When last we met I gave you a review, sort of, about son Tod's new book, " Burn Notice, the Fix". Since then I have read the book. I had never watched the t.v. show, "Burn Notice" so this tie in had no basis in my mind for how the characters look or have reacted to each other the last year - but never the less, I found the book a fun read, well-written. Of course, part of the fun for me is catching the insider things Tod writes -- stuff like saying a FOSS tanker is in a harbor when those of us in the family know that FOSS is my brother's company. Then Tod had a good guy beat up two bad guys named Stan and Burl, which would be my two brothers. Another character is named Linda Woods, which is my daughter -- so you get an idea. Hey ,he even slipped in the town name of Walla Walla.
Son Lee tends to slip in a lot of insider things in all of his MONK books, too. I'm just about done reading his latest, MONK in Germany with real places in it since Lee spent so many months in Germany last year. He's just now finishing up a new MONK book that takes place in France where lee and his family spent a lot of time last year and go often. Lee's inlaws live in France.
My book? Well, need to do an entire rewrite since so much has changed for me in the last 6 months that alters things in the book. And so much has happened to my characters who are based on real people that I want to include. Don't have the energy yet to sit here for hours on end, but that will come in due time and then I will get the book done. Was in that process when I got sick. Feel like I have lost 4 months out of my life. Maybe I gained four. Depends on how you look at it all.
How do I feel? Better.
After the last post here and the last drain of fluid it was discovered that I had fluid around the other lung, so back to the hospital for that drain. Got to the hospital at 10, the designated time. An hour later, with my battery going down , down down, on the oxygen compressor the registration area still had not called my name. My driver/caregiver went and complained and we got some action but by now this hour long wait had thrown off the radiologists schedule and they said to come back in an hour and a half. That would have been kinda okay if I wasn't dragging around that oxygen, but there I would be , either in the lobby or the cafeteria with my oxygen gone gone , gone. So, back home we drove, got me a new battery, grabbed the elecric attachment and drove back. What a schlep!
The good news is this time the radiologist , not my lung doc did the mini surgery. My doc was out of town. Not that I don't like my doc, but the radiologist made it pain free and it took less time cus the after part of xrays to see if the lung had collapsed only took a few minutes rather than an hour or more. ( they hook me up to the hospital oxygen so it saves mine - but that is not possible in the hospital lobby, nor had we been able to find any electrical outlets in the lobby).
There was not as much fluid this time, barely half a litter when each time before it has been a litter and a half. Each time the fluid is sent to someone who knows what is what and tests the fluid for all kinds of things and they have yet to have it test as anything other than just fluid -- so still no answer to why this is happening.
Then it was back to the oncolgist who decided to do chest xrays every two weeks to stay on top of this, catch any fluid buildup before it gets to the point where I am gasping for breath again.
In the meantime , the dr. said go ahead and try driving. It's not my actual driving anyone was concerned about, but my ability to lift the damn oxygen in to the car, get it next to me on the floor, keep it upright and attached to me -- then drive. And then there is the idea of the walker. I use it to walk to and from the dining room here, but when I go out with my driver I don't always use it. Is it psychological? With her walking next to me, and if my legs feel unwobbly, I walk along just fine. She and I practiced getting my fancy smancy walker in an out of the back of my Honda CRV. Not easy by any stretch of the imagination. And the unfolding it takes some ability to balance and hold a heavy object all at the same time - and it means me unhooking myself from the oxygen while I do that. Really a major production number.
You should see me walk with both the walker and the oxygen. Son Lee and I had me practice that weeks ago before I ever tried it alone. Here's how I do it. I push the walker with my left hand. With my right hand I grasp the oxygen and line it up next to the back wheels on the walker, then use one of two fingers to barely hold/ touch the walker while also dragging the oxygen along. I have it down pretty pat now, will admit it wears me out to get that all going, but I do it a few times a day to get from my apartment to the dining room or mail room. People here never stop commenting on my terrific "juggling" of the two things. Must say, everyone is so supportive and it makes me wonder what would it have been like if I were living alone? And I was out looking at condos to rent just before this all happened.
