Category Archives: Myeloma

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, bread, cooking, home stuff, minimalism, Myeloma, simplicity, Uncategorized, Walking by

Beautiful weather this morning , cool and refreshing. Our walk was nice except, once again, after 4 months the AH showed up. He doesn’t look at us just drags his dog beside him. Actually, my guess is he had some kind of breakdown as he’s gained a lot of weight and is definitely NOT manic like he was. Now he’s playing music on his phone sans headphones. What is with this guy?? Anyway, we just ignore him and go on our way. He’s left before and will probably leave again. We’ve been walking in the park since 2008 or thereabout, so we’ve seen lots of people come and go.

I’m going into the Anytime gym this morning and then to Target for some stainless steel wipes, hand soap, and bar keepers. I’m sure something else will jump out.

I’m not planning on any cooking today. Yesterday I did crockpot fiesta chicken, and made up meatballs for either sandwiches or spaghetti. I did just feed my sourdough starter so I’ll probably make that up this afternoon.

Tomorrow I have my labs. We’ll see how it goes. I was so thrilled last month to only have a one point increase but I don’t want to get too invested in it staying that way when I know it won’t. Still, it was pretty nice to have that happy feeling that my myeloma was somewhat stable.

After my labs, I might go down to Roseville to the Rec Center. I’ll wait till tomorrow and see how I feel.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, bread, California, camping, cooking, home stuff, Lake tahoe, library, Myeloma, travel by

We’re back home and we had a great drive back with no construction stops. If you know Tahoe, you know that this is the beginning of LOTS of construction and road repair. Lots of delays. But because it was the weekend we sailed on by.

The yard was bursting with flowers everywhere. I’ll get some pictures to post.

This morning we didn’t walk and just got up at almost our normal time. We have lots of laundry to do and I wanted to get going on canning the cherries I ordered. They are beautiful cherries and I got 6 pints canned.

I plan on using these for cherry pie and putting them over yogurt or ice cream. This is just cherries and simple syrup. I plan on making cherry pie filling using frozen cherries but not till later this month.

Then I whipped a batch of yogurt and that’s in the oven now till tomorrow.

I fed my sourdough starter and plan on using that later as it seems to be very happy.

I bought these Bannetons to make more of an oval batard-type loaf. They seem kind of small. I had 2 Bannetons and got rid of them when I decided to just use a bowl but after watching some more You tubes on bread decided to get a couple. Around $20 so I’m ok with that.

The chores are caught up and tomorrow I will do the kitchen zone as that was last week. Then I’ll do the bathroom this week too.

My son said it hailed up there and was chilly. So we had really most of the best days except he did say it was sunny today. Apparently, the hail caused quite some havoc on I-80 with lots of spin-outs.

The BEST news.…. My Kappa light chains came back with only a 1 POINT increase. That’s such good news and now I can relax for another month. I go down to Sacramento on Thursday for my appt.

This week will be going to the gym, and 1 swim. I’m not sure how swimming is going to go since starting today the smaller pool will only have 2 hours for lap swimming. It may be tough for a while. I have books at the library to pick up too.

I sold some Pyrex bowls this morning minutes after listing them. They are in excellent condition and I wanted them gone. I listed them for 40. The person plans to get them later today. We’ll see how that goes. Basically, Z’s friend was talking about vintage Corelle and Pyrex and the lead in them. So I thought maybe I’ll whittle down my collection and then just have some display ones. These bowls are lovely but..

They would take up too much room if separated. I actually was using these for things so I’m thinking better to pass them on to someone who’s a collector or doesn’t care.

The yard is full of rose champion, roses, wildflowers and lots of others. Shasta daisies, feverfew, carnations and much more.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, books, California, camping, Lake tahoe, Myeloma, reading, swimming, travel, Uncategorized by

Another week has gone by. The weather is warm today but then when we’re in Tahoe there’s quite a change for the week. It’ll be cool and even thunderstorms. That’s ok, we can still walk in the morning, read, and cook meals inside if we have to. We don’t have specific plans as we’ve been to Tahoe so many times, but we will hit the gym up there twice at least. We may drive down to the Y and head up to Pope Beach. We’ll see.

