I look ridiculous…

Posted on November 23, 2013 by sghamer

Reader’s!!!

How was your Friday? Good day? Sun shinning? The sun was not shinning in the ATL but the temperature was in the low 60’s and a bit humid but overall it was nice out. My day began with getting The Boy ready for school. He was spending the night at a buddies house so we also had to pack a bag with his clothes in it to bring to school. I went along for the drop off to school and then My Man drove to Brueggers Bagels to get us coffee and breakfast. I stayed in the car since I was still in my PJ’s. After breakfast, I did some work and then got ready from my three appointments at Emory Midtown Hospital.

My first appointment was a CT scan where they mapped out where they will zap me with radiation. The technician who ran the scan was very nice. She is going to have a baby in about two weeks! One thing Dr. Higgins failed to mention was that they were going to mark my chest up with a black sharpie. Yep, I have ten black sharpie marks across my chest. Each one is covered with a clear sticker. And I will have to keep them until JANUARY!!!! January people! She told me not to scrub at them in the shower. I then informed that I would be going swimming next week. She wasn’t thrilled about that but in the end she gave me a black sharpie and stickers and I promised to make sure that if they started to fade, I would remark them and put new stickers on.The marks are to help “line me up” for my treatments. I look f-ing ridiculous Reader’s. Ridiculous. I have ten black sharpie marks and four fresh scars on and around my chest. Won’t I look sassy in a bathing suit?!?

I meet up with My Man in the lobby of the hospital. He had been working and was on a conference call. Afterwards we walked a block or two and had some lunch.

Nice Keyboard

Then it was back to the hospital for my chest X-Ray. The wait wasn’t too long and the X-Ray was very fast. We then went down two floors for my appointment with Dr. Pickens. He was only 45 minutes late! I had my stitches taken out and then met with the Doc. He basically went over what happen during surgery and that my x-rays looked good. We talked about why he thought radiation was a good idea and My Man ended the conversation saying he hoped we never see him again. We had gotten to the hospital at 10:30am and left at 3pm.

My Man has lost his wedding ring. He realized when we got into the car to leave for the hospital yesterday morning. It has to be somewhere in our around the outside of the house. We have been looking for hours. We took the sofa apart, moved it off the carpet (so much fur and so many cat toys under there!) but found nothing. However, the couch and carpet are all nice a clean now. He is now outside raking leaves in hopes that it fell off while we walked from the house to the garage. I feel so bad for him. It has been driving him crazy.

Today we are taking The Boy to get a haircut, Timber to get fluffed and buffed and his nails trimmed and we will be packing for our trip to Florida. I am also taking My Man out to dinner tonight for his birthday which is on Monday. My Man is getting so old!! I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday aka Caturday!

You want some of this?

Meow! It is Caturday!

Yet another doctor…

Posted on November 20, 2013 by sghamer

Happy Wednesday Reader’s!

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?

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!

Breaking Free today…

Posted on November 15, 2013 by sghamer

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.

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?

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

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?

One Wing Flapping…

Posted on November 13, 2013 by sghamer

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!

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

Stop pressuring me!

“Pass me some popcorn Turbo.”

“Squawk!”

Oh No!

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

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.

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!

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!

Happy Friday!

Posted on October 25, 2013 by sghamer

Happy Friday Reader’s!

Puppy and one of his many balls.

So happy today is Friday. It is my favorite day of the week! I love knowing that I have two whole days where I am in charge of what I am doing, when I am getting up, when and what I will do. It is a chilly day here in the ATL. The sun is out but it is cold. I just got in playing ball with Timber and my hands are freezing. Timber loves to play ball. He loves to jump in the air and catch the ball. He loves to try to catch the ball before it hits the ground. One thing he doesn’t really love however, is giving you the ball back. He loves that dam ball. Due to this, I have to use at least two balls when I play with him. That way I always have one I can get and throw to him. Today I used four. I had that puppy running his little heart out!

Passed Out Puppy

The past few days I have been working on financial plans for work. I have been busy but I feel good about the amount of work I got done. I went into the office today and had two conference calls, finished a financial plan and caught up with my assistant. We ordered Christmas cards today! Christmas cards!! It is coming up fast.

Me and My Man in Quebec City.

I have heard from a lot of people about the great attitude I have had during the cluster f@*k I have been going through. Well, yesterday I broke a bit. I was a depressed. I am tired. Tired of being bloated and bald. Tired of being tired. What set me off was when I went to the gym to work out with SK. I was in the locker room getting ready and I saw my reflection in the mirror. You know how you feel you look like one way and then there is how you actually look? Yeah, well I did not like how I looked in the mirror yesterday. I have written before how I forget that I am bald and bloated. When I saw myself, I got really depressed. Thank goodness for SK. I told her how I was feeling and what did she do? She basically told me she was happy to se me depressed (she was getting worried I wasn’t human) and that it was ok to feel depressed. She reminded me that I will grow my hair back. I will lose these extra pounds I have packed on. She then made me hurt and sweat. It was great. I did feel a little better after the work out. But I am ready to be done with all this shit. I can’t even remember the last few months. Where did the summer go? The last thing I remember, I was in Quebec City with My Man. We had such a good time. That being said, we are already looking at places to stay when we go back next year. Yes. We are going back. We are looking to stay in a condo this time. I love going on VRBO and looking rental homes. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and forget everything else going on. I have found a few places I love and am going to e-mail the owner about pricing and availability.

