Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #33 – Feeling better After Round 2(A) & Yard Work

 

Saturday, Apr 25^th, 2020…… Nothing on the agenda today. Lydia did ok last night. She had a couple of potty trips but she feels ok for now. Today we just hung around the house. I don’t think I went off in the car anywhere today. I did make us breakfast again. I fixed myself another omelet but she was waiting to have brunch. She asked for (and helped make) a tuna melt for her meal. We had everything and it was pretty easy to assemble. I hung around the kitchen with her in case she needed assistance. I ended up getting out some bowls that were hard to access while using her walker but she got most everything put together and ready for me to put into the Oster broiler/oven to cook up a bit. Not my favorite meal but she enjoyed it!

Later, and again, with Lydia’s help and overseeing, I put together the chicken/green bean casserole that we like so much. Once we waited for it to cook, we were able to clean up everything and later enjoyed a nice meal. Yummy and leftovers for tomorrow! We ended up watching a few of our own programs before calling it a night. Lydia is on a high dose prednisone for 5 days after taking her chemo so she was a little wired up and had a hard time sleeping last night so she took some melatonin and that calmed her down enough to get a good night’s rest. As I said before, I don’t have to get out of bed now to help her to the potty. But I am still aware that she’s up. I used one of her trips to let butthead outside to pee but went back to sleep after both of them settled back in for the night.     

Sunday, Apr 26^th, 2020…… We saw yesterday on Facebook that our local bar, the Growler Café is doing take-out brunch on Sundays and they showed a picture of their breakfast burrito, which looked tasty, so that was plan for today. I called it in and then went and got myself some 7-11 coffee and then picked it up on the way home. This is a little different burrito than we’re used to. This one has potatoes, eggs, sausage, pepper jack cheese, mushrooms, bacon, onions, and country gravy all inside. We opted for no onions and Lydia asked for extra gravy. I think she misunderstood my order because she left off the onions but also left off the mushrooms too!  Oh well, I liked it anyway and would order it again. Lydia not so much. I cut hers in half so I have some now for tomorrow! Lydia settled in her office chair and I watched Nascar e-racing in my room.  Not the same but it fills my racing ‘fix’ for now.  Lydia was hungry later and she made a macaroni dish with diced tomatoes and mushrooms. I was good from breakfast. We didn’t get anything out for dinner because we will have the chicken casserole tonight. Easy meal for me!  The weather today is nice and sunny. My neighbors are out mowing today, but our lawn is still too wet for that. I will text Kirk tomorrow to try to get the other mower back so we can mow again if the skies cooperate next week. I did get the garden hose hooked up out in the field. This field spigot is where I usually set up Rylee’s pool. Her old one got tossed last season. I just need to go shopping for a new one soon because she is ready to romp in the water. So, today we just tested the water and Rylee is ready!

After our leftover meal, I went out and worked in the shop for a few minutes, just straightening it up a bit, then came back in and watched tv for a while and then called it a night.   

Monday, Apr 27^th, 2020…… Today I was up early. We are supposed to get rain on and off for this next week. That’s not what I wanted to hear. I want a few days of dry and sunny weather so the lawn can dry out enough to mow. This grass is alive and well and grows super-fast and it’s already overgrown after the last mowing. So, no yard work today. Lydia made me a list for Walmart and after I dropped her off this afternoon, I headed off to go do that. I had added the pool and some more chair cushions to help Lydia get in and out of her chairs easier. I found almost everything on her list and got home and got everything put away. I had a short period to rest a bit then headed back to pick her up. I had gotten some ground turkey out to defrost for tacos tonight. Lydia helped with the meat. It’s sure nice to see her with more energy these days. This last round of chemo, although shortened, has produced very little side effects, as least so far. She is doing more and more each day and we’re both thrilled with that. I anticipate that her next nursing/rehab evaluation will go well enough so that she won’t need home visits any more.  That is supposed to happen sometime this week.

We ate and relaxed and settled in for tv until bedtime.        

    

