ARG!!!

I can't tell you how annoying Jim's doctor is! (Note: This is me bitching - not Jim...for some reason, he puts up with it.) I've told him that I have no use for her which upset Jim as though I was insulting him but who puts up with this shit?! So his appointment yesterday with his doc was at 12:30. His infusion was scheduled for 1:00. The infusion - according to Jim's My Chart site - was supposed to take 3 hours (UGH!). Jim was supposed to text me while he was getting his infusion to let me know how things were going. He never sent me a text. So at 2:00 (TWO O'CLOCK!!!) I sent a text to him asking how he was doing. He replied to say that he hadn't seen the doc yet. WHAT!? I was flabbergasted. Now, they had taken his blood and sent it to the labs (which has to be done before they send for his meds) so that's something. But for the doc to make him wait for an hour and a half, as though his time means nothing?! I don't care if you are getting an eye exam or a mole removed or you have stage IV metastatic melanoma! No patient should ever be treated so poorly!!! In the end, the appointment that was meant to take, basically 3 1/2 hours did but it should only take about an hour and a half. They did tell him that on his next appointment he won't have to go through all that rigmarole but I'll believe that when I see it. Jim doesn't feel the way I do about his doc. I don't understand a doctor who double books and makes people wait so much. She obviously needs to reevaluate. And I'll tell you - it doesn't matter if his appointment is first thing in the morning or the afternoon, same thing every time. UGH! Well, at least he won't have to deal with this again until August 7th.

Oh, and his infusion went well. No issues - though his side effects wouldn't arise right away anyway. The doctor doesn't seem to think that he'll suffer from anything major but again, I'll believe that when I see it. She said that the only major thing he needs to watch out for is shortness of breath. Not sure how much I trust her. She did say that regardless, any symptom he has, he needs to let them know. Of course they never seem to respond to messages etc. so I'm not sure what the point is. Can you tell I'm completely fed up with this office?!

So I have my 1 month eye appointment today at 10:45 and then, I've decided, to head up to Columbus. I was going to go up tomorrow and possibly come home Friday but alas, I made an appointment for a haircut on Thursday (I can't stand my mop anymore). So I'll head up today, get there around 1:00ish and then come home Thursday. YAY! I asked Eva just now over the phone if I should come up and she said, "Yeah, are you?" I said I would, after my eye appointment and she said, "YES!!!" Can't wait.

And that's all I've got. Need to get on the elliptical and pack and shower and eat breakfast. Happy Tuesday! Later!

Sunday Fun & Back To The Grind

That's funny because there is no real grind for me. And Jim doesn't go back to the grind until tomorrow. Hee hee. Anyway - yesterday was quite fun. Jim and I went to Raeburn and hung out at the pool. We had a delicious lunch with Dad and Becky and then Trip and JJ came over and Jim and I played several games of pool volleyball with them. I must say JJ is a good player...a little giggily but good. Hee hee! He and Jim were on a team for the first and last game we played and they kicked Trip's and my tail on the last game. Legitimately! 

Jim and I got home by 4:30ish and after a couple of cocktails with the neighbors and a shortened game of Hearts, Jim and I had dinner and then watched TV. I DIDN'T watch Game of Thrones yet - I'll do that today. Why, you ask? I was really tired by 9:00 and didn't want to watch and then miss something. 

Today's plans: I'll watch the first 20 minutes or so of the Today show here in a minute and then get ready to go on a ride. I didn't ride yesterday and I felt a little guilty. My goal is to get something in every day this week since I didn't start strong. All this exercise (I did something - elliptical or biking - every day but Thursday last week) and I still feel like a fatty...ugh! Anyway - after my ride, I'll come home, have breakfast and then probably watch GOT. Jim's got an appointment at the oncologist today around noon and his infusion following. That's supposed to last three hours so I don't expect him until around 5:00. They said he won't need a driver so I'll send him off with a list of questions. Hopefully he won't forget them (like he did last time). Other than that, dinner is in the works and possibly a Bachelorette watching "party" with Cari tonight.

This week I have my one month check up with my eye doc (Tuesday) and then Wednesday, I hope to go up to Columbus. Just for one day I think. We'll see.

And that's all I've got. Time to get my padded shorts on and head out the door. Later! Happy Monday!

All's Well

Not Jim...I just thought it was
a funny pic of a portacath.

