Author Archives: sghamer

Yet another doctor…

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Happy Wednesday Reader’s!

One boy working, one boy watching.

One boy working, one boy watching.

Yesterday was a busy day. I had two morning conference calls, worked on a financial plan, did some trading and got cleaned up and ready for my doctor’s appointment. My Man worked from home and around 1pm we went to pick up The Boy from school. We knew there was no way we would be back from my appointment, which was at 2:30pm, to pick him up at the bus stop (2:55pm). So we brought him with us.

My appointment was at Emory’s campus location in Decatur at the Winship location. We all met with Dr. Higgins and she was very nice. More on the Dr. Read end of the spectrum then Dr. Pickens. She explained why it would be a good idea to have radiation and the possible side effects. I ended up getting blood drawn there and on Friday I must have yet another CT scan to map out where they will zap me. Then I have a chest X-ray and a follow-up appointment with Dr.Pickens. Looks like I will be spending all day at the hospital. I will be starting my radiation on December 3rd and will have it everyday (give or take a few), five days a week for about five or six weeks. The actual time it will take from when I get to the hospital, check in, get zapped and leave will be around 20 minutes. Less time then it will take me to get to the hospital from my house! She did tell me that they will pay for my car to be valet parked. Should I ask for money for gas?

I wasn’t feeling all that great when we left. Not sure if it is getting off of the pain med’s, being tired, being tired of all this bullshit, the idea of driving five days a week to get zapped or all of it combined. On our way home we stopped to eat dinner and then came home. I went to bed before 10pm and woke up to My Man snoring. I couldn’t fall back asleep since My Man would not stop snoring, so I went in and got in bed with The Boy. He moved over and then used me as a pillow. The Boy likes to wrap his whole body around his pillow! I finally fell back to sleep and the next thing I knew My Man was waking us up. We had overslept a bit but we were able to get up and ready for school in time.

Will they ever get along?

Will they ever get along?

Thanksgiving is almost a week away. What are your plans? Going out-of-town? Having friends and family over to your home? Let us know!

Christmas Card Time!

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Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011

Reader’s! It is that time of year again. Time to start working on the Hamer Family Christmas card. For the past two years we have recreated famous album covers. Staying with that theme, we started working on this years card last week and yesterday I spent hours taking photographs and messing with it. My Man is so excited about it this year and I think it will be better than last years. We have a few more things to do/add to it before we have to find somewhere to print it. Do you know how hard it is to find a place to print a blank card? One with just your picture and no extra fluff on it? It is hard.

Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012

Today I am going to get in the car and drive! I know, it has not been two weeks but this girl has to go to the bank. This is going to be a test run. I need to deposit a check so I am going to drive to the bank, deposit the check and come home. I would love to make a quick stop at Trader Joe’s but we will see how I am feeling. Yesterday I only took one pain pill. I have not been feeling great and I think it is because of the pain medication. My head hurts and I am all fuzzy. I went to bed last night at 7:45pm. So far today I haven’t taken anything thing and I have been having hot flashes. My right side is still sore and there is some pain off and on but it is getting better.

Hair Watch 2013-2014

So, they were the last to go and the first to start growing back. My eyebrows! Yep, they are starting to grow back. Very happy about this. The eyebrows really frames a person’s face and without them, I looked weird. I am starting to see some fuzz growing on my head too. Even My Man noticed.

Question: Have you started getting your Holiday cards ready?

Breaking Free today…

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Hello Reader’s!

The bruises on my back are gone! Woot! Woot! Waking up and getting up out of bed is getting easier each day. I am also able to raise my right arm above my head without any pain. Still taking the pain pills but not as often or as much. I am on the mend.

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Guess what!?! I am leaving the house today! It has been over a week since I last left the Hotel Yorba. My Man and I will be going out to dinner tonight to Empire Sate South. This is one of Hugh Acheson‘s restaurant. We have been there a few times before and have loved our meals. They have a Half Shell Oysters cocktail, celery mignonette, ESS hot sauce, benne crackers as an appetizer that I may get. Yummy. They also have a six course tasting. Since we have a nice sized gift card, that may be what we will try. Either way, I am looking forward to tonight.