Condo In Quebec City

Question: What is your favorite day of they week and why?

What’s Going On

Posted on October 22, 2013 by sghamer

What’s Going On

Hey Reader’s! Here is a little of what has been going on here at Hotel Yorba.

The Boy is taking the GA standardized tests this week at school. You know what that means? No homework for a week! I am so EXCITED!

I am happy to announce that Turbo and Poppy are now walking the plank up to the coop with no supervision from me! Woot! So proud of My Girls. I also read that some chickens like pumpkin puree (also good at fighting worms), so I gave The Girls some left over that I had. Well, my hens are NOT part of the chickens who like it. Turbo took one bite was like “No Thank You”. Poppy didn’t even try it.

The Girls are not a fan.

I am going to see the Thoracic Surgeon on October 29th, 2013. The last time I saw this doctor, we will call him Dr.P., it was not a positive exerpance. In fact, he wasted our time and money and basically pissed both me and My Man off. Things that better happen this time: Dr. P. better be positive! Better not waste my time and money (parking lot fee). Better have a date in mind to get the little (shrinking) F-ing tumor out of me!
I have a Instagram account for all those Instagram users out there. Follow me! I am sghamer. When we go out of town for Thanksgiving, this where I will posting my pictures. I will take my laptop so I will be able to write posts but since it is my work laptop, I won’t be able to post pictures until we come back home. So follow me!

Lifetime Fish Oil

I fell of the exercise bike wagon. Ok, this is what is up. Six months after I had my leg amputated in 2002, I fell and shattered my left knee and femur. Thanks to a wonderful surgeon and some luck, they were able to patch it back together. However, it is on borrowed time. About five or six years ago I had to get injections into my knee due to intense pain. These have worked but I would still have bad days. About a year ago I started taking fish oil pills daily and I noticed a major difference. My knee felt wonderful. I would still have bad days if I over worked it but they were few and far between. I only use one type of fish oil pills that I get from my gym. They are peppermint flavored and have no after taste what so ever. I will never change. I have taken different ones before and the after taste is DISGUSTING! Well, about a little over month ago I ran out of pills and just got a new bottle on last Thursday. My knee has been hurting for about a week now. Some days are worse than others but I am scared to do any major exercising till it starts to feel better. I am hoping the fish oil pills and the joint maintenance pills I got, will get me back in shape. Instead of biking I will hit the yoga mat!
Breaking News! The Girls have not been using their roosting bars in their coop to sleep on at night. This has been bothering me since I think it would be cool if they did! Plus it is in their nature to want to sleep up high. So last night I went out there when it was dark and woke them up. I put Poppy up on one of the bars and I could tell she was freaked out. She soon jumped off. So I grabbed Turbo and after three tries I got her on the bar. She seemed unsure but was still on it when I locked them all up for the night. This morning I went out to open the plank door and Turbo was still up on the roosting bar! I am so proud of her! She seemed to like it up there. The only thing bad about it is that I am not sure if Poppy can jump up there due to the fact she has only one wing. I have seen her catch air in the past, so I have my fingers crossed that like walking the plank, it may take a few tires for her to get it.

What do you think? Will Poppy start roosting soon???

Shrinkage can be a good thing.

Posted on October 10, 2013 by sghamer

Hey Readers!!

I know it has been a few days since I have updated. I got back from the hospital Tuesday evening. Tuesday was a long hard day. I just wanted to go home! I won;t go into it because I am home now and that is all that matters. What’s new? Well, that little shitty tumor is getting smaller! Woot! Woot! Heard from Dr. Read today who e-mailed me the report and it has shrunk from 2.8 x 6.5cm to 2 x 3.8cm. He was pretty happy with the shrinkage (what? what?) and is going to meet with the Tumor Board tonight and talk to the surgeons. He wants to wait a least three more weeks before surgery so it can have time to shrink more. Very happy about this news.

I have been able to spend a little time with The Girls in the morning the last two days. Timber and I go up there with a morning snack and watch them eat and do there things. I have made some notes on my iPad of a few things I want to do when I get stronger. I need to get some pine straw to spread around the front and side of the coop but also where the old one use to be. Looks pretty barren right now. The Boy and I are still having to go out each night at duck to help them up to the coop. They have made nests in the straw under the coop and Poppy has been laying her eggs there. I think she would sleep there if we didn’t move her. I read that it could take up to three weeks for them to start going up and in on their own. The move really messed with them! But over all I know they are happy with their new home.

I have added some pictures I have taken over the past few days here at home and at the hospital. I hope you are all doing well. Let me know if you have any questions or ideas of what you want me to write about.

Happy Fall Y’all!