Jim's port cath "installation" went well yesterday and all is well today. The port was placed on his non-dominant (left) side, just under his collar bone. You can barely see the lump and Jim's said how surprised he is that he can't feel it at all. It doesn't hurt (even his incision) but he's being very careful about using his left arm and sleeping on his left side. He should be good to go in a few days at work but as of right now, he's going to be off through Monday. Mainly to get his first infusion since there's a bit of a discrepancy on how long that will take. We've been told 90 minutes but his "UC My chart" says 180 minutes. UGH! That being the case, he'll head to work Tuesday. He's hoping he'll be working a job with someone else so that they can lift things but we'll see. Now here's hoping that the immunotherapy goes well for Jimmy.

Oh, and you should see Jim's chest and the shave job they gave him. It's straight and I give them props for shaving more than what was needed to ensure that his chest hair was even but they left the silliest patch of hair. He looks like he has a "censure" strip across his nipples. It's about an inch wide and hilarious. And of course he's had to show all the neighbors. So funny. I told him he needs to just shave his whole chest when he showers today so he doesn't look so weird.

Here's a funny: So I get the mail yesterday and I have something from my mom. So I open it and see she's sent me the program from my 8th grade graduation. Hilarious. More hilarious? I flip to the names of the graduates and read the first one and say to myself, "Who the hell is that?" And as I keep reading I see that my mom sent me MAGGIE'S 8th grade graduation program. Ha! I'll pass it on to her mom.

Today's plans: I was going to go biking on the trail (I sound like a broken record) but there are possible storms that are going to roll through round 9:00 and I definitely don't want to get caught in those. I would ride in the neighborhood but alas, with the weather, they still haven't finished the paving. Which means I'll be getting on the elliptical. Which is fine...I like the elliptical but it just isn't the same as riding around outside. Other than that - no plans. Our driveway was supposed to get sealed today but doesn't look like that can happen. Oh well...soon, I'm sure.

And that's all I've got. It's Friday - YAY! Time for breakfast. Later!

Best Put

Watching the fallout about this Russian meeting with Don Jr. the best response I've seen from someone in response to "them" saying, "Yeah, but nothing came of it, there was no pertinent information given about Hillary so there was no wrongdoing"...best response was from someone saying this: You're given a call about stolen goods, you go to pick up the stolen goods but they aren't there, however, the cops are. Just because you didn't get the goods doesn't mean you didn't do something wrong...doesn't mean your INTENT to do wrong wasn't there. Ridiculous! Talk about talking in circles, talking out of both sides of your mouth and being a big bunch of liars. I'm so sick of this shit and would love for our country to focus on worthwhile issues. It's tough not to get wrapped up in, however. It's like watching a train wreck.

Got a message from Mark (former sped teacher who is moving back and hoping to be back at Kings next year) which said, " See you in August!" YAY! I'm not exactly sure why they are coming back so soon after moving but his wife got a good job with a construction company here in Cincinnati (in fact Jim's actually working a job that this company is running) so that's good. With all the changes at school, I'm sure one less new person to have to deal with makes the administration a little less stressed.

I also checked my teaching schedule for next year and of course it was effed up. The one thing, the ONE THING that I told them had to be ensured was that my Government class was in the afternoon. They have it set for 2nd period. JEEZ! Why is it so difficult!? I emailed my principal to let him know so hopefully he'll get it fixed. Shouldn't be too hard...he can easily switch it with my plan period. We'll see.

Plans for today: It's finally NOT raining nor should it be today so I'm headed to the trail for a bike ride. I'm not sure how far I'll go because my hips are a bit sore from the last two days on the elliptical but I'll try for my normal 13 miles. It should be plenty humid and sticky but that's okay. I usually only sweat on a bike ride when I stop. Other than that, I'm going to head to Costco for some necessities (allergy pills) and that's it. Dinner tonight will be chicken quesadillas.

This time tomorrow Jim should be getting his port put in. We have to be there at 5:30 (in West Chester...thankfully not UC main campus) which means we'll have to leave here around 5:00. YUCK! I'll try to get to sleep early. I've been staying up late of late so that might be a bit of a problem. Hopefully all will go well and Jim won't have any problems.

Okay well, I need to try and beat the heat so time for breakfast. Happy Wednesday! Later!

More Storms and Rain

Once again my plans to go to the trail to bike has been foiled due to weather. Poop! I may still bike in the neighborhood, however. The problem is - there are several roads in my neighborhood being repaved and it makes for a rough road and who knows when the workers will be there to complete their work. I may just do what I did yesterday and get on the elliptical. We'll see.

The Bachelorette was finally back last night and my neighbor Cari came over to watch. Our guilty pleasure was certainly fed, not only with the show but also with wine, popcorn and chocolate. It had been a while since we had gotten together like that (pre-baby Claire) and I look forward to making that a weekly Monday thing.

