Relapsed High-Risk Myeloma - Update - May 18 2013

Slept pretty well last night - five hours in one stretch which was a miracle for me. Haven't slept well for the last 2 years - sleeping only in 2-hour bursts. I took 5 mg of Xanax at bedtime.

Not sure when the CONTEST for Faye's activities will end - but probably by this Friday, 24 May 2013. So, don't get too busy - and ENTER NOW via the comments section.

Had a pretty good Saturday. Drove to the U.S. Post Office to pick up the mail for Paco and I.  Had a nice visit with Gary Lords and Ronnie Hocking outside the Post Office...really nice guys.

Delivered the mail and was going to go to Ivies (grocery store) for Jani's milk and then to get gas for Jonah (1999 Honda Passport) and FORGOT to do either! I guess my brain is not as clear as I think it is.

Jani stayed home and edited the new 2013 Memorial Day Mt. McCaleb Cemetery Book that I finished early this morning. We have 1,495 known graves in the cemetery. There are probably more, but in April 1938, Mackay City Hall burned to the ground taking the cemetery book with it to ashes. The cemetery book was "recreated" but, has ISSUES especially for those graves that did not have headstone markers. City Foreman, Ken Day, has been helping me with the current update.

I made the following plat map of the Mt. McCaleb Cemetery showing the plot burial locations. Just making this document should give me a "lifetime achievement award" somewhere.

Earl Lockie had the plot map enlarge, framed it, and displayed it in the kiosk over by the mower shed. Also in the shed, is the printed Mt. McCaleb Cemetery Book that I typed up this week and Jani edited. Jani is especially conscious to detail - so, I doubt there is missing comma. Someone looking for a grave location first consults my cemetery book to determine which Block and Lot they are looking for and then consults the Plat Map. It is a pretty good system until we get to some of those graves prior to 1938 when the fire burned the original cemetery book - but, we try. I've been doing this yearly Memorial Day Cemetery Book since 2002. I've photographed most of the headstones and entered them on findagrave.com too.

Tomorrow, I will create a version of the cemetery book that shows the location of the VETERAN'S graves so the American Legion members, along with the Cub and Boy Scouts can mark each Veteran's Grave with a flag for Memorial Day. This is a huge task for me, but made easier with XCEL (computer program). I'm hoping my NEW SYSTEM for this Memorial Day works - we are going to do a practice run on Monday.

Had a visit from Vickie Mae and Don which is nice (they live in Arco). Vickie brought cut flowers again and I had to tell her that I'm allergic to flowers in the house - what a bummer. I just cannot do fragrances for any kind - perfumes, flowers, essential oils, etc. So, if anyone visits here at the house - please come fragrance-free.

Jani supervised my lawn care guy and raked the horse poop away from my back fence since our 3 retrievers think horse poop is a BIG TREAT and dig under the fence to get it.

I drove back to Ivies (grocery) and got Jani's milk. Had a good visit with one of my favorite Mackay guys, Kase, who was out for a cruise on his friend's pink bike, in this PJs, and winter red-neck hat. This kid listens to the beat of his own drummer and I LOVE HIM! At least he has shoes on today...he loves barefoot, even in cold ole Mackay!

I napped off and on all afternoon and woke with a SHARP, TREMENDOUS PAIN in my left shoulder area. Back in 2002, I fell off a ladder and badly broke my left shoulder in to 7 pieces (no mention of myeloma was made back then, but maybe I had it). At any rate I had major surgery with the placement of a metal plate and 9 giant screws to patch the fractures back together. One of the top screws in the back on the left side is really bothering me right now. I'm going to have to get it checked when I go to Twin Falls this week. I kept an ice pack on it all night in case it was bleeding in there with my platelets only at 18 (norms 140-440). I don't need this! Oops, whine, whine, whine - SORRY. Jani is always SO GOOD to help me CALM DOWN when I have pain. I took 1/2 Percocet and then the other 1/2 later. I also took, for the first time, 10 mg of Xanax at bedtime.

Day 50 - Repeat PET Scan - November 2 2011

Found our way down to Radiology and the PET Scan. Everyone was very nice to me in PET Scan and they had the nurse down there access my Bard Power Port (under the skin on my right chest wall) so they could put the radio-dye in for my PET Scan. Afterwards, they had me lay down in a dark cubicle for 30 minutes and asked me to drink oral contrast (tasted TERRIBLE). After another 30 minutes, they put me in the PET Scanner and I asked them why they accessed my Bard Power Port if they weren't putting contrast in it - they didn't know and just said, you're getting it without IV contrast today~ The scan only took 18 minutes. After the scan was completed, the technician was fascinated with all the hardware I have in my left arm secondary to a fall of a ladder in 2002.

I had a terrible headache and was starving when I found Jani in the waiting area. She had a bagel and 1/2 of a turkey sandwich for me and we went down to the cafeteria and got some coffee while we waited for 11 AM. At 11 AM, I went back to the BIC to get my Bard Power Port deaccessed and heparinized. They also give you the pre-medication for the bone marrow biopsy procedure in the BIC (liquid morphine and an ativan pill).

1st Day with Trainer at Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehab Institute July 13 2011

I had my first workout with trainer, Janice Cox, at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehab Institute today, July 13 2011.

Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehab Institute on the University of Northern Colorado Campus, Greeley, Colorado July 13 2011

Janice started out by taking my resting pulse (71), blood pressure (90/70), and pulse oximetry (98). Then, we went for a brisk walk outside taking the finger pulse monitor with us. Managed to get my pulse up to 125 at one point and we slowed down as I was a tad out of breath.

Back at the center, they have every exercise machine known to man, but I asked Janice if she could teach me to do weight bearing exercise with exercise bands since I have a set at home in Mackay, Idaho and I'll be home all of next week unable to train at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehab Institute. Janice was immediately able to fulfull my request.

Note that weanie left arm of mine. I fell off a ladder in 2002 and broke the ball of my humerous off and in to 7 pieces. I had major surgery with a metal plate and 9 screws to repair it followed by 18 months of physical therapy. I have almost full range of motion with my arm now, however, it is weak. Here is an x-ray taken about 2 months after the fracture. I still have all that hardware in there.

Janice gave me many different weight bearing exercises to do with the exercise bands and I did 2 sets of 10 today of each.

I did crunches from an exercise ball and back extensions from an exercise ball. While on the ball on my stomach, ALL of a sudden I almost threw up with everything "coming north". I managed to upright myself and I did not throw up, but I sure have heartburn!

We did a couple of the exercise machines for my legs and arms followed by stretching on the mat with rope support to my legs. 1 hour and 15 minutes later I was done. I will return for a second training session tomorrow at 8 AM since I have chemotherapy in the afternoon.

Chest X-Ray June 23 2011

Nancy White and I went over to the Harmony Imaging Center and I got a chest x-ray.

Bone Density Results from test done on May 11 2011

The results of my Bone Density Test done at Skyline in Loveland reveals that I continue to be osteopenic since my last test 2 years ago with no change in my hip bone and some decrease in my spine. Recommendations include to continue Calcium with Vitamin D and weight bearing exercise.

It has been known that I was osteopenic since I broke my left arm in July of 2002. I have been getting screening bone density tests every 2 years since that time. I still have all that hardware in my left arm.