I swam at the Roseville Aquatics yesterday in what’s called the recreation pool. There are 5 lap lanes in the middle of what’s really a big kiddie pool. On one side is a huge water slide and then on the other it’s very shallow for young kids. Fortunately, I got a lane to myself for about half my swim and then shared for the rest. It was ok. Now that I’ve been there, I think any of the serious swimmers won’t swim there because there’s no way to flip turn as it’s too shallow on the one end and it’s short. Perfect for old people like me. I won’t be back till next week but when I checked the schedule the early morning time will continue to be in this pool and then at 12:45, lap swimming opens at the Olympic pool. I just don’t see myself driving to Roseville in the summer at 1 pm. It just doesn’t work for me.

We’re loading up Rubi today and I went to Safeway and picked a few things so we won’t have to go to the store for a few days. Then I went to Starbucks for a bag of ground coffee to take with us. We always buy a bag so we don’t have to grind it beforehand. We have a Hario ceramic cone and a Hario glass carafe. It makes excellent coffee. We do have a press too but we don’t use that too often now.

I have my labs tomorrow so after I get home we’ll finish loading and probably be on our way by 10. Nevada Beach is only 2 hours or less away so you don’t want to get there too early. 12-12:30 is about right.

I’ve been on a reading marathon of Louise Penny books. What a good writer. So many charming details.

The rest of my day is open. I need to water a few plants and tidy up a bit. The kids will be here all week so they can keep things going.

Friday Things

Posted in Blood test, bread, California, camping, cancer, decluttering, home stuff, Myeloma, Uncategorized by

I’m doing things around the house today. I finished the sourdough rye. My starter needs some reviving so I’m adding flour and water to see if I can get it to double. I’m planning on another loaf before we leave on Monday morning. Speaking of which, I will go get my labs Monday morning so I should have the results by Friday. I know it’s probably gone up since I can tell I’m a wee bit more tired. Well, I’m figuring that it will be Fall when I start Velcade, at least if my calculations are correct.

Yesterday was Costco and that went well. It was very busy though. It’s hard to know why sometimes it’s so busy but then we figured out that it’s probably graduations and weddings.

Our yard is full of roses blooming, foxglove flowers, mini carnations, tons of tomato plants, peppers, sage, and lots of lavender too. This is a very pretty time in the year here.

Tonight we’re opting out of pizza and will just have some spaghetti and sauce I think. Nothing too involved. I have some salad stuff I can use too.

I’ve been thinking about how things go full circle. Back when we were first married we owned next to nothing. We traveled from NY to Tucson in a 1964 VW bus and what was in there, is all we owned. We never really bought furniture as such until right before we moved here in 1975. Then we had some antique dressers, a table( this was an old Forest Service table) some chairs and a few other things. It wasn’t until we built the house in Foresthill that we bought things. A nice couch set from Macys, an oak round table, a few chairs and misc. Then when we moved here after the house sold, we had everything in storage while we remodeled. We had gotten rid of a lot but still had way to much for this space. I guess I just kept trying to stuff things in here even though nothing fit. So the full circle is I’d like to own next to nothing again except what is truly used and loved. My Heywood collection for sure, a couch to sit on that’s comfortable for reading and watching some TV, and bookcases either built in or the one we have for the Easton Press. I look around and think what more can I reduce. I’d rather have space than things. It’s pared down but not quite to the poetry yet.

Frugal things:

Costco was under $300 and that was quite a bit of freezer stuff and pantry basics.

I went to the library and got a lot of books to take camping.

We filled the truck up with gas at Costco where it was .70 cheaper than here in town.

One of the pears tree we bought at Home Depot didn’t make it so B was going to bring it back. Kind of a PITA since he had to dig it up but that’s $ back in his pocket to either get another tree or wait till next year to replace.

