Monthly Archives: August 2013

Day 3 on The chemo Tour

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Guess what I am doing? Can’t? I am sitting on my ass and the chemo is following! Last night went well. I took my sleeping meds and was out when they started my chemo. I did wake up enough to move so she could access my port. I then woke up at 1:30 am because I had to use the bathroom and then again at 4:30 am when the teach and RN came in to check my vitals and change my fluids. We had a nice talk. They helped me pick a good RN to ask for the day shift and so far Helen has been spot on. I am sure all the RN’s here are great but I am getting a very high dose of chemo and other meds, that I want the best. So now I have Theo, Tiffany and Helen to request. Of course my main man, Theo, has the weekend off and is improving his education by taking two oncology classes on Monday and Tuesday!! What! On well, I will see him in September.

Shout Out

My Poor Man!!! He is the best husband in the world. He comes down every night, with his beer cooler, goes out on Peachtree to get dinner, watches TV with me and works on his computer. Gets me Hot Coco  and then watches me get my sleep medicine. Does he then go to sleep? He tires….but at last, that man gets no sleep. The beeping, the RN’s coming and turning on the lights, him calling the RN’s…..I feel so bad for him. He is a trooper. And I am so lucky to have him.

Had a morning visitor! Rebecca came down with Dunkin Donuts coffee and a couple of donuts! Wonderful! The three of sat a talked and then she and I went for a short walk. It was nice to talk about stuff other than cancer, chemo, and am I peeing enough. For the record, I am.

Not too much more to write. Things are going well so far. Have a wonderful day! Live Life Loud!!

 

 

 

Whatcha Reading? What am I listening to?

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Whatcha Reading?

I found a book to read!! My friend Kristen suggested I check out The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

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  • The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.—From Amazon.com

I am really enjoying the story but right now I am at the point where the main character has to make a dig decision and I just hope she doesn’t make the wrong one! The book takes place in San Francisco and flash backs to the wine country. This makes me miss our friends Aidan and Kysha and long for good wine, crusty bread and yummy cheese.

Three days later…

I finished the book. I really enjoyed it however there were times that I did not like the main character, Victoria. She makes some choices that I found inconceivable as a mother. Thankfully she realises her faults and makes the best decision. It just takes her a bit to get there. I totally suggest the book!  I need to come up with a rating system… Should it be a Paw rating or Beak rating?  What do you think??

What am I listening to?

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Right now I am listening to the new album by The Civil Wars that came out on August 6th. I have been a fan of the duo when I first heard them interviewed on NPR before their first album came out. I loved their work on the Hunger Games soundtrack and was upset when I read they had broken up. Thankfully they came to their senses and got back together!  After only listening to it a few times, the stand out songs for me are The One That Got Away, a cover of the Smashing Pumpkins song Disarm and Scared Heart which is song by Joy in french.

For those who are not familiar with The Civil Wars here is some information about them.

  • The Civil Wars is a duo composed of singer-songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White. Williams and White met in 2008 during a song writing session or “writing camp” at a music studio in Nashville, Tennessee. In an exclusive interview, Williams stated that the band name was generated, “As I was driving around town looking at all the Civil War monuments I thought about all the wars that we each face. So the name came about that way.”  According to their website, the group’s name, The Civil Wars, and their song “Poison and Wine,” sum up their thematic direction. They are about the good, the bad, and the ugly of relationships.-From Wikipedi, the free encyclopedia

Readers!!! What are you listening too?

Cycle 2 Day 2

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I started my frist round of chemo 9:30pm last night. I had go through a 4 hour pre-hydration cycle. I also had to take two huge horse pills of potassium since I was low. Then they gave me a boost of magnesium. Not sure what all that was about but we have gotten taken care of. While I was on my own, I unpacked some things and tried to make my room/bed more homey. The pillows were the buy of the week! Glad we brought those.

I took my sleeping meds while the chemo was going and fell asleep around 10:30pm. I didn’t wake up till 4am mainly because I had to pee so made. Just so happen the tech came in and took my vitals. All good. I was able to fall asleep till about 7am but then the machines started beeping. Thankfully Theo came back to work and got me on his rounds. He is my favorite RN. Last nights RN was late starting the pre-meds and I can’t stand when people are late…I even called! OH MY….. (I later found out from Theo that the clock in my room was 15min fast! Don’t I feel like a tool!?)

