The flooring started today and I've got renters lined up. So the light at the end of the tunnel is looking mighty bright.
My hands are killing me and I've been off the stuff since the 1st. Not sure what's up with that so to Dr. Barth's Friday. Had the blood draw last week so I'll have test results to gander at when I see Dr. Barth as well.
Had a nice Thanksgiving with family. Lots of good food and company.
This week is crazy with getting all the stuff for the floor layers and tying up last minute stuff on the house but it's winding down.
Right now I just got my head down and plowing through. Just get me past Friday!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
I've been MIA
Wow time flies. Didn't know it's been this long since I've blogged.
So what have I been up to? Closer to having the house ready. Got it painted and now for the flooring. Have decided to go with laminate and am in hot pursuit of a layer. Oh myyyyy
I think the light at the end of the tunnel just got brighter!
In other news besides busting lies, I'm also handing out praises. It's only fair really.
The latest lie was from Russel Stovers. Four flavor bag of sugar free chocolate. Only I got one, 1, make that 1 piece of mint chocolate in the whole darn bag. That's not a four flavor bag! So I wrote them an email. And the response I got was that there was a disclaimer on the bag that says the bag was automatically filled and it might not contain all the flavors or an even distribution of them. Well, EXCUSE ME.
How can you call it four flavors? It should be maybe four flavors...if you are lucky. But no don't fix the problem just slap a disclaimer on the bag. And yes there was one. Tiny on the back. But, Russel didn't want me to be too upset so they are mailing me free candy. I'm waiting.....
Then my NOOK bit the bed. Tried all the online fixes BnN suggested to no avail. I went to the nearby BnN store the next day all geared up for battled. The NOOK tech/rep fixed my NOOK. It needed a new battery. So far so good. And he was so helpful and a cutie patootie. Think Patrick Demsy type with a voice to melt chocolate. Oh to be 20 something again. It was a very pleasant experience. And so I wrote BnN a letter of praise. The first response I got from them was an apology and a list of things to do and a number to call and directions to the store. So I wrote them again. No no no guys this is a you did good letter not a complaint letter. And so today I got a response that said ohhhhhh well THANKS! basically.
On the medical front I had to go off the Femara. Which one was that? That's the daily pill that blocks my body from being able to use the aromatase protein needed to make estrogen. It also causes small joint pain and my hands were so bad one day I could barely turn the ignition in the car. Deal breaker. And before you start gasping here's the deal. The femara only reduces the chances of local recurrence. It does nothing to improve overall survival. I know wrap your head around that one. It took me a while. So here I'll help you. The cancer was estrogen fed we shut down the ovaries with the lupron shots and now the femara further blocks it in the breast tissue where a local recurrence would happen. But a local is very treatable. No I don't want to go through all that again but still not a death sentence. A distant met. would not be from the estrogen but rather it figured out another way to grow. So there, did that help?
No. Well here, I have about a 5 percent chance of having a local recurrence and the Femara reduces that by 16 percent. So a overall reduction of .008? I'm just not impressed. In the study they did when they first developed the drug they gave it to 4,000 women and after 2 years 75 of them developed a local recurrence. Another 4,000 women didn't get the femara and 123 of them developed a local recurrence. And they shut down the whole trial because oh myyyyyy (see video above) that was a 30 percent reduction and they put all the women on the femara. I'm still not impressed. This stuff is a bitch. I've been off since the 1st of the month and my hands are better but they are still killing me. So why are they giving this to women when really? It doesn't do anything that drastic? Because it's all they got. And honestly I'm not totally throwing in the towel on it. What I also found out from those first studies is that they gave women dosages from 100mcg to 5mg. And on ALL dosages levels of estrogen were greatly reduced and even not detectable. So why is the standard dosage 2.5mg? Because it's one size fits all folks which means we are all being over dosed. In my opinion. So instead of taking it every other day or one month on and one month off as suggested in Sept. by Dr. Barth's PA on Dec. 2nd when I see Dr. Barth I'm going to pick his brain about cutting the pill up. See if that makes his head spin.
Normal estrogen levels are between 300 and 400. 300 and 400 hundred whats? I don't know. Mine after I started lupron was a whopping 16. On femara undetectable. Whoopie.
If it was take this and the cancer will not come back it would be a no brainer. My hands would hurt. And I'd put up with it. But, that is not the case.
So I'll have lots of stuff to throw at Dr. Barth on Dec. 2nd but in the meantime....flooring, busting lies, praising good stuff and Thanksgiving before Christmas totally railroads that holiday!
So what have I been up to? Closer to having the house ready. Got it painted and now for the flooring. Have decided to go with laminate and am in hot pursuit of a layer. Oh myyyyy
I think the light at the end of the tunnel just got brighter!
In other news besides busting lies, I'm also handing out praises. It's only fair really.
The latest lie was from Russel Stovers. Four flavor bag of sugar free chocolate. Only I got one, 1, make that 1 piece of mint chocolate in the whole darn bag. That's not a four flavor bag! So I wrote them an email. And the response I got was that there was a disclaimer on the bag that says the bag was automatically filled and it might not contain all the flavors or an even distribution of them. Well, EXCUSE ME.
