Monday's Air

[Joppette]

Good morning!

Ah......two full nights of blissful sleep! Even the vitals checks didn't bother me. I feel like a new woman today! Yesterday everyone decided to visit all at once. It was crazy. At one point there were 9 people in this tiny hospital room! I'm not whining here....I know the drill. But the hours drag along all week long, and all day Saturday with barely a visitor and then on Sunday, BAM, here they all come. I asked R to quarter back this if it should happen in the future. That was just a lot going on at once. However, it led to a great nights sleep, so no complaining!

I don't really know if I've been a Debbie downer these days or not. Everything has been blurring into each other, and just so much going on. But I feel good today, and ready (I think) to face the craziness of the medical world once again. The lung machine is still bubbling, which means it still has not healed.

It's strange and wonderful how we adapt. The first night in this room, I thought I can't do a second. The bed is hard, pillows horrid, noise awful, etc. But then as the days go by, you get your own pillows, get to know the nurses and assistances, get used to the noises, and now I feel like I'm in my own little teeny apartment! What's that Syndrome they call when people get kidnapped and begin to fall in love with their kidnapper.

Anyway, got to go, the regime of doctors is starting.

Love to you all!

MI Judy

[Joppette]

Back, until another medical person enters the room. The syndrome I was talking about is Stockholm syndrome. LOL That is me. We are so adaptable as human beings. It is truly amazing.

The sun is shining, and I guess the temps are in the 40's, very crazy for winter in Michigan. We've only received a couple of inches of snow. This is the BEST winter ever! Except I do feel bad for the skiing and other winter sports companies. This is their time to shine, and it's not working.

My Aunt brought this brain teaser book, and it's filled with pictures, and you have to compare one against the other and find the things that are different. I love this kind of thing. Have been kind of obsessing with it, but somehow find it enjoyable.

Ok, back to docs. Have a good day.

Judy in MI (again)

P.S. If no one else gets in here, this may be a somewhat interesting self-talk all day in between tests! You poor people.

[Janet B]

MI Judy - I am kind of enjoying your one woman conversation! I am glad you are starting to feel better and getting your spirits back! I totally understand the feeling you have about thinking of your hospital room as a little apartment - as long as I am not hurting too bad, I kind of enjoy the hospital room - I have complete control of the television remote, can sleep whenever I want and not feel guilty about it, people bring me food and flowers. Not too bad! I also had a day like you did, where my room had so many people in it they were using my bed as a table to set up their pizza and chips and dip! I think they all forgot I had to get some sleep!

Today I have to head over to the library and get some books to read to the kids at the farm tomorrow. Then off to support group. I am very lucky to live close to a Lung Cancer Support Group - ours actually tied for 1st place as Lung Cancer Alliance's best support group! We meet everyother Monday - and there up to 20 of us each time (patients and caregivers) It is about a 45 minute drive for me (it is at the hospital) but well worth the trip.

Cold today in CT - about 35. I am ready for snow. I hate to be cold, but if it is going to be cold it might as well be pretty!

peace everyone - Janet

[jaminkw]

Afternoon All! Stan's not here so I'll have to tell you guys, "I want to whine." I had to set the alarm to get up and be at the first dr's appointment at 8:45 this morning. He had me stay and get more bloodwork--checking B12 and Throid which could be obviously causes of fatigue. I had enough time to stop and get a latte on the way to the next dr's visit. It was the local onc and went surprisingly well. Seems he's done a significant attitude adjustment since our last visit. It also helped that MDA got the scan reports and Dr Tseng's progress report to him. Thank goodness that stress is over.

I'm just tired and tired of being tired. I've really not done a thing since I got home except feed my face. Janet, I'm not only envious of your rescue farm but your support group as well. A 45 min drive too, good for you. I just didn't click with the little group here but since I'm lazy, I guess that's o.k.

The hours have been ticking by--3 pm now so it's going to be evening soon. I start taxes tomorrow and massage on Wednesday so I think the rest of the week will go o.k. I'll probably dive back into tax work Thursday and try to plan something nice Fri/Sat or Sun. Wow, next week Stan will be home and I'll be getting ready for my trip to see Jersey Boys. See, time does fly when you're planning on having fun lol.

Have a good evening everyone.

Judy in KW

[Ann]

MI Judy...so glad to hear that you finally got some well needed rest and that you're adapting to your surroundings. It's truly amazing how much better we feel after a good night's sleep. One thing I really hate about having a restless night is that I want to turn in so early the next night to compensate for the lack of sleep the night before. That means that I get very little (if anything) accomplished at home the "evening after." Last night was a real trip for me. I have had some strange dreams in my lifetime but these (multiple) take the cake. I felt like I had a slight fever when I went to bed and I was probably right, because I always have weird dreams when I have a temp. This dream actually had "chapters." I would wake up, look at the clock, think about what I had dreamed and then just go right back dreaming...right where I left off. Some day, when everyone is really bored, I'll tell you all about the dream...lol.

