Catching Up....

Its 9:50 am

    Looking outside at a snow covered ground. About 9 days ago or so we got our first snowstorm of the season here in SE Michigan. Sort of repeating the pattern of last year,we got ONE good snow storm and after that,just flurries. 

  The reason its still on the ground is because its very,very cold and at 7-24 degrees,its too cold for the snow to melt of its own. People use a lot of salt to melt/clear their driveways but I don't really do that since the ice can really destroy concrete rather quickly.I use a hand shovel and shovel the snow away. I find it as soothing as mowing my grass,its a peaceful chore and I actually enjoy shoveling the snow.

  Its the best when its still snowing and you can hear it falling while you're outside. Its beautiful to me and yes,that includes those rare storms where we get 6-8 inches on the ground.

  This storm only dropped about 4-5 inches which was easy to clear. 

Of course Lori wanted me to break out Rusty the 40 year snowthrower that we got off of eBay when we moved here. Rusty has trouble handling a 2 inch snowfall so there is no way I risking Rusty in a much heavier storm. 

That isn't Rusty but now you can get a idea of what we have.....just add some rust to the sides and there you go!

   The second round of chemo is still underway,we finished our 4th treatment on the 27th. I can't lie,this has been so much worse then the first round. Between the chemo,c-dif and fistula-in-ano,its been a perfect storm of misery. 

  Where as last round we had a 4 day recovery period at home,this time its taking 6 days and even then its really rough. The fistula is the major problem and we can't do anything until the chemo is over and we wait for our 3 and 6 month check-ups. Its sort of pointless to stitch it up unless you are absolutely certain you are not in a position to risk at reopening the fistula because you risk making the fissure much bigger. Then you're looking at a colostomy bag and that brings on a whole new set of challenges.

  Dr. Johnston says a person can live with a unsealed fistula and that may be true,but no one and I mean no one could deal having a fistula and c-dif...this is the worst thing by far of what Lori has to deal with. That and now the having to deal with the other side effects of chemo,the eating and drinking is still getting harder to handle,we are heading off to Ann Arbor for hydration later today and trying to find anything remotely good to eat is a real challenge. 

   Its a challenge in the sense that I can't get her to follow the advice of the doctor and restrict herself to a bland diet of rice,applesauce,soft foods. Cashew chicken is NOT a wise choice for a cancer patient with a fistula and c-dif! But we're taking it day by day and getting through...

  We're doing that by enjoying the Christmas gifts that my brother sent Lori,the 3-5th seasons of the Mary Tyler Moore show. I tuck her in a heated blanket on the couch with some water or cranberry juice and then que up the Blu-Ray player. We can watch 1-2 'sodes of a season before she falls asleep. We talk about our day and I putter around the house doing small chores. 

  

  We had a delightful Christmas this year...on Christmas Eve I went to pay our water bill at city hall and saw that the Red Cross was having blood drive. 

Well being that someone donated at least 2 pints of blood for Lori's transfusion before Christmas,it was the very least that I could do by donating back and that is what I did after I paid our bill. It was being held downstairs and when I walked in,3 of the tables had other donors on them. 

  I went through a pre-screening with a RN named Kerri which made me think of my artist friend in Los Angeles,Kerri Appleton. I was surprised when Kerri told me that I wasn't eating enough red meat,I was thinking I was eating too much of it as of late as I have gained about 7 pounds or so the past 10 days and I feel totally gross.

  

45 minutes later,I was munching on Keebler cookies and drinking fruit punch while the Red Cross staff kept a eye on us. They gave each donor a t-shirt and thanked us for giving. I felt good and headed on home.

Two days before Christmas  saw us taking our friends Marlene and her son Dylan on our 2nd annual light show tour.

We did it last year and it was a big hit. We made thermos of hot chocolate and they brought over small bags of kettlecorn and away we went.

Our plan was to work our way through Canton,then Plymouth and end up in downtown Northville. Last year we went by the famous Ellen Street in Livonia and its light show...except that they had pulled the plug on it and no one was doing it anymore. We debated taking a chance this year but decided to stay a bit more local. 

We laid out our planned tour and headed out at 7 pm.

What was great this year compared to last year was we had SNOW on the ground which always makes the lights that more beautiful to look at. We drove around for 2 hours and to our amazement,we never left our neighborhood! It seemed that just about everyone had a light display up this year! So much more this year then anyone could remember. Lori said that she read that more people were making Christmas even more smaller and focusing on more family and friends gatherings,making their homes that more festive.

  Guess they were right as the holiday shopping season only grew by .07 compared to last year's numbers.

Christmas Eve was quiet as we stayed home and Lori rested,we had a light dinner and watched a little TV before heading to bed.

  Christmas was very mellow this year. What was funny was that we didn't even get to the tree until almost 11 o'clock as we were puttering around making a light breakfast and enjoying some coffee. We decided to go to Mass at noon at St. Thomas and started prepping for dinner.

