Round 2 done

Round two done and I am home and feeling crappy.  Had a restless night and threw up a couple of times during the night but today I am up.  He banded 3 more and the note said to repeat in 3 or 4 months.  I have to see him again in 6 weeks so I'll hear about that then.

Banding again

Well today is the day. Banding round 2.  I have an appointment at noon at the hospital so should be out in a few hours and home again.  Then I should be good for at least 6 weeks until I have to go back and get his results and whether or not we need to do it again.

I just got back from 3 weeks in the Okanagan and I had a wonderful time.  I stayed with friends that I have known since our oldest boys were babies together.  We have been through all of the kids and grandkids and ups and downs of each others lives ever since.  Actually they are now family really.  My middle son came up and spent a few days too and their kids and grandkids were out and we had a really nice time.

We went camping for a weekend in the motorhome up to Seymour Arm in the Shuswap.  It was a cloudy weekend so not many people about.  We loved it and the dogs had a great time.  They have a little dog like my Lacey so they had each other to spend time with and go for walks with each day we were gone.  They live on 5 wooded acres with trails so the dogs and I walked each day.

When I first got up there Sacha (their dog) was not wanting to leave her pillow and go for walks with us.  So I made her come and packed her part of the way then put her down and she headed straight for home without giving me a backwards glance. So the next day I carried her to the farthest point of our walk and then put her down and again she headed straight for home but this time she at least looked back at me as she disappeared down the trail.  By the end she was ready for the walks.  She'd get up and stretch and then head for the door with Lacey.  I still had to carry her to the farthest point but when I put her down she would stay with us and walk back with us.  Victory!!  Sweet little thing she is.

Banding Follow up

Thursday May 26th UPDATE: I heard from disability and they have approved it. It does not give me enough to live on though so now I pretty much have to wait until they start sending the cheques and then go and see a worker and see where this puts me. One move step done, one day at a time.

E. A.

I went today to see the doctor who did the banding.  He is very nice and said that the varices were large.  Something about the machine holding 7 bands and he did three of the varices with 2 each and then the 4th one he did a single band.  He says I have to have it done again. I asked how often and he said until they are all gone.  I asked if they would ever be all gone and he said yes, we are going to obliterate them! So I have to go for another endoscopy on the 7th of July.

I'm still waiting to hear on the federal disability.  The provincial one turned me down as I don't need a "device" (wheel chair, walker etc) or an aid to help me through the day.  They are the ones that made me apply for the provincial one and I didn't want to because I didn't think I fit the criteria and I guess I don't.

Other than that not too much new.  Just waiting, waiting and more waiting.

Busy month

This is what the weather was doing on the 14th of April!!  But since then we've had a couple of warm sunny days and Spring might actually be thinking of arriving!!  Yay!

It's been a busy month.  I took me a couple of weeks to get used to the antiD's and the drowsiness they caused.  I am feeling on a much more even keel. I saw the doctor a couple of weeks ago and he put me on a low dose of beta blocker until I see the gastro guy again and see what he has to say.

I stayed up as late as I could for the Royal Wedding and then taped 8 hours of it.  It was wonderful and they looked so good together.  I've always loved Will and Harry and remember clearly when they were born.  Both so cute. Both grown into such nice men it seems. Kate is gorgeous!  The hats though....I had never heard of fascinators but that hat that Fergies daughter was wearing was quite the thing!

Then came our Federal Election. Lots of negative ads. Lots of crap flying around. It changed our political landscape though and for the good and far as I am concerned.  The bloc was decimated. The liberals took a really hard hit as well.  Both of those leaders resigned. The bloc was dedicated to separating Quebec from the rest of Canada so yay glad they are gone!!  The NDP were the big winners with all the seats they took and they will now be our official opposition. And finally from BC we elected the first Green Party leader in North America!  Elizabeth May is now an MP!  The Conservative Party will have a majority governmement for the next 4 years.  I was hoping for a minority government to help keep the conservatives in check but ..........we'll see how this goes.

