Friday 7/31/2009

July is over, but the heat goes on. I've spent the last few days figuring out how to take the timed release pain med at night, so that I don't drag around most of the next day, feeling like a zombie. If I take it right after dinner, it has worn off by the time I get up the next morning, but if I wait till I'm getting ready for bed, the whole next day, I have no energy to speak of.

There has been no return of the pain I had on Saturday, in spite of unloading 500 lbs of feed on Monday. My stomach has pretty much settled down, though it was pretty queasy the last few days. A hold over from the chemo.

I'm going to Tractor Supply later, to get new cutting blades for the auger bit. I want to work on the fence this weekend, and we need it to dig post holes.

The guineas are getting big fast! Though the chicks are the same age, they are much smaller than the Guineas. We have been keeping the chickens in their cage, to retrain them to lay their eggs in the nest boxes, on the shelves, where hungry dogs won't eat them, We are up to 4 a day, most days, as the young pullets begin producing. I believe we may have as many as 4 roosters in the bunch. There are several of the youngsters, whose combs and wattles are bigger, and they look like they may be getting spurs on the inside of their legs. We will weed them out to the freezer when we are sure, as we don't need more than 1 or 2 for the 60 or so hens we hope to have in production soon.



The donkey remains cute and sweet natured. He has healed up nicely from his surgery, and likes to chase the dogs, which is our main reason for getting him. He and Indy remain best friends. We have wormed him, at a slightly lower dose, as this was the first time he has been treated. We will re-do it at full strength soon, to make sure he is getting all the good from his food. He also got his first vaccination. He will get a booster soon, and then he'll be all caught up on everything. Look at those ears! Aren't they the cutest!!!?

Monday...

Where did the time go. Thursday and Friday weren't as bad as I expected, and we went to the Elk's Lodge Friday night. We got home around midnight, I gave myself my shot, and we went to sleep. I woke up Saturday morning with the same pain in my shoulder that I had several weeks ago, when they found blood clots in my lungs. I called the MDACC ER to ask what to do. No One would tell me. I asked to speak to the Dr on call. they said he would call me back. After waiting 2 hours for a return phone call, we headed an hours drive into town, to the MDACC ER. We arrived right before 1:00 in the afternoon. I took some of my pain medication before we left, so that I could stand the trip. They took my vitals soon after I arrived, and moved me to a room in the ER, but it was several hours before they ran any sort of test, drew blood, or took an X-Ray. When they got the test results, everything looked good, they said I had an inflammation, here are some antibiotics, just in case, and take more pain meds at night, so you don't wake in pain. Why they couldn't/wouldn't tell me this on the phone, I don't know. We left, and stopped to get the prescription filled. I stayed in the car, as I was tired, and being 3 days after Chemo, my blood counts were most likely dropping, and that puts me at risk of infection. When Mike got into the car with the med, he said, that it might make me photo-sensitive. My ears perked right up at that, and I started reading the information on the bag. It was a form of Ciproflaxascion, in the same family, and with the same sort of side effects. I made Mike turn around, and go back, we returned it, got our money back, and called the Dr to see if there was something else I could take instead. He said, since I wasn't running fever, I would be OK without taking anything. I was a bit pissed at that.

Sunday, we let the critters out, and fed the old mare. Mike did some work outside, while I cleaned the kitchen, took a rest, then baked banana scones for Monday's breakfast. At 5:00 we had a practice scheduled, for SCA. 1 rider showed up, so I saddled up Indy and Birdie, and we had a nice little practice. This was the first time Birdie has been ridden since he cut his leg back in May. He is healed enough that he needs to stretch the tendon that was injured, so that the scar tissue won't shrink anymore. He did fine. After practice, we fed the animals, and put the chickens and ducks up for the night.

Today, I locked up the dogs, fed the chicks, let the flocks out, and fed the old mare. After resting in my room for several hours, I drove to the library, checked out some books, and picked up 500# of assorted animal feed at the feed store. It started to rain as soon as I headed towards home. By the time I made it to the farm it had stopped. Actually, it was still raining where I had been, but we never got any of it. I unloaded, and poured up the feed. I couldn't leave it in the bags, as they were damp from the rain. I returned to the house for the afternoon, and rested till 7:00, when we went out to lock up the fowl, and feed the animals. We were back inside by 8:00. I'm tired, and heading to bed now.

treatment update...

Blood work was good. Dr said I was doing well. I asked him how long I would continue on this treatment/schedule. He said we would go on like we have,( chemo with Ixapepilone {Ixempra tm} every 3 weeks), with a CT scan next time to check response to treatment, and every so often to monitor progress, until my tumors stop responding, and start to grow, or I have side effects that are too severe to continue. If/when this happens, we would go to something else.

