Tuesday, September 30, 2008
A Little Bit of This and a Little bit of That
1. Last Days. Oh NO. My last days are here. At least according to Best Western they are. They send me e-mails and the shortened title I see is "Janet, Enjoy your Last Days...." Ah SCREAM! How do they know I have cancer? Please do no send e-mails like this to cancer patients even if all you are saying is enjoy the last days of nice weather somewhere.
2. Chemo Room Gossip. I had my eighth chemo yesterday and I have another CT scan scheduled for next Monday to track how we are doing. I ask for your prayers and positive thoughts. Tests are always a bit nerve wracking. Anyway, my nurse, Eileen was taken away from me yesterday for a two hour period out of my 5 hour chemo session. She was doing a stem cell transplant in the room next to me. I asked another nurse about it. When my friend, Patti, had a stem cell transplant 12 years ago, she had to be in the hospital several days and now it is outpatient. Wow! They do it right in the same place I get chemo these days. Advances are being made every day in this business.
3. Husbands, you can't win. This discussion was brought up last night by some entertainment TV show which had Heather Locklear's mug shot. She was picked up for DUI not involving alcohol but probably for one of the pills I take. Stupid. Even I know not to drive some parts of my day. They listed her weight as 105 lbs. and her height as 5'5". I remarked that was skinny skinny--skinnier than me and how awful she must look. Dave then responded to me that I look good.
"What do you mean I look good? I am a bag of bones---a cancery sick skinny bag of bones!"
"No, you look good, people say how wonderful you look," Dave emphasized.
"Well, of course. People are not going to tell me I look terrible, now are they?"
"You do not look starved and emaciated. Yes, you obviously have lost weight but your butt looks great and with the new pants I bought you at Costco, you look really good--hot even!" Dave kept going on.
"So....are you saying I was fat at 135 lbs. and now at 120 I'm not and I look better? I really would prefer another 5 to 8 lbs. The wooden pews at church are not good for this rear end, believe me." I continued.
"No...No. You looked good then, too, but you always said your butt was too big and now it's not."
"You thought I had a fat butt? You thought I was fat? You like my skeletal remains better?" Oh this was fun.
"No, you do not understand. You really do look great. I'll stop now." Yep, just like that cereal commercial where the husband screws up by asking his wife if she is watching her weight. You cannot win, husbands, on fat issues with your wives so do not even try.
4. The Soup Commercial. Speaking of commercials, have you seen the ad where the guy is pulled off his chair and down the stairs to face yet another boring bowl of soup. Oh man. That captures how I feel about every dinner time. Only I do not get taste--wish I did then I wouldn't be so SKINNY.
5. Hair Math. Yep, my hair keeps on falling out. I am glad I had twice as much hair as most people and now I have half as much hair as I used to. At the store I found some shampoo that said it would give me 50% fuller hair. The numbers should put me back to normal if the equation worked. Nah, it didn't work. Helped but not the full 100%. But my finger nails have never been better and my scientist husband cannot explain it to me. I wouldn't mind softer ickier toe and finger nails, if I could get my curly thickish hair back. Oh well. The chemo is working.
6. Paul Newman. His death made me sad. And of cancer. He was two years younger than my Dad and he looked like my Dad--blue eyes and all. My Dad died at age 57 and he looked so much like Paul Newman then. As the years have passed, I would see an aging Paul Newman and think about how my Dad would look--always movie star handsome.
7. Ah! I Saw the Light. Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I wondered if I was experiencing my last day like Best Western predicted. My magnified make-up mirror was tipped up and it was reflecting the light fixtures above my sink. The image refected behind me into Dave's mirror above his sink and back again into my big mirror and scared the bejeebers out of me. Yikes, I'm still not used to our new light fixtures. Nope, not dead yet. Not me. And I have no intention of going any time soon.
1. Last Days. Oh NO. My last days are here. At least according to Best Western they are. They send me e-mails and the shortened title I see is "Janet, Enjoy your Last Days...." Ah SCREAM! How do they know I have cancer? Please do no send e-mails like this to cancer patients even if all you are saying is enjoy the last days of nice weather somewhere.
2. Chemo Room Gossip. I had my eighth chemo yesterday and I have another CT scan scheduled for next Monday to track how we are doing. I ask for your prayers and positive thoughts. Tests are always a bit nerve wracking. Anyway, my nurse, Eileen was taken away from me yesterday for a two hour period out of my 5 hour chemo session. She was doing a stem cell transplant in the room next to me. I asked another nurse about it. When my friend, Patti, had a stem cell transplant 12 years ago, she had to be in the hospital several days and now it is outpatient. Wow! They do it right in the same place I get chemo these days. Advances are being made every day in this business.
3. Husbands, you can't win. This discussion was brought up last night by some entertainment TV show which had Heather Locklear's mug shot. She was picked up for DUI not involving alcohol but probably for one of the pills I take. Stupid. Even I know not to drive some parts of my day. They listed her weight as 105 lbs. and her height as 5'5". I remarked that was skinny skinny--skinnier than me and how awful she must look. Dave then responded to me that I look good.
"What do you mean I look good? I am a bag of bones---a cancery sick skinny bag of bones!"
"No, you look good, people say how wonderful you look," Dave emphasized.
"Well, of course. People are not going to tell me I look terrible, now are they?"
"You do not look starved and emaciated. Yes, you obviously have lost weight but your butt looks great and with the new pants I bought you at Costco, you look really good--hot even!" Dave kept going on.
"So....are you saying I was fat at 135 lbs. and now at 120 I'm not and I look better? I really would prefer another 5 to 8 lbs. The wooden pews at church are not good for this rear end, believe me." I continued.
"No...No. You looked good then, too, but you always said your butt was too big and now it's not."
"You thought I had a fat butt? You thought I was fat? You like my skeletal remains better?" Oh this was fun.
"No, you do not understand. You really do look great. I'll stop now." Yep, just like that cereal commercial where the husband screws up by asking his wife if she is watching her weight. You cannot win, husbands, on fat issues with your wives so do not even try.
4. The Soup Commercial. Speaking of commercials, have you seen the ad where the guy is pulled off his chair and down the stairs to face yet another boring bowl of soup. Oh man. That captures how I feel about every dinner time. Only I do not get taste--wish I did then I wouldn't be so SKINNY.
5. Hair Math. Yep, my hair keeps on falling out. I am glad I had twice as much hair as most people and now I have half as much hair as I used to. At the store I found some shampoo that said it would give me 50% fuller hair. The numbers should put me back to normal if the equation worked. Nah, it didn't work. Helped but not the full 100%. But my finger nails have never been better and my scientist husband cannot explain it to me. I wouldn't mind softer ickier toe and finger nails, if I could get my curly thickish hair back. Oh well. The chemo is working.
6. Paul Newman. His death made me sad. And of cancer. He was two years younger than my Dad and he looked like my Dad--blue eyes and all. My Dad died at age 57 and he looked so much like Paul Newman then. As the years have passed, I would see an aging Paul Newman and think about how my Dad would look--always movie star handsome.
7. Ah! I Saw the Light. Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I wondered if I was experiencing my last day like Best Western predicted. My magnified make-up mirror was tipped up and it was reflecting the light fixtures above my sink. The image refected behind me into Dave's mirror above his sink and back again into my big mirror and scared the bejeebers out of me. Yikes, I'm still not used to our new light fixtures. Nope, not dead yet. Not me. And I have no intention of going any time soon.
// posted by Janet @ 9:46 AM
2 comments
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Symptoms of Colon Cancer
I realized in reviewing my past posts that I did not go into detail about what my specific symptoms were and what led me to the doctor finally. The different nurses who take care of me during chemo who tend to be about my age all want to know. I guess I have put myself out there in the world for all to read about so I should provide more information in case my experience will help someone.
Colon cancer is very subtle and insidious. Never in a million years did I think I needed to be concerned about it. I have been diligent about mammograms because my Mom had breast cancer. I have kept check on my blood pressure and cholesterol because my Dad died of a heart attack at a young age. I go to the dentist. I have had skin checks with a dermatologist. I get my eyes checked because I had a Grandma with glaucoma. My diet was healthy. Kaley and I could eat whole crowns of broccoli each. I would eat an entire head of romaine lettuce for my lunch salad. We had reduced our red meat consumption over the years dramatically and replaced it with salmon, halibut, crab and mussels. Red wine and dark chocolate had become staples. I did not think waiting until I turned 55 was too late for my first colonoscopy and even without symptoms, I was planning to schedule it for this year.
So what happened? I do not know for certain. About 10 or 12 years ago, I had some bleeding. It concerned me enough to see the doctor about it. Kaley with her large head in utero had given me nice hemorrhoids. Given my age, gender, and healthy status, the doctor told me not to worry. The bleeding seemed insignificant after that to me and in fact happened very infrequently. I brushed it off as hemorrhoids but now looking back, I think it was the beginning of the tumor in my colon. The tumor, by the way, if it is even there anymore, was not that far up so bleeding from hemorrhoids or from the tumor would be difficult to distinguish.
I have to preface all of this with the fact that I have had bowel issues my entire life. Never have I been regular. Constipation and diarrhea have been with me my whole life. I remember my Dad saying when I was a little girl that Mom needed to feed me more "roughage." I can still hear him saying this. Too bad they did not have Activia back in the day. The question about "change in bowel habits" has always left me mystified. For me, it all depended on what I ate or if I was on a trip or nervous about an arbitration hearing. This particular question was meaningless for my circumstances.
As I entered my 50's, menopausal symptoms begin to appear or so I thought. One of the biggest complaints women have is gas. I noticed that certain foods that had never bothered me before began to affect me. Three years ago, I had my last latte with milk. After drinking a latte in the car on the road to Montana, I developed an old fashioned stomach ache. I decided I had become somewhat lactose intolerant and began avoiding dairy products. I noticed after our wine tasting parties, the cheeses would upset my stomach the next day. Obviously, I attributed all of this to my age. Also, I started to notice I could not eat as many fiber foods like lettuce and peppers and green beans. My cupboard eventually contained Beano, lactose intolerance pills and pepto bismol. Hot and spicy foods slowly started to bother my intestines. Never did I have heartburn but rather mid-abdomen gas pains.
Amidst all of our bathroom remodeling which began one year ago, I had stomach aches. I blamed them on the fact that I did not have free use and access to my bathrooms until the end of the day when the contractors would leave. And again, given my age and pre-menopausal status, I assumed the gasiness and pains were all a normal though annoying part of the aging woman's life.
