Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Reunion

My brother has a family BBQ every year and this one was no different. Mostly its family and friends but this year was special. My brother had me invite a bunch of my old and new friends which was really nice because I was able to see everyone in a single visit. In addition to that my brother surprised me with a lot of folks from the old neighborhood. I felt like a celebrity sitting in my lounge chair. Chatting it up with people I haven't seen in years was really great as well as folks I see on a more regular basis. My brother put out one helluva spread of food. It was all yummy good. We stayed until dark and watched the fireworks show put on by my little brother Michael. It was awesome! Olivia loved the show and the day. She spent all her time playing with her friend Gracie and was often spotted running around hand in hand with each other. It was too cute. It was a long day and I slept like a baby when I got home. The party was great and I had a really great day.

Sunday we were surprised to find out that our neighbors got together and made a calendar outlining who will do chores like mowing the lawn. We were really taken a back by this generous gift. We really need the help at this time as I can't do the things I'd like to do any more and Sandy certainly has her hands full taking care of me and Olivia. We can't express enough gratitude to such a wonderful group of caring people. Thank You All!

The TPN seems to be working well. I have been gaining weight and my strength is slowly coming back. We met with my oncologist today and he was quite impressed with my physical being. We discussed pain management and he was able to give me a new script for the same medicine but in capsule form. This will enable my body to absorb more of the medicine and reduce my pain levels. So far it appears to be working. We have a couple more appointments later in the week. The important one will be with the nutritionist on Thursday.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Next Steps

Well I'm still here and wanted to let you all know what is going on with me. I have been on this weight loss slide for a couple of weeks and went to see a nutrition doctor last week. She is out of Albany Med and is very nice as well as her staff too. She recommended that I try a therapy called TPN which stands for Total Parenteral Nutrition. Its basically all the nutritional needs delivered via IV over 12 hours each night. I don't have to eat anything the traditional way which is good because that will reduce the output on my self made ostomy and hopefully I won't have to deal with so many leak accidents. In other words I'll be able to leave the house with confidence. A huge relief. Today is the fourth day of TPN treatment and things are going along well. My body is accepting it and showing no negative signs. I just got word that I'll be getting lipids in my infusion tonight. Basically fats so maybe I'll gain some weight back. So that's the medical side of things.

My new job as Chief Relaxation Officer is working out well. I have been spending lots of time in my new office (my hammock by the pool) watching my girls enjoy our new pool. We had our final inspection today and everything passed with out any issues. Our friend and neighbor built a deck for the pool and that came out great. We went with a composite deck board that is grey in color and it ended up matching the pool's walls. I am so grateful that my Mom was able to take Olivia overnight as we had new carpet installed throughout the whole house. It came out nice and Sandy did a fabulous job picking out the colors and style. 3 guys spent the day here installing the carpet. They arrived at 9 and left at 3. Done and done.

Overall I'm feeling really good and I'm looking forward to the my brother's BBQ picnic this Saturday. Even though I won't be eating anything. I'm also looking forward to rest of this week and the sunny weather.

Thanks to everyone in my life. I love you all!