Hi gang-
Firstly, let me say that our patient is doing well. He's been walking to pick up a newspaper...1/2 mile round trip. It takes alot out of him, but he's getting stronger day by day.
We had a super busy week.
MONDAY Labor Day: We were invited to a party....about 2 miles away from the apartment. I was tickled to meet the folks who I've known on the internet for many years! The party was in Old Metairie.... at Mr. Lake's home. Gorgeous place, delightful people. We only stayed for an hour, but it was great to meet the gang and get Dom out of the house for a little while. Had 2 beers and nibbled on cracklins from Lafayette. Yummy!
http://mrlake.fncinc.net/viewforum.php?f=2
TUESDAY: I've got a new buddy at our pool.... Carmella. We went to the Crescent City Farmer's Market uptown, then did some serious shopping on Magazine Street. Bought four pairs of shoes, (this from a broad who "doesn't get into shoes") and a kick ass beach bag....loud shiny silver.... found a pair of sandals to match. Afterwards, we had lunch at an Indian joint, NIRVANA. Good stuff.
http://www.insidenirvana.com/
WEDNESDAY: We went to Elmwood to see an afternoon showing of "The Final Destination". This is the 4th in the series.... by far, the bloodiest and most fun! They had it also showing in 3-D, but we opted for the regular show. Afterwards, we went to Oscar's for an Oscarletta. Had plenty to take home.
THURSDAY: Headed to Poplarville to check on my kitties. They're doing well, but miss me terribly. Then drove to Slidell to visit Dom's ma. Then home to Metairie. Alot of driving....quite the drag. This week Dom wants to spend the night on Friday. This means that Nanette will have to vacuum, dust, sanitize, etc. She's not looking forward to it. She misses the times that she'd spend the night there by herself..... smoking cigs, drinking beer and watching DVRd episodes of my guilty pleasures! (Weeds, True Blood, The Office, Entourage).
FRIDAY: I followed Carmella to her beauty shop and had my hair cut and colored. Finally. Long, long overdue. She did a wonderful job.... we're both enjoying our new friendship.
SATURDAY: Bored out of my mind. Rain, rain, rain. Best LA friend, "Lovely Linda" headed up North with the love of her life. I miss her already.
SUNDAY: Watched football.
It has been raining almost everyday for a week. I'm growing quite weary of the clouds and rain. Haven't been in the pool for a week. What tan I had is quickly disappearing. With any luck, I'll get a chance to soak up some sun this afternoon. Dom could really use some sun, too. He looks like he has prison pallor. Looking out the window as I type this.... skies have suddenly turned black. *sighing*
We have a Thursday afternoon appointment with Dr. Safah. Looking forward to another good report from her!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Probably our best week EVER!
We had a phenomenal week, gang.
Went out on our first "date" since the transplant. Tuesday afternoon, we went to a matinee showing of Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2. Wonderful flick...more blood and violence than John Carpenter could have dreamed of! There were only about 8 of us in the theatre.... no mask needed. Very enjoyable.
Afterwards, we had another milestone.... went out for a pizza at Venezia's in Harahan. Honestly, I was grinning from ear to ear all day.
Thursday was our appointment with Dr. Safah. She's extremely happy with Dom's blood counts. Said he's THIS-CLOSE to being "normal"..... it'll take another year for his energy to be 100%, but he's doing "GREAT". Told him that he should be happy. Music to our ears.
She went on to say that she didn't need to see him again for TWO WEEKS.
He needed a 2 hour drip of Magnesium again. No big deal....that'll come back in time.
Also got the go-ahead for him to order a Muffaletta sandwich.... Italian meats, cheese and olive salad on round Italian Bread. (Until now the olive salad was a no-no..... he's been extremely restricted on his food consumption.... no fresh fruits, vegetables, etc.)
Feeling a boost of confidence, I then asked if he could swim in our apartment pool or the Gulf of Mexico..... "NO!!!!!!!!" (Give Nan an inch and she'll take a mile) *smiling*
Went to P'ville on Friday to check on the kitties. Still fat and sassy. Richard McM came over for a couple of hours.... had a nice visit. He's been mowing our lawn since July. He's going to bushhog the entire property in a couple of weeks..... he's concerned about hunting season and drunken rednecks..... thus, he wants the place looking spiffy. How we love that guy!
Stopped in Slidell on the way home to visit Dom's ma and aunt. Brought ma a big-ass watermelon.....Listened to them argue for about an hour, then got outta there.
So, gang.... it's been a SUPER POSITIVE WEEK for Dom and I. Again, we thank everyone for their prayers and good thoughts.... you've worked wonders!!!!!!
Have a great holiday weekend..... we love you!
Went out on our first "date" since the transplant. Tuesday afternoon, we went to a matinee showing of Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2. Wonderful flick...more blood and violence than John Carpenter could have dreamed of! There were only about 8 of us in the theatre.... no mask needed. Very enjoyable.
