Monthly Archives: February 2019

Midweek musings

Posted in budgets, California, cancer, Uncategorized by

OMG, it is still raining!!! And I 80 is closed again!!

My daughter left Truckee at 2pm, the freeway was already closed but she was able to convince them to let her thru. So today, who knows. It’s still closed and it’s supposed to snow all day up there. The forecast is rain, rain, showers, cloudy for like the next 2 weeks. I’m convinced this is global warming changing our weather patterns.  I can only think of a handful of times since we moved here in 1975, that there is this much continued non-stop weather.

Today B has a blood transfusion but his platelets are ok. So that makes this day 17 for the blood transfusion so that is a big win!! Hopefully, the next chemo cycle does it even better.

So I’mgoingto drop him off and then go to the gym since the blood takes a minimum of 5 hours. Then I’ll come home and do some chores. If my daughter is home, which I’m expecting with the way the freeway looked, she can go pick him up @ 2:30 or 3.

I think we will be hearing soon on whether his one brother is a match. Maybe early next week. But I think they are already looking in the National donor bank as well.  Since we see the transplant doctor in March, I suspect he will have a plan in place.

All the budget stuff is in a good place. With the SDI checks, we are able to pay the months bills. Since his form from his HR says May is his back to work date( which is totally not happening) we will need to resubmit something but I’m not sure what.  I’m guessing HR will need to put in another date.

Has anyone done that? and how do you update EDD.??? I guess we’ll bumble thru since we’ve gotten this far but I’m not even sure how we did.

I’m still planning the Medicare but haven’t even called the insurance companies yet for pricing. Maybe Friday I can do that.  My target date is June 1st. But of course, it needs to be all in by then and ready to go.

Dinner is unknown.

 

 

Happy Re-birthday to me!!

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This week is my 13th re-birthday.

Funny-Birthday-Gif-Deadpool

It was this week in 2006 I went in for my SCT(auto).

I was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks and then got to come home.  It’s been a long strange trip that’s for sure. And now with Barclay going in for an allo transplant it’s really surreal. But we must be hopeful.

In case you’re not familiar,  that’s Deadpool, who is dying from cancer and is given experimental drugs and becomes a cool superhero!!!!  well, I didn’t become a superhero but I survived:)

Simple Sunday

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Today is a gym day and B needs platelets but not blood so that is huge. 🙂thankful-1081614_960_720

That makes it 14 days. The longest since he was diagnosed back in November. He starts the 4th cycle the first week of March so maybe we’ll see a better response. Let’s hope…

We’re in for rain again all week. Ugh… I can hardly stand it.  I guess they’re predicting flooding in the valley and low lying areas. We don’t have to worry that here but trees do fall over when the ground is saturated so…. let’s hope not. Our neighbor( who had the tree fall on the front of his house) has had a lot of work done already. All new electric box. Some inside work and actually he showed up with his son yesterday. So there’s still the construction that will have to happen but at least he has electricity now. I’d be worried about mold and wetness inside since the window was broken out and the roof was leaking.

This coming week is too heavily scheduled. He has labs and probably platelets Tuesday and Wednesday and then I have my oncology appt Thursday in Sacramento. I will be asking him about what numbers are we looking at for when I’d start treatment if it continues to go up. I’m guessing @ 100.  But we’ll see.

With rain all week there’s no outside time or gardening to do. The gardens and everything needs sprucing up. But it’ll have to wait. I was thinking of getting some pansies for the front door area but with the rain, it might be best to wait.

Not much going on in the decluttering. Things are all in good shape. I do have a small thrift store load (2 little bags) to drop off. Plus 2 bags of canning jars I really don’t need as I have way more than I need.

One thing I like to do in each zone as I start is to look around at what can be decluttered from that zone or isn’t functional anymore. So this week I’m in the living room zone which for us is also the dining area.  I think I could work on the bookcase some and stream line it a bit.UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_350.jpg

 

 

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Definitely, need to move a few things and make it look tidier.

Dinner is Instant pot lemon chicken and asparagus!! I also made some rice in the IP for the week.

