Jan Curran Events

Kindle smindle...

Do you Kindle? Do you have one of those? I don't and only know one person who has one. My friends here at Senior Living aren't in to tech stuff, most don't have computers or know how to use them, so a Kindle would be beyond their knowledge.

But someone has a Kindle and those folks have spiked my sales on Amazon's Kindle page. If you have a Kindle go order my book there. Downloads in seconds and according to my one pal with a Kindle, it looks great.  But, best of all, readers of my book on Kindle have been leaving rave reviews of the book and that makes me very happy -- and surprised. Didn't expect that.

If you are still of the age and mindset that you want a "real" book here's how you get a print copy of my book..

You can order my new book ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING here: http://tinyurl.com/yh9oc43

Other news? Those of you who have been reading this blog since 2003 have followed , and supported me ,through a zillion Pet scans and doctor appointments and battles with cancer. I have had cancer 6 times, and gone through 4 years of chemo and two years of radiation. This new cancer is a tumor in my liver. My recent scans showed it is growing.

Treatment? Doctor says I have been through chemo so many times that my body can't handle it again and radiation , I assume, is out of the question.

There is a clincial trial being conducted by a Doctor in Santa Monica but that would mean a long haul to get there and back and my doctor said that the pill makes you sick. Oh, great. On the good side, if it works then the cancer is gone but it is a big risk to take. Will think about it.

 

In the meantime, a visiting nurse is coming here twice a week to check on this darn infection around the feeding tube. Seems to be getting better but the site sure hurts. Which reminds me I have a new pain pill and it works pretty well. Tramadol. Have you heard of it or taken it?

 

I also had a crazy thing happen. I had some really bad pains in my lower back, was taking Tylenol every 4 hours and it was just taking the edge off. Finally, off to the doctor and bottom line is I have a compression fracture in the spine. Just what I needed ,right?

It all gets to be a joke after awhile.

 

Book talk?  I shared son Lee's " Monk In Trouble" with a few people in here and they loved it. I did, too. I think it is his best MONK book. It's really two stories in one and lots of neat stuff about the old west. Do yourself a favor and go to Amazon.com and order that book.. or go into a Barnes and Noble to buy it.

What really tickled me is he had a character move into an  Active senior Living place that surely did resemble where I live.  Our family does that, puts in inside jokes or names characters or places after family or friends. Coming up with names for characters is one of the tough parts of writing a novel. I used high school friends' names, people from Palm Springs, people from Washington, DC. and a girl friend I have known about 40 years.

 

Yes, the rain here in Southern CA was pretty bad but yesterday we had blue skies and sunshine and today looks nice out, too. Chilly, but nice. More rain due on Wednesday. Natch , cus I have a doctor appointment that day.

 

My caregiver called in sick today with a cold so I am on my own, so time to log off here and try not to make a big mess giving my self that formula in the feeding tube.

 

Thanks for stopping here for a read.

 

 

 

 

Twittering

This is a test to see if my blog posts cross-post to Twitter and Facebook. If it does, wow, one-stop serves all.

It's Complicated...

That seems how my life has been of late with this damn infection...but it is also the title of the film I saw here the other night and I loved it. I don't normally like Alec Baldwin but he was great in the movie, " It's Complicated."

Want to learn more about movie nights here at my old folks' home? Then you need to read the funny and sad and moving and interesting look at life behind the walls of a senior complex. My book is called Active Senior Living and ....

You can order my new book ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING here: http://tinyurl.com/yh9oc43

 

You know how that works, don't you? Just click on that link. Amazing how many of the seniors here and even a cousin of mine didn't understand how to order... It will be available for Kindle but not for a few weeks.. son Lee will upload it when he gets back from New York City.

 

Now, about that infection. It is around the feeding tube and I have had this damn thing since the week before Thanksgiving. Was on Penicillin for 20 days and that didn't cure it. Now been on Keflex for 10 days. It is looking a bit better ,still hurts like crazy,but hopefully is on the mend now. A visiting nurse was out here twice this week and says it is starting to look better.