No news on the hiring of a new intervention specialist. I told Mark to keep me updated but since the deadline for the position is today - I'm sure he won't know anything concrete until at least today. We'll see.

Jim scheduled his first infusion for next Monday. He'll meet with the doc beforehand and then have the treatment which should take about 90 minutes. I'm pretty sure he'll have to be off Monday anyway due to his port but we'll see. I also don't know if I need to be there with him or not. I ALSO think he has an eye appointment that day. UGH! I'll have to ask him about it. Well, just asked him and yep - the moron has an eye appointment that he didn't remember and now needs to reschedule. I said to Jim, "Why don't you put these things in your calendar so you don't have these issues?" His answer: "I do! I did but I was driving when she called to schedule." Me: "Why is it that I can remember your appointments (in my head) and you can't?" I mean this is the second time he's had to reschedule his eye appointment because he's a freaking fool! Ridiculous! Maybe Jim should be doing cognitive daily tests like I've been doing (via Lumosity). UGH! Annoying!

And that's about all I've got. Time for breakfast. Dinner tonight is blackened chicken Alfredo (per Jim's request) and a salad. A bit muggy for pasta but Jimmy wants what he wants and I aim to please. Plus it's not like we're going to eat outside.

K - happy Tuesday! Time for breakfast. Later!

Whirlwind Week

Last week was quite the week with a PIB visit, the 4th and then back home after what seemed weeks away. We had a great time at the Bay with perfect weather and one storm on the morning Jim and I left. The drive back was a bit hairy and we eventually got off the highway to drive the back roads in Dayton when the rain got too heavy. Thank God for Waze. Once home from the Bay, Jim and I enjoyed a pleasant weekend. We managed to play some cards with the neighbors, mow the lawn, clean the house, and make a trek to Shooters. Jim's now back at work and I'm going to start my normal Monday.

So what does my Monday look like? Well, originally I was going to head to the trail for a ride today but because of early morning heavy rains, I'll put that off until tomorrow and do the elliptical today. I have a goal of riding 40 miles this week so I'll have to get that in somewhere. I've already ridden 8 miles so it's doable. I'll do a bit of extra cleaning today and make a trip to the grocery.

Jim has his port procedure on Thursday. We have to be at West Chester hospital at 5:30 in the morning but his procedure isn't until 7:30. I'm not expecting it to take too long (my neighbor said it's fairly simple) but I'm pretty sure Jim won't be working for about a week. We'll see what the doctor says. From there, his immunotherapy will start. I''m anxious for that and hoping that he tolerates it well. We'll see.

I hope to get to Columbus soon. I'm thinking next week sometime but I need to coordinate with Maggie. I might just go up for a day and come home the next. Just depends on the weather.

Lots of crazy shit going on at work. A special ed teacher has resigned and a former teacher that left us at the end of last year (2016) wants to come back. I've talked to him but it's all still up in the air if he'll be able to return. UGH! I sure hope it works out for him because he's a good guy and was a good colleague but who knows. Stupid formalities that have to be followed. Bullshit.

Okay well, time for breakfast and a workout. Later!

Really!?

It's not even f%*king July yet and I just saw a Back To School commercial!? That's a total mind f*%k to teachers and I'm not going to take it! Guess who's never shopping at Office Depot!? Man, that was a rude awakening (as I just got up)!

And now I have to say and I've said it before - this person "running" our country is a total embarrassment and I can't believe - still, 5 months later - that this is the new "norm".  Realistically, who is surprised by the latest tweet that the tool of a president recently put out there? I mean he's shown his misogynistic side before with his pussy grabbing comments (to just name one). He's mocked a physically handicapped person before. The only thing I have a hard time believing is that every time he says or does something, we move the line of acceptance for the kind of shit we'll put up with. We (the media, the public etc.) keep saying that we won't take it anymore and then the next thing you know another worse tweet comes out and we say, "WHAT!? NO! That's too much! He's gone too far!" But look at the people putting up with it? I get that his wife has to support him but isn't it ironic that her "platform" is cyber bullying and who's the biggest cyber bully out there? I'm flabbergasted that educated people are still supporting not only his presidency (what promises has he kept from his campaign) but supporting this so called man! Tools the bunch of you. Sorry, not sorry! If you love humans at this point, how can you support a man who uses the human race as a punching bag because he's a petulant little fool. Ridiculous!

And I'm done. Now on for good stuff: Jim's off today and YAY! We're heading down to Party Source to get some champagne. Kroger raised their price for my champs by a buck and I just won't take it anymore. When we were talking about going, Lauren was there and she said, "I want to go!" So she'll head down with us, we'll head to the Yard House for lunch, Party Source and then home. She's without kids for the day/night so WOOT!

