Sept 29 Fund another mammogram, please

I just wanted to remind everyone that this site
has updated it's look and it is now very, very easy
click on every button, not just on the Breast Cancer Site

Please click every day to help fund mammograms

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

This site helps fund mammograms
with just a click of a button. It
takes me about 30 seconds to click
on all the sites listed. You can pick
your own favorites or do what I do
and click on each one of the tabs!
I'm helping feed dogs, buy books,
save the rain forest, provide health
care to children - all painlessly and
with just one click a day. I have it
at the top of my favorites list and
start each computer session with
my clicks.
They don't care that I don't buy
anything - and furthermore - they
don't know.
I have been the recipient of 3 free
mammograms and then a follow
up sonogram and then a core
needle biopsy a few years ago
when there was no insurance and
little cash flow. I truly appreciated
it.
Thanks for your help by putting it
on your favorites and clicking daily.
Love, Patty

Sept 27 Sleeping all day long

I think the chemo acted a little different this time. I've been tired, and sleeping most of the last two days. I've definitely been in bed most of the time, and not wanting to get up and out into the living room.
So I've been reading a little bit again, and I paid a bill, after talking to the billing person. The bill was over $3000, and I called to see how much I really owed, and come to find out - it needed to be resubmitted. Who knew?
All the cancer books keep telling me to keep all the bills and appointments and medication names and everything together and check them all later and blah blah, and you all know how much I love doing paperwork. Sooooo....
I guess I need a system, and I sort of have one. Put the bills here. If they send you a second one, maybe see if you need to pay it. Just kidding! I need a better system!
I hate being a responsible adult, sometimes.
I'm tired, having hot flashes, and 'headachey'. But I shouldn't and won't complain, because I asked for this, yes???
I can feel those cancer germs going bye-bye every second of the day.
My brother-in-law 'Uncle Silly Terry' (Sara's name for him) asked me today what color my hair was right now. I told him "Kind of flesh colored." No more hair has fallen out, but what is left is very blonde. Still kind of cute. In a weird kind of way. My scalp doesn't seem to like it much - very bumpy and broken out and looks awful. I'm trying to keep my hands off of the scalp, especially after I've been reading the newspaper, or doing a crossword puzzle, but it feels so interesting to touch that stubby little growth!
I am doing better about it, though, Sally.
Must. Go. To. Bed. It's very late for me these days. My love you all,
from Tired and Getting Better Patty : )

Sept 26 Aleve works!

I took an anticipatory Aleve last night before bed and woke up this morning (at 9:30 or so!!!!) with not much soreness at all! It's there - just only if I search it out (does it hurt here? Here? Or here?) It all is better than last time, that is for sure. I surely do not sleep well because of the steroids the night before the chemo, the next night after more steroids, or even the next night after not sleeping the nights before!!! I think maybe I might be caught up with my sleep now.
So, today will be a great day! I found a little story last night while cleaning out e-mail that makes me smile every time I read it.
....................................

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

"Well, " she said, " I think I'll braid my hair today?"
So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"H-M-M-M," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"
So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEA!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply.

.............................

What a great story, and a great inspiration for me.  Thank you to
whomever sent it to me.   I have had it for a very long time, not
just since my diagnosis and hair loss.
I love it also because I can tell this story to my clients when they
think they don't have very many hairs on their own head.

Peace and love to all of you out there - whether you have no hair or
three or four hairs or 40 thousand hairs.   ;  )
Love you all,
from-Patty-who-has-quite-a-few-very-short-hairs-on-her-head :  )