Later in the day

When I was first writing this I got really tired and figured I would take a cat nap. I wasn’t sure if I would fall asleep but I did so for about an hour. Theo came in to start me on my premeds and right after he left, my friend Dona C. came in for a visit. She brought me a mini coffee maker! How nice! The coffee here SUCKS! She also brought two packets of hot coco I can make. Yummy. Thank You Dona!

Cycle 2 is done. I start my premeds again at 10:30 and chemo at 11:00pm. I am on two kinds of medications right now, so I am always attached to the hospital christmas pole. Calanet came down for a visit and my parents came a little later. My Mom and I went for a walk Off The Floor! Woot! We went down to the lobby, mom bought some goodies and we went outside for a little walk. It was nice but once we went inside one if my machines started peeping. We got back to the 7th floor and I found Theo down one of the halls “Theo! I am beeping!!” That got a laugh out of him and the RN next to him. He fixed me up and I headed back to my room.

Now I am hanging out with the parents, me and my dad on our laptops and mom reading on her kindle. I’m waiting for my boys to come on down. Can’t wait to see them.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

The Little F&@ker is Shrinking!

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It’s Shrinking!!

Guess where I am right now? I am in the hospital!! Woot! Woot! I went in this morning to have my CT scan done. Afterwards we headed up to see the doctor. First, I had to get my lab work done, which is having blood drawn and peeing in a cup. Karen, the RN, stated she would access my port to draw the blood. I asked her if it was going to hurt. “Won’t hurt me”, she replied. That had me laughing. She said some people said it hurts a little and some say don’t feel a thing. Well, let me tell you, those people who say they don’t feel anything are liars. I felt something alright. It felt like someone pushed a push-pin into my chest, twice. However, it was nice knowing I won’t be poked for a while.

Dr. Read was very happy with my scans. He said he would have been happy if the tumor had just stopped growing but for it so have shrunk a little, he was very excited. Made me and the family very happy to hear him say that. He also said that I would have four total treatments. After that we will look at the tumor and see if it can be surgically removed or if they can zap it with radiation. We are crossing our fingers for the surgery.

I am all checked in and am waiting for my RN, Theo (got a big hug from him), to start my chemo. As with last time, I won’t be able to post any pictures but I am taking them for a “hospital photo” post when I get back. Thanks again for all your prayers and positive vibes.

Talented Family…

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My Talented Family

My Dad!

My Dad!

I have some really talented people in my family. I am going to tell you about two of them today. First is my Dad, Kerry J.Grinkmeyer. He has written a children’s book called The Christmas Web. The following is an explanation on how the tradition came about.

The day after Thanksgiving, 1992, we introduced the Christmas Web in our home with the placement of Magic Wands into their socks that had for years been hung at the fireplace mantel. Attached to each Magic Wand was a piece of yarn (a 70 yard piece of yarn). When our two teen-aged children came down Christmas morning, they found that the yarn was wound through the house – around window latches, door knobs, chairs and doors. It ended in a closet or cabinet which held their special Christmas gift from one of Santa’s elves, an elf who had been looking out for them for the past year and knew of their desire for this special Christmas gift.– From The Christmas Web website.

The Christmas Web

The Christmas Web

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He has been chosen by Wal-Mart for their Get On the Shelf contest and he needs your help! Please go to the website daily and vote! If he gets enough votes, he will move on to the next level of the competition. The link will take you to the page where you can vote daily.

My SIL, Ginger!

My SIL, Ginger!

Next is my sister-in-law Ginger Grinkmeyer. I have known Ginger since we were both 17, so really she is my sister. Anyway, she has always been very talented. Getting a gift from her, is an event. You feel bad opening them since the wrapping it’s a piece of art on its own. She has a thriving business down in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, called The Workshop. Her website, Spools of Twine, also sells some of her art.

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She was recently featured on the SolWal website. It is a wonderful article about her and the workshop. There is also a great video at the end of article. Please go look at it. If you are down in Santa Rosa Beach (50 Uptown Grayton Circle, #3, Grayton Beach, Florida 32459) or near the area go check out her store. You will be happy that you did!

I love my family and you should too! :)

Timber’s First Vet Visit

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I took Timber to his first Vet fist at Powers Ferry Animal Hospital. The hospital is very close to our home so we have driven by it a lot, so I thought we should give it a try.

Car ride to the vet

Car ride to the vet

As always, Timber was super excited about the car ride.

Powers Ferry Animal Hospital

Powers Ferry Animal Hospital

As usual, we got to the vet early, so I took Timber for a walk around the parking lot and dog run area. Timber was excited about all the new smells and did his part in letting everyone he had been there.

