Bedtime

As I was getting ready for bed last night, I remarked to Mr. Indi, who was already tucked in, that it wasn't but a few years ago that I used to go to bed with:

A birth control pill

A can of Bud

A packet of Marlboro

A Man

(Not necessarily in that order)

Now I go to bed with:

Pain killers for my arthritis and sciatica

Elixir for my throat

Nose spray for my sinuses

A pill to help me sleep

A couple of Tums in case I start belching

Gasex in case I start farting

An ice bag for my hot feet

Earplugs in case the neighbors dogs start barking

Eyeglasses so that I can see my book

What happened????

The picture is of the lovely chrysanthemums that S gave me xxxxxx

T.H.I.S - Thank Heavens it's Saturday!

Yesterday was horrible. No - it was worse than horrible. I wish that it had never occured! But - it did. Sigh!

Mr. Indi got really sick in the afternoon. He hadn't been feeling well all day and took a nap after lunch but when he woke up, he was unable to stand up without feeling like he was going to keel over any minute. He was very pale and his skin was cool and clammy even though he said he was sweating. I got him to lie back down on the bed and elevated his feet above his head. He has had these nasty turns before - usually within a week or two of having the Lupron shot. In the past, his blood pressure has dropped and his pulse rate has shot up and I didn't need to get the BP machine out to know that this is what was happening again.

I put my nurse's hat on and went to work. I made some beef broth - with extra salt to get his blood pressure up - and got that down his neck. Then I went looking for Gatorade (a good source of electrolytes.) I found a couple of bottles in the garage fridge with sell-by date of May 30 - hmmmm - well that's not long gone and May 30 is the sell-by date NOT the drink-by date. And, after all, beggars can't be choosers! I took a swig and it wasn't bad so told his Lordship to start drinking it. After the Gatorade was gone - he started on ice water. By dinner time he was stable and felt well enough to come into the living room and lie on the couch. He ate a good sized plate of pasta for dinner and went to bed early.

While taking care of him, I was having my own problems. The spasms and pains in my throat have been getting more frequent and yesterday I was having a really hard time with it all - plus the bleeding has started up again! Grrrr. I hope it's the after affects of radiation and not something worse. I see Dr. K next Wednesday - fingers will be crossed.

While Mr. Indi was laying on the bed, being very ill - our next door neighbor got his leaf blower out and marched it up and down the driveway at full steam! I think his leaf blower has become part of his manhood. He likes it too much! When the leaf blower finally stopped - his dogs started barking! Ahhhhhhhh. No peace for the wicked is there?

Mr. Indi feels much better this morning and I'm doing OK. We might go for a drive later on - or we might not! Today's picture was taken on the rocks at Cardiff-by-the-Sea.

Where's the Pepto?

Mr. Indi was queasy yesterday but he still got up and went to work very early - 3:30 a.m. but he was back at home by noon and wanted to go out for lunch. We decided upon Chilli's - we haven't been there for quite a while.

We were so pleased to see two of our favourite waitresses. They had both been out for a few months on maternity leave but were now back to work and glowing with pride as they showed us photos of their adorable babies; A beautiful girl and a gorgeous boy. Babies are just the most amazing little things.

His Lordship didn't do well with his lunch even though he had ordered the blandest thing he could find on the menu - a green salad and a bowl of chicken soup. He couldn't even drink a glass of cold beer - so I had to drink it for him! The queasy feeling just wouldn't go away. I drove back home and he put his head down and slept for over an hour - but when he got up, the tummy was still bumbly! Sigh. I wish I could help him feel better.

The pic today is another one that I took at Quail Gardens. This flower is on a tree but I don't know what kind of tree. It's lovely though.

I Can't Taste a Thing!

On the second or third day after chemo, Mr. Indi always starts complaining about his taste buds. It seems that everything starts to taste awful and he can't get rid of the nasty fuzzy feeling in his mouth. In fact, he likens his mouth to the inside of a Russian wrestler's jock strap! NOW, I don't know how or when he became familiar with the intimate details of a foreign athlete's nether regions and I'm not going to ask! But - because of this issue - meal planning has become a problem.

Last night I decided to BBQ a lovely piece of top sirloin. I also made scalloped potatoes and served a bowl of fresh fruit - cherries, cantaloupe and plums. I was surprised to see his Lordship getting it all down his neck. He said that the steak had just hit the spot and while he wasn't that big on the spuds, he did enjoy the fruit because it was so ripe and juicy. There is enough meat and fruit left for tonight and I will serve it with a salad. So - that's that!

