One More Day

Tomorrow is the LAST radiation treatment and I am VERY ready to have the healing begin. I get a two week break before I start the hormone therapy. I actually have had a couple of good days where the pain was not so bad and I was able to actually stay awake ALL day!

The weekend was a fun one. Max’s birthday was on Sunday, but Max and Paul worked most of the day Saturday installing our whole house attic fan. We broke for lunch and a trip to Oakland to the Outdoor Pro Shop for fly fishing investigation (and some supply purchasing). The fan works really well and it is amazing the amount of air it pulls into the house. I know the idea is to cool the attic by pushing the hot air out and replacing it with the cool air, but I LOVE the fact that it completely cools the house while it is doing that! It is a very welcome addition to our household.

Sunday we ventured to Pleasant Hill to Creative Sports for more fly fishing investigation. I found a really good book, which I purchased for Max and she found a lot of “goodies” to add to her collection. She has set up her equipment and is tying a fly as I type.

The grandkids are coming on Thursday and we are very excited about seeing them and having them stay with us. I am very confident that I will be able to handle the fatigue factor while they are here (early bedtimes will probably be happening a lot).

Later . . .

Counting the days

I know I have not done an entry in a while, but I am ready to admit it is official – I am addicted to my PS2! Actually I have been playing my video game a lot lately, but I think it is helping to keep my mind off the pain and itching I am experiencing from the radiation (It also keeps me awake). I like to keep things on a positive note, but that has become increasing difficult. The good news is I am down to 7 days left of treatment. The bad news is the radiation burn is so painful at times I cannot stop myself from giving in to the tears. The irritation and itching makes me want to scream, but what I manage to do is tighten up my muscles and grimace. It also does not help that we are having 115 degree temperatures around here! In the heat of the day it is difficult to breathe (needless to say Debby thinks the weather is grand).

So what can I say? Having cancer sucks! Cancer treatment sucks! But on the up side, I am VERY glad it was caught early enough to make surgery and radiation treatments a viable option. I am just ready for the treatments to be done.

Later . . .

Hmmmmmmmm

I swear this whole radiation treatment seems a little surreal. Believe me; I know it is happening due to the pain of the radiation burn and the fatigue factor. I will be very happy when the treatment is over and things get back to “normal”. Tomorrow I will start having my treatments at 8:45 instead of 12:15 and I am hoping I will get more out of my day. After my treatments I cannot seem to help but fall asleep for a couple of hours and I am hoping this way I can get a “nap” in the AM and be able to actually accomplish something in the afternoon.

It has been pretty hot around here, but the dogs seem to know what to do to battle the heat – they both find an air vent and sleep in front of it. Kodi plants himself in the bathroom on the cool floor and literally does not move unless he is forced to move. Darci still follows me around, but luckily there is an available air vent in the office where she can sleep. Is that what is meant by “The dog days of summer” and “It’s a dog’s life”? Obviously our dogs are NOT abused. I do feel sorry for Kodi if he has to go outside. I would NOT want to be running around in a fur coat or down jacket in this heat!

Later . . .

Not much news

I know I have not been doing much with my blog lately, but I have not been doing much except going to my radiation treatments and coming home and resting. I am playing a new video game, which I am enjoying – Rachet and Clank Going Commando. It is the next one in the series and it is enjoyable. I did manage to do a little sewing yesterday afternoon before fatigue forced me to lay down for a nap.

Brother Don came for a visit and that is always pleasant. We had a nice visit and dinner with veggies from the garden and catfish cooked on the grill. We went out for Sushi on Monday and then he was on his way early this AM. He came with some friends and they will be leaving after they finish with golf around noon.

Not much new around here except we are looking in to buying a whole house fan. Since the nights do seem to cool off enough to turn off the air, we decided we needed a way to get that cool air into the house. They are amazing the way they work and I believe will be well worth the purchase.

Later . . .

It is really hard to believe that this cactus started out a little tiny thing, which we purchased at the Poppy Festival MANY years ago for I believe less than $1. It is now blooming the most beautiful pink flowers and has grown quite well. I think the reason it survived and did so well is because it sat in this pot over at Debby's for over a year and the only water it got was from the rain.

I figured Duane and Denise would get a kick out of seeing this cactus after all those years!


I guess it is the smallest things that make me happy these days (cactus flowers and humming birds).

Later . . .

Three day break

Wahoo for a cancelled appointment for my radiation therapy! They called this AM to inform me their machine was “down” and I would not be having a treatment today. I am happy to have the three days of no radiation on my already terribly irritated red, sore skin; however, at the same time it will tack on another day for the finish date and I am already ready for this to be over. Now I will finish my treatments on August 1st as apposed to July 31st (I missed treatment on the 4th). Perhaps today I will be able to do some sewing and not be so tired I can’t keep my eyes open. I want to continue making my blocks of Celtic circles and that is pretty much an easy task – just time consuming. I would like to actually start cutting squares for a “real” quilt, but my focus and concentration level is not that great right now so I think I will just try to be patient and wait this treatment out. It is hard to say, but maybe I will not fall asleep this afternoon and perhaps I will be able to stay awake past 9:00 PM!

