neulasta - we're giving it a pass

Dr. Fastenberg says we are going to skip the Neulasta; to this I say:  YAY!  We discussed to which hospital I should go, in the event I need to go to one.  He says to go to Banner Baywood, which is great because both my Pulmonologist and my Cardiologist are there.


You may have noticed that I've edited this post for punctuation and format. I was a little drugged out when I originally typed it during my infusion. :)


Today, I will post a picture of my drug pole with the huge bags of poison that drip into my chest.  Dr. F says we'll do three of these infusions before the next CT.  This one is number two.


I did just take a shot of my pre-meds. They are small bags but lots of them. :)

Here is my bag of taxol.

Please note those happy little words:  Toxic, Dispose of as a Biohazard.  Ai carumba! :D

We left the house at 8:30AM, and returned at 4:30PM.  I am dead tired.  Well, maybe I should just say, I'm tired. ;)

So, off I go to rest up.  Love to all!

The Sound of a Happy Parrot

Vinnie is greeting the morning.  Let's just say, he's no canary with sweet tweets.  But he does have a pretty decent vocabulary.

Every morning, I would greet him with "Good morning!  How are you?"  He truncated it a bit, and returned, "Good morning, you."

Then came the breakfast ritual, in which he would ask, "Time for breakfast?"  To which I would reply, "yes, dear, time for breakfast."  "A good boy breakfast?"  I don't know why he decided that the best breakfast foods were a "good boy breakfast!"  He's so SMART!

It startled me one day when he started chanting, "I love breakfast food, I love breakfast food."  Like all good amazon parrots, Vinnie lives for food. ;)  With the orange tree providing a bountiful crop, as the season comes to and end, we pull off what is left and juice them.  I gave the parrots orange juice one morning, and Vinnie looked at it suspiciously.  I told him to just try it.  "It's good, it's just an orange, honey."  He tried it, and loved it!  The next morning, he asked for it again.  "Time for breakfast?"  The routine started.  "Yes dear, time for breakfast."  "I love breakfast water!"  BREAKFAST WATER????  I swear there is a little Rhodes' Scholar in that amazon parrot suit.

We picked four beautiful squash this morning and sent them over to Leslie two doors down.  We still have several that will go on the grill this afternoon.  We're marinating a pork loin in Tequila, Chipotle chilies in Adobo, olive oil, garlic, teriaki and Worcestershire sauce.  And that reminds me...let me go turn it over!  Oh it smells so good!  We've also got some new crop corn on the cob which we'll grill as well.  Life is good, isn't it? :)

I took Jane and went to Sprouts yesterday.  I wanted to find something to take with us for the marathon chemo session Tuesday.  We found a couple of extra protein Luna Bars, and I got some cranberry pomegranate juice.  And I got worn out.  How can you get worn out while riding your scooter through the store?  But I did, and I was happy to get home.

We made posole for dinner, and it was fantastic.  You know how I adore hominy. ;)  And there is enough to have for lunch today!

I'm tired again, so I'm going to go rest up a bit.  Enjoy Memorial Day, my American friends.  My family has not lost a soul to war, at least in the past five centuries, but many were part of the armed forces and gave their support to our country.  Be at peace, all.

Well, it's Cool

The fallout from my hair was kind of making me a little crazy today.  I had horrific bald patches, and then lots of baby chick patches, and long bits.  I kinda had a Friar Tuck thing going, and while that might be fine for a Friar, it was less than attractive on me. :D


I had my sister, Nancy, take the clippers to me, and this is the result.  And yes, it's nice and cool!


I felt good enough to make some dinner.. and guess what I made?  Slumgullion!  Or at least what one person described as "fusion slumgullion."  Of course, I just took their recipe as a 'guideline' and went from there.


I had some ground turkey, portabella mushrooms, zucchini, several chili peppers, an orange bell pepper and an onion.  I simmered them all in vegetable stock and Jane chopped up some roma tomatoes.  I let it reduce and get all tasty from the cumin and chili powder I'd added, and then we had it over our favorite rice blend.  It was great!  Oh and I need to order some more of that rice.

