TERRI’S SISTERHOOD OF THE SOON TO BE TRAVELING TA TA’S UPDATE

TERRI’S SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING TA TA’S and YA YA'S

NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER!

July through August 2013 Archive

Last Updated: 10/28/2013 10:28 PM

Done in reverse chronicle order. New entries on top, older on the bottom.

8/30/2013:

I was in the ER yesterday. It's usually par for the course on either a holiday weekend or a vacation.

I get what they call tonsiliths. It’s a white patch of calcium that blocks the tonsils (you can see it when you open your mouth and look in with a light-I usually feel it first). It's due to a piece of food getting stuck there and the body produces white blood cells and possible calcium deposits around it. They usually come out on their own after a week or two of salt water rinses, etc. This sucker wasn’t budging. When Bill went to the doctor on Monday for his cold, I said make me an appt too and let him look at it because by then my ear was hurting periodically and I saw a discharge and that never happened before. He put me on an antibiotic and said as the swelling went down, it should, in theory, pop out. Instead it was feeling worse and it was the biggest I’ve seen since I started getting them about 10 years ago. He couldn’t try to remove it because I have a sensitive gag reflex and he didn’t want to wear my lunch the rest of the day LOL. He suggested an iced teaspoon on the side of my tongue and working it back there and scraping it out. Meanwhile I tried that several times, an orange (Tupperware) peeler-you know what I mean, right? The ear part of my eyeglasses. I saw on-line they recommended a water pik. I don’t have one but went into the shower and used the pulsating nozzle-yep, you read that right LOL. Still nothing!

On Thursday I got an idea to call the dentist. I called about 10 of them. I asked if they would give me gas and use their suction thingie to remove it. No, they didn’t know how to bill for that because it was a medical, not dental procedure. Call an oral surgeon. He wanted a $200 consultation fee to even see me. One said to call an ENT-but it would take about 2 weeks to be seen.

On Friday before I ate anything, while Bill was working from home I was feeling miserable and asked him to take me to the local clinic. I thought we would be gone for maybe 45 minutes. Of course they were busy and I was there 2 hours to hear that he didn’t have long enough forceps there to remove it and was concerned that I might bleed and have a bigger issue. He suggested Tampa General. We waited in ER waiting room for 5 HOURS. Now of course, I do realize that there is heart attacks, strokes, etc. taking place behind the scenes but that was a long time for any ER. I sat in the waiting room chairs for about the first hour and then I couldn’t take it. Bill also got me a wheelchair but by then I was soo sore I couldn’t sit there long either. I had two blankets on me-it was like a damn meat locker in there. I never complain of being cold, so it had to be bad! I explain that I have stage 4 cancer and it’s in my leg and because of my back surgery I was in a lot of pain and could they please put me in a bed in a closet somewhere (just don’t forget about me LOL). Turns out they have lovely “quiet rooms”. What a blessing! It had a couch, table, and a few chairs along with a lovely view of the bay. I slept on the couch about 3 hours waiting. Poor Bill used up his batteries in his kindle and his phone reading LOL. Well, the nurse comes and said they are cleaning a bed for me and she’ll be right back. After waiting about 25 minutes, I’m looking out on the water and I see a fin. Then another fin. I jump up and scare the crap out of Bill and I’m look, look, look a dolphin! Well, it was in fact a pod of dolphins and they were using their sonar and the fish were jumping out of the water! It was so fun to watch and the most excitement we had all day and the nurse came in and we’re showing her the dolphins and she tells us they are there practically every day and it must be their dinner home base so she sits down and is watching them too LOL! Almost forgot what we came there for!

So they put me in the room and a young resident comes in. I apologize for mummy breath because I’ve been sleeping, not to mention these things smell funky anyway. I explain the situation and suggest what I thought the dentist could do if they were so inclined. He orders lidocaine spray, numbs me up and then, gets beeped out of the room. By the time he gets back, I’m not numb anymore so we have to re-numb. I’m holding my tongue out of the way with gauze so he can see and suction out the garbage. After about 5 tries it's all done. Turns out there were at least 3 and they were wedged in there, but they are out now, my throat hurts minimally and my ear just hurts a little from time to time.

Somewhere around 4 pm Bill and I thought about Kaylie and her not being out. A big THANK YOU to Lynn for taking her out, feeding her, and bringing her to her house to visit Dora. I still want to know if she understood Dora speaking Spanish to her! I actually think she understands French-or just likes it when we call her mademoiselle, and of course, all dogs understand “oui” because it sounds like something else LOL. I tried speaking all the Spanish I know to her this morning (which consists of all of two phrases LOL)-but I just got a crooked, confused face from her LOL. Actually, I think Spanish and French-to her-sounds like she is being sung to and okay, I sing to her from time to time and she likes it so go figure. She especially likes “High Hopes” which segues into the ants come marching one by one (with tickles on her belly and feet).

