Lazy Sunday

Today was a lazy Sunday. Watched a couple of movies and not much else.

Luckily we had plenty of cookies to keep us company. And the soggy doggies. In, out, in, out...

Kent did a little painting and then went to work very early.  I guess I will go to bed early.

That's really all that today held.  Exciting, huh?

Alone Again

My company has left and made it home safely. Now it's time to do laundry and clean a little.   The things I am too embarrassed to do in front of company. Except for swiffering. That has to be done or we will be overrun by fur bunnies. If you have a Sheltie or two, you understand. We have no carpets to vacuum, so the dog hair is free to waft through the house.

It's also time to take down the Christmas tree. I got the obligatory photo of the dogs in front of the tree with their Christmas bandannas.  (Thanks, Bev!) 

The dogs continue to keep me amused when they play.

Someone is nesting. Two batches of different cookies: oatmeal and chocolate chip.

It was a good day. We even got half a walk.

Traffic

It took forever to get to clinc.  There was a wreck just as we got on the highway near the house that lasted 5 miles. The map showed smooth sailing after that. Wrong. Someone wrecked on the connector downtown so we hit another patch of traffic.

The rain didn't help.  I'm sure that's what caused the wrecks.  But it could be worse. It could have been us who wrecked.  We only were 21 minutes late.

Day 100 will be a bone marrow biopsy, chimerism test, ct scans, pulmonary function test, about 20 vials of blood, and then hopefully get my line out. The bad news is I will still be on prograf until day 180, then taper off. Tapering off takes 4-6 weeks, then another month of isolation before I can be in public. So my new coming out date will be about June 24. I'm not sure what I said before. Coincidentally that is 1 year from checking in to the hospital. So, hey, more than half way there.

I learned something new about my skin and nails.  They are still suffering from the chemo and radiation, but getting better. You can see the healthy new part of the nails grow out as a white half moon.

The skin is still alligator skin. It will just take time.

Patience....

Hello 2015

The first half of this year I will still be dealing with beating cancer.  Just a few more hoops to jump through, compared to what I have been through. I don't think there is going to be any new experiences. The tests and procedures I have experienced before, so I know what to expect. So that's good news.

I'm hoping all goes smoothly with no setbacks.  2015 has to be better than 2014.

So far it has been good.  We went for a nice long walk. I need to get my strength back.  There have been way too many days I couldn't do anything. My muscles have suffered. But daily walks will cure that. Now, if only the weather would cooperate. Rain (and clinic) expected tomorrow.

All the dogs were tired and napped the rest of the afternoon. It must be addictive, because after a glass of wine, Kent napped too.

Just like the dogs, it was on me.  Then dinner was served. We had a delicious pasta con broccoli. Someone is trying to fatten me up! Thanks, Sis!

Tomorrow is clinic, then she returns home Saturday.

Good Riddance 2014

Not much going on here. I wish I could go out and do stuff with my sister, but I can't. So we are planning meals and hanging out. She has work to do on the computer, so maybe not bored yet. Maybe.

We made a chili and chocolate cake.

I could have done without 2014. Well... The second half. First half was good.

Here's hoping 2015 will be a healthy one for all of us!

Cheers!

Clinic Day

Today was a long clinic. I am most grateful to Mary for the ride, plateletes donation, and Costco run for dog food. And the company.  Plateletes were desperately needed. They only had 2 units for the day and had to get them from somewhere else.  We were running low on dog food too. Phew! Saved again.

My numbers are as follow:

WBC 5.2, HCT 25.9, plateletes 140, ANC 3.99, CRE 1.3, mag 1.4

Creatinine is slightly up, but kind of normal for me and the prograf I am taking. Magnesium is fine, so none needed. The big news is the HCT or red blood. It finally dropped below an acceptable level, and I needed a unit of whole blood.

It took a while to do the type and cross check.  The results are interesting. My blood type has changed over to my brother's blood type, A negative. Something must be going right.  No one is concerned with the downturn in numbers, and the nurse, pa, and doctor assured me not to worry.  There is nothing I can do to boost them, anyway. Just takes time.  It still stole the wind from my sails. Yesterday was such a good day. Today: tired and bummed.

But just in time, I got a pick me up.  Linda C dropped by for a visit and brought a gift today. It is full of special meaning items to ensure a good start to the new year: black eyed peas, greens, chocolate, and a pair of party tiaras. Thank you, Linda!

A pair of tiaras will be well used since my sister is in town.  She will be here through Friday and we will celebrate the New Year. Low key, of course.  The neighbors are having a party, but there is no way I can attend. It's public and I am still on restriction. Kent and Melissa can go, I will wait at home.

It was a long day, and exhausting. But nothing compared to driving down from St. Louis and getting traffic north of Atlanta extending all the way to the house.

I think it will be an early night.

More Energy Today

I think that was not decaf coffee. I had a nice burst of energy and able to get some things done.

Lunch was tacos.  Kent abandoned me for lunch with the boys, but we had a delicious dinner together with the Hamiltons. Thank you!

Big deal today is to drink water. It's always a big deal, but especially since tomorrow is clinic. They draw blood and check my numbers. Kidney function is critical, and I know they don't like the prograf, so drinking a lot helps. (Not alcohol. I am still not having any.)

It's still wet out there, so the dogs get to spend some good time inside.

I can't move.  Luckily, The Chew was on. It's a TV show I enjoy.

I had a couple of guests today. Darlene did SAMs shopping for me, and Linda did Walmart shopping for me. Thank you both!  Chris and Tamera stopped by for a quick hello, and Aaron and Penny (the dog) also made an appearance.  I am very thankful for little visits. It makes me feel normal.