Then bin Laden was killed.  Can't say I"m sorry to see that. If it brought any closure at all to the families of 9/11 then it was a good thing.  I really don't think this will stop terrorism but at least they know they will be tracked down eventually and have to deal with the consequences. 

My little pudgeball of a grandson is getting so big so fast!  He laughs and smiles now and has found his hands.  He works really hard on getting them in focus and then getting them into his mouth.  I think he really wants to suck his fingers lol.  When he gets them close enough he spits out his soother and gets the knuckles in there.  Sweet boy.  He is 97 days old today.



Friday afternoon

Well. I thought I had it all together and headed off for my doctor appointment. I was fine and got called in. I went because one of my diuretics was going to run out over the weekend and I needed to go. So I asked about going back to Vancouver to see the Dr. there and he said really right now there is no point.

My doctor there is all about the drug trials or when you get to the transplant stage. The last discussion was that I should have regular endoscopy's and try and maintain for 5 years till the next wave of drugs come along. I am pretty sure he isn't thinking about the protease inhibitors because I had already tried the Vertex drug in the trial. So he wants me to keep seeing the fellow that did the endoscopy as he is a gastro guy.

At that point I burst into tears. I have nothing at all against this gastro fellow and I have no idea why I burst into tears like that. I just can't seem to control it right now if anything at all goes not the way I expect it to I cry, but of course this was the correct place to do it. After a chit chat and him refilling all my prescriptions he took me to another spot and had me fill out the depression test sheet and of course I am depressed. Really at this point why wouldn't I be lol. Oh lord, anyway I am now on Citalpram and I started taking them today. The pharmacist said it will take a few weeks before they kick in and it will probably cause nausea (lol of course it will!!) but she swears this will go away in a couple of weeks. So hopefully I can get this all under control again. As for the rest of my pills I am to just keep on and hopefully I will maintain.

Friday

I'm off to the doctor for a pill refill and to ask to be sent back to the specialist to see where I am at. It took me most of a week to get back together again from the endoscopy. I always recover from the physical part of these things before the emotional and dealing with the findings. That takes me longer and I have a tendency to hibernate because I get so weepy and it's not something I can control and I hate that. I'm still a bit weepy but much more able to deal today.

On Tuesday I took Lacey out for a quick walk around the neighbourhood and we got attacked by a big german shepard size dog that was chained up to someone's front steps. It started lunging and barking as we were walking along the street on the opposite side of the road. As we got adjacent to it the dog broke the chain and came charging at us. Lacey is only 13 lbs and she pretty much freaked and was looking to get away. I turned my back on the dog and stepped between her and Lacey and scooped Lacey up in my arms and just kept turning away from the big dog. The owner was screaming and trying to get the dog and I just kept turning away and then walked away from them when she grabbed the dog momentarily. I got about 5 steps away and burst into tears and cried the rest of the way home. I can't deal with little things or big things. I was supposed to be going to a friends for dinner and I just couldn't. That was the end of my day and I went back into hibernation. Doc appointment time - be back later.