Later . . .

Wahoo for gambling winnings

Max is now in possession of a VERY cool fly tying kit. It is a Dyna-King Kingfisher and very nice. She has been wanting one for the longest time and since she was the BIG winner at Three Hand Poker = brand new toy! I think "free time" may be a thing of the past with all the projects and hobbies she has planned. Nonetheless, it is cool that she has the time to do some "fun" things instead of homework!

Half Way There!

I started my fourth week of radiation therapy this Monday. It is truly nice to be thinking I am half way finished. It is difficult to keep a completely positive attitude considering I know it is going to get worse before it gets better and it is on the bad side right now. I am getting some good sleep during the night (thank goodness the doctor gave me something to aid in sleeping), but the fatigue factor is really presenting itself. The radiation burn is increasing and starting to be quite painful. So I have three more weeks of increased burning of my skin and increased fatigue to look forward to, but at least there is an end to the ordeal with a positive outcome to the whole cancer thing.

We now have a gardener for both the front and back yards and someone to clean the house once a week. I decided to just give it up for the next few months considering that as soon as I am over the radiation and have the grandkids for a visit I will be having knee surgery!

I am very grateful we have been having some REALLY nice weather because everyone knows how much Kodi and I dislike the heat. We have been experiencing nice breezes and cool weather for quite a while and it would be fine with me if it continues. I have been enjoying the humming birds and all the other birds coming for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a multitude of snacks.

Later . . .

Weekend Trip

We decided since it was Max's last Friday off (they are taking away the 9/80's) we would take a quick weekend and do a little gambling and relaxing. I am here to tell you Max got in the grove with Three Hand Poker! She was lucky enough to get THREE 2's and THREE 3's and THREE 4's! Three of a kind pays 30 to 1 on one bet and 6 to 1 on another and then 1 to 1. When we were getting ready to leave she decided to play one LAST time and bet $10 and that is when she got her 4's. Yes that would be $300 and then $60 and then $10 for a total winning of $370 on a $30 bet. Happy times were had by all. We had a really good time learning some new games and just playing Black Jack, Three Hand Poker, Four Card Poker, Let it Ride, Texas Hold 'Em and Craps. We even tried our hand at Pai Gow, but neither of us liked it much. I spent quite some time at the Crap Table and managed to make some money. All in all we did well, but you win and then play some more and end up giving it back. We both did well at the end of the trip and managed to come home with some money.

This is the first time we have been able to go away without the notebook and Max having to spend a substantial amount of time doing homework - NICE!

Later . . .

Bird Watchers

If I had a camera like Duane's, I could have gotten an actually CLEAR shot of the Humming Bird! I moved all the humming bird feeders next to the house and hung them from the rafters where all the wind chimes are hanging. The humming birds seem to like the idea of them being pretty much in the shade. We have at least two that we know of and they are going to ALL the feeders for a snack. Needless to say, I am very happy about knowing they are actually coming around and eating.

The other bird feeders are attracting a multitude of birds and they are going through the food rapidly (I don't care). They are using the bird bath for drinking water and have not to our knowledge used it for bathing. Our neighbor, who has a bird bath in her front yard, said it took the birds over a year before they actually started bathing (they used it for drinking water first).

We are truly enjoying watching the variety of birds and their behavior. We have a bird book and are trying to figure out the different breeds that we have, but we are both in agreement that we need some better binoculars to get a good look at them (if we had Duane's camera we might have a shot at actually seeing them). Nonetheless, I find they are giving me a great deal of pleasure throughout the day!

Later . . .

Free Time

Max is completely enjoying her “additional” time. She has started a new puzzle, which is way to hard for me to even think about putting together. Her philosophy for puzzles is “the harder the better”. She also purchased a new video game (Brother in Arms – which Duane’s friend Randy showed her), which she is playing when she is not working on the puzzle. The puzzle is on a card table right next to her computer for easy access! AND she has signed up for private guitar glasses, which she will start next Wednesday. Watch out world – she has FREE TIME!

I am into my third week of radiation and glad that I have the 4th off. I am certainly beginning to feel the fatigue factor and the tenderness, but all in all I am doing well. We usually go to Duane’s for the 4th, but since I have to do radiation tomorrow it was just not possible or plausible to try to make the trip. We are having Kathy, Paul, Michael and Debby over for dinner, but it will NOT be the same as Duane’s ribs and Denise’s dessert!
Later . . .