Five on Friday or more…

Posted in Blood test, budgets, instant pot recipes, Uncategorized by

It’s been a busy week. The snow and weather have been a PITA, but we got thru. Yesterday morning there was ice snow on the ground and in the trees. It must have been like freezing rain in the early morning. The roads were a little scary.

We did recycle this week, and we went to Harbor Freight in Roseville to get a car canopy thing. This last week the Santa Fe has been iced over every morning and taken forever to defrost. So we will put that up over the weekend.

I had my labs this week and haven’t heard what the results are. I’ll probably call later if I don hear.  Usually, my doctor is really good about that but sometimes it slips thru his radar.  I go to Sacramento to see him next week.

I’ve used the instant pot daily and I am really enjoying it. I made pinto beans( which turned out great), a butter chicken, rice again and hardboiled eggs.  I really like that it is quiet and the flavors are pretty impressive. Oh, yeah, I made minestrone soup that was excellent.

Because of 2 trips to Costco, I’ve gone over our food budget but I’m just chalking it up to whatever as some of the stuff was the Orgain for B which was pricey. We bought 2 of them, plus coconut waters and nuts to help him add on calories to gain weight.  So, I’m just letting it go instead of obsessing about it. ( which I probably will do anyway)…

B has labs tomorrow and infusion on Sunday.  He will need platelets and probably blood but the blood has been 14 days so that’s an improvement. But honestly, it needs to be better.

I have finally have figured out Medicare to a point. I still need to call the insurance company and ask a few questions but I have the basics figured out so I feel good about switching by June. B’s insurance stuff gets re-upped in June so I will consider that (May 31) as the last day and Medicare to start June 1st. I’m a little nervous about it but it’s going to have to happen sooner or later.

Well, I’m off to town to do some errands.

 

Quick update:

just saw my labs and my kappa light chains went up 4 points( bad) to 19.4 which is the borderline for high. So there it is I’m at the high normal range but at least not out of it.

Lambda went to 13. 6 which is in the normal range, high is 26.5

the ratio went to 1.43 high normal is 1.65 so that’s still below.

Well, I’m somewhat dismayed but heck it’s still a long way off till it would be back on treatment.

 

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, cancer, Flylady, husband, instant pot recipes, Uncategorized by

Still raining and snowing. Well, it’s like slushy rain where we live but still, it’s very cold and I’m sure the snow is coming down in the Tahoe area. It’s like snowmageddon up there.  Many ‘stupid’ people yesterday clogged the freeway to try and get up to the snow and it was a mess. Pictures on the live cams showed cars and trucks just lined up for miles because it was so backed up. Eventually, they just closed the freeway.

Update: 6:30 am…. it’s light enough to see outside and it is very definitely snowing!!!!

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I was going to go to the gym unless it totally clears up. We do have 4 wd but still, people don’t know how to drive in the snow so I think it’ll be a home day.

Last night I made a minestrone in the instant pot. I do have to say it was really delicious. I put it on soup for 30 and then after 10 minutes of natural release I vented it. Then I added some cheese tortellini and closed the lid again. I just kept it closed until we were ready for dinner. I would give it an A+.  I may be getting rid of my crockpot after I do beans which I haven’t done yet. But many vegans use the Instant pot specifically for the beans it can do in a short period.

Today I am roasting a chicken in my large cast iron pan.  I did the whole chicken last time in the IP but I think I prefer the oven. Plus it’s a great day to use the oven. I may even make some WW bread too.

This week for those who follow Flylady, it’s the bedroom zone.  I normally do sheets on Sunday but I think I’ll wait till tomorrow which is weirdly enough supposed to be sunny.

This week isn’t too busy. I have my labs tomorrow. B doesn’t have labs till Tuesday with infusion on Wednesday if needed. Probably platelets and I hope he can squeak by without needing a blood transfusion.  BTW, the transplant Dr. ruled out his older brother due to age, so it’ll only be his younger one who is 64. So that does lower the chance of the match but I’m not too worried as the National Donor base will then be checked.