How can you call it four flavors? It should be maybe four flavors...if you are lucky. But no don't fix the problem just slap a disclaimer on the bag. And yes there was one. Tiny on the back. But, Russel didn't want me to be too upset so they are mailing me free candy. I'm waiting.....
Then my NOOK bit the bed. Tried all the online fixes BnN suggested to no avail. I went to the nearby BnN store the next day all geared up for battled. The NOOK tech/rep fixed my NOOK. It needed a new battery. So far so good. And he was so helpful and a cutie patootie. Think Patrick Demsy type with a voice to melt chocolate. Oh to be 20 something again. It was a very pleasant experience. And so I wrote BnN a letter of praise. The first response I got from them was an apology and a list of things to do and a number to call and directions to the store. So I wrote them again. No no no guys this is a you did good letter not a complaint letter. And so today I got a response that said ohhhhhh well THANKS! basically.
On the medical front I had to go off the Femara. Which one was that? That's the daily pill that blocks my body from being able to use the aromatase protein needed to make estrogen. It also causes small joint pain and my hands were so bad one day I could barely turn the ignition in the car. Deal breaker. And before you start gasping here's the deal. The femara only reduces the chances of local recurrence. It does nothing to improve overall survival. I know wrap your head around that one. It took me a while. So here I'll help you. The cancer was estrogen fed we shut down the ovaries with the lupron shots and now the femara further blocks it in the breast tissue where a local recurrence would happen. But a local is very treatable. No I don't want to go through all that again but still not a death sentence. A distant met. would not be from the estrogen but rather it figured out another way to grow. So there, did that help?
No. Well here, I have about a 5 percent chance of having a local recurrence and the Femara reduces that by 16 percent. So a overall reduction of .008? I'm just not impressed. In the study they did when they first developed the drug they gave it to 4,000 women and after 2 years 75 of them developed a local recurrence. Another 4,000 women didn't get the femara and 123 of them developed a local recurrence. And they shut down the whole trial because oh myyyyyy (see video above) that was a 30 percent reduction and they put all the women on the femara. I'm still not impressed. This stuff is a bitch. I've been off since the 1st of the month and my hands are better but they are still killing me. So why are they giving this to women when really? It doesn't do anything that drastic? Because it's all they got. And honestly I'm not totally throwing in the towel on it. What I also found out from those first studies is that they gave women dosages from 100mcg to 5mg. And on ALL dosages levels of estrogen were greatly reduced and even not detectable. So why is the standard dosage 2.5mg? Because it's one size fits all folks which means we are all being over dosed. In my opinion. So instead of taking it every other day or one month on and one month off as suggested in Sept. by Dr. Barth's PA on Dec. 2nd when I see Dr. Barth I'm going to pick his brain about cutting the pill up. See if that makes his head spin.
Normal estrogen levels are between 300 and 400. 300 and 400 hundred whats? I don't know. Mine after I started lupron was a whopping 16. On femara undetectable. Whoopie.
If it was take this and the cancer will not come back it would be a no brainer. My hands would hurt. And I'd put up with it. But, that is not the case.
So I'll have lots of stuff to throw at Dr. Barth on Dec. 2nd but in the meantime....flooring, busting lies, praising good stuff and Thanksgiving before Christmas totally railroads that holiday!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Go Bust a LIE!
Go bust a lie. Okay here we are in this mess of economics. Sure we got people doing movements. And we got people talking. TALKING. Which to me is really exciting. Awareness is growing. But, what can we do? I know there are still a lot of people that are not politically aware/involved because they feel powerless. What can I really do to make a difference?
Well, I'll tell you. Go bust a lie.
Here is what has happened to me over the last 6 months. I have absolutely no doubt it's been going on much much longer but it's just in my face now. The business ethics in our country have gone down the toilet. The unethical crap that has happened with banks, corporations, senators and the lot is blaring in our faces. Which is what prompted people to the streets. But, this unethical practices is trickling down. It is poisoning our society.
How? well, I'll start with Verizon. Who upon my move in with my parents lied to me. Flat out lied. Told me no problem we can do all that for you to just find out the next day oh no we can't. Lied. And when I busted them on the lie was told this line "it's not a lie if you believe what you are saying is true" That's the out they are using. That's what corporation foundations and principles are now reduced to? Not fixing the problem. Not reimbursing the customer when they have been wronged. BUT just excusing it? Because Verizon doesn't give a crap about what they do. They provide a service but that's not what they care about. They are lying bastards and I remind them in an email everyday. They don't answer me anymore but, I don't care. Everyday. I send an email. I'm not going away.
Then there was CVS. The pharmacy. I went to pick up my pills and was told the pharmacist needs to talk to you. Okay. And then she tells me "okay your pills have changed color, shape and the packaging is different but it's the same pill." "Uh you mean they went generic" "Um oh well yes is that okay?" "I'm okay with them going generic, I'm not so okay with you lying to me about it. Does that really work with people?" AND she SAYS "well, actually you are the first person to call me on it."
