I don’t like to complain so much but come on…. Why can’t I just have one disease at a time or at least only one active at a time. I’ve accepted that I have Crohns disease…after all I’ve been dealing with it for more than 20 years. I’ve almost accepted having breast cancer after all its only been three months (wow it has only been three months…it feels more like three years). So crohns (looking down at my belly), yes I’m talking to you. Could you please just back off till I get through the reconstruction and the chemo. Could you just sit back and let me put all my energy into growing new boobs and killing any stray cancer cells. Wouldn’t you rather hide from me while I’m bald and nauseous. You don’t need to keep reminding me that you were here first. You don’t need to be jealous…I will always like you better than cancer. You can relax and enjoy some time off. You’ve worked so hard all these years so how about taking a well deserved vacation. Better yet how about joining forces with me and fighting this cancer together. Instead of chewing on my intestine go gobble up any bad cells that are hanging around. Ya know if you would quit flaring my fistula I could have more energy to get through the cancer treatment. Just so you know the sooner I get through the cancer treatment the sooner it can be just you and me again. You could attack the cancer instead of me. You could be the crohninator, my very own Arnold. Tell the cancer “Hasta la vista, baby!” You could be Batman and I could be Robin. Come on, Crohns, to the Bat Cave! There's not a moment to lose! You can be Mario and I’ll be Luigi: Strap your belt on, kid. We're going in! Come on what do ya say??? Don’t make me come down there and kick your, well I guess it would be my ass!…PLEASE…I’m begging now!
Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is
Showing posts with label Cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cancer. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto
Remember way back somewhere around the beginning of August…I said I would tell you all about my tomato adventures with the lovely CA. My beautiful niece who just happens to live a few blocks away and happens to be the bestest neighbor ever! Well I got a little sidetracked by the big C diagnosis but now I’m ready to get back to business and ok ok it’s a good distraction while I sit here waiting for the surgeon to call and give me a date for surgery…
So years ago, before my kids baseball took over my spring, summer, and fall we would plant a huge garden of mostly tomato plants, a few pepper plants, a zucchini, and pumpkin plant. Strange I know who would plant a ton of tomatoes and only a few other odd veggies? Well when you live with 3 males of varying age and you are the only one who will actually eat a vegetable unless it is peeled and seeded and pureed and cooked into tasty homemade spaghetti sauce you throw your hands in the air and you plant tons of tomatoes. The pumpkins by the way were strictly for fall decorating and 2 of the 3 males enjoyed growing them. The oldest male didn’t appreciate that he had to mow around the sprawling vines but he did because like I always say “Happy Wife, Happy Life!!!
Anyway this August CA and I went to Trax Farms, 325 acres of land with a wonderful market where they sell homegrown fruits and vegetables as well as an awesome bakery and deli.
We each bought a half a bushel of beautiful tomatoes.
That night and the next morning we cored
Blanched
Cooled in ice water
Peeled
Removed seeds
Pureed
And since we don’t have all the equipment to actually can the puree we put it in freezer bags to freeze for future use. (This is how I always did it back in the day and it works just as well as canning)
We enjoyed it so much we sent her hubby JA back to get more tomatoes and we spent the next weekend making more puree. Of course I have already made several pots of tasty sauce…nom nom nom…sooooo good if I do say so myself!!!
The Gluten Free Biscuits were made from Chebe All-Purpose Mix and they were very good. I had some with the sauce and the next morning I had some with butter and jelly. I even made a mini sandwich with them...Yum!!!
Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is
So years ago, before my kids baseball took over my spring, summer, and fall we would plant a huge garden of mostly tomato plants, a few pepper plants, a zucchini, and pumpkin plant. Strange I know who would plant a ton of tomatoes and only a few other odd veggies? Well when you live with 3 males of varying age and you are the only one who will actually eat a vegetable unless it is peeled and seeded and pureed and cooked into tasty homemade spaghetti sauce you throw your hands in the air and you plant tons of tomatoes. The pumpkins by the way were strictly for fall decorating and 2 of the 3 males enjoyed growing them. The oldest male didn’t appreciate that he had to mow around the sprawling vines but he did because like I always say “Happy Wife, Happy Life!!!
