Insurance and Doctors

Part of our chores for yesterday was to pick out new doctors for Florida. In addition to a Family Practice doctor, I need an oncologist, a radiation oncologist, and a gynecologist. Mark needs an endocrinologist and a cardiologist. To complicate matters, he has a new federal government Blue Cross Blue Shield program that requires him to use in-network doctors, and I have a new CIGNA plan that also must use in-network doctors. Mark is doubly insured since I still have him on my plan, so we had to pick out doctors (that we've never heard of) that aren't too far from our new house and accept both types of insurance.

Fortunately both plans have excellent websites that list the doctors, so finding doctors in both plans wasn't too hard to do. Still, we have no idea whether we will like them or not, but we can always change again later if we don't. In the meantime, I need to be seen by the oncologist and radiation oncologist within a few days of arriving in Florida so my treatment can continue smoothly.

Once we picked out the doctors, I called them to introduce myself and try to make appointments. No one would make appointments for us until they received our records from the doctors up here. Hm...so our plans to go to the museum were put off to some future date. Instead we went to the hospital and to the doctors' offices in Columbia and Catonsville to sign papers to get our files sent to Florida. It all went smoothly, but it was kind of a lot of driving around. Still, the files should be on their way, and next week I can call back and try to get those appointments with the oncologists set up. So much to do! There's always a lot to do when you move, but changing insurance and having to keep my treatment going without interruption adds a little to the pressure.

Lowell and I enjoyed a lot more episodes of How I Met Your Mother last night. There are only two more Thursdays when Lowell can come over, and we think we have 12 episodes left to finish season five. It looks like we'll have no trouble doing that. I sure am going to miss my Thursdays with Lowell.

I also had a lot of fun late last night g-chatting with Evey about wedding plans. That never gets old!!

Today I have absolutely NO PLANS!! I think I might go to the grocery store to buy some more decaf coffee in Keurig cups, but then again, I might not even get dressed at all today. I'm currently reading four books simultaneously, so I might make some progress in each of them. I'm also going to try to stick to my diet plan. I have already written down the foods I should eat today. If I don't stray, it will be about 2200 calories and included the hated sauerkraut. I'll let you know tomorrow if I stuck to it or strayed.

Sniffing

My nose is running so much this morning. UGH. I don't know if it's the same cold still here or a new cold trying to get started.

I went to the podiatrist yesterday for the last time. He cut my toenails, but by the next time they need to be cut, I'll be off chemo! That means I can find a salon in Florida and have a real pedicure again. That will be nice. I'd like to see them polished again. It wouldn't be bad to see my nails polished again either.

After the podiatry appointment, we met Suzie and Evelyn at TJ's for lunch. That was also a lot of fun. I had not seen either of them for a very long time, so we had lots to catch up on. Actually, Evelyn is one of my followers and loyal readers on this blog, so she pretty much knew everything I was doing! LOL They both also looked beautiful! Evelyn had just had her hair done and was wearing perfect makeup. She looked gorgeous. Suzie always has beautiful nails. This time she had cute snowmen painted on them. I miss having nice nails and makeup and HAIR!! Someday those will all come back again, I know, but I still miss them. I guess I could put some make up on, but I just haven't felt like gussying up these days.

The menu at TJ's is really a good one for those who don't want to eat meat. Mark had a grilled salmon with salad and baked potato. He said it was delicious. I must admit that I did not make a wise choice. I should have had a salmon salad or maybe what Mark got. Instead I got a fried fish sandwich with cole slaw, fries, and key lime pie. It was delicious, but loaded with fat and calories. Then for dinner we had the leftover fried chicken, buffalo wings, cole slaw, and waffles. I bet I had 4,000 calories yesterday.

After dinner we went back to Saul's house for another shiva. There were far less people there this time. It's sort of typical for more people to show up at the first couple of shiva minyans and then the crowd drops off. For that very reason we decided to go last night. It was nicer for us since we were able to have time to have conversations with people and actually get a book for the service. Unfortunately, it also meant I could make it to the food table where I ate two fancy cookies and two fudgey candies. I also ate a clementine. I guess I should have stuck with the clementine. OY! More calories.

