26 November 2023
One year, Wade Joel, and I made it to Sawgrass Mills on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We finally found a parking space at least a mile away on the swale. We vowed never again. Last year we went on Saturday morning after Thanksgiving and found if we went early enough, you could beat the crowds.
This year we did the early Saturday experience. We arrived about 15 minutes before the stores opened and had ample parking. Wade always wants to visit the Ralph Lauren store and I like to visit the Tommy Bahama store. We waited until 10 am and made one pass through the Ralph store and Wade didn’t find anything he liked.
We then tried to find the Tommy Bahama. The map was not accurate and we gave up. We decided to leave and on the way out we found the most unusual vending machine.
As we started our way back to the jeep, traffic in the mall picked up.
I suspect you can hear every language in the world here. Notice in the background someone with a suitcase. People who fly into Florida for Black Friday from all over the world and either bring suitcases to pack the goods away for the trip back home or they buy suitcases in the mall to pack their treasures.
As we made it to the parking lot, it was so full two sets of people asked where we were parked so they could take our vacated space. The lot was full and this was by 10:45.
We then decided to Rosies so Wade could get another BLT. Rosies goes all out for every holiday and Christmas is probably the most over the top.
After the shopping (most walking I’ve done in a couple of months) and Rosies, I was ready to get back home. I washed some clothes, Wade washed some clothes and we snacked and napped the afternoon away.
Later that evening, Joel picked our friend Melinda up from the airport and then dropped by the house to pick up Wade to take to dinner to Flanigans. I was too wiped to make it so I became a couch potato and watched some football games.
Yesterday, Dr. Jellinger wanted me to text him my vitals while he was in New York. He texted me back it is important to taper off prednisone slowly. He’s prescribed me to alternate between 5 mg and 2.5 mg for 7 days, then 2.5 mg for 7 days, then 2.5 mg every other day for 10 days. I’m to report him my vitals with a Tele-Medicine he’ll schedule on Tuesday or Wednesday. The last part of the text was a little alarming.
“As you know, it is possible that your symptoms may be partly or substantially related to the cardiac toxicity of chemo agents. If you have not had a recent cardiac evaluation, it may be advisable.”
I had an echocardiogram prior to cancer surgery and since then have had a MUGA scan. I’m scheduled for another cardiac scan in January. I’ll talk with Dr. Velez on Tuesday to see if he wants to schedule that appointment sooner.
I’m still sluggish, still have night sweats, and still have arthritic pain in my hands. Not only that but even though my back didn’t bother me yesterday, the pain has come roaring back today. I took a Gabapentin early this morning in hopes of getting it under control. It’s true they say if you wait until the pain hits, it’s too late.
I’m not sure how much I’ll be up to with Wade today. He’s been really good about rolling with the punches with my physical restrictions. Hopefully I haven’t bored him to death while he’s been here. He’s really great company and a great conversationalist.I
Yesterday, my Citizens Home Insurance policy arrived. Usually, it has one page, maximum three of “Notice of Change of Policy Terms.” This year has 16 pages of changes, mostly stated as changes in state law but in reality is just a list of things they will not insure. It’s like paying to have no insurance. Citizens is the insurer of last resort in Florida which is pretty much the only game in town unless you are willing to bet on new companies that are offering policies not to go broke in one or two years. All insurance agents that operate independently pretty much tell every one never leave Citizens if you don’t have to. There are stories of people leaving Florida because they cannot afford their insurance rates.
Stay tuned!
