And today happens to be one of those rare Saturdays that Ben doesn’t have to work. So, I slept in until late. This evening, when I was planning on updating this, Ben and I have been watching Doctor Who episodes. So, my apologies.
I have to be more careful with my pain med doses. I had my alarm set for 4AM to take my pain meds. But when the alarm went off, I guess I forgot to take my meds. So, 5:30 I wake up, wondering why I’m hurting. Checked the pillbox and found my 4AM meds, duh!
So, between not taking them because I don’t have them handy last night—I dug out a small portable pillbox—and not taking them when the alarm goes off—I’m going to have to work on that—I haven’t had a great day. And I do need to take these meds every four hours.
So, I may get to updating more substantively tomorrow. I hope!
Kunolunkwa y te quiero!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Too Many Things…
…to talk about, tonight, so I’m just going to bring up one thing tonight. I’ll see if I can get to the rest of them tomorrow.
My brother, Bill, and his lovely wife, Julie, who will be celebrating 12 years of wedded bliss very soon, had invited me to dinner on Thursday night. While they were at it, they invited Julie’s sister, Ellen’s, family, Julie’s parents, and my mother as well. Julie’s sister happens to have two yonkers, a boy and a girl! Can you tell where this is going?
I tried to take some back roads that I haven’t been on in years and what with the darkness, the rain, and the unfamiliarity I got turned around. So I headed over to roads that I knew better and did just fine.
Doing so, however, took me past the roadside location where my best friend died 9 years ago. I guess I’m never going to give up on that, huh? So, I took my hat off as I drove by. The guy that had been riding my bumper all the way from town decided to back off and give me some room for some reason.
It was nice to see Julie’s folks. I had thought of stopping by their house on the way down, only to find out from talking with them that they had sold that place and had moved closer to the grandkids. Sometimes memories work against you!
Julie had cooked a great meal—I wasn’t sure that Bill would tell you, Julie, so I had to put it here—and I found myself wishing I could have eaten a lot more. But it was nice to see how most everyone pitched in to help get it on the table. It was primarily Italian so it had plenty of flavors! I could taste it even with my limping taste buds. At the end of the meal, she served desert and that’s when I was able to start teasing the kids.
Michael is 6-years-old and I hadn’t seen him since Lorie, Tayler, and Robin had last been here in 2002, I believe. You can’t say they grow up fast if you don’t see them for almost six years! They’re just here.
But Michael seems like a great kid, great sense of humor, and full of life.
Gabrielle—I hope I’m spelling this right since I didn’t take notes—was a sweet young lady. I was told that when she found out that she’d be meeting uncle Bill’s brother, she decided against the jeans and t-shirt and went with a skirt and blouse. This at almost 4-years-old!
She had been rather shy so we played it cool for a while. But as I said, at desert, I thought I’d make my move.
I have a pen/stylus for my HP iPAQ that contains a laser pointer and a small flashlight. So, while Gabrielle was settling in to eat her custard pie, I pointed the laser beam at her piece of pie. She stopped, fork poised in the air, and watched what was transpiring.
Now, Michael was sitting right alongside of her and figured it out immediately and enjoys my eternal gratitude for not saying anything about what I was doing. I said he was a good kid!
So, after watching the dot on the pie, and listening to comments from the folks around her for awhile, she went off into the kitchen to talk to Aunt Julie about the “red dot” that was on her pie. Julie, having no idea what was going on had to come back into the dining room to see what was going on. You see, B&J live in an old farmhouse that, in the fall, gets an influx of those Asian beetles that look like ladybugs but stink to high heaven when squished. They wait until spring then, if they survived the eradication and cleaning efforts, to come out of hibernation and make everyone’s life interesting. And we happened to have one flitting around the chandelier earlier in the evening.