Endoscopy

I had my endoscopy on Thursday. I had one 14 months ago and I had slight varices so I wasn't sure how much that had changed. I got to the hospital and checked in with General Daycare. They sent me to a waiting room and about 5 minutes later a nurse arrived to collect me and another fellow. We followed her to our respective beds and I was given a gown and told to change and get on the stretcher. A nice lady brought me a warmed blanket and then they took the normal blood pressure etc. and asked a ton of questions regarding prior history. Warm blanket nurse came and started my IV. Then it was my turn. They wheeled me into the room - brand new state of the art - huge computer monitors everywhere and lots of long armed equiment. So they sat me up first and sprayed the gag reflex numbing stuff into my throat. I am such a bad gagger! The nurse is saying swallow that and I'm gagging and trying to spit it out! But we got through that and they make you lay on your left side and then she tried to put in the mouth guard which started the gagging again. They gave me a bit of the anesthetic and then no problems. Once the mouth guard was in I was gone and don't remember anything until they were waking me up back in my curtained cubicle. I think the first thing I asked was did he band any and she said yes four or five. When I was awake enough they started telling me I could get dressed and they would call my ride home. Then I threw up. Not pleasant. They gave me all my instructions on a piece of paper and I held my paper plate to be sick in again if need be and I was going to go to the waiting room downstairs and as I staggered by the nabbed me and made me sit in a chair and wait till Lynnie arrived. Once she got there I started to get up to go and staggered around some more so they sent her off to get a wheel chair to get me to the car. We got home and from the car to the apartment door and as we stuggled to get a key in I threw up again. Made it in and basically waved goodbye, said thank you very much and went and laid down. I was on fluids only for Thursday and soft foods for yesterday. It was very sore all day yesterday and I didn't manage to eat much. Spent most of the day watching tv and resting. Today it is 4:00am and I am wide awake. I'm trying to drink a cup of tea but am feeling queasy. I go back to see him in six weeks. This morning I am realizing how much damage has been done in the last year. From slight varices to having to band them seems quick to me. So along with the varices and the acites I would say we are getting closer to the end of my liver.

Friday

Long week it seems like. I haven´t been feeling all that well this week. I´m not sure why. As usual when I don´t feel well these days I immediately think it is something to do with my liver but really I have no idea. Just lots of nausea. Sort of sick and shaky feeling for most of the week.

But I had a busy 3 or 4 days which always does me in plus when i was at the hospital last week the fellow that saw me was sick with the flu. He kept apologizing. I asked him if he had his flu shot this year and he said no he never got around to it!! Working in a hospital with sick people and he didn´t get his shot............

The weather is warming up somewhat so I´ve taken Miss Lacey out walking a couple of times this week. I can´t wait for full blown spring to hit. My spanish is going ok. It gives me something to work at. It´s at my own speed so that works.

I´m hoping when this is all done that I can afford to finally get moved into my own place. That is what is keeping me moving forwards these days. As much as my son has been very good about sharing his place it was always meant to be temporary while i got my money situation sorted out. I just have to wait till this all gets settled and then I´ll know where I´m at. Most of my stuff is in tubs and stashed either at my mom´s or at a friends house. So many times I have gone to get something only to realize it´s in a tub at mom´s (an hour and a half away). I want my own dishes. I want space whre I can lay out my crafts and leave them for a few days if I feel like it. Just a place for me and the cat and dog. I was thinking about it the other day. In all my life I have only ever lived by myself for a total of about 6 months when I was about 18.

Ahh well. Soon.

Where is the sunshine??

Here we are at the middle of March and it still feels like winter most of the time around here. It is warmer today but the rain wants to fall still. I've spent the last few days watching the horror in Japan unfold and I should not in any way be complaining about our weather. I hope they get some warmth there too. So many people without homes and the weather is still so cold there too.

I went to the hospital in Vancouver last Thursday and saw one of the study doctors. My regular study guy was out sick and I had a new fellow. He didn't have the ultra sound results from November in the file with him. He didn't know about the ascites either so got all the info from me and said they would call my family doctor and get them to send a copy of the ultra sound. I told him the request for the ultra sound came from them not from my doctor. He was confused as my guy wasn't there and this wasn't his gig but he was very nice and sent me off for blood work and then followed me downstairs as he had forgotten to get me to sign stuff and asked me to come back up after the blood.

We had a chat then and he said he thought I should be seeing the specialist (Dr. E) there more often that I am. It seems like that when Dr. E saw me last time and told me there were no drug trials and no new drugs right now and so there was nothing they could do for me at that time that my doctor (Dr. C) at that point stopped forwarding on any test results etc. The fellow on Thursday said I should be coming in at least every 6 months to see the specialist etc. so to follow up with my doctor (Dr. C) and ask to go back to the specialist (Dr. E) and in the mean time Thursday's doc would let him (Dr. E) and the other drug follow up doc know what was going on. Ok well that sounds totally confusing but there ya go. That's how it happened and that's what he said.