Sept 24, Dr. over and Chemo over for THIS week

Dr. Aung says the skin graft looks good, but to keep doing what I'm doing - STAY OFF MY FEET!! Until she gives me the go-ahead for next week. I HOPE! My poor, poor clients are so getting the bad end of this stick. And they don't even know it yet! Until they read it here! (I'm so sorry, Linn - I did give you that appointment we talked about.). And so, once again, poor beleaguered Bernard gets to call all my peeps, again, starting tomorrow. They have all been so wonderful and accommodating that I have absolutely no doubt that they will be taken care of very well, but still.....it is a trying time for them, too. I am so, so sorry everyone.
Dr. Aung says to my question about next week, "I don't know, let's see how this does this week." She said that these these things can either heal very very slowly (over months!) or they can heal pretty quickly - weeks. I am so ready to have this blue shoe off my foot. (And N0, she didn't wash my foot for me so it will really have a lot of dead skin on it by the time I get to scrub it. Tanya? Kecia? Marla? TMI?! anyone?)
The chemo today was uneventful, again, except for the part where I had to have my friend Helen run quickly, I think I said "Hurry", to find my nurse. I evidently bent my wrist and stopped up the Taxotere drip, and then when I unbent it, it all rushed into me, too, too fast. I had to get a shot of Benedryl into the I.V. line to stop the the black spots in front of my eyes, (I think I was thinking of fainting? -- Any other guesses?), the beet red face and neck and head, (It felt like the top of my head was going to pop right off) and the heat, oh the heat, the heat! All I could do was keep saying oooo*, and oooo, and again oooo. I also had a tiny little stomach hurty which stopped immediately after the Benedryl was administered. No problems at all, after that, and now I know WHAT NOT TO DO!!! Keep the stinking needle site straight and don't try to do a crossword all by yourself.
Now, you say, how could you not keep the needle straight? Doesn't it stick you and hurt. Well, I just saw all this stuff done for the first time since April or May or whenever this all started with the surgery stuff. They puncture the vein with the same type of needle they have always used, but then they pull that out and all that remains is a tinier rubbery tube, on which is now the 'needle'. And it is used with a 'butterfly' (soft and nice) So, even if you move only one iota, it won't hurt and hurt your vein like it used to do. Some of you may have had this done for years, but I was not aware of it till now. I don't know how exactly the the sharp comes off (I do not look), I just know it is much more comfortable.
So, the chemo took longer than it was going to, as they had to stop it down, administer the Benedryl, wait for it to take effect, then start me up again very, very slowly, gradually speeding it up every 10 minutes or so, so that would not happen again.
So friend Helen gave me the ride to and from (thank you so much), sat with me and we did crosswords and tried a sudoku and talked. On the ride home we stopped for a sandwich from eegees, and now here I am, ensconced on the recliner again. Fan blowing, snacks by my side, computer seems to be better (faster a little) today, I have the books and the magazines and the crosswords and the sudokus handy, so I am in hog heaven. Except that I wanted to go back to work this week. : (
Oh, I meant to tell you all - as of last night, the blueberry cobbler and the peach cobbler are all gone, into our tummies, and boy were they good! Thanks again, Sally!! MMMMMMMMM!!!!!! When are you coming again? tee hee. ; )
Peace out and love and kisses and hugs to all. Patty-who-is-following-Dr.'s-orders-to-the-letter
; ) : ) : P : P : P : P (That is a raspberry being blown)

*This is pronounced oo as in chicken coop. Sara and I cannot figure out how to spell it.

Sept 23 First Dr Aung, then Chemo, tomorrow. Horrible computer this week!

The computer at this house is not having a good time! Neither are we, with the computer! Sara called Comcast cable company today, they tried to troubleshoot from their office, no luck, so they gave us an appointment three (!) weeks from today, for someone to come out to see what is wrong. No hurry I guess.
That slowness of the computer hookup is most of the reason I've not been on here lately. Another reason is that I've been having lots of company lately. : ) Yes, I love it. Sally was here for a week : ) , Helen from work, Cindy from work, Helen from work, Charli (and Chloe and Katy) from work at Great Lengths, Chris, Casey and Avery (Katy was skating) also were here.
I love the visits. All the folks keep hollering at me to stay off my feet. (I am I am I am!!) Dr. Aung said I could go to the bathroom and maybe get something to eat, quickly, and I am following her orders - very strictly! She will be the first to look at the skin graft tomorrow morning. She said not to touch the bandage, and so I haven't even taken the little sock off the top of the Coban bandaging. I hope they wash it really well for me. ; )
Dr. Aung is at 8:30a.m., then Chemo begins at 10:15. I don't know how long the chemo will take this time, as they dripped the Taxotere in so slowly last time. Supposedly a much shorter I.V. time, tomorrow.
My hair is very short, but isn't completely gone, yet. I think 2 weeks from my second chemo it'll all come out. Another supposition that I haven't a fact to support. ; )
Bob and I are having leftover peach cobbler and blueberry cobbler still from Sally's visit. Not a problem to finish - except for time. YUM! Thanks, Sally. Thanks for the meals you helped prepare, too. I haven't cooked in years. It was wonderful.
Sara is still/again painting, this time the closet. They had to go back and get another quart to finish the job. She is still sorting and organizing and we got a tremendous amount out of the living room before Sally came. Sally actually helped be my coach for a lot lot of paper work. Who wants to be next? Come on down. Lots of love and hugs to all, Patty : )

