I've Been De-Ported!

Just a quick note to let you all know that my mediport was removed yesterday. My chest is sore where it was cut out and sewn back shut but that will heal and go away. I am so happy that it's gone, and I hope I never have to make the decision to put it back in.

Whew, now I can take the large binder clip off of the passenger-side seat belt!

Next stop along my pathway: I will have a CT scan the first week of December. Then another PET scan will follow 6 months after that.

PET Scan Results

Just an update: On Monday Sept 22nd I had a PET/CT scan done and the bottom line is that "There is no PET-CT evidence of residual or recurrent tumor." Apparently I have some "mildly hypermetabolic subpleural nodular densities" in my lungs which are "likely related to either focal atelectasis versus infectious/inflammatory process." What this means is that I have some small areas of collapsed lung that is usually of no major consequence, I guess caused by the chemo. That's no big deal, really. (Added 10/6/08: We spoke with the oncologist today and she is indicating that the "focal atelectasis" could be caused by the way my lungs were sitting or resting during the PET scan. They did not tell me to take a deep breath or anything. As a matter of fact I was probably asleep when the 45-minute scan reached that area. So it may not be collapsed lung after all. So, it could be less than nothing. I'll have a follow-up CT scan in a couple of months. They make you take a breath and fill your lungs for that one.) Other than that and some inflammation from the surgical scar tissue the findings were unremarkable. Which is the way we like them!

The neuropathy is still troubling my hands and feet. As this is exacerbated by cold, I will continue to be on medical leave from work until at least the first of the year. I am still unable to handle cold items at length so handling cold and frozen blood products all day (as I would have to do in my job) would be a problem. I will put off going to work until the neuropathy subsides. Which hopefully it will.

My oncologist wanted me to keep the mediport for a year. Is she kidding me? I SOOOO cannot wait to have it removed. It's scheduled to come out next week, October 9th.

On a different note, Dave and I are headed to Paso Robles for the weekend. We are going wine tasting with some friends. Before we head back on Sunday we will stop by Hearst Castle. Though we've all been there before (I think) we are looking forward to seeing more of this magnificent place.

I have been having fun re-connecting with old high school classmates on Facebook. If any of you drop in here, I'd like to give you a giant wave and an enthusiastic "Hello and Welcome"!!!

Spa Weekend Sunday

*This is the 4th of 4 posts on the Spa Weekend. Please see the previous 3 posts for the beginning of this 4-part series. ;-)*

Sunday morning we packed our belongings and headed over to Coronado Island to have brunch at the Hotel del Coronado, a very beautiful historic property. Portions of Some Like It Hot (with Marilyn Monroe) were actually filmed there. I’ve been there a couple of times before and have really enjoyed having lunch on the patio, with a view of the ocean just ahead. This time was a little bit different. The Sunday Brunch is buffet only, so no table service was available. That did dampen the experience for us somewhat. We did still have the view though. I would recommend going for a regular table service meal. It is pricey, hence my inclination to go for lunch.

After brunch we still had some time to kill so we drove to Old Town and walked through reading up on the history. Then we decided to head to the airport and try to catch an earlier flight. We were unsuccessful (and our flight was even an hour delayed) but we relaxed with a book (after such a relaxing weekend how could we get uptight?) and came home when we could, to a very happy, wiggly 130-pound Akita. Sigh… We are back in the real world now.

Spa Weekend Saturday

*This is the 3rd of 4 posts on the Spa Weekend. Please see the previous 2 posts for the beginning of this 4-part series. ;-)*

Saturday was the reason that we went to this resort/spa. After a nice breakfast we headed over to the Chopra Center for the first of our Ayurvedic spa treatments. You can learn more about these types of treatments here: http://www.chopra.com/spa. We didn’t get into the yoga/meditation element of the Chopra Center but boy did we take part in the treatments! My first treatment was actually a combination of the Abhyanga and the Oshadhi. The first one is a rhythmic friction massage designed to move the lymphatic system along and loosens toxins at the cellular level. The second treatment was a blissful body wrap in oil and herbs and hot towels, sheets. I was wrapped up like a cocoon and just relaxed. This treatment is also supposed to be detoxifying. In the meantime, David was also getting wrapped up like a burrito and then spent some time in the steam room. After a light lunch we then headed off to the second body treatment of the day for each of us, the Odyssey Enlivening Therapy. This is the ultimate massage! It’s also a rhythmic massage, actually a combination of 4 techniques. We chose to have the 1 therapist for 1 hour. There is also a 2-therapist for one hour version (for twice as much money, of course). I cannot imagine the amount of blissful relaxation that comes from the 2-therapist version. I hope to experience it someday!

