree now where there used to be three. People would stop and ask if they could harvest the coconuts. I generally said yes until the only one left was in the back yard. Now the tree people who do my yard get the coconuts. You can see pickup trucks driving through the neighborhood filled to overflowing with locally harvested coconuts.
Some guys climb the tree and others use an extendible saw. The coconut bunch makes a loud thud when they hit the ground. You don’t want to be under a coconut palm when it drops a coconut from 15-20 feet over your head. Remember, these still have the husk so they weight considerably more than the husk-less ones in the grocery.
I’m going to be lazy tomorrow. Monday I have a new infusion and I have something to do on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