Janet...I had to laugh when I read your post about "if it has to be cold...be beautiful." Funny...here in Florida last week, our temps dropped low enough for snow and I would love to see snow here. I always say that the next time it snows anywhere near us, I'm driving to see it!!!

KW Judy...I can tell by your post that you're really looking forward to those taxes. I hate that...especially the ones I have to do as part of my job!!! Ugh...it's terrible!!! Hope the doc can find something to give your energy level a nice pick-er-up. I need to find the same thing, so let me know. My doctor dropped the level of my thyroid meds a couple of months ago and I've been a couch potato ever since. I'm hoping a lot of my energy loss has to do with this creeping crud thingy that i ahd for a month.

Well....almost time to fly out of this office door...like a prisoner released from a life sentence....and go home. Can you all tell how much I love my job???

Ann

[eric byrne]

Good Evening Everyone,

JudyMI,isnt it strange we seem to have lost our winter over here also?our temps for days have been 10-11 degrees centigrade,I had to look this up in my Oxford dictionary to convert that into English ie 50 degrees F.Its the only S.I. unit I have'nt yet come to terms yet,wish they had blooming well left that one alone,I have got the grammes and the litres though.

Gymming and Swimming this morning,I slept in until 9.30am I was playing games on my laptop until after 2 am,PS3,freecell, minesweeper and chess,I just forgot about time.Costco after the gym,I love wandering around this store,bulk buying kitchen roll,soap powder tablets,also bought a large metal foldaway clothes drying frame thingy,to cut down on using the tumble drier,lots of other little nick-nacks,kitchen scales to replace the brocken one,my success with the brisket has got me thinking maybe I should spend so time in the kitchen in developing some more cooking and baking skills? do you know i bought a new set of bathroom scales the other day,not only do they tell you your weight,but it sends a beam up from your feet to scan your body to measure your body fat and water measurements,how cool is that?er,I dont know what it means,but nice to know I've got a machine that can tell me that.

On the way home I stopped off at my local newsagent to pick up my Evening Times,I was met with cheers from the staff,puzzled I am given the paper,they have found me in pages 6 and 7,it is a well written piece,nice pics of yours truely.The feature covers quite a range of things I have been involved in over the last three years,my USA trip is covered,my involvement with LUNGevity,my walk around Seattle's Lincoln Park with Senator Andy Hill and Dr Jack West,also mentioned my involvement with SIGN.I have tried today to find the link to the feature on the Evening Times webpage to allow you to access it,but I cannot find it,maybe its more to do with my lack of computer skills?.I have sent an e-mail to the reporter Sarah Swain,to ask if she could help me to find the link to share the story around.Maybe tomorrow she will get back to me?.

Hi Janet,seems I have missed the posts from you about a rescue farm?what rescue farm,what animals do you rescue/care for?.I love attending the LC support group too,although the January was postponed,next meeting first Wed in Feb.

Hi JudyKW,sorry you are still involved with docs and hospitals,wishing this can all become a thing of the past.I am sure you are going to enjoy the Jersey Boys,its really good.

Good night everyone,nearly bedtime,going to start a new book I bought today in Costco its all about the codebreakers in Bleachley Park in WW11.

[Joppette]

Ann! I have had those chapter like dreams before. I'll wake very slightly, and maybe use the potty, and back to sleep and I take off onto the next chapter. They actually can be very interesting, can't they? We'll have to swap stories one day.

Eric, i don't know many women that appreciate the weight scales anyway, and now they beam at us and tell us our body fat and water weight? Oy! Not a good thing. I hope I never get one of those. LOL. Sounds like you had a grand time at Costco. That store can be so much fun. Find all kinds of interesting things that you never needed before but seem like such a good idea now. One I got was a pasta measurer. It had round holes, and the idea was to put the spaghetti through the holes to measure how many servings you wanted. Never used it! LOL. Cleaned out the utensil drawer a few weeks ago and tossed it.

Well I kicked R out this afternoon. He's been here every day all day and late into the night since last Wednesday. I told him to go home, wash my pajama's and go have a beer with his buddies. LOL. Hope he did all of that.

It's so nice and quiet here. It was a busy afternoon with lots of docs again. Two friends were visiting when someone doctory looking came in and asked to have me breath deep all around my lungs. She left, and I told the girls to watch, that at least ten more people would be coming in and doing the same thing. They did! It was funny.

Anyway, I'm going to veg the rest of the night. No more doctors. I'll get a shot of morphine at bedtime and sleep like a baby again.

Judy in MI