Cancer bites.

There is a lot of psychological torture involved when dealing with cancer.  Yes, physically it's hideous, but I think the hardest part for me is dealing with the emotional side of it.  I am barely speaking to anyone this morning because I am so afraid of what today's CT will reveal.  I think I'll go hit the Xanax.

"They" say that the first sign of depression is that you don't want to do things that have always given you pleasure.  I'm mostly just sitting here staring at my computer, but I did go kill the Greench in Hilsbrad with my Tauren Druid, so I would say there's no depression on board here... just anxiety.  Oh yeah, anxiety... I have PLENTY of that.

And just what does anxiety do for you?  Well, physically, it makes me want to vomit.  Or have diarrhea, or all of the above.  Peachy, eh?  And I expect it's the anxiety that's making me really wheezy this morning.  I always take my Xopenex inhaler with me for the CT because I always react to the dratted Iodine.  I take one hit pre CT, and then another hit post CT.

So, this morning I am scared.  I hate being scared.  It's so... cowardly. ;)  Can't help it, though.  So much rides on the results of this CT.  DO I have a future?  I think, even if we don't get good news, there should still be some options.  Why do I get like this?  Normally, I can live in the moment, but not on CT day.... nope.  All my coping mechanisms are broken this morning.  I did just take a Xanax, though.  I'll probably take another when I get to Ironwood.  I do still despise the donut.

 

Don't let them fool you, there is no smiling tech with you when the scanning starts.  TRICKERY!!!!  They run off to another room, with a wall of lead between you and them.  No, you get the disembodied voice telling you to hold your breath.  Not likely, toots.  Don't have that much breath to hold.  I do my best though, not to move.  I breathe really shallowly.  So far it's worked well enough.  Come on Xanax, do your job.

Anywho, the CT is what's on my agenda for today, then tomorrow it's pre-chemo lab work, and then Thursday... may or may not be chemo, depending on the results of the CT... I do NOT want another phone call today with the words:  "I have good news and I have bad news, which do you want first?"

Keep warm, love and hugs to all. :)

Happy Christmas From the Tauren Druid

Happy Christmas from Magnolia the druid, and her festive mount.  Please note the gaudy Holiday Sweater she got from Greatfather Winter.  Tsk, tsk.

Oh, and that rib eye roast?


SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love to all. :)

Ugh, no Sleeping

I had to get up and do a breathing treatment, and if you know anything about albuterol, which is what I nebulize in my hookah, you know it makes your heart race, and wires you for sound.  For instance, I'm sitting here at my computer, and my HR is 122, and I can't stop shaking my left leg.... that's one way to get exercise, I guess. ;)


So, I've been playing World of Warcraft.  I just mute my system so I don't wake up the whole household.  There seem to be plenty more insomniacs on line tonight, so I was enjoying a chat with Smacky, a very handsome Orc warrior that is totally epic'd out.  He had kindly notified me that a rare was up, if I was interested in taming it as a pet, since I was on Kauket, my lovely Orc Hunter.  Alas, I would have needed some druid back up, and since I had just started the Firelands quests on Kauket, I did not have them at my disposal.  And believe me, Kauket is NOT epic'd out. :)


Playing World of Warcraft (WoW) when you are having trouble breathing serves an important purpose; it helps me relax, believe it or not.  That way, I stop getting anxious and feeling impending doom.  Anxiety is the worst thing you can develop in the face of an asthma episode.  And yet, it's almost always going to happen because let's face it, it's scary when you can't breathe!  But with the anxiety comes more shortness of breath.


I like to use both WoW and the power of numbers to keep me from getting too neurotic.  For instance, I have my Pulse Oxymeter, which tells me my HR and my Oxygen saturation level (the level of oxygenation in my blood).  Obviously, if my O2 level is showing at 99%, I am in really good shape.  And the breathing treatment that I did earlier is having good results.  I got a little worried I'd be heading to the ER this evening, but I think I'm going to be fine.  I'll just keep an eye on my sats.


Now, I guess since I am nowhere near being able to sleep, I should return to World of Warcraft.


Peace!