I have heard from Disability to say they have received my application and so far it has been accepted and now it goes to the medical team to decide if I fit the criteria. That could take another 60 days. I have also had to apply for social assistance which I totally dreaded and felt horrible about having to do. As it turns out it is mostly done online. You then get a phone call and an interview on the phone. She then tells you what documents you need to have to show them and gives you five days to get into the office and give to girl who photocopies it all and gives it back. Then you go home and within a few days they call and let you know if you have been deemed eligible. I did what was asked and was deemed eligible. Then they called and wanted me to fill out a disability form for the province as well. If I am deemed eligible for everything it will give me just barely enough to live but I'll have to give up my car. I am not stressing yet and still trying to take all this one day at a time.

My grandson is a gorgeous little bundle of snuggles. He has chubby kissable cheeks and they get kissed lots. I get to see him a couple of times a week and am loving it. Taking tons of pictures. I'll include one or two before I close off.

I'm tired and all of this worry and trying to keep paperwork together and separate for different claims or offices is tiring. The diuretics are still working and that makes me happy. I have a hard time now keeping weight on and am eating several small meals or snacks a day. Lots of fresh veggies and fruit too. Grapes were on sale this week along with California strawberries and oranges so I have stocked up on all three. I've been making lots of homemade soup and it works out well for me. I can throw it all in a pot and snack at it for a day or two and then freeze what is left for a soup dinner one night. No fast food and I am trying to stay away from all processed foods. Cereal in the mornings to take my pills. Brain power is cloudy on some days and some days are better. I worry some days that I am losing it. I have started taking a Spanish beginners course and am enjoying that although the concentration is iffy some days.

Well that's me somewhat up to date. Pray for the people of Japan.

Maintaining

Isn't that a glorious word!! It is to me today. I am down to one a day of both of the diuretics and it is holding. No weight gain and my kidneys are much happier :)



According to my doctor as long as we can maintain then all is good for now. My counts aren't great but not horrendous either. The only one I worry about these days is my platelets and that is for drug trials and it is at 85 still. So all good for now.



I phoned a couple of weeks ago to the health unit here to see if they have a dietician on site and they don't. They gave me a number and the nurse told me that with my cirrhosis I can access the dietician at the hospital for free, I just need a referal from my doctor. I got that today as well. They fax through the paperwork and then the hospital calls and sets up the appointment. We have that big, beautiful hospital a few blocks away so I'll be going there.



Outside there are big snowflakes drifting down. They don't seem to be sticking but they look pretty going by. We've had some weird weather around here lately. Sunshine but cold, warm but raining. Usually by this time of the month we are edging on towards Spring and already we have bulbs coming up. But on the other hand we've had some of our big snowstorms in February too. The garden stores are starting to bring in the primula's. My friend Lynnie bought me a pretty yellow one and I brought it home and put it on the desk for a minute. I came back and Nemo was eating it as fast as he could. NO plants are safe in our house. Buying a plant or flowers and then having to keep them up on the highest surface sort of takes away from having them in the house!




My brand new baby grandson is doing great! Gaining weight and sleeping well. I can't wait for the warmer weather when we can get out and walk more. He'll love the park and the stroller I'm sure.



All in all things are looking brighter. Haven't heard from disability yet................ One day at a time. :)

Endoscopy

I saw the doctor on Friday and have an appointment for the endoscopy for the 31st of March. He cut the diuretics back more and hopefully it will be enough to maintain a balance. He seemed quite nice and I liked him and he is at the Abbotsford Hospital which will be much nicer.

Counts

December 24, 2009

ALT 120
AST 89
Platelets 85

April 30, 2010

ALT 122
AST 107
Platelets 79

December 14, 2010

Platelets 109

January 14, 2011

Platelets 85

So, where are we at?

Well, where to start.....

