tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68029159454010430622024-03-05T10:24:33.816-06:00SugarmouthUnsuccessfully dodging red cards on the soccer pitch of life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-30107266626227423842009-07-23T15:10:00.004-05:002009-07-23T15:49:01.450-05:00The Once and Former BloggerI've been asked more than once recently if I was still blogging. I guess the reasonable answer, despite this post, would be no.<br /><br />See, when I was working on blog 1.0 (<a href="http://13daysfrommonday.blogspot.com/">13 days from monday</a>), I was working from home and spending countless hours in front of the computer screen, mindlessly surfing the infinite expanse of the 'net about as much as I was actually working.<br /><br />I quit that blog once I realized that the life of a pregnant graduate student wasn't really conducive to published pointlessness.<br /><br />Then came The Troubles, and so came blogger brigita 2.0, aka Sugarmouth, publishing <a href="http://mycancerdeployment.blogspot.com/">My Cancer Deployment</a>. It was all personal updates all the time, thus more journal than weblog, but it served a multitude of purposes until I finished treatment, so I stopped blogging there.*<br /><br />I got a few new blog followers with MCD and thought I should try to parlay that into a new post-C blog. So I ported my old blog over to its current URL and repurposed brigita.blogspot.com for my third and current blog, <a href="http://brigita.blogspot.com/">Sugarmouth</a>. The idea was to keep up with the personal anecdotes while throwing in some actual weblog content.<br /><br />And I guess we know how well that worked out.<br /><br />The thing of it is, my life is pretty mundane these days (as I have mentioned more than once before). There really isn't all that much of note to relay (at least nothing I haven't already mentioned in Facebook status updates) in the way of the personal life, and I'm not surfing interesting sites any more, so I guess I'm in a bit of a rut. One I'm not super fired-up to break out of, anyhow.<br /><br />I guess the point of this non-post is to kind of apologize to those readers that check in on me on a regular basis, only to find the same old post languishing at the top of the blog and to let you guys know what's the what. I haven't forgotten <i>about</i> the blog so much as I've forgotten <i>how</i> to blog.<br /><br />Of course now that I've said that, watch me pull the total blogger cliché of saying "Yah, I don't really have that much to say, I'm going to take a break from blogging..." and proceed to blog more in the following week than I had in the four previous.<br /><br />So...more as it happens?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*...sort of...</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-79289720232110653552009-06-17T15:28:00.002-05:002009-06-17T15:38:29.235-05:00Pieces of MeGreat news from the guts front: I got my drivers license renewal form in the mail the other day and along with it came a set of orange dot DONOR stickers. I (and everyone else in my GI support group) had been under the impression that we cancer veterans had to keep our spare parts to ourselves.<br /><br />Rather than languish under flawed assumptions, I thought I should give a call to the <a href="http://www.donatelifewisconsin.org">authorities on the subject</a>, and what did they tell me?<br /><br />I can still donate my organs! Ok, well, maybe. It depends on circumstances that we didn't get into, but the good news is that I'm a definite maybe! Hooray!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-87147313879090524272009-05-27T22:25:00.001-05:002009-05-27T22:27:18.053-05:00A Short Story:I am boring, bordering on the worstest blogger evar.<br /><br />Boring makes for a boring blog, but a pretty nice, predictable life.<br /><br />But yeah, pretty wicked boring.<br /><br />The end.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-49724246490613258352009-05-06T15:38:00.003-05:002009-05-06T15:42:26.400-05:00The UnUpdateHey guys! So, how're you all dong? Good, good...<br /><br />So yeah, um, you know how I haven't been posting all that much? No, there's no reason for it (emphasis on No Reason) or anything, just been kinda busy with a whole lot of nothing in particular.<br /><br />ANYhoo, so I'm not really going to be posting all that much for the next week or so <i>either</i> because the mother-in-law is rolling into town tomorrow and then I'm hoping to do a big purge and get all my sh!t in one sock for the neighborhood yard sale the following weekend.