Afterwards, we had another milestone.... went out for a pizza at Venezia's in Harahan. Honestly, I was grinning from ear to ear all day.
Thursday was our appointment with Dr. Safah. She's extremely happy with Dom's blood counts. Said he's THIS-CLOSE to being "normal"..... it'll take another year for his energy to be 100%, but he's doing "GREAT". Told him that he should be happy. Music to our ears.
She went on to say that she didn't need to see him again for TWO WEEKS.
He needed a 2 hour drip of Magnesium again. No big deal....that'll come back in time.
Also got the go-ahead for him to order a Muffaletta sandwich.... Italian meats, cheese and olive salad on round Italian Bread. (Until now the olive salad was a no-no..... he's been extremely restricted on his food consumption.... no fresh fruits, vegetables, etc.)
Feeling a boost of confidence, I then asked if he could swim in our apartment pool or the Gulf of Mexico..... "NO!!!!!!!!" (Give Nan an inch and she'll take a mile) *smiling*
Went to P'ville on Friday to check on the kitties. Still fat and sassy. Richard McM came over for a couple of hours.... had a nice visit. He's been mowing our lawn since July. He's going to bushhog the entire property in a couple of weeks..... he's concerned about hunting season and drunken rednecks..... thus, he wants the place looking spiffy. How we love that guy!
Stopped in Slidell on the way home to visit Dom's ma and aunt. Brought ma a big-ass watermelon.....Listened to them argue for about an hour, then got outta there.
So, gang.... it's been a SUPER POSITIVE WEEK for Dom and I. Again, we thank everyone for their prayers and good thoughts.... you've worked wonders!!!!!!
Have a great holiday weekend..... we love you!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Latest Numbers Look Good-
Day +39: August 25th
HCT 28.0
WBC 6.1
ANC 6,400
PLATELET 69
*Got a 2 hour drip of Magnesium*
HCT 28.0
WBC 6.1
ANC 6,400
PLATELET 69
*Got a 2 hour drip of Magnesium*
Happy Saturday, Gang!
Sorry that I've been neglecting to update this blog. All is GROOVY. Dom's healthy.... got the OK on Tuesday's doctor visit that we can start going to matinees, walk around the mall and he can hang out without his mask on.... just being careful. His appetite is back, as are most of his tastebuds. No hair yet....
Still no overnighters without him. She's afraid that he might pass out or start bleeding from all of the Coumadin. So, Chris came over to spend the night with him on Thursday. I headed to Poplarville, loved on my kitties, then Wendy came over to spend the night. Had a fun little pajama party, drank martinis and caught up with each other. Very pleasant!
Today, Dom is taking the car over to Dennis' house to check out the status of his '46 Ford "gasser". That's been Dennis' main focus for months.... boy stuff..... I'll be hanging out at the pool.
Had a pretty neat Saturday last week. Lovely Linda came over to play in the pool for awhile. We decided to go see a 3:30 movie. As we had time to kill, we went into a nearby Daiquiri joint. while sipping on a drink, some broad came barreling into the parking lot, slamming into a vehicle. The broad had been eating downs, and could barely walk. Then the fun began.... the entire bar walked outside, drinks and beers in hand and watched the poor broad try to pass sobriety tests.
Several cops pulled in.... they'd found a prescription bottle of SOMA (???) in the car...that wasn't hers.
Wouldn't you know it..... one of the cops had us blocked in. Didn't want to ask him to move with booze breath, so skipped the movie and enjoyed "the show". Meanwhile another cop came in an unmarked car with a kid in the back.... he was as high as she was.... not connected, though. A paddy wagon pulled up and they were poured into the back. Unreal. You don't see shit like this in stupid Poplarville!!!!
So, all is well in Metairie. Dom and I are planning on a movie on Monday.... Maybe the latest "Final Destination" We don't have a doctor appointment until Thursday. Glorious!
Still no overnighters without him. She's afraid that he might pass out or start bleeding from all of the Coumadin. So, Chris came over to spend the night with him on Thursday. I headed to Poplarville, loved on my kitties, then Wendy came over to spend the night. Had a fun little pajama party, drank martinis and caught up with each other. Very pleasant!
Today, Dom is taking the car over to Dennis' house to check out the status of his '46 Ford "gasser". That's been Dennis' main focus for months.... boy stuff..... I'll be hanging out at the pool.
Had a pretty neat Saturday last week. Lovely Linda came over to play in the pool for awhile. We decided to go see a 3:30 movie. As we had time to kill, we went into a nearby Daiquiri joint. while sipping on a drink, some broad came barreling into the parking lot, slamming into a vehicle. The broad had been eating downs, and could barely walk. Then the fun began.... the entire bar walked outside, drinks and beers in hand and watched the poor broad try to pass sobriety tests.
Several cops pulled in.... they'd found a prescription bottle of SOMA (???) in the car...that wasn't hers.