Oh My Nose

I am sick.  I don't know if I caught a cold somehow, or if I've got the beginnings of a sinus infection, but I can't breathe through my nose and my throat is sore from post nasal drip.  Of course, not being able to breathe through my nose means I can't use my CPAP when I sleep, nor my O2.  I hate having blocked sinuses.  I don't have a fever though, so that's a good sign.


We had a virtual ticket to BlizzCon for this weekend.  Watching was a double-edged sword.  There was so much information about what's coming in the future, including Diablo III, and the new World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria.  I'm happily anticipating being able to play both, and yet I have to wonder if I will still be able to play by the time they go into production.  I'm thinking that if this current chemo regimen continues to have good results, then I should be able to partake of both DIII and the new WoW expansion.


Back to the "I am sick" part; I'm hitting my hookah even as I type.  This whatever has already started to impact my lungs.  But I will keep an eye on it and call my pulmo if things take a bad turn.  I do have Levaquin and Prednisone here on hand if I need it.  Hate them both, though.


On a happy note, I have decided to get my sisters Kindle Fires for Winter Solstice.  No worries about spilling the beans as they already know what they are getting.  At least Jane and Nancy, that is.  Cathy is getting completely different stuff, and Wendy and Dean; well the jury is still out on them. :)


Now, I think I'm going to play a little bit of World of Warcraft, then get to bed early.  I'm feeling so puny and weak.  It IS chemo week, so that's not surprising.


Love, hugs and kisses to all!

Sleepy... so sleepy!

Here I am, in the fifth round of my Camptosar/Xeloda clinical trial.  Apparently, this is the sleeeeepy phase.  All I want to do is sleep.  And believe me, if I lie down, I sleep.  I can sleep 20 hours a day right now.  But, I am trying to stay upright more than 4 hours at a time. :)


Dr. Fastenberg did warn me that the fatigue would be a cumulative effect of this regimen.  Because it's Saturday, I only have a few more days of the Xeloda then I get my week off.  YAY for the week off!


Outside, the sun is shining brightly and my bougainvillea and hibiscus are spreading colorful cheer all over the place.  We have some parts of the back garden that need a good clean up after the past week of storms, hail, lightning, and dust storms.  The gazebo over the spa needs to come down.  Besides, the Indian Rosewood tree is now providing ample shade, and looks glorious, too!


Jane's going to make one of my favorite dinners tonight: chicken, rice and spinach.  I don't know why I love rice and spinach so much, but of course, it has to be the RIGHT rice; whole grain red, brown, some rye, some barley.  I guess it's more of a rice and grain mixture, rather than plain rice.  


Tomorrow, my Chicago family, Jon and Michelle, are going to join us in a dungeon run.  I may not make it, if I am very tired, but we have enough of us to make it doable.  Wendy will be there; if there is one thing that playing World of Warcraft does for us, it helps keep our family members connected, even though they are across the country.  Where it's cold.  I want some cold!  :D


So, fatigue is the explanation for why I haven't posted on the blog in a while.  But I am doing well, so no worries.  Everyone tells me I look great, that I don't look sick... well, except for the weird hair.  And that reminds me.... NANCY!  Get out the dog clippers!


Hugs and love to all!

No Appetite

Losing your appetite is just another part of the whole chemotherapy journey.  It's my Chemo Week ON, which means I'm having chemo, in one form or another, for the entire week.  Tuesday starts Chemo Week OFF. :)


When I find it hard to eat, my sisters work diligently to tempt me.  Today, Jane made Steak Tagliata with Fresh Vegetable Salsa.  The salsa was scrumptious and complemented the steak with fresh, vibrant flavors.  Didn't eat much of it, but what I had was fantastic!  I'm trying to make sure I eat plenty of protein, so there is a bunch of greek yogurt in the fridge.  I like to mix it with granola or my muesli.


Tomorrow my sisters and I are going to do another all-sister dungeon run in World of Warcraft.  Hopefully, we can get past the first boss in this one.  Last time we tried, we just didn't have our hearts in it, and the boss kicked our pixels. But, we've gotten better gear, enchanted up, added gems, and I got my healer to level 83, so that should help a bit. 