Then in February, things got worse. We took a road trip to Spokane for Dave's sister's 60th birthday party. In the car, on the way, we stopped for lunch and picked up a couple of BBQ sandwiches and hot Tim's Cascade Jalapeno potato chips. By the time we got to Spokane, I was having some nice stomach issues--mid-abdominal pain. I was not passing gas; it was all trapped. I did not complain and by the next morning, I was much better. By biggest concern was that no longer could I eat spicy BBQ or Jalapeno chips along with not eating lettuce or milk products. The rest of February and March, I wasn't feeling well along with getting stomach aches now and then. In early April, we drove to Walla Walla to see Kaley in a performance, and again being in the car caused stomach pains and trapped gas. I decided I had developed diverticulosis or diverticulitis which happens during menopause. Dave's sister had a severe case of diverticulitis which required part of her bowel to be removed. My symptoms were not nearly as bad as hers but were similar.
My plan was that this was my colonoscopy year so I made an appointment with my doctor to discuss my stomach problems and get my routine colonoscopy scheduled. In mid April, I had my doctor's appointment. She felt my stomach and without me mentioning my thoughts, she diagnosed diverticulosis pending the colonoscopy. Given my gender, age and healthy status, colon cancer never entered her mind nor mine. Our trip to Chile took up a good share of of May so my "routine" colonoscopy took place on June 9th.
The tumor found in my colon was large and probably all of my problems were due to the fact that foods could not push past it easily and gas and indigestion backed up above it causing my stomach aches. Bleeding was not a huge part of any of the recent signs. I never had a full blown intestinal blockage though at the time of my diagnosis, I was very close--hence the colon stent. Breathing problems and asthma developed because the tumors in my liver were pushing up on my lungs and everything together was making me feel pretty crummy during April and May.
I cannot emphasize enough how slow and subtle the symptoms were. All of them were easily attributed to getting older or becoming menopausal. Simply watch TV and you realize that about 80% of people my age have gas, irregularity, indigestion, constipation and diarrhea and there are a whole host of over the counter medications to deal with it all. Actually, I am not sure what is normal and what is not.
But for me, the signs and symptoms were definitely not a normal part of aging but instead were indiciations of a serious spreading and potentially fatal illness.
I realized in reviewing my past posts that I did not go into detail about what my specific symptoms were and what led me to the doctor finally. The different nurses who take care of me during chemo who tend to be about my age all want to know. I guess I have put myself out there in the world for all to read about so I should provide more information in case my experience will help someone.
Colon cancer is very subtle and insidious. Never in a million years did I think I needed to be concerned about it. I have been diligent about mammograms because my Mom had breast cancer. I have kept check on my blood pressure and cholesterol because my Dad died of a heart attack at a young age. I go to the dentist. I have had skin checks with a dermatologist. I get my eyes checked because I had a Grandma with glaucoma. My diet was healthy. Kaley and I could eat whole crowns of broccoli each. I would eat an entire head of romaine lettuce for my lunch salad. We had reduced our red meat consumption over the years dramatically and replaced it with salmon, halibut, crab and mussels. Red wine and dark chocolate had become staples. I did not think waiting until I turned 55 was too late for my first colonoscopy and even without symptoms, I was planning to schedule it for this year.
So what happened? I do not know for certain. About 10 or 12 years ago, I had some bleeding. It concerned me enough to see the doctor about it. Kaley with her large head in utero had given me nice hemorrhoids. Given my age, gender, and healthy status, the doctor told me not to worry. The bleeding seemed insignificant after that to me and in fact happened very infrequently. I brushed it off as hemorrhoids but now looking back, I think it was the beginning of the tumor in my colon. The tumor, by the way, if it is even there anymore, was not that far up so bleeding from hemorrhoids or from the tumor would be difficult to distinguish.
I have to preface all of this with the fact that I have had bowel issues my entire life. Never have I been regular. Constipation and diarrhea have been with me my whole life. I remember my Dad saying when I was a little girl that Mom needed to feed me more "roughage." I can still hear him saying this. Too bad they did not have Activia back in the day. The question about "change in bowel habits" has always left me mystified. For me, it all depended on what I ate or if I was on a trip or nervous about an arbitration hearing. This particular question was meaningless for my circumstances.
As I entered my 50's, menopausal symptoms begin to appear or so I thought. One of the biggest complaints women have is gas. I noticed that certain foods that had never bothered me before began to affect me. Three years ago, I had my last latte with milk. After drinking a latte in the car on the road to Montana, I developed an old fashioned stomach ache. I decided I had become somewhat lactose intolerant and began avoiding dairy products. I noticed after our wine tasting parties, the cheeses would upset my stomach the next day. Obviously, I attributed all of this to my age. Also, I started to notice I could not eat as many fiber foods like lettuce and peppers and green beans. My cupboard eventually contained Beano, lactose intolerance pills and pepto bismol. Hot and spicy foods slowly started to bother my intestines. Never did I have heartburn but rather mid-abdomen gas pains.
Amidst all of our bathroom remodeling which began one year ago, I had stomach aches. I blamed them on the fact that I did not have free use and access to my bathrooms until the end of the day when the contractors would leave. And again, given my age and pre-menopausal status, I assumed the gasiness and pains were all a normal though annoying part of the aging woman's life.
Then in February, things got worse. We took a road trip to Spokane for Dave's sister's 60th birthday party. In the car, on the way, we stopped for lunch and picked up a couple of BBQ sandwiches and hot Tim's Cascade Jalapeno potato chips. By the time we got to Spokane, I was having some nice stomach issues--mid-abdominal pain. I was not passing gas; it was all trapped. I did not complain and by the next morning, I was much better. By biggest concern was that no longer could I eat spicy BBQ or Jalapeno chips along with not eating lettuce or milk products. The rest of February and March, I wasn't feeling well along with getting stomach aches now and then. In early April, we drove to Walla Walla to see Kaley in a performance, and again being in the car caused stomach pains and trapped gas. I decided I had developed diverticulosis or diverticulitis which happens during menopause. Dave's sister had a severe case of diverticulitis which required part of her bowel to be removed. My symptoms were not nearly as bad as hers but were similar.
My plan was that this was my colonoscopy year so I made an appointment with my doctor to discuss my stomach problems and get my routine colonoscopy scheduled. In mid April, I had my doctor's appointment. She felt my stomach and without me mentioning my thoughts, she diagnosed diverticulosis pending the colonoscopy. Given my gender, age and healthy status, colon cancer never entered her mind nor mine. Our trip to Chile took up a good share of of May so my "routine" colonoscopy took place on June 9th.
The tumor found in my colon was large and probably all of my problems were due to the fact that foods could not push past it easily and gas and indigestion backed up above it causing my stomach aches. Bleeding was not a huge part of any of the recent signs. I never had a full blown intestinal blockage though at the time of my diagnosis, I was very close--hence the colon stent. Breathing problems and asthma developed because the tumors in my liver were pushing up on my lungs and everything together was making me feel pretty crummy during April and May.
I cannot emphasize enough how slow and subtle the symptoms were. All of them were easily attributed to getting older or becoming menopausal. Simply watch TV and you realize that about 80% of people my age have gas, irregularity, indigestion, constipation and diarrhea and there are a whole host of over the counter medications to deal with it all. Actually, I am not sure what is normal and what is not.
But for me, the signs and symptoms were definitely not a normal part of aging but instead were indiciations of a serious spreading and potentially fatal illness.
// posted by Janet @ 11:10 AM
6 comments
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Our Favorite Commercial
Birds seem to have become a theme of my cancer journey. Obviously, when one is suffering from an illness, as I am, you do think about what is important in life. Having tons of money is not one of the things that leads to happiness. On the other hand, having good health care coverage is. Thank God we have good health care coverage and everyday I think about those people in my position who do not. Frankly, to me it is criminal. Every person should be able to receive the best treatment available regardless of their position on the economic scale of matters. Each time I go in for chemo, the cost is about $15,000 and I have had seven chemos so far. Dave makes a good salary and we have savings but no way could we survive my illness financially without our health insurance through the UW.
Anyway, Washington has a lottery system. I am not really that approving of lotteries but I absolutely love their currently running commercial. Basically, it asks what you would do if you had the money. Hang gliders take it upon themselves to make certain birds who do not fly have a chance to fly. The ad makes me cry and laugh at the same time. I do worry that the ostrich may suffer a heart attack----I mean, God made him in a way that he is not supposed to fly but he gets the ride of his life nevertheless.
Every time the ad comes on, I receive a wonderful feeling throughout my body. Ha! A Washington Lottery ad helping someone like me heal from cancer--who would have have thunk it??!!
Birds seem to have become a theme of my cancer journey. Obviously, when one is suffering from an illness, as I am, you do think about what is important in life. Having tons of money is not one of the things that leads to happiness. On the other hand, having good health care coverage is. Thank God we have good health care coverage and everyday I think about those people in my position who do not. Frankly, to me it is criminal. Every person should be able to receive the best treatment available regardless of their position on the economic scale of matters. Each time I go in for chemo, the cost is about $15,000 and I have had seven chemos so far. Dave makes a good salary and we have savings but no way could we survive my illness financially without our health insurance through the UW.
Anyway, Washington has a lottery system. I am not really that approving of lotteries but I absolutely love their currently running commercial. Basically, it asks what you would do if you had the money. Hang gliders take it upon themselves to make certain birds who do not fly have a chance to fly. The ad makes me cry and laugh at the same time. I do worry that the ostrich may suffer a heart attack----I mean, God made him in a way that he is not supposed to fly but he gets the ride of his life nevertheless.
Every time the ad comes on, I receive a wonderful feeling throughout my body. Ha! A Washington Lottery ad helping someone like me heal from cancer--who would have have thunk it??!!
// posted by Janet @ 10:33 AM
5 comments
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Update---I'm Doing Better
When we were having our conversation with my oncologist last Monday, Dave and I were doing all of the talking. Dr. Back then asked if he could put in his two cents worth. It was quite a funny moment, actually. We stopped talking and listened. My problem is that I have been afraid to take too much of the powerful medications they have provided for me but Dr. Back was astounded at how little I am taking. My pill cutter is my favorite little household appliance at the moment.
Basically, we have added a little bit more medication in the mornings and it has made a tremendous difference. My doctor is not concerned I will become addicted to anything given my behavior thus far. This morning I was able to enjoy watching the boats out my kitchen window while drinking my coffee and reading the Sunday paper. Next Sunday, I think I will not have a problem with getting to church. Do you realize how significant it is to enjoy the simple ordinary routine parts of daily life? This is has been my biggest loss with this illness and being able to retrieve some normalcy is exquisite.
