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I felt 100% better this morning. I convinced myself that today was going to go smoothly & I would be just fine at the end of the day. And it worked! Today was a breeze!
I think it must have been the Ativan they gave me before I started treatment. I slept through the entire treatment!! It was awesome! Jaco said a prayer for me just before they hooked up the IV & then they brought me a warm blanket. I reclined the chair as flat as I could & I was out cold! Apparently my Mom, Ken, Unka Jer, & Grandma all came to visit & I didn't even wake up! Luckily they came to see me when the treatment was finished & I was able to visit with them a little.
I am absolutely amazed at how well the day went! We met with Dr. Daly briefly to discuss the pic line option for next time & he said he would be in touch regarding that & the CT scan. We left for home right after that & I went to bed again. I woke up later on & called a few friends. I NEVER feel well enough to do that! Whoo hoo! May each & every round left run as smoothly as this one! (I'm still going for acupuncture. I need the one up on chemo!)
I had jokingly told the girls in the treatment room before I started that they could put me in a coma if they wanted to. I guess they did! :o) Bring it on!
On a positive note, Jaco has now driven enough times that I no longer need to tell him where to turn & which lane to be in! He's finally remembering his way! And he even came back to the hospital on time today! I didn't have to wait for him! Oh the joys of chemo! :oP
With that, thank you for your continued prayers, positive energy & support - it means so much more than you'll ever know. I'm learning so much throughout this entire 'chapter'. Friends that I assumed would be there, have become invisible & those I least suspected have stepped up to the plate. My definition of family has been reviewed & altered, there are so many changes taking place in every area of my life, I'm doing my best to stay caught up!
With gratitude,
Maria xxxx
(& Jaco, Valentina & Oceana)
Sorry - no photos these past few days! But there are more coming!
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Showing posts with label Grandma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grandma. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Day 123 - Day One of the Road Trip
Well, as usual, I packed way too much stuff & left way too late! I had planned on leaving home at about noon, but it was nearly 3 by the time I pulled out of the yard. I had checked the Weather Network & the forecast was calling for mild weather for most of my journey. Off we go!
I am never too excited about driving to Saskatchewan. It’s always such a long drive & not too much happens along the way! I take 22x on the south end of the city & cut across past Gleichen to Hwy 1.
From there onwards, it’s a matter of ticking past the towns & cities… Bassano, Brooks, Medicine Hat, Maple Creek, & finally Swift Current! I pulled into Grandma B’s about 2100. I was completely wiped, but Grandma B was wide awake.
She informed that her friends had just left – they watched The Bachelor together & ‘There are only 2 girls left for him to pick!’ Now she was heavy into the Ice Dancing on the Olympics. She told me this is the only time she’s ever channel surfed! ‘There’s just so much to see & I hate to miss anything!’ I love my Grandma! :o)
We witnessed a Gold medal for Canada & I do love music & movement, so I enjoyed the skating as well! We visited until 0100 & then we both crashed! Even Valentina was played out!
For 83 years old, in fact, 84 in a few weeks, she does pretty amazing to live on her own & keep as active as she does. She told me of my Aunt Laureen taking figure skating lessons when she was young & Grandma had to drive & pick her up in the neighbouring town & when she got home, it was 7 p.m. & nobody was fed and she still had a night of work to do. Grandma B has 8 children. Oh My Goodness. When I stop to fathom exactly what that means, I am flabbergasted! I can barely look after myself & a dog, let alone a baby, yet never mind 8 of them! My hats off to Grandma B – what a feat!
Anyhow, that was day one of my road trip. Here’s to a fun drive tomorrow. Ha!
Sleep well & see you soon!
xxxx
Maria & Valentina
And that's about as exciting as it got.
Even Valentina couldn't stay awake.
Labels:
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Sunday, February 14, 2010
Day 115 - The Best Laid Plans
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!
I hope your day was filled with love & all that mushy stuff. I hope you spent it with someone or several someone's that you love. Although Jaco & I were apart, I was still fortunate to have a 2 minute phone call from him this morning! That completely made my day! He is still flying from London to Cape Town, but should be arriving in the next couple of hours. I'll be anxious to hear from him!
Today was supposed to be a movie & Lacrosse, but alas, it was not. When I woke up this morning, I could not move my neck. The muscles had seized. Again. This time was the worst so far. Adding to that my coughing fits & I was again in rough shape!