After our treatments ended (sadly) we headed off to the swimming pool Splash Zone where we acted like kids and flung ourselves down the water slides numerous times. Alas, the time came to head back to our room, and shower & change for dinner. Dinner was at the resort. Again, another wonderful meal with top-notch service. I could not have asked for more.

Spa Weekend Friday

*This is the 2nd of 4 posts on the Spa Weekend. Please see the previous post for the beginning of this 4-part series. ;-)*

Friday we decided to spend the day at one of my favorite San Diego attractions: The Wild Animal Park. I love that the animals get to reside in very large, natural settings with acres on which to graze. Once we got there we headed over to the fake hot-air balloon ride (still fun to do, anyway) and waited for our turn while checking out the lions’ enclosure. What timing! We got there just as they were being let out which we were told usually happens later in the day. The skies were overcast and the air was a bit chilly, so the lions were so full of energy! It was a treat watching the clubs play with each other, and also they tried to get the daddy to play. Here is one of the many photos we took:

For more photos from the Park, please follow this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/laurie.d.coleman/WildAnimalPark

You will appreciate that I did sort through all 148 photos that we took and only selected 63 to post here. It’s hard discarding beautiful pics!

Some of the other memorable things that we saw and experienced (the lions are tops on this list) are: The gorillas. The large male gorilla spent the entire time that we were watching trying to get a large white plastic cap from a cardboard box from one of the smaller ones. Basically, it was a slow motion never-ending game of keep-away. Very entertaining! We also enjoyed feeding the Lorokeets. Dave wasn’t too happy that they tried to eat his hat, though! I also really enjoyed watching the elephants. These creatures are just so majestic, and smart! One big male was in a small medical enclosure and I asked his keepers why he was in there. They said he had a sore on one foot and was supposed to be soaking it. So, that’s what the large tub of water was for that he just tipped over! The keeper added water to the tub and told the elephant to put his foot in it. He only repeated it once more, and then the elephant did as he was told. Impressive!

We really enjoyed the Park, and left there near closing time. It was a slow day for them since school was in session and it was Friday. The day was beautiful, not too hot, and the Park was not at all crowded. Definitely one of the best times I’ve had there.

After the Park we were tired, actually sleepy. We headed on to downtown San Diego where we had 7:00 dinner and show reservations. Since we were about an hour early, we headed to a parking garage and got about 30 minutes of nap time in. The dinner/show was at Café Sevilla which is a Spanish restaurant known for their paella. On Friday evenings they have a dinner/Flamenco dancing show downstairs. We headed downstairs, got excellent seats for the beautiful show, had a very tasty dinner topped off with mojitos and sangrias (not too many of them!) and called it a night.

Spa Weekend Thursday

*This is the 1st of 4 posts on the Spa Weekend*

David came up with the wonderful idea of going to a wellness spa for a long weekend after all of my chemo treatments were over. The focus would be detoxifying and a lot of relaxation. After much research we decided to go to the La Costa Resort and Spa. They not only have their traditional spa, but there is also a Chopra Center on the grounds. The Chopra Center was created by Deepak Chopra, M.D. and it’s a kind of East meets West sort of place. It’s been a week since we returned from our spa weekend and I figured I should post it now or never. I’ll split this into a posting for each day.

So here’s Spa Weekend Thursday:

We took off Thursday morning for the short flight to San Diego. The flight was on time, everything went as planned. On the way to Carlsbad (where the La Costa Resort and Spa is located) we stopped off in La Jolla and shared a salad at a café. Then we rushed on up to Carlsbad to check in and just barely made it on time for our 3:00 couple’s massage at the traditional spa. This was a one-hour massage for both and included 45 minutes of alone time in the suite afterwards with our own private Jacuzzi, a plate of chocolate covered strawberries, truffles, and a bottle of champagne. The Jacuzzi was too hot so we just sat on the loungers and enjoyed the treats.