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Breakfast and a ride (if it doesn't rain). Later!

Slowly But Surely

Seems this week is creeping by and I'm getting things done in bits and pieces. A little carpet cleaning here, a little mowing the lawn there; a little cleaning house today a little grocery shopping tomorrow. All in preparation for Sunday and next week. I don't want grocery shop too soon because I want my corn to be as fresh as possible so I'll probably do that tomorrow. I'm making lemon squares for the 4th so I'll do some prep for that here at home so I'll have less to do at the Bay (getting the crust prepared). The weather isn't great today so I'll probably do a bike ride in the neighborhood and then head to Walmart for a few things. I want to buy stuffing for the couch cushions at the cottage (they're flat and saggy) and I need some new tank tops. Other than that, I've got no plans.

Jim was up and out before 6:00 this morning. I'm not sure he even kissed me goodbye. If he did I don't remember it. I didn't hear his alarm go off either. That's good. It was so nice having him home last night. I made a delicious dinner and we actually ate our supper together! WOW! Tonight I'll do something with pork chops. I'll cook tomorrow as well but Saturday I think I'll treat us with some hibachi. I've been so good about not spending money and I don't want to cook the night before we leave. Someone mentioned going to hibachi the other day and now I can't get it out of my head. YUMMY! Can't wait.

Oh, we got the approval yesterday for Jim's immunotherapy. That only took 2 days! Normally, Anthem takes forever to approve. This means that Jim should be able to get his appointment set up for his first infusion pretty quickly. Of course his port needs to be put in first but that's already been scheduled (the 17th).

And that's all I've got for the day. Time for some breakfast and then a nice ride. Happy Thursday! Later!

Happy Birthday Mom!!! 79!!!

Happy birthday MOM!!! Hope you have a great day! Love you!!!

Jim left for work this morning around 6:00 or so (I guess...as I was snoozing, I'm not sure). I do know he came in and kissed me but I barely remember. Thankfully he'll be home around 3:00 or so and I'll actually get to make dinner! YAY! I know he'll be on this job Thursday as well but I'm not sure about Friday. Doesn't really matter, however, since we aren't leaving for PIB until Sunday.

Speaking of...Sunday the Budweiser Clydesdale horses are supposed to be at the Bay. I'm wondering what time they'll get there since we plan on getting to the Miller around noon. Hmm...guess we'll just have to see what's what and roll with the punches.

Today's plans: I'll finish mowing the lawn (backyard today), bike ride, and make my grocery list. I'd like to get to Walmart but that might be pushed off until tomorrow. It's so lovely I don't really want to spend a beautiful day shopping. Bleh!

And that's all I've got. I slept until after 7:00 today so need to get rolling. Happy Wednesday! This time next week I'll be in PIB! Woot! Later

Jim's Next Treatment

Jim called the doc yesterday, just after they had opened and SHOCKER! They immediately put him in the books to meet with the doc. He went in for a 12:40 appointment (didn't see her until after 1:30) and she ordered a new treatment. As expected, Jim will get immunotherapy when we return from PIB. Specifically, he'll be taking Keytruda (more on that in a bit). Prior to his first treatment (on July 17th) he'll go in to get a chest port put in. This is because he'll need an IV so often (every three weeks for his infusion) and Jim is definitely a hard stick (though they'd do it regardless). He was a bit concerned and bummed about the port but after the first week, it seems he can resume normal activities. People can have ports for months and since the doc said this treatment would go on for about a year, there you go. Now, they did say that about the last treatment Jim had (that he'd be on the combo of drugs for a year, year and a half) but as we all know, he was unable to tolerate. I wonder about the Keytruda.

If you don't know anything about immunotherapy, what it is meant to do is boost the body's natural defenses to fight cancer. It uses substances made by the body or in a laboratory to improve or restore immune system function. The problem with it can be that along with the body fighting cancer, it can also attack healthy tissue and/or organs. In terms of side effects, the Keytruda "common" side effects are: fatigue, cough, rash, shortness of breath, loss of skin pigmentation, rash, itching, loss of appetite and nausea. The more serious side effects, however are: inflammation of lung tissue, holes in the intestines, hepatitis, kidney failure and lots of other stuff that scares the shit out of me. Considering how long it takes the doc to get back to us when things have gone wrong before, well, you can imagine my trepidation. On the positive side, however, the results that Keytruda has on advanced melanoma patients is pretty impressive. It's even put some people in remission which is unheard of in terms of melanoma. So here's hoping! I'll certainly update when things begin.