Anyway this August CA and I went to Trax Farms, 325 acres of land with a wonderful market where they sell homegrown fruits and vegetables as well as an awesome bakery and deli.
We each bought a half a bushel of beautiful tomatoes.
That night and the next morning we cored
Blanched
Cooled in ice water
Peeled
Removed seeds
Pureed
And since we don’t have all the equipment to actually can the puree we put it in freezer bags to freeze for future use. (This is how I always did it back in the day and it works just as well as canning)
We enjoyed it so much we sent her hubby JA back to get more tomatoes and we spent the next weekend making more puree. Of course I have already made several pots of tasty sauce…nom nom nom…sooooo good if I do say so myself!!!
The Gluten Free Biscuits were made from Chebe All-Purpose Mix and they were very good. I had some with the sauce and the next morning I had some with butter and jelly. I even made a mini sandwich with them...Yum!!!
Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is
Monday, April 5, 2010
A Tribute to My Father-In-Law
Martin J. Tougher
September 9th, 1922 – March 29th, 2010
My Father-In-Law lost his battle with lung cancer last week. He was 87 years old, a wonderful father, and grandfather. A member of the greatest generation, he received military honors at his burial. A beautiful tribute that always makes me cry but this time of course was so much harder. A decorated World War II medic, he received the following for his bravery:
• Purple Heart
• 2 Bronze Stars For Heroism
• 1 Bronze Star For Merit
• ETO Medal With Arrow Head and 4 Battle Stars
• American Defense Medal
• German Occupation Medal With Bar
• Presidential Unit Citation
• French Normandy and Liberation Medal and Croix De Guerre
• Parachute Wings With 2 Stars
• Combat Medical Badge
• World War II Victory Medal
• French Legion of Honor
• Croix De Guerre With Palm
The following is an excerpt from an article that was in our local paper recently:
6 decades later, French say 'merci'
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Four proud old men gathered yesterday at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum to receive France's highest award, the Legion of Honor, for helping to liberate that country from the Nazis 65 years ago.
Each rose to the occasion, advancing field by field and house by house across the French countryside, forcing the Germans back to the Fatherland and destroying Hitler's Thousand-Year Reich.
The Legion of Honor, designed by Napoleon in 1802, is one of Europe's most prestigious civic decorations. It had previously been given only to some American World War I veterans who helped France in that conflict.
But in 2004, the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the French government began honoring World War II soldiers with proven records of bravery, reviewing service records and details of their actions to make the determinations. Since then, about 800 medals have been issued at ceremonies like the one at Soldiers & Sailors.
The recipients, decorated many times over and honored again yesterday just days before Veterans Day, are uniformly modest.
Martin Tougher speaks with a rasp, the result of a tracheotomy seven years ago, the result of 40 years of smoking before that. But when he was 22, he jumped from an airplane into Normandy on June 6, 1944.
He had only been in the Army for two weeks when he volunteered for jump school in Georgia in December 1942. He wanted the bump in pay, from $50 a month to $100. Later he underwent training to become a medic and joined the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
He landed in swamp water and lost his backpack on the first day. He also lost his best friend, Mickey O'Donnell. It was the first time Mr. Tougher cried since he learned that his brother, John, had been killed fighting the Japanese in the Aleutians.
Mr. Tougher almost died, too. On June 14, 1944, a shell exploded in front of him on a country road and shrapnel struck him in the jaw.
"If it was down a little lower," he said, "I'd still be over there, I guess."
When his regiment returned to England on July 15, fewer than 800 men were with him. Some 1,200 were dead, wounded, captured or missing.
After replenishing its ranks with replacements, the 507th boarded C-47s to return to France. The unit made its way into Belgium, where Mr. Tougher recalls eating K-rations for Christmas dinner.