Yesterday morning, while I was watering the front garden, I spotted a young raccoon ambling down the middle of the street. Silly thing. It was a very pretty animal with a beautifully ringed tail and he seemed oblivious to me and my watering. I expect he is the same one who has been digging around my vincas - hmmmm - time to get the mothballs out again.

Today's picture was taken at the children's playground at Lake Arrowhead. I loved this horsey! He's got his eye on you!

Peace and Quiet! - Ha!

So there I was, sitting in the Italian joint, picking lumps of Gorgonzola cheese off Mr. Indi's chopped salad and talking to his Lordship about the cost of tomatoes when - KER BANG - the building lurched several feet to the left and immediately sprang back to its original position. Before anyone could say a word, the shaking started; glasses and bottles tinkled and clinked; ceiling fans swayed and sputtered; the chef crossed himself and started praying, and I prepared to dive under the table - But - it was all over in a matter of 30 seconds and everyone returned to the matter at hand - lunch!

The Italian restaurant is only about 8 miles from the epicenter of the 5.4 earthquake and I will say that we both got a bit of a fright. My heart hasn't had a work-out like that since the last time I heard Rod Stewart singing Embraceable You. We had a couple of fair sized after-shocks during the afternoon but everything has been quiet for several hours now. For those interested in our shaking, here is the California shake map:

http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latest.htm

The reason me and him were discussing the price of tomatoes is because (as you can see by today's picture) our homegrown tomato crop has been less than stellar! The largest of the haul is about 2 inches across and has a nasty looking fungus on its bottom! The green one has been green since mid May and apparently is lacking in red genes. The small ones are just a few centimeters in diameter; are as hard as bullets and could easily be used as ammo for a BB gun! None of them would be welcome in my salad and, therefore, I am having to pay $3.49 a pound for toms. I can grow dahlias - I can't grow tommy arters!

Mr. Indi is feeling fair to middling today and has gone to work - although I hope he will not stay there too long. I also hope there are no more earthquakes while I am here alone!

All's Well

Thank goodness! Everything went well with yesterday's chemo session and Mr. Indi was finished by 4 p.m. He was looking very pale when I picked him up but was acting quite chipper. JoAnne said that the platinum in the Cisplatin is the cause of the paleness as it draws down the red blood cells. She reminded us that it's imperative that Mr. Indi keep up with his Procrit injections every Friday to ensure a rejuvenation of bone marrow.

The staff at the chemo lab are always surprised at Mr. Indi's lack of nausea during and after chemo. I'm not surprised - after all, this is a chap who will eat anything that isn't moving faster than he is! They don't call him "Old Cast Iron Guts" for nothing! But, just to be on the safe side, JoAnne gave him a free sample of an anti-nausea drug, Kytril, to try - just in case!

Mr. Indi is staying home from work today. He had a restless night and is feeling a bit wobbly this morning. He's able to stay in touch with the office via his laptop and cell phone but should be able to get a few naps in during the day. So, today will be peace and quiet - we hope!

The pic above is another from Quail Gardens.

Fingers Crossed!

We didn't do much of anything yesterday. Mr. Indi wasn't feeling very well; suffering the side effects of the Lupron injection that he got last Wednesday while he was at the doc's. Lupron does something to the body's hormones that causes them to go bozo and then to cease production for a time. Prostate cancer feeds on testosterone and Lupron helps to block that hormone. But one of the side effects is hot flashes and feeling faint - and with the temperature at over 90F - the poor chap was suffering.

We did get a bit of household drudgery done - him pushing the vacuum and me waving a dust rag. I also cut all the dead geranium flowers and did a general tidy of the patio plants. The roses are looking quite sad now and I don't think I will get anymore pretty blooms this year - too much sun!

With the hot weather, we are now relying on cold meats and salads for dinner. Last night was smoked turkey - red spuds - avocado and tomato slices - cranberry jelly. Yumptious!

Well, today is chemo day again - it's amazing how three weeks flies away! Mr. Indi will be receiving Cisplatin, Taxotere and the bone hardening drug, Aredia. They will also pump him full of Benadryl, Decadron and Xanax to suppress the nausea. I will drop him off at the chemo lab at 9 a.m and I expect that he will be there most of the day. I am thankful that Dr. J. will be in the cancer center today and will be able to keep his eye on things. So - fingers are crossed!

The picture was taken at Quail Gardens.