So Jim's still working at Christian Moerlein and last night, he brought home 4 cases of their beer. Apparently during the bottling of these cases, the machines didn't fill the cans all the way so BAM! We luck out. Of course it's the FC Blood Orange IPA and it's good, but I'm not the biggest IPA fan. I do like this one, however but I can only drink one and I'm done. Well, Jim's happy and the neighbors love it so they'll get to partake as well. YAY JIM! Now if we could just get him back over to the Hershey's offices again!

And that's all I've got for today. I started shampooing the carpets yesterday so I'll finish that today. I also will take a bike ride in a bit (this time in the neighborhood) and later today (this evening) my neighbor, Lauren, will come over to watch the final episodes of this past season of Walking Dead. Happy Tuesday! Time for breakfast. Later!

Hey! It's Monday!

Once again, I lost track of the days and almost forgot to post! Lucky all of you!

So the weekend. Well, first of all, everything turned out okay but it certainly started with the feeling that it might not. First of all, Jim, of course started swelling again from his medication. This tells me that his concoction isn't working for him anymore. That being the case, he will be calling the docs this morning to figure the next step. They told him last time that this last dosage adjustment would be the lowest they could go and from there, he would have to move on to something else. I'm thinking immunotherapy. Now, I haven't talked to them or heard from them what this would entail but I did read about one such medication that is meant for patients with metastatic melanoma. It would be a 12 week round of 90 minute infusions every 3 weeks. We'll see what they say but I'd like to get this under way this week since we're headed out of town next Sunday until the following Friday. We'll see. We all know how "fast" this medical group works. Jim probably won't even talk to someone until Wednesday. Jeez.

Anyway - after that happened I thought, nothing else could happen. And then we found out that Anne's fiance, Steve, had gone into the hospital because his blood sugar was cray high and they couldn't get it under control. Oh, did I mention their wedding was Saturday? UGH! So it was the big mystery if they would be able to get his levels back under control and be released from the ICU in time for the wedding. In the end, he was released and the wedding went off without a hitch (though about a half hour late because getting released from the hospital took longer than they had anticipated). The wedding was lovely. Food? Delicious (pasta bar). Cupcakes?  Amazing (the chocolate with mocha mousse inside and cream cheese frosting was to die for). Fun had by all? Yep! Oh, and I saved a kid from drowning even though he wasn't really drowning. In my dress. Hey, better safe than sorry.

Sunday was relaxing. Jim and I hung out, played cards and grilled chicken for dinner.

And my eyeballs are doing great! I had an appointment with the doc and he said everything looked as it should. I'm off my medicated drops (still take tears every couple of hours and will for about a month). I'm supposed to wear my goggles when I sleep still but they bug me and I'm not a wild sleeper. Jim doesn't tend to sock me in the face while I sleep so I think it's safe. My next appointment is July 18.

And that's about all I've got. This week will be all about preparing for PIB. I'll get the goods for food (I'm going to do a pork tenderloin one night with corn and potato salad) plus I'll probably do a lemon bar dessert for July 4th. I also want to get some pillow filler for the couch cushions. I'll try to bike every day this week. Today I'll head to the trail and try and get 15 miles in. I'll be happy, however, if I get 13 in. That's pretty good. Jim's still on 2nd shift so I'll make my big meals for lunch.

K - time for breakfast. Happy Monday. Later!

Happy Anniversary To Me (And Jim)!!!

We both totally forgot upon waking up and I had just yelled at Jim because I couldn't see the TV. I said, "Move your big fat head! I can't see the TV! Oh, Happy anniversary!" Hee hee. Makes me laugh. Who can believe that 16 years ago, this sham of a marriage (as Maggie calls it) began. Our plans today: Jim's actually off today because he put his 40 hours in over the last 4 days (he really only needs to put in 35 hours when on 2nd shift) - woot! I'll go to my one week appointment at CEI...get my balls checked at 9:40 and then come home. We'll go to Shooters to celebrate and then I think I'll just make taco salad for dinner. Nothing major; no big deal.

Here comes the rain. It actually started last night around 7:00 and the major stuff is just moving in. We're going to get up to 3 inches and thankfully, my mom put off her travel north for Anne's wedding until tomorrow. No point in a stressful drive in my opinion.

Jim started his meds yesterday and - knock on wood - so far so good. No swelling. Here's hoping that remains.

What else? I went on a nice 13 mile bike ride yesterday on the trail...saw two people riding horses. I've seen piles of horse shit on the trail before so I knew this happened but I just don't understand why you would ride your horse on the trail and not clean up after your animal. I mean, it's not like there just a little turd on the trail. It's a literal load of shit. Carry a shovel with you. I mean if I have to pick up after my dog, you should have to pick up after your horse. That said, they sure were pretty horses.