I guess I'll start in June. No treatment for me, nothing available so need to maintain is basically what doctor told me. I was contacted by the hospital in Vancouver about the last drug trial I started and couldn't finish. They wanted me to be part of the follow-up from the drug trial. So for 3 years they want to see me every six months to do bloodwork and ultra sounds. They are following progression of the disease as well as checking to see if the virus has mutated. They are also keeping me in mind if any further trials become available that I could fit into.

I started struggling more as the summer wound down and was really unable to go for very long without a rest to recoup and then I could go again. I was very worried about job hunting and my memory and cognative abilities. I was getting very forgetful, losing words in mid conversation so you sit there with a total blank in your head, couldn't concentrate on things, I was easily distracted and had a really hard time staying on task. I am a bookkeeper and payroll person. That requires concentration and being forgetful just doesn't cut it.

I also knew I was not capable of working at a physical type job or even one that required standing for long periods like a cashier. The worry was setting in and I was getting more and more stressed. At Christmas 2009, Mom and I had talked about another cruise in the future and she called and wanted to take us both on a cruise from Vancouver to LA as the ship made it's transition from the Alaska run to other runs. It was a one way cruise and then fly home to Vancouver. I started trying to lose weight for the trip as my stomach seemed to be pretty fat. Nothing worked and I just kept getting bigger.

We went on the cruise in September and as much as I enjoyed it I was exhausted by the time I got home and it took me a week to recoup. We had been on a cruise two years earlier to Alaska and I could really tell the difference in my energy level. I had to go for the hospital ultra sound and it took a few months to get in for the appointment out here in the valley. By then my stomach was huge and I was not feeling great. I went to my family doctor and he said my abdomen was full of fluid and he wanted to send me off to the hospital and have it drained. That pretty much freaked me out and I was not a happy camper. I asked if we could try diuretics first.

He agreed to let me try the diuretics for one week and see if it was helping. He gave me a prescription for 2 different ones. Aldactone 100 mg 3 times a day and Teva-Furosemide 40 mg once a day. He weighed me and I was 152 lbs. He gave me an appointment for the following Friday. After taking the drugs all weekend I was down to 137 lbs so I had lost 15 lbs (Doc said that was equal to about a gallon and a half of fluid). When I saw the doctor he said I could stay on the diuretics as long as they worked and there weren't other side affects from them He said I could cut back on the one I take 3 times a day if I felt crappy. So I did and was taking two a day along with the other one. The last bloodwork is now showing that my kidneys are struggling from the diuretics and the extra work they are being forced to do. Also my platelets are falling again. They are back down to 85 now. So for now he has me cut down to one of each of the diuretics a day and I go back in two weeks to get the bloodwork checked again. In March I head back to the drug trial people for the next 6 month appointment.

I am tired and don't really recoup anymore if I do too much. I battle nausea most days. I am trying to not eat anything pre-packaged or any fast food and am being very careful of salt content when I shop. I've been making homemade soups and using fresh veggies as much as I can. I'm still losing weight gradually. Down to between 130 to 133 most days but have seen 129 and that scared me into eating all day off and on.

My EI has run out and I applied for early CPP which we can do in Canada at 60. It is a miniscule amount but I am hoping combined with other sources it will help. I have also applied for Disability from the Federal Government. I am going to have to go to Social Services and see where I'm at with this all and when I get the final amount of what I am going to have to live on each month I will have a better idea of where I stand.

So that pretty much brings this up to date on the important stuff. Life still goes on and I have my family and some very good friends that I love like family. I have a brand new 4 day old grandson who is absolutely precious. I made my peace with Al quite some time ago and we touch base about the kids frequently. I have my dog and my kitty who brighten my days so much. I am still hoping to get this all under control and just maintain. I am going to see if I can see a dietician at the hospital or health unit and get some advice on diet. Lacey (my little dog) and I are waiting for some warmer weather so we can get back to our daily walks.

I'll try and be a better blogger and start using this blog more often. I am going to try and gather all my counts and numbers and might just post them here so they are quick to find in future when I am comparing.