 Finally we opened gifts and to say we were blessed would be a understatement. Lori got her iPad that we shopped for on Black Friday and I got a camcorder which was totally unexpected! I already talked to Derek and we're going to be filming "Laundry Load,Part Two" very soon....now if I can only find where the director's car is parked at. 

  Lori also surprised me by finding a gently used DVD boxed set of "Person of Interest" off of Amazon.com

Needless to say,I have been watching that and was very happy to do so as I find this show to be the best thing on TV these days hands down.

   

 As friends and family started calling,Lori reached out and invited Marlene over for Christmas dinner. We decided to change things up and ditch the traditional turkey or ham and instead had Rachel Ray chicken. 

We had a great dinner and company. We gave her cat Crash his new food bowl which we don't know if he is using it for not. The new cat bed we got Derek was not a big hit,he is very content sleeping in his old bed.

  The 27th saw Lori in chemo,I had to work but was able to get there for that last hour of chemo. One of the two angels we had as nurses,Mel,was taking care of Lori as usual. For some reason,the staff there has really taken to us and I don't say that lightly. I have watched two different nurses change their schedules just to be able to take care of her,its extremely touching to see such care.

  But it extends even to me....I was trying to bring ESPN up on the TV as San Jose State was playing Bowling Green in the Military Bowl. But they didn't have ESPN so I was going to outside to check the score on the computer in the waiting room.

  Mel instead signed me on to a computer that they use to input medical data and had a internet connection just so I could follow the game and not leave Lori's side. I was very thankful for that....as it turns out,I didn't see very much of the game as I had to watch Lori afterwards. All I know is that San Jose State pounded the Falcons,29-20 and most likely will earn a Top 20 finish heading into next year. 

  Lori's brother,his wife and Aunt Jo came by the house on the 29th and we had a little Christmas celebration again which was very nice and sweet. Her brother has really taken a 360 change in how he talks to Lori,he has woken up and realized how important his sister really is to him. Sad it took cancer to bring him to his senses but some miracles work that way,don't they?

 I guess I'll wrap this up now,I have chores to do and banking to do as well....

Hope all is well with each of you...

Drop a comment or feel free to follow me here.....

Of Medical Update,Hostess and fun at Busch's Supermarket

Its 7:20 pm on Thursday

   Its a chilly night here in SE Michigan...its around 40 degrees and feels like winter except just like last year,there really has been no real weather to speak of. We had one day of decent rain and last Saturday we spotted our first snowflakes,which I could count on two hands.

  First off,my biggest fear about undergoing a second round of chemo is coming true. This has been far worse then what Lori went through the first time around. And we are meeting new "friends" that we hadn't met before.
   Monday saw us at the local UM infusion clinic for the first time. This is where we went for the last 5 treatments in the first go around and with a little luck,this will be the last go around. She checked in at 9:30 for labs and I joined her at 10:15 am in time for the chemo treatment. The room was pretty full and our favorite nurse Mel (Melanie) was able to not only steer Lori into her section but also place her by the bathroom. This is nice because at having so much liquids pumped into a person,a close bathroom is a must!
   The treatment went by nice and slow,Lori slept once she got her heated blanket and I continued to try and slog through my Martha Grimes mystery novel.
  But I had to work at 4 pm so I had to leave at 2:30pm in order to get ready,Mel said that Lori would be home at 3 pm....3 pm arrives and still no Lori. I knew she had one more I.V. drip to go and maybe they were running a little behind but I had to leave for work so I did.
During my break I was able to call home and Lori was there...she was upset because she had a bad reaction to the chemo. Simply put,she didn't a good breakfast and the chemo upset her stomach so much that she had to vomit. Her blood pressure also spiked high and after slowing the I.V. down,she was able to finish the treatment and get home at 5:30 pm!! Needless to say,I was pretty worried at first but Mel explained that a chemo patient has to eat a good meal before coming in. The clinic has muffins/bagels but those are mostly for the caretakers and not the patients.
  I wrote in a earlier entry about how we ended up at Oakwood Hospital because of a unrinary tract infection. Well Lori shared that with Dr. Johnston,including the mucus discharge. Dr. J said that was actually normal and not to worry too much,some things just have to be allowed to run their course.
 But this week Lori had a hard time in the bathroom,cancer patients often has this problem,this is why they are given stool softeners . This happened the first time as well. but despite going through this doesn't make it any easier.
  To help her system out,she also took Mulax...which opened her up in a big way. Good news,yes? Not all of a sudden that discharge is now looking like her poo. This was very alarming and once again we call the UM and explain was going on. Now we know....its called a "fistula in ano". Basically its a fissure between the rectum and the vagina. It causes fecal matter to come out both the rectum and vagina. Her radiation had weakened the area there and add the constipation,it caused the fistula.
  We will be getting a MRI scheduled where as they'll shoot a dye to track the fissure and schedule a small surgery to try and fix this problem.
  The condition is very painful as it totally irritates the tissue around the vagina. To help out,I had to install a new portable showerhead to help keep the area clean.
  Today has been very quiet,we were going to try and set up Christmas today but she has been too weak,she has almost no energy to speak of. The good news (I know,about time,right?) has been that the Nulasta shot aftereffects have been much better then last time because of a tip Mel gave us....to take a Benedryl BEFORE the shot. This has really helped as far as the pain goes but as far as the energy go....its just not happening.
   I brought down our two little trees only to find that one of the leg stands is AWOL. I have to tell you,this has not been my favorite week! Got one tree plugged in but will have to wait til tomorrow to see if she has enough steam to decorate,otherwise,I will have her direct me. Lord have mercy!