Sept 18 Foot surgery over - no work for the weary this week

Went in at 6:30 a.m. and I was finished and Sally and I were home at 11:00. She is MEAN, and won't let me get up except for bathroom and a few other little things. ; )
I am having a princess day, and the doc is making me stay home this week, again. I go back in to see her on Monday, and don't even get to see under the bandage till then!
Dr. Aung is still taking pictures for her paper she'll write, and so I know she has done everything possible to make this heal quickly and magically. And So It Will.
I must sign off, I have a jigsaw puzzle to begin, and the crosswords are calling to me. Peace and love to all, Patty : ) : ) (Sally is making peach cobbler for dinner tonight!) (YUUUMMMMMMM!!)

Sept 17 No chemo today - foot surgery tomorrow

My chemo got rescheduled till next Monday because of the non-healing of the neuroma site. Today I went to Dr. Aung who is a 'wound care specialist' and she will be putting a skin graft (grown in a petri dish) on it tomorrow morning, using only a local anesthetic on the site.
I realized late Friday afternoon when this was all being planned, that The-Dr.-who-is-in-charge-of-me might want to know that I was planning on doing just before I raced in to have my chemo. Surgery at 8:30, then chemo at 11:30? I was just worried that we might not have time to drive there and be on time.
So, I called TDWIICOM (The-Dr.-who-is-in-charge-of-me) and TDWIICOM is, therefore, putting the next chemo off till next week and is ruining all my best laid plans, (Karen).
Sally, therefore, will be driving me around for the surgery, instead of holding my hand while we do crosswords, and watch movies, and oh yes, get the chemo drip..drip..drip....drip... ; ) : )
Okay - gotta go eat - had a fasting blood draw this morning and tomorrow have to have fasted for 8 hours and be there at 6:30 a.m. Surgery at 8:30 a.m. It will take maybe only about 20 minutes. They will trim the edges of the non-healing site and then culture that to see if there is a very low infection or "irritant" in there that is not allowing it to heal correctly. Everyone thinks I have a "diabetic foot condition". NOT.
Everyone stay well, take care of your feet, clean out your ears and bellybutton, and get your eyes checked! I just found out I have a freckle on the retina. I think that is pretty special! Patty : )

Sept 15 The hair is buzzed off!

The hair made it through work today - barely. My client left the building and I immediately began pulling on the poor leftover sprigs that I have been babying for a week. A lot, lot still came out, and then I shampooed vigorously a couple of times, and a lot more came out, and it felt sooooo good to just massage and scratch my head. There was still a lot more hair on my head than I thought there was going to be.
I had my friend clipper it short - Sally says shorter than 1/4', it is little fine stubble and quite thin. Remember it is blonde and so you can hardly see it. It really does look strange, to not see any hair up there, but I kind of like it. I know - I'm perverted.
My friend Geri brought some temporary tattoos for me this morning, and I LOVE them. After my haircut, I put a pretty little heart high up on my left temple (in my receding hairline empty place) and it looks wonderful. I want to find some pink ribbon tattoos, now.
We are all going to bed much earlier tonight - Bob, Sara and Sally were home all day organizing Sara's room, and what with me working and then getting my hair cut and all, (hee hee) everyone is all tuckered out.
I have photos of all the hair cuts but decided not to put them on here so it won't be too hard to download for you all. Email me if you want to see any, and I'll have Sara show me how to send them.
Love to you all - the hair show was short - but I liked it a lot. Hugs to all, love, from Patty : )