The timing of my illness, I have decided, is kind of perfect if one can say something like this. I do not feel like I am missing out on anything big. My kids are grown up and doing well. It would have been a disaster in terms of my children to be going through this 5 or 6 years ago (though I believe the cancer has been in me 10 years at least). We have traveled the world most recently to Japan and Chile---places I never thought I would experience. My husband and I have taken a cruise, we have been to Europe and Hawaii a number of times. Dave is in a position at work where he is able to take time to be with me. I did not have a job crucial to our financial well-being because I certainly could not be working. To be honest, I have the time and leisure to manage this particular journey of my life.
I do have my list on the refrigerator of my future desires, do not get we wrong. But I am not sitting here feeling sorry for myself that I am missing out on all of life's pleasures. Even if I wasn't sick, currently I would be enjoying my house and garden and time with my husband. Yes, we'd be going out to dinner which I still have not been able to do.
Achieving more comfort during my day so that I can enjoy my ordinary life is truly a gift. Again, I thank you all for your booster prayers--they worked yet again.
When we were having our conversation with my oncologist last Monday, Dave and I were doing all of the talking. Dr. Back then asked if he could put in his two cents worth. It was quite a funny moment, actually. We stopped talking and listened. My problem is that I have been afraid to take too much of the powerful medications they have provided for me but Dr. Back was astounded at how little I am taking. My pill cutter is my favorite little household appliance at the moment.
Basically, we have added a little bit more medication in the mornings and it has made a tremendous difference. My doctor is not concerned I will become addicted to anything given my behavior thus far. This morning I was able to enjoy watching the boats out my kitchen window while drinking my coffee and reading the Sunday paper. Next Sunday, I think I will not have a problem with getting to church. Do you realize how significant it is to enjoy the simple ordinary routine parts of daily life? This is has been my biggest loss with this illness and being able to retrieve some normalcy is exquisite.
The timing of my illness, I have decided, is kind of perfect if one can say something like this. I do not feel like I am missing out on anything big. My kids are grown up and doing well. It would have been a disaster in terms of my children to be going through this 5 or 6 years ago (though I believe the cancer has been in me 10 years at least). We have traveled the world most recently to Japan and Chile---places I never thought I would experience. My husband and I have taken a cruise, we have been to Europe and Hawaii a number of times. Dave is in a position at work where he is able to take time to be with me. I did not have a job crucial to our financial well-being because I certainly could not be working. To be honest, I have the time and leisure to manage this particular journey of my life.
I do have my list on the refrigerator of my future desires, do not get we wrong. But I am not sitting here feeling sorry for myself that I am missing out on all of life's pleasures. Even if I wasn't sick, currently I would be enjoying my house and garden and time with my husband. Yes, we'd be going out to dinner which I still have not been able to do.
Achieving more comfort during my day so that I can enjoy my ordinary life is truly a gift. Again, I thank you all for your booster prayers--they worked yet again.
// posted by Janet @ 11:01 AM
4 comments
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Police Beat (Car Story Grande Finale)
Sometime during the month of November, we received a phone call from Mr. Wooly, the owner of the upscale used car dealership where Dave had purchased our mint green Jag with beige leather interior. I did not keep track of exact dates because to be honest, I was not taking anything to do with our automobiles seriously. I have left such matters up to Dave as long as he assures me we could pay with cash and still pay for Kaley's college.
"Hi, Janet. This is Mr. Wooly. Have you received anything from the DOL about the Jaguar?"
"Well, yes. We have the title. What is the problem?" I inquired with more than a little curiosity.
Mr. Wooly proceeded to explain to me with great nervousness that we may be receiving a letter indicating a problem with the title. We were to let him know when we received the letter and to inform him of the contents. Mr. Wooly told me not to worry because he had his attorney looking at the matter. He continued to explain that the Jaguar had belonged to a woman in Palm Desert, CA who was going through a messy divorce. The husband did not take kindly to the fact that she sold the green Jaguar because he wanted it. Frankly, I kind of laughed it off and thought it was interesting that our new car came from Palm Desert where we had recently spent a wonderful long weekend. We had paid for the vehicle, bought it in good faith and we had received legal Washington title. As an attorney, I know a lot about car accidents and personal injury but when it comes to contracts and sales---well, that was my worst subject and grade in law school. I wasn't worried.
I checked our mail carefully each day and NEVER did we receive a letter indicating any problem with the Jaguar. Evidently, this attractive middle aged couple in California had not been married long, I found out later. Also, it appeared as though the wife was the one with the money and perhaps the husband had married her for that reason. The Jag was not the only vehicle she sold. They also had an expensive Porsche and a hybrid and the husband was trying desperately to get them all back.
We bought the Jag in May and received clear title in June. The CA husband knew his wife had sold the vehicle and he knew it had been sold to Mr. Wooly. He also knew the car had been sold in good faith to us. He tried to get our name from the state and they declined but somehow he managed to eventually find us. Now understand, we had no information other than our title and a phone call from the dealer warning of a possible issue. We were innocent buyers but yet the husband decided to report the mint green Jaguar as stolen---knowing it had been sold in good faith.
The CA husband contacted the Mukilteo Police as did the attorney for Mr. Wooly. A Mukilteo Police detective called Dave and informed him the car had been reported as stolen. He believed the matter was a civil matter and that the husband should go after the wife for the value of the car since it had been sold. The detective advised us not to drive the car. He said the Mukilteo Police would not stop us around Mukilteo but if Dave was driving into Seattle, he could be stopped and handcuffed and hauled off to jail for possession of a stolen vehicle.
There we were with our new car that we could not drive. Readers of the blog know that during this time, our house was being remodeled. Embarrassing to me was that I had to explain to the contractors that they would have to work around the Jaguar in the garage because it was reported stolen and we could not drive it. I tried to explain and luckily, my dear contractor understood because of key words, "divorce, California, nutty couple."
What happened next was unforgivable! Well, almost unforgivable. Now that I am sick and am working on holding no grudges, I have forgiven the California husband. I think the situation is pathetic and sad. One evening, on January 7th, 2008, the night before my 55th birthday, we had finished a nice dinner with our lovely daughter who was on winter break. I noticed a bunch of lights outside our window. Half in jest I remarked, "Ah, Dave, ah....I think some nice people are here to take away the Jaguar. I see a tow truck!"
"What the *&^%?" The door bell rang and two Mukilteo police officers were at our door. Out in our front yard stood a very large and scary repo man who belonged to the tow truck. The police asked if we had a green Jaguar and we said yes. I then went and grabbed our title. Dave told them they were not taking the vehicle because we had purchased it in good faith and had Washington title. Dave also explained he had talked to their boss, the Mukilteo detective who had told us this was a civil matter and they wouldn't get involved other than to inform California they had located the vehicle and it was not stolen. The night shift Mukilteo Police did not seem to know this information and immediately changed their tune to being protective of law abiding Mukilteo citizens---us. The officers went into the yard and spent quite some time trying to calm the large repo man. I offered them our son's 1987 Jeep as a replacement. Nobody thought my offer was particularly funny except for me.
The next day was my birthday. Lucas was flying in from France and we had a celebratory dinner planned at Canlis for the four of us, Seattle's fanciest restaurant. Needless to say, our plan was to arrive in high style in our mint green Jaguar. They have a really cool valet system. Ah, but it was not to be so we drove up in our Honda Pilot instead. Oh well. The dinner was fabulous anyway and we had plenty to talk about explaining repo man to Lucas. Lucas, of course, listened with great enjoyment to the sticky mess his ridiculous parents somehow managed to get mixed up in.
Shortly afterwards, we received a personal visit from the Mukilteo detective who reiterated they were on our side. The detective checked out the Jaguar's VIN and informed me he had given California the whereabouts of the car. Again, he told us to keep the car in the garage and not drive it. He did not know what was up with this California man who was causing us this trouble but thought the repo man would be keeping a watch on our house. I was outraged. What if my daughter had been home alone that night? What if they had broken into our garage with her here? She would have been terrified.
A week later, the whole incident appeared in our Mukilteo Beacon Police Beat front and center. Though no names were used, our address was prominent and every one we knew knew this was about us:
January 16, 2008 Mukilteo Beacon Police Beat
A driver advised that he was with a recovery service and was at the location to impound a stolen green Jaguar that might be at the location and wanted officers to assist in the impound. The officers spoke with the reporting party who said the Jaguar was not in the driveway and wanted assistance getting into the garage to look for the Jaguar. The officers spoke with the homeowner, who told the officers that the car was in the garage and he would not release the vehicle. He further said that he bought the vehicle over six months ago from a dealership and showed the officers he was in possession of the title with his name on it (again title issued 6/22/07 and the theft was reported on 1/03/08). The reporting party wanted the homeowner charged with possession of stolen property but the officer explained to the party that the homeowner appeared to be the owner of the vehicle and (even if the car turned out to be stolen) could not possibly knowingly possess stolen property he thought was his. Homeowner advised that the dealership's attorneys were in the process of charging the person that filed the stolen report with false reporting [the California husband]. The reporting party [big scary repo man with large mustache] left the location without the vehicle but said if he found the vehicle in the driveway that HE WOULD TAKE IT. [emphasis mine]
Not long after this, the California husband contacted me by phone. He explained he had googled us and discovered Dave was a reknowned scientist. He stated he was a scientist and doctor as well. Then he proceeded to try and charm me out of the car. He tried to apologize for the repo incident. I was not very receptive. However, I was beginning to understand how this woman had perhaps ended up being married to him. He gave me the sob story of the messy marriage and divorce. I let him talk. He tried to bad mouth Mr. Wooly and the dealership. Frankly, Mr Wooly and his attorney have been nothing but wonderful and accommodating to us. They allowed Dave to drive another vehicle off of their lot until all of this was resolved. Of course, their reputation was a stake if we decided to go to the press or make a big stink so they needed to take good care of us and they have.
California husband gave me the creeps so I decided to google him in return and discovered we were a side issue to a major soap opera which continues to this day. Evidently, he had drug issues and had his plastic surgeon license to practice medicine revoked. I gather he does not have much money of his own and was desperately trying to get back property his wife had disposed of. Furthermore, he has brought bigamy charges against the wife because he discovered she failed to obtain a divorce before quickly marrying him. Her defense is that the divorce was obtained in Mexico and she thought it was valid. This whole trial is still pending. Ok, so we did NOT want to be even a little bit involved in this crazy crazy California mess. This was just too much for this Mukilteo couple who just wanted to have a nice used car to enjoy in our aging lives.