I was tempted by a LV neverfull of FB market place. But then I checked the code and it said it was invalid. I tried numerous sites and no one could verify it so I saved myself $800. The woman said it had been authenticated but since the code( which all LV have) wasn’t one with right country I passed. I’m still planning on getting one but it’ll need to be from site that verifies it like Fashionphile.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cancer, cooking, Gratitude, Myeloma, swimming, Uncategorized by

A good week overall. Sachi’s birthday was nice. I made a yellow cake with chocolate icing.

For a box mix, it was tasty.

I’m thankful for my daughter and all her talents. A published author, gardener extraordinaire, research librarian, and cat lover.

I’m very thankful the plumbing got fixed. Z helped his Dad and made the job much easier. Now the sill wood and beam need to be replaced because of the water damage but that will have to wait till we’re back from Tahoe.

I’m thankful that we live in California and not some horrible right-wing state like Florida. We live in a Red county but then you drive down to Roseville and Davis etc and it’s Blue!!!

I’m thankful that I have lived to be 70 and even though Myeloma is hanging over me, I’m hopeful my next course of treatment is successful. Despite having lived with cancer for almost 20 years, I’m fairly healthy.

I’m always thankful for the Roseville pool and even though it’s closed for 3 months, I can go over to the other pool. It’s an Olympic pool outside so I’m not sure how the temperature will be. It is heated though from what the lifeguards said. Most of the people I talked to like it a lot.

Thankful Thursday, Frugal Friday and Saturday sum-up.

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, camping, cooking, LLS, Multiple myeloma, Myeloma, pets, travel by

THANKFUL THURSDAY

  1. I am thankful we had a safe drive home from Capitola and traffic was not too bad at all. We made it home in 4 hours with a stop for gas and something to eat.

2. I am grateful that B does the driving and set up and take down of Rubi.

3. I am thankful the weather was beautiful and we had some lovely days in our camp spot. With the influx of kids, bikes, and loud people, we left a day early and I’m grateful we have the sense to do that and not just say” Oh, we paid for the night, we should stay”. We do not enjoy it when kids are throwing balls in front of the trailer, riding bikes, etc, while their parents are loud with partying.

4. I am very grateful to my daughter for taking care of the house and yard. With the chickens and cats, it can be a lot.

5. I am so incredibly grateful that LLS opened funding for Myeloma and I got my application in. It’s pending, waiting for my doctor to fax his form.

FRUGAL FRIDAY

We spent very little this past week while camping. We didn’t eat out except for Gayles and that was just coffee and a danish. We ate the rest of our meals in camp. We went to the grocery store for a few things and that was it.

If you figure a week almost in Capitola, and we had just the cost of gas and some food, it’s a low budget getaway.

Overall, the budget has been good this month. But some things have caused some alarm. I’ll describe that in Saturday Sum up.

All the monthly bills are done. I’m working on keeping a zero balance in the bank account and it’s right where I want it for now.

It’s a huge savings for me to have my LLS grant since it covers all my insurance costs. I’ll be able to have a look back of 90 days so for reimbursement.

SATURDAY SUM UP

Well, that was the frugal stuff.

The night before we left my son notice some water(moisture) on part of the kitchen foundation. Of course, I freaked out and had B use the giant flashlight to look under there. There was a slow drip from the kitchen water pipe that will need to be fixed. Now part of the problem is our house foundation is not that great and as you go from the back to the kitchen area it gets very small to access. When we had this work done the person had to use a very long something to put those pipes in place. So now we’re facing a difficult challenge of getting a plumber to go under there. B is going to suit up and go in to try and clear some old pilings of dirt. But he isn’t a plumber that can weld the copper pipes. We put a call in to someone while we were in camp and we will try and set up an appt for next week to have him check it out. I tremble to think of this added expense.

The good news is the truck will go in next week to fix the AC and it’s covered by the extended warranty we bought. That expires in August so right in the nick of time.

Today, I’m going to pick up a Walmart order that has some camping stuff( toilet paper, and small propane bottles for the Weber). Plus I need to dust as the pine yellow pollen is coating everything in the house.

While we were gone a red fox chased and almost caught Ciri the cat. It was caught on Arlo and it’s scary to watch. It actually jumped the gate and chased her into the laundry rooms. We’re guessing it has a litter of kits nearby and that’s why it was so aggressive.


