finally...

To my faithful readers...it's about time! So summer's just about over. It's been filled with all kinds of medical things. School starts in less than three weeks. Nate is ready to go! He actually got cold feet about a month ago. Oh brother. He was able to e-mail a student and ask question and that helped.

Three days after school let out, Nate broke his lower right arm. compound fracture, both bones, through the skin just a bit. The EMT's took a photo of it because it was a perfect example of how a compound fracture looks like an abrasion. The bone had gone back into his skin. The story goes--I sent the boys out to ride bikes because it was a beautiful sunny day. Within minutes, I received a call from the school that Nate had broken his arm. Moment or two of confusion because Nate wasn't in school. The principal and office staff were still finishing school business. We tried to move him so I could drive him to the hospital but he was in too much pain. We took an ambulance ride with air splint and pain meds. Nate still talks about it. He was wearing his helmet. He said he was riding between the school and dumpsters and that he tried to swerve to miss a piece of paper. Then hit the sidewalk. Who knows exactly. Nate got up and went to the front of the school to be buzzed in. I don't know how he did it. All the docs were glad he had his helmet on. Or we would have a different story to tell. He had surgery. The orthopedic surgeon put in a wire to stabilize the bone. The lower bone just needed to be set. The wire will have to come out in September some time. A quick day surgery. Nate had a splint for a week after surgery and a cast for five more weeks. He now has a removable brace. All is healing well. At the beginning, Nate made for a bad patient and I made for a bad nurse. Oh what a complainer.

For me, my oncologist is still worried over my left kidney. Something showed up on my PET scan in March 2007. At that point, the cancer was more of an issue and my blood levels were normal, sort of. My creatinine has been the contested issue. The lab reports it as high but the range for it at his lab is smaller than the range for the lab at my GP's office. So I dug out lab reports from 1993 (yes, I had them) and showed him how my creatinine has remained essentially the same. I thought we had put this one to rest. But no, the nurse calls back and says to call her. But then she never calls me back. I did make the appointment with my GP for this past Monday. Ya, I had a bad attitude about it. Because really, if it was such an issue I could have talked to my GP at my annual physical in February. But I didn't because he said OK, leave it. The good news is that my creatinine was about .10 lower (yes even this small amount makes a difference, he was worried when it was .04 above the "normal" limit) than it has been running at the oncologist's. Which makes me think there's some problem with his lab. My GP explained that kidneys either work or they don't, and they can go bad in 3 months or less. OK, I understand his over-zealousness. It might help if he'd have explained that to me. On the 25th I go for a kidney ultrasound which should make him happy. I also learned that a PET scan isn't the best tool to measure kidney function. And I imagine if something shows up, then I'll have to go to the specialist and probably pee in a cup for 24 hours. Yea!

On Tuesday morning, the boys and I are in search of pots to plant some of my Grandma's spider plant that I got in Ohio in July. And Jay calls from the ER at our doc's office building, simply an ER, no hospital facilities. I didn't even know he was going to the doc (for a night breathing issue.) He thought it was related to Jay's reflux. Then, the GP decided to do an EKG and found a glitch. So Jay went right to the ER in a wheelchair. He was irritated to say the least. They looked at heart enzymes many times which were all normal. He had to be transferred to the hospital by ambulance, they wouldn't let me drive him. Wednesday morning, Jay did a stress test which showed something in an artery on the front of his heart. They then had him do an angiogram catheterization. It showed nothing. If something was there it was knocked off or was never really there. If it was knocked off, where did it go? They released him last night at 9:45pm. Jay was so glad to sleep in his own bed. He's working from home the rest of the week. We have a work picnic to go to tonight and he wants to go. He's feeling good.

At the end of July I went to Ohio for a wedding. My cousin got married. I thought it would be nice to see the family. About 10 days before I went, I got a call from a friend that her mom was sick. At the time I remember thinking how I'd want to be there for my friend if her mom died. Also knowing that I was coming home and probably couldn't afford to go twice. Her mom died the morning I was flying to Ohio. I was able to go to the memorial service while I was home. I'm so thankful that God didn't allow her mom to linger. I'm so thankful that I could be there. Her mom wasn't a religious woman but that doesn't mean that God can't work in her life too. It was a gift from God that I could be there. I was able to see everyone--Jay's Dad, Suzanne & Grandpa, my Dad, Paula, Grandma, Jayme, Chris, Karen & Jeremy. Grandma brought me some of her spider plant. I had one in MA but couldn't bring it to CO. I love that it was hers.

And now to politics...there's so much to say but I'm just kidding--I won't start that.

Spring!

Baseball has sucked me in again. I admit, I'm a baseball fan. It was much nicer when I didn't really care who won. And now, out here in Colorado, I have another team to root for, those Colorado Rockies. Go Tulo! And the big boys of Boston. I'm going to get two decals for my car-the Rocks and the Sox. I wanted to go to a game desperately on Sunday but they are in Houston. Jay said we'd have to get up way early to get there in time.