New Day

Well today is a much brighter day for me. Now that I don't have to worry about treatment etc I can just get on with things. I need to find a job for starters. I am signed up for a week long cruise in the fall so any job I get will have to be aware of that and agree or I won't be working there.

One thing that came up yesterday was that my spleen is quite enlarged at 17cm he said. I don't know what the norm is so not sure how big that is but nothing I can do about that anyway.

Last blood work taken about two weeks ago:

ALT - 122
AST - 107
Platelets - 79

Back to the doc

June 7, 2010 - Appointment today withe the HepC doc. I need to find out if my low platelet count has taken away any chance of treatment. If it has then I need to know what next? If not, then I need to remind him I am still here and see if any drug trials are coming up any time soon.

I hate going there and it stresses me out for days before hand. Being alone with this is a lot harder than having a partner to share it with. I have family and friends and they are concerned and helpful but it's not the same as having a partner that loves you and stresses along with you. Besides who wants to go and get a bad report from the doc and not have anyone to lean on. It sucks. :) and I'm being a big baby. :(

My platelets had fallen to 68 and then last blood work that was done they were back up to 79. Supposedly the cutoff for treatment is 90 so that is a concern. If I am not able to do treatment then what? I guess I wait till I get bad enough for a transplant.

Update:

I saw the doctor and as I suspected the low platelet count pushes me out of any drug trials. He said it didn't mean I couldn't have treatment just that I couldn't do drug trials but also for me right now there is no treatment. He said if he did have a treatment my platelet count wouldn't stop me being treated. So all I can do is live as healthy as possible and hang in there. He said treatment is probably about 5 years away. I asked if I would still be here in 5 years when treatment was available he said that was the plan! Maintain and eat right, exercise, don't drink which I don't anyway so no hardship there.

All my other counts were ok. My glucose and thyroid are both good. My lft's are elevated but not excessively so. In a way it was a relief to not have to worry about treatment right now. I felt torn and stressed about it all but now I can just relax, do what I can do and hope to hang in there for now.

Holy Cow!!

OK it is obviously time I get back to blogging. I didn't realize all these months had gone by. I'll get it together this weekend and get a post done!

Long time no blog............

Wow it's been a long time since I blogged. I guess I just needed a break. So hmm well I guess I should talk about the cruise. It was fabulous and we enjoyed it immensely but I will say that we learned some things being a first cruise and if we ever do a cruise again there are a few things that we would do differently.

For starters we booked an inside room with the reasoning of how much time do you spend in your room anyway. It's mainly just for sleeping. Well once you get into your room, with no lights on you are in the pitch black and have no idea as to time or anything. So next time I would get an outside room and a balcony. The scenery was gorgeous of course and the weather for Alaska was considered good as it wasn't raining for the most part but let me tell you it was bloody cold. We did have a great time and I'll post some pictures soon to add to this post.

Then in August my brother and neice came out from Quebec and stayed for two weeks. That was a good to see them and good for Gabrielle to make the trip out now that she's older. She and Steve had a really good time and are going to try and make it back this year too. I don't know if Steve would ever move back to BC but as Gabrielle gets older (she's 13 now) and she loves it out here, she may decide to do University out here and if she did I am pretty sure Steve would come home to live.

The girls and I took a weekend away this fall and went just an hour up the highway to a little town called Hope. It is surrounded by mountains and beside the Fraser River and is a pretty little place. We found a motel along the highway and went in and asked the guy what he had and would he take our little dogs too and he took us and showed us this cabin with two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a full kitchen and dining room and living room plus a front door and back door that led to our own little driveway and the crowning glory was a woodburning fireplace. All for the grand price of $119.00 including the two dogs and unlimited wood for the fireplace. We had a blast! We went and walked the Othello Tunnels and took a ton of pictures. We are planning on staying there again for a few more days and doing a bit more of the touristy thing.

Work has been busy and when last I left you, the office was being moved while I was on holidays. Well they did manage to break my computer so I came back to a new office and a brand new computer. Then due to "unexpected circumstances" I had to spend three months driving my boss around and so was very very busy at work but that has ended now and I am now back to a more slowed down work week.

