Recipe
Definition: prescription: a set of instructions for making something from various ingredients: a formula or procedure for doing or attaining something
Just to catch you up on the labs and the last two weeks of treatment. And, drama...
Recipe -- If I were to do my own definition it would be: a meal of special ingredients shared with friends.
Last night I fixed stuff bell peppers. We haven't had those in a while. I took Son one to work this morning and he says you just can't imagine how much you can cram into a bell pepper. ChemoSabe couldn't eat all of his.
Tonight I fixed chicken breasts, rice and English peas. We have been lying off the bread... ChemoSabe can eat four pieces with margarine. Most times he brings out the Apple Butter. We have GOT TO LOSE!
I have been walking two miles in the afternoon with my favorite neighbor. We are walking it in 25 minutes. We are going to try for three next week. We walked so hard last week that my cheeks were sore to sit on when we went out to eat Friday night. Working those muscles.
So, back in dinner tonight. My boss, Ken, is always cooking. We talk about our favorite recipes. He spoke of one last week that I thought I would try, but I have been experimenting elsewhere. His is of Telapia. Sauteing onions, tomatoes and wine together. Well, tonight I did chicken breasts... See below
Put a 1/4 cup of oil in a skillet. Add your chicken breasts and heat high as if you are frying. Slightly brown on each side. Take out and drain on paper towel. While drying -- Heat in the oil chopped onions, bell peppers, and diced tomatoes (you can used canned, drained). Add 1/2 cup of red wine, salt, pepper and teaspoon of minced garlic. Saute until onions/peppers are just past crisp. Lower heat and add chicken... Simmer until you think it is JUST RIGHT..
Do your rice and peas. Then pour the chicken mixture over the rice... ENJOY this recipe! This is an easy dish for the guys to fix, too. Just make sure you don't drink the rest of the bottle of wine while you are cooking! ha
I want to mow tomorrow. It is suppose to be nice. I have cabin fever. If it rains, I can see the whole house being rearranged.
Labs have been very good the last two weeks, except I am still concerned about the WBC... It is at 3.5. His CRP (crap) is at 7. We think that is a result of another bruise on the top of his hand. If it ain't Pete scratching him, he is bumping it on the bike or something else.
He is having problems again with the left foot. It doesn't seem to be neuropathy. He took himself off the Gabapintine a couple of weeks ago since the numbness seemed to be less frequent. The last two days have resulted in massive pain in the arch, especially at night. I thought he was having cramps. He couldn't lie down or walk last night. It was some good strong pain, so tonight I started him back on it in the a.m. and p.m.
Since last week was the first week on and last Dex was on Friday, it brought on a rash of snappiness. I saw it coming last weekend and this week has resulted in more, but more toward work than toward me. I think he has learned his lesson! ha. He works through it very well by apologizing when it occurs, no matter who it is with or what it is about.
We are babysitting the Valentine's Day weekend. That will help take my mind off my mother. It will be a year since her passing. Seems just like yesterday.
Work has been unusual for both of us this week. I prayed for changes and got more than I expected and unexpected. It will be a challenge, but you know me, I love challenges. They energize me. When I focus on something hard, then I tend to lose weight. The great recipe for weight loss.
We had good news this week in that two insurance reports showed his cancer insurance is paying 100%. What happened? Thought we had met the million dollars limit in January 2009... It hasn't even been two years. But, that was only two bills out of 14 accounts. Oh, hum.
Guess it is time to get to bed.... I will continue to keep you posted.
Don't forget Valentine's Day -- you guys!
Good night and Love -- Pepper
Chemo Sabe
- ChemoSabe
- Benton, AR, United States
- Diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma-- May 2008
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Discord -- Word for the Day -- Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Discord
Definition: lack of agreement or harmony (as between persons, things, or ideas): ctive quarreling or conflict resulting from discord among persons or factions
Here we go! ChemoSabe started his cycle yesterday. Whenever he begins again every two weeks, it seems months since the last time. I scramble to the get med bottles to him to refill that he doesn't use daily. Then I call and do his survey for the Revlidmid. You basically have to do it twice and then you have to call the clinic to get it ordered. It's not like we wait to the last minute, but it seems that way.