Sept 13 It's blonde and going fast

OK, the hair, it is very blonde, and the thickness, it is very little. I'm busily trying to not lose it all before at least a few of my clients get to see it. I know there will be a couple of them who might kind of freak out, but for the most part I think everyone is realizing I'm having fun with it, so they are, too.
Wednesday afternoon we bleached the stuff.
First, as I had not shampooed since Monday morning (ICK!) and had only been kind of patting it with damp hands in the mornings as it was just falling out and falling out, Helen had to rinse out all the sticky hairspray etc. so the bleach application wouldn't just rip everything out. So. We used very strong bleach, usually used for highlighting with foils, and 40 volume peroxide (usual is 20 vol.) and I put the magic Sweet'n'Low into the mixture and slapped it on. After a long time, with a plastic bag on my head, there was progress in the process, but not nearly enough. The tint that we had freshly applied so optimistically last week had only bleached out to a nice peachy color. We carefully shampooed and rinsed it out and reapplied a fresh mixture. (I forgot the Sweet'n'Low that time) Another sitting and waiting this time under a magic color machine with steam and everything, and out it came. (We were a little afraid of making my head sore and the-Dr.-who-is-in-charge-of-me would be really not happy with the making of open oozing sores on the head!)
Shampoo carefully again, rinse carefully again, still pretty yellow but much better. Now the cut which I love love love and have always wanted and never had anyone try because I thought I couldn't wear it this short! It is short! A pixie? A little longer version of the Susan Powter that I have been talking about, so it could be a little spiky on the top. The massive (?) haircut didn't get all the hair that wasn't quite light enough off, so we did have to put a little extra color on it to make it look more blonde than yellow.
Now I love it and I'm not allowed to shampoo till next year so everyone can see it. (JOKING)
I have been carefully saving all the hair I lose each day in separate little packages of tissues, and it cracks me up to look at them and I'm loving showing them and telling about -- this is Sunday shampoo at the salon; this is Monday in the shower, then applying hair goo, letting the hair air dry and then rubbing hands through and fluffing after it dried; this is Tuesday after I realized it was going away fast and didn't comb or shampoo or fluff, but showed everyone how you could just pull out a chunk here or there -- here you want to try it? (Only one person took me up on that) (and it was a bad idea - after you cut it short, you can see bald spots I created. Tee hee) Then, the Wednesday came and the blonding process began and every time we went to the shampoo bowl, we shampooed or rinsed out much hair. Then the careful styling of the hair, then the makeup application of the face and the big earrings and I looked strange/wonderful/bald, and...Odd. But in a cute way. : )
I really, really love it and I want to cut my hair in this style when I get big, I mean when I get hair back.
Oh - one more day of collecting hair - I fluffed my hair over the sink on Wed. night before I got into bed, and muchos pelos fell out into the sinko. I collected them, then Thursday a.m.(that would be today) I had to rinse through a tiny bit of shampoo as while I was cleaning I was also sweating like a horse this morning! (YES) Even More of the hair came out, and I was very very careful and hardly even put a towel close to it and didn't even want to comb it. Still lots coming out and tonight we took a bunch of pictures at all sorts of angles and close ups so I could see what everyone else saw. Very interesting. And did I mention THIN!? Whoo-eeee Mama!
I am trying very hard to not pull all the rest of the hair out to see what it is going to look like, and get it all done, (can you say OCD?) but I'm thinking.....I'm going to let anyone who wants to, to just "come and pull weeds with me"! We'll weed the East Place, Smith kids! ; ) Some people have even told me I have a cute head. Who has told you that lately? HUH? HUH?
I must go to bed - Getting (?) punchy and Sally is keeping me up way past my bedtime.
(Hee hee, I'm such a liar. She has been in bed for a lo-o-o-n-g time and I'm up way too late.) Because I'm so excited that I have company to visit me in my beautiful Tucson, Arizona which is hot but has the very dry heat, so as not to feel so hot as somewhere like Kansas City or Missouri, or Washington, or Florida which all have the very high humidity and also the very high heat. We love our dry heat. (Except when it is the humid heat - during the summer rains.)
I love you all and thank you all every day for supporting me and helping me through this and accepting my very muchly weird weirdness. : ) Love, love, love, Patty : ) : )

Sept 11 Today a Redhead - Tomorrow a Blonde?