What's new? I guess I've had my couple conversation stoppers so let's talk about summer. We're going to go the farmer's market every Thursday. The boys can play in the fountain while I buy veggies. I'm probably going to get an annual pass at a reservoir where there's an actual beach with sand. I won't have sun restrictions this summer. Although I've been tanning with a spray on tan. I'm not very good at it. It gags me when I spray so I try to spray fast. And that means I miss places. I'm sure you can picture it. It's not terrible but I need to fill in the white places. The other thing I'm looking at doing is leading a Bible study. We're trying to work out logistics.

I'm going to be helping/editing the women's newsletter at my church. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing but I'll find out soon. I'm also interviewing for helping with the newcomer's class this fall. There are a few gals interested in the position. We'll see where that goes.

Today is supposed to be in the upper 70's. We had snow on Wednesday. Up and down it goes. We're going to meet Juli and the twins at the park and LET THEM RUN! Oh to get out all of the energy! We are tired of being indoors.

Truth

Do you recognize truth when you see it? Do you recognize lies when you hear them? How do you judge what is true and pure? How can you know the difference?

I just saw that Oprah is offering a daily lesson on her radio show about the book, A Course in Miracles. There's no truth there. It is billed as "a course in mind training" and is dedicated to "thought reversal." Sounds like brain washing to me. Remember the song "Be careful little ears what you hear?" Everyone wants you to believe what they want. Look at TV, a magazine or the newspaper. They want you to believe their commercials, to buy their products--because you're not good enough. Where are YOU getting your truth from? Just stop and think. Are you swayed by what others think? Are you swayed by TV, magazines or the newspaper? Where do you seek your identity from? (I know that was a dangling participle or some such other grammatical error. But "From where do you seek your identity?" doesn't really sound right.)

Who are you?

Dogs

Nancy and Taurus

Cheri and Bandit

I'm certain that Bandit is as big as Taurus' head. And that's a peek at my hair these days.

TGTWIO--Thank God this week is over!

Aaron did a presentation on greyhounds today. Taurus got to go to school. We learned that Taurus' crooked tooth & nose came from one of his great grand sires, Mi Designer.

Mi Designer

I always thought it came from a muzzle accident of some sort. Taurus raced as Neo Wild. His sire was Deuce's Wild. Deuce's Wild's dam was Pooky's Rowdy (no pictures.) And her sire was Mi Designer. Deuce's Wild

Taurus

I found out today that the claim from my first biopsy that finally got paid Feb. 4, did not in fact get paid. The insurance company called the money back-they "unpaid" it. After another 35 minutes on the phone (to be added to the 12 hours or so already) she told me that they didn't submit it in the right amount of time. She phoned the provider, left a message for them to provide the time log of when the claim was initially submitted and that's where we left it today.

The boys are on spring break this week. Nate's going to do a special program on Lego robotics this week with Hudson. Aaron's going to come with me and go to my studies. We'll find some good things to do in the afternoons. Taurus gets his teeth cleaned on Thursday.

First mammo since surgery a year ago

I had a bad experience. You know, I'm not sure what would make it OK. Not much really. They can't take it back. Time at this point. Time heals. Well it isn't moving along fast enough.

I did tell the tech that I've had occassional discomfort in my affected breast. (Now that sounds so clinical. But it doesn't have cancer in it anymore. It doesn't sound right to say my "surgered" breast. My broken breast? My half a breast? My right breast? I think that could do.) During the mammo, I just wanted it over with as fast as possible. I never said stop but I did tell her it hurt and to hurry. She did two of each and then I had to do two more on the right. I did expect some discomfort. But not to be in tears when she was doing them. That's not right. And really--was I going to say something like: Oh excuse me I think this machine is in the wrong place--or are you sure that's the right tray to use for my mammogram? No I don't think so. However, I do have the right to stop the tech. Or to request another tech to finish. And so today--a full 48 hours later--I have pain in my sternum, armpit, side, under my breast, swelling of my breast. Lightly touching these areas is painful. Choices--not a whole lot. I have to go. I will not go back to that tech. I left a message with the oncologist. I spoke to the director of the mammo clinic. She'll talk to the tech. If they don't have this feedback, they cannot make changes. If you have had a bad experience--call the director of your clinic. Surgery or not, it shouldn't hurt like this. I know my other ones never did. Discomfort perhaps-but no tears! It ought to feel like getting your blood pressure done. Unless of course you go to my oncologist's office and they use a machine that pumps it up way too high and your arm turns red. In that case--that's too hard. Ask them to do it manually. You might be thinking that I'm just too sensitive to pain these days. I don't think that. If I were more sensitive, I might have stopped her from hurting me further. It all gives me a stomach ache.

The good news is that there's nothing there. I'm free and clear for six more months. Then I go back. The director told me to call her when it's time to make my appointment and she would ensure that I got the right tech. The tech who did my mammo the day of surgery was perfect. I requested her.

Two days in a row, I woke up at 2 am and didn't go back to sleep. I don't mind waking up but to not go back to sleep, that's crazy. That's how this has bothered me. I'm going to try a nap. And so the saga continues...and these are the days of our lives.