And that's all I've got for now. No biking for me today with all this rain on the way. But on a positive front, the aftermath from this weather is going to cool weather. Next week's highs are in the upper 70s. Nice! Love it!

K - happy Friday! Later!

What A Relief!

Richard is home and it seems that his echo showed no heart issues. I guess the retention of fluid he had was causing the shortness of breath. Not sure of the exact diagnosis but apparently he slept well last night and this was a major cause of anxiety for him. YAY! I love it when there's good news.

I went for a bike ride yesterday on the trail - later than I normally do - and only managed to get in 5 1/4 miles because they were doing tree work. Additionally there were a lot of annoying people on the trail who had to be told ("Oh your left!") that I was trying to pass. I'll try again today and take a different route. When I start my ride in downtown Loveland, it's always a pain because there are so many people on the trail. I think I'll start down in Miamiville today and take my ride through Milford and Mariemont into Newtown. It's just under a 16 mile ride...hopefully I'll make it but it's really humid already so I need to be extra careful about sweat in my eyes.

Speaking of my balls - my eyeballs - I have my one week appointment tomorrow morning. Hopefully everything will look as it should. I'll be happy to stop taking my medicated drops and just go to my "tears" drops.

Cindy weather is headed our way and will be here tomorrow. It's coming up from the south and is supposed to bring us over two inches of rain. I'm okay with that since we need a good soaking. It'll be out of here by Saturday.

Jim's meds finally were delivered so he'll start those back up today. I'm hoping this latest dosage reduction will agree with him. Otherwise, I think we may have to go another route for treatment. UGH!

Okay time to watch the Today Show, have breakfast and head out to ride. Happy Thursday! Later!

Unexpected Night Out

Basically the same view I had from our table.

Yesterday around 4:00 I headed out to have a couple beers with my neighbors. And by "out" I mean out to the picnic table in the circle outside my front door. We sat and chatted for a while and as dinner time rolled around, everyone discussed what they were doing. I said I was just going to have a sandwich or cereal because A) I had a large Cobb salad for lunch with Jim and B) having just paid for my Lasik, I needed to be good about not spending. Doug and Lauren then invited me to dinner with them to Bella's in downtown Loveland. I declined but they insisted. And then I started thinking, "Mmm, Bella's! Yum!" so I succumbed and decided to go. Little did I know that Doug was going to be a devil and pay for my meal. Doug's a dog! I treated them to Graeter's afterward. It was a lovely night and the best part was (if you saw on Facebook) the older motorcyclist who rode by on his bike with Bon Jovi blaring "Living on a Prayer" with his little dachshund strapped in the back. It was CUUUUTE! Dinner was delicious (wine on tap for $5 on Tuesdays!) but I missed Jim being there. That's the second time I've been there and Jim hasn't been once. UGH!

Richard news: Still no solid information. I sent mom a text around 5:00 yesterday to see what was what and they STILL hadn't done the echo for Richard. Ridiculous! Oh, just read Mom's blog and I guess he FINALLY had his echo last night and after it's read they will release Richard. Mom is still planning on coming up on Friday for the wedding. Richard will not be coming (understanding) and they have friends who will be there in case Richard needs anything. Hopefully the treatment they'll give Richard will give him some relief from his symptoms. Especially being able to sleep again!

Today I'll go for a bike ride on the trail. There's some rain going through here in a few so I'll put it off until later morning. I then want to go to Costco and pop by Kohl's to get Jimmy something to wear for the wedding. Maybe he'll go with me, maybe he won't. He had to be in early yesterday (left around 1:30) so who knows. Still no Tensing verdict which is pointing more and more toward a hung jury. Ridiculous.

My eyeballs are doing better and better everyday. I had less dry eye yesterday and hope that continues. I can still see and that's what really counts. Hopefully my appointment Friday is a thumbs up!

And that's all I've got. I think I'll just do leftovers for lunch today or sandwiches. Now it's time for breakfast and some Today Show. Later!

This & That

First - sending healing thoughts and prayers to my mom and Richard. Richard was admitted into the hospital yesterday due to breathing difficulties.He's had trouble sleeping of late and they noticed Sunday that he seemed to have edema (swelling caused by fluid retention in the body's tissues). The signs are pointing to congestive heart failure but I haven't heard for sure the diagnosis.We're all sending positive thoughts and we love you both!