 

You want a bit of background on the book? I began writing on my blog about life here shortly after I moved in and people were laughing at what I was writing. One of my kids said don't blog it, go for it in a book.. so kept on writing but as a book. Wrote about a full year here, my first year ,from the day I moved in until a year later with all the crazy people I met, some sad things , some very funny things, some touching things and some things that touched me. And some that did not touch me, like the men eager to tell me that either they had Viagra or didn't need it and mind you, these old goats were in their late 80s, to mid 90's.

 

There is a fan page for the book on Facebook called Active Senior Living. Easy to find and it has some excerpts from the book on it. Son Lee has also written about it on his blog and put some stuff from the book on there.  You can get to the fan page of Facebook by typing these words into google....  book by Jan Curran.. and up comes that facebook page plus a link to ordering the book plus a link to this blog and a blog son Lee created for the book, too.

 

Daughters Karen and Linda sent out a charming little newsletter to their fans announcing my book.. now just waiting to see what son Tod Goldberg does. he always makes up stuff about me, has me doing things I don't do and goes for the laughs. I may be sorry when he goes to promo the book.

 

Brother Burl Barer put a promo on his blog , too... those are true crime readers and I hope they don't find my book to be a true crime.

 

I also worry about the people who live here. Although all names have been changed and composite characters created, some are dead accurate and I hope my daughter Karen, the lawyer, will be prepared to defend me if someone decides to sue even though the book is listed as fiction and in humor category.

 

It's not all funny cus I wrote about my battle with cancer that first year, too, the radiation and all and how supportive the people here were to me. Very loving, just as they are now when I am fighting cancer again.

 

I hope you will enjoy the book and that it will give you a smile. If your parent is considering going into a retirement home or you have a friend battling cancer or you just want to know what goes on behind the walls of one of these places.. then this is the book for you.

 

Oh, funny story I got from son Lee Goldberg today.He is in New York City for a meeting of the Mystery Writers of America board and was walking down the street when a stranger approached him. Turns out the man is one of Lee's fans and recognized him from his picture on his blog and the back of his books. Lee was shocked.  Neat story.

 

Had my cancer scans yesterday with the results back to me on the 21st. Daughter Karen will go with me to be my advocate. Will keep you posted.

 

Now, you go relax. Maybe with a new book??

 

 

 

Drat, have one mean infection around the feeding tube.. skin all bright red and hurts like the Dickens... yesterday called the surgeon who said go to the gastro specialist who then said go to the surgeon. Finally I put my foot down and got angry and said , " I have a bad infection, someone has got to see me and now!". The gastro guy agreed to see me. What a cranky son of a bitch he was. Barking orders to his staff ,barking orders at me, mad that no visiting nurse has been here since early in November. Hey, that's not my fault, yell at Medicare, not me! After being on penicillin for 20 days this doc put me on Keflex and enough for two weeks so hope that will do the trick.. otherwise he says I have to go see an infectious disease specialist to find an antibiotic that will work.
My caregiver is a very sweet girl but she never once said to me, " I think you have an infection" and she looks at that site every day when she changes the bandage. I looked at it on Sunday with a mirror after my shower cus it hurt so much and gees, bright red skin in a big circle all around the feeding tube and very obviously infected. So Monday morning by 8 a.m. I had already made contact with the surgeon, but didn't see the specialist until about 3 that afternoon. Today is my first full day on the antibiotics. Oh, the doctor said I needed a visiting nurse to be here, well , so had his partner said that to me in November and no nurse ever showed up. So today I called the nurse agency myself and asked if they had a work order for me from the doctor. Well, not yet, but they will call the doctor and get the ball rolling since I have this nasty infection and really do need a nurse to check it out every day until it is gone.

Dragged along Grisham's collection of short stories to the doctor office with me in case I had to wait and I did so started the book. Think I am going to like it a lot.
Karen got it for me as one of my Christmas gifts.