I went in November and got my flu shot and my doc was not happy with me because I haven't been in for a year for bloodwork and counts and I told him I would come in and get it done. I haven't yet but will in the New Year. I've not been feeling great the last few weeks but I have not been eating properly and eating lots of junk food which is never good. So I guess that is my New Years resolution, to eat better and take better care of myself.

I am off work until the 5th so have been enjoying that alot. On Sunday night my Mom took us (my brother and his wife, me, my 3 sons and two of their girlfriends) all to the River Rock for dinner as her Christmas gift to us all. It was fun, food was good and we all went down to the casino and gambled for a few hours before heading home. In our group Mom was up $90, one son was up $100 and the other up just under a $100 the rest of us spent $20 0r $30 and we were all happy when we left. Then yesterday my youngest son got a call from them and he had won a thousand dollars in the daily draw contest thingy they have going right now. So he was very happy.

I have been reading alot because I found a good series I hadn't read yet. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series has been keeping me very interested. I am on book 4 right now and have the other two books lined up just waiting to be read. I've also been sewing again. Lynnie taught us how to quilt so I am making a quilt as well as a few new doggie jackets. My easel is set up at the window and I am going to be using it as well. I got a bike this summer and Lynnie and I have been riding the dikes around the valley. I even have a system rigged up for Lacey so she can come with us. I have a light backpack that I can put on backwards (so in the front) and I put Lacey in there when we come to roads or whatever and then when danger is passed I can take her out and let her run along with us. It worked not too badly but a real doggie carrier was $30 and I refuse to pay that. Then I was in WalMart just before Christmas and found a doggy carrier that will work perfect. So when the weather warms up and the snow goes away we'll give it a try.

We (the girls, Jude and Lynne) are going to be going to the island this spring to stay in Uklulet for a long weekend and my son and his girlfriend and granddaughter have plans for camping on Long Beach this summer. The girls and I are planning our next trip for April of 2010 after the Olympics are over and it will be someplace warm. Right now we are sort of thinking about Costa Rica because Jude has a sister in law that is from there with lots of family to give us hints on where to go and what to see etc. Well that's all I can think of at the moment.

I'm Cruising!!

Well I have been waxed, shaved, dyed, plucked, and cut (hair) and I'm all set to head off on my cruise. The bags are packed, the animals all taken care of and I'm sitting here now waiting to leave to go and pick up Lynnie. We head in and get Jude and her husband is driving us to the cruise ship. My brother is picking up my Mom and we'll meet there.

The guys will be moving the office while I am away so I'll be coming back to a brand new never been used office and desk. New phone systems will be in place. So all is good there.

Back in April when we went and paid off the cruise I took $300 american out of the bank and put it someplace safe for the trip. Well on Friday I went to get the money and I couldn't find it. I've searched every place I could think of and no money. On Saturday I went to the bank and got another $300 american out and I am sure I will find the other money safely tucked away someplace probably round about Christmas but oh well! It will be a nice surprise when I do find it. :)

Spring! Finally…

The sun shone beautifully on Saturday and we got up to 24C out here in the valley. I was wonderful!! That is our first nice sunny warm day and man it seemed like every person that owned a motor bike was out riding it. People were everywhere; walking, biking, working on their yards.

I got my eye test done and got to the glasses place and was out of there as fast as possible so I could get out into the sun. I went home and grabbed Lacey and headed down to my friends place and washed the truck and let Lacey play in the sunshine. Then we headed off and went for a walk along the dike. It was great!

Sunday we were back to normal with cloudy weather all day. I did the inside housework in fits and starts. I am finding I am tired a lot again. Work is all I manage to get done during the week with a walk thrown in for Lacey a couple of evenings if the weather is nice. I save all the housework for the weekends and then I do it in bits with lots of rests in between. That sucks. I would like to just power through and get it all done and then enjoy the rest of the weekend but if I really push myself and get it all done then I am too tired to do anything else anyway.