Today I am going to do some paperwork chores. I have to catch up on filing Blue Cross/Blue Shield EOB forms into my notebook. I'm also behind on logging in how the seventh chemo session went. I will be mailing out hospital bills to my special cancer insurance company, too. I also need to find new doctors in Florida and call to set up appointments for the first week of February. It's especially important that I get a radiation oncology appointment. I'm going to be starting the radiation about three weeks later than I should because of the cruise. I don't want it to put off any longer than that. Later today we plan to play tourist in this area and go to a museum called the Evergreen. It's in a big mansion up on the campus of Loyola College. That means it's about a three minute drive from here! I'll let you know what's in there tomorrow.

Lowell is expected here tonight for plenty of episodes of How I Met Your Mother. We are on season five, which is the last bunch of DVDs that he has. Season six is actually on TV right now. Once I finish season five on DVD with Lowell, which we are on track to finish before we leave the area, I'm hoping I can watch some of season six online.

I really didn't have any significant aches and pains yesterday. I also woke up this morning without any pain either. I'm probably finished with that now until the next session. YAY!

Yesterday was SLOW.

Yesterday morning, I woke up at 8 a.m., by 12:30 p.m. I had my Flagyl prescription and took the first pill, then I went back to bed. I could NOT wake up yesterday. I'm not sure why, but I was just sleepy all day. I set my alarm for 3 p.m. because I needed time to shower and dress and get my act together before Lowell came over. That worked.

Lowell came on time at 5 p.m. He brought two pieces of mail for me. YAY! One envelope contained the medical cards for our new CIGNA health care plan. Since I have to go to the cancer center next Tuesday, I was relieved to have the card.

We watched three episodes of How I Met Your Mother, then we had the wonderful waffles and wings dinner with cole slaw. Yum. At 7 p.m. we were on the road to Silver Spring and the shiva at Saul and Phyllis' house. It was PACKED in there, which we knew it would be. Many of our friends who were there had not seen Lowell in a long time, so they appreciated getting to say "Hi" to him. I was glad we went, but it was so crowded there was no room to turn around. That's a good thing. It says a lot about how much the Oresky family is loved.

As the evening wore on, my joint/muscle pain increased. It was pretty intense by midnight, so I eventually took 2 oxycodone again. After that, I did sleep straight from 12:30 to 4:30 when the alarm went off for the Flagyl. I took the pill and fell right back to sleep until 8 a.m. I hope I can stay awake better today than yesterday because I have a lot to do today! So far I do feel more alert.

I have an 11:20 a.m. appointment with the podiatrist. This will be the third and last time I have to go to the podiatrist to have my toe nails trimmed. I'll be off chemo and back in Florida the next time it needs to be done. As far as I know, I can go back to a salon for a pedicure then. Whoee! That will be fun!

After the podiatrist, I'm meeting Suzie and Evelyn at TJ's in Beltsville for a lovely lunch. These two ladies are singers with CMC and also sang for me in the Mishkan Torah choir. I have not seen either of them in a very long time, so I'm looking forward to this luncheon today.

It's going to be cold out there, but I'm very excited about today's plans. I hope everyone else has a great day, too.

Like a Bad Penny

The picture is of me, Don, and Sharon at Kelsey's Irish pub in Ellicott City last night. Mark took it of the three of us while we were waiting to order. I took my scarf off so Don and I could compare our bald heads. He joked that he had more hair than I do, and it's NO JOKE!! Sharon and I went to high school together, and I think that's the last time I saw her. It was a lot of fun to talk about those old days.