<br /><br />I know, I know, you are so jealous. If I weren't already me, I'd be jealous, too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-44395009699611884102009-05-05T07:44:00.002-05:002009-05-05T07:46:30.248-05:00DREAMLOG: Mommy EditionI think I dreamed last night that I had forgotten to order a cake for Violet's 2nd birthday.<br /><br />Is this the Mommy version of naked final exam stress dream? And since when do I order store-made cakes?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-64727236133523192962009-04-27T12:47:00.006-05:002009-04-27T12:58:41.615-05:00This is Not a Negotiation.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8FKQay06A2xB8Qaz4c-E6wYYBJ9OKVgCN5Rh1NE9-uSgtbgVj_1iiyL97rMeTaDNOwmrPqDz87afEfFqLkgY6KJWL3WhNs6dGZ9qqCEuB417BqbCFQW7vFeihxy6fgsQshy8rQ1J7lU/s1600-h/Toddler.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8FKQay06A2xB8Qaz4c-E6wYYBJ9OKVgCN5Rh1NE9-uSgtbgVj_1iiyL97rMeTaDNOwmrPqDz87afEfFqLkgY6KJWL3WhNs6dGZ9qqCEuB417BqbCFQW7vFeihxy6fgsQshy8rQ1J7lU/s400/Toddler.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329431941722204914" border="0" /></a>Toddlers are kinda like small, sticky, pee-pants terrorists like that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-69162185869317882752009-04-25T07:49:00.004-05:002009-04-25T07:59:12.643-05:00It's Like an Orange on a ToothpickRemember the <a href="http://www.coolibar.com/02204.html">hat</a> that I wore pretty much all last summer to keep off of my photosensitive face? The one I got in the <a href="http://www.allure.com/magazine/2009/05/beauty_box">Allure Safe in the Sun Beauty Box</a>? The one that's actually kinda cute? Probably not, because I wasn't exactly posting a lot of pictures of myself last summer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRSBJUKv68wqdRXk37lcGkhM-DbcJA9NSBx6QB-3a5rIwPpxjBHwJDhbdJ-6V5MDR-C_7bVeauNEUKSamMnlrSq9vsK13x1xpPPbIp1vJBWmQVj8eANE3eD4hv3mt4RY3uhihaHKJq4A/s1600-h/IMG_0248.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRSBJUKv68wqdRXk37lcGkhM-DbcJA9NSBx6QB-3a5rIwPpxjBHwJDhbdJ-6V5MDR-C_7bVeauNEUKSamMnlrSq9vsK13x1xpPPbIp1vJBWmQVj8eANE3eD4hv3mt4RY3uhihaHKJq4A/s320/IMG_0248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328612497895187762" border="0" /></a>Anyhow, <i>that</i> hat? It doesn't fit me any more. Because my hair is back, in all of it's unruly, prematurely white glory.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-25851932531079141782009-04-21T11:47:00.003-05:002009-04-21T11:54:44.519-05:00I Scream, You ScreamOMG more food news: It's <a href="http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/feature/free-cone-day/">Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's</a> today (12p-8p).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-13847279969723056892009-04-21T11:15:00.006-05:002009-04-22T12:26:57.426-05:00A Tale of Yummy Overpriced SnackfoodsLike many people, I have a major love/hate with Whole Foods: I loooooooooooove all the great stuff they have, hate signing off on three figure receipts.<br /><br />One of my most favorite things by Whole Paycheck--besides their Seedilicious bread and their ridiculously fantastic cheese selection--is their Protein Packed Salad. Or, <i>was</i> their Protein Packed Salad, until they unceremoniously discontinued it about a year ago.<br /><br />There were a number of questions asked of the folks behind the deli counter and some mourning in between the whole cancer thing, and then time passed, and then POOF! I was perusing the refrigerated prepacked food section and there it was! My Protein Packed Salad!<br /><br />What's so great about my PPS? Well, here's the ingredients list, for your edification and my insurance, just in case it goes all POOF again:<br /><blockquote>Edamame, wheatberries, quinoa, celery, red peppers, carrots, red onion, scallions, and dressing (cottage cheese, canola mayo, honey, parsley, cider vinegar, dill, sea salt, black pepper).</blockquote>It's so super fudging good, I hope you're all able to find some at your local WF!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-84762080796570134402009-04-14T09:07:00.003-05:002009-04-14T09:10:59.501-05:00I'm Published!Ok, so it's just another place on the 'net, but I got paid for it*!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dane101.com/current/2009/03/19/dealing_with_cancer_a_kick_in_the_ass">Dealing With Cancer: A Kick in the Ass</a>.<br /><br />It's a 3-part series, so you might have to poke around to find the other two parts. Me, verbose? Never.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Ok, so the $$ is only enough to pay for 1.5 parking tickets, but still...