My neighbors in here are so helpful and thoughtful and like adopted parents to me. If I am late showing up for a meal they call here wanting to know if I am okay. And it is the little things they do, too. I like bottled water cus the Ventura tap water tastes like metal to me. Well, I can't go to the grocery store cus can't push the cart and drag the oxygen and then, how would I get all my purchases out of my car and back up here? I have gone to the grocery store. That was very funny and provided me with some fun.
I hired the driver to take me. Must tell you she is one terrific gal. About 50, very loving, great sense of humor and fun to be with and she takes very good care of one when she is your driver. She puts the oxygen in the car, hauls the attachments, goes right in to an exam room with me to make sure the electric attachment is plugged in, make sure I don't need help getting in or out of a gown, etc. She's wonderful.
So there we were at the grocery store and me with a list of sundries I needed plus some things like coffee -- and water which I can't lift and surely couldn't carry and drag the oxygen, too. My mental plan had been to push the grocery cart and haul the oxygen much like I do when it is the walker and the oxygen. Well, forget that,couldn't do it. We spotted an electric scooter shopping cart and in I went with Tina, my driver, walking alongside dragging the oxygen. It was a riot.. I nearly took out two or three displays an there were a few shoppers who rushed to get out of my path! Tina and I ended up getting the giggles.
To give you an example of how attentive my neighbors are -- yesterday I just casually mentioned at lunch that I needed to get Tina cus I was out of water and how one takes for granted that ability to just dash to the store an get things and then when that ability is taken away the huge void it makes. An hour later there was a tap at my door and a bag with bottles of water! My neighbor Jay had gone to the store and bought me some without telling me. I was so excited to get that water, and not pay a driver to take me to the store, you'd have thought Santa Claus had just been here. When I offered to pay Jay for his trouble and the water, he refused saying when he had been sick I had supplied him with Boost and Ensure. There are a great many reasons for me to be grateful I lie here, and that is just a little example of one of them.
Okay, I wanted to drive somewhere. I wasn't going to try the walker cus knew that would be a schlep and a half, but decided I would try just the oxygen. No taking along batteries or anything, just watch the time and be back within an hour.
I did it! Drove to a little Hallmark store that happens to be a terrific little boutique, too, and got cards and gifts for two of my friends having birthdays this month. That store has parking right in front and I had decided if there wasn't a parking place I would turn around and come home, but if there was a parking place, meaning not too far to walk, I would chance it. I got a parking place right in front! Aha, the power of postive thoughts!
I had used my walker to get to the lobby here , then left the walker there, parked against a wall near the entrance to the building so when came back just put my purchases on the walker and wheeled it all back up here. Amazing how proud a little thing like a drive in the car and going in to a store alone can make you feel!
Next up -- will try for the post office tomorrow to mail off those gifts.
In my rambling here forgot to tell you I went for the chest xrays. No fluid. Well, that's not totally true. There was some, but not enough to do anything about. Dr. has this idea that maybe the culprit is in the scar tissue in my chest wall from all my radiation and that there could be cancer in that scar tissue. I don't even want to think that she may be right. She said it is too hard to get to those areas for a biopsy so she will do a PET scan in October to check it out. Now, let's all think how wrong she is going to be! She said if there is Cancer then we will discuss the best route to take. She is going to be wrong, wrong, wrong.... Keep saying that.
Good heavens, it is nearly lunch time and here I sit in my snuggly pink robe and fuzzy slippers cus it is foggy and chilly here on this Sunday -- time to toss on my jeans and some sweater, unhook the long ( 50') tubbing on my oxygen, put on the short "travel" tube, unhook the oxygen compressor from the wall outlet, line up my walker -- get my purse. All that activity alone should give me some hunger pains!
Thanks for stopping here -- now you can do as Ido every day and go read my kids's blogs..
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