The squash row in our garden is doing so very well!  I'm excited about the little flat white ones on the farthest end. The first section is the Mexican Grey, then the Zucchini, the Yellow crook neck and whatever the name of the flat whites was.


The row in front of them has one section of squash, and the rest is all yummy chili peppers!


I must report that my sore throat is now a thing of the past, and the nasal congestion is still with me, but much more manageable.  So I think there should be no problem in having the next chemo.  Of course, that depends on the outcome of tomorrow's visit to the phlebotomist. ;)  I'm feeling like it's going to be fine.


Now, I'm going to go play a little World of Warcraft and dream that someday, Diablo III will be out while I'm still alive and well enough to play it.  Hear that, Blizzard?  GET A MOVE ON!!!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Remember just a few days ago when I said something about at least my hair hadn't fallen out?  It's falling, and quite profusely.  Rats, I should have gone and gotten it cut really short again.


On the other hand, summer's almost here, and won't it be cooler to be bald?  And this way, my vacuum cleaner gets a workout. ;)


The sore throat has almost cleared up, still a little nose congestion, but no fever today, whatsoever, so must thank the Doxycycline for doing a fine job.


OH!  We got our first zucchini today!  And from the looks of it, yes, we'll be sharing plenty of squashes with our neighbors.  


The picture below is of my gnome Death Knight, Pinkpepper.  Her hair was pepper shaped, and pink, and thus her name.  She's riding her skeletal raptor.  I hope she has a really GOOD saddle. :D

Alrighty, my friends, sleep well and have wondrous dreams!

Sinus Infection

Well, there's a good reason I was feeling so crappy yesterday.  I've got a sinus infection and probably strep throat.  Last night it felt like a wolf was ripping out my throat every time I swallowed.  Luckily, I got in to see my dear PCP, and Jane's off to get my doxycycline.


I tried working this morning, but I was feeling so miserable I ended up using six hours of sick time.  Then I went back to bed.  The problem is, I have to be able to breathe through my nose, so that I can get my oxygen and use my CPAP.  Hopefully, this antibiotic will do the trick.  I have to be fine for my infusion next week.  We do NOT want to have to reschedule.


Now I have to watch my temp like a hawk and if it spikes up, to the ER I must go.  Actually, right now the only place I want to go is back to bed... and so I shall.


Be well, all... hugs to everyone!

Dry Mouth and other chemo Side Effects

Well, typing is much easier now that my fingernails have all split off.  Ahh, the proverbial silver lining.  But my mouth is SO dry.  I am using the Biotene mouthwash, but now I have the Taxol mouth sores, too.  Today I also started getting chills and some achiness.  Frankly, I'm just a mess. :D


My nose is sore because we have no humidity AND I get oxygen while I sleep.  So I wake up to blow my nose into a bloody wreck.  That's literal for all my British friends. ;)


I was running low on my Xylitol mints, which are a great help for dry mouth, so I ordered another batch from Amazon.  I don't really know where else to get them, and I'm kind of not supposed to go running around outside of my house until we figure out how my white counts are doing.  I'll be wearing my lovely mask when I go get my blood work done on Friday.  Darn those sick people getting blood work ... oh wait... I'm sick, too. ;)


Still have my hair, though.  I'm guessing another couple of rounds of chemo will see it falling out again.  At least it will be cool, although if you look at the Weather Channel widget, it's only going to be in the 80's again tomorrow.  But there is an Ozone health watch, which I guess is the price we are paying for the cooler weather.


Ok, that's enough whining for this post.  On the plus side, I'm seven episodes into Game of Thrones, and it's ... fantastic.  Get past the language and nudity (although ... cough... Khal Drogo... cough) and it's an amazing study of relationships, power struggles, politics and how each character either rises to their potential or falls into destruction.  Sean Bean has done a fine job as Eddard Stark, who's a moron, actually, but an honorable one... stupidly honorable.  Destroy your entire family for your honor, you boob.  And then, equally moronically, give UP your honor.  Alas.