Thursday evening we had dinner reservations at the Prado in Balboa Park. Very beautiful place, great ambiance, wonderful service, awesome food. Highly recommended.

Things Are Going Well

Last week was my last chemo treatment, and I am doing pretty well right now. My energy is mostly back to normal (darn, have to start exercising again!) My neuropathy is nagging me, but with time that should decrease and hopefully go away completely. It may take a few weeks. Hopefully not months! I am so ready for everything to be back to normal, including my fingers and toes.

So, my next thing to do is the CT scan on September 23rd. If that's clean then I will just have blood work every three months, and repeat the CT scan in 6 months. So, they just start watching me. I have already scheduled the removal of my mediport. It will be taken out October 9th. It'll be so nice for that to go away! It just sticks out so far on my chest. I hear that on so many people it's hardly noticeable. They must have a nice layer of fat for it to hide underneath. Well, hmmm... I guess I can't complain about being too fat!

Everything should be smooth from here on out, unless this rears its head again. Cross your fingers for me!

Final Round Today

This is just a short entry to let my friends and family (the ones who don't use Facebook) know that the final round of chemo started today. I am on the 46-hour pump right now and it will be removed on Thursday. Then, I will sleep non-stop for a couple more days, start bouncing back, then live life normally. I will have a CT scan of my chest, abdomen, and pelvis on September 23. I will hopefully be cleared to remove my mediport soon afterwards. I'm not sure yet exactly when I will return to work, but they've been wonderful. It all depends on when I can reliably handle cold & frozen objects.

OK, that's my update. I'm going upstairs to rest now, and catch up on some TV.

Target's New No Express Lane Policy

For some reason Target has decided to move backwards. They have decided to close all express lanes. They still exist, they just aren't used. They stand there, darkly mocking me. This is not the decision of the local Target; it's corporate. I just don't see any reason why they would choose not to staff an express lane to allow people who are buying just a few items to bypass people who are shopping with full baskets of kids' stuff, household stuff, or just plain stuff. This really does make me want to bypass Target and shop elsewhere when I want to get a few things.

Hopefully enough people will complain to Target to convince them to reverse this insane decision. I just sent an email off to corporate myself, and also let them know that I would be posting my thoughts on my public blog. So I did.

Maybe Target just doesn't need me anymore... the economy must be doing great!

New Toy Has Arrived!

It happened again, we got a new toy. We were on a waiting list for it for about 2 months. Dave needed a better commuter vehicle and we got word Friday that it arrived and took delivery Saturday night at 6pm (in the middle of the dinner party). Dave took some pictures and they are located at: http://majestyusa.com/gallery/v/jammerdjc/2009Majesty/

It gets 2 ½ times the gas mileage of either of our cars. Now we just need to get used to it and I need to take a class and get my license. Unfortunately, there’s no facility for Theo to ride with us. He just won’t sit still on the passenger seat.

By the way, it's a 400 cc, and it can definitely go on the highway. Also it gets 51 (or so) MPG.

August 9th Party Report

So, it started a few weeks ago when Dave decided it would be good to get the "Winos" (a group of couples that we go on wine tasting trips with) and the YEs (a group of "Young Executives" at the Capital Club) together for a gathering. We threw in a few other friends that we just love to hang out with and Dave's parents and sister. We picked a date and offered up our home as a party spot. I planned the menu and, as usual, took on some prep-intensive work! I was so busy the day before with scheduled errands that I didn't get as much prep done as I would like. And Saturday I lost a couple of hours of prep time because we spent so much time at the bike dealer purchasing a brand new scooter (a posting for another time...) So, when 5:00 rolled around and guests started showing up I took them up on their offers to help and I gave them small but very important and helpful tasks. Luckily everyone was quick to pitch in because I had Marsha crumbling blue cheese, Donovan fetching folding chairs and cutting up apples, Justin skewering shrimp, Amanda washing dishes, the two Marks watching the chicken and shrimp as they were cooking outside while I was assembling pizzas, Donovan was delivering them to David who cooked them, and the list goes on. I cannot thank everyone enough for helping out. It was a successful party and it's not all on me & Dave. Everyone helped to make sure all the food came out OK, so the party's success was due to all my helpers. Thank you!