So I've mentioned that Jim's on 2nd shift for the next couple weeks at Christian Moerlein's bottling facility which is located in the heart of Over the Rhine. He called me last night on a break saying how much he hated working down there because he's constantly harassed by some of the locals. Scary. I told him that we needed to watch the Tensing trial's verdict because if things go south and he's let off, Jim is not stepping anywhere near Over the Rhine! UGH!

My eyeballs are doing well. I've had a bit more dry eye over the last day than I had before but that's to be expected. Today is day 4 post surgery. I'd like to go out for a bike ride this morning but I may actually hold off until tomorrow for safety's sake. I just don't want to do anything that would interfere with my recovery. I just hate not being able to exercise! UGH!

Plans today: Nothing major. I'll make a nice lunch - Cobb salad for Jim before he heads off to work today. We had hot ham and Swiss yesterday. I just hate not feeding him a good meal when he's on 2nd shift. Other than that - we'll just hang. We do need to go out and get him some new pants and a shirt for the wedding on Saturday but that may wait until Thursday. We'll see what he wants to do. He's worked late last night and plans on working long hours for the next three days so that he can take Friday off. We'll see how that goes.

Found out yesterday that one of our assistant principals have taken a principal's position at a local high school (Lakota East Freshman Building). I certainly don't like it when administrators leave who have historically been a support to me. Of course not everyone likes everyone and sure, I've said a negative word or two about this guy (he talks too much) but the support he gave me over the last year in terms of Jim's health issues was something that can't be ignored. I made sure to send him an email wishing him luck and thanking him for his compassion. It's a quality that not everyone has but is probably the most important quality an administrator should have.

And that's all I've got. Time to decide what I want to do. Happy Tuesday! Later!

Progress

More and more, my eyesight seems to be crisper and clearer. This morning I had a bit of dryness when I awoke but that's normal after this surgery. It's also tough to look straight at a light or something really white (like this page I'm typing on) but again, that's normal from what I understand. The goggles that I have to wear at night when sleeping cause a bit of a headache - it's the band around my head. I ended up having to take them off around 1:00 last night but I think the main reason for wearing them is to keep from rubbing eyes in the middle of the night. I'm very aware of that, however. I'll keep trying to wear the goggles, however.

Today I don't have any real plans. Jim's still on second shift (will be until we go to PIB again I believe) so I'll make a nice lunch for us (instead of dinner) and just hang. Jim hasn't been sleeping very well - waking up in the early morning...not sure why. He's currently snoring on the couch because he got up at 4:15.

I was going to take a bike ride today but it's still a bit wet out so I'll wait until tomorrow. I'm allowed to go back to exercise I just have to be careful about getting sweat in my eyes. Mainly so I don't rub them. I'll wear a sweat band.

What else? Nothing. It's time for breakfast. Happy Monday. Later!

I Can See! I Can See!

Amazing! That's what I can say about the Lasik surgery. I went in at 7:15, wearing my stupid glasses that I hate and by 8:45 I was sitting up, reading a clock clearly from 10 feet away. I didn't have any issues with the surgery. It was painless, quick and so easy, I wonder why I didn't do it sooner. My appointment today went well. I had a little something (protein?) on my left cornea that the doc quickly removed and I have a little inflammation of the right eye but that shouldn't cause any issues. I'll go in next Friday for my 1 week appointment and from there I'll go at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. Bam! So far I'm not having any issues with reading - no current need for readers but who knows when that will change. I'm not worried about it. My restrictions are: no exercise for the first week, no swimming for 2 weeks and then I'm not supposed to go under after that for another two weeks but if I do I need to make sure not water gets in my eyes. Oh, and I have to wear my goggles for sleeping for the next few weeks. No big whoop.

So for the next couple of days I'll just be laying low. I'm supposed to stay out of the heat (no sweat in the eyes) which means Jim has to cut the grass. Tonight I'll make some Cincinnati chicken chili for dinner (and freeze most of it).

Jim's doing pretty well. His CT scan came back with good results: nothing on his pancreas; the spots on his colon are diverticulitis; and though there's a small spot on his liver it isn't large enough for them to determine what exactly (if anything ) it is. I'm still concerned about his uptake levels in all three areas but will go with what the doctor has said. He started back on his meds Wednesday and immediately started swelling (knees and ankles). Still waiting for word from the doc on what to do.

And that's all I've got. Time to rest my eyes. Later!