Then I was at Hoag getting my MRI and was told by the tech they didn't have any hot packs when I asked her to use one to get my vein to pop up. What? It's Hoag of course you have hot packs. Then she tells me they don't work. You put them in the microwave!
Do people not think? Do they accept the lies from Verizon, think the pill factory got bored or believe that a hospital doesn't have hot packs? Are we that stupid?
NO. It's not that people are not thinking, it's that WE ARE NOT USED TO BE LYING TO. We aren't. And so we think it is true. Lying is not the basis of our culture. But it is now
Lying is becoming a part of our culture. AND we have to stop it.
We do have the power to do this. B of A is NOT going to charge their lie of a fee.
Each of us has the power to bust a lie.
Go BUST a LIE! Become a LIE BUSTER.
Well, I'll tell you. Go bust a lie.
Here is what has happened to me over the last 6 months. I have absolutely no doubt it's been going on much much longer but it's just in my face now. The business ethics in our country have gone down the toilet. The unethical crap that has happened with banks, corporations, senators and the lot is blaring in our faces. Which is what prompted people to the streets. But, this unethical practices is trickling down. It is poisoning our society.
How? well, I'll start with Verizon. Who upon my move in with my parents lied to me. Flat out lied. Told me no problem we can do all that for you to just find out the next day oh no we can't. Lied. And when I busted them on the lie was told this line "it's not a lie if you believe what you are saying is true" That's the out they are using. That's what corporation foundations and principles are now reduced to? Not fixing the problem. Not reimbursing the customer when they have been wronged. BUT just excusing it? Because Verizon doesn't give a crap about what they do. They provide a service but that's not what they care about. They are lying bastards and I remind them in an email everyday. They don't answer me anymore but, I don't care. Everyday. I send an email. I'm not going away.
Then there was CVS. The pharmacy. I went to pick up my pills and was told the pharmacist needs to talk to you. Okay. And then she tells me "okay your pills have changed color, shape and the packaging is different but it's the same pill." "Uh you mean they went generic" "Um oh well yes is that okay?" "I'm okay with them going generic, I'm not so okay with you lying to me about it. Does that really work with people?" AND she SAYS "well, actually you are the first person to call me on it."
Then I was at Hoag getting my MRI and was told by the tech they didn't have any hot packs when I asked her to use one to get my vein to pop up. What? It's Hoag of course you have hot packs. Then she tells me they don't work. You put them in the microwave!
Do people not think? Do they accept the lies from Verizon, think the pill factory got bored or believe that a hospital doesn't have hot packs? Are we that stupid?
NO. It's not that people are not thinking, it's that WE ARE NOT USED TO BE LYING TO. We aren't. And so we think it is true. Lying is not the basis of our culture. But it is now
Lying is becoming a part of our culture. AND we have to stop it.
We do have the power to do this. B of A is NOT going to charge their lie of a fee.
Each of us has the power to bust a lie.
Go BUST a LIE! Become a LIE BUSTER.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Life in a multigenerational household
I went to do laundry. The washing machine was going so, my mom is doing some laundry. No big deal. I decide to peek inside the machine to see what she has going on. You know, just to see how big of a load is going into the dryer. Just to get a feel for what's happening in the laundry department. And so I open the lid. What I find is water and soap. Yep the machine is oscillating away but, there are no clothes.
Okay in this household you just can't rush to conclusions because my dad was an engineer. So, he could be conducting a test. You just never know. So I go to investigate and seek out my mom.
Mom-what do you mean there are no clothes in there?
Me-There are no clothes in there.
She opens the lid to the machine-where the Hell are the clothes?
Me-I don't know mom
Mom-well shit I think I started the water and meant to put something in there.
Me-Okay well how about we start over.
Like that was easy. You got to get the dial around so it's draining the machine.
Mom gave up trying to do any laundry that day.
I will confirm this...we are all wearing clean clothes despite user error.
But it was so surprising to lift that lid and see no clothes.
Okay in this household you just can't rush to conclusions because my dad was an engineer. So, he could be conducting a test. You just never know. So I go to investigate and seek out my mom.
Mom-what do you mean there are no clothes in there?
Me-There are no clothes in there.
She opens the lid to the machine-where the Hell are the clothes?
Me-I don't know mom
Mom-well shit I think I started the water and meant to put something in there.
Me-Okay well how about we start over.
Like that was easy. You got to get the dial around so it's draining the machine.
Mom gave up trying to do any laundry that day.
I will confirm this...we are all wearing clean clothes despite user error.
But it was so surprising to lift that lid and see no clothes.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Image
I'm lucky. I can't see my scar unless I turn sideways, lift my arm and look in a mirror.
I'll be honest I didn't fully appreciate what my surgeon did at the time. She had come in before the radiologist inserted the wires and showed her where and the angle that she wanted them inserted. The radiologist told me it was for cosmetic placement of the scar. It really was the farthest thing from my mind at the time. But, I'm grateful now that I don't have that glaring reminder when I see myself. And yes I've thanked my surgeon.
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