I was asked to provide recipes for some of the dishes that I served. I have to tell you that I am notorious for trying out new recipes when I have guests over. I'm told it's the opposite of what you should do, but I do it all the time! I get most of my recipes from Cook's Illustrated (http://www.cooksillustrated.com/) and have always 100% of the time had great results from their recipes. Everything I served last night came from that source except for the Green Bean Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette. That's a recipe that I got from Chef Henri, former chef of the Silicon Valley Capital Club. He used haricot verts for the green beans but since they are so pricey I just used regular green beans. If you are making a small amount of salad for a more intimate dinner then the french green beans are worth the cost. Also, the recipe for the salad dressing makes a lot of dressing. He said to use what I need and put the rest in the fridge for future use. Last time I did make the full amount and had a lot left over. This time I cut the recipe in half and probably have about half of it left in the fridge after dressing the salad. The chef of course did not tell me how much green beans to use, how much mâche to use, how many apples. I just guessed. It's a salad, so the exact proportions don't really matter.

You can find all of the recipes here: www.coleman-home.com/Recipes/August_9/. If you have any questions then please ask. There's an email link up in the right corner of the main blog page.

We had so much fun hosting this party (I even sneaked a birthday cake in for Dave who will turn 43 tomorrow) and look forward to doing it again. Perhaps in time I'll learn to choose simpler menus that take less prep time and makes fewer dirty dishes. I already have ideas for the next two events. I really want to do Baby Back Ribs (recipe from Cook's Illustrated) once we get the smoker that I want and I also want to do a Paella Party using the paella cooker given to us by Dave's uncle and his wife. Recipe yet to be discovered!

Is Theo Really So Not-Smart? (I can't use the "D" word for my baby)

Our dog is wonderful. But I gotta tell you: He's not really the smartest one of them all. And he just might qualify for laziest. Right now he's like a teenager. He sleeps in sooo late. Usually dogs are up with their masters, right? Probably because they want food. Well, it's now 12:45 in the afternoon. 15 minutes ago Theo was still upstairs sleeping, though he relocated since I got up. I made him get up to come down for his "breakfast" (at noon!) and to go outside to do his business because in the next hour or so his groomer is going to show up to bathe him. I figured he should eat and eliminate before then. So, I told him to come downstairs, which he did. Luckily he did eat. (Sometimes he walks away from his breakfast.) After he finished he started to head back to one of his "sleeping spots" but I said to him: "No - You need to go outside and go pee-pee." This is where he actually seems smart. With this one command (sometimes it's even a suggestion) he will run out through his dog door, go to the far corner of the yard, and do his business. This time it was double duty. The point is this: He was preparing to go back to bed until I told him to go do his thing outside, even though he clearly had a couple of matters to attend to outside.

He does this every morning. Most mornings I don't bother to make him get up and get moving. Eventually he'll get up and go outside. Last week one day he didn't get up and come downstairs (so he never went outside...) until David got home from work. Astonishing!

Right now he is napping. Little does he know that soon he will be awake for a whole 2 hours when the groomer arrives!

Wharf to Wharf 2008 (AKA Capitola Weekend)

For the 3rd year in a row I attended the Wharf to Wharf run, which is a six-mile run from Santa Cruz to Capitola. (See: http://www.wharftowharf.com/) I did run in 2006, and had a great time. Last year I had an abdominal surgery a couple of weeks before so to be safe I sat the run out, but still went to Capitola for the weekend. This year I sat it out for obvious reasons, at least to my family and friends. However, we are continuing a tradition started by our friends Jim & Noelle 12 years ago. They have been going to the race for 12 years now and have a great plan: Stay in Capitola Saturday night, head over to Santa Cruz (where the race begins) Sunday morning (transportation is provided by the Inn), run the race back to Capitola, have breakfast at the Inn, and spend the day relaxing in Capitola. We all get together for dinner in the evening, and Ralph and Valerie join us for that.