I had my treatment as scheduled, and don't feel too bad tonight. I'm still on a steroid high. Tomorrow, I won't be worth much, if this is like the last time.

Wednesday 7/22/09

I'm having my third treatment today. The second at full strength.

Yesterday was busy. I took the trash out to the street, hammered some dents out of the drum of an old dryer, and the washtub of an old washer, to use as planters for potatoes, did dishes, and after a shower, picked up a prescription, then had a massage. When I got home, I finished loading the lunch dishes, and ran them. When it was time, I helped feed the critters, cause I know I won't be able to do anything much the next 3 days. After dinner, I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, and baked cinnimon raisin scones for breakfast. YUM! I'm off to get poisoned.

catching up...

I picked up the animals on Tuesday after their surgery. We kept the kitty inside the laundry room for 24 hours, then let him return to his life in the barn. The donkey didn't want to get out of the trailer when we got home, so I took his halter off, and left him in there with the door propped open so he could get out on his own. Indy came over to check on his buddy. When we came out to feed later, he was out of the trailer, eating grass.

Wednesday, I woke up early, and got outside to get some work done before it got too hot. I cleaned out the chicken coop, fed the old horse, and stretched some cord to mark the fence line for my arena. I marked 2/3 of the post hole spots, before I went inside to cool off.

Thursday I had a Dr. appointment at MDACC at 2:00. I got started early, went to the library, the bank, then headed to the med center. After my check-up, I stopped in for a massage, picked up a prescription, and went to the grocery store for stuff to make scones.

Friday, my boarders came out, bringing feed, and working with their horses. They were going to ride, but it started to rain. It rained just long enough for them to get soaking wet, then when they gave up and let the horses go, it stopped. I was leading my grandson on his pony in the rain too. I was too lazy to get his saddle, so I just put him on bareback, and walked him around.

I had a nice visit from a good friend from the SCA. She brought me a beautiful plant, and we had a nice visit, catching up on things. I hadn't seen her since February. WHile she was here, I baked some blueberry scones for breakfast, and while I was in the middle of mixing them, I got a phone call from my friend Lois, in Maryland. I was so busy talking, I put the cream into the dough before I put in the butter. I was sure they were going to be tough, but they turned out just fine.

Later, we took our grandson to the lodge with us, as his mom and dad had a photo shoot to go to for their business. Grandson and I swam for 30 minutes, got dressed and ate a catfish dinner, then played on the playground. Grandson also played pool, as well as anything else he could find to have fun with. It was a very long, busy day. Grandpa played poker, while I played a game called 31. I only played 1 game, cause I was busy with my grandson, but I won. This was the only time I've won at that game.

Today, we had scones for breakfast, then I went to the feed store, and to Wal-mart. I had bought the wrong kind of chlorine for the pool we have and needed to exchange it for the correct kind. I helped pour the feed into the barrels in the feed room, and brought a bag of feed over to the house for the baby checks. They are growing fast, and eating more each day. I started some laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, and helped grandpa feed all the animals this evening, as daughter, and son-in-law had another engagement to attend, for their business. When we got back into the house, grandpa, who worked outside most of the day, took a shower, while I cooked hot dogs for dinner. After dinner, it was bed time for grandson, and into the shower for me. It has been a very busy week.

The horse shoer is coming out on Monday to trim all the horses, Tuesday I have another massage scheduled for 1:00 in the afternoon, and Wednesday, I have my next chemo treatment. As you can tell, I'm feeling fine right now. I know I won't be so chipper after my treatment, so I'm trying to get as much done as I can while I have the energy.

Busy Tuesday...

...already, and it's only 11:00 AM. After I got up, fixed breakfast, and finished loading the dishwasher, I took the donkey, Jesse, and a stray tom cat to the vet's to have them both castrated, and get their rabies shots. Then I picked up a bag of feed for my boarders, who were out of town this past weekend, so couldn't bring more feed for their horses. I also picked up another float valve for the water trough in the big pasture, cause husband Mike told me the other one was broken. When I went out to put the new one on, I discovered that the old one wasn't broken, but the hose had come loose. I put the new one, with it's metal housing on the trough in the pasture, and put the other one on a small tub by the well-house for the horses in the pond enclosure. I also moved the new bag of feed, and 2 feed barrels from my trailer into the feed room, so Mr. Indy couldn't get into them. I used the big blue tractor to move all this in one trip. Much easier than several trips with a wheel barrow. Like I said, a busy morning... I'll be picking up the critters this afternoon...

Sunday evening...continued

I felt good enough to help feed the animals this evening. After dinner, I baked blueberry scones for tomorrow's breakfast. Yumm!!!

Sunday afternoon...