And that's it for this post.  I'm tired, I hurt, I feel like crap, but it's only three more days until this week's chemo is done, and I can start to recover.  Love to all, and share some hugs!

And a New Week Begins...

...thus, tomorrow, I have to go have vials of blood siphoned from my poor arm.  I guess I had better start drinking lots of water as soon as I get up.  It helps the blood flow, you know. ;)


Tuesday is chemo infusion day with the Camptosar, and then the Xeloda tablets start Tuesday afternoon.  This is round four for this iteration of chemotherapy.  But I had a great weekend.  We ran World of Warcraft dungeons out the wazoo today, and two of my sisters got a cool dragon mount.  If I had gotten one, I'd have taken a picture so I could show you.  Maybe next weekend.  But I do love having an all-sister dungeon party. :)

Actually, the dragon they got today looks a bit like the one I am riding above.  Well, my Tauren Druid is riding it.  I'd be too scared, myself. :D  This one is an Albino Drake, and they got a Bronze Drake.


I've been tired, so I've been reading a lot because that just taxes my eyes and not the rest of me.  I do love to read.  Plus it makes me forget how much I dread my chemo week ON. :P  Oh well, as my dentist and I talked about, as long as I still have fun, and have good days, I'm happy.  But you know, in the back of my mind, no matter how much I try to keep it out of there, I still know another scan is coming and I'm running out of options.  Ugh, I hate those scans... well, not the scans themselves, but the waiting for the results.  I could surely use some good results for a change. :)


Alrighty, I'm off to bed.  Don't worry about me, I still have tons of red in my health bar; not ready to head out of this world just yet. I'm still hanging in, hoping against hope that I get an invite to the Diablo III beta.  Come on, Blizzard, make my day!

And a PINK Fedora

Nancy and Jane came home with a Pink Fedora today.  It's exactly the same as the purple, yet in a very fetching shade of pink.  Thank heavens that opens up many more fashion options for all those exciting chemos and doctors visits. :D


We had a great time today, doing an all-sister run of World of Warcraft dungeons.  Today we did one we hadn't done before, and it was such fun figuring out how to take down one of the bosses.


I was the healer today.  :)  I started playing healer classes way back in City of Heroes.  That was when I had breast cancer.  I found it very therapeutic to run around healing people, even as I was counting on my doctors to heal me.  But, I hadn't played my priest as a healer in quite a while, so I was a bit rusty at the outset, but settled right down into a decent rhythm.  Yes there were a few deaths, especially on that one boss, but once we got him squared away, the rest of the dungeon went swimmingly.  The main thing is, we had fun!  And, Wendy was with us, which made it even better.  I think we should make Saturday dungeon-running day.  ;)


Monday I have to go get my pre-chemo blood work done, and then Tuesday I go in for my Camptosar infusion, and start up the Xeloda pills again.  That was a fast week off!


Now off to bed for me.  Enjoy your Sunday, my friends. :)

It's Chemo Week Off!

Already I have discovered my appetite is back.  I want really, really GOOD raviolis.  Which is weird, since I rarely eat raviolis.  I guess cravings don't make any sense; you just know you want something.

Hey, have I mentioned that I'm sick to death of squash?  We learned a great lesson this year on the farming front:  try not to plant too much of any one thing. ;)  Yes, the squash are still producing, but I think Sunshine Acres is going to be getting all the rest.  I can't even LOOK at squash right now...lol.

Still, we have probably 25-30 chili pepper plants of various varieties and I don't have a problem with them.  You can dry them, you can use them in every meal under the sun, you just can't get sick of chili peppers!  Oh, and the tomatoes; how amazing that we did it all right this year.  The flavors just explode in your mouth.  When you cook with them, it's stunning.  When you eat them just as is, with a little salt and pepper, heavenly. 

I just need the larger chilies to mature, like the pasillas.  I am dying for a spectacular chile relleno.  I wonder if I could manage a trip to Tia Rosa's restaraunt this week?  Despite it being my chemo week off, I'm still kinda weak from the chemo week ON. :D 

Good lords, it is time for bed and all I can think about is food.  See what happens when the chemo stops for just a bit?  But, I think this chemo is working.  And I say this because those referencing pains in my throat and shoulder are all but gone.  Yes, I had something very like a muscle spasm in my shoulder today, but it was way different than the 'normal' pain.  Still, it's early in this cycle, and while I do not want to get my hopes up, I refuse not to be optimistic.  I can be just as big a pollyanna as anyone else!