Now, I know it's a little early, but I think I'm off to bed.  I'm just tired, and that's another one of those side effects.  Must be that triple dose; I swear it didn't get this bad last time.


Love and hugs to all.

Sunny Day

It's Saturday morning, cool with a light breeze, and the veggies are going gangbusters.  I counted five squash blossoms this morning, and the spinach is looking fantastic.


I spent some time in the past couple of days, looking through old family photos.  It brought back many memories and made me smile.  It's a bit sad, as well, seeing those that are no longer with us, but at least with the help of family photos, we'll never forget them, either.  And then there are those people we never even got to meet, like my grandparents.  Heck, my parents were old enough to be my grandparents, but it didn't help that both sets of grandparents died young.  I wonder what they were like?  


Finally began playing World Of Warcraft again, albeit half-heartedly.  I'm restless.  I had another ocular migraine yesterday, which was bizarre.  I usually go YEARS in between them, and this was four days from the last.  I know I've got some stress, which isn't being relieved in my usual manner of taking the NuStep through its paces.  But I try to make circuits around my garden, so that I can be on my feet and keep moving.  And that counts two-fold:  some exercise and an appreciation of how lucky I am that I have such a beautiful garden.  


Today we're heading back into the 90's.  We've almost had a whole week off, and it was much appreciated.  Soon we'll hit those triple digits and I won't want, or even be able to walk much in the garden.  The high temps make your heart rate go crazy, and you can hear it in your head. But of course, living here, you know how to deal with it.  Stay inside until the sun goes down, or get up and go outside before it comes up.  Do what you can to minimize its intrusion into your home.  I have Coolaroo shades on my bedroom windows, which face East.  They really do a fine job cutting the heat without limiting the light too drastically.   


Friday I go for my labs to see if that Neulasta shot has done its job and kept my white counts up.  Then the day after Memorial day, it's back to Ironwood for my six hour infusion.  I think I'll take the Netbook again.  We'll see.


Have a great weekend, all.

Jerry Edward Sepulveda, Rest Well, My Brother

My brother passed away just after 11 this morning.  He was a Halloween baby, born with an old soul.  More serious than many of us, but remember, he was the one that would choose MAD Magazine as his treat. :)


Jes and I could talk on the phone for hours.  My mom always wondered what in the hell we found to talk about, but there are infinite topics in life, and he was always ready to explain how he felt about anything or any one.  Music, movies, TV, NASCAR; he loved digging into what made each thing what it was.  His background in media gave him contacts with people 'in the business.'  I could always get the scoop on who was the biggest asshole in Hollywood, or who had incredible business acumen, or who never paid their bills, or who was amazingly shy and kind in real life.


I will miss you so much, my brother, but say hello to mom, dad, auntie, Hooper and Lobo.  I'll see you again, eventually.  

Harmon Killebrew, RIP

It always amazes me that we wait so long to put ourselves in Hospice care.  It's an American thing, I think; we just somehow believe something is coming at the last minute that will save us.  A stay of execution, if you will.   I hope I have the fortitude to play my last hand with determination and skill, and put myself in hospice so that I have some time to actually enjoy being with my family and friends at the end.  Hey, it's not like I'm not looking for that stay of execution, but I'm pretty sure, in my case, we'll get no call from the governor. ;)


Here's a blurb on Harmon Killebrew, a Hall of Famer for the Minnesota Twins.  This was a guy who sold insurance, drank root beer and had an apparently serene family life.  How did HE get this disease?  Babe Ruth, the man to whom Killebrew was many times compared, seemed much more a candidate, if you believe the profile of a patient with Esophageal Cancer.  Older man, hard-living (i.e. smoked and drank like a fish), white.  Methinks it's all some crazy crapshoot.  I apparently rolled craps.. or crap,.. either way.