</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-55787279725104785362009-04-08T15:15:00.002-05:002009-04-08T15:27:14.190-05:00It's Almost Market Season!This is so great for a thousand different reasons, and to celebrate the onset of spring I really need to get off the computer, off my ass, and over to the fabric store--yes, the fabric store--so I can make Martha's <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/goodthings/no-sew-market-tote-bag?lnc=bf89cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&rsc=cf_link&comments_page=1&rsc=comments_more#conversation-container">No-Sew Market Tote</a>.<br /><br />I think if I got the hang of making these, I could also tweak the pattern a little to be able to use them for produce bags for my usual shopping.<br /><br />Step one: get off the computer...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-52041927195676153242009-04-07T15:06:00.006-05:002009-04-07T15:15:31.410-05:00Call Me Cindy Lou RouxIt sounds like The Kid is up from her nap and throwing bricks out of her crib, so I'll have to keep this quick, but I just wanted to say that I made some pretty kickass mac 'n cheese from scratch--my first roux!--last night and holy POOP is it good.<br /><br />I'm sure the recipe is somewhere online--but like I said, bricks--so I'll just post the scan that my <a href="http://www.ciachef.edu/">CIA</a>-educated brother-in-law sent me for now and try to find the recipe later...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfNshiT-bZWB1cHdhyphenhyphenOVcriYykSAGzepy_DoXFk3mxGzXm28mahWVxwSE2UVUwMS32H99Kvy8Q8GSAyL9Mo3-bW9KvonWHJqRsRiVCcpe8Q4SXsehn_kDS_WsnwDDcZXpEVExPqr0FE8/s1600-h/Scanned+at+9-18-2008+16-13+PM.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfNshiT-bZWB1cHdhyphenhyphenOVcriYykSAGzepy_DoXFk3mxGzXm28mahWVxwSE2UVUwMS32H99Kvy8Q8GSAyL9Mo3-bW9KvonWHJqRsRiVCcpe8Q4SXsehn_kDS_WsnwDDcZXpEVExPqr0FE8/s200/Scanned+at+9-18-2008+16-13+PM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322044676654423858" border="0" /></a><a schooled="" law="" sent="" me="" for="" now="" and="" try="" to="" come="" up="" with="" the="" recipe=""><br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-83091803748171710262009-03-30T19:43:00.003-05:002009-03-30T21:18:56.775-05:00WINO ALERT!So, you know how you get invited to a BBQ or dinner party or some similar food/alcohol/socializing event and you're all "Uh, we need to bring something...how about wine? Yeah, wine is good...but how many bottles? Do you know how many people are supposed to be there? How much should we spend per bottle?"<br /><br />Maybe that's just me. I am more of a beer girl: I know what I like (read: lots and lots of hops and just when you think it's pretty good and hoppy, ad more hops).<br /><br />That said, can you <i>imagine</i> how much of a hit of the party you would be if you brought <a href="http://www.paradocx.com/wine.php?id=8">wine in a paint can</a>?! Of course there's the question of whether or not the wine's any good, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.<br /><br />I'm such a sucker for clever packaging...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[<a href="http://freshvintage.typepad.com/freshvintage/2009/03/typewriter-tables-pottery-marks-wine-in-a-can.html#comments">via</a>]</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-59946601654371208632009-03-30T13:03:00.003-05:002009-03-30T13:13:52.250-05:00Making Good On Culinary PromisesI got it into my head a while ago that rather than depend on our local Thai establishment(s) as a source for the delicious Tom Kha Gai (or really Tom Kha Tofu) soup, I was going to take a field trip to the Asian grocer and make it myself.<br /><br />Fast forward several months to yesterday, when I finally did make it out to the grocer and picked up all the ingredients (save the necessary peppers--they were all labeled "PEPPER" and that is definitely a thing you want to get right).<br /><br />Oh MAN was it good, even though I started it way too early which may have muddied the flavors a bit and definitely wound up in it being less a soup and more of a curry-type thing, which we served over rice.<br /><br />I'd post the recipe except that I kinda fused about four recipes I found, doing my usual "little of this, little of that" non-style of cooking despite it being my first time.<br /><br />Basic ingredients include stock, coconut milk, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, veggies and protein of choice. I also garnished with scallions, cilantro, and bean sprouts 'cause I'm nice like that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-56004763022226823222009-03-27T13:01:00.003-05:002009-03-27T13:06:22.280-05:00Glad To Be 1,000 Miles From the Chesapeake BayOne less thing I can't eat without a pound of guilt: <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090327/sc_livescience/boilingmadcrabsfeelpain">Crabs Feel Pain</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-33662080376812478212009-03-26T18:57:00.003-05:002009-03-26T19:00:55.882-05:00This Just InNews anchor gravitas + self-aware self-assured self-mockery (see: SNL, Daily Show, and Sesame St.) = me tardy to the Brian Williams crush party.