I am improving movement of my right hand. I'm working now on strengthening exercises. My fingers are very week and an exercise tool I bought at a music store. It is for fingering maybe for a brass instrument. It requires pressing down on buttons. It is an effort for me because I'm so week.
I had a MUGA scan on Wednesday. The Herceptin I take has the potential for causing heart damage so I get this test every six months. I expect it will be okay.
I went to my friend Janet's home who has seemed to get hit with a lot of things requiring immediate attention. She had to get a break job and found out she has termites. Now she lives in a condo which is joined with a couple of other condos. I would think the association would cover this since it could damage and perhaps destroy all three units. I understand they will cover outside damage and she is to cover inside damage. I think that is shortsighted on the association's part since it eventually effects the whole association.
So we both talked about our up coming Thanksgiving celebrations. Both of us have family issues but we were going to enjoy the time with those we wanted to be with.
So my granddaughter Kayla agreed to come over and help me on Thanksgiving Day. Her brother Devin, and my grandson came over with both helping with the preparation of food. As usual, we made too much, but I love leftovers as does Shelley. Part of the problem is that my grandkids have other families to celebrate with besides me. Six of them left but came back after dinner at these other homes. I made two new dishes that turned out delicious and I'm adding them for other celebrations. The turkey turned out dry which is highly unusual at my home. Kayla kept insisting it was time to take the turkey out and she was right. The problem is that I was cooking it in an electric roaster and felt if I lifted the cover, it would throw the timing off because of the change in temperature. We watched a football game, watched a movie and the kids played a game. Really, a lovely Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed Kayla this time. She is usually so reserved showing emotion, but on this day she gave me a kiss and hug. I really do love these kids!
The following morning, my daughter Shelley came over and we cleaned it all up. I had given her all my Christmas decorations earlier and they picked up the tree that day. I'll do Thanksgiving and she will do Christmas. Kevin came with his dad. He had his nose in a book that he was obviously enjoying. I would like all my kids and grandkids to get into reading. I think they would find it so good for the soul.
I met Janet at Mexicali's for our weekly margarita and a snack. She also gave me some of her stuffing for the turkey. So delicious and very different than mine!
I took the train to Hanford to see my friend Annemarie. Renee who is a Recreational Therapist joined us. I used to work with her. It was very nice seeing her again. Annemarie had two of her pictures she did showing at the Kings Art Center. It was a great showing of local art with appetizers, wine and lemonade. There was a young cat going around and Annemarie took it to a center in the mall to get it adopted. It was tame, friendly and very cute. I think she'll get a home. The following day we went back to Kings Art Center again to see The Young Masters 2014. Fabulous show! There are also very talented kids out there! Here are Annemarie's pictures up in the gallery.
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| Emu by Annemarie Stokes |
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| Ancient Eyes by Annemarie Stokes |
The train was running very late. It was 50 minutes late. They were saying it was traffic congestion, but the people on the train said there were a couple of adults giving underage children alcohol and trying to get a party started on the train. They got in a battle with the staff of Amtrak and were removed in Fresno. It is strange not to see an engine at the front of the train. I’m sure there was one, probably at the back, but it was weird!
Here are two pictures of Conner with his Daddy (my grandson Billy and his mommy (my granddaughter-in-law Meagan). It is so clear how loved he is, also by extended family.
Here is a blog called IT's OKAY TO DIE. It is worth reading.