Front desk

Front desk

The hospital is about a year or two old. It use to be located in strip mall close by until the built a brand new hospital. I was shocked the see the place was carpeted! Luckily, Timber was on his behaver and did not have an accident. The women at the front desk were all very nice and commented on how handsome and well-behaved Timber was. I said Thank You (like I had anything to do with it). We only had to wait for about a minute after we checked in before we were led to the examination room.

Waiting for our turn

Waiting for our turn

Once again, the room was carpeted and everything was fresh and new. It didn’t smell like dog or cats to me but once we entered the room, Timber’s nose went crazy. He was smelling every nook and cranny. I wish he could tell me who all had been there!

Our room

Our room

The Tech came in and asked a few questions about Timber. She also asked if he had been microchipped. I said no, cause that would be something I knew right? She then took him back to weight him and take his temperature. He came back and guess what! He is microchipped! What? She showed me the wand thing they use and sure enough a code popped up when she waved it over his back. She gave me information so I could register him with Petlink.net. Super cool! Timber weights 84 pounds. Oh pickles!

Being a good dog.

Being a good dog.

Next the Vet came in. His name is Dr. Miller and the first thing did after shaking my hand, was get down on the floor to meet and pet Timber. Timber was like, hi, and stayed by me. I told him it was ok and he went over to him. Dr. Miller was very nice. He looked at his teeth and felt all over him. When it came to checking Timber’s hips, Timber thought it would be best to climb onto my lap. Hold On! He basically was half on me while the hip examination went on. His hips are in good shape, which is great because that is an area of concern for German Shepard’s. Dr. Miller said he didn’t think Timber looked over weight, but would rather see German Shepard’s a little skinny due to the potential hip issues. He then told me he had two dogs who were overweight! The shoemaker always has the worst looking shoes deal.

Timber and Dr. Miller

Timber and Dr. Miller

Overall our experience at Powers Ferry Animal Hospital was wonderful. We will continue to take Timber there. My goal for Timber is to lose a little weight, he and My Man need to get out there and run more. Maybe when the heat index isn’t over 100 they can start! If you live in the area and need a Vet for your dog, check them out. If you need a Vet for your cats check out Paws, Whiskers and Claws. They work with just cats and are wonderful!

 

Random Acts…

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The rest of my Monday went well. I enjoyed speaking with my clients. They were all very sweet and understanding regarding my situation. I have some great clients!

Timber Wolf
Timber’s trip to spa was great. It is insane that the dog has any fur left on him. The amount that came off was incredible. The grommer said we could have outfit a few hairless Chiwawa’s with all the fur that came off him. He is so soft and smells so fresh now! Plus his mani/pedi looks great. The Grommer kept going on and on about how well-behaved he is. He is such a good boy!!

Clean & Fresh!

Clean & Fresh!

His bandana had skulls on it and matches his name tag. This morning he is going to the Vet for the first time. I hope it goes well. I am pretty sure it will, he is very well-behaved. I am hoping that he has lost a few pounds. When we first adopted him, he weighted about 80 pounds. One of the ladies who works with the rescue, said that he needed to lose a little weight. I will make sure to take some pictures of the visit.

Packing
I have packed all my clothes for trip to the hospital. I have started working on packing my “goodie, don’t go insane” bag. Here are a few things I have packed so far.

You can never have enough TP at the hospital!

You can never have enough TP at the hospital!

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I have a few more things to pack and I will try not to freak out like usually do before I go anywhere. I did go to Target and two new pillow cases for our “hospital pillows”.

Radom Act of Kindness

So there I was loading my purchases from Costco in my car, when a lady who was at least 69+ comes over and starts helping me load my car. I was so taken back! I mean she was grabbing some heavy shit. I told her she didn’t need to do that and in a very older southern woman way, she shooshed me and continued to help me load my car. I thanked her when we were done and she took my cart away. I was totally shocked and couldn’t understand why she helped me out. I then saw my reflection in the mirror, I was wearing a baseball hat and totally screamed chemo patient. I decided then and there to be nicer to strangers. I am sure even with being a chemo patient I was stronger than this woman but she helped me out anyway. The least I could do is the same.

Shout Outs:

Nicki W.- You rock girl! I LOVE my necklace and am wearing it right now! And to remember The Girls! How cool is that?!?! Thank you for your kind words and for thinking of me and my family. Miss you.

Phil & Kathy M.- Thank you for my Coke a Cola goodies! The socks look very warm and I am going to have to fight The Boy for the bear!!