If all goes to plan, the donor kit will be back in a week and then it’ll about 2-3 weeks till we know.  So that puts us the end of March. He will have finished cycle 4 and it’s possible he’d be ready to go in.  We’ll see.

 

 

Friday Stuff

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We’re still in the storm pattern here and I 80 is closed again. This kind of snow and weather hasn’t happened in years. I think the last time I remember snow like this was 1988 or so. Truly amazing amounts of snow have fallen in the Tahoe area.

My daughter still hasn’t been able to get there. Yesterday she got 1/2 way and had to turn around because cars were sliding all over. Too dangerous.  I told her if the library director complains take it to the CEO of Nevada City and say if it’s too dangerous to drive then it’s just too dangerous.

We’re off to infusion this morning for Barclay to get platelets. Good news is that his hemoglobin is at 10.6. That is very good news. So he does not need a transfusion.

Also good news, the nurse coordinator is calling his brothers today and the donor kits will be sent out Overnight express. So we are moving forward and should know if they are a match in about a month. So very good news there too.

I’m going to the gym and then pick a few groceries at Safeway for pizza tonight. I thought I’d get mushrooms, olives and maybe artichokes.  I have the pizza dough rising right now and will put in the fridge before we leave.

Our very old neighbor left with his son late yesterday. Someone came and boarded up the broken window. But there’s still no power and if the roof was leaking it’s probably a mess in there. But at least he’s safe. We’re looking at taking down maybe 2 or more trees but it really does depend on money. We will need to be very careful as we still need to cover the $6000 deductible for the transplant and lodging is our responsibility and donor costs such as the flights and hotel while getting the marrow. So lots on our plate financially.   But I know from what we felt in the past when we removed the huge trees, I think this next set of trees will also feel great. I mean there’s always a chance some random tree could fall but at least we would have done what we thought was the most likely.  The way our neighbor’s tree fell was really unpredictable. So who knows?

A weird week really.  Really weird….

 

 

Here’s what happens in a storm…

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This is our neighbor’s0-1.jpeg house after a tree fell on it last night.

Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt but it was difficult to get to the front door.  Glass all over, rain pouring in.

I called PGE and a tree company. They responded immediately and got the tree cut up. PGE said he couldn’t get the power back on as the box was ‘arcing’ so it needs an electrician.

What a mess!! thankfully no one was hurt. But Leo(who is 92) will need to move out probably for at least 2-3 months.

I’m more convinced than ever to take more trees down.

I’m still kinda upset and feel all adrenalined.

My daughter was a big help and cleaned up a lot of the glass. She decided to head up to Truckee even though it’s snowing.  Hopefully, she’ll make it but coming home later could be another story.

 

Simple Sunday

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We were up and out at 7:30 to get to the infusion center and then I came straight home to do my Sunday chores.

I did the bathroom zone, vacuumed, tidying the kitchen counters and did some emails.

Then I went back to town to go to the gym and Target. B has to have blood and platelets plus the Dacogen so it’ll be a long day for him. Either my son or daughter will go get him around 3 pm.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I did get an Instant Pot and have really liked it so far.  I’ve done rice a few times, a chicken salsa recipe, a whole chicken, and last night I did spaghetti. The spaghetti sounds weird but actually, it was quite good. Plus, I sauteed the ground beef in the instant pot then put the spaghetti is and then homemade sauce.  It was really quite delicious.

Today I’m going to do brown rice and I may try hardboiled eggs too.  The whole chicken was very moist but I think overall I’d prefer a roast chicken. The time factor though is pretty amazing. I think since it’s really a pressure cooker the flavors are locked into whatever you are cooking.  I wouldn’t say I absolutely love it yet, but I have enjoyed the things I’ve made. I haven’t tried beans yet and for me, that’s probably the deciding factor.

This coming week shouldn’t be too bad with appts. B has chemo tomorrow( the last of this cycle), then Wednesday I have the appt with the Medicare person, so that’s it overall except B’s labs.

The weather is supposed to be cold and rainy/snowy so I’m not looking forward to that.