Oh boy, I can look out my front window, here and see pigeons doing a mating dance.  Charming.  Well, not actually.  The boat-tailed grackles do it better.  More finesse, more showmanship, better plumage.


I haven't been playing World of Warcraft at all since the last chemo.  I just haven't felt 'good' enough.  Maybe by this weekend, I'll have more ooomph.  Ooomph would be good. :)


Well, I think now that my work day has ended, it might be time to take a little rest.  I don't say nap because I rarely sleep, but I feel the need to lie down.


Love to all!

Ocular Migraine

Early this morning, we had word that my brother is in hospital in California, after experiencing a heart attack.  Our SIL assured us that the docs say he'll be fine.  Ai chihuahua, we're all falling apart!


I got busy with my numbers and pretty pictures at work, but... wait... what?  Oh no!  I thought I was LONG past having another of them.  It was the dreaded ocular migraine.  I like to call it having a glowing aztec print utterly consume your vision. The first time it happened to me was in 2001, and I was terrified.  Sister took me to urgent care, and while we were waiting in line to sign in, it went away.  I quickly urged her to take me back home, then called my regular doc who talked to a neurologist friend who clued me in as to what it was.  It's not a problem, really, you just have to wait for it to pass.  Be quiet, be calm, and it'll run its course.  Luckily, I get the type that makes you go blind, but not the type that hurts like hades. :)  Today's lasted just over fifteen minutes.


There are many contributing factors to why one gets these:  stress (HAHAHAHA), not enough sleep to rest the eyes (Check!), and medications (ding ding ding!)  I told my sister that my medicine area in my bedroom was starting to look like the one kept padlocked in "Sweet November."  I thought that particular example was such overkill, but now, I'm not so sure. :P


For instance, I get chemo.  I take Neulasta to help get me through chemo. Then I take Vicodin to get me through Neulasta, and Compazine to get me through the Vicodin.  Better living through Chemistry?  Gods, I hope so.  Otherwise, this is all a sham and the pharmaceutical companies are the epitome of evil on earth.... hmmmm.


Still, I have crossed two of those, Vicodin and Compazine, off the list for this  round of chemo, as of today.  I've still got a bit a pain in my ankles and feet, but it's just normal achiness now, and besides, I wanted a glass of WINE!  I deserve a glass of wine! Just don't tell my doc how big this glass is... <wink, wink>.  And I am just kidding... mostly.


So, have sweet dreams, all.  Kiss your dogs, cats, husbands, wives, gerbils, llamas, or whatever needs kissing (keep it legal!), and I'll see you back here tomorrow. :)

Had an Appetite Today!

Today was the first time, for this round of chemo, that I felt like eating!  My sisters made me a slice of french toast and I also relished some lovely bacon.  Who doesn't enjoy a nibble of bacon now and then?  I sure do, and I really did this morning.


I didn't eat much for lunch, but I made some veggies and brown rice for dinner, simmered in a sweet potato and chipotle organic soup.  Oh, it was so good!  Jane went out and grabbed one of the newly grown Serrano chilies, and a good bit of the black opal basil, and we tossed that in, with some red bell pepper, grey Mexican squash, zucchini, roma tomatoes, and I finished it with a little garlic infused olive oil.  Ummmm, it was quite satisfying.  I am not eating lots, but I am eating, and that's a very good sign.  Thursday I was sure I was going to die, and frankly, I almost wanted to, and today, I can think happy thoughts, eat, and mostly agree that I can get through this round of chemo.


It's back to work, virtually, for me tomorrow.  And thank gods for the ability to keep one's mind occupied with doing something responsible and important.  Being productive and useful definitely helps keep me going.  Dr. Ramaswamy, my PCP, asked me on Friday how my mental health was keeping up through this, and I told him that of course, I cried when Dr. Fastenberg told me about the Adrenal tumor and how it had multiplied in size, but I also told him that once I cry, and get it out of my system, I'm pretty resilient.  But believe me, if I for one minute think I'm going to need some help emotionally, I have lots of resources available to me.