Was 71 here today and they call this winter? Last winter was chilly and damp but this is like summer and I am loving it. Perfect climate.

This is coming to you by way of the new keyboard son Lee got me. It's very touchy, barely touch a key and up pops the letter in my writing. Will take a little getting used to.

Okay, this is supposed to be the quick compose feature on Typepad which means you just write a little bit and I am sure I have gone over the limit. Sort of like Twitter but without a character count....

Until next time...

Happy New Year! Didn't do anything exciting here. Was in bed with Dominic Dunne before 9 p.m. Slept in until 8:30. Caregiver has the day off so went downstairs for lunch. First time to do that since last May. People were surprised to see me. It was fun. Been going down for dinner now for a couple of months, but hadn't gone down for lunch yet. Usually the caregiver gives me the feeding tube or feeds me Filipino food for lunch but with her gone, down I went and glad I did. Was getting bored up here all alone. Chilly here today. Okay, so chilly here means 60 degrees but that is chilly enuf for me, and the mornings are downright cold with it in the 40's. Thinking, still, of tossing my old mink coat across the bed as a blanket. Why the heck now, surely not going out anywhere where I would wear it now. Ah , the days of glam events in DC and Palm Springs are long gone now.. and the nights of wearing the coat, too. Feeling okay, just the ongoing fatigue that is so frustrating.. but hey, no pains, so thankful for that! See the oncolgoist again on the 8th or did I already tell you that? Don't like this new " Quick Compose" thingee on typepad.

Book news... finished reading son Lee's newest MONK book - it was a fun read. " Mr. Monk In Trouble." Go get a copy. Son Tod continues to roll with fantastic reviews on his new book. The LA SundayTimes gave it such high marks and raves.. wow. " Other Resort Cities." Daughters Karen and Linda are happy about the response to their new picture and essay book, " Meeting In the Ladies Room." Just type the title into google and that should take you to the publisher's web page to order it. I've got Sue Grafton's book to read and, of course, the new Dominic Dunne book which I am so eager to read - so surely not bored here.
No plans for New Year's Eve which is fine with me.. I'll hunker down and read, take my mink coat and use it like a Snuggle and be comfy and warm and feel somewhat elegant while doing that.
See the oncologist on January 8 and am to have a lung scan prior to that but no notice of what day for that yet... will keep you posted.
I'm feeling okay, just tire easily so guess no bowling leagues for me.
Oh, also got the new collection of short stories by Grisham for Xmas. Anyone read that yet?
Time for a nap here where we are complaining it is chilly cus it is about 64.
Winter in Ventura...

Had a wonderful family Hanukkah/Christmas with the family. Love it when we all get together. Got some lovely gifts and some new books to read. Looking forward to reading Dominic Dunne's new book since it is based on the Brooke Astor story, which was a book ( Mrs. Astor Regrets) that I enjoyed last year. I'm feeling fine, just the fatigue... see the oncologist again on January 8. Will have a chest scan that week, too. Other than that, no news... I'm a happy person this holiday season. Hope your holidays were filled with family memories, too.

Had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the Mandalay Beach Resort in Oxnard.. family reunion with my kids, family from Seattle and Sun Valley, Idaho. Weather was perfect for being on the beach. Here's a photo of me with my two brothers..That's Burl on the far left and Stan in the middle. Stan and his wife hosted this big event.

Time for an update..

So, what's new?

Not a heck of a lot. Life is pretty dull here at the senior living complex. Mostly it is me and my caregiver for most of the day, then it's just me napping, then just me reading, then just me watching t.v.  I do try for lunch out once a week with my pal, Ann, and this last week we did manage to meet.. or rather she picked me up and off we went. Always fun, relaxed, just nice and comfy. We talk about books, about our doctors, a bit of this, a dash of that and then we call it a day.