Tuesday, Apr 28^th, 2020……  Weather is giving us a break! No rain today and the sun is shining! I texted Kirk and he said he can drop off the mower later this morning and then come back and get it later for an afternoon job. But I needed to go to Lowes this morning to get rock salt for our water softener system. I got Lydia taken care of and then headed off and got that done. I also found a chair pillow (that wasn’t overpriced!) so I bought that for Lydia’s office chair. I got back home and got started with the string trimmer and got that done just as Kirk was pulling in. Sis came over and immediately jumped on that mower and started in on the back field. I got the other one out and did the rest. The sun was out and the grass cooperated! I would say I made quick of it but our neighbor came jogging by and I stopped her to give her a headband I thought one of her daughters dropped when they were out last week. We got to talking and I told her about Lydia. We visited for 30 minutes or more before I started back in. Meanwhile, Penny got her part finished and was using the leaf blower to clean the mower. I finished shortly after and got my mower cleaned up. I also took the leaf blower out to the blueberries and blew all of the clippings out of that area.  Kirk came by right after that and got the tractor loaded back up on the trailer and then started in on my yard until he had to leave. Lydia had Dominique come by for PT and another person for the OT. We also got a call about the oral chemo she will soon be getting. That is scheduled to start as soon as received. I’m calling the infusion 2A and this oral med 2B. Jack wanted to go over all of the effects and side effects of the new drug and make sure she follows the safeguards for securing the medication. We are ending up having to pay the first copay on this one. That is, until we get – and pay for - the invoice for the copay infusion she got last week. We think that once we make our insurance copay maximum, we should be ok with all future 2020 copays. Sis went home and I came back in and rested and then took a shower after all of that yardwork. Later, I went out and got us burgers and fries and then we settled in for the night and watched tv.          

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #32 – Hangin Around Home and then Back for Another Round of Chemo

Tuesday, Apr 21^st, 2020…… This morning we decided to have omelets for breakfast. I wanted to try out our new copper pans so we used the smaller one for Lydia’s and the larger one for mine. Lydia helped with the ‘fixins’. Everything turned out super good!

Today is the last of the sunny weather. We are supposed to get rain tomorrow and also into next week. I wanted to go out and get the patio furniture from the garage and get it put back out, but Kirk texted me and needed my help. He has now bought a second truck for his lawn business and this one has a tonneau cover that needed some love. So, I helped him get it fixed and operational again. By the time he left, I didn’t feel like going out to move furniture.

Lydia had two appointments today. Dominique for PT and Jeremy for her health check. Since she is doing very well, this would be the last scheduled health check. OT and PT will continue. We are still working on trying to get copays lowered for both of her next round meds. What a joke! Meanwhile, we continue to wait. I helped Lydia get everything together for bean soup for dinner. She had me soak the beans last night and the pot was now ready and on the stove.  She sat at the kitchen table and cut up all of the veggies. When I was outside with Kirk, my sister had come by and she was drafted into cutting up the leftover ham into chunks and getting them into the pot. I got back in and dumped in the rest of the goodies and kept an eye on them for the rest of the afternoon. Later, I baked some flaky biscuits and we had a nice meal.       

  

Wednesday, Apr 22^nd, 2020…… Rains came as predicted. I waited until there was a slight break and then took Rylee out for our walk. She sure enjoys getting out and doesn’t care what the weather is like! She found some good smells down in the ditches on both sides of our street. Of course, she needed to be hosed off after romping through the water down there! We got back inside and found Grammy was still sleeping. I fed butthead and fixed myself some coffee.  Later, I took off and got my breakfast and came back and made Lydia some waffles for her breakfast. She hung around the bedroom and relaxed until it was time to get dressed and go to dialysis. Once I dropped her off, I headed back home. Not much to do today in the rain so I did some rearranging for the new skillets we have now and got some ready to take to Safe Haven/Teen Challenge to donate.  I also got out the stuffed salmon to defrost.  Another project - Lydia wants to go through her clothes. Since I have been getting her dressed each day (that means bringing out something from the closet and holding it up and saying “is this ok?”, or “is this what you wanted?”), she is aware of some older apparel that she doesn’t want anymore. So, I will be bringing everything out shelf by shelf and hanger by hanger so she can go through it all. And that’s not even counting the stuff in her dresser!  I don’t think I want to start that today though!

I fixed the crab-stuffed salmon and we had a nice meal. That is one of my favorite dishes! Afterward, we watched our latest taped Blacklist, but this one turned out to be a rerun that showcased the recently deceased Brian Dennehy, who was prominently featured in this episode from last year. I read online that this was a dedication to honor his memory. We also watched The Masked Singer. I had correctly predicted the Banana, who was eliminated tonight. It was Bret Michaels. I had a clue from the beginning but when they passed his bag through x-ray, and I saw the bug killer and that tied it to his rock group – Poison, I knew I had it right.  We also watched the after-show. I didn’t care for it too much and ended up fast forwarding through for the most part. We both wished they would have just continued with eliminations. With all of that going tonight, we passed on watching Survivor and will save that for tomorrow.