But it was Mom to the rescue! She rubbed peppermint oil on my back, got the hot water bottle ready & sent me to her bed. Oh yes, there was also a shot glass of Buckley's in there too. Buckley's has been my stand by for any cold or flu. Mom gave it to us when we were kids. Yes, it tastes awful. But it works! I was trying to sleep in her bed, as mine apparently isn't too comfy for my neck. I can remember moving positions in the middle of the night & feeling all the blood drain back into the entire one half of my head. Hmmm. Not so great!
I had just fallen asleep in Mom's bed when I heard the phone ring. There was no sitting up to answer it, but that's when I heard Valentina whining frantically at the door. She's never done this before. Mom didn't get the call, so when the phone began to ring right away again, I figured it was time to move. I literally rolled out of bed - luckily she has a high bed - & made my way to the phone. Hmpf, don't know the number anyway, but know that I'm up, I'll see what the dog wants. I open the door & she's excited to see me. She didn't want out, okay. I walk to Mom's office only to have her hand me the phone. It was Jaco & he literally had about 40 seconds to talk before the card ran out & he had to board the plane. Call it coincidence, but I think Valentina knew it was her Papa calling. :o) Hey, it makes me feel good!
The next bizarre part of the day occurred while I was talking to Mom2. We were having a good ol' chat when all of a sudden she says, 'Oh no! There's water coming out from underneath my washer & its going all over the place!' I agreed that yes, this was very unfortunate, when not 10 seconds later, I hear a very loud buzzing sound in my house. The septic tank alarm! Oh no! We both hung up & tended to our water issues. Mom was outside & said that we better be careful, because the tank was all the way to the top & it could start backing up in the house soon! Great! Needless to say, our company's dinner dishes are still sitting in the sink! However, I did check the alarm & it's turned itself off during the course of the evening. Here's hoping it's fixed itself! It's certainly warm enough, the pipes shouldn't have frozen! Tomorrow will tell.
I asked Mom if we could have Lawrence & Vivian out for supper, seeing as we were unable to do the movie & game. She agreed. She cooked a sweet potato shepard's pie with ground turkey for supper. It was fantastic! I actually did something as well! I made a raw hummus dip from cashews! Thanks to Collet & Roxy for the recipe, it turned out great! Although we have enough for the next 2 months! Neil ended up driving out & brought Vivian with him, so there were 5 of us for supper. We enjoyed a wonderful meal & great conversation.
I also spoke with my Granny today. She will be 95 this month. Unfortunately I will be in Mexico, so I will miss her special day. We have made plans to celebrate when I am back. She is now in a nursing home & although she would much rather be elsewhere, she makes the most out of every day. She is an inspiration to anyone who has taken the time to get to know her.
Tomorrow I will call my other Grandma - Grandma B. Her birthday will also fall while I am away! I saw Grandma B's picture on Facebook today. It always makes me giggle to think that my 83 year old Grandma is hanging out on Facebook. She doesn't have a profile, but pops up in random photos. I think she's the 'Where's Waldo?' of Facebook. Yes, this is the same Grandma who loves Bon Jovi. The picture today was of her & her favourite bull rider, Justin McBride. I'll admit. She's got good taste. Must run in the family. In fact, she told me after the wedding, 'You're lucky I'm not any younger, I just might try & take him off your hands!' :o)
I checked the temperature in Tijuana today... 26! Yes! It is only supposed to be about 20-23 for the rest of the week, but I don't care! That's awesome! Yippee! I'm so excited to go! Oh & today was shot day. I only have 2 left to do in Canada & then I'll be in Mexico. If they don't do it via IV, well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there! I've survived 43 needles! Yay! Okay, so 15 of them my husband did, I botched 3 of them, but the rest I managed & got it done! Oh my gosh, if I was still in Brownies, this would be the most significant badge I've ever earned!!!
I have wrote out my To Do List for the week & it's fairly hefty. I'm not sure what day I'll get to town, but it could be messy! Wish me luck on the last week of running around before I get to unwind & rebuild!
Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Love, Hope & Faith. But the greatest of these is Love.
I hope your day was filled with love & all that mushy stuff. I hope you spent it with someone or several someone's that you love. Although Jaco & I were apart, I was still fortunate to have a 2 minute phone call from him this morning! That completely made my day! He is still flying from London to Cape Town, but should be arriving in the next couple of hours. I'll be anxious to hear from him!
Today was supposed to be a movie & Lacrosse, but alas, it was not. When I woke up this morning, I could not move my neck. The muscles had seized. Again. This time was the worst so far. Adding to that my coughing fits & I was again in rough shape!