But, Julie’s quick, and figured it out real fast what I was up to. So, we had Gabrielle sitting in front of her pie, while her father would “catch” the red dot off her pie and stick it in his mouth to “eat” it. It was hilarious! I looked up and down the table at all the smiles that were going on over my antics, realizing that I like smiles! And these folks know about how I love kids.
I finally got an attack of conscience and had to let her know that it was Uncle Bill’s brother that was messing with her and let her play with the laser pointer for a while.
All and all, a memorable evening.
I don’t know if they could tell that I was really tired, because I hardly moved from my chair and I should have been more physical with the kids.
But, it was time for the cameras to come out and I did get a couple of pictures. You should be able to tell from the pictures that I too that I wasn’t feeling too well because I usually do better.
PHOTOS
Michael is the subject of the first photo, so intent on getting a tiny RC car working.
My brother, Bill, and his lovely wife, Julie, who will be celebrating 12 years of wedded bliss very soon, had invited me to dinner on Thursday night. While they were at it, they invited Julie’s sister, Ellen’s, family, Julie’s parents, and my mother as well. Julie’s sister happens to have two yonkers, a boy and a girl! Can you tell where this is going?
I tried to take some back roads that I haven’t been on in years and what with the darkness, the rain, and the unfamiliarity I got turned around. So I headed over to roads that I knew better and did just fine.
Doing so, however, took me past the roadside location where my best friend died 9 years ago. I guess I’m never going to give up on that, huh? So, I took my hat off as I drove by. The guy that had been riding my bumper all the way from town decided to back off and give me some room for some reason.It was nice to see Julie’s folks. I had thought of stopping by their house on the way down, only to find out from talking with them that they had sold that place and had moved closer to the grandkids. Sometimes memories work against you!
Julie had cooked a great meal—I wasn’t sure that Bill would tell you, Julie, so I had to put it here—and I found myself wishing I could have eaten a lot more. But it was nice to see how most everyone pitched in to help get it on the table. It was primarily Italian so it had plenty of flavors! I could taste it even with my limping taste buds. At the end of the meal, she served desert and that’s when I was able to start teasing the kids.
Michael is 6-years-old and I hadn’t seen him since Lorie, Tayler, and Robin had last been here in 2002, I believe. You can’t say they grow up fast if you don’t see them for almost six years! They’re just here.But Michael seems like a great kid, great sense of humor, and full of life.
Gabrielle—I hope I’m spelling this right since I didn’t take notes—was a sweet young lady. I was told that when she found out that she’d be meeting uncle Bill’s brother, she decided against the jeans and t-shirt and went with a skirt and blouse. This at almost 4-years-old!
She had been rather shy so we played it cool for a while. But as I said, at desert, I thought I’d make my move.
I have a pen/stylus for my HP iPAQ that contains a laser pointer and a small flashlight. So, while Gabrielle was settling in to eat her custard pie, I pointed the laser beam at her piece of pie. She stopped, fork poised in the air, and watched what was transpiring.
Now, Michael was sitting right alongside of her and figured it out immediately and enjoys my eternal gratitude for not saying anything about what I was doing. I said he was a good kid!
So, after watching the dot on the pie, and listening to comments from the folks around her for awhile, she went off into the kitchen to talk to Aunt Julie about the “red dot” that was on her pie. Julie, having no idea what was going on had to come back into the dining room to see what was going on. You see, B&J live in an old farmhouse that, in the fall, gets an influx of those Asian beetles that look like ladybugs but stink to high heaven when squished. They wait until spring then, if they survived the eradication and cleaning efforts, to come out of hibernation and make everyone’s life interesting. And we happened to have one flitting around the chandelier earlier in the evening.But, Julie’s quick, and figured it out real fast what I was up to. So, we had Gabrielle sitting in front of her pie, while her father would “catch” the red dot off her pie and stick it in his mouth to “eat” it. It was hilarious! I looked up and down the table at all the smiles that were going on over my antics, realizing that I like smiles! And these folks know about how I love kids.