During the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest in January 1945, it was so cold that his morphine froze before he could inject it into a soldier's hip. He learned to warm his supply with body heat.
The men didn't have cold-weather gear. So he made an overcoat out of his shrapnel-damaged sleeping bag and strapped a pick and shovel to his back for chipping out foxholes in the frozen ground.
"I would love to have a picture," he said. "I must have looked like a junk dealer."
Besides his Purple Heart, Mr. Tougher earned two bronze stars for aiding the wounded under fire in France and Belgium. After the Battle of the Bulge, he made a second battle jump for the Rhine River crossing in March 1945.
When he came home, Mr. Tougher went back to work at Westinghouse and married Mary Joyce in 1953. They had two sons, Marty and John, and he stayed with Westinghouse until his retirement in 1985. Mary died in 2002.
Mr. Tougher thinks often of his time as a soldier and the friendships forged in combat. He has been going to reunions for 30 years.
At one in Buffalo, N.Y., he met a fellow he had patched up. "Marty," the man said, "I thought I was going to die in that field." The man's wife kissed him and said, "Thanks for saving my husband."
Seven years ago, Mr. Tougher returned to Normandy with son Marty. There they met old women, still grateful to American GIs, who said they had used American parachutes like his for their wedding dresses…
Now I would like to ask a favor of you in honor of my father-in-law….Please say thank you to a service member or veteran for their service to our country.
September 9th, 1922 – March 29th, 2010
My Father-In-Law lost his battle with lung cancer last week. He was 87 years old, a wonderful father, and grandfather. A member of the greatest generation, he received military honors at his burial. A beautiful tribute that always makes me cry but this time of course was so much harder. A decorated World War II medic, he received the following for his bravery:
• Purple Heart
• 2 Bronze Stars For Heroism
• 1 Bronze Star For Merit
• ETO Medal With Arrow Head and 4 Battle Stars
• American Defense Medal
• German Occupation Medal With Bar
• Presidential Unit Citation
• French Normandy and Liberation Medal and Croix De Guerre
• Parachute Wings With 2 Stars
• Combat Medical Badge
• World War II Victory Medal
• French Legion of Honor
• Croix De Guerre With Palm
The following is an excerpt from an article that was in our local paper recently:
6 decades later, French say 'merci'
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Four proud old men gathered yesterday at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum to receive France's highest award, the Legion of Honor, for helping to liberate that country from the Nazis 65 years ago.
Each rose to the occasion, advancing field by field and house by house across the French countryside, forcing the Germans back to the Fatherland and destroying Hitler's Thousand-Year Reich.
The Legion of Honor, designed by Napoleon in 1802, is one of Europe's most prestigious civic decorations. It had previously been given only to some American World War I veterans who helped France in that conflict.
But in 2004, the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the French government began honoring World War II soldiers with proven records of bravery, reviewing service records and details of their actions to make the determinations. Since then, about 800 medals have been issued at ceremonies like the one at Soldiers & Sailors.
The recipients, decorated many times over and honored again yesterday just days before Veterans Day, are uniformly modest.
Martin Tougher speaks with a rasp, the result of a tracheotomy seven years ago, the result of 40 years of smoking before that. But when he was 22, he jumped from an airplane into Normandy on June 6, 1944.
He had only been in the Army for two weeks when he volunteered for jump school in Georgia in December 1942. He wanted the bump in pay, from $50 a month to $100. Later he underwent training to become a medic and joined the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
He landed in swamp water and lost his backpack on the first day. He also lost his best friend, Mickey O'Donnell. It was the first time Mr. Tougher cried since he learned that his brother, John, had been killed fighting the Japanese in the Aleutians.
Mr. Tougher almost died, too. On June 14, 1944, a shell exploded in front of him on a country road and shrapnel struck him in the jaw.
"If it was down a little lower," he said, "I'd still be over there, I guess."
When his regiment returned to England on July 15, fewer than 800 men were with him. Some 1,200 were dead, wounded, captured or missing.
