CDC Symptom Diary Card

Monday, February 07, 2011

Some Giggly notes today

Isn't this the funniest little photo?  I needed a giggle today and maybe you will giggle too.

They say that laughter can be curative and healing.  I really hope so.  I had more nightmares last night.

Imagine someone you love being swallowed by a giant fish-lizard.  Imagine going for a scenic drive, getting lost, and the only way back is to drive up a road that is at least 80 degrees at the angle.  Imagine watching people fall hundreds of feet, but then miraculously getting up and walking away. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

So to cap things off, here's a little giggle about what it's like to have chemo-induced confusion, compliments of one of my OC sisters.  Peace and God Bless


A.A.A.D.D.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS!

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder.

Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.



This is how it manifests:



I decide to water my garden.As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage
 can under the table,and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back

on the table and take out the garbage first..
But then I think,since I'm going to be near the mailbox

when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my check book off the table,

and see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study,

so I go inside the house to my desk where

I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.
I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't
accidentally knock it over.
The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi,

a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water.
I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk,

but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter,

fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.

Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,

but first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:

the car isn't washed

the bills aren't paid

there is a warm can of

Pepsi sitting on the counter

the flowers don't have enough water,

there is still only 1 check in my check book,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,

I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day,

and I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem,

and I'll try to get some help for it,

but first I'll check my e-mail....

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Limboland

Feeling like nothing is under my feet today, nightmares again.  Oh how they keep me on my toes.  Life goes on.  Embrace the day.

To the people in Egypt, keep fighting, never quit!

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Tears

The Mitch Gift post and the story of OC Warrior1026 "If cancer was easy they'd call it your mom" is so heartfelt, so touching, I just have to encourage you to read it.  I'm speechless................................

Friday, February 04, 2011

Fight with a fury

The passion of the pro-democracy fighters in Egypt is amazing.  I leave my TV on CNN when I go to bed and periodically wake up to check in and see what is happening.  We truly are blessed in the US.

As cancer patients and survivors, it feels like we need the same amount of "fight" to maintain a strong hold on the track to survival.  We should be rallying in the streets just the same for equal health care for all.  We should be rallying in the streets demanding a real cure for cancer, not just more tests on treatments!

I read somewhere that today is World Cancer Day. 

I'm tired of the marketing campaigns and am ready for the money to be spent on the nitty gritty, the truth.  Why do our bodies spin out of control?  Is it the toxic water?  Is it the toxic air?  Is it the toxic food?

Deep inside I think somebody has the answer, but isn't really able to share. 

We need to get our "fight on" and win this battle and win the war on cancer.  I wish I had the "how" for you, but I don't.  I'm just feeling frustrated today.  As I watch the plight of the people in Egypt, and pray for their safety and that they are able to gain true freedom, it makes me want to "do" something.

So I write.

Please say a prayer for mom, her cousin and my brother-in-law's uncle.  My mom needs a kidney, and the other two are facing the war with cancer.

God Bless

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

More nightmares

My brother made this tweety bird when he was either in the second or third grade.  According to mom, my brother incisted that we put it on the Christmas tree, and this little guy has become a seasonal "regular" ever since.


I say this today, being February and all, only because I was looking for a treasure to touch my heart.  Today is just a crazy day in the world.


Egypt is in chaos, Australia is facing a catastrophic typhoon/cyclone/hurricane, and the US is facing catastrophic snow and ice event.  Every day I get the joy of experiencing time with mom, hearing from family, reading blogs and journals from OC sisters, emails from friends, and yet I still have nightmares.


Last night I dreamnt that I was attacked by a pack of dogs.  In the dream, I was visiting a family and they had at least a dozen dogs.  The house was all junky and the family had lots of kids.  None of these people are "real" people I know, just fabricated people.  I was sort of an uninvted guest, arriving to return some clothes I had borrowed.  I entered the living room and was assaulted by big dogs, and they were of all kinds of different breeds.  The thing was, they would growl and put their jaws around my ankles, but only press lightly, to intimidate me.  Then, amongst them were a few gentle loving puppies and smaller dogs who "loved" me.  They would come up to me and beg me to pet them, making my heart sing with joy.


The father of the house was trying to teach me how to gain the trust and love of the big mean dogs. He was telling me how to talk to them, how to reach out, how to signal to them that I wanted love, not harm.  So I tried and tried, but was only able to gain the trust of a few dogs.

Suddenly, the mom of the house asked me to take two sick dogs home, so that I could care for them.  She gave me two dying smaller dogs, and I embraced them and took them home.  My roommates got angry with me for bringing them home and made me place them on the outside porch.  I was looking at them and then I was suddenly thrust back into the home of that same family again.

Only this time, their house was an airplane trapped under water.   Like living under the sea, you could look through the windows and see fish, dolphins and whales in the beautiful blue water.  The family again was annoyed with my presence, but was polite and asked me to play a game of cribbage.  Only, it wasn't cribbage, it was a game I'd never seen before. It was more like something you'd see in a Harry Potter movie, and I was terrible at playing the game.  Suddenly, the airplane started to succumb to the pressure of the water, and started leaking.  We all started running out of the plane and ran straight back into the dark and cluttered house.

Then I woke up.

So as I sit here and type, and watch the news, and wonder why I can't get my behind up and exercise, I wonder what THIS dream means.  Just bizarro!

Ironically, I was on You Tube last night watching cute puppy videos.  Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I hope we find some warmth and peace in the world today.

God Bless