In 2006, Matt & Laura joined in at the Inn while Dave and I also went to Santa Cruz for the weekend (and I ran). However we stayed at a friend's house in Santa Cruz. Last year (2007) we joined Jim, Noelle, Matt, & Laura at the Inn.

So, now we 6 couples have a yearly tradition that I hope lasts for a very long time.

Here are the details on this weekend:

Dave and I got to Capitola around 5:30 and checked into the very lovely Inn. Then we changed quickly and headed off to dinner at Caruso's. We ordered the scallop special and a gnocchi plate. Both dishes were excellent, most notably the scallops. I don't think I ever had better scallops! We did seem to get lost in the end, though. The owner asked if we'd like more wine and we said we'd like one more glass. It never arrived. The waitress cleared our plates and boxed up the left-over gnocchi. While doing so she asked if we'd like to see the dessert menu. We said yes. Next thing we know, the check was put on our table, rather than the glass of wine & the dessert menu. Oh, well, we were full anyway so we paid and left. We headed next door to the wine bar for a glass of Port.

Afterwards we headed back to the Inn to meet up with Matt, Laura, Jim, and Noelle. We chatted for a while and then all headed in for an early bedtime. Since half of them were running in the morning, they needed their rest, and we all were tired.

Sunday morning Dave and I slept in, then headed to the race end to meet up with the runners. We all headed back for breakfast, then Dave, Noelle, and I hung out outside to listen to the band that had been playing since 8:30, when the race started. They sounded great! After a short nap, Noelle, Dave and I headed out for a walk in Capitola while Jim rested his wounded knee. We bought me a very cool jacket, some salt-water taffy, a necklace for Noelle, some great bath salts. We had Bloody Marys (Noelle and I), beer (Dave), and some snacks on the Pier. Along the way we met a poor pelican looking for handouts. He tried to eat a large fish that was just captured by some local fishermen. Poor thing. Here's a pic: So, after snacking and shopping, we headed back to the Inn for a another nap (!) and then the 6 of us (well, 7, really, if you count Baby Alex) joined Ralph and Valerie at Bella Roma for an excellent meal. We all brought some special wine to share. The meal was wonderful, minus the hair in my food (oops...) But overall we really enjoyed ourselves. Here's a pic of all of us, except for Laura, unfortunately. You can see her chair. She was taking the photo.

Across from Laura's chair is Matt. Next to him is Dave. I am across from Dave. Next to me are Noelle and Jim. The other couple (next to Dave) is Valerie and Ralph.

That pretty much wrapped up our weekend. We gathered in our room for some dessert and everyone called it an early night. Dave and I had to get up WAY too early Monday morning for appointment and work obligations. Next year we'll have to not do that!

Home-Grown Veggies

I just wanted to share with you what it's like to have vegetables growing in our garden. All of these I harvested today:

Rotisserie Chicken and Garden Boxes

Something came over me this week and I decided that I really wanted to try out the rotisserie function of our grill. So, first I set out to get a chicken. Off to Whole Foods... They have 4 different kinds of whole chickens! There's their organic free range chicken, some other pre-packaged organic free range chicken, a "junior" chicken (which had a small notice that the chicken may contain up to 8% retained water from processing. Instant disqualifier for me.) And then there was their new "Air Chilled" chicken. Somehow it's processed in chilled air rather than water which is supposed to help the meat retain its natural juices. A Whole Foods exclusive. I decided to try it.

So, I brought it home, seasoned it, shoved carrots, celery, and onion up its cavity, put pats of butter under its skin, and trussed it. Then figured out how to put it on the spit. Luckily Dave had just arrived home because it was easier to truss it, thread it on the spit, and put the "forks" in place using an extra pair of hands.

How did it taste? Actually, it was wonderful! Full of flavor, very juicy. Here's a photo just before I took it off the grill: By the way, I absolutely LOVE the flat-top part of the grill, on the left. It's so handy for vegetables.

While I was out there with the camera I decided to take photos of my garden boxes to share with the world! This first one is the herb garden. It contains basil, sage, parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, chives. I think that's it.

The next two photos are of the tomato garden (very nice, sweet cherry tomatoes) and Roma tomatoes. The second photo is of the yellow crook-neck squash and the jalapeno plant. Looks like I'll still have jalapenos while the rest of you won't!