Today is the very last day for the pretty red hair with the blonde highlights. Every time I touch it - LOTS of hair comes out. And when I pull on a chunk to see if it is really loose, or will it come out easily, it does! They kept telling me at work to stop it - I was getting very thin in spots in the back, behind my ears, where I could reach it to show the next person. I am fascinated - they are freaked.
Amber fluffed what I have left, sprayed it very, very well, I came home, changed clothes, and a co-worker's photographer husband (Hi, Kecia and John) came over and took a family portrait of the three of us. Very cool.
Tomorrow, I plan to bleach it, as light as I can, and then if there is enough left on my head, cut it short and spiky-ish a la Susan Powter (the Move More, Eat Less lady from a few years back). If most of the hair pretty much comes out with the shampooing out of the bleach, I'm going to just put bright yellow on it and be Big Bird for a day or two, (if it will stay on my head that long). I am having fun with it.
The only sad part for me is that I messed up and didn't get to do all the colors and cuts that I wanted to do, because I forgot to ask the Dr.-who-is-the-boss-of-me how soon my hair would begin to fall out after chemo started. I asked lots of other people, and they thought after the 2nd chemo. NOT! He said 7 to 14 days after the 1st chemo. Oops, it was already day 10 and I hadn't done the first color yet. EEEEEEEE!
So, Thursday was the red with highlights, Friday it began to go away. Slowly for a couple of days, at least. And now, tomorrow is it.
Sara says I can put pictures up here, she will have to help me later.
Love to all of you all. Stay well, Natalie Carol Thompson
Love, Patty : )

Sept 9 Sara is 16 Years Old and My Hair Is Falling Out

Sept 9 Baby Memories

Oh my! I can't believe it has been 16 years, since Bob drove so close up to the entrance door of labor and delivery that the door kept opening and closing till our friend moved the car.
I thought Sara was pretty small at 6 lb. 10 oz., then her cousin Dillon was born early and weighed 4 lbs. something. My friend Charli had Chloe at 4 lb. 10 oz. They were all tiny, tiny. I can't even fathom a 1 lb. 2 oz., 11 1/2" long baby. I can just pray and pray and think of Natalie, Nicholas and Cassie.
Sara was so little and we were so nervous and she grew and grew and is 5' 9 7/8" now! (the pediatrician says she can fib and say she is 5" 10") She is a Sophomore in High School, taking World History, Chemistry, Dance, French 3, English and Honors Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry.
Sara and her Dad have been working since she got home for the summer, on her room project. It has been a laborious process. She has painted the room with a split roller with the green and brown, then this weekend the mural went up. It is so awesome, I wish everyone could see it. I don't know how to put a picture on this blog or if it is possible, but the majestic waterfall going through her room is breathtaking. It is a photo of an actual waterfall --Ellowa Falls in Oregon. I can't find anything on a map except Elowah Falls in Oregon, and one photo looks somewhat the same except for the fact that they shortened the falls in the background from one of the higher falls in Oregon, (289 feet) to a manageable height for a bedroom, I guess? Why would they change it so drastically?
I found a couple of sites you can cut and paste to see her mural.

http://www.usawallpaper.com/naturemural.html?page=2
(second from the bottom on the right side) (this photo will enlarge so you can see it really well. Her door opening is just so the cats can push through that tallish grass there about three feet in from the left wall. Cute)

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/wallpapers_1964_1137304374
(this site just pops you right to it)

Her bedroom door is at the far left of the mural, and her closet door is at the far right. The mural fit exactly even covering the door jambs. They did have to cut some of the top of the waterfall off but it looks so cool that we don't want any thing put back in there in front of that wall. She is planning on leaving that entire wall empty. The bookcase won't go back on that wall, even. (It will stay in the room, never you fear!) We still have a massive clean out get rid of project ahead of us. I did a lot while she was away, but.....much much more needs to happen.
Those two are very tired and very proud of the project. I just sat in the bed and rested while they slaved away. : )
Much love and many hugs to all of you out there. Take good care of yourselves. Patty : )

