tuesday 6/24

Just to touch base here, I'm getting my radiation treatments every day. They are painless. You feel nothing as you are zapped. The skin over the area being treated is getting red, like a sunburn, but that is all, besides feeling like a road map of Texas, with all the different colored lines drawn on my body.

We tried to work on fences at the farm over the weekend, but, in spite of a 2 hour+ rain on Saturday evening, the ground was just too hard. The auger would dig in about 4 inches, then, just polish the surface of the bottom of the hole. I filled six 5 gallon water-cooler jugs with water, and filled each started hole with water after the auger was removed, and sometimes while it was still trying to drill. When we got to the end of the line of posts we wanted to set, we went back to the beginning, to see if the water had softened up the ground. It was still rock hard. It is very frustrating, when you have the tools, but the ground is too hard to drill into. It has rained some every day this week, so I'm hoping that the holes will be softened up come this weekend.

My mother-in law passed away on Sunday morning. She was 87, and hadn't been doing well for some time. She had smoked for years, and had emphysema. She lived alone, and wasn't eating enough, or drinking enough. My Brother-in-law would shop for her, but she wouldn't eat. When we saw her last year, she weighed about 75 lbs. Tom said she weighed about 50 lbs at the last. That is how much my 5 year old grandson weighs. She will be cremated, and her ashes buried in Union SC. There will be a memorial service at a later date, after my treatment is finished, so that we can go, as Mike won't leave me right now. She would had been 88 in August.
We would like to help clean out her house. She was a heavy smoker, and everything in the house is coated in tar and nicotine. She lived a long life, and died at home, so I guess you can't ask for more than that.

Tuesday 6/17

Well, yesterday was a first. I had a Doctor tell me NOT to lose weight! I saw my radiation oncologist, and told her I had started on Dr. Atkins Diet the Tuesday before, and already lost close to 5 lbs. She said STOP! Don't diet or try and lose weight during radiation treatment because it can change where the focused radiation is going. Soooo, I left the treatment area, and ate 2 cookies.
I had started to diet because of the 20 lbs I gained during chemo, and I don't think I can get into my riding boots. Without my boots, I can't go back to work. She did say I could start back on the diet the during the last week of my treatment.

On another note, my daughter, son in law and grandson were on the local news last night. They are having trouble with the Needville school district not wanting my grandson to attend school without cutting his hair. His hair has never been cut, not even a trim, and is to his waist, if you pull the curl out. He is native American, and his father also has long hair. It is a cultural thing, but the school district doesn't recognize it as such. Local Fox 26 News interviewed them last afternoon, at the farm and they were on the 9:00 news. The video was in their website, if you want to see it.

Update...

I think the fatigue has hit. Though I went to bed early,(for me), at 11:30 last night, I had a very hard time getting started this morning. When I returned from my treatment, I was having a hard time staying awake. I had made plans to meet with a friend to see a movie, and have lunch, but I was so tired, I was afraid to drive. I drank about 1/4 of a caffeinated soda,(the first I'd had in at least a month) and that perked me up, till just about an hour ago, when I hit the wall again.

Speaking of soda, I found out that cola drinks leech calcium from your bones. Colas have phosphoric acid in them and that is the culprit. When I was a child, we called Coke in a can "Battery Acid", since it seemed more acidic than that in a bottle, and I guess we weren't far wrong. I've stopped drinking any cola, and gone to the Diet Rite fruit flavored soda, and for caffeine, Diet Big Red is sweetened with splenda, and has the kick of caffeine, without the acid.

Saturday 6/7 our 34th anniversary

Well, I've made it through a week of radiation treatment. Only 5 more weeks to go! So far, after Monday, and having all my target marks needing to be remarked, It has taken approximately 65 minutes each time, from the time I drop off my car at valet parking, to when I ask them to get the car for me to leave. My only problem so far is that, in order to avoid radiating the other breast, they apply 2 strips of tape to it, and pull it to the side, out of the way, and secure it. My skin is very sensitive to tape, and even though the tape is in place for 30 min or less, it is enough to irritate my skin, and leave a red mark. That and having to use cornstarch instead of medicated powder under my breasts, so far are the only complaints.

Mike and I have been married for 34 years today. It was even a Saturday when we tied the knot. Our Son-in Law is BBQing a brisket, and we will spend the day at the farm, enjoying family and friends. It is sometimes hard to believe it has been that long, and other times, it seems like forever.

Our eldest son has given his 2 week notice at his job in preparation for training for his new job, due to start mid July. He will be working for the same company as his father, at more than twice his current salary. His wife is looking forward to returning to finish college, once the new salary kicks in.

First treatment...

I had my first radiation treatment today. It was quite an ordeal. Because I spend so much time outside, I had sweated off the marker lines on my skin, except where they covered it with tape, and, because the tape absorbed the paint, they were afraid the tape had moved so they had to work on my position until they were sure it was where it needed to be. I had to lay, without moving, for 1 hr 40 min. By the time they were done, I had such a cramp in my neck, I wanted to scream!

I really tried to preserve the marks, but I have to care for the animals at the farm. It shouldn't be a problem after this, except for over the weekend. Since I'll be going in every day, they can freshen the marks each day.

I helped my friend Janet's husband go through the first of his 3 storage units. He is hoping to consolidate them down to 2, and save $90.00 a month. We about filled the dumpster at the storage place with junk. I know I'm a pack rat, but we tossed 5-6 boxes of fabric scraps left over from the surcoats, etc that they manufacture. Some of the pieces are large enough to make into a pouch, but some aren't and they would never in a million years use all those scraps.

Sunday evening

This was a busy weekend. We drove to the farm Saturday afternoon. Mike, myself, and our Grandson. After feeding everyone, and giving shots to 2 horses fighting infections, and wrapping the leg of one developing proud flesh, I started filling in sink holes by the ponds, with help from grandson, and Mike started spraying round up on the weeds along the fence line. When Mike was done, he came out and helped fill holes til it was time to start the grill for dinner. We can't work on fences until we get some rain. The ground is just too hard to dig post holes, even with the auger.

This morning, Mike started mowing close to the barn with the yard tractor, and I mowed along the rabbit and chicken pens, as well as back by the feed room, and by the G pig cage. The belt broke on the tractor, so Mike finished up with the small mower, and I built two cavalette. These are small jumps, with Xs at each end. Depending on how they are positioned, you can adjust the height from 6" to about 18".

After lunch, Grandson went with his uncle to see Speed Racer, and to Burger King after the movie with his other Grandma.

Mike and I fed the horses, and I soaked the foot of one of my boarder's horses. She has finally started eating. I was afraid we would lose her. She wouldn't eat, and she dropped weight. She is about 30 years old, and has an abscess in one hind hoof. I started soaking the feed in water, to make mush, and she is eating. I gave her an extra feeding today to try and make up for the several days when she didn't eat much. Her teeth are so worn down that she can't eat grass very well, and we have been keeping her separate from the other horses so that she would have plenty of time to finish her feed, if she would eat.

I spent some time filling holes, and then I started spraying herbicide on the "rattle box bush/trees that are sprouting up everywhere Mike has brush hogged. When I ran out of spray, I quit for the day. We started packing up, and getting ready to return to town, but we needed to wait on grandson to make it back.