But it was Mom to the rescue! She rubbed peppermint oil on my back, got the hot water bottle ready & sent me to her bed. Oh yes, there was also a shot glass of Buckley's in there too. Buckley's has been my stand by for any cold or flu. Mom gave it to us when we were kids. Yes, it tastes awful. But it works! I was trying to sleep in her bed, as mine apparently isn't too comfy for my neck. I can remember moving positions in the middle of the night & feeling all the blood drain back into the entire one half of my head. Hmmm. Not so great!
I had just fallen asleep in Mom's bed when I heard the phone ring. There was no sitting up to answer it, but that's when I heard Valentina whining frantically at the door. She's never done this before. Mom didn't get the call, so when the phone began to ring right away again, I figured it was time to move. I literally rolled out of bed - luckily she has a high bed - & made my way to the phone. Hmpf, don't know the number anyway, but know that I'm up, I'll see what the dog wants. I open the door & she's excited to see me. She didn't want out, okay. I walk to Mom's office only to have her hand me the phone. It was Jaco & he literally had about 40 seconds to talk before the card ran out & he had to board the plane. Call it coincidence, but I think Valentina knew it was her Papa calling. :o) Hey, it makes me feel good!
The next bizarre part of the day occurred while I was talking to Mom2. We were having a good ol' chat when all of a sudden she says, 'Oh no! There's water coming out from underneath my washer & its going all over the place!' I agreed that yes, this was very unfortunate, when not 10 seconds later, I hear a very loud buzzing sound in my house. The septic tank alarm! Oh no! We both hung up & tended to our water issues. Mom was outside & said that we better be careful, because the tank was all the way to the top & it could start backing up in the house soon! Great! Needless to say, our company's dinner dishes are still sitting in the sink! However, I did check the alarm & it's turned itself off during the course of the evening. Here's hoping it's fixed itself! It's certainly warm enough, the pipes shouldn't have frozen! Tomorrow will tell.
I asked Mom if we could have Lawrence & Vivian out for supper, seeing as we were unable to do the movie & game. She agreed. She cooked a sweet potato shepard's pie with ground turkey for supper. It was fantastic! I actually did something as well! I made a raw hummus dip from cashews! Thanks to Collet & Roxy for the recipe, it turned out great! Although we have enough for the next 2 months! Neil ended up driving out & brought Vivian with him, so there were 5 of us for supper. We enjoyed a wonderful meal & great conversation.
I also spoke with my Granny today. She will be 95 this month. Unfortunately I will be in Mexico, so I will miss her special day. We have made plans to celebrate when I am back. She is now in a nursing home & although she would much rather be elsewhere, she makes the most out of every day. She is an inspiration to anyone who has taken the time to get to know her.
Tomorrow I will call my other Grandma - Grandma B. Her birthday will also fall while I am away! I saw Grandma B's picture on Facebook today. It always makes me giggle to think that my 83 year old Grandma is hanging out on Facebook. She doesn't have a profile, but pops up in random photos. I think she's the 'Where's Waldo?' of Facebook. Yes, this is the same Grandma who loves Bon Jovi. The picture today was of her & her favourite bull rider, Justin McBride. I'll admit. She's got good taste. Must run in the family. In fact, she told me after the wedding, 'You're lucky I'm not any younger, I just might try & take him off your hands!' :o)
I checked the temperature in Tijuana today... 26! Yes! It is only supposed to be about 20-23 for the rest of the week, but I don't care! That's awesome! Yippee! I'm so excited to go! Oh & today was shot day. I only have 2 left to do in Canada & then I'll be in Mexico. If they don't do it via IV, well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there! I've survived 43 needles! Yay! Okay, so 15 of them my husband did, I botched 3 of them, but the rest I managed & got it done! Oh my gosh, if I was still in Brownies, this would be the most significant badge I've ever earned!!!
I have wrote out my To Do List for the week & it's fairly hefty. I'm not sure what day I'll get to town, but it could be messy! Wish me luck on the last week of running around before I get to unwind & rebuild!
Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Love, Hope & Faith. But the greatest of these is Love.
Valentina's Day Supper
Maybe next year we'll be together! :o( I'll love you a whole year more!
Granny
Grandma B & her hottie Bull Rider, Justin McBride
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Day 102 - Grammys?!
So I'm pretty much sitting here watching the time tick by. I'm pretty bored to be 100% honest. I get a fair bit accomplished, but there isn't much satisfaction at the end of the day. I'm still thirsty for something more. May the Good Lord see to it that I return from Mexico with a new lease on life! I'm ready to bust outta the rut I've been digging for the past two years!
