September 23, 2024 Monday--5am

Good morning!

Well, it was another week of ordinary days.  Well, mostly.

Monday Dagan forgot to put the big flat cart in Leah's car, so he and the boys were going to drop it off before Ian's Haley's Hope session.  Liam was going to stay here with Gramma.  On the way here Ian's appointment was cancelled because the coach was sick.  So they all came over and we waited for Leah to get off work and then for the people to come to pick up the planters.  The couple did show up and the planters went bye-bye.  Dagan also took the big black planter where my petunias were living...and died--lol!

Looks so barren.  I haven't even felt good enough to get out there and sweep yet.  The wind has been doing a pretty good job, in the meantime--lol!

I didn't get any worse, but I didn't get any better.  Let's just say my guts have been in turmoil.

Keanna's boss called on Tuesday to tell me Keanna had to cancel and the girl who she would have sent instead was sick.  I said just waiting another two weeks was absolutely fine. :)

There was a super moon that was very bright.

Saw the strangest cloud formation coming up over the apartment building across the way.  Looked like the shape of a nuclear bomb.  Have you ever seen a cloud like that?  I haven't.

After I am done at the table Allie often just hangs around up on the table.  I think she's just happy I don't chase her off the table anymore--lol!  Pointless and unfair since Blink isn't chased off.

Anyways, my UTI had gotten better with the oil of oregano, right?  I decided to keep taking it because I figured maybe it could help some with my inflammation that I still have all over since the cancer treatments.  Ended up with rolling, gurgling guts and painful gas, to be honest.  Quit taking the oil of oregano and waited...but didn't see much improvement over the week.  Oh, and peeing still frequently, too.  (I am the TMI girl, aren't I? lol!)  

Finally I asked Dagan if he would take me to the walk-in clinic on Friday if I was still about the same and hadn't gotten better.  Sick and tired of being sick and tired, as they say.  Yes, he would.

I was doing so poorly on Friday that we had to wait until after the boys were home from school to go...but I went and I am so glad I did.  Learned some interesting things!  

Dagan also wanted to have them check his eye for pink eye...which he didn't have.  Somehow he burst a blood vessel in his eye?!  But glad to know it wasn't pick eye, I guess.

On the way there I was telling Dagan that maybe I wouldn't mention the oil of oregano because so many doctors have no clue what you're talking about.  Turns out I got this lady doctor who had been snooping through my files and was very interested to hear about my cancer saga, Dr. Kobrassy, why I switched to Sanford, and even the oil of oregano came up--lol!  (Gave her constant burps when she took it she told me--with me it was the other end...well, my entire gastronomical system--lol!)  I think she had wanted to know if I realized how "miraculous" it was that I am cancer free.  I do.  Yes, I absolutely do.  

This walk-in clinic was an Essentia one.  Even though Dagan and Leah are also going to Sanford, they like the Essentia walk-in better.  The two systems are connected so you can do this up here.  This lady was also curious, I think, because she saw my regular doctor was Dr. Kessler from Essentia--and wondered how that happened.  She knew Dr. Kessler and said she's an excellent doctor.  (Kessler's the one who caught my cancer, you may recall.)  

Along the way in our conversation my over-reactions to certain medications and practically no reaction to others (like most pain pills) came up--along with my possible over-reaction to taking oil of oregano for too long.  That was my guess.  Either I was starting up another UTI or getting over taking too much oil of oregano (says it can affect the gastronomical system).  She agreed.  

Then she told me something really interesting!  She had just recently read a study they'd be doing on how differently people can react to taking medications.  Some people metabolize them super rapidly and others very slowly.  She thought that I might be a super metabolizer.  Would explain the severe reaction to the chemo--and gradually also to the Keytruda.  Why low-level pain pills do nothing for me...because they'd be absorbed or processed through my body and gone so fast I would barely notice.  I'd never heard of this theory.  Would explain some things, for sure.  May not be that interesting to any of you, but I was riveted! 

Anyways, we had a fairly long and delightful conversation.  Dagan dropped me off at home.  I realized I was exhausted.  Apparently Allie had an exhausting day, too--lol!

By Saturday afternoon my culture results came back.  Negative.  So, it is just my body getting over an over-reaction to oil of oregano.  (No wonder it can cure me of a UTI--but I need to watch not taking it for too long--lol!)  Never thought of myself as a super-fast metabolizer--lol!  But I've been pondering since then and it makes a lot of sense to me with many things over the years.  And it reaffirms that I should be leery of medications.  

Well, it was a quiet week...again...not complaining.  Quiet weeks are blessings.  I may have felt cruddy, but not that bad.  Have felt a heck-of-a-lot worse, you know.  Everything is relative, eh?  I do finally feel like I am probably finally on the mend.  Just takes me a lot longer to recover once my body has been set off by this or that--lol!  

My fun thing this past week was I decided to get a new bathroom stool ahead of time.  Got it put together. 

The very old blue plastic step stool I've had for maybe 30-35 years is going to the donation pile in the garage.  I sprayed the dust off of it in the shower yesterday.  It's been one of those "if-it-ain't-broke" items in my life.  Bought it out of necessity on a whim at Target so long ago I can't even remember (could be even 40 years, to be honest).  Was never crazy about it but figured I could replace it one day...but then it worked just fine.  I had decided long ago I would get a new stool when I moved.

Well, that day came early.  Even if it still looks brand new and is tough as nails...bye-bye blue plastic stool.  Someone else will appreciate you.

So, that is how the past week went.  

Oh, oh!  And I got an official letter from Goldmark saying they hadn't received the copies they needed--bank statement, SS statement, Snap statement--(that I had copied and slipped under the office door the day after Labor Day holiday).  They said I was therefore in a material lease violation.  *sigh*

I had even asked the Goldmark lady if I turned those in to the office here would they know to get them to her, and she told me she would let them know.  Yah, right.  So I had to call the office.  Luckily it was a Tuesday and we'd just gotten a notice that we now had somebody scheduled to be in the office on Mon-Tues-and Fri (two different people, mind you, and they might not be in the office all day--lol!).  I actually get the Tuesday girl, she says hang on so she could look for my forms.  Couldn't find them.  Tells me she will search some more and call me back, but otherwise I would have to make the copies again.  But--she did find them and called me back to tell me to ignore the letter.

The right hand truly doesn't know what the left hand is doing over here.  

Anyways, I think I am finally on the upswing--body wise.  We've been having cooler weather and Allie and I have been delighted with the patio-door-open days!  Allie seems a little puzzled by how far she can see now--lol!  I'm just glad to slowly be feeling better.  If the last 20-plus-years have taught me anything it has been patience.  Very reluctantly, with complaints, for a couple-three years looking back, but eventually I learned the lesson.  I think I am quite good at it these days--well, most of the time. ;)  
 

I don't want to guess at how the upcoming week will go.  Don't want to jinx myself--lol!  But, at least, I think I should feel better next time we talk.  I feel better than I did on Friday...so far today.  That's a good thing.  I finished rewatching season one of The Old Man.  Watched some documentaries and a couple of mini-series.  Crafters, painters, narrowboaters, DIYers, and assorted vloggers on youtube.  Sketchbook revival starts today for 15 days and Inktober is coming up soon.  I hope I am in shape to participate at least somewhat.  I can always just use coloring card fronts every day for my participation, eh?  I don't care.  I would count it--lol! :)  

I am SOOO enjoying the cooler weather!!  I hope all is well in whatever corner of the world where you are.  I am grateful for each and every one of you!  Even those of you who read and never comment.  I am so glad you have stopped by to bless my little corner of the world.  Till next week...