April 29, 2009

• Rain, Hair, and Pets

  Rain, rain, and more rain!  I woke up 3 times to thunder and finally crawled out of bed around 8 something.  It was dark and pouring down lots of water for the thirsty lawns and plants.  I have always loved thunder storms.  I feel so protected, safe, and cozy in our house, while I watch the raining falling from the roof where there is no guttering.

  My hair started falling out yesterday evening, after I took a late shower.  Not in masses, but quite a few strands in my hairbrush every time I brushed my dry hair.  I guess you have to have "masses of hair" for it to fall out in chunks, which I was warned would happen.  I've started wearing a loose ponytail to keep from shedding all over the house and, worst of all, in the kitchen.  It's a gradually thinning each time I brush.  It will probably look like more at the end of each day if I keep it banded in a pony tail elastic and only brush in the evenings and mornings.  I'm saving what I can in case I can glue it to a cap to wear around the house.  A little hair, with no hot wig, for the days when I go no where.  I'm pretty creative, so I just might find a way to make my own human hair "wiglet" with my own hair and natural color.

                                    
                                            (What is left, this morning, of my length and volume of hair.)

  And, what I have collected:
                                     
  It doesn't look like much - but, the truth is, I don't have much to begin with!  If it continues at this pace, I think I can deal with the "gradual" shedding.  Everyone around here is being really sensitive to what I might be feeling, since this was a big deal to me (losing my hair).  Rissy casually said, "You'll be fine.  And you are beautiful anyway.  Besides, it will grow back someday - you KNOW it will."  Such a sweet encourager!

  While I was in the bathroom trying to take a picture of myself in the mirror, Stormy came to eat her kibble.  We have hers and Chirper's separated so he doesn't pass his feline leukemia to her.  We put an empty bowl on top of her kibble when she isn't eating.  They are both fed a divided small can of moist food at night.  Kibble is the day time snack!

    
  She is leery of candles burning, but her eating supersedes her fear of fire!  She has figured out her bowl is safe!

  Spoke to my primary care physician today about taking some medicine the dentist gave me that might help me get more sleep after chemo.  It's Halcion and it doesn't put me to sleep at dental appointments (I take TWO before an appointment), but it might work if I'm lying in a dark room at night instead of a dentist's chair!!!  It's worth a try and I have five pills left, so that should get me through the five days after chemo that are so hard for me and my *usual* insomnia problem.  She also told me if it DOESN'T work, I may have to suffer through the insomnia for those days each month.  I pray it DOES help.  Five hours of uninterrupted sleep would be of great benefit!  BTW, I don't know if I'll post much the day after chemo or over the weekend.  The Decadron affects my eye sight and concentration.  We'll just have to see - but please don't worry or wonder what happened to me.  I'm not very cognitive with all of those drugs in me!

  With the rain falling, Sushi is unable to go outside.  She doesn't even like wet pavement or grass.  She used Rissy's hot pink shag rug this morning (guess it felt like the lawn!!!) and Jesse was furious.  Sampson doesn' t like the rain, either, but he WILL go quickly and come back in when it's sprinkling.  Sushi is no longer sleeping in the crate (which is too small, anyway) and she has a new bed on the floor by Jesse's side of the bed.

                                  

  Sampson moves his bedding around each night.  Jesse woke up two nights ago and went into the bathroom and told Sampson to quit rearranging his bedding (he makes a scooting noise on the tile floor) and poor Sampson almost jumped out of his skin!  He was so busy rearranging his bedding, he didn't hear Jesse walk into the bathroom.  He's 18 years old.  I told Jesse he needs to remember he's a "senior citizen" in dog years, and his hard of hearing problem should be respected!
  
                                 
                             (Sampson prefers Jesse's closet and has spread his blanket as far as it will go,
                                                            even though he is a small dog.)

  Annamarie is going for a hearing test next week.  It seems as though her "bad ear infection" might have damaged her hearing.  Either that, or she has another infection or (and it IS possible!!!!) she is ignoring us!!!  We'll know for sure next week.

  I have calls out to many people (had to hunt down the primary care physician this morning for a third time!!!!) and wish people would return my calls, so I can close those thoughts.  Especially if tomorrow's chemo will put me on another wild spin.  I don't need anything more on the endless lists I went through last treatment.  I am hoping that this time the treatment won't feel as crazy, because I'll be expecting similar reactions.  AND, that surgery the day before could have really messed with me - as well as the chemo treatment.

  Things are off kilter here because Jesse is home today.  He can't mow in the rain!!!  TV's are on that wouldn't normally be on in the den - a common area.  Rissy and Luci are listening/watching a Broadway Musical performance of "Into the Woods" with Bernadette Peters.  So, singing is coming from our master bedroom!  The washer is going (a chug chugging sound) and all pets are quiet and happy.

                                     

  I don't think I have much to do today.  I'm dressed, I bathed last night, and Don (the painter) may come by to touch up a few places on our ceilings.  I'm trying to finish loose ends before tomorrow, so I won't have to do anything but rest and concentrate on building up my blood count again. 

  Although it's taking me a long time to read the book I've listed for the past 92 million years J(!!!!), I'm enjoying it very much.  I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about life in the late 1800's.  You can probably read the story line from the link at the top of my posts.

                                   
                                                           (Sushi and Chirper - friends forever!)

  Be blessed  ~

  • 12:31 pm
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