I finally got an attack of conscience and had to let her know that it was Uncle Bill’s brother that was messing with her and let her play with the laser pointer for a while.
All and all, a memorable evening.I don’t know if they could tell that I was really tired, because I hardly moved from my chair and I should have been more physical with the kids.
But, it was time for the cameras to come out and I did get a couple of pictures. You should be able to tell from the pictures that I too that I wasn’t feeling too well because I usually do better.
PHOTOS
Michael is the subject of the first photo, so intent on getting a tiny RC car working.
Gabrielle is the focus of the second photo, sitting in Aunt Julie’s lap, while mom, Ellen, and brother, Michael, look on. Look at those eyes! Don't they just break your heart?
The third photo has that guy from the streets on the left--how does he keep getting into my photos anyway--then my mom, brother Bill, and then Julie!
Now, the fourth photo shows Gabrielle's proud mom, Ellen, along with that street guy again. I'm sorry that it's a little blurry, but that sometimes happens when somone uses cameras they're not used to. As you can probably tell, Ellen is a bon vivant, otherwise known as a fun-loving person. And she's a good listener, too!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Oleander Soup????
Hey, does anyone have any oleander lying around their yard that they want to get rid of or cut back on? I’m looking for some. I ran across some references that indicate that oleander soup is useful in treating cancer.
The major drawback to this plan is that the oleander plant is poisonous!
Now, most folks will tell you that the entire plant is poisonous whether fresh, dried or boiled. Then, there are other folks who will tell you that boiling the plant destroys the neurotoxins and the rest of the mixture is actually beneficial to the human body.
It seems that Turks, among other ancient peoples, historically have used the plant for medicine, including cancer treatment. You can read about the use of the plant here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
The problem with the use of oleander as a medicine goes back to the Turkish doctor who tried to bring this medicine to the world. Unfamiliar with governments, especially the US government, he actually told the truth about what he was trying to do. Normally I would think that would be a good thing, but not when dealing with governments.
Once the FDA got wind that the drug that was being made from the oleander plant was an anti-cancer drug, no stone was left unturned trying to keep it from the public.
You may think that the governmental agencies like the FDA are here to protect and serve you. Yeah, just like the police are here to protect and serve you. It reminds me of when, as a college student, I tried to tell my mother that Richard M. Nixon was guilty of a variety of crimes. She just couldn’t believe that the President of the United States would actually break the laws of this country.
I lost a good online friend who couldn’t believe my claim that the US government was actively involved in killing its citizens in this day and age. You see, the governmental agencies have rules that they couldn’t conceive of breaking even if it meant that US citizens would die. If you don’t save them when it is within your power to do so, that’s as good as murder to me.
Take the FDA for example. There are drugs out there that have been approved in quite a few “civilized” countries and that have proven themselves safe and effective. But here in the states, they’ve only started undergoing trials.
Now, there are patients in this country who are terminal, who only have 3 to 6 months to live, that these drugs could, in all likelihood, save from a premature death. Despite the fact that they are approved for use in other countries and are passing the tests in this country, the FDA won’t allow American citizens to take those “foreign” drugs. Even if it means that they DIE!
Now, the patient could jump on a plane to whatever is the closest country utilizing those drugs to seek treatment, if they have the money. But how many can do that?
Now, if you and I are walking down the road and see someone who is drowning in the river next to the road and I refuse to pull that person from the water, have I committed a crime? How about if I prevent you from helping that person? In either case, you wouldn’t suggest that I was “protecting and serving” my fellow man by allowing him to drown. So how is it you think that the FDA is protecting and serving you?
So, the FDA has restricted any sales of oleander-based “nutritional supplements” because one doctor told the truth as he saw it when he said that the plant could treat cancer. Which leave me to the mercies of one company in Honduras, who sells something similar for quite a chunk of change. Or, I’m left with the alternative of seeking the plants to make my own. Assuming that I am going to do this, how are they protecting me now? I won’t have the benefit of some company’s Quality Control policies and procedures. I’m out there on my own! Gee, thanks, FDA!