       

Thursday, Apr 23^rd, 2020…… Today was the next phase in Lydia’s treatment. Even with the copay still in the air, we went ahead with the latest infusion cancer med treatment. This was first thought to just be a two-hour infusion, then they said it was scheduled for a six-hour period. I had to have her there (Lebanon Community Hospital Infusion Center - this is a section inside the hospital) by 8:00am so I got up and out with Rylee and got breakfast made for Lydia before we left. We made it with no worries.  I got her a wheelchair and got in the front reception area where I had to hand her off to a nurse who took her back to Infusion. I left and stopped and got coffee and headed home and fixed my breakfast then went over to my sister’s house to help her to download some photos from her cell phone into her laptop. Once I got back home again, I rested for a few hours. Turns out that since Lydia had had infusions like this before, they were able to speed up the flow rate and she was done in 4 hours. She texted me and I picked her up just after noon. We watched our taped Survivor episode and then I left her to her tv and then kicked back in my room.  Lydia took a nap and I watched tv.  Dominique was supposed to come by at 4:00pm which was a rescheduled time to accommodate Lydia’s schedule, but she called and was running behind and wanted to change it to tomorrow morning. That was good for us.  I had gotten soup out to heat up and also heated the biscuits for a quick and easy dinner. Tonight was the finale of The Great Food Truck Race so we watched that before going into our own taped shows and then it was time for bed. So far, so good from today’s treatment but I’ll be watching her pretty closely for the next few days….     

Friday, Apr 24^th, 2020……  Another rainy day. Lydia has started having one of the chemo symptoms she didn’t want – diarrhea! It started early this morning.  She can navigate herself to the bathroom potty so she doesn’t need my help anymore. But she’s worried about the 3 ¼ hours she has to sit in the dialysis chair this afternoon. If she has to unhook for any reason, that’s it – they have to terminate the session. Hopefully, it will go ok. Dominique was here at 9:00am for Lydia’s PT which went well.  As for me, I spent the morning cleaning the house up a bit. I vacuumed and dusted. Just call me Suzy Homemaker!  Later, I took her over to Albany and dropped her off and then came home and finished my cleaning and then had lunch and rested until it was time to go back and pick her up. She said she had no issues at dialysis but she is retaining fluids again in her lower legs. This is from the infusion fluid. But she is feeling ok so far. I wasn’t sure how hungry she would be so I didn’t get anything out for dinner. So, we headed off, on the way home, to Los Dos Arbolitos for takeout. We ate and I found out later that I forgot to put all of the stuff back in place when I vacuumed in the bedroom when Lydia went in to go watch tv and put her feet up! I got her set up and went back to my office to watch tv and relax until bedtime.  

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #31 – Costco Run, & A Sunday Drive

 

Friday, Apr 17^th, 2020……  Today was another dialysis day. I made a list for Costco and after dropping Lydia off, I headed over there. They still have us wait in line, 6 ft. apart, and then after a few minutes, and after folks go through checkout, let us all in as a group. I was able to get all of the items on my list. I needed to stock up on laundry stuff this time as well as our supplements, plus I bought some frozen items and some meats and fish. I also found a nice 12” deep skillet that we had just ordered on Amazon yesterday. So, I bought it and now I can use two when I need them. I also bought two more of the copper chef pans that I like so much. I think I will just replace the older tired non-copper ones we have now. I went back home and unloaded and stored my wares, then headed back and picked up Lydia. While I was outside waiting, I called in an order to The Depot, a place in Albany that we like for seafood. Lydia had mentioned it earlier and it sounded good. We went there on the way back and I went in and picked it up and we continued on home. We ate and then settled in and relaxed from the day’s events. While in dialysis, Lydia had got a call from Sam Health about assistance in paying for the oral treatment she will be taking. In the doctor’s office they made us sign a form and the pills will be hand delivered to her next week. They have a horrific copay so Kelly sent us a form to fill out to get some assistance with that. She said I need to send her proof of income as well as print and sign the form and scan it back to her. Problem was it didn’t come through to Lydia’s email today. Maybe tomorrow.      

  

Saturday, Apr 18^th, 2020…… The plan today was to take a drive and get out of the house. Even with the lockdown, we can do that up here with no issues. Problem was the sun didn’t cooperate today! We have one day in the calendar with rain and it was today. Tomorrow is supposed to be back into the 70s so we will go then. I fixed our breakfasts and then Lydia said she had that email we were looking for so I took care of printing that and got it scanned and sent back as requested. I spent the day working around the house but first went over to my sister’s house and helped her with her curtain rod installation. She had compression ºcurtain rods inside the frames and wanted regular rods installed in all three bedrooms and the master bath, so we took care of those with little issues. I came back home and rested for a bit and then installed the toilet seat riser we had received today. It boosts the toilet 4-5 inches making it easier for her to get up and down. Before, she had to have me there for support.  Later, I made us roasted chicken – ok, Costco made us roasted chicken – I just heated it up!  But I did add mac and cheese and peas and it was a tasty meal.  Afterward, we settled in and watched our taped shows until bedtime. We got rain, which started around noon and lasted about an hour, then another shower hit us around 5:00pm. It’s not really cold these days (51º at night) so it was good sleeping weather. 