Mr. Wooly and his attorney tried to convince us to be patient. We were named (not as a party) in the lawsuit they had filed against CA hubby because our civil rights had been severely violated by the scary repo man----and it was done under false pretenses. CA hubby kept contacting me explaining he was entitled to our car and he would get it back. We wanted out of this thing and to not be entangled in a messy situation. I contacted the Washington State Licensing and asked them how we could give the car back. They were very helpful and knew all about the circumstances. They never stated they had sent us a letter.
Mr. Wooly understood and allowed us to return the pretty mint green Jaguar. We exchanged it for a smaller Lapis blue Jag with fewer miles. The car is cute though not as pretty as the green one. But, the mileage is better and it has heated seats and a sun roof. We are very happy with it. This all happened in March and so far so good. Hopefully, this car isn't a part of another messy California divorce! We also found out that the lawsuit filed by Mr. Wooly's attorney determined that CA hubby's remedy was to go after his wife for the value of the car especially since it had been sold. The stolen tag was ordered to be removed. Who knows if appeals are taking place. I suspect so. We informed the California husband to no longer contact us. He has complied with our request.
And that's the story of how Dave almost got arrested and how we made the Police Beat through no fault of our own. This does make me wonder how many upscale used cars for sale are the result of messy divorces all over the country---or maybe just in California!
Sometime during the month of November, we received a phone call from Mr. Wooly, the owner of the upscale used car dealership where Dave had purchased our mint green Jag with beige leather interior. I did not keep track of exact dates because to be honest, I was not taking anything to do with our automobiles seriously. I have left such matters up to Dave as long as he assures me we could pay with cash and still pay for Kaley's college.
"Hi, Janet. This is Mr. Wooly. Have you received anything from the DOL about the Jaguar?"
"Well, yes. We have the title. What is the problem?" I inquired with more than a little curiosity.
Mr. Wooly proceeded to explain to me with great nervousness that we may be receiving a letter indicating a problem with the title. We were to let him know when we received the letter and to inform him of the contents. Mr. Wooly told me not to worry because he had his attorney looking at the matter. He continued to explain that the Jaguar had belonged to a woman in Palm Desert, CA who was going through a messy divorce. The husband did not take kindly to the fact that she sold the green Jaguar because he wanted it. Frankly, I kind of laughed it off and thought it was interesting that our new car came from Palm Desert where we had recently spent a wonderful long weekend. We had paid for the vehicle, bought it in good faith and we had received legal Washington title. As an attorney, I know a lot about car accidents and personal injury but when it comes to contracts and sales---well, that was my worst subject and grade in law school. I wasn't worried.
I checked our mail carefully each day and NEVER did we receive a letter indicating any problem with the Jaguar. Evidently, this attractive middle aged couple in California had not been married long, I found out later. Also, it appeared as though the wife was the one with the money and perhaps the husband had married her for that reason. The Jag was not the only vehicle she sold. They also had an expensive Porsche and a hybrid and the husband was trying desperately to get them all back.
We bought the Jag in May and received clear title in June. The CA husband knew his wife had sold the vehicle and he knew it had been sold to Mr. Wooly. He also knew the car had been sold in good faith to us. He tried to get our name from the state and they declined but somehow he managed to eventually find us. Now understand, we had no information other than our title and a phone call from the dealer warning of a possible issue. We were innocent buyers but yet the husband decided to report the mint green Jaguar as stolen---knowing it had been sold in good faith.
The CA husband contacted the Mukilteo Police as did the attorney for Mr. Wooly. A Mukilteo Police detective called Dave and informed him the car had been reported as stolen. He believed the matter was a civil matter and that the husband should go after the wife for the value of the car since it had been sold. The detective advised us not to drive the car. He said the Mukilteo Police would not stop us around Mukilteo but if Dave was driving into Seattle, he could be stopped and handcuffed and hauled off to jail for possession of a stolen vehicle.
There we were with our new car that we could not drive. Readers of the blog know that during this time, our house was being remodeled. Embarrassing to me was that I had to explain to the contractors that they would have to work around the Jaguar in the garage because it was reported stolen and we could not drive it. I tried to explain and luckily, my dear contractor understood because of key words, "divorce, California, nutty couple."
What happened next was unforgivable! Well, almost unforgivable. Now that I am sick and am working on holding no grudges, I have forgiven the California husband. I think the situation is pathetic and sad. One evening, on January 7th, 2008, the night before my 55th birthday, we had finished a nice dinner with our lovely daughter who was on winter break. I noticed a bunch of lights outside our window. Half in jest I remarked, "Ah, Dave, ah....I think some nice people are here to take away the Jaguar. I see a tow truck!"
"What the *&^%?" The door bell rang and two Mukilteo police officers were at our door. Out in our front yard stood a very large and scary repo man who belonged to the tow truck. The police asked if we had a green Jaguar and we said yes. I then went and grabbed our title. Dave told them they were not taking the vehicle because we had purchased it in good faith and had Washington title. Dave also explained he had talked to their boss, the Mukilteo detective who had told us this was a civil matter and they wouldn't get involved other than to inform California they had located the vehicle and it was not stolen. The night shift Mukilteo Police did not seem to know this information and immediately changed their tune to being protective of law abiding Mukilteo citizens---us. The officers went into the yard and spent quite some time trying to calm the large repo man. I offered them our son's 1987 Jeep as a replacement. Nobody thought my offer was particularly funny except for me.
The next day was my birthday. Lucas was flying in from France and we had a celebratory dinner planned at Canlis for the four of us, Seattle's fanciest restaurant. Needless to say, our plan was to arrive in high style in our mint green Jaguar. They have a really cool valet system. Ah, but it was not to be so we drove up in our Honda Pilot instead. Oh well. The dinner was fabulous anyway and we had plenty to talk about explaining repo man to Lucas. Lucas, of course, listened with great enjoyment to the sticky mess his ridiculous parents somehow managed to get mixed up in.
Shortly afterwards, we received a personal visit from the Mukilteo detective who reiterated they were on our side. The detective checked out the Jaguar's VIN and informed me he had given California the whereabouts of the car. Again, he told us to keep the car in the garage and not drive it. He did not know what was up with this California man who was causing us this trouble but thought the repo man would be keeping a watch on our house. I was outraged. What if my daughter had been home alone that night? What if they had broken into our garage with her here? She would have been terrified.
A week later, the whole incident appeared in our Mukilteo Beacon Police Beat front and center. Though no names were used, our address was prominent and every one we knew knew this was about us:
January 16, 2008 Mukilteo Beacon Police Beat
A driver advised that he was with a recovery service and was at the location to impound a stolen green Jaguar that might be at the location and wanted officers to assist in the impound. The officers spoke with the reporting party who said the Jaguar was not in the driveway and wanted assistance getting into the garage to look for the Jaguar. The officers spoke with the homeowner, who told the officers that the car was in the garage and he would not release the vehicle. He further said that he bought the vehicle over six months ago from a dealership and showed the officers he was in possession of the title with his name on it (again title issued 6/22/07 and the theft was reported on 1/03/08). The reporting party wanted the homeowner charged with possession of stolen property but the officer explained to the party that the homeowner appeared to be the owner of the vehicle and (even if the car turned out to be stolen) could not possibly knowingly possess stolen property he thought was his. Homeowner advised that the dealership's attorneys were in the process of charging the person that filed the stolen report with false reporting [the California husband]. The reporting party [big scary repo man with large mustache] left the location without the vehicle but said if he found the vehicle in the driveway that HE WOULD TAKE IT. [emphasis mine]
Not long after this, the California husband contacted me by phone. He explained he had googled us and discovered Dave was a reknowned scientist. He stated he was a scientist and doctor as well. Then he proceeded to try and charm me out of the car. He tried to apologize for the repo incident. I was not very receptive. However, I was beginning to understand how this woman had perhaps ended up being married to him. He gave me the sob story of the messy marriage and divorce. I let him talk. He tried to bad mouth Mr. Wooly and the dealership. Frankly, Mr Wooly and his attorney have been nothing but wonderful and accommodating to us. They allowed Dave to drive another vehicle off of their lot until all of this was resolved. Of course, their reputation was a stake if we decided to go to the press or make a big stink so they needed to take good care of us and they have.
California husband gave me the creeps so I decided to google him in return and discovered we were a side issue to a major soap opera which continues to this day. Evidently, he had drug issues and had his plastic surgeon license to practice medicine revoked. I gather he does not have much money of his own and was desperately trying to get back property his wife had disposed of. Furthermore, he has brought bigamy charges against the wife because he discovered she failed to obtain a divorce before quickly marrying him. Her defense is that the divorce was obtained in Mexico and she thought it was valid. This whole trial is still pending. Ok, so we did NOT want to be even a little bit involved in this crazy crazy California mess. This was just too much for this Mukilteo couple who just wanted to have a nice used car to enjoy in our aging lives.
Mr. Wooly and his attorney tried to convince us to be patient. We were named (not as a party) in the lawsuit they had filed against CA hubby because our civil rights had been severely violated by the scary repo man----and it was done under false pretenses. CA hubby kept contacting me explaining he was entitled to our car and he would get it back. We wanted out of this thing and to not be entangled in a messy situation. I contacted the Washington State Licensing and asked them how we could give the car back. They were very helpful and knew all about the circumstances. They never stated they had sent us a letter.
Mr. Wooly understood and allowed us to return the pretty mint green Jaguar. We exchanged it for a smaller Lapis blue Jag with fewer miles. The car is cute though not as pretty as the green one. But, the mileage is better and it has heated seats and a sun roof. We are very happy with it. This all happened in March and so far so good. Hopefully, this car isn't a part of another messy California divorce! We also found out that the lawsuit filed by Mr. Wooly's attorney determined that CA hubby's remedy was to go after his wife for the value of the car especially since it had been sold. The stolen tag was ordered to be removed. Who knows if appeals are taking place. I suspect so. We informed the California husband to no longer contact us. He has complied with our request.
And that's the story of how Dave almost got arrested and how we made the Police Beat through no fault of our own. This does make me wonder how many upscale used cars for sale are the result of messy divorces all over the country---or maybe just in California!