After replenishing its ranks with replacements, the 507th boarded C-47s to return to France. The unit made its way into Belgium, where Mr. Tougher recalls eating K-rations for Christmas dinner.
During the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest in January 1945, it was so cold that his morphine froze before he could inject it into a soldier's hip. He learned to warm his supply with body heat.
The men didn't have cold-weather gear. So he made an overcoat out of his shrapnel-damaged sleeping bag and strapped a pick and shovel to his back for chipping out foxholes in the frozen ground.
"I would love to have a picture," he said. "I must have looked like a junk dealer."
Besides his Purple Heart, Mr. Tougher earned two bronze stars for aiding the wounded under fire in France and Belgium. After the Battle of the Bulge, he made a second battle jump for the Rhine River crossing in March 1945.
When he came home, Mr. Tougher went back to work at Westinghouse and married Mary Joyce in 1953. They had two sons, Marty and John, and he stayed with Westinghouse until his retirement in 1985. Mary died in 2002.
Mr. Tougher thinks often of his time as a soldier and the friendships forged in combat. He has been going to reunions for 30 years.
At one in Buffalo, N.Y., he met a fellow he had patched up. "Marty," the man said, "I thought I was going to die in that field." The man's wife kissed him and said, "Thanks for saving my husband."
Seven years ago, Mr. Tougher returned to Normandy with son Marty. There they met old women, still grateful to American GIs, who said they had used American parachutes like his for their wedding dresses…
Now I would like to ask a favor of you in honor of my father-in-law….Please say thank you to a service member or veteran for their service to our country.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Oh My Gosh…..
Oh My Gosh…..I’m finally done with the Media Guide (takes a bow)! Its on a disk and I’m taking it to the printer today and NO ONE can stop me!!! Not players with late ads…Hello this fundraiser started Feb. 2nd and all ads were due Feb. 23rd and poor little johnie is still giving me ads on March 24th aaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggg. Not Coaches who can’t seem to find the time to give the information I’ve asked 50 times for. Sorry it’s not going in. Why? Why you ask? Because of the yellers. Because of the yellers I decided that I would do it their way. Because for the previous two baseball seasons I have been the nice one waiting and waiting for players and parents and coaches to cooperate with me and give me what I need. I didn’t want to publish the media guide without yours and yours and your sons picture or profile or ads. I didn’t want to leave out the New Coaches profile or the returning Coaches updated information. I wanted to have a good team picture with all players not just half. So for the past two seasons I have put up with the yelling and moaning and groaning of people who love love love to complain. The people who just can’t keep their mouth shut - until you ask for volunteers. You know the ones. The ones who yell the loudest and do the least. They insist that it be done and to the printer by today no matter what is missing. Well you yellers have gotten your wish and the media guide will go to the printer today and guess what….there are names missing and pictures missing and profiles missing but hey that’s ok right. Right, until you realize that something about your son has been left out. So now I’ll get yelled at for that. It’s a no win situation but I’m ready for you. My answer to you is “Oh your son isn’t in there, oh that information isn’t correct or up to date….Sorry they didn’t meet your deadline”.
Oh My Gosh…..Someone please explain to me why….WHY….just when you think things might be improving (Crohns) something else gets worse. Just when you think one area is healing (Crohns) something else flares. Just when you think one medicine is helping (Crohns) another one fails or has an awful side effect. Up down, up down! Crohns is such a rollercoaster and I want to get off. The latest up is that I think being on the vitamin D and B12 (for only a week and a half) is helping. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I have my energy back but I’m not so exhausted that I feel like I’m going to pass out or throw up. I’m also having fewer headaches. Now here comes the butt (pun intended:). The latest down. My abscess/fistula which hasn’t bothered me in a long time (and I was just saying to someone that is has been great, no problems, the setons keep it under control. I swear that beast in my gut has ears). Well last Friday it got real bad. Pain like I haven’t had in a long time and closed…I usually have a little bit of drainage…no drainage at all. Of course being Friday evening I can’t call the doctor but I had some Cipro in the house so I started taking that. Fortunately Saturday it started to drain a lot. The pain continued till about Monday and has been off and on since. Btw, if you are wondering, its on today.