       

Sunday, Apr 19^th, 2020…… The rains are gone and we are back to sunny skies! After I walked Rylee and we had breakfast, I got some snacks and water/soda loaded into the car and later in the morning we went over and picked up my sister. We decided to drive through the back-country roads and work our way toward Salem, about 40 miles north of us. Our destination was IN & OUT for ‘linner’. It took us about 1 ½ hours to make drive, going up some roads I had never been on before. Nice drive. We got into the Keizer Center where the store is located and drove right past the entrance to go to the back of the line waiting to turn in. We drove and drove and ended up in the baseball stadium parking lot, which is waaay down the street!  We didn’t count the cars but the guy working the line said that we were in the 3-hour wait area! I need to invest in a franchise! I think they should name this one IN & WAIT & WAIT and OUT!  No way were we doing that!   We had seen a Five Guys on the way up so we drove back there and got right in. We ate in the car. Not what we planned but still pretty yummy! Once we ate, we made our way back home. Lydia had a beanbag stool on the front floorboard so she had her bad foot elevated so the swelling was minimal so we were good. I got her back in the house and we settled in for the night, watching tv and then going to bed early. Good day. Something different.

Monday, Apr 20^th, 2020……  Lydia had Cherine here this morning for ot and later, I had a call from the Samaritan Office to talk about help on the copay for the infusion. This was in addition to the oral med that we sent the info in for already. That one was offered by the drug company. This one was for low income families.  I looked at the website and found that for this one, we don’t qualify.

Later, I took Lydia out and dropped her at dialysis and then stopped by Safeway on the way home to get what we needed on her shopping list. She is now planning meals again – so I know the chemo is out of her system and she’s feeling better.  She also can get up at night from the bed by herself and make her way (with the walker) to the bathroom. With the toilet seat riser that we have now, she can get back to bed without help. Of course, I am awake (she’s pretty noisy!) so I am there to assist if she needs me.

I got all of the groceries bought and stowed away and relaxed for a bit before heading back to Albany to get her. Still no word on a transfer to the local Fresenius Clinic here in Lebanon. They told us we were on the list but someone would have to either move or die for a time to open up. And we are not at the head of the list either so it will be a while. So, until then, we drive the 18.1 miles each way three days a week - 109.2 miles total. Not too bad considering it is mostly open country roads and only takes about 30 minutes each way.

Later, I fixed us dinner and then we watched tv until calling it a night.

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #30 – Getting our Govt. Money & Back to the Oncologist

Tuesday, Apr 14^th, 2020…… Hey, we got our stimulus checks today!  Or, rather, the $2400. was deposited into our bank account yesterday for us and is pending as of this morning. Cool! No hurry.  We will probably be using the money to pay some medical bills so it won’t last long. But we do appreciate it!  Every bit helps!

I was up early again this morning and out with Rylee. I had laundry to do today and also wanted to move the trailers around. After I got Lydia fed and squared away and I had fixed my breakfast, I started a load of clothes and then headed outside. I moved the empty trailer out of the carport and put it on the rv pad, where I can work on sanding it (outside and when the weather is nice and warm!) and I moved the boat and trailer out from the shop garage to the carport. I had to use the truck for the boat because it is just enough uphill and the boat is just a bit too heavy for me to push by myself. I got it all done just as Dominique showed up for Lydia’s pt. My sister had also come by to drop off some stuff she had picked up for Lydia while at Walmart. I paid her and after they both left, I finished up the rest of the laundry loads. Tomorrow is floor cleaning day. The fun never ends!  Kirk and Carter came by and worked and picked up the Husqvarna tractor for a couple of his jobs tomorrow and also for the rest of the week. 

I had defrosted ground turkey for burgers for tonight but Lydia said she would just use the meat for a salad. I had a big lunch and I really didn’t even want a burger - so we decided to save it for tomorrow. She had a nice salad and I ate some fruit cocktail and a banana and later some cookies and I was good. We ended the night watching our own taped programs.  

  

Wednesday, Apr 15^th, 2020…… I have been getting up early these last few days. Today was the exception. I was up and showered and then out with Rylee but I was about ½ hr. later than usual. I was awake at my normal time but just slayed in bed and relaxed for a while and dozed, I guess. Anyway, I got us both going and got Lydia ready for her morning therapy. Penny came over with Quincy.  I vacuumed the house before Cherine from Occupational Therapy, came by. She helped Lydia with some new exercises. She said that Lydia looked way better than last week so that made her perk up! After she left, we relaxed for a bit before heading off to dialysis. Yes – I am now keeping Lydia’s go bag in the car so I don’t forget it! I dropped her off and came home and did nothing. I already had plans for dinner but Lydia wanted tater tots so I found we had some in the freezer and I got those going before grilling the burgers. It was a quick and easy meal and we settled in and watched our own shows until later, when I came in and we watched The Masked Singer together.  I was very disappointed when they didn’t eliminate anyone!  Out of the seven remaining, I have guesses on five - note – do not read the blue print if you don’t want to know our picks!!! ……

Turtle (Deion Sanders bad guess no clues point to him so probably not), Banana (Brett Michaels), Kitty (Martina McBride), Astronaut (Hunter Hayes) and Rhino (Tim McGraw). Night Angel and Frog (and I think Turtle) are probably all current rap/pop stars, which we don’t follow, so we don’t have a clue.  