Sept 8 Blood work and resting and hairdos

I had blood taken on Tuesday (Monday was a holiday) so the results could be back for my Dr. Brooks visit on Tuesday. I went in at 11:00 for the appointment, only to find out that the appointment had been at 9:15 that morning. I called Bob to say, never mind, don't come, go back to work. I had put 11 down in my handy calendar in my cell phone, and as Mary was trying to find another place for me, I all of a sudden could picture in my mind the reminder card she had written for me, which read Sept 5, 9:15. I have no idea where the 11:00 came in. We decided it would be better to wait until Thursday morning to see the Dr. instead of trying to be pushed into a nonexistent spot and make everyone after me late. So Thursday morning at 9:00 (I got there at about 8:35, I was so worried) I walked up to the building, and there was Mary, telling everyone to go home, there was no electricity, and TEP said it would be 4 or 5 hours to get it back on. I called Bob to say never mind, go back to work. She would call me. I went home and about 45 minutes later, Mary called and said the electricity is back on, come on back in. I called Bob to say - come ahead, again. As I walked up the steps to go into the building, my phone rang. Dr. Brooks said, "We got your results back and I can talk to you about them now". I told him I was walking into the building, and I'd be upstairs in 2 minutes. OK. So, we finally got to sit and talk with him. All the tests came out great, he said. The one that sticks in my mind, because of the acheys was the white count. It was 41,6000. Or 41.6. The normal is 13 or so I think. So I have lots of good stuff to fight any infection. Platelets were very good and red blood cell count was very good. (I have the numbers here somewhere -- somewhere else than on the bed where I am right now) So - all is good with the Dr. I will go the next three times for the blood draw on the Saturday before my chemo on Monday, and therefore only have to make one trip. Then only one more a week after the last chemo.
I am trying to follow everyone's reminders to "rest and take it easy and save your strength". I had a big wake up call about this when I went shopping at Costco on Thursday. I went in for lint rollers and laundry soap, you know, really quickly? I came out with a cart weighing 300 pounds, I swear. I could hardly push it around the corners of the aisles at the end of the trip, partly because of all the weight, and partly because of the tiredness after pushing all that weight. I asked at the checkout for help pushing it to the front, after paying, then to my car, which I pulled up and then they helped me load it into my car. The guy was not very gracious about helping me -- I looked just fit and fine to him, I guess. I finally said something about "the doctors told me I would become fatigued after I began Chemotherapy, but I didn't realize it would be this soon." He just said "Oh." and began helping a little faster and with a little less animosity.
Bob came home for lunch and helped unload it all, too. It was a lot of stuff!! All but 4 items were food and laundry products. I'm hoping I won't have to go again till just before Thanksgiving, and then I'll be staying away till after the holidays are over. Too many people all in one spot for me.
I have really cut down on my work hours, and have been going home for a few hours in the middle on the day on Friday, so I can have a rest before the evening. I also am off today - Saturday - for the first time in I don't know when. My schedule is to work the 1st and the 3rd Saturday mornings, but when it gets too fun I just don't want to stay home.
Thursday, Helen, my friend and coworker of almost 23 years, did one of the hair color/styles we wanted to do before all my hair went away. At the doctor earlier, I asked exactly when am I going to lose all the hair, because I am a hairstylist and I have several colors and styles to try out before it is all gone, and we must plan accordingly. He said "a couple of weeks after the beginning of chemo". So that would be soon, so I knew Helen and I would have to really start cracking.
Therefore - my first color change is a very bright(?) strong(?) red red auburn with pale strawberry gold highlights throughout. I love it. Helen and I were both very surprised to like it so much. Now I know what I want to do later when it grows back. My final do is going to be bleached as light as we can go without it melting off my head, then cutting it really, really short with clippers - maybe 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. Remember Susan Powter - the exercise woman Move More Eat Less book. That way I will hardly know when it is going, or gone.
Except .......last night it started. Just a few hairs more than usual .. or maybe a few more than a few more. A few more than the usual 80 to 100 that is the average daily hair loss. So I think next week might get to be the week of the blond - I don't really know how quickly it will go, once it begins. Any guesses? Oh Oh Oh Another contest? Who wants to place a bet?
This morning I told Helen what was happening with my hair and that I didn't think it would be for a couple weeks more. Then I said "I just made that up". She said I know you did - I know you don't have any idea.
That is the whole thing with all of this. No one can tell you when anything is going to happen, exactly, or what is going to happen, exactly.
Sara and Bob are in the process of pasting up the wallpaper mural of the forest and beautiful waterfall cascading down into a small river (big stream?) and then we will begin to move some of her stuff back into her room. Sandra - are you coming over, soon? My friend Helen, and her daughter Renee, both tell us we need to get rid of 2/3 of the stuff - in our house, not just her room. It is very hard. You all know the generations of pack rats before us. I'm trying to work on it.

Please all of you think healing thoughts and pray for my nephew and his wife and their 3rd baby born last night at 26 weeks. Natalie Carol is 1 lb and 2 oz and 11 1/4 inches long. The baby and daddy were airlifted to Wichita and my sister and her husband are picking up mommy and driving on to Wichita from western Kansas. It is going to be a long hard fight. They are saying she is a little fighter. Please keep Nicholas, Cassy and Natalie in your thoughts and prayers. (and the big brothers Ryan and Brandon) Thank you all.