Oh My Gosh….B had his first scrimmage game a few days ago. I went, I saw, I took lots of pictures. He played well. I really enjoyed seeing him play again. He has been mentioned in a few local newspaper and online articles in the past few days. I will do a separate blog post with some of those highlights. I am so proud of him. J also had another game the other day. I wasn’t able to go because I had to get the blasted media guide done. Of course since I wasn’t there he pitched. They won! Woop! He closed the game. Three up three down. Awesome!!! I am so proud of him too. (see some pics from B's game below)
Again, thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for my family. My father in law continues to decline a little bit each day. They are saying that he may only live a few more days but I know from experience it can be a few more hours, days, or weeks. We know that it is in God’s hands and trust in his plans for us all. The nurses continue to keep him comfortable. He rarely opens his eyes and only takes a few bites of soft food a day. He sometimes responds to our voices and attempts to communicate but is not able to. Your thoughts and prayers are a blessing to us and very much appreciated.
Well that’s all for now. So until next time…..
Love, Laugh, and always know where the nearest bathroom is
Oh My Gosh…..Someone please explain to me why….WHY….just when you think things might be improving (Crohns) something else gets worse. Just when you think one area is healing (Crohns) something else flares. Just when you think one medicine is helping (Crohns) another one fails or has an awful side effect. Up down, up down! Crohns is such a rollercoaster and I want to get off. The latest up is that I think being on the vitamin D and B12 (for only a week and a half) is helping. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I have my energy back but I’m not so exhausted that I feel like I’m going to pass out or throw up. I’m also having fewer headaches. Now here comes the butt (pun intended:). The latest down. My abscess/fistula which hasn’t bothered me in a long time (and I was just saying to someone that is has been great, no problems, the setons keep it under control. I swear that beast in my gut has ears). Well last Friday it got real bad. Pain like I haven’t had in a long time and closed…I usually have a little bit of drainage…no drainage at all. Of course being Friday evening I can’t call the doctor but I had some Cipro in the house so I started taking that. Fortunately Saturday it started to drain a lot. The pain continued till about Monday and has been off and on since. Btw, if you are wondering, its on today.
Oh My Gosh….B had his first scrimmage game a few days ago. I went, I saw, I took lots of pictures. He played well. I really enjoyed seeing him play again. He has been mentioned in a few local newspaper and online articles in the past few days. I will do a separate blog post with some of those highlights. I am so proud of him. J also had another game the other day. I wasn’t able to go because I had to get the blasted media guide done. Of course since I wasn’t there he pitched. They won! Woop! He closed the game. Three up three down. Awesome!!! I am so proud of him too. (see some pics from B's game below)
Again, thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for my family. My father in law continues to decline a little bit each day. They are saying that he may only live a few more days but I know from experience it can be a few more hours, days, or weeks. We know that it is in God’s hands and trust in his plans for us all. The nurses continue to keep him comfortable. He rarely opens his eyes and only takes a few bites of soft food a day. He sometimes responds to our voices and attempts to communicate but is not able to. Your thoughts and prayers are a blessing to us and very much appreciated.
Well that’s all for now. So until next time…..