The Boy will be spending the night at his friend, Corey’s, house. He is very excited.  We don’t have much else planned for the weekend, which is kinda nice. I may try driving, it will depend on how the pain is on my right side and if my arm feels strong enough.

Whatcha Reading?

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I have started a new book, Police, by Jo Nesbo. I have read almost all the books Nesbo has has written in The Harry Hole series. In fact the only ones I haven’t read are the ones that have yet to be translated into english yet.

Jo Nesbo

Jo Nesbo

Nesbo is from Norway and has written over 20 novels. The first book of his I read was called The Snowman. Very good. Unfortunately I have not been able to read the entire series in order. For example, book two, in a 12 book series, isn’t coming out in English until February. I don’t know why they have released them done this way. It is kind of confusing but well worth it. Check them out.

What are your plans for the weekend?

 

 

 

Well Shit.

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It is another chilly morning here in the ATL. I would like to say that yesterday was a fluke and Poppy sailed down the coop with little effort but then I would be lying. The Boy even came out with me to watch her decent. Turbo came out first and was steady and determined on her journey down the plank. Poppy…well Poppy brought a smile to our face and the first giggle of the day.

I heard from Dr. Read late in the day yesterday. The little f-ing tumor was not dead. Well Shit. I have an appointment with a Dr. Higgins at Emory. She, yes She, is a Radiation Oncology, Assistant Professor and her focus is head and neck cancer and lung cancer. Now, I don’t have lung cancer but my tumor was in (and out) of my right lung, so she is a good fit. I am excited that she is a she. It will be interesting do see how she interacts with her patients. Is she like Dr. Read or Dr. Pickens?

I wasn’t thrilled to hear that I would be going through radiation. I would really like my cancer journey to be done but that is not the case. I called my friend Gerri, who has been my go to girl during since June. She told me that radiation will be the easiest thing I have had to do since I was diagnosed. It is just a bit of a pain in the ass. She had to go in for treatment every day, five days a week, for 30 days. And the actual treatment lasts for like five minutes. She said she got to know the valet guys and they stopped parking her car. They would just pull it over to the side since she would be back in less than ten minutes.

Now, there are many different types of radiation therapy and who knows what kind I will have. My case is different from Gerri’s. She had a tumor they were focusing on and shrinking before her surgery. I don’t have a tumor anymore. Just a general area where a tumor once was, so I don’t know what my treatment will entail.

We are entering a very busy time of the year. We are going out-of-town for Thanksgiving and then again for a small trip to Barnsley Gardens the second week of December. And then there is Christmas. So, like I said before, having radiation right now is going to be a pain in the ass. But that is ok. I trust Dr. Read and he is doing his best to make sure that this is the last time I and my family have to go through this.

And to end on a happy note, I present you with Tired Puppy.

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One Wing Flapping…

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Reader’s! It’s cold out there! The ATL was super chilly last night. Temperatures drop to the high 20’s last night. Thankfully The Girls were locked up tight and seemed fine this morning. I figured by now that they would be Pro’s at strutting up and down their plank. Now I am not too sure. It could have been she was still kinda of sleepy or that the chill in the air got to her but Poppy has not mastered the plank. Not. At. All. When I slid open the door, Poppy was the first to show up with Turbo closely behind her and I swear she had a bag of popcorn with her. She stood back and watched as Poppy did her best to try to get down the plank without falling off of it.

Pickles!

Pickles!

Her wing was flapping! Her feet slipping! Is she going to fall? Steady Poppy Steady!

Stop pressuring me.

Stop pressuring me!

“Pass me some popcorn Turbo.”

“Squawk!”

Oh No!

Oh No!

“Son of a Bitc….. I’m ok! I’m ok! I got this.” Flap, Flap, Flap.

Focus. Focus. Focus.

Focus! Focus! Go! Go!

