Helpers and Puzzles!

The best news! I asked for help. For drivers. They were arranged, coordinated, and all communications were accomplished. All I did was say 'help!'. What a blessing to have friends at the ready who will not only serve but figure out the administrative details of how to do it! Thanks, friends - you know who you are. I'm looking forward to a little visiting time!

Otherwise, I am resting a lot, and resting comfortably. Sleeping, and indulging in my latest online discovery - free jigsaw puzzles. At last, I don't have to deal with a rambunctious cat when I do them! And they are easy on the grandma/chemo/morphine brain. You even get to choose how many pieces you want to use, and there is a seemingly endless supply of interesting pictures. I've been to the alps, and to castles, and cottages. Most recently, a trio of charming "bat winged" pumpkins sitting on someone's porch. Certainly I never know there was such a thing. They just looked like gourds to me. This afternoon I came home from treatment, went to sleep on the couch for two hours, woke up, and did puzzles for another two hours. The cat didn't move either.

Moving is a bit of a different story, but, fortunately, I don't need to do a lot of that, and it is endurable as long as I remember to keep on top of my meds.

God Bless you all. May your prayers and warm thoughts be richly rewarded, far beyond the deep gratitude I am feeling for you and them.

Seek the Lord where he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.

Let him turn to the Lord and he will have mercy on him, and our God will freely pardon.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways 

and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:6-9

Take That, All You Ukkies!

This morning at 5AM I could barely swallow 8 oz of water with my thyroid pill.
Vowed, when I got out of bed, I would have me a bit of morphine.
Slept until 8. Hurting, crept to the kitchen where the meds are and got me a dose.
Well, I have never done this before. I am very curious about what will happen.
And, helper crew, it looks like I will need drivers! (Will send separate email,)
It will be fun to see some of you, especially if I am 'feeling no pain'. . .

Slept all morning. Tried to drink water, but it still hurt.
So when morphine came due again I upped the dose to .4ml. (Max is .5ml, starter dose was .25ml) This seems to work. Not ready for solid food (it hurts to clean the particles out of my teeth), but a bottle of ensure went down fine, water not so good (odd, and annoying) but endurable. Now I'm ready for some rice dream.
So the afternoon is going a bit better.

Perhaps the mouth sores are as bad as my butt will be in a week, but by then the mouth sores should be about as bad as my butt is now. OK, with God and the tool he has provided, morphine, I will get through this! Praise his glorious Name.

Hangin' with the Ukkies

If     I     stay     absolutely     still,     nothing hurts much.

It also helps if you remember to take your ibuprofen on time.
I forgot a whole dose, and whimpered around miserably all afternoon, wondering how I was going to survive a week of chemo effects and 7 more rad zaps.
I keep a log of what meds I've taken when, and lo and behold, the afternoon dose of ibuprofen wasn't there.
So now, I feel a lil' bit perkier.
But there is absolutely nothing you can do with mouth sores, except endure them.

Thanks again for all your good wishes, prayers, and offers for help, and for your newsy emails. Keep those coming! I'm not up to answering them all at present, but I do appreciate them very much!
I'm not really wanting visitors now because the mouth sores hurt to talk, (and so does my brain, to a lesser extent) and I have bought ahead on food and supplies. I am managing minimal activities of daily living. The hardest, as we just saw, is keeping track of the meds. The cat gets cared for, and I eat (sort of), drink, and take meds. For today, all needs are met!

Thanks be to God.

Re-entering the Land of the Ukkies.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Psalm 23:1

Chemo brain. Just can't seem to make the thing go very easily.
Mouth sores. Are baaack. Not very bad, but I'm not happy to see them back, even a little bit.
Tired.
Slightly urpy. (nauseous). Good news. I didn't take any med for it, and now it seems to be going away.

PICC line and pump go away tomorrow, but, if side effects follow last time, they have only just begun.
Do not like.

To all who have written lately, I hope to get back to you all.  I so appreciate your thoughts, your sharings, and your prayers.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
Psalm 23:2-3

The News from the Couch

Praise God, Yes! I am doin' alright!
Starting to walk a little like a cowboy with saddle sores.
Drinkin' lots of water. If I drink, I don't feel urpy from the chemo.
Would really like to avoid the anti nausea meds. We'll see.
Tired. Quite tired.
This afternoon I had the ball game (Mariners) on the radio and just lay there listening.
Then I woke up as the last out was made.They won.
I am quite comfortable, actually, as long as I stay on the couch and don't move.
Moving is OK, just not fun.
And that's today's news from the couch.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Two Positives!

Chemo: When I get my infusion pump taken off on Friday, I also get to have my PICC line removed. You may remember (big points for you if you do!) that this is a device that allows blood to be drawn, and blood and other fluids to be given, as well as the cancer drugs. Since it is not anticipated that I will need extra blood or fluids, and the cancer drugs will be done (whoop), the device will be removed. It is installed on my upper arm, and the biggest bother about it is that I must forgo showers. Baths only. So hooray. Back in the shower again on Friday!

Radiation: Doc H. continues to be very happy with my progress and how I am tolerating the treatments. (Thank you God, as this has absolutely nothing to do with anything I have done. If I must be given cancer, I can only be grateful that I am also given the ability to tolerate the treatments.) The news: He has reduced my planned number of treatments by two. That, to me, is huge! It means 10 to go, instead of 12. It means I have entered the final (allegedly brutal) third of treatment. Expected completion date is now August 16, (Happy b'day, Heidi!), just two weeks from today!

Overall, both chemo and radiation effects continue to be tolerable. Again, I am overwhelmed with gratitude to my God.
It's a pleasant summer evening. After I get this posted, I believe I will make a quick run down the hill to fetch some Aloe Vera Gel - I'm nearly out, and pick up a Jamba Juice treat.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen

Philippians 4:19-20

Heeeere We Go . . . Again -

Chemo #2 (of 2) is underway. Little cells under attack again. For now, nothing has started bothering me. Drinking copious quantities of water, so the twitches and twinges from Chemo #1 (I peeked at my blog about it!) have not been noticeable. Instead - how odd is this - hot flashes. Two of them. What ever - they're painless.

Also had Rad-Zap #20. Most likely there are 13 to go. No issues from radiation today. Runs seem to have calmed, for the moment.

Spending a lazy evening - I probably should have worked some, and, alternatively, answered a couple of long emails I've been putting off, but doing Sudoku puzzles and listening to the Mariners win won out. Game almost over and bedtime coming up. All things considered, a decent day! Thanks be to God. Thank you, Pray-ers.

In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.

Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.

Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go;

Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

Psalm 71:1-3