OT July Chit Chat

[Sparky10]

Today was chiropractic adjustment #8. I'm now swinging my arms when I walk (both arms!). I'm not getting as fatigued after a half-mile jog or 45 minute hike!

[Gary]

Good deal Sparky!

We are having a cold snap only 97 degrees today. I am staying inside and when it is 107 outside the best we can do inside is 82 inside not nearly cool enough. I am going to install central air this fall I will have to sell a kidney to afford it but its worth it!! The weather man just said finally lower 90's by Wednesday.

I installed a central air unit out in the store as my renters have several commercial fridges and freezers they dont work so well in the heat. As most farmers the barns, out buildings and equipment come first. When we bought this place my MIL said are you guys going to ever look inside the house? The milk barn comes first.

Wanted to add: I discovered the arcade section here on Brain Talk. Thanks Mike it is great I played golf and I am no better than when I actually could play golf. I could not believe I played games for over 2 hours!

[stillstANNding]

Jeanie,

That is very disappointing news. I hope that David can get the ablation to the new tumors so that he might still be a candidate for a transplant.

My heart is breaking for you.
ANN

[agate]

Jeanie, I'm so very sorry that the news isn't better. I'm sure you're in the thoughts of many here on this board, including me.

[SalpalSally]

Jeanie, keeping you and David in my most fervent prayers.

[Cherie]

Sparky! Delightful to see you!

And yes everyone, I have made patterns for cooling vests that fit the inserts to either the s/teele Vest or the Polar Vest and inserts from CVS, Ekerd's and Walgreen's all have freezable packs that will fit either. It's $30-$40 for each set of packs and maybe a little more to be bought individually in the drug stores. Polar gave me a discount code that people could use to get a set if they contacted me for it.


The patterns can be either made of light weight material or a little heavier fabric with a barrier sewn in to hold the cool from the insert and keep it from getting the fabric of the vest wet. They are not difficult to make but take about 8 hours each to complete. So I made patterns with instructions anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of sewing could follow. Make your own with your choice of fabric and save perhaps half to 3/4 the cost of the commercial product but put in what David likes to call "sweat equity"...in otherwords, you own it because you worked to make it and it did not cost much more than your time.

If you want a pattern with instructions, let me knpw. I am selling them for $20 each and will donate $5 of that to the MS Charity or organization of your choice (your support group, a National group, Brain Talk or what ever...you tell me. They are very comfortable and will get comments. I have added pockets for cell, wallet, keys, etc that the commercial products do not have.

Work is taking another turn. It has been three weeks + now that the tools I need to do my job have not been here or functional so I have tried to replicate them in Microsoft Professional Suite and I think I can do this with few bells and whistles and a good professioal layout without having to pay a monthly fee for a product that is not syncing our software with it. Monday will be a make or break it day as to whether we give the purchased software a chance or whether all my manual input of letters and documents will win the day. Since I don't get paid for all the prep time it is taking time away from what I do for the mS Community and that has to stop. I get paid only when a file I have worked on has closed so there is a need to build the load of files and we have been not pushing that during the time we had minimal software.

My Dad is not looking good but has the attitude of a victor so there seems to be no stopping him in his recovery. He is very weak and looks more ill than I have ever seen him look....especially since their 60th anniversary party at New Year's. Mom is very feeble and her emotions are pretty much out of her control. Three siblings that live near them have serious health problems of their own. So one sister there and I will try to make sure no one falls through the cracks.'

Blessings to all. Have a good weekend and keep cool somehow.

[Parsi]

David's MRI showed more new tumors. Before they were all in the right lobe but now some are in the left lobe. He has no idea what they will do for him and he does not see the doctor until the 24th. It has been about two months since his last surgical chemoembolization which shrunk some of them and I wish he had had one more of those before he went up there. He has been there 46 days and it is 11 more days before he sees the doctor and the if they do anything it will be scheduled after that and in the meantime the tumors are growing. I do not believe he would be a candidate for the lobectomy as his cancer is in both parts of his liver now. I am really scared now and he is also. I hope they can do the ablation which heats the tumors to destroy them. Ideally do that ablation (heat treatment) now and put him on the liver waiting list but we do not get to choose. All prayers are appreciated. Thank you all. Jeanie :)

So sorry to hear about David. I just don't understand why such developments aren't treated urgently. It just makes no sense to me.
Prayers and hugs to you both, Jeanie.

[Sparky10]

Jeannie, my thoughts and best vibes are with you and David!

[Gary]

So sorry to hear about David. I just don't understand why such developments aren't treated urgently. It just makes no sense to me.
Prayers and hugs to you both, Jeanie.

Thanks Parsi that about says it all.