Ok, before I think up more food items to crave, I'm going to play a little more World of Warcraft, then get to bed.  I'm having fun with my undead Rogue, Ynez.  I rarely play her, but today, I got her to level 84.  Maybe it's all tied in with the weird cravings!

Love, hugs, and prayers for good health and long life to everyone!

Only 8 More Xeloda for this Round

I made myself a grilled pepper jack cheese on sourdough with sliced, fresh tomato.  Gotta have something hearty in your tummy before you start taking your Xeloda.  I did my four morning Xeloda along with a B6 and two Turmeric caps.  I have to take four more Xeloda with dinner tonight, then four more with breakfast tomorrow and then I get a week off!  It's not a complete week off; I need to visit my pulmonary doc on Friday.  :)


Last night the Valley of the Sun fell asleep to the sounds of a good summer monsoon.  Lots of wind, rain and thunder and lightning.  It was noisy and yet comforting in the familiarity of nature doing its summer thing.  And gods know we needed the rain.


I finished reading "A Dance with Dragons" by George RR Martin.  It was more of the same, which isn't a bad thing.  But, listen dude, some of us don't have EIGHT YEARS to wait for your next installment, so I respectfully request that you get cracking and get "The Winds of Winter" published.


Jane's scheduled for her colonoscopy tomorrow.  When you have a strong genetic link to that cancer, colonoscopies are something you do with alarming frequency.  My great grandfather, grandfather, father, and oldest brother all died from colon cancer.  My cousin Diane told me that her mom, my Aunt Annie, also had it, although she survived it.  But no one in my family ever had breast cancer, nor esophageal, nor adrenal gland cancer.  I always did have to be different. :D


Now, I'm off to brush my teeth and play a little World of Warcraft then maybe take a nap.  I feel a bit tired today.  Love to all, and be happy today!

Some Problems

I've got pain in my shoulder and throat.  The throat pain is on the right side, near my collar bone, and the shoulder is right side as well.  Coughing is painful, and if you know me, I'm a big cougher, due to my degenerative lung disease.  Strangely, nose blowing and ... sorry,... belching, is also painful.  But what really gets my shoulder is the nose blowing.  Yet, normal breathing, even taking the deepest breath I can, hurts neither my throat, nor my shoulder.


So, we'll be discussing this with Dr. Fastenberg tomorrow.  Maybe I just have a pinched nerve somewhere.  Yeah, that's the ticket. :D

Here's a photo of a Paladin and her Seahorse.  It's pretty rainbow-bright in the depths of Vashj'ir.  Luckily, you get a spell cast upon you that allows you to breathe underwater... HANDY!


And now, it's off to bed for me.  Aetna called to say Dr. F had sent them the paperwork for my leave, to which I replied, "Holy Moses!"  Remember the last leave?  That was a little stressful, but it looks like this batch of paperwork didn't get lost in the shuffle. :D


Sweet dreams to all, and may you give and receive many, many hugs.

When Phlebotomy Goes Wrong...

Ok, it didn't go wrong, really.  And I had to keep telling the phlebotomist that the problem was ME, and not her, so try again.  First stick?  Into a little vein in my forearm, two inches below the crook of my elbow.  


This was my regular blood-letter, and this is where she got the blood three weeks ago.  But, it blew out.  Ok, second stick?  Just to the side of the crook of my elbow.  I've had good luck with that one.  But, it blew out.


Now the plebotomist has tears in her eyes and offers to go get someone else.  "Honey, it's not you.  You know I have crappy veins, and you aren't even hurting me.  Let's try one more."


Third stick's the charm!  Into the hand she goes.  This is NOT my favorite place, but it did the job, and we both felt much better.  But, I have to say, you should have seen the looks on peoples' faces as I slowly hobbled out of there with three bandages on my one arm.  I saw one guy just turn white as a sheet.  Hehehe, I feel bad that I enjoyed that. :D


The point is, the pain involved in a needle piercing your skin isn't worth worrying about.  It's inconsequential, in the general scheme of pain.  Oh yes, I know that very well.