One of those is the oncology nurse that calls me frequently to check up on me.  This is one of my work benefits.  She convinced me that I really did need to start taking pain killers for the Neulasta problem, and we discussed how to prevent the same agony after my next round of chemo.  Her name is Beth, and she's in Minnesota, and she's fantastic!  She also helps me keep my prognosis and treatments in perspective.  


I was sorry to read that Harmon Killebrew is ending his esophageal cancer treatments, but I can certainly understand such a decision.  I admire his courage.  Safe to say, I think that decision is still quite a way off for me.  I still have a fantastic quality of life.  One of the other things Dr. Ramaswamy and I talked about was my home situation.  He's thrilled that I have such great care-givers in my sisters; that there is always someone here with me, someone to get me to treatments when I can barely move, someone to make sure I eat, and most of all someone that loves me.  Oh I have that in spades, folks. :)


So, tomorrow starts a new week, and things are looking brighter, and I'm happy, and the pain is settling into my lower extremeties, and not all over the place; I hear that's a sign it's almost over... YAY!  And if the Neulasta works, and I can do my chemo on schedule, .. then yes, even that horrible Thursday from hell was worth it.


Now, love to all; be kind and make someone smile.  

Vicodin, Praise the Gods

I SLEPT! From around 8:30PM to 3:30AM.  I SLEPT!


Because I have this weird fear of painkillers (Remember the Queen of Neuroses doesn't have to be logical), I had to force myself to take HALF a Vicodin before I tried to get to sleep.  After about a half an hour, when I didn't feel horrible, I took the second half, and that calmed the bone pain enough to get me to where I could fall asleep.  Sadly, it didn't get rid of it all.  And now what's with this weird twitching?  My legs now have a mind of their own, and start dancing around to their own beat, painful though it is.  I don't know if this is part of the Neulasta or something from the chemo.  I don't remember it from last time, but then again, last time wasn't this mega dose, either.

On to happier subjects:  We have about six serrano chilies ready to be harvested.  The squashes are just now budding, there is a second tomato on one of the other plants, and the spinach and collard greens are on steroids, apparently.  It's a good life, being a farmer. :D  Of course, you know I'm doing nothing towards the care of the 'farmland.'  That's been all Jane and Cathy.  I hope you can actually SEE the serrano in the picture above.


Anyway, today, I'm actually feeling a bit more human; haven't let out a single whimper. :)  Must go find some breakfast.  Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Neulasta... torture in a syringe

Thursday I did something I don't think I have ever done in my life:  spent the day whimpering in pain.  As it turns out, I can whimper with the best of them.  All I can say is that this damned stuff had better really be cranking out the white cells, because I'm not taking the pain very well.


Dr. R, my PCP gave me some Vicodin today.  I'm not a great taker of pain killers, but I'm going to take one of these before I try to sleep tonight.  And I think the government should reconsider torture as a method of extracting information from the bad guys.  No, not waterboarding; shoot 'em up with Neulasta.  I would have told anyone anything to get the pain to stop.


Anyway, you all know I'm kidding about the torture... mostly.  


And now, I'm going to try to get some sleep.  And dream of a place where every bone in your body doesn't feel like it's on fire.

Tortilla Soup, Bone Pain and See's Candy

It was another sunny, beautiful day here in paradise.  Got up early, got lots done for work, then headed out to get my Neulasta shot.  One of the nurses asked me if this was my first one, and when I replied in the affirmative, she pointed to her colleague and said, "well, it's her first time giving one!"


And she did a fantastic job.  Barely felt the needle going in, and she injected it very slowly and smoothly to try to mitigate the fact that it can sting quite a bit.  The effects of yesterday's chemo session were not horrible, but as the day progressed, I was feeling alternately hot and cold, and a bit achy.  Now I can feel the effects of the shot, as my bones are ... ouchy.