I was asked to write up something for HOW (Helping One Woman). I get this honor in January and I am very thankful and pleased. This is the write up I provided them:
In December of 1999 I found a lump in my left breast while visiting my daughter and her family in Texas. As soon as my husband Paul and I returned home, I called my doctor to inform him. He referred me for tests. I could tell after the mammogram that they were worried and another test was ordered. The doctor called the next day said I had to see a surgeon the next day for a biopsy. I thought I could handle this myself so I went alone. Probably not a good idea. I had a biopsy of the tumor in my left breast but the needle missed the tumor and I was asked to do it again. They still couldn't get a good sample. I didn't want to go through this again and asked if they would just remove it. I was a social worker who worked in hospice, home health and the senior advantage assessment clinic for Kaiser. I had lots of nurse friends who advised me throughout this. They suggested I have a sentinel node biopsy where they inject dye into the tumor to see where it goes. Mine went into my chest and as the surgeon said "we don't crack chests to get the lymph nodes there". So the tumor was removed. Then I was told the cancer was beyond the tumor ( it was a stage II) and I had a modified radical mastectomy at an outpatient clinic (very bad idea) the following week. I was stunned and found I withdrew from others initially. When I started chemotherapy a month later, I couldn't imagine I could feel worse than I did. I had no energy, foods tasted off, anything with a smell was offensive to me. Then I cried all the time and had no idea what I wanted. My husband comforted me as best he could.
About two or three years later I started working at Corcoran State Prison in Mental Health as a Case Manager. We moved to Visalia from Bakersfield so I wouldn't drive so far. I found the staff I worked with incredibly supportive. About four years later my husband became very ill and it turned out to be lung cancer. During this time I felt a lump growing on my neck. Paul's needs were priority then and I couldn't deal with my problems. We knew four months later that Paul was dying. He said he wanted to go back to Bakersfield to be closer to the kids. Five days after returning to Bakersfield and having hospice care for not even twenty four hours Paul died. I had a doctor appointment that day but delayed it one day with all that was going on.
I was a basket case with losing Paul. A girlfriend went with me to see a doctor in Bakersfield. He put rushes on tests and a biopsy because he felt it was not good. I returned to see him a week later with my girlfriend and he said my Cancer had metastasized and was now a stage IV. He said any treatment would be comfort measures only. I had radiation two different cycles to shrink the tumor in my neck. I was told I had the maximum amount of radiation I could have.
Since then, I have had two surgeries removing walnut sized lymph nodes above my right breast and now have a gentle sort of chemo every three weeks for the rest of my life. If it was short term, I'd do other chemos, but not for ever.
How do I cope? I have wonderful family and friends. I have been so fortunate working at Corcoran State Prison and also Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) Such wonderful people - warm and supportive and if I cried, they didn't panic.
I needed to stop working two years ago due to health issues and officially retired a year ago August.
I take art classes, visit friends and family, go to my Red Hat group, travel when I can and now I have a blog. This last bout with cancer was not supposed to happen, but you can't go by that. Life continually throws you curves and you just have to go with it. So my blog is about how I'm living until I die. I find interesting things I hope will interest people and direct them to it. So if you are interested, go to
racheljerdin.blogspot.com
I was a basket case with losing Paul. A girlfriend went with me to see a doctor in Bakersfield. He put rushes on tests and a biopsy because he felt it was not good. I returned to see him a week later with my girlfriend and he said my Cancer had metastasized and was now a stage IV. He said any treatment would be comfort measures only. I had radiation two different cycles to shrink the tumor in my neck. I was told I had the maximum amount of radiation I could have.
Since then, I have had two surgeries removing walnut sized lymph nodes above my right breast and now have a gentle sort of chemo every three weeks for the rest of my life. If it was short term, I'd do other chemos, but not for ever.
How do I cope? I have wonderful family and friends. I have been so fortunate working at Corcoran State Prison and also Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) Such wonderful people - warm and supportive and if I cried, they didn't panic.
I needed to stop working two years ago due to health issues and officially retired a year ago August.
I take art classes, visit friends and family, go to my Red Hat group, travel when I can and now I have a blog. This last bout with cancer was not supposed to happen, but you can't go by that. Life continually throws you curves and you just have to go with it. So my blog is about how I'm living until I die. I find interesting things I hope will interest people and direct them to it. So if you are interested, go to
racheljerdin.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading this week. I hope you have a good week and I will see you next Sunday. Rachel
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