We also watched Survivor and then called it a night. Tomorrow is reality day. Between two scheduled therapy appointments tomorrow, we go in to meet with Dr. Olivera, the oncologist. We have already had some serious talks about this meeting and possible scenarios for the future and we know this is for those next steps which is very scary but something we need to know. I don’t expect to get much sleep tonight and I’m sure Lydia won’t either.    

       

Thursday, Apr 16^th, 2020…… I was right - neither of us slept much last night. It will be a busy day and we got going early. Lydia had a 9:00am appointment for therapy but when no one showed up, we realized we had the date wrong. We left around 11:00am for our 12:00noon meeting with Dr. Olivera in Corvallis. While we were waiting to go in, I went down and got Lydia two ‘do rags’ and I also got three masks, all of which were made and donated to the facility by local volunteers. Our thanks to them. We were sent in and had a really great visit with Dr. Olivera! Good news on the drug side!  No chemo – sort of.  She will instead get cancer treatment in the form of one pill (lenalidomide – aka Revlimid) and an infusion of Rituximab, as an outpatient, at the local infusion center in Lebanon Hospital (where I went for my infusion) done once every three weeks. The Rituximab was one of the five drugs given the first time, but the Dr. said this is usually not one of the drugs that would cause the reaction she had from round one. He says that the Rituximab this time will be a lessor dose plus both of these drugs are said to have minimum side effects and she is perfectly ok with that!  We left knowing that there is something positive still going for her in the future. No promises and although we probably could have pressed for ultimate results and maybe a timeframe, she decided that she would rather not have that info at this time. I am really, really ok with that. Day to day - or month to month – or maybe even year to year – all of it is ok with both of us right now since she is doing really well at this time. We met with the pharmacist and he will be ordering everything and will be calling as these have to be hand delivered. At that time, he will be going over everything again as to when and how to take the drug. The infusion should start next week. So, all in all, we got better news than we expected. And we both left the office elated! Later, at home, we rested and waited for Dominique to come by for Lydia’s pt. I also got the walker delivered today. This is the one with the wheels that I had ordered. I got that assembled and she and Lydia tested it out and she was walking faster and better than ever!  We have two car handles on order as well as a toilet riser and a bed rail insert, all of these to make everything easier. The goal is to have her able to get around unassisted.

She wanted tomato soup and crackers for ‘linner’ and then later, I brought her her requested cucumbers, celery, and tomatoes and the leftover dip we had on Sunday. These were her snacks. I fixed myself a chicken pot pie and I was good to go. I think later I will have a couple of ‘Fireballs’ out on the porch to end this wonderful day!   

      

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #29 – Yard Work, and A Happy Easter!

Friday, Apr 10^th, 2020……  Today was mowing day. But first I had to walk and feed Rylee. Then I had to go shopping. Lydia has a list of at least a page and a half of things she wants from the store. So, off I went. Our Walmart has now come up with one entrance. I heard they wipe down a cart and hand it to you as you enter - but that was not happening today. I brought my own wipe and took care of that. Half the folks and half the employees are masked and maybe 20% are gloved. I needed batteries and surprisingly found them under house arrest (in a locked case). They actually are required to take them for you to a checkstand where a checker is stationed. I like using the self-checkout aisles at Walmart but NO, couldn’t do that now! Plus, the checker is no longer allowed to bag my groceries. I almost wanted to put the batteries back and head for the self-checkout! But I do understand the precautions and calmed down after a bit.

Later, I got out the mowers and filled them up with gas. Then I took off to take Lydia in for her dialysis and then came back and started mowing. Sis came over and together we got everything done in about an hour and a half. By then it was close to time to head back to Albany. Once we got home, I heated up the leftover spaghetti and, after dinner, we settled in for the night.    

  

Saturday, Apr 11^th, 2020……  I forgot to mention that on Thursday, I went in and got my annual infusion for my osteoporosis. They had put it off due to COVID-19 but I had already done all of my lab work plus had the required bone scan. So, even though this was an “elective event”, they took me in. It was only a 20-minute infusion and I was on my way. I mention this now because one of the side effects is joint pain for a few days. Ironic, because that is what this shot prevents!  Maybe it was because I spent time pruning grapevines and mowing since Thursday, but I ache right now. Not too bad and I will still be going out later today to finish the grapevines and then pick up the grass. Sis will be coming over to help with the grass.