Love, Laugh, and always know where the nearest bathroom is
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Week in Review
Monday I went back to the doctors to get the results of my blood work (trying to get to the bottom of all this joint pain and fatigue). I had her give me a copy of my results, something I intend to do from now on so that I can keep track of my health better. The good news is that my RA screen was negative. She had some concerns about my Thyroid level being on the high side based on new standards. Hypothyroid symptoms include muscle and joint pain, fatigue, weight gain is common even though appetite diminishes heavy periods, and mental activity— including concentration and memory—may become slightly impaired. I have experiences all of these except the weight gain; however, I have less appetite but I’m not losing any weight. My B12 was low, which can cause fatigue. I am now taking B12 under the tongue and will be recheck in May. If my B12 has not improved I will switch to the shots. My Vitamin D was deficient. This can cause bone pain and muscle weakness, as well as fatigue. I am now taking 50,000 IU once a week for 4 weeks then Vitamin D3 2000 IU daily. My Triglycerides are also high :( but I’m not really doing much different except the gluten free foods and now that I’m on the gluten free diet I eat less carbs. Maybe its because the food isn’t going through me as fast??? Everything else was good (all two pages of results). I will be having all these retested in May so heres hopping for improvement and MORE ENERGY!!!
A special thank you to everyone who has been praying for my father in law and my family. We are so thankful for your love and support. Please continue to pray. Wednesday was a difficult day. We had to take my father in law to the hospital. He is now in the last stage of lung cancer. My husband and brother in law tried to take care of him at home but it was getting too difficult. In the last few days he had become too weak to walk and started having a lot more pain. The pain meds/disease have been making him so confused, sometimes not knowing where he was or who his sons were, seeing people and things that aren’t there, angry one min. and raising his fist, then so sad and crying the next min. He is settled into a comfortable room and the wonderful nursing staff is regulating his pain meds and trying to keep him as comfortable as possible. The transition to the hospital has really worn him out and he has been sleeping most of the time. It is so hard to watch him go from such a strong independent man to this. I hate cancer. I have lost so many people I love to cancer.
On a happier note…J had his first home game of the season. It felt so nice (normal) to be out in the warm sun watching a baseball game. He is one of the many pitchers on the team and he did not pitch for this game :( so I went off (like I always do) and took some pictures of his friends. (see some pics below) He has a double header tomorrow so hopefully I will get to see him pitch and get some good pics of him. B has three scrimmage games next week (if the weather cooperates and the fields are playable). I am so excited that it is finally baseball season. I just hope I have the energy to get through it…….in the meantime
Love, Laugh, and always know where the nearest bathroom is
A special thank you to everyone who has been praying for my father in law and my family. We are so thankful for your love and support. Please continue to pray. Wednesday was a difficult day. We had to take my father in law to the hospital. He is now in the last stage of lung cancer. My husband and brother in law tried to take care of him at home but it was getting too difficult. In the last few days he had become too weak to walk and started having a lot more pain. The pain meds/disease have been making him so confused, sometimes not knowing where he was or who his sons were, seeing people and things that aren’t there, angry one min. and raising his fist, then so sad and crying the next min. He is settled into a comfortable room and the wonderful nursing staff is regulating his pain meds and trying to keep him as comfortable as possible. The transition to the hospital has really worn him out and he has been sleeping most of the time. It is so hard to watch him go from such a strong independent man to this. I hate cancer. I have lost so many people I love to cancer.
On a happier note…J had his first home game of the season. It felt so nice (normal) to be out in the warm sun watching a baseball game. He is one of the many pitchers on the team and he did not pitch for this game :( so I went off (like I always do) and took some pictures of his friends. (see some pics below) He has a double header tomorrow so hopefully I will get to see him pitch and get some good pics of him. B has three scrimmage games next week (if the weather cooperates and the fields are playable). I am so excited that it is finally baseball season. I just hope I have the energy to get through it…….in the meantime
Love, Laugh, and always know where the nearest bathroom is
Thursday, March 18, 2010
I'm still here :)
Sorry for the lack of updates. It’s a very busy time of year for me, baseball season is starting for both my boys (j has his first game of the season today woohoo), I’m working on B’s high school baseball media guide, my father in law is in the hospital battling the final stage of lung cancer, and with hardly any energy to begin with…..well bear with me I hope to have some time tomorrow to update you on my last doctors appointment. Please keep my father in law and my family in your prayers. Thank you
Love, Laugh, and always know where the nearest bathroom is
Love, Laugh, and always know where the nearest bathroom is
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