8/26/2013:

Not much new so nothing to post. I have given Bill a few weekends off on my bucket list. It's a good thing because he's sick. He wasn't feeling well last week and was blaming it on his sinuses, but now he can hardly talk without coughing. I took him to the doctor then and he was given antibiotics and a pulmonary inhaler. It should kick in soon. It was nice to take him to the doctor instead of the other way around :-) It's also a good thing he got sick on a non-bucket list weekend :-)

For those of you following Kaylie's training, she is doing well in some things and about the same in others. Overall, she has become a much more better behaved "kid".

8/11/2013:

Okay, so this weekend was spent with the big cats at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa Florida! It was amazing! First a little history. This is not a zoo, circus or tourist trap. This is a sanctuary for tigers, lions, bobcats etc that have been abused, abandoned or tortured. They all have a story (many sad stories) as to why they are there. What they charge to get in is to buy meat for the animals. 100% of profits from the gift shop also goes to the cats.

Most were rescued from people who thought owning a cub was "cute" until it reached maturity and became aggressive. One was there because it was at a drug den. They chained it into a room with the drugs, sort of like a watch dog. When police raid the place, usually they let the tiger go and ran out the back. They forgot to let the tiger go this time, so it wasn't a shoot to kill issue to save the community, but usually the "watch tiger" is killed to protect the surrounding neighborhood and the drug dealers go free.

Others are there (bobcats mostly) who were rescued from a auction that were bred for their coats. The sad part is they only want the white part of the coat on the bobcat's stomach, which is approximately less than 1/8 of the entire bobcat's coat. After they remove the white stomach fur, they discard the rest of the cat. I believe it takes more than 20 cats to make a full fur coat-so 20 cats have to die for one coat.

There were also some who were abandoned at their doorstep. Here are a few pictures...

Cameron is below (lion) Zabu is the white tiger below

Regarding photos below-the cage on the left is what the USDA says is the size they require for lions. Look at the picture on the right to see the poor lion confined to that cage. Please find the time to go to Catlaws.com to sign a petition allowing the use of this cage. At Big Cat Rescue even though all the cats are more than adequate enclosures, the animals are rotated to the back where there is a few acres including a lake (still enclosed) where they are allowed to run and swim around in a a huge enclosure so each cat gets quality time outside their regular cage!

I believe the animal below is a leopard. Big Cat Rescue would need to confirm this for me.

Nikita (lioness) below

8/3/2013-ADDENDUM:

I don't want to give anyone the idea that I am going anyplace anytime soon by working on my bucket list LOL. It's just that I want to do it as I am able to instead of waiting until I can't walk at all or be able to accomplish things I would like to do. Right now I vary between a cane and walker in the house to a motorized scooter outside. Since the tumor is in my leg and they put that rod in there to strengthen the bone, it won't work forever to reinforce that leg and it can break in time (or the arthritis in my hip where the titanium rod ends can also fail).

I also keep adding to my bucket list-since I will never plan to be caught up LOL. I will NOT be doing any skydiving, zip lines, surfing, mountain climbing or anything that might kill me immediately LOL.

8/3/2013:

For my friends on Farm, Bakery and Restaurant Story among others who don't understand the lymph pump...I play a lot of games on my kindle during the week because I need to sit in the following contraption 2-3 times a day (3 is best) for an hour each time. It also has to be elevated so the fluid runs in the right direction. While my one hand is in there, my other hand is feverishly playing my games LOL! My kindle or my dog is the only thing that keeps me sane LOL! For those who don't know what this does for me, let me try to explain. I had my lymph nodes removed (because they were positive for cancer) during my mastectomy (bilateral even though the cancer was in one breast-it greatly decreased the odds of it recurring in the other breast). My body cannot pump out the lymph fluid out of this arm on it's own anymore. The lymph system is part of your blood vessel system-think of it as removing water weight like a water pill might do. This pump sequentially pumps my arm from my hand/wrist up my forearm, upper arm and down into the abdomen (where the nearest working lymph nodes are for me). If I do not do this on a regular basis, it greatly increases my risk of infection, swelling, pain. It could potentially lead to blood poisoning (sepsis) and cause my organs to shut down and kill me. Because of this I cannot get blood pressure checked in this arm, needle sticks, bug bites, scratches, etc. because my chance of infection are high. If you look at the bucket list pictures, you will see my other sleeve (beige in color) that I must wear when I am out of this contraption. There is also one on my leg these past 6 months due to lymphadema there. Since my tumor has metastased (spread) into my leg, the radiation I got there also killed my lymph system in that leg, though it's not bad enough to use the beast (the pump below) AKA known as the chair, sleeve, pump and a whole lot of names I can't list LOL.