But, Jane made me Chicken Tortilla soup for dinner, and my oldest sister, Cee and her husband Bud had sent me a big box of dark chocolate See's Candy.  Both of these edible miracles helped to cancel quite a bit of the discomfort of the day.


Still, I'm exhausted, so I think I'll have a very early night.  And may all of you out there in Blog Land have sweet dreams.

Ai Dios Mio

Five and a half hours.  That's how long this infusion regimen lasts.  But it's only once every three weeks.  I do have to return tomorrow to get a shot of Neulasta to regenerate white blood cells.  I hear this, too, is some pricey stuff.  Joy.

I love this particular purple and white petunia. And the next shot shows the really, really fuschia ones. 

And the row of squashes is really taking off, but no sign of flowering yet.  

Finally, another shot of the black opal basil, and may I say it's looking good, and tastes marvelous!

So, the garden is doing well, and I think I am, too.  Never had a bit of nausea today, even with a triple dose of all the poisons.


Love and hugs to all.  Sweet dreams!

it's chemo time

pardon the lack of capitalization.  i'm typing this on my xoom, and with benadryl on board, capitalization is a pain.

i do like the photo quality on this,though.

well the chemo plan has changed.  we are going back  to taxol and carboplatin, and doing it every three weeks.  of course, that means triple  the dose.  gads.

well, must drink water,and this chemo will be almost five hours long.

ok,will post more later.

May Flowers

The hydrangeas have survived two days in Arizona, although they were looking a little droopy this morning.  A quick application of water had them springing back in shape in no time.


I'm having to watch how I think.  Since my visit with Dr. F on Thursday, I've been catching myself thinking about things in the future, and then reminding myself that I may not be around for that.  I don't want to do this.  I just want to live today, and whatever happens or doesn't... that's fine.  There's no sliding bar hanging over me that says I'm going to die by a specific date and time.  And I'm just not going to be DYING until I actually die.  Until then, baby, I'm LIVING!  So it's just a matter of halting that time-schedule self talk and reprogramming myself back to now.  


Because seriously, what has changed?  Just because they found another cancer doesn't mean I can't control the esophageal AND the adrenal.  The only thing that HAS changed is that I have to do the nasty chemo again, and it'll be done in a few weeks, then I'll be back to 'normal,' until we have to do it again somewhere down the road.  As long as there IS a down the road, it's all golden. :)


I have to take a couple of Decadron tabs the day before, the day of, and the day after chemo.  Back to watching my glucose like a hawk. :D


But back on the flower front, we're seeing some sprouting of the dahlias and the crocosmias.  I can't wait!  Both of these make splendid cutting flowers.  I can have fresh flowers in the house for most of the summer and fall!!


Wendy got me to play a new game:  Deathspank.  Yes, it's a parody of action adventure type games a la Diablo II and Torchlight.  It's hilarious.  Reminds me of "George of the Jungle" type cartoons from my ill-spent youth. :D


Tomorrow it's back to work, telecommuting for a while, at least until this round of chemo is over.  I'll be susceptible to infection again, and anything else that would like to get a foot-hold on my body; like I don't have enough invaders on board. ;)


Tonight, we'll be having a grilled, marinated pork loin, rice and artichoke heart salad and some other veggie choice which shall be made closer to eating time.  Happy Mother's Day to all you breeders out there.  I miss my mother, but she had a good run for most of her life.


Love to all!

YAY for 53!

What an odd number.  I actually think I liked the sound of 52 better, but I like the FACT of 53 a whole HELL of a lot more!  This morning, my sisters gifted me with a most beautiful pendant, made from two perfect peridots that a very sweet friend of mine had given me.


I think it looks like a shooting star.  What it is, though, is a reminder of all the good things in my life, and all the people that love me and care about me, so I am going to wear it every time I have chemo.  It's going to give me strength.