With that, steroids began yesterday and he was up at the side of the bed at 3:30 a.m. kissing me. I thought, "What the heck?" I knew we had already kissed goodnight. He was fully clothes and smelled of cologne, hair spray, toothpaste and fabric softener from clean clothes. I looked at him through my little peepers and asked, "What's wrong?" He told me he was leaving for work..... STEROIDS! Could the man just not go ahead and clean my house in the wee hours of the morning instead of going to work? ha
His labs were good yesterday except for his WBC. They had dropped from 8.5 two weeks ago to 3.5 yesterday. Remember - 2.5 is the lowest before you go neutrapenic, meaning it will be mask time and restricting access. When we get his report on Friday we will know if we need to keep the kids up (dogs) and limit our contact with the grandkids or other outside sources.
The Word for the Day -- Discord -- deals with difficulties I am handling at work this week. I hate conflict, but it seems to follow me in my life in a personal or business relationship. ChemoSabe tells me at times, lovingly of course, that it is because I am too honest. How can one not be honest? It is true people usually know the hard truth of how they stand with me, but I am just not a kissy face. So, please pray for me during this time. Pray I will have patience, strength and the means to choose the right things to say and do in this time of stress.
We are eating well in the last few weeks after the holiday. One meat and two veggies without a dessert. I will also fix a fresh salad. It has been helping. We don't feel as bloated or full when we retire.
I will keep you updated on the physical data on ChemoSabe during or at the end of the week.
Good afternoon and Love -- Pepper
Definition: lack of agreement or harmony (as between persons, things, or ideas): ctive quarreling or conflict resulting from discord among persons or factions
Here we go! ChemoSabe started his cycle yesterday. Whenever he begins again every two weeks, it seems months since the last time. I scramble to the get med bottles to him to refill that he doesn't use daily. Then I call and do his survey for the Revlidmid. You basically have to do it twice and then you have to call the clinic to get it ordered. It's not like we wait to the last minute, but it seems that way.
With that, steroids began yesterday and he was up at the side of the bed at 3:30 a.m. kissing me. I thought, "What the heck?" I knew we had already kissed goodnight. He was fully clothes and smelled of cologne, hair spray, toothpaste and fabric softener from clean clothes. I looked at him through my little peepers and asked, "What's wrong?" He told me he was leaving for work..... STEROIDS! Could the man just not go ahead and clean my house in the wee hours of the morning instead of going to work? ha
His labs were good yesterday except for his WBC. They had dropped from 8.5 two weeks ago to 3.5 yesterday. Remember - 2.5 is the lowest before you go neutrapenic, meaning it will be mask time and restricting access. When we get his report on Friday we will know if we need to keep the kids up (dogs) and limit our contact with the grandkids or other outside sources.
The Word for the Day -- Discord -- deals with difficulties I am handling at work this week. I hate conflict, but it seems to follow me in my life in a personal or business relationship. ChemoSabe tells me at times, lovingly of course, that it is because I am too honest. How can one not be honest? It is true people usually know the hard truth of how they stand with me, but I am just not a kissy face. So, please pray for me during this time. Pray I will have patience, strength and the means to choose the right things to say and do in this time of stress.
We are eating well in the last few weeks after the holiday. One meat and two veggies without a dessert. I will also fix a fresh salad. It has been helping. We don't feel as bloated or full when we retire.
I will keep you updated on the physical data on ChemoSabe during or at the end of the week.
Good afternoon and Love -- Pepper
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Magnanimous -- Word for the Day -- Friday, January 8, 2010
Magnanimous • \mag-NAN-uh-mus\ • adjective
Definition: showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit: showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind.
Did you know?