I slept in until 8:15 a.m. this morning. That's what happens when you don't have any alarms going off, I guess. At 8:30 I realized the C Diff had returned like a bad penny. I didn't want to believe it. I went off the Flagyl last Friday morning, and I had four great days. I really started to believe that this was the time that it was gone. Well, it had other ideas. I have now been in the bathroom two times within a half hour, and I am also starting to feel those terrible cramps that come along with C Diff. Mark is going out to shop in a little while, so he'll be filling my next prescription for the Flagyl again. The oncologist did kind of hint that as long as I was on chemotherapy, it would be very hard to get rid of C Diff. Maybe she's right. Maybe I just need to stay on Flagyl until the chemo is out of my system. Maybe then it can finally get brought under control. I was told not to take Florastor until I was off chemo, so around the end of January, I can start taking it as a supplement.

It's weigh-in Tuesday also. I tried to track my food this week, but I didn't do a really good job of it. I never had a day with less than 2000 calories, and I had several days with significantly more calories. I only took a walk once during the week. Last night I had fish and chips with cole slaw at the Irish pub. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of calories. We ate lunch out, also, but Lonestar now prints the calories of all its foods in the menu. I had the 7 oz. grilled salmon and rice pilaf for 490 calories and a side of asparagus for 80 calories. Mark and I also shared a mushroom and cheese appetizer that did not have a calorie count listed. Mushrooms are very low, but there was a lot of cheese. I estimated 300 calories for that. So lunch was 870 calories. No matter what I ate last week, I still dropped one pound to 243 this morning. I guess I should just be happy about that. I can't say I'm really happy this morning because of the return of the C Diff. Flagyl works well and quickly to keep it under control. When I'm on Flagyl, I don't have any symptoms. I'm comfortable at least, so that's something anyway.

Today our friends Bev and John canceled coming up for lunch. They both have bronchitis, and their doctor said not to be around me until they were on antibiotics for 24 hours. That will be too late for them to be here for lunch. Hopefully we can reschedule for a few weeks from now. Meanwhile Lowell is coming over for TV and dinner tonight, so he'll get to have the waffles and wings and cole slaw we were going to serve Bev and John for lunch today. It won't be a low calorie dinner for me tonight, but we already have the food here. After dinner, Mark, Lowell, and I will be going to Saul's house for the shiva minyan for his beloved dad, Seymour. I expect there will be a large crowd there.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister-in-law Denise. I hope your day is awesome!!

Funeral today

This morning Mark and I attended the funeral of our friend Saul's father. Seymour Oresky, born in 1924, was a great man. He had three fabulous children, many grandchildren, and a great-grandchild on the way. The synagogue was packed for this funeral in his honor. After the beautiful service, during which his oldest son Alan played the violin so poignantly, we went to the cemetery. It was a clear morning, blustery and cold. That did not stop the large crowd from gathering around the grave for the additional service. As customary at a Jewish funeral, we all took turns shoveling dirt into the grave. This is a deeply spiritual and moving event, at least to me. I think most people find it a very rewarding thing to do.

Our hearts and prayers go out to Saul and Phyllis and the entire Oresky family on the loss of their father.

We were unable to go back for lunch with the Oresky family, although we thanked them for the invitation. Mark and I had to go up to Laurel to get his prescription refilled. Then we went to Pikesville to do some grocery shopping. Tonight Mark is making a tortilla soup, which only Cindy will eat. It will be nice for her to come home from work around 7:30 and find a hot pot of soup waiting for her. Mark and I are going out to Ellicott City to meet two of my high school friends, Don and Sharon, for dinner at an Irish pub. That should be lots of fun!!

I had quite a lot of aches and pains again last night, so I did take two of the oxycodone at bedtime. I find that it really allows me to fall asleep and stay asleep all night. So far today has not been so bad, but there are random stray pains in the joints now and then. If it stays at this level the rest of the evening, I should not need narcotics tonight. That would be nice. Also my cold seems finally to be gone! That's a good thing. Mark got his one week after me, so I predict he will have his until next Monday! So sad for him.

Resolutions

I tracked my calories yesterday, and they came to 3,000. Hm...it's not going to help me lose weight if I write down and actually eat 3,000 calories a day. Well, at least I wrote them down. Today we are going to see the movie True Grit with our friends Rudy and Georganne. After that, we are going to have lunch at DuClaws to talk about the cruise we're going on together at the end of February. I'll try to behave myself at the restaurant.

