Thanksgiving is Canceled

Well Thanksgiving is canceled. I just wansn't feeling up to cooking and playing hostess, I've been too cranky. Every treatment it gets a little harder and takes a little longer to bounce back. Since I always do Thanksgiving at my house it is a bit depressing. Mom and Jeff are now eating alone, Misty has the twins and Nana's going to our friend Ginger's to spend the day with her family. They are all looking forward to it. It's better off this way anyway. The twins have been sending a cold back and forth with each other for the last week, Jeff is teaching 2nd grade and a lot of his kids are sick, so at least this way we are keeping the germs out of the house. It's a bit depressing, but I have to think of my health. I like Thanksgiving because it is the one day a year I cook usually and our house is structured very well for entertaining. This was also the last year Jeff and the girls will be here for the Holidays. He ships out for Navy OCS on Jan 22. I already bought everything so I am going to pop the Turkey in the oven and prepare the stuff that won't keep. A 12 pound Turkey for only me and Jerry! Last year I made a 16 pound bird for 18 people. We are going to be eating Turkey for weeks!



The good news is I've raised about $2,000 on Ebay in the last 60 days selling off a good portion of my collection. I figure I've sold about 350-400 doughboys so far. I still have about 200 left, but most will be gone soon. It's a little sad for me because they took so many years and travels to accumulate them all, but I'll keep a few as mementos. The treatments have gotten to the point where I can only work about 10 hours on treatment weeks and about 20 on non-treatment weeks. Since I'm paid by the hour, it is a little rougher for us. Luckily the money raised paid off my Husband's 2001 Elantra, so that's one less car payment. His was the big payment ($300, I was sending $500) and mine is only $150, so That's an extra $500 a month to play with. After I'm off all these meds we'll be able to roll his payment into mine and hopefully I'll have a clear title as a birthday present in April. I've been stockpiling meds before December 31 so I can get the most out of my deduction for this year on my taxes and will be able to save a little on meds next year. I have enough Vicodin set aside to kill an elephant now.

Nothing new going on.

Well there's really nothing new to report. It took a few days longer than usual to recover from my last treatment. Tonight I've just been listing auctions on Ebay. In the past 60 days I've had 200 auctions so it keeps me occupied and keeps Jerry busy going to the Post Office:-) Oh well, our bank account appreciates the infusion since I've only been working only 15-20 hours a week. We're not quite to the stage of only eating Ramen Noodles yet! Although even with insurance my at home medications alone run $200.00 a month. I can't imagine how people without insurance manage at all. Each of my treatments runs $12,000, and I have 12 of them scheduled! That doesn't include labs every other week and all the scans. Even after my insurance company disallows and adjusts the cost per their contracts, the treatments still run about $5,000. If you don't have insurance you get screwed more ways than one. First you have to pay out of your pocket, then you get price gouged on top of it! It's the people that don't have insurance you hear about that hospitals charge $100 for a Tylenol. For the record, after my insurance adjusts the cost of my Tylenol to 10 cents at the Doctors Office!



Oh well, I guess I'll climb down off of my soapbox before I really get going. Healthcare is an issue I have very strong feelings and opinions about and I don't want to still be writing at 5:00 am.





PS. If all goes according to plan we will be having a Superbowl/Chemo's Over party on Feb 6, so keep us in mind for your Superbowl plans, we have 2 guest rooms and Aero Beds:-) GO PATS!

I feel like an airhead

Well the fever is being controlled with Tylenol, but I'm still pretty light headed and dizzy. I'm going to rest for one more day because I don't feel like being behind the wheel of the car just yet. Walking makes me feel like I'm floating on clouds and a little swervy. I think my body has just gotten worn out and each treatment takes a little longer to recover from.

It's fever time.

Well I'm sitting here with a fever and chills. I hate having chills! I just took 2 Tylenol and we're waiting to see if my temp goes down. If it doesn't we're off to the ER. If it does I have to see my Doc tomorrow, who himself is sounding pretty sick. Such is the days of our Chemo lives!!

4 more years!!

Well, Bush took the election. 4 more years. Whoopee!! I can't believe Kerry conceded so quickly. Oh well, he's the better man.



It's chemo time again. Lately I've really been wanting to just go out and have alot of fun. I think it's sensing my own mortality after the bad spell a couple of weeks ago and feeling a little unattractive, frumpy and just wierd. I'm sure it will pass when Chemo is over.



On a positive note, I did win a prize in our companies Costume contest last Friday! Whewwwhoo!



Right now I'm just living every day to the most that I can.