// posted by Janet @ 11:04 AM
3 comments
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
How Did This Law Abiding Family End Up in the Mukilteo Beacon Police Beat??
Part 4
When Kaley returned home from college and saw and drove the new (used) dark blue Acura, she was smitten. This was her car and she would no longer share with risky Dad. Besides, we were letting her take the car to college her sophomore year again leaving Dave without. The big old suburban was stored with our boat. Lucas had the Jeep. Kaley had the Acura. And our new Honda Pilot was mine---all mine and Apolo's. What was Dave to do? He no longer had a Porsche.
He had discovered the internet was great for used car shopping. Both Acuras turned out to be good cars and good deals. Online he went and saw a cute used Mercedes at an upscale used car dealership I'll call Wooly's (not the real name). I had no idea what a Mercedes was until I was in college. There are very few of them in Montana and there were hardly any 35 years ago but our dorm mother at MSU drove a boxy black one. She used to be rich and owned a large ranch in the Paradise Valley, but she was swindled out of her money after her husband died. As such, she had to resort to being a dorm mother for income but she managed to keep the car, the ranch, and a nasty attitude. Man, there is a whole other blog post about that situation but on with the cars. When I was in law school in Kansas City in 1976, there was this brand new small white Mercedes 450SL parked everyday by the school. I had never seen anything like it in my whole entire life and I thought it was beautiful---and there was that brand again, Mercedes. I have joked my whole life since about wanting a car like that.
Anyway, Dave decided to take Kaley to look at cars with him at Wooly's figuring she could help irresponsible Dad with a good choice. When they got to the dealership, the Mercedes was disappointing after a test drive. But on another part of the car lot, there she was: a beautiful mint green Jaguar in gorgeous condition inside and out. Kaley approved. Dave inquired and managed to make a pleasing deal. Home they drove and as they arrived, I just shook my head.
I liked the car. I liked driving it. It seemed much more grown up than the Porsche--a good car for a couple of aging hippies married over thirty years and entering the twilight of our lives. Our anniversary was in June and we drove the beautiful mint green Jaguar to Roche Harbour Resort in the San Juan Islands. We took it to dinner in downtown Seattle and let the valet kids enjoy it as well. We drove the Jag through the summer and into the fall. We even were able to do some romantic Holiday shopping and dining. How good could life be? Now that we were empty nesters, we were recapturing the time of our lives--the twelve years of marriage before we had children and the time we had had childless fun with our Porsche. The State of Washington kindly sent us the title stating that we were the right and truthful owners of the vehicle. We were in love with our new and beautiful used car.
What is it with this family? And what could happen next?
Stay tuned for part 5.
Part 4
When Kaley returned home from college and saw and drove the new (used) dark blue Acura, she was smitten. This was her car and she would no longer share with risky Dad. Besides, we were letting her take the car to college her sophomore year again leaving Dave without. The big old suburban was stored with our boat. Lucas had the Jeep. Kaley had the Acura. And our new Honda Pilot was mine---all mine and Apolo's. What was Dave to do? He no longer had a Porsche.
He had discovered the internet was great for used car shopping. Both Acuras turned out to be good cars and good deals. Online he went and saw a cute used Mercedes at an upscale used car dealership I'll call Wooly's (not the real name). I had no idea what a Mercedes was until I was in college. There are very few of them in Montana and there were hardly any 35 years ago but our dorm mother at MSU drove a boxy black one. She used to be rich and owned a large ranch in the Paradise Valley, but she was swindled out of her money after her husband died. As such, she had to resort to being a dorm mother for income but she managed to keep the car, the ranch, and a nasty attitude. Man, there is a whole other blog post about that situation but on with the cars. When I was in law school in Kansas City in 1976, there was this brand new small white Mercedes 450SL parked everyday by the school. I had never seen anything like it in my whole entire life and I thought it was beautiful---and there was that brand again, Mercedes. I have joked my whole life since about wanting a car like that.
Anyway, Dave decided to take Kaley to look at cars with him at Wooly's figuring she could help irresponsible Dad with a good choice. When they got to the dealership, the Mercedes was disappointing after a test drive. But on another part of the car lot, there she was: a beautiful mint green Jaguar in gorgeous condition inside and out. Kaley approved. Dave inquired and managed to make a pleasing deal. Home they drove and as they arrived, I just shook my head.
I liked the car. I liked driving it. It seemed much more grown up than the Porsche--a good car for a couple of aging hippies married over thirty years and entering the twilight of our lives. Our anniversary was in June and we drove the beautiful mint green Jaguar to Roche Harbour Resort in the San Juan Islands. We took it to dinner in downtown Seattle and let the valet kids enjoy it as well. We drove the Jag through the summer and into the fall. We even were able to do some romantic Holiday shopping and dining. How good could life be? Now that we were empty nesters, we were recapturing the time of our lives--the twelve years of marriage before we had children and the time we had had childless fun with our Porsche. The State of Washington kindly sent us the title stating that we were the right and truthful owners of the vehicle. We were in love with our new and beautiful used car.
What is it with this family? And what could happen next?
Stay tuned for part 5.
// posted by Janet @ 3:32 PM
2 comments
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Life's Pictures
Dave took the first two pictures about a week ago. We have had some lovely sunsets. This morning Dave and Lucas went fishing for silvers (salmon) but they did not catch anything. I guess they had a good time watching sea lions and some porpoises, though.
I try to enjoy my dinners. I try.
Glorious sky.
Power washer Dave!
Update on the days activities: I just returned from taking Apolo on his walk and something happened which has never happened to me before. Apolo pooped on a snake. I noticed it right when "kerplop!" Now the thing you have to understand about Apolo's excrement is that it is always somewhat goopy. I watched the snake slither away completely covered! The poor snake. This is equivalent to a dinosaur deciding to take a dump on us.
Dave took the first two pictures about a week ago. We have had some lovely sunsets. This morning Dave and Lucas went fishing for silvers (salmon) but they did not catch anything. I guess they had a good time watching sea lions and some porpoises, though.
I try to enjoy my dinners. I try.
Glorious sky.
Power washer Dave!
Update on the days activities: I just returned from taking Apolo on his walk and something happened which has never happened to me before. Apolo pooped on a snake. I noticed it right when "kerplop!" Now the thing you have to understand about Apolo's excrement is that it is always somewhat goopy. I watched the snake slither away completely covered! The poor snake. This is equivalent to a dinosaur deciding to take a dump on us.
// posted by Janet @ 1:49 PM
3 comments
Saturday, September 13, 2008
An Update and Departure from Automobiles
I will post the finale of this family's car issues in the next few days. It is amazing how much an inanimate object such as a car becomes such a huge part of our lives. I remember my Dad used to call our Ford Falcon station wagon, "Betsy" back in the 60's. We have not given our vehicles human names but the way they control many aspects of our day to day existence, we should. But at the moment, I think I will vent a little. Cancer is hard so I am asking a booster dose of all of your thoughts and prayers. I get chemo every two weeks on Mondays. Monday is again the day after tomorrow when I go in and start the process over again.
At the beginning, they told me the first week after chemo I would recover giving me the second week to have a fairly normal life. This hasn't been the case. Pretty much everyday I spend enduring and tolerating and overcoming the effects. In the afternoons, I perk up enough to get some things done around the house and to walk the dog. At times, even these activities take a great effort. Often, I make my bed in the mornings just to keep me from the temptation of crawling under the covers. Other mornings, I am curled up in bed after breakfast, before my shower and after my shower. I try never to retreat to my bed in the afternoons.
Food is still a struggle but I have not resorted to marijuana. Obtaining marijuana and using it seems complicated. I do not want to risk any of my friends getting into trouble. I wouldn't want to smoke it which means we'd need a vaporizer from someplace. My weight is steady and that seems to be the most important issue medically. Eating for me is a necessity like the chemo. I do it because I have to and nothing really tastes wonderful to me---except sometimes French toast with maple syrup. My snack of choice is the pretzel. When I was pregnant, it was Wheat Thins. Pretzels help with the late afternoon nauseousness.
A few days ago I was wondering again if I could get through all of this to the other side. I have been through six chemos and probably I have at least six left. It just seems so daunting and I have had some tears about all of it. But my Mom says that compared to her first visits, I am tremendously better. She is right. I am driving again and walking Apolo alone my 1.7m route. I am doing wash, emptying the dishwasher, and vacuuming up dog hair (and my hair). In July, I was not able to do any of these things. I remember trying to walk around the back yard in those days and that was all I could manage.
It is just that now that I have had a sample of my previous life, I want it all back. Desperately, I want to not be sick and to feel normal again. I know the chemo is working. I can feel it. But it is hard--so so hard.
I believe in the power of prayer and I have felt it. You who know me and even those who do not have lifted me up. So I am just asking for a little booster here mid way through all of this. In all that I read, there is constant reference to God's Peace which transcends all human understanding. This is what we all strive for--not just Janet, cancer patient, but all of us.
I thank you all and wish you all God's Peace.
I will post the finale of this family's car issues in the next few days. It is amazing how much an inanimate object such as a car becomes such a huge part of our lives. I remember my Dad used to call our Ford Falcon station wagon, "Betsy" back in the 60's. We have not given our vehicles human names but the way they control many aspects of our day to day existence, we should. But at the moment, I think I will vent a little. Cancer is hard so I am asking a booster dose of all of your thoughts and prayers. I get chemo every two weeks on Mondays. Monday is again the day after tomorrow when I go in and start the process over again.
At the beginning, they told me the first week after chemo I would recover giving me the second week to have a fairly normal life. This hasn't been the case. Pretty much everyday I spend enduring and tolerating and overcoming the effects. In the afternoons, I perk up enough to get some things done around the house and to walk the dog. At times, even these activities take a great effort. Often, I make my bed in the mornings just to keep me from the temptation of crawling under the covers. Other mornings, I am curled up in bed after breakfast, before my shower and after my shower. I try never to retreat to my bed in the afternoons.
Food is still a struggle but I have not resorted to marijuana. Obtaining marijuana and using it seems complicated. I do not want to risk any of my friends getting into trouble. I wouldn't want to smoke it which means we'd need a vaporizer from someplace. My weight is steady and that seems to be the most important issue medically. Eating for me is a necessity like the chemo. I do it because I have to and nothing really tastes wonderful to me---except sometimes French toast with maple syrup. My snack of choice is the pretzel. When I was pregnant, it was Wheat Thins. Pretzels help with the late afternoon nauseousness.