When you see "anima," "animus," or a similar formation in a word, it's an indicator of something alive, lively, or spirited. Something "animated" is full of life, for example, and an "animal" is a living, breathing thing. The Latin word "animus" means "soul" or "spirit." In "magnanimous," that "animus" is joined by Latin "magnus," meaning "great." Basically meaning "greatness of spirit," "magnanimity" is the opposite of pettiness. A truly magnanimous person can lose without complaining and win without gloating. Angry disputes can sometimes be resolved when one side makes a magnanimous gesture toward another.
Today is my day off and I am truly enjoying the warmth of this old house. When we go out to house shop we always come back and enjoy the space and comfort. I don't like pulling the drapes, but we have so much glass it would cost a fortune to heat if I wanted to see nature all the time.
We had a big fire in the fireplace last night... Hot, hot, hot.. I plan to do it again today since the temperature is 14 deg. right now and it is only 10:30 a.m. I can hear my mother now, "Oh, my Lord!"
ChemoSabe is out and traveling the state today. He will be very busy the next couple of weeks planning a big trip. The Dex and Velcade start again next Tuesday. It is hard for him to be magnanimous about it. It has become a dread. I believe the most dreaded is the time out of his schedule that it takes and the weight changes it presents.
Sissy has been in bed since Christmas with bronchial pneumonia. She was gracious enough to call me on Monday to tell me. She is so hard headed! ha. I worry about her. She is my rock.
My little brother did tremendously well over the holidays. I believe it was because he has Austin. He bought her so much stuff he is now having to make shelves to put it up. I have posted their photo so you would know who you have been praying for. He is the one we could call magnanimous. He is one of the kindest men I know.
We laughed all through Christmas because it was the first time in his life he had to buy gifts. He didn't know what to get the nieces and nephews. I told him socks, because they play sports, fish, cheerlead and just plain get out and play. He felt embarrassed by the thought. Well, I texted him last night and told him I forgot to tell him what our older brother got us... LIGHTBULBS! AND, we needed them. They are the pigtailed kind that are suppose to last forever and they are brighter. I thought it was a terrific idea. Little brother scoffed. He couldn't believe it. He thought the idea was worse than socks! ha Men......
Speaking of men --- forgive me guys. My boss loves to tell people I ride my own motorcycle. He calls it a 'girlie bike' even though it is a 900cc. I often see men weighing 250 lb. riding the same model as mine. So, here we go with the 'man' story.
We had a bike donated to the church around Christmas. Our custodian rode it down the hall and I warned him if he fell he could not collect workers' comp. Well, boss comes in two days later. He fell and messed himself up pretty good. He didn't tell me until the next day. He had a strawberry over his eye bigger than a 50 cent piece. He had a bruise on the inside of his forearm about the size of coffee cup and he said he hurt his knee so bad he thought he had broken it. Our custodian found so many bloodied towels in one of the men's restroom he thought someone had been stabbed. Until I told him the 'rest of the story'. When ChemoSabe talked to him, pastor said he really scared him when he was sliding down the hallway on his face. I wish I had a video of that.
Well, pastor has really been ribbed about the non-motorized vehicular accident. He has had Christmas gift offers of two front teeth, training wheels to helmets. I promise you the next time he says something about my 'girlie bike' he will live to regret it. Because mine has a motor.
ChemoSabe had a fabulous surprise sitting on the front step last evening. An overnight package from the CEO of his company. It was a plate with gold trim commensurating his part in a $700 million revenue in November 2009. His grin was so big I believe I could have used it for the plate hanger. I was so proud of him. I have placed it in the china cabinet with my collection of almost 150 thimbles, right in the middle.
I have put a pot roast with veggies on for dinner after my hunger trip to WalMart. My momma always told me never to grocery shop before I ate. What can I say? She was always right.
I was reading the Courier on New Year's Eve and saw my mother's name. It was listed with many other individuals that passed away in our county in 2009. She just jumped out at me. It was the very first name I saw and she was about the 40th person down. My eyes stung a bit as I thought to myself, she would have gotten a kick out of seeing her name in the paper.
Well, I believe I have rambled enough for one day. I have been writing on this all day.
