We got Paul a new digicam for his graduation. It records movies up to 3 minutes long with sound!!! So I'm testing live linking YouTube so that folks can see them. You guys are going to get tired of these! Sorry.
I don't understand why YouTube pixelates the movie so much. Phooey. Is there a setting there that I'm missing?
OK, this is Rohan CROSSING the finish line...
And this is Rohan talking about it...
OK, in chronological order. First some silly ones I took with my Daddy last Sunday, a week ago. He bought that awful hat as a joke for a cousin's wedding a few years ago!
Next, the freak snowstorm we got last week. The first one is as it started to fall. With the beautiful blue sky is the next day...
Now, Paulie's Graduation!
He and I posing with his diploma
His Mom & Dad
His children minus the one in Denver at "Wicked"
Rohan posing in Daddy's hat
A favorite professor
A friend from hockey
And last, but not least, Mother's Day!
My beautiful arrangement!
And them bringing it to me in bed!
Somehow, we didn't take any pictures after I got dressed and makeup on, so pretend I don't look so sick in that picture, K?
So, yesterday, Dr. H called in an antibiotic and my lovenox injections to Wal-Mart. Because of Paul's graduation, I couldn't get them picked up. But I also had a paper script for the Fentanyl patches. 10-100 mcg/hr and 10-50 mcg/hr. So, I worked this morning and then left to go get the scripts. I got to Wal-mart and dropped off the patch scripts and told them that I'd pick up everything in 20 minutes.
10 minutes later, they page me. They only have 5 of the 50 mcg/hr, and insurance won't fill the 100s until the 12th (which is fine, I still have 3). Do I want the 5? Can you give me the other 5 in a few days? Nope. Well, then NO, I don't want the 5. I'll have to pay the copay twice AND go to the doc's office to get another paper prescription.
So, I pay for my other prescriptions... $50 each. 7 Lovonox syringes, and 7 pills of a new antibiotic. Geez.
I head to King Soopers. Just walking from the handicapped parking to the store entrance has me in a lot of pain. But they don't have any electric carts and the pharmacy is in the back of the store. Fortunately, when I got back there, they had 10-50 mcg/hr patches. Hallelujah. So I sit down and wait. And it is THEN that I figure out that the 12th is stinking TOMORROW!!!!! Ay yi yi.
I checked my BP at King Soops, too, and my pulse rate was still in the 120s. I don't know what's up with my heart.
So now I'm home. I have 150 mcg/hr patches on (let's see if it does anything), and have taken off my stocking. I have an ice pack against the top of my thigh where it burns that the elastic was tight against it. And life will be OK in a bit. *Sigh*
Well, it's SUPPOSED to be chemo day.
But yesterday, I was running a fever at the doctor's office. He thinks it might just be from my port surgery, but it could be from an infection. So, until they are sure that I don't have an active infection, no chemo. They accessed my port for the first time and drew blood and upped my pain meds again and referred me to a special physical therapist for help with the swelling in my leg and my pain.
I also have to go back to giving myself Lovonox shots. He's worried that perhaps the increased swelling in my leg is due to another blood clot.
So, he wanted me to come back in on Tuesday morning for chemo, but if I do that, I have to take the whole rest of the week off next week. I'm running out of FMLA, and I really would rather not do that. So I'm going to call this morning and see if we can push it off until Thursday so that I'll be able to just take Thursday and Friday off and then go straight through the weekend feeling icky before I return to work on Monday.
Paul is all graduated!! YAY! Thank God for the wheelchair, that's all I have to say. But his graduation wasn't super long, which was wonderful. The program had over 2,000 names in it, but the Colorado Springs version only graduated about 150 of those. The main campus is in Denver, and I guess everyone else graduated from there last Saturday. I'm sure that ceremony took a LOT longer than ours did. But this smaller one was very nice.
OK... that's it. I'll be going into the office this morning after I get an hour nap...
And I'm sore. Not horrendous pain. Just sore. They didn't give me nearly the versed that they gave me when they put in my G-tube. I remember the whole thing. I think. I might have fallen asleep for a few minutes. I was covered with a sterile drape, so I don't know for sure.
But it's in, and it's ready to use. When I was uncovered in the OR, they had a large screen with an x-ray shot of where my port is, along with the cath line going to my heart. I asked if they could print that for me, and they did. So I was able to show the kids. They think it's pretty cool.
That's it for today. Just wanted you to know that the procedure went fine, and I'm glad it's over with.
Well, having Amy and Joel here was an absolute blast. They were only here for one full day, so we packed that day full: Garden of the Gods, Old Colorado City, Michael Garman Galleries and Magic Town, Whole Foods (Amy doesn't have one of those), The Melting Pot, Swimming at the hotel, Trying on wigs.
We really did have fun. Here's a link to Amy's photos. And here's a sample. First off, me as a blond! One of my cousins talked her SIL into loaning me this wig. It's beautiful, but since I haven't been a blond since I was 4, I'm not sure it's "me."
Joel, Amy & Me at The Melting Pot for my early birthday dinner:
And Joel, Amy, & Me at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center:
Being from Savannah, TN, Amy and Joel had never seen snow in May before. And it flurried a bit on Saturday, so they got to take pictures of them standing in the snow, making snowballs, etc. But they left yesterday morning. About 4:30 yesterday afternoon, the drizzly rain we had been having turned to snow. And this morning, we woke up to 12" of the white stuff. They would have been blown away had they stayed just 24 more hours.
Because of the snow, we had a 2 hour delay for school, so I came into work late as well.