House Photo Album Has Been Updated

I just updated the photos in the "House Photos" album. This link will take you directly to the album as well as the link in the "links" list under Theo's photo. I've added photos of some rooms not previously photographed (such as the guest bedrooms) plus added some photos of the basement area, arguably the most peaceful room in the house. Also previous photographs were taken before the pictures and art work were hung so now these fresh views include these. Every photo has a caption, so you shouldn't get lost in our house!

Landscaping Photos Uploaded

Just for grins, I took some photos of our landscaping now that it's more mature (and admittedly overgrown in some areas.)

Follow this link to view all the pics. We need to learn how to manage some of the groundcover but overall it's coming in nicely, I believe.

Dave's Impending Retirement

OK, Dave took slight offense that my words may have suggested that I hope he never retires. For the record, I think he should start working first before he starts thinking about retirement! And anyway, of course I will want him to retire someday. How else are we going to do all the traveling that we want to do!

Dave Has A Job

Well, it finally happened! Dave finally got off his butt... er... got a job! He starts working at Cisco on Monday. His job title is "Product Supportability Engineer".

Yay!

Now we can start seeing what it's like for "normal" married couples. While we get along VERY well for two people who are always together, I predict we will get along even better when we get some breathing room. I know that he lived alone for years before we got married and so did I, so it's actually surprising that we don't aggravate each other more than we do. I do know what my ex-step-mother means when she said she hopes her husband never retires because she wouldn't want him under-foot all the time. I think probably all wives know what she's talking about!

So, whisper a "good-luck" message to Dave. This job came in the nick of time in more than one way! Can you say "health insurance, with no pre-existing condition clause"?

What It's Like For Me To Do Chemo

I thought I would share with you what it's like to do chemo. First of all, it changes the way I eat quite a bit. During "chemo" week my appetite is quite altered. I never get nauseated (they give me some pretty high-powered anti-nausea drugs before my infusion) but I always feel that I could get "tipped." That's to say my stomach feels sensitive and if I eat the wrong thing then I could get sick. And mostly the wrong thing is meat or very sweet things, like cinnamon rolls. But I find that most vegetables are do-able so I become a vegetarian for a week. Not a bad thing, really. I also eat more fruit. This is because it tastes good but I'm also looking for ways to get fluids. It's hard for me to drink cool liquids since it makes my throat hurt. My neighbor gave us some very juicy plums yesterday and these are going down very well.

Another thing that I have noticed related to food is that when it comes to eating, what I want to eat is quite specific at that moment. For instance, some nights I feel like I only want mac & cheese, so we eat mac & cheese. Sometimes what I want we don't have so Dave goes to the store... This does make me somewhat of a picky eater. So, I lose a few pounds during chemo week but then I put them back on the next week. Because during the "good" week my appetite is completely normal and I can eat anything. So, I do!

Other effects: I get very tired, so I take lots of naps. I also get mad at my pump because I'll take it off of my shoulder while eating or napping, and I'll forget about it. Until I start to walk away. Then I curse at it just as the tubing that's attached to my chest gets stretched tight. This happens all the time! You'd think I'd learn. Oh, well, only 4 more cycles to go so I'll only have the pump tomorrow (until about noon) and then 8 more days total. I tote it around with me for 46 hours each treatment cycle.

Overall the side effects could be worse. My surgeon and my oncologist say I am lucky that I have no diarrhea because most people do suffer from it. I don't really get mouth sores which can be common. I had a very small one last cycle that I didn't even know about. The oncologist saw it and told me about it. My hair is still on my head, but that was to be expected. The main things with me are the hand & feet neuropathy, which may take a while to resolve itself even when I'm done with chemo. Also, the throat sensitivity to cold which makes me a bit dehydrated. But that's pretty resolved by the end of each 2-week cycle so I don't expect any lasting issues with that. The other main thing is the tiredness. I am usually pretty out of it Wednesdays and Thursdays, and start to come around on Friday. Saturday I still tire easily but if I take it easy (and this goes for the next few days too) I can usually resume normal activities as long as I stay away from anything cold.

OK, that's it... that's what it's like for me. I'm glad to be counting down small numbers now so it'll be over in a couple of months.