Kindness was in the air today.
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Six word Friday: Kindness
I guess I was ready!
I feel like the only thing I have accomplished today is a headache and a serious need for something to eat other than crackers with a side of room-temp water.
A lady across from us was a mess. It broke my heart. Her doctor had just been in and told her some bad news. So we watched and listened as she cried and called her relatives to let them know. It was so sad. The nurses could have pulled the curtain for to allow for privacy.
Barry is happy as a lark. TV all to himself and a chair to snooze in, although it did not compare to his recliner. We have nine minutes left on this infusion and we are headed home. Woohoo! I miss my Maggie. I miss home. Being here for the reasons I am here, has made me realize how much I appreciate being home.
I can’t wait to get away from all these medicinal odors and get into my cushy chair at home. I have a lot of email to return and phone calls to make.
We have decided when we make our first billion or two, we’ll buy new chairs for the Infusion Center. The sad thing is the number of patients that have gone through those chairs to wear them out. Cancer effects more lives than anyone realizes.
Am I ready?
Such a simple question for process about to begin. God is watching over me, Barry will be by my side, Emory Winship Hospital will be providing the care and mom will be home waiting to cook a nice healthy meal. I’m hoping my stomach will let me eat. I do not need to worry about daddy, because Kristie is in control. I feel sorry for the nurse assigned to Pop yesterday.
My clothes are laid out and ready to go. My tablet will be charged, allowing me access to books, games, the Bible and whatever else the internet may provide as entertainment while waiting for the infusion to complete. I can do more research on chemotherapy and the type cancer I have. I can write a step by step post on what chemo is like. I would not want to bore you to death.
I have to repeat this process every three weeks for four doses. Then we swich to radiation. Radiation is scheduled to be daily for a certain period of time. I’ll find that out when the time comes.
My cousin has given the inside track on whst to ask for from the goof doctors. She let me know what worked for her and what she has heard from other people. I believe Barry and I are as ready as we can be.
There is a thunderstorm brewing here. We can hardly keep up with the grass. We’ve had so much rain, the flowers are h8rgeous and yhe grass is growing like crazy. I’m going to hit the sack. Hope everyone has a beautiful day tomorrow!
Post Surgical Cast
Is this the color to start chemo with?
Surgery under local anesthesia!
If you read my blog regularly, you are aware that I was scheduled for right wrist surgery. To decrease my exposure to anesthetics, I elected to have this cyst removed with only a local anesthetic.
I’ve been under general anesthesia 14 times since 2009. Each time, it appears to take longer for the anesthesia to get out of my system and it also takes longer my body to recover. My responses are slower after each surgery. I have tried everything I can think of to flush the medication from my system, but I can tell I’m less responsive, each time, for a longer period of time.
Trying a local this time was an experience. Dr. P. Is a very nice man and excellent physician, as I found out during this surgery, quite a comedian.
He numbed my hand prior to surgery. My hand looked like half of a pear with all of that Lidocaine injected into it. Dr. P. stated, “prepare to feel your finger nails go numb. See you in there soon.” and walked out of the room.
A few moments later, I was wheeled into the surgical suite and placed on the table. The staff prepared me for surgery. The nurse stuck my right arm into a giant sock and then through a hole in the drape. They used some kind of belt to strap my arm to an extension on the table. I guess they were making sure I could not pop Dr. P. in the chin, while he worked on that wrist.
After they had the strap in place, they let me know what was about to happen. After they get the drape in place, the plan was to cut the sock away and to clean my right arm for the operation. When they completed that task, the doctor would be in to start.
Dr. P. entered the suite. The comedy started the minute he walked in.
“This is the right arm amputation, isn’t it?” He said as he peeked under the drape, and asked me, ” Did they ask what you want for lunch? They will be serving in about 20 minutes. Can’t let the staff get hungry, can I?” He giggled and walked over to my right arm to get started.
They started the procedure. About 20 minutes into the operation, I hear Dr. P. say loudly, “What the?” and then total silence. My question was of course, “What what?” He told me not to worry, “just a little blood”. He continued with the operation.
At a certain point in the procedure, he picked my right hand up and had me bend my fingers. The purpose was to test his handy work. When I bent my fingers, something popped. Dr. P. peeked in the drape and stated, “you are strong. I’ve got to redo it, might take a sec.”
I dozed off for a bit and was suddenly awake at another “WHAT?” I asked what was wrong, and he started trying to get me to let him take the drape down to watch. He said I was so full of questions, he said I should watch. As a nurse, it takes a lot to make my stomach turn. But I have never been able to watch a doctor work on my body. I have passed out cold watching a procedure on myself. My saving grace was I couldn’t see without my glssses, so he left me alone.
When finished, the drape was removed, a hard splint was applied to my wrist and I was finally discharged. A procedure scheduled to take 30 minutes, took 3 hours. At least he kept it interesting. I’m not sure how I feel about another local anesthetic. My wrist is healing well. I get my cast tomorrow. I think I’ll get hot pink. Might be a good color to wear into chemo.
Patience Please!
Hooe everyone is well. The surgery on my wrist and illness in my family is keeping me busy at the moment. Hopefully, life will slow down soon and I can get back to blogging. Have a great week! Jillxo
Writing through cancer: For the Week of June 23, 2013: How Do You Want to Be Remembered?