My birthday, today, was quite wonderful on many levels:

• I got here
• I got... hydrangeas!
• I had Mahi Mahi for dinner
• Many people sent me birthday wishes on FB :)
• I felt so very loved today, as I do every day!

So, about those hydrangeas.  They came with the UPS man.  I was stunned, excited, and frankly scared.  I love hydrangeas, but I'm not sure I can keep them alive.  They are definitely NOT going outside.  I wonder if you can grow them in one of those counter top herb growing things?

OH!  We have a tomato and a Jalapeno!  And from the looks of it, Fred will have at least one lemon this year.  I'm so happy!

Yep it was a great day, and as for the future, I'm taking it as it comes.  And I'll be thrilled with every day I get, and that's one hell of a gift, I'm thinking.

Love to all. :)

Well, Poo

I didn't get my infusion of Herceptin today.  It seems Dr. F only got to look at my PET Scan results today.  The mass on my adrenal gland has doubled in size since February.  Not a good thing, that.  


There was a bit of good news in the mix, though.  One of the lymph nodes in my chest has resolved and is no longer an issue.  However, now there is one behind my airway that is involved.  The main 'evil tumor' is just in limbo at the moment, neither growing nor shrinking.  


Tuesday I begin another round of good old toxic chemo.  I'll be taking taxotere and my herceptin will continue.  I'll lose my hair again, which is no loss; I've despaired of it since it grew back anyway. 


I have a call in to work and I'm waiting for them to call me back.  Dr. F thinks I can work around this.  That's good news, actually.  He would not hesitate to tell me if he thought I should stop working.


And, now, may I say that I am VERY disappointed in Pac Man.  That unreliable bastard.  :)


I'm going to go outside and look at my 'farmland' and smell my verbena, and gaze lovingly at my petunias.

Pain in the Neck

Actually, I have a literal pain in my neck.  It only hurts when I cough, or laugh, sometimes when I swallow, and occasionally when I breathe.  When you have cancer, you try hard not to leap to the conclusion that every pain you have is another tumor, or that the cancer has wandered.  I try to tell myself, 'Self, you just had a PET Scan.  If your cancer had spread anymore, the PET would have caught it!"  I'm so happy I have a logical mind.  Too bad I have to keep such a tight rein on the Queen of Neuroses.


Tomorrow is my pre-infusion lab work and then Thursday I will be seeing my Medical Oncologist, Dr. Fastenberg.  I'm sure he's thrilled we finally got that PET Scan done. :)  After I see him, it's off to get my Herceptin infusion.  I was wheezing like crazy today; had lots of breathing treatments.  It's the weather.  I'm allergic to just about every plant on the planet.  Yet, I love them all.  Oh well.  My worst allergic reaction is to Bermuda grass.  Guess what is the most widely-planted and grown grass in the Phoenix Metropolitan area?  But of course! :D


Oh, there are so many things sprouting in the 'farmland' now.  The spinach is up, as are the collard greens.  We've got one tomato coming.  And it's almost time to rig up the shade so my tomato plants don't fry.  It was a warm one today.  That sun of ours can really suck the life out of things.  Then, of course, the wind blows and it gets so dusty you can't see the Superstition Mountains.  But let me tell you, there is no place like this on earth, and though I may sound like I am not a fan of the desert, I adore it here.  We have skies that take your breath away.  (No, not the smog, or the dust!  The beauty!)


Anyway, the pain made me decide to telecommute today instead of going in to the plant.  In order to keep the pain at bay, I'm making old man sounds in my throat, because it hurts so damned much to do a really good COUGH!  And these sounds are annoying me, so I don't even want to expose my poor team mates to it.  Not to mention, it's tiring me out. 


Oh, and the dahlias and crocosmias are planted.  I can't wait until they bloom... I LOVE FLOWERS!!!! 


Well, love to all, and may you have good health and a long life!