Back Into The Swing Of Things

And I'm back. Actually we got back Saturday. Our vacation was...lets say fun at times but stressful at others. Definitely had good company (Maggie, Eva, Doug and Lauren; Dad and Becky) but there was a lot of  anxiety for Jim and thus me. Jim was dealing a LOT with the hospital and feelings of neglect from his caregivers. I think this was on his mind a ton over the last week and it reflected and bled into his attitude and overall demeanor. He didn't sleep great, was moody, snappy and preoccupied. It was tough to watch and even harder to try and help and soothe. In the end, however, Jim managed to have it out with the only person who gave him any attention from UC - a nurse/receptionist. She listened to Jim rant and rave and helped him to set up the CT, which he's getting right now - 7 AM. He has an appointment with his oncologist tomorrow morning and from there we'll figure out what the next step is. We may be headed to another doctor. It's just gotten to the point where these people don't seem to have Jim's back and stress it's causing Jim can't be good for his health.

For me - I seem to cry at the littlest thing. I'm good with Jim and have managed to keep it together around him but yowza...I'm a bit of a disaster with anyone else. One thing that helped yesterday was a lovely bike ride on the trail. I went 12 1/2 miles and hope to get 15 today. I'll head out here in a minute. Tomorrow I'll go to Columbus. I'll return on Thursday. Friday I have my Lasik surgery. Jim's on 2nd shift for the next several days...maybe the week. This is good, however, since he's got a several doc appointments during the day.

And that's all I have time for now. I'm headed out for the trail and a nice bike ride before taking Sami to the vet for a follow up. I'm then hoping to get a pedicure at 11:00 with Lauren. She's not had a pedi before...should be interesting.

Okay...I'm off. Later

This Time Tomorrow...

...Jim and I should be approaching our exit on I-75! I'm hoping that we'll get on the road at the same time we always do: 5:00. This means we'll get to the ferry by 9:00. It being a Saturday, it may be a bit busier than usual so I won't be surprised if we have to wait in line for a bit. That will affect our Frosty tradition. If we catch the ferry too late, we'll head straight to Frosty's for breakfast and more importantly, mimosas and bloody Marys. If we catch the 9:00, we'll head home, unload the car and then breakfast. YUM! Our travel weather should be good which makes me happy!

Yesterday I finished up my cooking for the week (made the French dip beef) and did my grocery shop, including a stop at Party Source for new kegs (Summer Shandy and Summerfest) and champagne, wine and spiced rum. Mowed the lawn as well. Today, I'll pack up the car with what I can, do laundry, clean the house and pack. Woot!

Jim is completely back to "normal". I would have liked him to go to work yesterday and today but that would kind of be stupid so instead, he'll be my bitch. I think I'll make him vacuum and clean the bathrooms. He's going to wish he went to work. Hee hee.

I had my official last day yesterday. I really only needed to go in to clear off my desk, grab my Kuerig and hand in my check out sheet. The school was in shambles already with the Media Center being demolished for rehab. Additionally, we had a union meeting to discuss our tentative contract. I voted yes on it as it did three of the things I was hoping for: A) increased our sick bank from 247 days to 300; B) didn't change insurance and C) gave us an increase on base by 2.5% each year of the contract, which is a 3 year contract (even better for insurance purposes). All good.

And that's about all I have. I won't be posting for the next week or so but I will, of course, post on FB. Happy Friday! Safe travels to me and Jim. Later!

Damn America's Got Talent!

 You know how people always like or share videos on FB? Well there was one from America's Got Talent with a little (I don't know) 10-year-old or so holding a cute puppet. So I decided to watch it (I'm a sucker for a cute puppet). And dammit! It made me cry! Freakin' cute kids with cute puppets who can sing! Arg!

Quick Jim Update: He's definitely on the mend from this last med reaction. His fever only got to 99 yesterday and his joints are better. After many phone calls from the docs office (including one where a nurse told him he needed to meet with the doctor today and then a follow up to say, oh, woops! The doc is out for the week) Jim finally talked to the nurse practitioner who said everything Jim had done is what they would have had him do. They're calling in another prescription for predinsone (just in case) and he'll stay off his meds through vacation. He probably won't be getting a colonoscopy because ANOTHER doc looked at his PET scan and believes the uptake on his colon and pancreas are melanoma related. The CT will confirm and that will be scheduled when we return. I definitely don't like all this back and forth, however. And that's all I have to say about that.

Today I'll head into work to finish up in my room and then vote on the tentative agreement for our contract. I'm hoping for a nice increase on base and for insurance to stay the same. Basically the only reason I would vote "no" would be if my insurance gets all effed up but I don't anticipate that. We'll see.

From there I'll come home, get Jim and we'll head to Newport to replenish kegs and stock up on champs. Then I'll head to the grocery for our big buy before vacation.

And that's all I've got. I need to get a move on so I can get to work. My "last day". Happy Thursday! Later!