8/2/2013:

NOTE: The following pictures have some history behind them. I love animals. Always have. Should have been a zoologist or marine biologist. Bill-not so much LOL. I once thought of becoming a veterinarian, but would panic with my own pets if they were hurt (the one time my gerbil got stuck in a toilet paper tube (he was fat from sunflower seeds), I completely panicked. My mom, who hated Muffin, just picked up the tube and whoosh! She just whipped him out of there with no damage at all to either of them. There is the seagull story, many turtles, rabbits, etc that I have brought home. Also found a baby one time (about a year or so old-in a onesie and bare feet) (I kid you not), but that's another story.

Since my cancer is Stage 4, I am now working on my bucket list (which is a good movie if you haven't seen it). No skydiving for me. Just the idea to hold or feed as many exotic animals that I can. I'm not worried about parrots-been there and done that with my own birds. So, much to Bill's dismay, I have been asking several parks nearby to feed, pet, or hold what I can and they have been more than accommodating. I have to thank Lowry Park Zoo, Safari Wilderness, and Gatorland! Thank you for their compassionate staff to spend some time with a pink ribbon lady who has a dream.

FYI-Yes, I did update my hair. I'm 1/2 head away from just doing the whole head LOL. It was just done yesterday so it will fade some.

Once the one lemur, Pushy, learned he can climb my cane, it was a matter of shaking him off from time to time LOL. Thanks to Jean and Kathy!

Bill is not fond of parrots flying overhead. He never was even when I had a parakeet, rainbow lory, or yellow-collared macaw, yet he mustered the courage to come into the aviary instead of being outside watching me feed them. I think you can tell he enjoyed himself.

Carol sent me a website that I used a few tissues on. Thought you would enjoy this too. Thanks Carol!

A dear friend sent me this tonight (thank you Andi). I thought you would enjoy it. I did have to use a tissue or two LOL. If you keep this up, you will have to supply me with tissues soon. Somewhere over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World both always makes me cry. I'm guessing that those hormone shots I'm getting every month is starting to catch up with me LOL!

SO WHAT IF I'M OLDER

As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play, on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50, 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But, broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

Thanks to Matt (zipline) and Andrew for their time and help with these pictures. Matt was kind enough to offer the zipline over the gator pits. I am willing to hold anything (except a centipede-I hate those!) as long as my feet are on the ground LOL!

Below-Bearded lizard. So very cool (literally). You can tell they are cold blood creatures!

A tarantula! I could hardly feel him in my hand. Even when he moved, a mosquito feels bigger.

Thank you to Doug for contacting Melinda, and to Melinda for for bringing them to me.

Southern American three banded armadillo. They are the only armadillo who can close completely into a ball. It you notice, their tail and head fit together. It's hard to tell, but they walk on their tiptoes!

Below is an anteater. His tongue is about 12 inches long and very thin and grey like an earthworm. I couldn't hold him, check out the toenails. I was able to feed him honey though.

The little guy below they would not allow me to hold LOL! But his pictures are to precious to pass up.

Oh it just always has to be something LOL. Okay, I get with the metal rod in my hip/knee I'm going to have some pain. I just don't want to rely on narcotics to help that pain. I was usually getting away with EX Strength 8 hour arthritis formula Tylenol during the day and taking the narcotics in the afternoon or at night. This way, if I had to take a short trip into town, I was comfortable driving on nothing harder than Tylenol. I stick close to home even when I do drive. Maybe within 10 miles-grocery store, drug store, etc. The most if a ride to Moffitt which is about 20 minutes each way (I time my appointments when there is no morning or evening traffic). The pain is mostly getting in and out of the car and walking or standing for a long period. I use my cane or walker (the walker has a part I can sit on if I get too tired or in too much pain). Once I'm behind the wheel and just on Tylenol I feel fine-just my ankle moves (gas and brake pedal LOL). I don't think I'm that out of it when I'm on the narcotics, but I don't want to take that chance.

So recently I developed more back pain with the hip pain and my knee pain getting a little worse. Even with physical therapy, etc. I've also developed more swelling in that leg. Soooo, after all is said and done, I now have lymphadema in that leg (still to be determined for sure along with a treatment plan). Right now, I have a compression stocking on that leg along with my arm and the swelling is better in the leg. I just look like the picture of the fife and drum painting from the Revolutionary War LOL!

The back/hip/knee pain is a little different. It's due to the metal rod-which was not an option-it was needed before my femur broke from the tumor. I also knew I had arthritis in these areas, but it has gotten worse, especially in my hip. This pain is radiating to my back, which is ticking the back off. The knee just doesn't want to be left out so there is pain there too.

After I'm evaluated by my lymphadema physical therapist and if my oncologist okays it, I hope to try some cortisone shots in my hip, which; hopefully, will give me less pain and the less need for the "good meds". Of course, this means seeing another doctor on a regular basis (ortho). I'd rather live with a little more pain and keep my independence with being able to drive and go places on my own without relying on Bill all the time.

Oh, I still have my pink hair. It's a darker pink and a little longer. I'm trying to decide whether to keep the pink all the time or just in October for Breast Cancer Awareness. I would also do less pink-more like highlights. So what do you think?