~~~~~~~~~
Last night I awakened rather abruptly coughing my lungs out. Or, to be more specific, I was coughing stomach contents out of my lungs. Yup, I had some back up due to the gas that I mention every now and again, and it went down the wrong pipe. It’s not exactly a nice way of waking let me assure you. I’m going to have to start taking my nighttime meds even earlier it looks like so I don’t have anything on my stomach when I go to sleep. It would help if I digested things faster too!
~~~~~~~~~
Since the oleander is a subtropical plant there should be quite a few in Florida. Amy, aren’t those tall shrubs against your back wall oleanders? It would be a good idea to keep the dogs away from them.
Kunolunkwa, y te quiero!
The major drawback to this plan is that the oleander plant is poisonous!
Now, most folks will tell you that the entire plant is poisonous whether fresh, dried or boiled. Then, there are other folks who will tell you that boiling the plant destroys the neurotoxins and the rest of the mixture is actually beneficial to the human body.
It seems that Turks, among other ancient peoples, historically have used the plant for medicine, including cancer treatment. You can read about the use of the plant here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
The problem with the use of oleander as a medicine goes back to the Turkish doctor who tried to bring this medicine to the world. Unfamiliar with governments, especially the US government, he actually told the truth about what he was trying to do. Normally I would think that would be a good thing, but not when dealing with governments.
Once the FDA got wind that the drug that was being made from the oleander plant was an anti-cancer drug, no stone was left unturned trying to keep it from the public.
You may think that the governmental agencies like the FDA are here to protect and serve you. Yeah, just like the police are here to protect and serve you. It reminds me of when, as a college student, I tried to tell my mother that Richard M. Nixon was guilty of a variety of crimes. She just couldn’t believe that the President of the United States would actually break the laws of this country.
I lost a good online friend who couldn’t believe my claim that the US government was actively involved in killing its citizens in this day and age. You see, the governmental agencies have rules that they couldn’t conceive of breaking even if it meant that US citizens would die. If you don’t save them when it is within your power to do so, that’s as good as murder to me.
Take the FDA for example. There are drugs out there that have been approved in quite a few “civilized” countries and that have proven themselves safe and effective. But here in the states, they’ve only started undergoing trials.
Now, there are patients in this country who are terminal, who only have 3 to 6 months to live, that these drugs could, in all likelihood, save from a premature death. Despite the fact that they are approved for use in other countries and are passing the tests in this country, the FDA won’t allow American citizens to take those “foreign” drugs. Even if it means that they DIE!
Now, the patient could jump on a plane to whatever is the closest country utilizing those drugs to seek treatment, if they have the money. But how many can do that?
Now, if you and I are walking down the road and see someone who is drowning in the river next to the road and I refuse to pull that person from the water, have I committed a crime? How about if I prevent you from helping that person? In either case, you wouldn’t suggest that I was “protecting and serving” my fellow man by allowing him to drown. So how is it you think that the FDA is protecting and serving you?
So, the FDA has restricted any sales of oleander-based “nutritional supplements” because one doctor told the truth as he saw it when he said that the plant could treat cancer. Which leave me to the mercies of one company in Honduras, who sells something similar for quite a chunk of change. Or, I’m left with the alternative of seeking the plants to make my own. Assuming that I am going to do this, how are they protecting me now? I won’t have the benefit of some company’s Quality Control policies and procedures. I’m out there on my own! Gee, thanks, FDA!
~~~~~~~~~
Last night I awakened rather abruptly coughing my lungs out. Or, to be more specific, I was coughing stomach contents out of my lungs. Yup, I had some back up due to the gas that I mention every now and again, and it went down the wrong pipe. It’s not exactly a nice way of waking let me assure you. I’m going to have to start taking my nighttime meds even earlier it looks like so I don’t have anything on my stomach when I go to sleep. It would help if I digested things faster too!