Frugal Friday

Posted in Blood test, California, cancer, cooking, Myeloma by

Since we were gone last week till Saturday, we didn’t spend much. We had the one lunch out at Fishetarian and that was $50, I think.

So except for gas, we had a very low spending week.

I went to Trader Joe’s on Monday after the gym and spent $140 on groceries. I got quite a bit of groceries and snacks so I think we’re set. This morning we took the truck to AutoNation Honda( where we bought it) for them to fix the AC. After that, I went over to the gym and Barclay walked the trail behind the Rec center. Then we had a coffee date at Nugget and then it was off to Winco to get the stuff I need to pressure can Chicken Chili Verde. Mostly that was the green salsa verde. I picked up a bunch of jalapenos to make pickled jalapenos. I plan on doing the pressure canning either tomorrow or Sunday. Winco ended up $60 but that included $15 for birdseed and then $20 for wine. So groceries were about $35.

I don’t need anything next week so hopefully it’ll be a low spend week too.

After getting home, I shucked the corn we had gotten on sale 3 for $1. I ended up with 3 bags to freeze. I checked on pressure canning it but most canners said freezing was better for corn.

In unfortunate lab news, my Kappa went up 14 points to 56.4 mg/L… so not good. But since I’m asymptomatic, I’ll take it. I’m still hoping to get to September without treatment. Not much I can do but be ok with it. 😦 sigh….

Simple Sunday and blog anniversary

Posted in bread, California, cooking, Flylady, Myeloma by

I started my blog in April 2012. I really wanted to document how my life with Multiple Myeloma was. At that point, I had been on Revlimid for 2 years and would stay on that for 3 more years till it was no longer working.

I had already begun becoming more minimalist and had been decluttering using Flylady for a few years. I mostly wanted to journal using the blog as the forum because writing( in a notebook), a journal never appealed to me. It’s been a fun outlet for me. So here I am 11 years into blogging and about ready to start another round of Chemo( well, I hope not till fall).

Spring has sprung here in Northern California and it’s been quite nice. The trees are starting to pop out and our white camelia tree is blooming( very late I may add). We had the Ooni fired up for Friday night pizza and last night used the charcoal Weber for chicken and veggie dogs. Tonight, I plan on Spanish rice, chips, and Pico de Gallo, and some main dish. I might open a pressure canned jar of veggie stew.

This coming week is just regular stuff. I plan on trying to go to the gym and pool twice each. We’ll see. That’s a lot of driving so, I’ll just see how I feel.

I’m making a loaf of sandwich bread right now. I’ve been trying to not eat bread but the rest of the fam needs it so I used the Kitchen Aid and made a King Arthur recipe. My son thought his partner might like the Zojirushi so he took it down to their place. I actually feel good about letting it go. I guess the final question was did I have the space for it and really I didn’t. It was in the closet but now I’m using that space for something else. Plus, most of the bread I make is sourdough in the Dutch oven and I only used the bread maker for the dough cycle for sandwich bread.

I sorted thru most of my canning jars and I have plenty for this season. I think I’ll buy some lids though so I have extra. Probably Winco is the best place to get them.

Well, I’m off to finish the bedroom zone and get the bread in the oven.

Wednesday stuff

Posted in Blood test, bread, cooking, decluttering, Multiple myeloma, Myeloma, Uncategorized by

The pool was busy again even though there was a sign about Spring Break. I still had a nice swim. It will be a challenge to go over to the outdoor pool but I’ll just have to wait and see how that goes in June.

I’ve been going through some decluttering again and have posted my tortilla press and some houseplants on our Pay it Forward group. I used the tortilla press maybe half a dozen times but it’s not really my thing. The houseplants are not thriving where I had them( the sunroom) and I’m not into just having plants stuck around anywhere. So I thought I offer the 3 to someone who can make use of them.