Towards the end of Poppy’s journey, she just leaped off the end of the plank, her one wing flapping in the wind. It was a sight to be seen. You could tell she was pleased to still be alive. She had made it through another morning.

Turbo's turn.

Turbo’s turn.

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Focused and determined.

Turbo seems to have mastered walking down the plank. She walks fast and determined. There is a reason why she is the head hen. By the way, she does not share her popcorn.

Update

I am happy to say that I getting better everyday. I am not feeling as worn out and getting up out of the bed is getting a little bit easier. However, there is one area below my arm pit that is causing me some discomfort. In fact, it is down right painful. This morning I was trying to wake up, still very sleepy and I moved my right arm slightly and son of a bitch! OMG. It felt like I was being stabbed with a white-hot knife. I was fully awake after that. Then I tried to put some deodorant on. No! No! No! Not going to happen. AAHHHH!

If you see me, stand on my left. I will smell nice and fresh. The right side, not so much.

The bruises have almost faded away. They look better than the one on my wrist from the IV in my artery. That thing still looks like a mess and is sore. I am taking Hydrocodone for my pain. I think that being mixed with the chemo that is still in my body, the anesthetic, and all the other medications they have given me are mixing together. This in return has caused me to be a bit fuzzy at time. My brain gets fuzzy, I am still hairless. It is kind of like being on a roller coaster. I feel fine on minute and the next, my heart is racing and I can’t focus. Back and forth, back and forth. Up and down, up and down. I guess it is a good thing I am not driving. Breathing is getting easier. The coughing not as painful.

I called Dr. P’s office yesterday and I go in next Friday for a follow-up appointment and to get my stitches out. I sure hope by then, the left armpit pain has gone away. I will also get an X-Ray taken. I emailed Dr. Read today asking if they have gotten any word on if the tumor is dead or not. Hopefully I will hear something soon.

Shout Out!

Let's Bloom!

Let’s Bloom!

Judi R.- I just got the flowers! They are so pretty. Thank you so much. Now I have to keep Simon away from them. Thank you!

I know it is snowing out there in some places, so stay warm and be safe Readers!

I have turned into a cat.

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Good Morning Reader’s!

I hope you all had a nice weekend. Did you have fun? Me? I impersonated a cat this weekend. I laid around. I slept. I got up. I walked around. I laid back down again. My “human” aka My Man, fed me. I napped. I stretched my right arm. I walked around. I tried to get comfortable. I laid down. This went on all weekend. I would love to say I feel rested but that is not the case. It is no wonder they (cats) sleep as much as they do. They are forever searching for the perfect nap.

The right side of my torso is very sore and where the incisions are, painful. In fact at times it feels like they are burning and I feel like they are bleeding. But they are not. I am having a hard time not using my right arm. Like opening the refrigerator. That hurts! But I automatically reach with my right hand and pull at my side. I have incisions under my right armpit, my right boob (ouch!) my right side and halfway down the right side of my back. That is the one I wasn’t planning on. The pain medication is working but it doesn’t take it all away. I am also tired. I have no energy. All I want to do is lay around and nap. I have turned into a cat.

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The above picture was taken the day we adopted Timber. It was also right after I got my cancer diagnosed. This is what I really look like. I was asked to post the Jiffy Pop picture. I am not happy but here it is.

Jiffy Pop Hat

Jiffy Pop Hat

That is me after they took my glasses away and were getting ready to wheel me out and into surgery. As you can see, I have lost my eyebrows, eyelashes, my skin is a mess and I am about 15 pounds heavier. Not looking my best. But that is ok. While I have been laying around acting like a cat, I have been thinking about all I will need to do to get back to looking like I did in June. I have always been one to plan ahead.

Whatcha Reading?

Here a the books I have read recently. If you are a reader check them out.

Replay by Ken Grimwood

The Valley of Amazement- Amy Tan

The Kitchen God’s Wife-Amy Tan–Reading right now

Allegiant-Veronica Roth

Sycamore Row-John Grisham–Listening to right now