I got Rylee out and walked and checked the weather. It is dry but overcast this morning so I will tackle the grapevines first and let the grass dry out and do that task later this afternoon. We ate breakfast and then I headed out and got the pruning done and everything cleaned up. I have been behind on my monthly bill spreadsheet so I came back in and worked on that this morning. Later, the sun broke through and the grass clippings dried out enough for me to pick them up. This leaf catcher has been one of the best investments I have made!  It really works well on the cut grass. I just drive around and fill up the hopper and then dump it in piles to put into trash bags. I could stockpile it and turn it into mulch but from what I’ve seen from my neighbors, that usually turns into a big old pile that ends up as a burnpile. I’ve already cleaned up Walt’s old burnpile and I don’t want to start a new one. Sis came by and bagged up about 90% of it while I put everything away. I sure appreciate that!  We have 13 bags this time. This week I have the trash filled up with grapevine clippings so I will only be able to dump 2-3 of them. Sis took 4 of them home to dump into her bin.     

       

Sunday, Apr 12^th, 2020…… HAPPY EASTER!!!  We have a nice meal planned for today. We have half of a bone-in ham that we have defrosted. I got that in the oven to warm up while Lydia got up and moved to the kitchen table and made up all of the stuff for potato salad. She also made deviled eggs. We had baked beans and macaroni salad. Sis brought over a lot of that stuff plus dessert. It was a nice meal. We ate early and munched later so I think we did pretty well. We got caught up on The Great Food Truck Race and The Blacklist before heading off to bed. Good day!  Hope everyone had a nice Easter as well.

Monday, Apr 13^th, 2020……  This morning I was up early and out with Rylee and then gave her her breakfast. I think she’s now getting to the stage where she might only want to eat once a day because she doesn’t really jump at the chance to eat breakfast. Some days it sits there for an hour or more before she eats. I am thinking about changing up on the dog food but will wait and see if it gets better.

Lydia had dialysis today but before we left, I went out and worked a bit on my boat trailer. I still had two fenders to sand down. I did them both today. Oh yeah, the joint pain has gone away. Yaay!  That leaves just the main trailer frame and axle. I think tomorrow I will move the boat out of the garage and put it under its new carport (now that the weather is nicer) and that will allow me to move the rest of the trailer frame into the garage for sanding.

Around noon, I loaded up Lydia’s go-bag (which has, among other things, a blanket, two pillows, headphones, her book, and her phone) onto the back of the wheelchair and I took her down the ramp and loaded her in the car and off we went. Problem was, when we got to the clinic, I discovered I had left the bag on the wheelchair in the garage! So, she had to get by today without all of her stuff!  I told them when I dropped her off that her idiot husband had left the bag at home. I guess they already knew I was that idiot because they cracked up!   

I came back and finished my sanding and cleaned up and headed back to pick her up.  We had leftover ham and made sandwiches and also had all the rest of the stuff, including more dessert!  

I found out that The Amazing Race was going to air (after Survivor ends) so I had to go online and download pics of the participants for my book. I have these books for all of the Survivor, Amazing Race, and Dancing With the Stars shows since they started.  When someone gets eliminated, I can make note on the files.

We finished up the night watching our taped tv programs before calling it a night.     

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #28 – A New Ramp, a Winery Trip, and Pruning Grapevines

Monday, Apr 6^th, 2020……  Sis came by today and we got Lydia down the stairs and I took her to dialysis. I stopped by and picked up some screws for the blueberry post framing. Later, when I went back to pick her up and bring her home, I made a call for a pickup order at Pizza Schmizza and went back and got that. We got a cobb salad to share and that was really tasty. We were both disappointed with the pizza though. It was lacking in sauce.  So, we will have to let them know next time we go back.   

  

Tuesday, Apr 7^th, 2020……  Lydia had two appointments today. The first was with Occupational Therapy. Shereen was super nice and went through some exercises to help Lydia with day to day functions. Next up was Dominique, another really friendly person, who went over the Physical Therapy that Dane taught her last week. These are designed to build up her strength and stamina.

I spent some time outside working on the blueberry posts. I filled in the holes and they are now ready for the framing which I still need to go get. Also, the wheelchair ramp was delivered this afternoon. I will get that unboxed and installed tomorrow morning.

I didn’t get anything out for dinner, so I went off to Jack in the Box and picked up burgers and fries. I feel good going to these places and giving them some business during these times. I just miss going in and visiting with the folks there. We spent the rest of the evening watching tv and relaxing. 