I'm still reading and reading and doing crosswords when my brain will work. I've even tried Bob and Sara's favorite - Sudoku. I hate them. I cannot remember where that number might work, long enough to do the whole thing. I'll bet chess people are good at Sudoku - don't they have to figure out all these moves and what ifs long before it is known? I write the maybe numbers into the maybe spaces, and maybe I can get it done till the last few, then it all blows up in my face, and so you just have to start all over again! Not me. I don't - I quit. You knew that, didn't you Richard, Cindy - all my family who has tricked me into trying some new puzzle that they knew I'd try it and then throw it back down on the counter!! (They always left one out for me to find after I'd drive up and get settled in the house) (It worked every time)
Cheers everyone - Happy Days (Margie) and I'll write again soon. Maybe when I get work. I hope you all know when I'm being silly and when I'm not really a crazy little old lady. I'm not a little old lady yet.

Love and hugs and kisses to all of you all!! Patty OXOXOXOX : )

Sept 4 I'm Patty again!

It has been a few days since I've felt like being on the computer. Sorry for the absence. Thursday afternoon was when the Dr. told me to take Aleve for the 'acheys' and that worked great! But the 'acheys' were still there, I realized yesterday afternoon, after they really went away.
I was off Thursday and spent it mostly in bed. Not even reading much. That means a lot - doesn't it, you readers out there!
Friday I went to work, but I didn't want to be there. I went home for several hours in the middle of the day, and went back at 4 or 5 and worked on 3 people, got home at a decent hour. Went straight to bed and slept for 11 or 12 hours.
Went to work Saturday a.m., not too early, and only had 3 clients. But -- one thing led to another, and now I realize it was the 'underwater movement' that made everything take so long. I had a lot of new product I needed to price and shelve, I had a lot of recycling to take out to the car, and I had friends to talk to for crying out loud.
On the way home, I called to see what was for dinner (yes, it was that late - dark!) and after telling Bob I was too tired to even chew, he suggested getting ICE! CREAM! and making a shake. That sounded good. Only a quick stop at the store, which is right on the way home to the chair. To sit in and put the feet up.
I called from the store as I had said I would, to ask what else was needed, and began the most circuitous route through the newly remodeled and everything is in a different place grocery shopping experience I've ever had. Or ever want to repeat. I couldn't find the last 3 things. Looked everywhere. I was waiting till the end of the shopping to pick up the ICE! CREAM! and so I hadn't gone down that aisle. That was where the other 3 things were that I had been looking for. And, yes, the clerks were all busy at the front of the store.
I just couldn't keep more than one item in my brain at the same time, and poor Sara staying with me on the phone till I found the next thing, didn't know the new layout, and she kept saying she was trying to figure out what might be near whatever I had just picked up. I was so tired I called Sara from the driveway and had her bring in everything and put it all away and bring me a bowl of ICE! CREAM! to eat for dinner. I did have something else, don't know what, as it paled in comparison.
I sat down and didn't get up for a long time. Went to bed and didn't get up for a long time. Sat around on Sunday for a long time, and sat around on Monday for a long time.
We actually have been watching a lot of Animal Planet with a whole week of Steve Irwin. Tonight, Tuesday, is the show he was working on when he was killed by the stingray. We are anticipating it anxiously. Sara really loved him and his wildlife conservation efforts, and the world lost a great animal lover the day he died.
Monday afternoon I took my Aleve, and then the headache I had still just wouldn't go away, so I took an Imitrex for the migraine, and when they both kicked in and all the pain went away, I realized how under the mark I had been feeling. I told Bob and Sara that we needed to do something - quick, "While I feel good". <--('well', I know, I know) They are still painting Sara's room, so I began working on the laundry that's been piling up for days, nay, weeks. I'm only about 4 more loads from being finished! I jumped out of bed this morning just feeling great! Well, as great as I feel every other morning - just don't want to start it quite yet.
Went to have blood drawn this afternoon for the Med Onc tomorrow. This is the first draw after the first chemo, and they will be watching my white count carefully. It will get lower, and that is why I'm shopping for face masks, next.
Sara's home, we're both cooling off in the bedroom with the extra air conditioner - it's hot out there. It says only 97 degrees, but it is hot. Love and kisses to all, thanks for the thoughts and prayers and hopes and dreams and these are a few of my favorite things.
Hugs and Smiles, Patty : )