A few days ago I was wondering again if I could get through all of this to the other side. I have been through six chemos and probably I have at least six left. It just seems so daunting and I have had some tears about all of it. But my Mom says that compared to her first visits, I am tremendously better. She is right. I am driving again and walking Apolo alone my 1.7m route. I am doing wash, emptying the dishwasher, and vacuuming up dog hair (and my hair). In July, I was not able to do any of these things. I remember trying to walk around the back yard in those days and that was all I could manage.
It is just that now that I have had a sample of my previous life, I want it all back. Desperately, I want to not be sick and to feel normal again. I know the chemo is working. I can feel it. But it is hard--so so hard.
I believe in the power of prayer and I have felt it. You who know me and even those who do not have lifted me up. So I am just asking for a little booster here mid way through all of this. In all that I read, there is constant reference to God's Peace which transcends all human understanding. This is what we all strive for--not just Janet, cancer patient, but all of us.
I thank you all and wish you all God's Peace.
// posted by Janet @ 11:25 AM
5 comments
Friday, September 12, 2008
Car Drama, Driver Sharing Part 3
The Porsche was gone. Lucas was falling in love with a Jeep he cannot hurt. We had driver child number two coming down the pike. Ok, I won't get into the fact that our Einstein-like IQ daughter blessed us with an additional year because of difficulties passing driving tests. Never mind that we paid for an expensive driver training course.
We had inherited a 1986 Chevy Suburban when Dave's Dad died but Kaley was not going to drive the huge beast. She did not want to be seen in my mini-van and Lucas was not sharing the Jeep. Dave thought something to replace the Porsche that he and Kaley could share would be a fantastic idea. He managed to find a used white Acura with a spoiler---perfect. Kaley had an easy time learning to drive it and it was great for trips to the bus stop and occasional trips into the UW. For a gift, I gave him a license plate holder that stated, "I traded my Porsche for this!"
About the first thing that happened to the Acura was my fault. As we were in the midst of moving to our new house, I backed the van into it in the driveway. Now with a dent, it was no longer pretty. Since Kaley was going to be driving the vehicle into the Kamiak high school parking lot, repairing the scrape was futile. And sure enough, several more dings appeared as Kaley tried to explain the Kamiak code: "If you didn't see it happen, either did I!" Amazing how kids can work things out on their own.
The sharing of the Acura was working out quite well until additional events took place. One evening in the U-district, Dave lost the one set of keys to the Acura. I went to pick him up and help look for the keys. As I looked, a couple of homeless men graciously volunteered to help but the keys were no where to be found. Nowadays, key replacement is mucho expensive. After a tow to a dealer and $250 later, our lives continued. A few weeks later, Dave drove the Acura to the UW again because he needed to be at an important meeting in a different building than his office. He thought he had a universal parking pass but they do not work for the few private spots that exist at UW properties. I received a phone call. The Acura was gone. It had been towed but we could get it back for $350.
And finally, a few months later, Dave had to be at another important meeting in Olympia. He drove to the UW and parked the Acura legally in a UW parking lot and rode to Olympia with his colleague. The new keys may have been left in the door or dropped on the ground as Dave scurried to retrieve important papers from the passenger side. At any rate, that evening upon returning from Olympia, the Acura was no longer in its parking place and Dave did not seem to have the keys. This time, it had not been towed but stolen.
We waited for the police to find it. We worked with our insurance company. Dave continued to look for the car when he would go to work. Enough time passed that our insurance company provided us a fair settlement for the value of the vehicle. At this point, Kaley was transporting herself to all of her many activities and music lessons so the car needed to be replaced. Yet again, Dave found a great deal on another used Acura. This time, it did not have a spoiler but it was a lovely dark blue and in better shape than the white one. The insurance money covered it.
But, Kaley was no longer willing to share. She announced that the blue Acura was hers and hers alone. "DAD! First, you lose the keys, then you park the car where it shouldn't be parked and it gets towed, then DAD, you lost the whole ENTIRE CAR. I do not think you are responsible enough to be able to drive my.... MY Acura.
Yep, Kaley had a made a good argument.
Stay tuned for Part 4.
The Porsche was gone. Lucas was falling in love with a Jeep he cannot hurt. We had driver child number two coming down the pike. Ok, I won't get into the fact that our Einstein-like IQ daughter blessed us with an additional year because of difficulties passing driving tests. Never mind that we paid for an expensive driver training course.
We had inherited a 1986 Chevy Suburban when Dave's Dad died but Kaley was not going to drive the huge beast. She did not want to be seen in my mini-van and Lucas was not sharing the Jeep. Dave thought something to replace the Porsche that he and Kaley could share would be a fantastic idea. He managed to find a used white Acura with a spoiler---perfect. Kaley had an easy time learning to drive it and it was great for trips to the bus stop and occasional trips into the UW. For a gift, I gave him a license plate holder that stated, "I traded my Porsche for this!"
About the first thing that happened to the Acura was my fault. As we were in the midst of moving to our new house, I backed the van into it in the driveway. Now with a dent, it was no longer pretty. Since Kaley was going to be driving the vehicle into the Kamiak high school parking lot, repairing the scrape was futile. And sure enough, several more dings appeared as Kaley tried to explain the Kamiak code: "If you didn't see it happen, either did I!" Amazing how kids can work things out on their own.
The sharing of the Acura was working out quite well until additional events took place. One evening in the U-district, Dave lost the one set of keys to the Acura. I went to pick him up and help look for the keys. As I looked, a couple of homeless men graciously volunteered to help but the keys were no where to be found. Nowadays, key replacement is mucho expensive. After a tow to a dealer and $250 later, our lives continued. A few weeks later, Dave drove the Acura to the UW again because he needed to be at an important meeting in a different building than his office. He thought he had a universal parking pass but they do not work for the few private spots that exist at UW properties. I received a phone call. The Acura was gone. It had been towed but we could get it back for $350.
And finally, a few months later, Dave had to be at another important meeting in Olympia. He drove to the UW and parked the Acura legally in a UW parking lot and rode to Olympia with his colleague. The new keys may have been left in the door or dropped on the ground as Dave scurried to retrieve important papers from the passenger side. At any rate, that evening upon returning from Olympia, the Acura was no longer in its parking place and Dave did not seem to have the keys. This time, it had not been towed but stolen.
We waited for the police to find it. We worked with our insurance company. Dave continued to look for the car when he would go to work. Enough time passed that our insurance company provided us a fair settlement for the value of the vehicle. At this point, Kaley was transporting herself to all of her many activities and music lessons so the car needed to be replaced. Yet again, Dave found a great deal on another used Acura. This time, it did not have a spoiler but it was a lovely dark blue and in better shape than the white one. The insurance money covered it.
But, Kaley was no longer willing to share. She announced that the blue Acura was hers and hers alone. "DAD! First, you lose the keys, then you park the car where it shouldn't be parked and it gets towed, then DAD, you lost the whole ENTIRE CAR. I do not think you are responsible enough to be able to drive my.... MY Acura.
Yep, Kaley had a made a good argument.
Stay tuned for Part 4.
// posted by Janet @ 10:16 AM
2 comments
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Car Drama, Part 2
Fast forward about 15 or 20 years and parents come to the realization that their progeny have to learn to drive. Not only do they need to learn to drive, they seem to need access to an automobile. At the time Lucas was learning to drive, we still had the 1979 Porsche. We also had a 1987 Jeep Cherokee we had purchased new when Lucas was two years old. The Jeep had become unreliable and too small for our family travels so our main vehicle was a Honda Odyssey mini-van. Dave was quite certain that Lucas would jump at the chance to take care of and drive the Porsche. I mean, how hot would it be to drive it into the Kamiak high school parking lot?
Lucas did not like the Porsche's manual transmission. It was a difficult car to drive--hard to shift and hard to turn. It did go fast and Dave had some tickets to prove it. No, Lucas wanted the Jeep. He liked being able to have an outfit he could take to trailheads. He loved getting stuck in the mud and driving through blocked off areas in our neighborhood and up and over curbs. I drove the mini-van, of course, and Dave managed to get to a bus stop in either the Jeep or the Porsche. The problem with the Porsche was it was dying. Every little noise meant $1500 for some obscure repair. Furthermore, it was becoming difficult to find people who could fix it.
Until the last days, the Porsche remained its pretty self. Pure white with good paint--a good polish made it look brand new. Dave loved the car and was heartbroken that Lucas had no interest in loving it as well. Kaley liked it but it was too much for her to learn to drive without an automatic transmission. Besides, the main issue was, it was no longer driveable. Things would happen even on the way to the bus stop.
Six years ago, we had our eye on this new house and though the house is bigger, we would be dropping from a three car garage down to a two car garage. The inevitable day had come. The Porsche had to go. Dave decided to sell it and I was skeptical. It didn't work! How could we in good faith sell a car that would not drive up our street? Dave had some minor repair done so that it would drive a little and it was "For Sale." Dave insisted someone would buy it who would want to play with it and spend time working on it----you know, car people. He said they would understand all of the problems.
A 17 year old kid contacted us and visited us with his father to take a look. The father was going through chemotherapy and he was excited to find an old Porsche for his son's first car. The father seemed to know about Porsches and had had one in his youth. I got the impression that our Porsche was the answer to one of the father's last wishes on earth. Geez! How could we go through with this? Needless to say, we priced it right. I did not want to be in the same room during the discussions though never did Dave tell an untruth. The kid had stars in his eyes and I am certain he was imagining all kinds of girls wanting to ride with him in the white Porsche. The father seemed to be at peace--oh man!? The car passed a test drive and off they went. We had a check in hand and one less vehicle.
Less than one week later, we received a distressing phone call from an extremely disappointed teen ager. The Porsche stopped working somewhere in the middle of a street. After being towed, a car repairman told the kid there was very little hope without a lot of money to get the thing going again. We had not cashed the check thinking this possibility may arise. The check was torn up and Dave had the Porsche towed to a place that takes old cars as donations for charity.
Dave never got over his white Porsche! Now that I am undergoing chemo, I think about that poor Dad and how upset he must have been.
Stay tuned for part 3 of our family car dramas.
Fast forward about 15 or 20 years and parents come to the realization that their progeny have to learn to drive. Not only do they need to learn to drive, they seem to need access to an automobile. At the time Lucas was learning to drive, we still had the 1979 Porsche. We also had a 1987 Jeep Cherokee we had purchased new when Lucas was two years old. The Jeep had become unreliable and too small for our family travels so our main vehicle was a Honda Odyssey mini-van. Dave was quite certain that Lucas would jump at the chance to take care of and drive the Porsche. I mean, how hot would it be to drive it into the Kamiak high school parking lot?