But that's not to say that you can't experience real, ugly pain during a blood-letting.  Just hit a nerve.... oy VEY!  Anywho, all you future phlebotomists out there, yes, care about your patients and their comfort, but don't let one bad stick screw with your self-confidence.  You can do it!  Be strong, and always approach your patient as if YOU are the gold standard for phlebotomists.


I am SO tired right now.  I'm dreading the six hour chemo tomorrow; not the actual infusion because that's cake, but the week following it is more like ... well, I can't come up with a good food analogy, but it's bad. :D


I'll probably post during the infusion; I'm taking the BIG RED gaming laptop with me tomorrow.  May as well get in some World of Warcraft while the poisons seep into my body. ;)


Stay well, all.  Hugs to everyone!

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!!!

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.

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!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I don't want to whine about being cold, when in reality, it's a hell of a lot better out here than in most of the rest of the country.  And yet... it's so cold!  I think it hurts us so much because we are not prepared for it.   It's like when Chicago gets to be 100.  They are not prepared for that, either.  And by prepared, I mean we're not USED to it; we don't really have the clothes for it, nor the fortitude.

Got to telecommute today, as I mentioned in yesterday's blog.  This was good in several ways.  One, I doubt I could have got myself up to my desk in a timely manner.  Like ... oh, in time to get ready to go home.  But I am going in to the plant tomorrow.  Despite the physical exhaustion, I get a quite amazing emotional boost from being there.  It's something I really need to sustain my optimism as I fight this cancer.  I see such hope for the future in our programs, and in our youngest team members.  How can you NOT be optimistic!  I want to be around for many more years yet, and I think being engaged in the workforce, and doing a job I adore is definitely part of the equation.

It's kind of odd, the enjoyment I got out of some of my more mundane responsibilities today.  Things that normally would have made me roll my eyes in disdain actually perked me up today.  Oh the joy that is administrative tasks. :D

Oh, and I haven't missed playing World of Warcraft one bit.  I mean think about it; I got to play it any time I could drag myself to a computer, while I was out on leave.  Of course, yesterday by the time I got home from work, all I wanted to do was sit in my green chair and click on my TV's remote while wrapped up in a cozy blanket.  I did get in a little play time after dinner tonight, though.

Yes, life is amazingly good to me, all things considered.  Now, all of you out East, please be safe and warm.  I love many of you; and you know who you are. :)

Cough

Goopy cough this morning.  But the coffee is good! :)

I have to call the doc this morning anyway so that I can get my 'get out of jury duty free' letter.  They don't actually open until 11 AM, so I have time.  I just hate having things like this hanging over my head.  Oh the stress. :D

We saw the owls again yesterday.  The biggest of the two could probably take my smallest chihuahua, but I'm thinking they already have a smorgasbord of feral cats from which to choose.  From where they were roosting yesterday, they overlook the yard of a woman who feeds feral cats.  Yep, smorgasbord.  It's nesting time for them, too, and I am guessing the big one is the female.  She doesn't look like she's been starving in any way. 

Encouraging news from Medscape on early response to Chemotherapy in esophageal cancers.  Read it here!  I think we did my CT after four chemos and found shrinkage of the tumors.  Look at those statistics; median age 62, and 91% male.  But I have been reading more and more about people in their 30's and 40's being diagnosed.  To what are we being exposed?  Is it something in our food?  Our water?  The air we breathe? 

And on a sad note, I mourn the passing of Jack LaLanne, a fixture of my childhood.

Well, I guess I'll go hit the shower and then play a little World of Warcraft before I call the doctor.  Be safe, warm and kind, people.  Adios!

Saturday Night

So, I guess I don't do the triple dose of Herceptin without some backlash.  It's hard to describe how I felt Thursday afternoon.  Mostly, I felt cold, and achy.  Ok, being Winter, I might expect cold, but it wasn't that cold on Thursday.