Michael and I talked today about working from home and what was acceptable without looking like I was taking advantage. There are days that the act of GETTING to work wears me out far more than working does. Those days, I'd love to just call in and say, "I'm working from home," but I've been hesitant to do that more than one day a week. Michael today told me that he would be happy if I could just shoot for 2 days a week IN the office. What a relief. Seriously. If I can just turn on the computer and start working at 7:30 when everyone leaves the house, I can get 8 hours in without trouble. But getting out of bed at 6:30 to shower, put on makeup, and get dressed can take some major energy. Fortunately, I don't have to do my hair anymore, but that only cuts off about 10 minutes!
Wednesday this week, I will be having an infusaport inserted into my chest. It's an outpatient procedure, but I'll be away from work all day. They're giving me Versed, but not knocking me out. Versed makes me extremely drunk extremely fast. So I could be a hoot on Wednesday. Y'all pray for my mom!!!
Thursday, I go see Dr. H. We have to discuss my pain again. The patch isn't holding like it should. Which makes me mad and sad both. I'm going to work from home that day so that I can get a full day in before my doctor's appointment. It's easy to "go to work" at 6:30 when it's in your bed!
Thursday night, Paul graduates!!
Friday is chemo day. My Daddy is coming down to take me and hang with me for the 6 hours of chemo. The chemo room is always cold, so I'm going to wear one of my fuzzy hats to keep my bald head warm. Saturday night, I had been wearing a wig most of the day, and then I put on my turban. By 10:00 as we were getting home, I was tired of things being on my head. So I pulled off the turban and just went bald for a few minutes. But when I walked from the truck to the house, my poor bald head got COLD!!!!
Back in the fall, when we thought chemo was going to take my hair, my friend, Megan, sent me a wonderfully fuzzy hat that is sooooo soft. I pulled that out of my hat box and pulled it on my head. It is the most wonderful thing on my head that you could ever imagine (short of my own hair, of course). It's soft. It's warm. I've slept in it 2 nights, and it's what I put on when I get home and take off my wig or turban now.
Paul's parents are arriving tonight for his graduation. They're planning on leaving on Sunday, and since that's day 2 post-chemo, and my hardest day, my mom is going to come down on Sunday to "babysit." But since I'm having an extra procedure this week, it will be nice to have MIL around to help keep the household running.
OK, I'm outta here. Y'all have a wonderful Monday night, and I'll see you in a day or two! 
Well, eating yesterday turned out to not be the best idea after all. I woke up nauseous this morning, and hurting. I called in sick to work, 'cause I was just too tired to do anything. And I slept all day. Well, nearly...
This afternoon, one of my best Tennessee buddies flew out to see me. Amy and I have known each other for nearly 10 years. We met at Moms Online before its demise. And we've emailed nearly every day since then. She came out in November before my surgery and helped Kim, Laura, Kath, & Tracy cook up a storm and put things in our freezer.
I was SOOO happy to see her. But then 5 minutes later, she brought me a surprise. LOOK!!!
It's my "brother," Joel! I can't believe they're both here!! Currently, they're in the kitchen making dinner. Unbelievable!
The first time Amy and I met IRL, Joel and I hit it off majorly. We have so much in common. And since his family is rather crappy, I adopted him into mine. He is funny and silly and just very fun to have around.
Amy came in with Tracy bringing her. I was so glad to see her and cried 'cause I needed her after the week I've had. About 5 minutes later, the dogs went nuts again, and Meleia looked out the window and grinned. I asked her what they were barking at, and she said, "a car or something." And then someone walked in the door. AND IT WAS JOEL!!! I cried some more. It is just amazing to have both of them here.
OK, time to eat an Amy cooked meal!!!
EDIT AT BOTTOM:
The journey from Point A to Point B was traumatic. I had hair, and then I didn't. In small scraggly looking steps.
Last night we accelerated the trip. Paul shaved off the 20% that was left. And now I'm at Point B. Point B isn't all that bad. Not my first choice of hair-dos, but not all that bad. Because there's a little bit of fuzz left where Paul clippered, I'm wearing my new turban today instead of the wig. And I've gotten a lot of compliments on it.
Ciera reminded me this morning about the Amazing Race where Joyce (of Uchenna and Joyce) had to shave her head for a fast forward. And how beautiful she was after she lost all that hair. According to her, the hair loss has done the same thing for me. Before she got out of the truck this morning at school, she took a closeup of me with her cell phone. What's she going to do with THAT??
It was rather strange as Paul was sweeping up what was left of my hair off the floor to see that there was less down there than I would usually have after a haircut. So a whole heckuva lot fell out yesterday when I couldn't see myself.
Paul graduates with his MEd. a week from today! His thesis is turned in, his project is being printed, and his hood and cap and gown are here. I won't have chemo next Thursday, 'cause I don't want to be draggy on Graduation night. He's getting a new digicam for his gift. I was amazed at how much less they cost than they did the last time I bought a camera! Which was just 2 years ago. For about what I spent on our current 3 megapixel, I can now get a 7 with major zoom. I think I'm going to get an inexpensive photo printer as well. But that might be mine. 
One more thing... I did something stupid, and brought a new nutrition bag and 3 cans of nutrition to work. But forgot the pump. So, instead of going home, I decided that I would just have to eat a real meal at lunchtime.
And eat I did! You guys... I ate a WHOLE CHICKEN BREAST!!!!! And some rice. That's the first time I've eaten a whole chicken breast since surgery last November. Now you watch... I'll probably be exhausted as my tummy tries to digest it...
Look what my silly Daddy did!!!! He said that if I was going down to peach fuzz, so was he. And when my peach fuzz falls out, he's gonna take the rest of it off. I hate to say it, but he has a heck of a lot more peach fuzz than I do!!!!
Today my head looks like an over-loved stuffed animal. It has 1-2" bald spots all over. Actually, in the past 2 hours, so much has fallen out that Paul told me to put on my turban and not look in the mirror until he has a chance to shave it off for me tonight.
We're going to shave it tonight.
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