Lucas did not like the Porsche's manual transmission. It was a difficult car to drive--hard to shift and hard to turn. It did go fast and Dave had some tickets to prove it. No, Lucas wanted the Jeep. He liked being able to have an outfit he could take to trailheads. He loved getting stuck in the mud and driving through blocked off areas in our neighborhood and up and over curbs. I drove the mini-van, of course, and Dave managed to get to a bus stop in either the Jeep or the Porsche. The problem with the Porsche was it was dying. Every little noise meant $1500 for some obscure repair. Furthermore, it was becoming difficult to find people who could fix it.
Until the last days, the Porsche remained its pretty self. Pure white with good paint--a good polish made it look brand new. Dave loved the car and was heartbroken that Lucas had no interest in loving it as well. Kaley liked it but it was too much for her to learn to drive without an automatic transmission. Besides, the main issue was, it was no longer driveable. Things would happen even on the way to the bus stop.
Six years ago, we had our eye on this new house and though the house is bigger, we would be dropping from a three car garage down to a two car garage. The inevitable day had come. The Porsche had to go. Dave decided to sell it and I was skeptical. It didn't work! How could we in good faith sell a car that would not drive up our street? Dave had some minor repair done so that it would drive a little and it was "For Sale." Dave insisted someone would buy it who would want to play with it and spend time working on it----you know, car people. He said they would understand all of the problems.
A 17 year old kid contacted us and visited us with his father to take a look. The father was going through chemotherapy and he was excited to find an old Porsche for his son's first car. The father seemed to know about Porsches and had had one in his youth. I got the impression that our Porsche was the answer to one of the father's last wishes on earth. Geez! How could we go through with this? Needless to say, we priced it right. I did not want to be in the same room during the discussions though never did Dave tell an untruth. The kid had stars in his eyes and I am certain he was imagining all kinds of girls wanting to ride with him in the white Porsche. The father seemed to be at peace--oh man!? The car passed a test drive and off they went. We had a check in hand and one less vehicle.
Less than one week later, we received a distressing phone call from an extremely disappointed teen ager. The Porsche stopped working somewhere in the middle of a street. After being towed, a car repairman told the kid there was very little hope without a lot of money to get the thing going again. We had not cashed the check thinking this possibility may arise. The check was torn up and Dave had the Porsche towed to a place that takes old cars as donations for charity.
Dave never got over his white Porsche! Now that I am undergoing chemo, I think about that poor Dad and how upset he must have been.
Stay tuned for part 3 of our family car dramas.
// posted by Janet @ 11:47 AM
1 comments
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
What is it About Automobiles? Part 1
Drama has been created in our lives because of cars. I do not know where it all started. When I was dating Dave and when we were first married, he drove a gold Pontiac Firebird with a tachometer on the hood. In Kansas City, I worked in an inner city all Black elementary school the first year we lived there, and I drove the Firebird everyday. The children loved the car. "Mizz Eaton drives a BAD car!" they would tell me. Eventually, the car became impractical because of expensive repairs and we traded it for a cute new Fiat which was the worst car ever made in the history of the world. We did not have it long, needless to say, before it fell apart. I remember the Fiat dealer in Kansas City had a Bible on his desk and he honestly tried to talk us out of trading in the Firebird for a Fiat. We should have listened to him because Dave counts this as one of the mistakes we made in the early years of our marriage.
I guess Dave has always had a thing for hot cars and it does not have anything to do with mid life. In 1983 and living in Seattle, we drove a Subaru. We did not need more than one car because I took the bus to work in downtown Seattle and Dave also took the bus to UW. But then my father died and I was struck with the molar pregnancy. Suddenly, life seemed more fragile and unpredictable for us as we entered our thirties. Medically, I was not allowed to try to get pregnant again for another year. We both had good jobs and Dave decided he wanted a more exciting vehicle than a Subaru. I mean, everyone else in Seattle drove a Subaru and actually, it still appears to be the car of choice around here even now. He always regretted getting rid of the Firebird and decided to step things up a bit. I do not remember the circumstances but Dave enlisted the help of one of his students and managed to find a 1979 White Porsche 924. If I remember right, he did not ask me my opinion.
We did have fun with the Porsche, I admit! Specifically, I recall "Footloose" blaring from the tape player and Dave handsome in his pink sweater as we sped around the curvy roads bordering the farmer's fields up in Skagit County. We took trips to Vancouver, Canada and other weekend destinations. The back seat was almost non-existent and without seat belts, but we would still cram friends in to go out to dinner in Seattle. I do believe this was the time we moved from hippiedom to yuppiedom. I was not completely comfortable with the transition and would choose to drive our Subaru over the Porsche. However, I looked pretty hot in the Porsche and would get looks when I drove it.
Yep! Dave loved the Porsche but it was not long before we were able to try for a family again. And a baby car seat had no place in the Porsche 924!
Stay tuned!
Drama has been created in our lives because of cars. I do not know where it all started. When I was dating Dave and when we were first married, he drove a gold Pontiac Firebird with a tachometer on the hood. In Kansas City, I worked in an inner city all Black elementary school the first year we lived there, and I drove the Firebird everyday. The children loved the car. "Mizz Eaton drives a BAD car!" they would tell me. Eventually, the car became impractical because of expensive repairs and we traded it for a cute new Fiat which was the worst car ever made in the history of the world. We did not have it long, needless to say, before it fell apart. I remember the Fiat dealer in Kansas City had a Bible on his desk and he honestly tried to talk us out of trading in the Firebird for a Fiat. We should have listened to him because Dave counts this as one of the mistakes we made in the early years of our marriage.
I guess Dave has always had a thing for hot cars and it does not have anything to do with mid life. In 1983 and living in Seattle, we drove a Subaru. We did not need more than one car because I took the bus to work in downtown Seattle and Dave also took the bus to UW. But then my father died and I was struck with the molar pregnancy. Suddenly, life seemed more fragile and unpredictable for us as we entered our thirties. Medically, I was not allowed to try to get pregnant again for another year. We both had good jobs and Dave decided he wanted a more exciting vehicle than a Subaru. I mean, everyone else in Seattle drove a Subaru and actually, it still appears to be the car of choice around here even now. He always regretted getting rid of the Firebird and decided to step things up a bit. I do not remember the circumstances but Dave enlisted the help of one of his students and managed to find a 1979 White Porsche 924. If I remember right, he did not ask me my opinion.
We did have fun with the Porsche, I admit! Specifically, I recall "Footloose" blaring from the tape player and Dave handsome in his pink sweater as we sped around the curvy roads bordering the farmer's fields up in Skagit County. We took trips to Vancouver, Canada and other weekend destinations. The back seat was almost non-existent and without seat belts, but we would still cram friends in to go out to dinner in Seattle. I do believe this was the time we moved from hippiedom to yuppiedom. I was not completely comfortable with the transition and would choose to drive our Subaru over the Porsche. However, I looked pretty hot in the Porsche and would get looks when I drove it.
Yep! Dave loved the Porsche but it was not long before we were able to try for a family again. And a baby car seat had no place in the Porsche 924!
Stay tuned!
// posted by Janet @ 10:52 AM
2 comments
Sunday, September 07, 2008
We Made It!
My Mom had no idea when she flew here from Montana this time that she would be in a parade, go to the beach, eat crab and salmon, and sit in our bath tub to watch the Mukilteo fireworks. Don't fret--we all had our clothes on. It is just that our new bathroom has a pretty good view of the fireworks from Mukilteo Lighthouse Park over and above the trees, of course.
I did make it to the parade yesterday and I saw and hugged many many friends from my town who were genuinely happy to see me out and about. The parade coordinator is a neighbor and good friend and he is always happy to see our church participate. Our entry involved our choir singing in a truck; our Boy Scouts and priest carrying our banner; members handing out tea lights with our church information; children handing out candy and dog bisquits; people walking along with dogs; and our piece de resistance----our unique cars. We had a cherry red VW convertable bug with Golden Retriever, a Cougar, an Alfa Romeo, and our Lapis blue Jaguar with Golden Retriever Apolo (barking)! All of our vehicles carry signs about our activites and our car had the sign about our cancer fund raiser participation like "Race for the Cure." We won a blue ribbon which is pretty good considering the Indian Casino floats were outstanding.
The weather was nice and all of it perked me up for the afternoon. I was tired by evening but still was able to sit on the side of my bath tub to watch the fireworks after dark. Our deck was warm last night so we enjoyed our drinks in the sunshine before cooking some hamburgers.
Mom and me.
Dave and me.
UPDATE: The kindness of people overwhelms me. I want to be able to pay all of the gifts I have received forward. I was a little bored this afternoon so I took myself to the store which is not something I have been able to do much. I found some mums for my front porch at Rite Aid but I really wanted another bouquet for my table. I just love flowers. Needless to say, QFC had nothing that appealed to me in my price range so I came home without. But a kind neighbor just brought me some beautiful flowers that look lovely on my table---just because they were thinking of me. How are such wonderful gifts possible during this struggle? I am so grateful.
My Mom had no idea when she flew here from Montana this time that she would be in a parade, go to the beach, eat crab and salmon, and sit in our bath tub to watch the Mukilteo fireworks. Don't fret--we all had our clothes on. It is just that our new bathroom has a pretty good view of the fireworks from Mukilteo Lighthouse Park over and above the trees, of course.
I did make it to the parade yesterday and I saw and hugged many many friends from my town who were genuinely happy to see me out and about. The parade coordinator is a neighbor and good friend and he is always happy to see our church participate. Our entry involved our choir singing in a truck; our Boy Scouts and priest carrying our banner; members handing out tea lights with our church information; children handing out candy and dog bisquits; people walking along with dogs; and our piece de resistance----our unique cars. We had a cherry red VW convertable bug with Golden Retriever, a Cougar, an Alfa Romeo, and our Lapis blue Jaguar with Golden Retriever Apolo (barking)! All of our vehicles carry signs about our activites and our car had the sign about our cancer fund raiser participation like "Race for the Cure." We won a blue ribbon which is pretty good considering the Indian Casino floats were outstanding.
The weather was nice and all of it perked me up for the afternoon. I was tired by evening but still was able to sit on the side of my bath tub to watch the fireworks after dark. Our deck was warm last night so we enjoyed our drinks in the sunshine before cooking some hamburgers.