I told Ann about my visit to the gastro specialist and now I will tell you. Dr. was a woman, looked to be about 40. My daughter Karen was with me and we both liked this doctor. Doc said she doesn't like the kind of feeding tube they put in and she is going to have me have it removed and a different type put in. She smiled and said, " Ask to be sedated."

This procedure won't be done for a week or so. The surgeon is out of town for a week and then guess they need to schedule me. The gastro doc didn't like it that the visiting nurse said I could learn to change my own bandage by looking in the mirror. ( can't see the spot, you see.) She is going to see if she can get Medicare to send someone out here every day to change it and also to do the feeding tube which would save me some money on the caregiver who is doing both of those chores now. But, it's one of those, " good luck" things.. getting Medicare to pay for anything seems to be almost impossible. Daughter Karen has been trying for weeks to get me some help through Medicare. Finally a Medicare advocate told Karen for me just to go into hospice and then I would get the care I need without having to pay for everything.

Hospice? That means six months to live. My oncolgoist said I would qualify but I am not psycologically ready for hospice. I'm not in any pain, still want some of my privacy and don't want people in and out of here all day and night. I'd rather wait until I feel like it is the end approaching or that I need that level of care.

Speaking of cancer, been reading Suzanne Sommers new book, " Knockout" about doctors who are curing cancer. They are curing it with things like 200 pills a day ,coffee enemas, etc -- all things not covered by insurance. Over and over I keep reading that chemo doesn't work. Well, it worked for me 4 years - then stopped working the last years. Didn't work this last year and didn't work my last year in Palm Springs when I switched to radiation to get rid of the cancer. This time can't do radiation and the oncologist says there is no other option for me. Maybe 200 pills a day wouldn't be all bad.. Other hard part is these doctors all like you to be there for being seen every day or every week and they are in places like Nevada, New York, Texas. Who can afford that level of care with none of it covered by insurance? But the stories are inspiring, curing pancreatic cancer and liver cancer, breast, too....  Will keep on reading. I have trouble swallowing since I went through chemo last spring.. how would I ever swallow 200 pills , or more, a day?? Yee gads. And do you make the coffee enema like you make the coffee you drink.... ?

Notice they all say NO Sugar. I don't mean in the enema, I mean all the time. Cancer likes sugar. I remember asking my Palm Springs oncologist about that no sugar theory and she didn't buy it.They also want organic eating... special diets. How would I ever do that here with no kitchen?

Jumping to another subject, this one cars.

I drive a Honda CRV. Have since 1998. How many miles do I have on the car? Almost embarrassed to tell you. Only 46,000. Tells you that I don't drive back and forth to Seattle or anywhere long distance any more. Aside from my health issues which keep me close to home and out of the car there is the physical issue with the car. It has the most uncomfortable seats ever, ever, ever. Kills your back and your tush. I've got a pillow in there for my back to give me lumbar support and another to sit on just so I don't feel like I am sitting on a rock.  The other day USA Today reviewed the new Honda CRV and I got a good giggle out of their review. They said that the seat was hard, uncomfortable for " back and bun" no matter how it was adjusted. So that tells me that Honda still hasn't done anything about the seats. I once even contemplated pulling out the seat and buying a seat to put in the car. Probably should have.

Books...

What good books have you read lately? Mostly interested in bios and non fiction but a good fiction story -- not some scary mystery - would also be okay ,or a wonderful romance or even something off the wall like " Water For Elephants" was. That one was such a nice surprise.  Need ideas for books for gifts.

Thanksgiving:

Plans are being made for our family reunion in Ventura. My brother STan and his wife, Alta, are hosting this gala event at the Mandalay Beach Hotel Resort. Will be fun and so wonderful to see everyone. Haven't seen some of the family since my mom died. Will be the first time family has seen me with my constant companion , the darn oxygen... Oh well, maybe they will be more interested in seeing that  I gained 1/2 lb and now weigh 108 1/2 that the oxygen will barely registar.

I'll be back before Thanksgiving..

~Jan

Back again...