~~~~~~~~~
Since the oleander is a subtropical plant there should be quite a few in Florida. Amy, aren’t those tall shrubs against your back wall oleanders? It would be a good idea to keep the dogs away from them.
Kunolunkwa, y te quiero!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
"Pain, Or Something Like It….
...has got a hold on me." Recognize the lyrics to that old Kenny Rogers song?
I slept last night right up ‘til noon today. But it wasn’t an undisturbed sleep. My liver, hip joint, and right shoulder kept waking me up. I did the old sweating number a couple of times, as well, which also woke me up.
But I did learn something last night as well. A while back, I felt too exhausted to get out of bed to get to my pain meds, so I brought my pain meds to bed. Now that I have them bedside, how do I tell if I already took some?
I awake in pain, roll over, take a pain pill, and go back to sleep. I awake later, in pain, roll over, take another pain pill, and go back to sleep. I awake again, in pain… You see my problem? Pretty soon I’m not going to be waking up in pain, if I even wake up at all.
I found that out last night, but I went the opposite way. I didn’t take a pain pill because I might already have taken one and didn’t remember. I’m very big on survival instincts, if you haven’t been able to tell by now. So, I might have caused, or at least contributed to, my pain issues overnight.
So, I’ve had to dig out the pillboxes and I’ll have to figure out a system to stock the two different pain meds so that a sleep-befuddled mind like mine can understand what’s going on in the middle of the night.
I have short term and long acting meds. The long term only needs to be taken twice a day, 12 hours apart. The short term needs to be taken every 4 to 6 hours, even though I no longer have the acetaminophen to worry about. The problem exists that I can stretch things out to six hours when I am feeling good, and that throws any schedule off.
For a while, I was writing the times I took my meds down on my mirror in dry erasable marker just to try and keep track. But I’m not always near my mirror to keep track of what was going on. Then I switched to my iPAQ. Better, but still not satisfying enough for me.
But I have my pill box set up for tomorrow; I’ll see how it works.
Sorry this is so late, but I wanted a hot bath so I’ve been indulging. It does help a bit. And I just took my last pain meds for tonight. Hopefully, I’ll sleep better.
Kunolunkwa, y te quiero!
I slept last night right up ‘til noon today. But it wasn’t an undisturbed sleep. My liver, hip joint, and right shoulder kept waking me up. I did the old sweating number a couple of times, as well, which also woke me up.
But I did learn something last night as well. A while back, I felt too exhausted to get out of bed to get to my pain meds, so I brought my pain meds to bed. Now that I have them bedside, how do I tell if I already took some?
I awake in pain, roll over, take a pain pill, and go back to sleep. I awake later, in pain, roll over, take another pain pill, and go back to sleep. I awake again, in pain… You see my problem? Pretty soon I’m not going to be waking up in pain, if I even wake up at all.
I found that out last night, but I went the opposite way. I didn’t take a pain pill because I might already have taken one and didn’t remember. I’m very big on survival instincts, if you haven’t been able to tell by now. So, I might have caused, or at least contributed to, my pain issues overnight.
So, I’ve had to dig out the pillboxes and I’ll have to figure out a system to stock the two different pain meds so that a sleep-befuddled mind like mine can understand what’s going on in the middle of the night.
I have short term and long acting meds. The long term only needs to be taken twice a day, 12 hours apart. The short term needs to be taken every 4 to 6 hours, even though I no longer have the acetaminophen to worry about. The problem exists that I can stretch things out to six hours when I am feeling good, and that throws any schedule off.
For a while, I was writing the times I took my meds down on my mirror in dry erasable marker just to try and keep track. But I’m not always near my mirror to keep track of what was going on. Then I switched to my iPAQ. Better, but still not satisfying enough for me.
But I have my pill box set up for tomorrow; I’ll see how it works.
