Springtime In Colorado

View Out Back April 29

We had a little snow last night and this morning. Spring in Colorado. We went from about 80° last weekend to snow this weekend and we will be back tom 80° by next weekend. Sunny yesterday, cloudy today sunny tomorrow. 

PET scan early yesterday morning and then we did little the rest of the day. Reading, napping, and little shopping, and a little cooking. We also covered outside potted herbs in preparation for cold weather. Last night I made a classic marinara sauce and Sharon made eggplant rollatini from a Giada De Laurentis recipe. The filling was tasty but the rest of Giada's preparation was not. We will likely use the filling recipe again but not the rest. The marinara was easy and tasty. I used  New York Times Cooking recipe by Julia Moskin.

 

Tired of Blood Tests

How many times and how often do I really need the same blood tests? I had blood tests last Friday, and then again on Tuesday, and I will have more next week. I am tired of being stuck. 

Yesterday I was also stuck for a bone marrow biopsy. I took an Ativan 30 minutes before the procedure - should have taken it sooner. At least the Nurse Practitioner who did the biopsy listened to me when I told her it often took a little more time and a little more Lidocaine to have full effect on me. When she hit me with a needle a little too soon and I let out a big "ouch" she hit me with more Lidocaine and waited a bit more. But still, when they hit you with the drill in your pelvis and then extract bone marrow, no amount of Lidocaine helps. Even Ativan needs some help. I wonder how many more of these I am going to have to endure?

Calendar Update

Chemo Cost Update

Chemo costs for March 21 to March 23:

3/21/2017 - $26, 966.57

3/22/2017 -   $1,160.52

3/23/2017 - $14, 551.76

On March 20 blood tests and a PET scan came to $13,789.72

All of these are what the hospital billed Medicare. The amount Medicare paid to the hospital was considerable less.

And on another note...

I just got back from an oncology massage and feel great. I'll get one more in before the transplant. Wish I could get one while I am in the hospital! The University of Colorado does not seem to be very proactive when it comes to alternative medicine or integrative care. They do offer some integrative services but they are in the background and I think we have to seek them out. Boulder Community Hospital, perhaps being Boulder is more cutting edge when it comes to these services. Now if Medicare and other insurance companies would recognize the benefits and provide some coverage.

Easter Sunday - After Cycle Four

As I said in my last entry, this last cycle was a hard one. Today is Easter Sunday, the third day after the cycle and I am feeling much, much better. I have energy again and am feeling pretty good. 

Sharon is off at Orange Theory getting her exercise on and I am piddling around the house. I rearranged the loft - again. It is a long narrow area and I keep trying to make it a combination TV room/music room. It works for music but is too narrow for two chairs to sit in front to the TV. Narrower chairs? It is the smallest loft I have seen in a home!

Now that Sharon is back from exercise we will be off seeking a late breakfast/brunch/lunch somewhere in Longmont. We'll try City Cafe first, then is not there Comida. If we strike out we can always come home!

 

Calcots & Romesco

 

Longmont Farmers Market Entertainment

 

Longmont Farmers Market

 

Goldfinch

 

Easter Bunnies

This morning I watched two Easter Bunnies tossing eggs in and around the greenbelt behind our house. They were disguised as somewhat regular people but I knew they were really Easter Bunnies. When they were done a crowd of adults and kids appeared and shortly later they were running around collecting eggs. They seemed to have fun.

This week was the last of my four cycles of R-CEOP chemo and it was the toughest by far. I think it was a tough one because in addition to the chemo I had a large number of additional blood tests, a Pulmonary Function Test, an Echocardiogram, a meeting with the Psychologist, a meeting with the Apheresis doctor, a meeting with the Transplant Coordinator, a meeting with a dietician, and all this compounded by scheduling issues on Thursday. It wore me out and I am still tired. The next step in this process is another bone marrow biopsy and a PET scan. I am pretty much OK with or just resigned to all of this but am having mental issues with the catheter they will put in me and which I will have to live with for three to six months. This makes me nervous - more so than much of the rest of the process. IF you want to know about the process go back to the blog entry where I linked to an article by the American Cancer Society explaining the stem cell transplant process. I have been approved for the stem cell transplant - apparently by both Medicare and my doctor. Now we just go through the steps as outlined on the previous blog entry with my schedule.

Oh, we now have new wills, a revocable trust, various powers of attorney, final directives, living wills, and all those other things we need to to keep all the lawyers and financial institutions happy. Sharon and I both requested parties when we are gone and I specified bourbon drinking. I think we will both the fertilizing trees some day.

We continue to enjoy the new Camaro both top up and top down. It makes the round trips to the hospital a lot more fun. Sharon has set the high speed record at 94mph. She likes the fact that she can easily pass most anything on the road and enjoys the handling.

We found California spring onions at Whole Foods this week and made our version of calcots They turned out great and Sharon's romesco sauce was perfect. I am glad I still have some taste buds to enjoy treats like this. Here's to feeling better in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

 

My Schedule