  Saturday saw us doing some Christmas shopping,Macy's was having a 1 day sale and since we had some great coupons,we went there first. The little Westland Mall was booming and that included Macy's. People were everywhere and they were really shopping hard! Its been a while since we have really seen this kind of activity,there were lines at every register!
   We shopped for Lori's folks,her aunt Emma and neice Carol. We also shopped for our neighbor Marlene as we got her a killer chafing dish for great price. We ate lunch at the Lakeshore and noticed that the gourmet foods were also on sale for 50%. As we were looking the clerk said that certain items were off 70% as well...as in a bag of 11.00 coffee was on sale for 5.50 and then take ANOTHER 70% off that plus our coupon....we got 4 bags of great coffee for a buck a bag! Also picked up some Maurice salad dressing and some honey glaze for 3.00 a jar...just an incredible bargain to find. Very grateful to the clerk for sharing the sale with us. When cash is tight its cool to be able to get some great deals,especially at a place like Macy's!
  But the Force was still strong with us (thanks to fellow cancer fighter and Jedi Master Sean!). We saw that a local supermarket chain called Busch's was having a good sale on meat and we need some items for the deep freezer. We stopped at the Livonia store....but was told it was the Plymouth store who was having the sale as they had remodeled the store and were having a re-grand opening. That store was only 10 minutes away and so we headed there.
  Just like the mall,the store was packed with shoppers. Busch's had done it up right with some great deals,sample tables and drawings for huge gift baskets. They had plenty of staff to help guests and everyone was very cheerful. We poked around and got some items and met Norton the Penguin who walking around handing out popsicles.
  We filled out a card apiece for the many baskets there offered as prizes and then headed up to the check-out line. As we did so,a man grabbed my shoulder and said "Stay here,I'm going to give away a pasta strainer pot and you'll have a chance to win. But I need a big crowd." So hey,what the hell,right?
  Soon he had gathered a nice crowd and grabbed a box. He said he was going to write a number between 1-25 on the box and whoever guessed it first would win...I told Lori to guess 12 and I would guess 25....not only Christmas numbers but also Lori's momma's birthday. We then started yelling out numbers....and the man pointed at Lori and 3 other people who had shouted "12".
  He then said he was going to do a tie breaker by writing a number between 1-10. Now while I didn't SEE him write the number,I could see by how his hand moved what he wrote and I yelled "3".
And that was that.....we had won the pasta strainer bowl!.
  We walked outside and saw the first snowflake of the season....and then we headed home.
Sunday morning...I was at work when Busch's called the house...Lori had won one of the gift baskets! How cool was that?
 
Its 2:00 pm on Friday

   Lori is feeling a little better compared to yesterday but is still feeling very crappy. I set up our little Christmas tree and brought up the decrorations . And that is the extent of what I'm allowed to do..she enjoys fixing up the house by herself. Don't know how much energy she'll have but I know she'll give it her all.
  Yesterday was a complete washout for us...I insisted she rest and take it easy. I don't know how she thinks she will be able to go to work feeling like this and having to deal with the fistula-in-ano.
I canceled the trip we were hoping to make to Eastern Market in Detroit,just feel that would be really pushing the limits of her health as of now.
Am going to try and get out to a movie tonight....but again,just not quite sure if that is a good idea or not.
 
Just read that Hostess and their union can't agree to a new deal and that Hostess will be forced to shutdown. Wow....once again the union workers are showing just how stupid and clueless they are. Instead of taking a pay cut,they rather lose thier whole damn company. So now 18,000 workers are going to lose everything in the middle of the holidays and winter. I can't wait til they try and find another job...good luck with that,especially now in this new underemployed normal we are being forced to adjust to. The old days of striking and forcing companies to increase pay and benefits are long gone and if these 18,000 haven't been paying attention to what has been going on....they're going to find out the hard way.
   That said....we picked up a couple of Ding Dongs for the freezer....

Well,that is all I have time for,need to head to the bank and pick up some plumber's tape. Hope whoever dropped by and read this has a great day and leaves a comment or three. Its nice signing in and seeing that someone did take the time to do so.

peace!