       

Wednesday, Apr 8^th, 2020…… One appointment this morning before we headed off to dialysis. Jeremy, the home health nurse, and also another really friendly person, came by to check vitals and change her dressing on her arm. But before his 10:00am, I went out and got us breakfast and then after he left, I went back outside and installed the ramp. It had a place for one mounting screw at the stair top, but I added one more just for my satisfaction. I got them both attached to the porch and when we loaded her up to leave, it was a breeze! 

I won’t need any help now to get her in and out of the house.

My sister came by before noon and brought Quincy over with her for a play date with butthead. We left them and dropped Lydia off and then headed off to Monteith to Airlie Winery to pick up an order my sister had made there. She has an account and wanted to stock up and this was a good time to go. It is on the other side of where we drop off Lydia in Albany. I had never been and once we wound our way there (it’s out in the country and way back off the road) we came to their property which included a nice little pond and a covered area where they can have weddings and other events. Very nice. The owner, Mary, was glad for the business as a lot of folks aren’t venturing out these days. But she was careful and handled everything with care and safety. We stopped by Penny’s house on the way back home to drop off the wine and for me to get a look at the fence to the north where her new neighbors have moved in. They have dogs and the fence has knotholes and she’s worried the dog next door will stick his nose in and Quincy will bite it!  So, we came up with some ideas and then came back to the house. I only had a few minutes before I had to feed Rylee and Quincy and then headed back to pick Lydia up. I fixed steak and potatoes and green beans for dinner. Pretty good I’d say!  We settled in for the night and watched Survivor and then The Masked Singer.  I had heard ahead of the show who the Kangaroo was but didn’t know Jordyn Woods so I didn’t get it right.  And then we watched the latest Manifest, which we had taped, before going to bed.    

Thursday, Apr 9^th, 2020……  Dominique was here again today. She taught Lydia some tricks to use to get in and out of her recliners, as well as some isometric exercises to help build up her muscle strength. I went out and worked on trimming back the grapevines. I never know how much to cut back. Last year I did quite a bit as that was what I was told to do – and that resulted in a lot less grapes than the year before – so this time I eased up a bit. We’ll see what happens when they start growing.  I also asked Kirk to drop the other tractor off so sis and I can mow the yard again, hopefully tomorrow. 
I went over to my sister's house and installed some boards we had cut for her fence. They went in and actually look pretty good. I think she will finish up the whole side with more to match. I have plenty of wood for that. 

Later, I fixed us spaghetti and we watched our own programs before calling it a night.  

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #27 – More Issues to Deal With..

 

Thursday, Apr 2^nd, 2020……  An off day today. I walked and then fed Rylee, and then made Lydia and I some breakfast. We have nothing on the radar today so I did some laundry and changed the bedding. While we were folding clothes, we watched Survivor, which we taped yesterday. Lydia has been doing ok. She has been given a series of exercises to do and really seems to stick to them. They hopefully will make her stronger but, right now, she is still not able to stand on her own. I help her to stand up from the chairs and the bed and the toilet but once she gets weight under her, she can get going with the walker. The therapy guy has told us he is going to see if he can help get her a better walker. What she has now is really sturdy but doesn’t have rollers like some other models do. She can use that one once she gains more stability.

I was told I forgot to take a picture of the flowers that Lou brought over, so here they are. He said they come from friends who used to have a flower shop in town and retired and just do a few from their home now. Anyway, they are really pretty!

I heated us up some chicken pot pies for dinner and we settled in and watched tv until bedtime.  

  

Friday, Apr 3^rd, 2020……  Today is another dialysis day. But before that, Lydia had another therapy session. After Meghan got here and made friends with Rylee, I took off to go back to Lois’s apartment to help pack the van they were driving back east. Mary, her friend, has flown out and rented it and is here now. We got everything loaded up and said our goodbyes. We wish Lois well as our friend now will be living in Springfield MO. I stopped and got breakfast and when I got home, Meghan was just leaving.  After we ate, I went in and I ordered the wheelchair ramp I had been looking at for the front porch.

These are 11’ long and are sold in pairs. As I said, I will use these on the front porch as I have a nice 21” rise from the steps and a good runoff space for the chair. I can also use them for loading the tractor on my trailer when the need arises. I am paying $199. for the pair, which, when added up, is not much more than the lumber I would buy to build a ramp.

Later, sis and I took Lydia to Albany to dialysis. When I went to pick her up, we passed by two of our favorite food trucks - Stick a Pork in It and Chau’s – sitting in their usual spots in the Rife’s furniture parking lot. I took Lydia home and went back to Chau’s and got us a couple Yakisoba Noodle Stir Fry meals for dinner. I had beef and Lydia had chicken. Yummy!  I also had to stop by the lab in the Lebanon hospital and pick up a container for a urine catch that the dialysis center has ordered. Lydia had complained about pain when urinating. After collecting the sample later, we are sure the cloudy urine will confirm she has another uti.     