Of late, I’m going to be known as the aunt that was turned into a witch after brain surgery. I want to see what I can do to change that. Everyone has so much to do that no one has time to remember what family is and how to treat each other. Everyone also needs to remember that they are not the only ones with full lives. We all have busy, full lives.
My family needs to realize that I will never be the person I used to be before and I cannot be forced backward into that person. My body is not the same and avoiding me is not the way to handle things. Barry is not the same either. We are both different and having mom in the house does not mean AVOID AVOID AVOID. WE ARE PART OF THE FAMILY and always will be. We may just be aunts and uncles, it doesn’t mean put us out of the family.
We would love to be known as a loving couple that welcomed their family with open arms whenever needed. The smart uncle and creative aunt that would fo anything for anyone. Not be isolated and un-notified of family gatherings.
Brain injuries, strokes and dementia cause changes to the brain, as well as the brain chemistry. All the above can cause changes in behavior. They can be managed by medications, but will always be there. This does not mean a person is CRAZY!
Barry and I don’t want to be remembered as the crazy Aunt and Uncle that took care of Me-maw in her later days. We’d like to be known as the full of life couple that participates in everything with the family and greatly enjoyed every minute. We want to be known as abfamily-oriented couple.
We only need to know when something is happening. Telephones work two ways these days. I plan to do better with communication. I’m just hoping pther people reading this do the same. It only takes a second to make a phone call.
Word of the weekend: Peccant
Peccant, ( \PEK-unt\ ), adjective
1 :guilty of a moral offense : sinning
2 :violating a principle or rule : faulty
Examples: Outside the confessional stood a short line of peccant parishioners waiting to seek redemption for their sins.
“His own translation of Heinrich Heine’s ‘A Woman’ features a naughtily misbehaving protagonist and herpeccant boyfriend….” — From a review by Benjamin Ivry in The Forward, April 27, 2012
Sponsored Link “Peccant” comes from the Latin verb “peccare,” which means “to sin,” “to commit a fault,” or “to stumble,” and is related to the better-known English word “peccadillo” (“a slight offense”). Etymologists have suggested that “peccare” might be related to Latin “ped-” or “pes,” meaning “foot,” by way of an unattested adjective, “peccus,” which may have been used to mean “having an injured foot” or “stumbling. “Whether or not a connection truly exists between “peccant” and “peccus,” “peccant” itself involves stumbling of a figurative kind—making errors, for example, or falling stumbling.” Whether or not a connection truly exists between “peccant” and “peccus,” “peccant” itself involves stumbling of a figurative kind—making errors, for example, or falling into immoral, corrupt, or sinful behavior.
Daily Prompt: Moment of Kindness
Describe a moment of kindness, between you and someone else — loved one or complete stranger.Photographers, artists, poets: show us KINDNESS.
While driving home from work one evening (at that time I worked the second shift, 3-11pm at a local hospital). I did not like driving home at that hour, but the money was perfect for a low-stress position. I enjoyed the job, making the drive worthwhile.
It felt like a long drive home, due to the main route between the two towns. It was a long country road, through the sticks, in the middle of no where. One gas station stood as the only sign of civilization on the ride.
While driving home one evening, just past midnight. While driving down a big hill, I noticed a car on the side of the road, flashers going. As I drove closer to the car, I realized the car was empty. I made sure no one was laying around the car and continued my ride home.
Approximately, one half a mile from where the broken down car sat, I drove past a man. He was dressed in a suit, walking up a huge hill, carrying four suitcases and sweating bullets. I backed up, opened my window and asked if he needed a ride and if so, to get in.
I then told him that if he intended to kill me and steal my car, I’d get out and let him have it now. If he genuinly needed a ride, to get in and I’d take him to the closest pay phone.
He put his bags in the back, and got in the front seat. He buckled up. I gave him my extra bottle of water snd we headed to the local gas station. I made sure he had help on the way and headed home, myself.
He never said a word, other than “Thank you, ma’am”!
One year later, to date, I received a surprise. It was a dozen pale pink roses from a shop in a smalltown, nearby. The man I picked up, was the mayor of the next town over.
He sent roses on that date for 12 years. There was a small article in their paper, that week, about the kindness of strangers. I kept a copy for years, but he stated what a shame it is that there aren’t more kind strangers still out there. This happened over 20 years ago!
Lunch at Applebees: A New Barry Moment
Barry and I had lunch at the local Applebees. I guess we eat there too often, they know us by name and remember our usuals.
We tried out there new summer menu, but we stayed on the lighter side. Gave me a few ideas to try at home. We’ll see.
The waitress brought our check out. Barry gave her what was needed to handle the bill. As he gave it to her for processing, he said, “If that card doesn’t work, I have a doctor’s excuse that allows me to wash dishes.”
When she returned after processing the payment, she stated, “You can do dishes if you want, but the card went through.”
I quickly told her, “I do not know him, he offered me lunch and I said sure.”
She said, “Hey, you got a free lunch” and sped off back to work.
Barry can be such a clown. I love him for trying to lighten my mood. We have a huge day ahead of us and he knows I stressing a little. He is just a sweetheart.
Two Rights Attempting To Make A Left! 
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