Please pray for the couple staying in the house behind the church, Stan and Susan. He had his stem cell transplant two weeks ago. His WBC is still at 0.064. That is seriously low. He can't stay out of the bathroom and he is very weak. I couldn't believe his wife, Susan, thinks they will be able to go back home to Florida next week. I hope they aren't disappointed.
Also, please pray for our friends, Sambo and Rosita (their blog names). Their adult daughter still seems to be having problems with an addiction. It is hard to watch your children go through such trials. My own went through the same. We are blessed. He has been clean since 1994. He almost died.
Keep your toes in the sand. Well, maybe, dream about having them in the sand. Pretty soon we will be complaining about the heat. Are we ever satisfied?
Good evening and Love -- Pepper
Definition: showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit: showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind.
Did you know?
When you see "anima," "animus," or a similar formation in a word, it's an indicator of something alive, lively, or spirited. Something "animated" is full of life, for example, and an "animal" is a living, breathing thing. The Latin word "animus" means "soul" or "spirit." In "magnanimous," that "animus" is joined by Latin "magnus," meaning "great." Basically meaning "greatness of spirit," "magnanimity" is the opposite of pettiness. A truly magnanimous person can lose without complaining and win without gloating. Angry disputes can sometimes be resolved when one side makes a magnanimous gesture toward another.
Today is my day off and I am truly enjoying the warmth of this old house. When we go out to house shop we always come back and enjoy the space and comfort. I don't like pulling the drapes, but we have so much glass it would cost a fortune to heat if I wanted to see nature all the time.
We had a big fire in the fireplace last night... Hot, hot, hot.. I plan to do it again today since the temperature is 14 deg. right now and it is only 10:30 a.m. I can hear my mother now, "Oh, my Lord!"
ChemoSabe is out and traveling the state today. He will be very busy the next couple of weeks planning a big trip. The Dex and Velcade start again next Tuesday. It is hard for him to be magnanimous about it. It has become a dread. I believe the most dreaded is the time out of his schedule that it takes and the weight changes it presents.
Sissy has been in bed since Christmas with bronchial pneumonia. She was gracious enough to call me on Monday to tell me. She is so hard headed! ha. I worry about her. She is my rock.
My little brother did tremendously well over the holidays. I believe it was because he has Austin. He bought her so much stuff he is now having to make shelves to put it up. I have posted their photo so you would know who you have been praying for. He is the one we could call magnanimous. He is one of the kindest men I know.
We laughed all through Christmas because it was the first time in his life he had to buy gifts. He didn't know what to get the nieces and nephews. I told him socks, because they play sports, fish, cheerlead and just plain get out and play. He felt embarrassed by the thought. Well, I texted him last night and told him I forgot to tell him what our older brother got us... LIGHTBULBS! AND, we needed them. They are the pigtailed kind that are suppose to last forever and they are brighter. I thought it was a terrific idea. Little brother scoffed. He couldn't believe it. He thought the idea was worse than socks! ha Men......
Speaking of men --- forgive me guys. My boss loves to tell people I ride my own motorcycle. He calls it a 'girlie bike' even though it is a 900cc. I often see men weighing 250 lb. riding the same model as mine. So, here we go with the 'man' story.
We had a bike donated to the church around Christmas. Our custodian rode it down the hall and I warned him if he fell he could not collect workers' comp. Well, boss comes in two days later. He fell and messed himself up pretty good. He didn't tell me until the next day. He had a strawberry over his eye bigger than a 50 cent piece. He had a bruise on the inside of his forearm about the size of coffee cup and he said he hurt his knee so bad he thought he had broken it. Our custodian found so many bloodied towels in one of the men's restroom he thought someone had been stabbed. Until I told him the 'rest of the story'. When ChemoSabe talked to him, pastor said he really scared him when he was sliding down the hallway on his face. I wish I had a video of that.
Well, pastor has really been ribbed about the non-motorized vehicular accident. He has had Christmas gift offers of two front teeth, training wheels to helmets. I promise you the next time he says something about my 'girlie bike' he will live to regret it. Because mine has a motor.