       

Saturday, Apr 4^th, 2020……  I walked and fed Rylee and then headed off to drop off the urine samples we collected last night. It took ten minutes for me just to go through the screening procedures at the hospital door just to get someone to come out to get the bag I had. Wow!  Now we will have to wait until - 1) they run the lab tests and - 2) call the doctor on call today in order to - 3) call in a prescription for pickup.  Let’s see how long that takes on a Saturday…..

No word yet. Lydia told me it usually takes three days for labs. I forgot. We will probably not hear anything until Monday.

This evening we got a call from Maryanne. She told me that Randy had a spill while out mountain biking. They were in the foothills in Fullerton and they came back in to Long Beach to go to Memorial Hospital. She said it was a nightmare just trying to get him in. They do not allow drop-offs at the er so they had to park and he had to walk in. They screened him and finally took him in. Maryanne wasn’t allowed inside. He knew he broke his collarbone but also hit his head (which broke his brand new helmet) and needed to be evaluated. After x-rays and being seen by the doctors, they released him with some pain meds and a sling.  Maryanne went back and picked him up and they are back home now and called us to say he was ok. He is resting and relaxing with their fur babies. 

Maybe now they will just stay home like the rest of us!

Sunday, Apr 5^th, 2020……  A nice day today. The rains have let up for a few days, but it is still way too soggy to do anything. I did go out this afternoon to dig the holes for the new posts I need to install in order to repair the blueberry cage. Easy digging since the ground is still really wet! I hope to get those in the ground tomorrow or the next day. I also want to mow again later in the week.

Lydia is doing well. The uti isn’t bothering her too much, other than painful urination. But she now has pain back in her right foot. There are two more nodules popping up on her heel next to the one she got back in January. This is where the cancer was first detected. I think that the last chemo has worn off and that area is getting hit again. We have a virtual appointment with her oncologist next week so we will be sure to let him know.  I got some meat out to defrost and made steak burritos for dinner and after we watched tv until bedtime.

This was taken earlier this afternoon - Lydia, relaxing in her office and talking to Janie.

Oregon Living 2020 – Blog #26 – The Virus Life Continues

Sunday, Mar 29^th, 2020……  Not much to report on these days. We continue to hunker down and ride out the storm. I have ventured out to Starbucks, Jack in the Box, 7-Eleven, plus shopping trips to Walmart, but, for the most part, we continue to just stick to home. We watch tv and Lydia does her exercises. Of course, on dialysis days (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) we make two runs to Albany for that. The other days I spend at home with both of my girls, making sure they are happy and fed (and have done their pee pees and poopies).

  

Monday, Mar 30^th, 2020……  We finally have doctors calls and home health care visits going this week. Lydia meets with her primary doctor and her nephrologist via telecon and the home health care nurse comes this morning.  Deedee was very nice and, in addition to her vitals and a health check, she took care of Lydia’s arm where we scraped her bruise and left an open wound. It was healing nicely but we needed some extra help with more appropriate bandaging.  

       

Tuesday, Mar 31^st, 2020……  Today I spent some time helping my sister move our friend, Lois, who has been making plans to move to Missouri for some time now. She had a guy, flying in to Eugene, who was going to rent a van and come get her and they would drive back to Missouri. She had some stuff to take to Habitat for Humanity plus I needed to remove her in-wall air conditioner and replace the plate, which I did. We got the items moved and took some stuff home to keep and/or dispose, but this story continues because there were issues with the credit card rental. She is still here.

Wednesday, Apr 1^st, 2020…… April Fool’s Day – but not too much fun to be pranking today. The guy, Steve, is now not going to pick Lois up. The van was reserved by another person in Missouri and he was not allowed to check it out and drive it. He did not have his own credit card so he couldn’t do that option, so everything came to a halt. Now, the plan is for her friend Mary, to fly to Portland and come get the van. Steve will fly home and Mary will drive Lois back. Since all of her furniture is now gone, Lois stayed with a friend last night and will stay in a motel tonight. I know – it’s a crazy situation and has been driving my sister nuts. She’s done all she can to help but wants things to work out for her friend. Hopefully, tomorrow they will get on the road.

Lydia had Dane, a physical therapist, come by this morning and showed Lydia some new exercises, which she will be doing each day, although not in the same repetition on dialysis days. Our neighbor, Lou, came by after we got back from dialysis, to drop off a nice flower bouquet – thanks Lou! We called in an order for a wet burrito from Los Dos Arbolitos and Penny went to pick that up for us. Thanks, Sis. Very tasty. We ended up the night watching The Masked Singer (Yeah – I got the White Tiger picked correctly) and then headed off to bed.