My MIL begins her chemo on Monday. My wife will be there to help her. She will loose her hair for sure other than that everybody has a different response to the chemo. Daughter was over yesterday when MIL called and they had a conversation about bald women and how to cover your head. Daughter uses a bandana (she has alopecia totalis since she was a freshman in high school. Means she has no hair) she said that the thing to watch is you can get dandruff and it is 10 times worse. Also due to the fact that you have no eye lashes you have to be careful about dust. You also have to watch A/C blowing on your head it has the same effect as being in freezing weather since you have so much blood flow in your head. I learned a whole lot listening to that conversation.

She said she would loan her a wig to try as she cant stand them way too hot she says. She puts it on every 4 years as DMV will not allow a bandanna and she will not get her license bald. The kids both have to renew every 4 years as they are type 1 diabetics. She also gets pulled over as she is 5 foot nothing and wears a bandanna and SIL is 6'4" 260 lbs black man and the police dept think they must be gang bangers. SIL has never been farther south than Medford Oregon and admits that he would last 15 min in South Central Los Angeles.

I am having a rough go with this heat I have done everything to prevent a flare but doesn't seem to be working. BP is up BS is up and legs HURT!! Not mentioning it to my wife as 1. there is nothing she can do 2. she already has enough on her plate. I will tell Daughter just in case I have to do something more drastic to control the flare. Yes that, I don't want to even say the 'roid word. But as Doc says "I hate it but having you stroke out is WAY worse!"

Going over to daughters today grandson is having a birthday pool party. SIL rigged up cooling on the back porch so I can watch out the windows when it gets too hot. Love that kid.

You know it occurred to me how much the Chit Chat thread means to me. We have had it around (thanks Peg) for several years and several reboots of BT. I really don't know what I would do with out a place to whine and complain.

Stay cool everybody.

[Cherie]

Means a lot to me too Gary, altho' I've been absent a lot lately and not here every day like I had been for years.

My sister Jean keeps putting off her chemo (brain tumor spreading and growing again after being stable for 5 years) because she wants to be at her peak for this or that (excuses). She has neuro-psych testing (baseline) mid August and doesn't want to start chemo till after that because she wants to be sharp for it. She will not listen to anyone who tells her she's been less than sharp for years now. Her chemo is a daily pill for 5 days each month. Neurosurgeon is doing another MRI in September to see if they need to add radiation but if she's not doing the chemo...Ah well...

Jeanie, thanks for letting David and me know how your David is doing, My David is quite concerned that things are going so slowly and so far from home. He wants to snorkle with him again and is holding out hope for that.

[nuthatch]

So sad hearing all this cancer and chemo talk. I lost my second SIL to cancer just a month or so ago. It's hard. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer around 14 years ago and did well for many years. That nasty old cancer just keeps on coming . . . wish they'd find a cure for it or at the very least what causes it.
Prayers all around.

Gary, how about a window air conditioner, then hole up in a room with it, like Cherie does, until the temps cool down. You gotta do what you gotta do to protect your health! And computer games are a good distraction when you can't go outside.
A window air conditioner is probably cheaper than having a round of roids.
Okay,I'll back off now!

Been in the triple digits here for a week now. That's not so unusual though for this time of year. At least we don't have the humidity. Strange, but I don't mind hot temps on my skin, but I feel panicky when I breathe hot air. I can't sweat a drop, but my hubby sweats enough for both of us! I'm cold most the time and he's sweating . . . go figure!

Take care everyone. We'll get through this crazy summer!

[Cherie]

Nuthatch,
I like the way you think!

[Gabriella7]

Diagnosis?

We heard back on the MRI, EMG tests that my husband had. MRI was normal considering his age but the EMG tests were very complex according to the nurse assistant that called us. The neurologist wants to get some lab (blood) work and see both of us on Aug 1st. All these appointments are beginning to be more stress than I can handle. We hope to have some answers soon.

Prayers are ongoing for all who are fighting cancer and waiting patiently for treatments.

On the weather front, temps are now back in the 90's with late afternoon thunderstorms just about every day. I've had to dose Honey (my yellow lab assistant) with Benedryl every day as soon as it thunders as she is very frightened of storms. She will be 9 years old next month but still acts up like a puppy. She has been very easy to train but alas I haven't had the time to do much of that lately.

Gabriella

[nuthatch]

Prayers for you and yours, Gabriella. Hope your lab assistant acclimates to the thunder too, poor sweetie.
Hugs.

[LaCeli]

Hi everybody. I read through all the posts but can't remember all of it, hard with mobile. Peg, I can't believe how big your granddaughter is and I love the new puppy.

Love & prayers to all with issues and sick hubby's.

Heat has been bad all over the country, weird to say come to Florida to cool off! LOL

Love hearing about the farms and gardens. I have had my granddaughter here for 3 wks and she'll be here another 3. She's 2 and wearing this grandma out!! I'm loving every minute though. :-)