ChemoSabe had a fabulous surprise sitting on the front step last evening. An overnight package from the CEO of his company. It was a plate with gold trim commensurating his part in a $700 million revenue in November 2009. His grin was so big I believe I could have used it for the plate hanger. I was so proud of him. I have placed it in the china cabinet with my collection of almost 150 thimbles, right in the middle.
I have put a pot roast with veggies on for dinner after my hunger trip to WalMart. My momma always told me never to grocery shop before I ate. What can I say? She was always right.
I was reading the Courier on New Year's Eve and saw my mother's name. It was listed with many other individuals that passed away in our county in 2009. She just jumped out at me. It was the very first name I saw and she was about the 40th person down. My eyes stung a bit as I thought to myself, she would have gotten a kick out of seeing her name in the paper.
Well, I believe I have rambled enough for one day. I have been writing on this all day.
Please pray for the couple staying in the house behind the church, Stan and Susan. He had his stem cell transplant two weeks ago. His WBC is still at 0.064. That is seriously low. He can't stay out of the bathroom and he is very weak. I couldn't believe his wife, Susan, thinks they will be able to go back home to Florida next week. I hope they aren't disappointed.
Also, please pray for our friends, Sambo and Rosita (their blog names). Their adult daughter still seems to be having problems with an addiction. It is hard to watch your children go through such trials. My own went through the same. We are blessed. He has been clean since 1994. He almost died.
Keep your toes in the sand. Well, maybe, dream about having them in the sand. Pretty soon we will be complaining about the heat. Are we ever satisfied?
Good evening and Love -- Pepper
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Myrmidon -- Word for the Day -- Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Myrmidon • \MER-muh-dahn\ • noun
Definition: a loyal follower; especially: a subordinate who executes orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously
Happy New Year to all you Myrmidon's. This will be the first writing of 2010.
ChemoSabe received labs the day after Christmas and everything looked good. We had a nice two weeks off and will start up with Dex and Velcade on Tuesday, January 12. I know he can't wait! ha.
The last week has seen some crabbiness. I have seen a lot of time spent in the recliner sleeping through movies we rented and then afterward I had claims that he had watched the whole movie. Hmmmm...I didn't know the background effects were sounds of snoring.
We spent our New Year's Eve with Stretch and Rainman. We waited for an hour to get a table at a nearby restaurant. The food was fabulous, but the prices were enormous. We all really wanted steak, but we all got chicken and pasta. If we had ordered a steak, it was just that... No potato, veggies or salad. That was extra. The cheapest steak was $25.00. Call me cheap, but I ain't paying that for someone to cook me a small piece of meat.
I fixed a turkey with all the trimmings for ChemoSabe and me on New Year's Day. My older brother showed up for the weekend. We all three stuffed ourselves. I made apple dumplings every night through Sunday. We are really needing a diet fix.
Back in December I wrote you about the 2nd year maintenance schedule beginning in March. It would be weekly Velcade injections and one day a week Dex. Well, I got a call New Year's Eve that the schedule has been pushed back to June. ChemoSabe was not a happy camper. He wanted to get the show on the road. June will be the six month interval for all the tests and doctor's appointment so I don't know why we were set up with the March dates to begin with.
The two weeks on and off will give him enough time to do some business stuff. He has some new jobs starting up so the Dex will give him plenty of energy to do late night responsibilities. I will just have to rent more movies for the weekends he is down and in that damn recliner. That is when I cook so much, too. I see 20 more pounds coming on.
There is a MM patient staying in the house behind the church that had a stem cell transplant last week. His WBC is 0.04... How low can you go? He has been very weak this week, but his attitude remains positive. He came over to visit last week and I tried to prepare him for the worse, BUT, I also told him it would be a "Rewarding" experience. His wife visited yesterday... They are Stan and Susan from Florida.
Please pray for them as they go through this process. He is having mood swings this week and she is experiencing something in their relationship that she never has before.
