Abbreviate -- Word for the Day -- Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Abbreviate
DEFINITION: (verb) to make briefer, to shorten.

Seems each time I write lately I am apologizing for the length of time in between the updates. Reason? We have been enjoying our time off from UAMS!! Hoorah! I will try to abbreviate the update as I have a lot to catch up on.

ChemoSabe is going to lab once a week, on Mondays. His counts have been very well. Yesterday his WBC was 7.5 and his platelets were 183. Massively high which means it is good. His meds have been cut down through the bridging process. He is now at two pills in the morning and six in the evening. We have added Geritol for extra iron and energy (my idea with the doc's approval). I believe it has helped his appetite, too.

He is working full steam ahead. Last week he made a trip to Shreveport on Monday and Thursday and a mid week trip to Eudora. The Shreveport is a four hour trip, one way. He was a champ. Since he was on the steroids the first part of the week, he still had energy when he got home.

Friday night we were riding to Hot Springs for a bike rally. It started to sprinkle so we stopped at a restaurant we frequent. As we began to eat the skies opened up and the bottom fell out. It stormed for about 30 minutes, heavily. We did not abbreviate our meal. We didn't continue on to Hot Springs. It didn't rain anymore, but the bikes sure got dirty from the damp roads.

We looked at Harleys on Saturday. I was sitting on a massive one and a little sales girl asked if I needed any help. I told her I would only if I dropped the bike. She got a sour look on her face and left. It rained massively that day as well with tornado warnings at our neighborhood. No, we weren't on the bikes.

Sunday was a beautiful day. I can't say the same for our yard. Limbs, huge branches and leaves cluttered the yard from the night before. We went to church and when we got home I got my back pack blower out and went to work. After about two hours of that and ChemoSabe wiping off the bikes, we decided it was time to ride. We rode out to see Roger and Ruthie. We overstayed our visit, but only because we truly enjoyed their company. Roger's WBC was 0.06..... He has about two weeks to go before he will be coming back up good.

I am still giving ChemoSabe his Lovenox stomach shots (blood thinner) nightly. He has bragged to the RNs that my shots don't hurt or bruise him. Well, Sunday night I gave him a shot and he flinched. When he pulled up his shirt last night for his dose a golf ball sized black/blue spot jumped out at me. It truly brought tears to my eyes. I apologized to him immediately and being his good natured self he just said, 'those things happen". I could hardly bring myself to give him the next shot through my tear filled sockets, but I had to.

The last week it has been like old times with Poppy. We have laughed at the simplest things and have enjoyed the cooler weather. He has been helping out a bit more at the house. Well, actually helping out with the chores he likes more than what needs to be done. He cleans on the bikes, cleans his truck, shines my boots and piddles in the yard. He has done the dishes a time or two, but grumbles as he goes.

We watched Coco Chanel last night and it was a pretty good movie. It reminded me of my aunt which lives about two hours from us. As I was growing up my most vivid memory of her was she wore Chanel #5. Because of that, I thought she was one of the richest women in the world. She is very rich in character and compassion. I wanted so much to be like her that I dyed my hair jet-black, like hers, when I was a senior in high school. My mother almost pulled me bald for that. Whew! My natural color was ash blond. Now it is ash white! ha

ChemoSabe's stubble is coming back. I have asked him to let it grow a little so we can see if it has changed texture or color. He wants to keep it shaved. I believe he fears it will be wispy as some of the others we have seen. I promised him if it doesn't come back in evenly I will let him know. AND, I had mine cut two weeks ago. It is about 1/4 in. all over. After 36 hours without power I got tired of trying to fix the hump in the back. I now tell everyone I fell off the new riding mower and got my head caught in the blades.

ChemoSabe was in the shower last week and scrubbed his forehead with a face cloth. As he did he pulled back when he remembered his thinning eyebrows. TOO LATE! He had scrubbed the three or four he had completely out. When he looked in the mirror he claimed he saw a couple so he took the electric razor and shaved his eyebrows. I just about fell out. I told him how they would grow back massively over his forehead if he continued to shave.

He has lost his arm pit hair, legs and arms hairs. He still has chest hair, but everywhere else is absolutely vacant. He feels the prickly coming back and I demonstrated to him last night how he would be walking pretty soon. Snork!!

Hey.... My sun roof leaked again last week in the bout with Ike. I took it in again on Friday and basically dared them to charge me after they indicated the problem might not be warranty. With a huff and puff I turned and went back home. We took it out deliberately in the rain on Saturday and thus far, no leaks. They claimed they had replaced the whole roof the week before, so how does a leak happen after that? Well, the gasket wasn't tight enough.. I'm telling you --- it's a woman thing. The next time Poppy will be taking it back. I am still aggravated that I paid $20 to have it washed two weeks ago and I could have spit on it and got it cleaner. I washed it after I got it home.


Which brings me back to --- "Why Count Your Blessings When You Can Complain?"

How did I do with abbreviated version for the last week? Good, huh?

Good day and Love -- Pepper.

p.s. God is good all the time and all the time God is good.