We have a new 4 legged friend here at Little Moon Farm. Last week we were contacted by a local man who had a young donkey for sale. We went to see him, and he is very cute, not quite a year old, not halter broken, no shots, or worming, not castrated, and no coggins test. He is very friendly. We took him the day it rained, to be tested for EIA, (the coggins test). He was negative, so we picked him up today, and brought him home. I'll be calling the vet tomorrow, to see about getting him castrated, and a rabies shot. We will worm him, give him his other vaccinations, and train him to walk/lead with a halter. Michelle started that today, and he is such a people lover, I don't think we will have much trouble teaching him that. Indy loves him. We put Indy in with him, and Indy is following him around, and keeping him away from the other horses. Really cute.

Don't look now...

...but it's raining! Shhhh! Don't say it out loud, or you might scare it away!;-P

Monday night...

My husband managed to get very drunk on the beer left from the Independence Day festivities. I didn't realize it till he came over to check on me hitching up the trailer. I get so angry when he does this, cause he just "goes away", and you can't tell him anything, or expect him to make any sense, if you try to talk to him. I need him to be here for me, but he's too busy feeling sorry for himself, at the bottom of a bottle, to be any help or support for me right now, and that really hurts. I can't seem to talk to him about it, he just shuts me out, so I'm going to write about it here, cause he sometimes reads this.
I asked him if he was going to get drunk every night until the beer was gone. At first I think he didn't believe what I had said. When I repeated the question, he said NO!, but that remains to be seen. At least he is home, and not driving 30 miles in the dark, drunk.

Monday...

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July. We had quite a crowd here at the farm. Lots of good food, water play, and, after dark, a bonfire and fireworks. We watered the front yard for 10 days to make sure we were safe for fires, as we are under a burn ban. No one came to shut us down, and we kept the fire contained, so it was good.

Sunday was a day of rest. Everyone rested. The only time we stirred was when we went to look at a donkey for our pasture, and if his coggins is negative, he will be coming to live on the farm as soon as he is gelded. He needs to be wormed, and vaccinated too, but the main thing is the coggins test, for EIA. He is about 8-9 months old, and almost as big as his mom, with a real sweet personality. He will just be a guard donkey until he is old enough to be ridden, and we may break him to drive as well. Donkeys are good at keeping dogs and coyotes away from your livestock, and this one chased his owner's dog as soon as he saw her for the first time, so I think he will keep Bloo from killing any more ducks.

Chemo was really rough this time, but in reading the Dr's notes, I've figured out why it was worse. He gave me a reduced dose the first time, due to my having colitis, and I got a full dose this time, which slammed me hard. The good thing about this is, in spite of the first round being reduced in strength, my tumors are already shrinking! I'm very happy about that! I'm feeling better each day, but have to be careful because my blood counts are most likely going down, and I need to reserve my strength, and protect my immune system.

Happy Birthday USA...

Happy July 4th. I feel like I want to live for the first time since I had my Chemo on Wednesday. The last 48 hours or so have been rough! I didn't want to eat, nothing tasted right, and my stomach hurt. I never actually felt like vomiting, but I was feeling bad all the time. I woke up this morning feeling hungry, ate breakfast, and still felt good. I just spent an hour or so outside, watching my grandson play in his wading pool, and watering the flocks of ducks, and chickens.

We received our order of chicks on Thursday. 50 hens and 3 rooster chicks in a mix of breeds that lay colored eggs, instead of white. We now have 10 ginny chicks, too. I know I spelled that wrong, but I just can't seem to remember how that word is spelled, and spell check is stumped, too. One of the co-op members was in a feedstore where they had the babies, and he got them for $2.00 a piece. They are often $10.00 apiece, so this was a great deal!

update on Wednesday...

We got to MDACC right on time and I got my blood drawn in a timely fashion. Mike and Andy went on to St Luke's and got him checked in. He was scheduled for 10:30, but they were backed up in the recovery room, so they didn't come for him until 2:00 in the afternoon! He was allowed nothing by mouth since midnight the night before, so was a bit cranky, as you can imagine.
I went to the patient advocates office, and filed a complaint about the long day in the ER on Saturday. I praised the people working there, as they were fantastic, but there weren't enough of them to get things done in a timely fashion. What should have taken no longer than 3 hours, took 12. Most of that was sitting and waiting.

My Dr's appointment went well. He confirmed what I had suspected, the tumors are already shrinking, according to the CT scan done on Saturday, as compared to the one done on May 22. He was pleased, and seemed a little surprised, as he hadn't planned on repeating the ct scan until my next chemo. I was scheduled for chemo at 2:00, but they were backed up and I didn't get taken back till nearly 3:00, so I wasn't finished until 7:15, or so. The pre-treatment meds include diphenhydramine, which makes me very sleepy, so I drowsed through my treatment.