Friday stuff…

Posted in budgeting, budgets, cancer, Uncategorized by

Well, it has been a really busy week with doctor appts, chemo( still 3more days to go), Costco not once but twice. Uhgggg, I ended up going again to Costco today as the Vet didn’t get the dogs pills in on Monday. PITA.  So, it was back down. I ended up getting gas again.  Plus, I figured I’d get the stuff on sale. B has been using Orgain drinks to bolster his food intake and it was on sale. I got both the powder and the liquid. It’s pricey but since he’s lost so much weight (almost 20 lbs) the doctor and I want him to eat eat eat. He’s always been way to thin and now it’s critical he gain weight.

Anyway, this has not been a thrifty week at all. I’m not sure if I’m just going to not go to the store for the rest of the month or just minimally. I do need milk and almond milk so that’s more$ right there. Oh well. It’s only Feb 8 so that’s a while till the end of the month but as of right now, I’m over budget. I’ve been budgeting $200 a week for everything, food, and non-food. It’s actually been spot on. Since we do provide food for our adult children it’s more than if it was just the 2 of us. My daughter does pay rent/food but my son who’s in school full time we let slide.

I’ve also been on the phone a lot, which I greatly dislike, arranging payments for the hospital bill for B’s port placement and the surgeon. I did the one over 4 months at $350 a month and the other over 10 months at $270. They were very accommodating but still not really budget friendly. Well, at least they let us do payments.

We haven’t heard back from the financial coordinator about the insurance for the transplant or sending off the BM kits to the brothers. Maybe next week.

Next week I have an appointment with an SS advisor about Medicare. We are both still covered by B’s insurance but I’m thinking if I switch over to Medicare then that will give us an idea of what our monthly amount will be. I’m sure it’s more than what we pay now but it has to be done sooner or later. So, we’ll see what he says. I need to be sure the drugs I might need in the future such as the Velcade I was on will be covered or at least after we pay the initial amount of our responsibility. Honestly, sometimes I feel as if we are just bumbling thru. Take the SDI, we really had no idea what to put in the form and it was initially rejected.  Then after calling them and waiting forever on hold, we had it figured out.  Still, sometimes I wonder how are we going to navigate this stuff.

Any suggestions for Medicare would be most welcome.

Well, on a more positive note, I’m making a BBQ chicken pizza for dinner and leftover gourmet veggie for the Dad.

 

 

All I can say is “WOW”

Posted in budgets, cooking, Flylady, MDS, simplicity, Uncategorized by

My husbands GoFundMe has been a huge success. I am honestly blown away by all the people who have contributed. I said to him even if it’s enough for some co-pays or gas, I’ll be grateful. His co-ops have contributed, so many co-workers, even some of my blog readers, which is really amazing.

I am so grateful for everyone’s generosity.  I remember when we were going thru my transplant and treatments and all the extra stuff we needed and had to spend money on and we ended up in huge Credit card debt. This time, I told Barclay, we would never do that this time around. Of course, there was Go fund me in 2005, well, at least I don’t think there was.

Well, it’s been a really busy week again. I had to see the eye doctor this morning after I dropped B off at the infusion center. Then I took the car for an oil change and a car wash.

The Social worker suggested we get a handicap placard for when he’s in the hospital and/or doctor visits, so I got the signed forms and went to AAA. But he needs to it in person I guess because of fraud issues. So I’ll need to go back with him.

I did the kitchen zone this week but ended up doing it Tuesday since I had to go to Costco on Monday. I also deep cleaned the oven as best I could just today.

The weather is extremely cold here and is going to stay that way for at least 10 days. HIghs only @ 45degrees. That is unusual for us here in the Sierra Nevada foothills.  So I guess our electric bill will be sky high too.

Even though the week has been very busy, since we live more simply and our home is minimalist, my daily routines have been followed. Basically, here’s my daily list:

  • 1x laundry a day washed, dried and put away.
  • counters kept clean
  • dishwasher emptied either after it runs or in the morning
  • tidy each room
  • make bed
  • wipe bathroom
  • do a daily budget
  • in the morning check what appts are for the day
  • I also plan dinner what I’m making in the morning

It really does help to keep routines and to simplify things.

Well, I’m off to do a few of those things now as we were out all morning.