I’m feeling the urge to go to a new level of decluttering things that aren’t absolutely necessary. It’s, to me, just levels and layers of decluttering and simplifying. What was important even a few years ago, just isn’t anymore. I want the simplicity of useful items and that aren’t just single purpose appliances. I haven’t put on the bread maker yet but it is on my to do list. Also, I really want to pare down to the ‘poetry’ and only have what is essential. That may include getting rid of any duplicates or things that are just lying around. I don’t have a lot of that but there is always something.

A fresh loaf of sourdough.

Some honey in a new honey Ball jar. So cute!!

Here’s the flowering cherry tree. You can’t really see where the top broke off but it’s in the middle area.

Well, tomorrow is my doctor appt. Not much to really talk about except once again when we might start treatment. As I’ve said my limit is when my kappa light chains get to 100. Right now they are at 46.1 mg/L so that was another 6 point jump. Normal high is 19.4, so it is increasing. 😦 I’m not sure what his assessment is but I’m not waiting till they are over 600 like last time. As long as the increases are small it’s ok, if they start doubling then it’s time. It does suck but what can you do?

Wild California Weather or Frugal Friday

Posted in Blood test, bread, budgets, California, camping, home stuff, ikea, Myeloma, Pantry, swimming by

We are still getting clobbered. Right now it’s been raining here nonstop and there’s some wind. There are flood warnings everywhere for N Ca, specifically the Sierras and the Bay area. At this point, I’m guessing we’re canceling New Brighton because of the flood dangers in the Santa Cruz Mtns. Plus we’ll be right on the coast so I’m not too comfortable with the whole idea. Also, the day we leave it’s raining nonstop all day in Capitola. Reserving something in March is always a gamble, so we’ll be flexible. I do hate to give up the spot because it was an electric one. Oh well, that’s life.!!!

This week was busy but not too bad. I swam on Wednesday and that was lovely. I went to the gym on Tuesday and the library. We went to Costco on Thursday( yesterday), and holy cow was it busy. We didn’t have a clue as to why. It seemed just a regular Thursday. Weird. Anyway, I got lots of things to bulk up the freezer and pantry. I plan on going back in soon to get a few things more that we need like AA batteries. I didn’t want to add them to the cart yesterday.

After Costco, we went to our favorite pizza place, Celestino’s which is the closest to a NY pizza I’ve ever had out here. Although I left NY in 1970, thankfully, NY pizza has always been near and dear to me since I grew up right next to Pepe and Eddies. Now that might seem strange since I grew up on Quaker Rd in Highland Mills which back then was VERY rural. But right up the road, actually, the end of the road was this Italian family who ran the restaurant. There was the grandmother, Nonnie, Eddie, Pepe, and 2 children, Barbara and Johnny. Johnny was a few years older than me and we did play together occasionally. Anyway, their pizza was the best, ever.

We also spent money at Ikea but I brought cash for that from my ‘home’ money. The Ivar shelf is absolutely fabulous. I wish I had room for a second one. Maybe if I look at the space closer, I may be able to fit it in but that would mean using most of the wall and I’m reluctant to do that. ( at least for right now).

I should have bought another shelf and actually when I did my calculations I had the extra shelf in there but Ikea sells the Ivar as separate pieces. I had figured the 5 shelves( as shown on the website were all together but they weren’t. I got 6 shelves instead of the 7 I had planned thinking that was all I’d need but I can see I need the extra one for pint jars and half pints. I love that I can see what I have left in the canned goods and what I need to do this summer.

This is such a clever system and the total was $115. So a fabulous deal.

Today is a home day and with the rain and wind, I’m glad to be home baking and tidying things up.

Overall, an expensive week but since it’s all stuff we don’t normally do, I’m ok with it.

My labs came in with another 6pt increase. 😦 so now I’m at 36.7mg/L for kappa Light chains. It’s a bummer but as I’ve said,” your blood is your blood and it is what it is”. I did go back and looked at the graph for my increases in 2019 and they really started doubling at about 55mg/L. So in one month they went from that to almost 100. And then the next month almost to 200mg/L. So that’s what I don’t want to happen this time. The Myeloma cells are clearly on the increase and why wait till I’m at 600mg/L to start treatment. We don’t even know if Velcade will be effective since this will be my 3rd time on it. Lots of unknowns.