Wouldn't you know it..... one of the cops had us blocked in. Didn't want to ask him to move with booze breath, so skipped the movie and enjoyed "the show". Meanwhile another cop came in an unmarked car with a kid in the back.... he was as high as she was.... not connected, though. A paddy wagon pulled up and they were poured into the back. Unreal. You don't see shit like this in stupid Poplarville!!!!
So, all is well in Metairie. Dom and I are planning on a movie on Monday.... Maybe the latest "Final Destination" We don't have a doctor appointment until Thursday. Glorious!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Another Good Report and How to Make an Enemy
Hi gang- time to play catch-up.
Monday: Went in for bloodwork. Changed his scrip to 2.0 MG of coumadin. We were in and out of there in no time at all.
Tuesday: Hung out at home all day.
Wednesday: Chris joined us for a day in stupid Poplarville. It was wonderful to see my 4 kitties, fat and happy! The guys did a little shooting. Not much to report. Stopped at Double D Meats on the way home for sausage, snacks, etc.
Thursday (Today): Just returned from our appointment with Dr. Safah. She said that his bloodwork is "GREAT". He's doing "VERY WELL". She cut us down to only 1 visit per week starting next Tuesday!
She normally checks for a relapse at the 100-Day mark. She might do it earlier, as he's doing so well. She's also putting him back on Thalidomide for awhile.
Our visit ended on a bit of an emotional note.... We adore just about everybody at Tulane except for Dr. Safah's nurse, Olivia. She literally gave me a wave of dismissal last Wed, did not return a phone call on last Friday, and then did not return Monday's phone call regarding a different matter.
When she walked into the room, I had just told Dr. Safah that I had a problem with Olivia. When Olivia walked in, I said, "We're going to talk about YOU". I went on to give dates and instances.
I went on to say that this has been a very frightening experience, and it's very frustrating to not get calls returned, much less be given a wave of dismissal.
Olivia made excuses. I countered each one. Dr. Safah remained silent for a moment.
Then, Olivia said, "I didn't have the information that you needed, so there was no need to return your call.... it wouldn't have helped you, anyway". Smoke began pouring out of my nose and my ears. I said, "BULLSHIT!". Then Safah apologized, promised to keep the lines of communication open, blah, blah, blah. It was really good to get it off of my chest. Honestly gang, everyone knows us there.... everyone smiles...... we've become rather close...... except for Olivia. I hope she got ripped a new asshole when we left.
Dom still has no real appetite, occasional waves of nausea and no tastebuds. Doc suggested baked food. No more fried stuff. (Which is a bummer, as our patient has been enjoying grilled cheese sandwiches and fried egg sandwiches in recent weeks). Doubling him up on his Prilosec.
SO............. other than making a real enemy............ all is go according to plan. Again- if Doc is pleased, then we're pleased. Life is good, gang!
XOXO
Monday: Went in for bloodwork. Changed his scrip to 2.0 MG of coumadin. We were in and out of there in no time at all.
Tuesday: Hung out at home all day.
Wednesday: Chris joined us for a day in stupid Poplarville. It was wonderful to see my 4 kitties, fat and happy! The guys did a little shooting. Not much to report. Stopped at Double D Meats on the way home for sausage, snacks, etc.
Thursday (Today): Just returned from our appointment with Dr. Safah. She said that his bloodwork is "GREAT". He's doing "VERY WELL". She cut us down to only 1 visit per week starting next Tuesday!
She normally checks for a relapse at the 100-Day mark. She might do it earlier, as he's doing so well. She's also putting him back on Thalidomide for awhile.
Our visit ended on a bit of an emotional note.... We adore just about everybody at Tulane except for Dr. Safah's nurse, Olivia. She literally gave me a wave of dismissal last Wed, did not return a phone call on last Friday, and then did not return Monday's phone call regarding a different matter.
When she walked into the room, I had just told Dr. Safah that I had a problem with Olivia. When Olivia walked in, I said, "We're going to talk about YOU". I went on to give dates and instances.
I went on to say that this has been a very frightening experience, and it's very frustrating to not get calls returned, much less be given a wave of dismissal.
Olivia made excuses. I countered each one. Dr. Safah remained silent for a moment.
Then, Olivia said, "I didn't have the information that you needed, so there was no need to return your call.... it wouldn't have helped you, anyway". Smoke began pouring out of my nose and my ears. I said, "BULLSHIT!". Then Safah apologized, promised to keep the lines of communication open, blah, blah, blah. It was really good to get it off of my chest. Honestly gang, everyone knows us there.... everyone smiles...... we've become rather close...... except for Olivia. I hope she got ripped a new asshole when we left.
Dom still has no real appetite, occasional waves of nausea and no tastebuds. Doc suggested baked food. No more fried stuff. (Which is a bummer, as our patient has been enjoying grilled cheese sandwiches and fried egg sandwiches in recent weeks). Doubling him up on his Prilosec.
SO............. other than making a real enemy............ all is go according to plan. Again- if Doc is pleased, then we're pleased. Life is good, gang!
XOXO
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