Also I have a rash. It is kind of worrying. It is spreading right up my back and around the sides of my stomach and breasts. It is a somewhat like the rash I got while on treatment especially the part right up my spine which is where it started both times. I don’t think rashes are normally found with HepC without treatment but I don’t know what else it could be. I haven’t done anything like change detergents or anything like that. Very annoying.

It is down to 13 weeks till we leave on our cruise. This hasn’t been clear sailing so far. My mom almost baled out on us as she was feeling old and tired and really didn’t think she was up to a cruise. We talked her into waiting till Spring and some sunshine before she decided and she has now agreed that it will be fun. Then one of my two friends has not told her husband yet that we are going. I’m not sure why but she keeps saying he won’t care but she just hasn’t found the right time yet to tell him.

The third friend, she just found out last week that her husband has a large tumor in his bowel. We offered to just give up our deposits and cancel so she doesn’t have to be stressed and worried about it all but she is not having any of that! She says if he is very sick when cruise time rolls around then she will just give up her fee and stay home but she does not want to cancel. She feels he will get in fairly quickly for the surgery and then if there is chemo or radiation after then she’ll play it by ear. They are both feeling very optimistic as two of his sisters have already gone through this and come out of it fine so they feel he can beat this too. But all in all it is worrying for them and for all of us that care about them. We’ll do what we have to do and go from there.

I am so ready for Spring!! I want to shave my legs, paint my toe nails and wear Capri pants to work with a toe ring and an anklet. No more winter sweatshirts and hoodies and fleece!!

Day light savings

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Well here we are into March already. I just realized that Day Light Savings is next weekend too! Wow and then this year Good Friday and Easter are the weekend of the 21st of March so a nice long weekend. I am really looking forward to that.

End of February is the end of our fiscal year at work so I have been busy with that along with the regular stuff. The guys have bought a new office and shop space. Up until now they have been leasing a place but decided to buy into a new industrial park so we have a brand new space. The shop area is cement walls and cement floor so other than a work bench etc it is fine but the front office area is just framed in so the guys are having to build the office space. It will be great when it’s done. Big windows, air conditioning, a brand new clean bathroom, a new desk and office furniture. Can’t wait!!

Saturday was my son’s 36th birthday. Thirty-six!! Wow, hard to believe. He is the oldest and father of my granddaughter. The next or middle son will be 35 in November and the youngest just turned 29.

19 weeks left till we go on our cruise. Time is just flying along. My mom is having second thoughts about going now too. She’s paid her deposit but she is not feeling great and says she is tired and just doesn’t feel like going. I am of two minds. I think she’ll feel better when the weather gets nicer and she may get some energy and feel like going and I would love her to come but if she really doesn’t feel like going I don’t want to force her to go or make her feel guilty for not wanting to go. If she does back out we have the option of filling her spot with another friend if she leaves us enough time to do that or the rest of us (myself and two girlfriends) can just split her portion between us and pay for it and only have 3 of us in the quad room which might be nice as it will give us more space. As it stands we need to pay the final amounts by the end of April so if she decides by the end of March then it still gives us time to fill her spot and gives the other girl time to make arrangements. So either way the three of us are going, it’s just whether or not it will include Mom, another friend or just the 3 of us.

I’ve been feeling pretty good the last week or two. I got a really bad case of the flu that lasted almost 3 weeks. Felt really cruddy but the silver lining (and there is always a silver lining) is that I lost 8 or 9 pounds while I was sick and now I’m trying to keep it off plus 8 or so more and then I’ll buy a few clothes for the cruise J I absolutely refuse to buy any until I am pretty sure that I’ve managed to lose all the weight I can before hand.

I’ll be glad when day light savings kicks in and it’s lighter for longer in the evenings. Right now when I get home from work there just isn’t enough time to get out for a walk so poor little Lacey waits for the weekends to roll around to get outside and get some exercise. Poor baby. With the longer evenings and the weight loss plan I’m hoping to get out every day after work for a good walk.