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-1198734663398642572009-03-19T16:32:00.003-05:002009-03-19T17:30:21.948-05:00I Am a Dog Walker StalkerI have done my best to refrain from flogging myself here on the blog over our making the incredibly difficult decision to surrender our dog Cleo. She was troubled, she was broken, and she sincerely made it difficult for us to live our lives--social and otherwise--without a heaping pile of stress, but she was ours. She was <i>mine.</i><br /><br />As I've said <a href="http://brigita.blogspot.com/2008/11/this-makes-absolutely-no-sense-but-i.html">before</a>, giving her up was so hard, but I knew for as hard as that was, if Cleo ever did any harm to Violet, it would be like a <i>knife to my heart.</i><br /><br />And this is how I made my peace with our turning her over to a shelter. A <i>kill</i> shelter. Ok no, I still haven't really forgiven myself.<br /><br />But she was <a href="http://brigita.blogspot.com/2008/11/dog-day-afternoon.html">picked up by the local rescue</a>. And while that helped me sleep a little easier, I still continued to feel guilty, thus stalked her guiltily online, sending first the Christmas stocking my mom had made her, and then a donation to the rescue who saved her. Because the guilt, it keeps on coming.<br /><br />That is, until today. Today the guilt subsides a little bit more because Cleo is no longer available: <a href="http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=12463435">she's been adopted</a>!!! Oh sweet St. Francis of Assisi, our dear Cleo has found a permanent home! I really, really hope that it's with the guy she's lounging on in the picture because he bears a passing resemblance to Jody, with whom she shared many a snuggle and nap, and I would think that that would make the transition a little easier on her.<br /><br />Be well, little monkey. I still love and miss you terribly.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-19396645146038612762009-03-17T09:10:00.001-05:002009-03-17T09:12:27.524-05:00Another One for the Water is Wet Files:<center><a href="http://www.oneplusyou.com/bb/blog_rating"><img style="border: none;" src="http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/img/bb_badges/rated_nc-17.jpg" alt="OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets" /></a></center><br />I love The Eff Word and make no apologies for it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-70380038812796231252009-03-13T18:42:00.005-05:002009-03-13T18:51:39.886-05:00Recipes of Relative Ease*I'm wary of launching another ongoing installment over here at Sugarmouth on account of the infrequency with which I try new recipes, but I wanted to share the following with you, gentle reader: <a href="http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/11/the_best_brocco.html">The Best Broccoli of Your Life</a>.<br /><br />I tried the recipe out tonight and not only is it tasty and fairly healthy, but it is wicked easy and doesn't require any exotic ingredients or cooking implements.<br /><br />I made a test (ie small) batch in the toaster oven this evening and think I will cook it for longer than the 22:22 I did to up the crunch factor and use more Parmesan the next time as well. <br /><br />Apologies to the blogger from whom I stole this link...I can't for the life of me remember where I came across it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*A bit of a stretch, I know.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-64249057919483889992009-03-11T20:27:00.007-05:002009-03-11T21:37:25.733-05:00New Sugarmouth Segment!Hey y'all--I think it's time to launch a new recurring segment here on the ol' blog:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Things/People to Which/Whom I Would <span style="font-style: italic;">Sincerely </span>Like to Dole Out a Most Unladylike Beatdown.</span></div><br />OMG, you guys, have you been getting those spam emails, hearing the radio commercials, or catching parts of the over-lengthy TV infomercials on colon cleansing? Because, did you know that you aren't overweight, you might actually have up to 30lbs of poop jammed up in there like "spackle or paste?" And that all you need is a good "detox" or to take a bunch of pills or get a colonic and poof! You're going to be a size six again? </sarcasm><br /><br />Holy fucking shit (pun intended), this nonsense positively makes me want to spit nails. Doctors have either have to use the threat of cancer or brute force to get their patients into the GI clinic, but from the preponderance of these damn commercials, it would seem that folks are lining up for these "cleansing" scams!