Sorry this is so late, but I wanted a hot bath so I’ve been indulging. It does help a bit. And I just took my last pain meds for tonight. Hopefully, I’ll sleep better.
Kunolunkwa, y te quiero!
Monday, April 7, 2008
What To Say, What To Say?
I think the hardest part of writing this blog is the title. I mean I have 225 posts here. How many titles do you think you can come up with within the scope of the blog?
Anyway, yesterday I slept in until 10 or 11 AM. And trying to deal with the fever and sweats I pretty much stayed in bed all day. Awake! So I was very surprised when I didn’t fall asleep until after 5AM MONDAY MORNING!!!
I don’t know what went on there unless it was the caffeine in the Starbucks Mud Pie ice cream and the Arizona Green Tea. But I didn’t have that much! I swear!
So today I was up before 10AM, called my doctor’s office to follow up on the ER visit, and ended up going in for a visit.
Apparently there is no infection, although the smell of my flatulence and feces tells me that I just may have an intestinal infection. Hey, every bit of information helps to deal with this stuff! The doc says that the fevers/sweats are from the liver and that I do have a tumor in the left hip. So there!
So, I got a prescription renewed for more pain meds without the nasty acetaminophen, so I don’t have to worry about killing my liver. :-) It’s so-o-o funny. The prescriptions are good for only 3 days; they can only prescribe 30 days at a time; along with a long list of what can’t be done. Isn’t it nice to know that my government doesn’t want me to feel too good while I suffer through this? I sometimes think that governments feeds off the pain and suffering so they do as much as possible to see that those conditions occur. I may freak you out later with some ideas about this issue that I've picked up that have me wondering..... The problem is it make too much sense.
I didn’t hear from H. Lee Moffitt today, so I’ll give them a call tomorrow to see if we can’t schedule something a little earlier!
I did get a nap earlier tonight ‘cause I was so-o-o tired but I only wanted to sleep a little while. Fortunately, I got a phone call that woke me up, otherwise I’d probably still be sleeping and would wake up around 2AM. Otherwise, I didn’t have any Starbuck’s ice cream tonight!
Kunolunkwa, y te quiero!
Anyway, yesterday I slept in until 10 or 11 AM. And trying to deal with the fever and sweats I pretty much stayed in bed all day. Awake! So I was very surprised when I didn’t fall asleep until after 5AM MONDAY MORNING!!!
I don’t know what went on there unless it was the caffeine in the Starbucks Mud Pie ice cream and the Arizona Green Tea. But I didn’t have that much! I swear!
So today I was up before 10AM, called my doctor’s office to follow up on the ER visit, and ended up going in for a visit.
Apparently there is no infection, although the smell of my flatulence and feces tells me that I just may have an intestinal infection. Hey, every bit of information helps to deal with this stuff! The doc says that the fevers/sweats are from the liver and that I do have a tumor in the left hip. So there!
So, I got a prescription renewed for more pain meds without the nasty acetaminophen, so I don’t have to worry about killing my liver. :-) It’s so-o-o funny. The prescriptions are good for only 3 days; they can only prescribe 30 days at a time; along with a long list of what can’t be done. Isn’t it nice to know that my government doesn’t want me to feel too good while I suffer through this? I sometimes think that governments feeds off the pain and suffering so they do as much as possible to see that those conditions occur. I may freak you out later with some ideas about this issue that I've picked up that have me wondering..... The problem is it make too much sense.
I didn’t hear from H. Lee Moffitt today, so I’ll give them a call tomorrow to see if we can’t schedule something a little earlier!
I did get a nap earlier tonight ‘cause I was so-o-o tired but I only wanted to sleep a little while. Fortunately, I got a phone call that woke me up, otherwise I’d probably still be sleeping and would wake up around 2AM. Otherwise, I didn’t have any Starbuck’s ice cream tonight!
Kunolunkwa, y te quiero!
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