Mom and me.
Dave and me.
UPDATE: The kindness of people overwhelms me. I want to be able to pay all of the gifts I have received forward. I was a little bored this afternoon so I took myself to the store which is not something I have been able to do much. I found some mums for my front porch at Rite Aid but I really wanted another bouquet for my table. I just love flowers. Needless to say, QFC had nothing that appealed to me in my price range so I came home without. But a kind neighbor just brought me some beautiful flowers that look lovely on my table---just because they were thinking of me. How are such wonderful gifts possible during this struggle? I am so grateful.
// posted by Janet @ 10:57 AM
2 comments
Friday, September 05, 2008
Forgot the Camera Yesterday!
Friday and Saturdays after my Monday chemo tend to be a little rough. At the moment, I do not feel that great. I have some bowel issues, I feel nauseated, I am tired and a little dizzy. I have been in bed with all of my clothes on watching "The View." When I am like this I have a hard time concentrating so it is difficult to read a book or the paper. YUCK! But I'm telling you, all of this is the chemo and not the cancer. By this afternoon, I will perk up and my plan is to be with my church in the Mukilteo Festival Parade tomorrow morning. It is very important to me to spread the message of God's Love from our church to the community. I thought about carrying a sign that says "Get Your Colonoscopy!" but I think this would be a bit much. My plan is to ride in our car with my Mom, Dave and Apolo.
Anyway, yesterday was quite lovely so my Mom, Dave and I took Apolo to our newly renovated Mukilteo Lighthouse Park. Apolo went swimming and fetching sticks. He did not even care that some of them were waterlogged and sank. He swam to swim! I had not been there for months and the walk along the beach felt wonderful. But, I did forget the camera so I have no pictures of the beautiful day. On the way back, Dave wanted me to drop Apolo and him off so they could walk across Big Gulch on a trail back to our house. I guess my shadow puppy was not at all happy to be without me and kept wanting to turn around to find me. Dave had to struggle with him a bit to keep him going on the trail.
We beat them home but not by much. Apolo got a good rinsing off and was tired the rest of the day as was I. Today he is all fluffy and curly. Lucas and Magali arrived for dinner last night and Dave cooked fresh salmon. It turned out to be a great evening with good company.
I cannot emphasize enough that even when you are going through a serious illness, there are many positive times. Life still has many incredible enjoyable moments.
Friday and Saturdays after my Monday chemo tend to be a little rough. At the moment, I do not feel that great. I have some bowel issues, I feel nauseated, I am tired and a little dizzy. I have been in bed with all of my clothes on watching "The View." When I am like this I have a hard time concentrating so it is difficult to read a book or the paper. YUCK! But I'm telling you, all of this is the chemo and not the cancer. By this afternoon, I will perk up and my plan is to be with my church in the Mukilteo Festival Parade tomorrow morning. It is very important to me to spread the message of God's Love from our church to the community. I thought about carrying a sign that says "Get Your Colonoscopy!" but I think this would be a bit much. My plan is to ride in our car with my Mom, Dave and Apolo.
Anyway, yesterday was quite lovely so my Mom, Dave and I took Apolo to our newly renovated Mukilteo Lighthouse Park. Apolo went swimming and fetching sticks. He did not even care that some of them were waterlogged and sank. He swam to swim! I had not been there for months and the walk along the beach felt wonderful. But, I did forget the camera so I have no pictures of the beautiful day. On the way back, Dave wanted me to drop Apolo and him off so they could walk across Big Gulch on a trail back to our house. I guess my shadow puppy was not at all happy to be without me and kept wanting to turn around to find me. Dave had to struggle with him a bit to keep him going on the trail.
We beat them home but not by much. Apolo got a good rinsing off and was tired the rest of the day as was I. Today he is all fluffy and curly. Lucas and Magali arrived for dinner last night and Dave cooked fresh salmon. It turned out to be a great evening with good company.
I cannot emphasize enough that even when you are going through a serious illness, there are many positive times. Life still has many incredible enjoyable moments.
// posted by Janet @ 11:11 AM
2 comments
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
A Bit of This and That
1. Bird news: A bird hit our window yesterday morning. Luckily. it was simply stunned and sat on our front deck while waiting to fully recover. He was in a spot in full view of Apolo who proceeded to bark at the poor thing. I was worried he would give the bird a heart attack but no, the bird seemed to revive more quickly in order to get away from the giant gold furry monster. What kind of bird you may ask? Well, now that I have my trusty bird book I was able to determine the species. This seems to be appropriate given that the RNC is about to begin. I have not heard of this bird much though according to my book, it is very common here. Yes, it was a BUSHTIT. It is really fun to say. A BUSHTIT!
2. McCain's VP choice: I do not want to be political so I'll just say I had chemo yesterday and this topic was the talk of the infusion floor of SCCA and it was NOT positive. Our wonderful nurse, Pamela, who happens to be a fellow Mukilteo resident, shared some good laughs with us about the whole thing. It is the talk of our city being the gateway to Alaska and that's all I'll say about that.
3. Chemo room news: Since yesterday was a holiday, there were not many of us getting our toxic fixes. I did notice a young African American woman who seemed to be alone. Her youthfulness made me tear up. She still had all of her hair so who knows what type of cancer she has but it is just so unfair. The other patient near me was an Hispanic teen age boy. He was accompanied by his Mom and Dad and several siblings. Again, he was too young to be going through this journey and one look at him all hooked up to chemo bags, was just too much for me. Cancer doesn't care about your age, your ethnicity, or your sex. Why them? Oh God, why them?
4. Why me?: I haven't delved too much into why I have colon cancer. I am the most unlikely person to get it given my healthy lifestyle and being a woman. I am lucky to be married to a person who knows all of the statistics and risks of who gets cancer and why. In fact, he has had a book on this topic floating around in his head for years and my situation may just prompt him to take the sabbatical and write it. Some cancers have clear causes. Mesothelioma lung cancer is caused by asbestos. Other lung cancers are caused by smoking. Breast cancer is linked to estrogen. But most cancers have no rhyme nor reason. Why do some people get hit by lightening or killed by drunk drivers? There are no explanations for some tragedies. What can I say? As a kid out camping, I loved to burn my hot dogs in the fire and then eat them. I also liked my marshmellows black. Couldn't have been good for me! Vitamin D or the lack thereof has recently been linked to colon cancer as well as MS. People living in northern latitudes do not get nearly enough vitamin D. This would include me and I now take a double dosage everyday. The stress of my father's death and the molar pregnancy in combination with a highly stressful job in the early 1980's probably put my health at risk making me vulnerable for a cancer to take root. Who knows? Probably all of the above and we do not know yet whether I have a genetic predisposition. At this point, my thoughts and actions are directed toward recovering from this disease and not dwelling on the "what ifs."
5. Dave's wine: Drink your red wine folks! Take it from this cancer expert, it is full of antioxidants and it is good for you in moderation. Seriously though, Dave's wine group entered some of their wine in the Evergreen State Fair. I was teasing Dave when I saw the winners listed in the Everett Herald and his group was not among them. But I had to eat the newspaper. They did place with a blue ribbon in Best of Show. They were not the top one but they did very well receiving 17.5 points out of a possible 20 for their merlot! We thought our wine was good, now we know it is good!
1. Bird news: A bird hit our window yesterday morning. Luckily. it was simply stunned and sat on our front deck while waiting to fully recover. He was in a spot in full view of Apolo who proceeded to bark at the poor thing. I was worried he would give the bird a heart attack but no, the bird seemed to revive more quickly in order to get away from the giant gold furry monster. What kind of bird you may ask? Well, now that I have my trusty bird book I was able to determine the species. This seems to be appropriate given that the RNC is about to begin. I have not heard of this bird much though according to my book, it is very common here. Yes, it was a BUSHTIT. It is really fun to say. A BUSHTIT!
2. McCain's VP choice: I do not want to be political so I'll just say I had chemo yesterday and this topic was the talk of the infusion floor of SCCA and it was NOT positive. Our wonderful nurse, Pamela, who happens to be a fellow Mukilteo resident, shared some good laughs with us about the whole thing. It is the talk of our city being the gateway to Alaska and that's all I'll say about that.
3. Chemo room news: Since yesterday was a holiday, there were not many of us getting our toxic fixes. I did notice a young African American woman who seemed to be alone. Her youthfulness made me tear up. She still had all of her hair so who knows what type of cancer she has but it is just so unfair. The other patient near me was an Hispanic teen age boy. He was accompanied by his Mom and Dad and several siblings. Again, he was too young to be going through this journey and one look at him all hooked up to chemo bags, was just too much for me. Cancer doesn't care about your age, your ethnicity, or your sex. Why them? Oh God, why them?
4. Why me?: I haven't delved too much into why I have colon cancer. I am the most unlikely person to get it given my healthy lifestyle and being a woman. I am lucky to be married to a person who knows all of the statistics and risks of who gets cancer and why. In fact, he has had a book on this topic floating around in his head for years and my situation may just prompt him to take the sabbatical and write it. Some cancers have clear causes. Mesothelioma lung cancer is caused by asbestos. Other lung cancers are caused by smoking. Breast cancer is linked to estrogen. But most cancers have no rhyme nor reason. Why do some people get hit by lightening or killed by drunk drivers? There are no explanations for some tragedies. What can I say? As a kid out camping, I loved to burn my hot dogs in the fire and then eat them. I also liked my marshmellows black. Couldn't have been good for me! Vitamin D or the lack thereof has recently been linked to colon cancer as well as MS. People living in northern latitudes do not get nearly enough vitamin D. This would include me and I now take a double dosage everyday. The stress of my father's death and the molar pregnancy in combination with a highly stressful job in the early 1980's probably put my health at risk making me vulnerable for a cancer to take root. Who knows? Probably all of the above and we do not know yet whether I have a genetic predisposition. At this point, my thoughts and actions are directed toward recovering from this disease and not dwelling on the "what ifs."
5. Dave's wine: Drink your red wine folks! Take it from this cancer expert, it is full of antioxidants and it is good for you in moderation. Seriously though, Dave's wine group entered some of their wine in the Evergreen State Fair. I was teasing Dave when I saw the winners listed in the Everett Herald and his group was not among them. But I had to eat the newspaper. They did place with a blue ribbon in Best of Show. They were not the top one but they did very well receiving 17.5 points out of a possible 20 for their merlot! We thought our wine was good, now we know it is good!
// posted by Janet @ 10:41 AM
2 comments
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