I'm eating out tomorrow night with two other friends, Don and Sharon, at an Irish pub in Ellicott City. Two friends, Bev and John, are coming to the house for lunch on Tuesday, and I'm eating lunch out again with two other friends, Suzie and Evelyn, on Wednesday, at TJ's in Beltsville. Restaurants are always problematic for me. All I can say is, I'll try to watch what I'm doing and make good choices.

This morning is "pancake Sunday." Mark has been making low-carb pancakes every Sunday morning for well over a year. Three of these pancakes are 190 calories. I always have them with three Morningstar sausage links for 120 calories. This morning I also had two Activia yogurts for another 160 calories. Breakfast then is 470 calories. Not bad. I'll let you know tomorrow how lunch and dinner turned out. Maybe today will be a good day.

At least I did walk a full 30 minutes around the neighborhood yesterday. It wasn't really, really cold, so it was a good day to do it. It was hard for me, though. I was huffing and puffing when we got back. The walk was about 3/4 of a mile. That is not far, and since it took 30 minutes, it was not fast either. I remain shocked at how out of shape I am.

As the evening wore on yesterday, my aches and pains from the Taxol began to intensify. We watched a great documentary film, Walt Disney and El Grupo, on iTunes. It was excellent, but I was very uncomfortable sitting in the chair for those two hours. Random, shooting pains would hit my knees, hips, shoulders. Eventually the pains and aches also attacked the muscles of my legs and back. Even my chest felt tight. The movie ended at 9:30 and I was ready to go to bed. I went up and expected to feel better lying down. That worked for about five minutes, when I realized that I felt as achy and sick as I had after the first Taxol. So, I took two of the oxycodone pills that the doctor prescribed for this pain. That allowed me to fall asleep in about 30 minutes, and I actually slept straight through until 5 a.m. I was pretty happy about that! This morning I am feeling ok. I have some small aches in my finger joints and knees. With any luck, it won't get worse, or if it does get worse, it won't happen before I get home from the movie and lunch. This just goes to show that once again, I cannot predict how I will feel after a chemo session. Not one has been like a previous one. Well, just one left to go now.

1/1/11

One of my Facebook friends posted the date and said, "We are all one. What better thought could there possibly be for a new year?" I agree.

I am following my New Year's Day tradition, watching the Tournament of Roses Parade. I have always loved watching it every year. It's just so beautiful. This year there is a local connection. Delaney High School, a Baltimore County school, is one of the select few high school marching bands in the parade. They spent the year fund-raising and then almost didn't get to go. The day they were scheduled to fly out was the snowstorm when all the flights were canceled. They were told they couldn't fly until January 2. Obviously, that would be too late. Continental Airlines came to their rescue and brought out an extra plane to get them there in time. What a story! I'm excited to see those kids on the TV marching in this parade.

It's that time when people make New Year's Resolutions. For most of my life, I have only made one resolution: lose weight. Some years I did; some years I didn't. So this year, I'm making a longer list of resolutions.

1. BEAT CANCER!! Yes, I think I can beat cancer in 2011. I'm off to a good start. Only one chemotherapy session will be in 2011. I can't wait for this to be over.

2. LOSE WEIGHT. Well, of course, I still have to say that. I've gained back too much not to get concerned. I also feel pretty confident that I have the tools and the knowledge to do it once I am not stressed from the chemotherapy anymore.

3. HAVE GOOD TIMES with family and friends. This can encompass a lot of things. Evey's wedding will be in 2011, so that's a milestone. Living in our dream home will be in 2011, and I can't wait for that to happen. We hope to host a lot of friends in our guest suite (with private bath!) during this year and for many years to come.

That's about it. I don't think I need any more resolutions. If you want, you can share your resolutions with me either as a comment on the blog or in a private email or FB message. I love to hear from everyone.

I hope everyone had a safe night last night on New Year's Eve no matter what you were doing. Happy, Happy, Happy thoughts to everyone for a fabulous 2011.