My friend and boss, the interim pastor, has received notice he will not be continuing on in the church. The pastor search team is getting close to a decision. I believe in his heart he really wanted to stay, but I also feel the other side of him is ready to go. What does this bring for me? Dunno...
It is just too cold for me... It is currently 29 deg. I don't like it. I want to ride. I see visions of us getting on the bikes and just heading out for the weekend. I need it... ChemoSabe needs it.. Stretch and Rainman need it.. With that, we will probably get out too early in the year and freeze our buns off, just to get out.
Well, I am rambling. Just wanted to touch base with you and let you know all is well. ChemoSabe still has his sense of humor and good health. We are happy and content.
Thank you all for giving us encouragement and keeping us in your prayers throughout 2009. In four months it will be two years. Next month will be a year since my mother passed away. I just can't believe time has passed so quickly.
Good Afternoon, Dear Myrmidons and Love -- Pepper
Definition: a loyal follower; especially: a subordinate who executes orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously
Happy New Year to all you Myrmidon's. This will be the first writing of 2010.
ChemoSabe received labs the day after Christmas and everything looked good. We had a nice two weeks off and will start up with Dex and Velcade on Tuesday, January 12. I know he can't wait! ha.
The last week has seen some crabbiness. I have seen a lot of time spent in the recliner sleeping through movies we rented and then afterward I had claims that he had watched the whole movie. Hmmmm...I didn't know the background effects were sounds of snoring.
We spent our New Year's Eve with Stretch and Rainman. We waited for an hour to get a table at a nearby restaurant. The food was fabulous, but the prices were enormous. We all really wanted steak, but we all got chicken and pasta. If we had ordered a steak, it was just that... No potato, veggies or salad. That was extra. The cheapest steak was $25.00. Call me cheap, but I ain't paying that for someone to cook me a small piece of meat.
I fixed a turkey with all the trimmings for ChemoSabe and me on New Year's Day. My older brother showed up for the weekend. We all three stuffed ourselves. I made apple dumplings every night through Sunday. We are really needing a diet fix.
Back in December I wrote you about the 2nd year maintenance schedule beginning in March. It would be weekly Velcade injections and one day a week Dex. Well, I got a call New Year's Eve that the schedule has been pushed back to June. ChemoSabe was not a happy camper. He wanted to get the show on the road. June will be the six month interval for all the tests and doctor's appointment so I don't know why we were set up with the March dates to begin with.
The two weeks on and off will give him enough time to do some business stuff. He has some new jobs starting up so the Dex will give him plenty of energy to do late night responsibilities. I will just have to rent more movies for the weekends he is down and in that damn recliner. That is when I cook so much, too. I see 20 more pounds coming on.
There is a MM patient staying in the house behind the church that had a stem cell transplant last week. His WBC is 0.04... How low can you go? He has been very weak this week, but his attitude remains positive. He came over to visit last week and I tried to prepare him for the worse, BUT, I also told him it would be a "Rewarding" experience. His wife visited yesterday... They are Stan and Susan from Florida.
Please pray for them as they go through this process. He is having mood swings this week and she is experiencing something in their relationship that she never has before.
My friend and boss, the interim pastor, has received notice he will not be continuing on in the church. The pastor search team is getting close to a decision. I believe in his heart he really wanted to stay, but I also feel the other side of him is ready to go. What does this bring for me? Dunno...
It is just too cold for me... It is currently 29 deg. I don't like it. I want to ride. I see visions of us getting on the bikes and just heading out for the weekend. I need it... ChemoSabe needs it.. Stretch and Rainman need it.. With that, we will probably get out too early in the year and freeze our buns off, just to get out.
Well, I am rambling. Just wanted to touch base with you and let you know all is well. ChemoSabe still has his sense of humor and good health. We are happy and content.
Thank you all for giving us encouragement and keeping us in your prayers throughout 2009. In four months it will be two years. Next month will be a year since my mother passed away. I just can't believe time has passed so quickly.
Good Afternoon, Dear Myrmidons and Love -- Pepper
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