I normally don't like to read about medication side effects, but yes, Herceptin has some doozies. :D  I especially like the part about the lung side effects.  But I'm hoping that like almost every drug I have ever taken, I won't be one of those affected.  And, as I noted in an earlier post, my MO is having my heart function monitored every three months.

I just don't feel GOOD.  But hey, that's life; good days, bad days.... at least I HAVE days. :D 

Time for a breathing treatment.  Thank goodness for Albuterol via Small Volume Nebulizer, or SVN.  I have a bookshelf in my bedroom that has nothing but boxes full of vials of albuterol.  Now that I'm getting my meds at three months' worth, I get a LOT of boxes.  But talk about a feeling of security.  I guess I don't have to stress about running out any time soon. ;)

I watched a Chefography last night on Nigella Lawson.  Talk about a life affected by cancer!  She lost her mother, her sister and her husband, all very young.  I actually never paid much attention to her shows, but I found the Chefography to be quite interesting.  I think it was on the Food Network.  I wasn't feeling great, and that leads to TV watching because it's easy.

So, that's pretty much why I haven't posted since Thursday.  Wasn't feeling quite up to snuf, and didn't have anything pithy to say. :D

Oh dear gods, I got a summons for Jury Duty in the mail today.  My PC already sent a letter to the Federal court to get me dismissed from the last summons.  But this one is Mesa Superior Court.  That means I have to call Dr. R and go see him for another letter.  You see, I cough, and I have a weakened immune system, and I have to use medical machinery several times a day.  "Pardon me, you honor, but I have to go do a breathing treatment again.  Can we recess for the third time?"

The sad part is that when I was young and healthy, I really enjoyed doing jury duty.  It was interesting to me.  Everyone should experience how the justice system works.  (or sometimes DOES NOT work)  Never pass up an opportunity for new learning experiences, folks.

Anywho, I really would have liked to do it, but... oh well.

I think I'll go play for a while....a little World of Warcraft.  And you all have a great Saturday Night, and ... a SPECTACULAR Sunday. 

Herceptin Thursday!

Oh yes, that's tomorrow.  My triple dose, YAY!  And so far, so good on the heart function front.  Too bad the stuff that's supposed to kill your cancer cells does all kinds of crappy stuff to the rest of you.  Hang in there, body!  We can do this!

I got some play time in today.  My intrepid Orc Hunter, Kauket spent a few days looking for a rare pet, and finally found a Spirit Bear, but I haven't yet taken a picture of her.  Kauket named her new bear companion Ursula.

Here she is earlier this week flying around Sholazar Basin, in search of a couple of rare spawns that never showed.  That must be what makes 'em so rare! :D

Well, I'll post tomorrow from Ironwood Cancer and Research Center whilst I have my exciting infusions.  Keep warm, share love, and dream happy dreams.

In Sympathy for my Frozen Eastern Friends...

... It's supposed to be rather cold here, too.  Thursday and Friday, our highs are predicted to be 49... FORTY NINE!!!!  I had to check to make sure I hadn't mistakenly called up the forecast for Bismark, North Dakota!

Oh holy cow.  Good thing Julie made me all those knitted goodies.  I'm wearing my Pittsburgh Steelers' Daniel Sepulveda jersey, but I'll tell you now, it won't cut it with THOSE temperatures. 

Well, the lows are going to be 30 degrees those two days.  I may actually have to break down and turn on the heat pump.  Or, I could grab the chihuahuas and use them as heating devices and just stay in bed.  No, that won't work.  Gotta go do a blood draw on Wednesday, and chemo on Thursday.  Argh... I'll have to go OUT INTO IT!  What if it snows?  I can't drive in snow.  I can't even be outside in snow.  ... calm down, woman... it won't snow.  IT WON'T SNOW!

Whoa, I almost got hysterical there. :D  But seriously, that's pretty freaking cold, and the forecast does say rain both those days.  Time to get out the REAL coat, I guess... you know, wool, as opposed to fleece. ;)  I wear it a couple of times a year.

And in the spirit of the season, here is my Undead Rogue, Ynez, on her festive Holiday Mount, flying over the vast continent of Northrend.

Have a lovely Monday, everyone.  Be safe, warm and loved.