Every Day Matters

Celebrating

Laura posted these 2 following photos/messages on Instagram yesterday after my (maybe) final CT scan. Bob always goes to this appointment with me and then texts the good news to the family. Fortunately, since he started doing this a few years ago, the news has always been good!

Yesterday, my oncologist told me that I could stop having CT scans. That makes me very nervous, but it is good. Just unbelievable.

NO CANCER, he said! It has been 6 years since I had a treatment.

Now if I just felt better, everything would be GREAT!

I really do a terrible job with this blog. Note that the two posts from Laura are out of order. Oh, well!

home again

I just spent a week in the hospital and have now been home for a few days.....hard to keep track of time when in the hospital, where each day is miserably the same. I had problems - AGAIN- with pelvic adhesions (scar tissue) from my many surgeries. I was rushed to the hospital in horrible pain because there is no time to waste when there is a flare up.

There is only one treatment - insertion of an NG tube to give the stomach a rest. Which means NOTHING by mouth, not even water, while the tube constantly pumps out your stomach contents and you get rehydration via a tube. After 6 days of this, it was determined that the blockage to my intestines had moved along.

Adhesions are nasty - I think of them as a taffy-like substance that binds organs together, preventing those organs from working. They are DEADLY and scary and most people have no idea. <<Internal organs have slippery surfaces that enable them to slide and glide against other organs and tissues. When adhesions are present the tissues no longer glide and the internal organ’s motility is inhibited, organ function is affected, pain may result and larger movements of the body may be inhibited. >>

I am having some issues with my mental focus as well....no nutrition affects the brain's functioning. Trying to get some strength back now, which is difficult when I am so tired and depleted. Thank goodness for Bob, Debbie, and my helper/angel Heather.

Apparently the only resolution is MORE surgery to put more mesh into the abdominal cavity. And BIG surgery as opposed to laproscopic. Which means BIG recovery. I see my surgeon in 2 weeks to discuss. One thing I do know is that after surgery, I will go to a rehab facility for recovery. Bob and I just cannot do this on our own again.

Thanks to everyone who sent good thoughts to me. Send me 'normal' emails if you want....love hearing news!

Prettiest Town in Delaware

according to the NY Daily News ----photo by Bob

Cobb Egg Salad

 Cobb Egg Salad

Made this great salad last night for dinner. 

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a19484613/cobb-egg-salad-recipe/

I changed a couple of things...used only 6 eggs and used goat cheese instead of blue cheese. I also served it on shredded lettuce. We loved the dressing. It will be great for hot summer nights.

 

Buy Local, Not Necessarily Organic

Buy Local, Not Necessarily Organic

I have long been leery of the "organic" label. What is the use of this label if my "fresh" green beans or lettuce have been trucked in from California or Texas? Or if farmers use no pesticides, etc, but the organic label is just too long/bureaucratic and expensive a process?

So I buy local whenever possible, although this is hard to do here in the mid-Atlantic in the winter. Local grass-fed meats are easier to find, that's for sure.

And, frankly, our farmers need our support as they struggle to survive.

Here is a farmer's article on this topic....well worth a read.http://twosparrowsfarm.com/are-you-organic/

Still around

I know it has been forever since I posted. I decided that if I am paying for this space, I might as well use it!  I hope to catch you all up on my somewhat boring life, talk about books and food, TV and movies, and of course, my favorite topics, Charlie and Clara. They are now almost 9 and 6 1/2. How did this happen? 

I will not be writing about travel, something I can no longer do. Now my travel is "armchair". Good thing I love to read and watch TV and movies. I am never bored.

I have been "cancer free" for 5 years. Of course, I do not believe that one is ever cancer free because that bugger is just sitting around, ready to pop out at any minute. 

I have a lot of side effects from chemo and radiation ----head to toe. So I never feel really good but I manage with a lot of help. One of my worst problems is constant fatigue. Bob does some of the most difficult (for me)things like grocery shopping, carrying and toting, running errands, etc. I have a great helper who comes whenever I need her (she is a gem). Good cleaning people too. I am lucky. 

I go to Laura's to visit as often as I can. I still try to do a few things for her when I am there, like drive the kids around and run a few errands. It is really weird that I feel at my best when I am driving my car!

I just finished a really good book, THE GREAT ALONE by Kristen Hannah. If I had to live like that, in Alaska, I would lost my mind for sure. I am now reading Lisa Genova's latest, EVERY NOTE PLAYED, a novel about ALS....much like her first book, STILL ALICE (about Alzheimer's). She is a neuroscientist and really knows her stuff.

I still cook 2-3 times a week and like to make new recipes as long as they are short (few ingredients) and fast! 

Laura, Ken, and the children spent spring break in Jamaica a couple of weeks ago and had a wonderful and relaxing time. The photos below were taken there.

 

 

She has since had 8 inches of her hair cut off to donate to a wigs for kids program. Good kid. Proud of her.

Bob marched at March For Our Lives in D.C. on Saturday. He said it was an unforgettable experience and sent me this photo. He was really glad he went. I was amazed at how impressive the student speakers were. 

Stay tuned and good to "see" you again!

our year in photos

November at Laura's

 

 

Clara's recital in May= She is in orange, surrounded by blue, on the right side

 

Bethany Beach fun

JoAnn's 70th with family

 

Charlie loves a pool!

 

Charlie in Cleveland with Ken at World Series

Clara with Miss Delaware in Bethany parade

Spring on the Boardwalk

 

Clara the fashionista

 

With my favorite people!

 

 

Clara and her friend at "Nutcracker's Tea with Clara"

 

Cards

I went looking for cards yesterday, for a friend recently diagnosed with cancer. I was in two stores for 45 minutes with very little to show for my time.

Some card company needs to get on this.....and create cards for people who are probably not going to "GET WELL" even if they live through the treatments. Even the "thinking of you" cards were not appropriate. I wanted to gag when I read "You are strong and will get through this." WHAT THE HELL?  The worst are the ones that tell the cancer patient to "think positive". How dare they say this?

I guess blank cards are the answer, even though I sometimes wonder if I am saying the right thing. For example, should I write "Lying in bed all day, staring at the wall and weeping, is okay."?  or "Talking to the chemo bags while at the infusion center does not mean you are crazy."