Today was exceptionally uneventful. I spent a fair bit of time researching, again. My Grandma called to tell Mom & I we should read this really great book. She couldn't remember who the author was, but it was called Knockout. :o) I didn't catch the call & she left a message. I called her back later in the evening & it was so cute.
She was watching the Grammys & funnily enough, so was I. We don't have a satellite or cable TV, but I managed to find a live stream online, so Mom & I watched bits & bobs of the awards. I phoned Grandma part way through & I figured she would be watching the Grammys. She enjoys her TV shows. When I asked if she was watching the Grammys, she said yes. We chit-chatted for a bit & shortly thereafter she interrupted me & said, 'Now look what you've done. You've gone & made me miss my favourite guy. Bon Jovi is on & I'm missing him.'
I could hardly believe my ears & I certainly couldn't contain my amusement! How cute was that! She carried on to tell me how much she likes his music, what a nice guy he is & how handsome he is. Keep in mind this is the same Grandma who NEVER misses a PBR episode (Professional Bull Riding). She is also 83 years young & baked ALL the buns for our wedding in Waterton last fall. I still get people telling me how much they loved the buns! Anyhow, Grandma B never ceases to amaze me & tonight certainly wasn't an exception!
Tonight was also shot night. We're down to the last 10!!! I think I can, I think I can, I think... :o) I told Mom I was off to do my shot & she pipes up how I need to train Valentina to carry a piece of paper to Mom if I get into trouble. No sooner do I get my needle goodies out, do I hear a little click, click down the hall. Mom follows suit & opens the door. Enter Valentina with a piece of paper folded up in her mouth that she so proudly gives to me. I open it up & it reads, 'Do you need my help?' What a gal. Both of them!
We also worked on our 'stenditi' trick. She knows I want her to roll over on the blanket & she knows I want her to put the blanket in her mouth, but the timing isn't quite right just yet! We'll get there! In the meantime, it's cute to watch her try! Mom had a massage today & the lady who did the massage was completely smitten with Valentina. That's my girl! She's a charmer!
Anyhow, short post & here's a few piccies of my baby when she was just a wee one! Awh!
Have a great night! xxxx
Maria & Valentina
Today was exceptionally uneventful. I spent a fair bit of time researching, again. My Grandma called to tell Mom & I we should read this really great book. She couldn't remember who the author was, but it was called Knockout. :o) I didn't catch the call & she left a message. I called her back later in the evening & it was so cute.
She was watching the Grammys & funnily enough, so was I. We don't have a satellite or cable TV, but I managed to find a live stream online, so Mom & I watched bits & bobs of the awards. I phoned Grandma part way through & I figured she would be watching the Grammys. She enjoys her TV shows. When I asked if she was watching the Grammys, she said yes. We chit-chatted for a bit & shortly thereafter she interrupted me & said, 'Now look what you've done. You've gone & made me miss my favourite guy. Bon Jovi is on & I'm missing him.'
I could hardly believe my ears & I certainly couldn't contain my amusement! How cute was that! She carried on to tell me how much she likes his music, what a nice guy he is & how handsome he is. Keep in mind this is the same Grandma who NEVER misses a PBR episode (Professional Bull Riding). She is also 83 years young & baked ALL the buns for our wedding in Waterton last fall. I still get people telling me how much they loved the buns! Anyhow, Grandma B never ceases to amaze me & tonight certainly wasn't an exception!
Tonight was also shot night. We're down to the last 10!!! I think I can, I think I can, I think... :o) I told Mom I was off to do my shot & she pipes up how I need to train Valentina to carry a piece of paper to Mom if I get into trouble. No sooner do I get my needle goodies out, do I hear a little click, click down the hall. Mom follows suit & opens the door. Enter Valentina with a piece of paper folded up in her mouth that she so proudly gives to me. I open it up & it reads, 'Do you need my help?' What a gal. Both of them!
We also worked on our 'stenditi' trick. She knows I want her to roll over on the blanket & she knows I want her to put the blanket in her mouth, but the timing isn't quite right just yet! We'll get there! In the meantime, it's cute to watch her try! Mom had a massage today & the lady who did the massage was completely smitten with Valentina. That's my girl! She's a charmer!
Anyhow, short post & here's a few piccies of my baby when she was just a wee one! Awh!
Have a great night! xxxx
Maria & Valentina
Mama - What's up with the string??
INCOMING!!!
What? Is there something in my teeth?
Short legs. Need a break!
I swear, it wasn't me!
Fast as fast can be! You'll never catch me!