Well, be off here for awhile and typepad changes everything. Wasn't even sure how to do a new post.. everything had  changed. That will teach me to stay more current.

How am I? Stable, still, and that's good enough for me. Gained a few more pounds and now weigh in at 109.. still have a ways to go to get back to my fighting weight but working on it daily. Been drinking a lot of rootbeer floats figuring that is a lot of calories. And I try to have a calorie rich desert every night.. tough when one isn't that hungry but forcing myself to eat them.

Ever since I came home from the hospital in early June a nurse has come here each week to check me out, weigh me, check my oxygen level, take my blood pressure, change my bandage around the feeding tube and make sure there is no infection around the feeding tube. Today he - yeah my nurse is a guy - said he isn't coming here anymore cuz Medicare said a caregiver can learn to do those things. What a catch-22. Been working over a month to try and get Medicare to pay for my caregiver.  One of the requirements is that you must have a visiting nurse weekly to even qualify. So I lose the nurse! He'll be reinstated if I have trouble breathing or am in pain but for now, it is adios.

My oncologist has been working to get Medicare to pay for a caregiver, too , but you can be in chemo too weak to get out of bed and Medicare says get a caregiver and pay for her yourself. Rotten system. I went through that back in the desert when I could barely get out of bed and son Tod was practically living with me to take care of me, and Medicare would not pay for anyone to come out and take care of me.  You'd think that with a feeding tube Medicare would want someone trained to be here to do that. They'll cover me if I move into a nursing home but no thank you.. that would be hell for sure.

One of my Palm Springs doctors found me on facebook. What a hoot that was. His nurse wrote to me and asked me to "friend' them ,saying the office thinks of me all the time and wonders how I am doing. Wasn't that nice?

Book talk:

My cousin Dave and I go back and forth with biographies that we have read and give each other tips on new ones to get. He just finished reading the William Holden one I read a few months ago and we both think that the author never interviewed anyone other than a shrink who had treated Holden for awhile. Surely didn't interview Stef Powers who I had interviewed for a story on Holden. Now, all of a sudden Amazon notifies me that there is a new William Holden bio coming out.  He's been dead since 1981.. who is left to inteview, what new material can they get? Well, out of curiosity I ordered the book and then Dave and I will hash over that one.

One of the books we both enjoyed this last year was " Mrs. Astor Regrets" the story of the life of Brook Astor and how her son was robbing her of her millions. Then Dave and I both followed the daily goings on in his trial by reading the New York Post online .. and he was found guilty. Goody. I was sure he was guilty.

I know, not exactly high class reading, but it is entertaining and passes the hours for me here.

A good bet for you if you like short stories would be to rush out and buy " Other Resort Cities" the collection of short stories by my son Tod Goldberg. It's getting rave reviews! He also has a new "Burn Notice" book out and one of my neighbors here is reading it ( and watches that t.v. show) and is really enjoying it.

Tonight in Palm Desert Tod has a book party at UCRiverside's Palm Desert Graduate Center and then another book party in Westwood ( LA ) at Borders books on Sunday.

In the meantime, son Lee is a speaker tomorrow at the AAUW author event in Ventura. Hoping he will stop by here afterwards to give me the lowdown.

I just got a call from a pal in Rancho Mirage on the way to Tod's book party and forgot to take the address along and asked me where the graduate center is. Heck  Idon't have the address. All I know is it is on Frank Sinatra Drive. Wished him good luck.

Plans for the future:

Plans are in the works for a family reunion -- brothers, nephews, nieces, my kids.. the entire family for Thanksgiving in Ventura. That would be wonderful. Will keep you posted on that. Scouting out hotels now, or rather daughter Karen is.

Okay, is that enough babble for one post?

A doctor of mine mentioned to me today that I hadn't put anything new on the blog in awhile, so, Doctor, if you are reading this, I updated with you in mind!

Thanks for stopping here. Now you can go to TMZ.com and check out all the Hollywood gossip.

~Jan