<br /><br />Hey quick-fixers! Do you want to "detox" your body? Drink more water, eat less processed crap, and get your heart rate over 120 for more than 20 minutes more than twice a week!<br /><br />Ok, now I'm about to blow. Your. MIND. Wanna hear something really crazy? This "program" will also help you LOSE WEIGHT! Whatta coincidence, right? </sarcasm><br /><br />The other thing that makes me fucking nuts is these quacks tout claim to be "nutritionists," which ANY unqualified jackass can call themselves. I mean, who wouldn't trust their intestinal health to an <a href="http://www.modernmanna.org/speaker_dvierra.asp">evangelist</a> and a "<a href="http://www.kleeirwin.net/">nutraceutical formulator </a>"?<br /><br />Of course, nowhere on their websites does it say where these HUGE douchebags got their college degree(s), which leads me to believe that they, in fact, have <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>matriculated from an accredited institution of higher learning.<br /><br />But I could just be biased. I could be way too invested in the topic. I mean sure, doesn't <a href="http://www.infomercial-hell.com/dual-action-cleanse/">this guy</a> look like an expert on what's good for you and your colon?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></sarcasm></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-55085044256494117872009-03-06T09:11:00.005-06:002009-03-06T15:53:18.758-06:00The Worst 15 Minutes of the Last Year*Yesterday I had my six-month follow-up CT scan. I hadn't been thinking much about it before the actual day, mostly because I knew that the only thing worrying would accomplish is steal precious sleep.<br /><br />I was a little on edge yesterday since I had to fast prior to the scan and I am not one to skip meals. Ever. The first appointment was 9am labs, which went relatively ok, except for the fact that the IV needle that the tech left in wasn't exactly comfy, but then hell, it's pointy metal and it's not supposed to feel good, right?<br /><br />After pounding three large cups of contrast for the scan (which I tolerated a little more than usual since I was so dehydrated and am not one to deviate from the NO FOOD OR DRINK FOUR HOURS PRIOR TO SCAN directions, even if it is water), they brought me into the CT room.<br /><br />As soon as I laid on the table, I started to panic mildly. This was it. This test would determine the path of my life for the next six months. Clear, and I would get to keep chugging along until the next scan. Not clear, well...I could only assume that meant chemo and surgery.<br /><br />They hooked the IV up to the needle sticking out of my arm. Once the contrast started to flow, my arm started to BURN with an incredibly SHARP PAIN. "OW, it HURTS!" I cried, kicking one leg wildly. I knew that getting contrast through my port was relatively painless, but I'd had contrast via IV before and it never hurt anything like this.<br /><br />One of the nurses checked my arm (or something--I was to busy motionlessly writhing in pain to notice) and she said very apologetically that the vein wasn't infiltrated and that the contrast was going to where it was supposed to, so they kept going. The initial pain eventually subsided, but the damage was already done, or rather the dam had broken.<br /><br />As fat tears rolled out the corners of my eyes, the nurses apologized repeatedly for something which wasn't remotely their fault. I tried to brush it off as no big deal, but they kept on: "I'm so sorry, it's not supposed to hurt like that, I'm so sorry..."<br /><br />I tried to get myself together in a bathroom, but immediately lost it, heaving sobs at the import of what had just happened. The scan was no longer a question mark on the horizon--it was happening. It had happened.<br /><br />I beelined down the the caf for some much needed grub, which made me feel a bit better, then turned right around for my 11:30 acupuncture appt. There, the tiniest needle stick set off the waterworks again. I soon realized yesterday that while I can tolerate stress and tolerate pain, I can't do both at once, with one intensifying the other in a vicious cycle of tears.<br /><br />I met up with Jody in the onc waiting room and proceeded to do just that for a half hour since either I or the clinic got my appointment time wrong. We were eventually whisked into an exam room, I answered the usual litany of questions, and we waited for the onc.<br /><br />My onc's right hand man (who is also fantastic, by the way) had me feeling good with his positive demeanor but then delivered the news: the scan results were inconclusively troubling. Apparently, there was a dark spot on the scan that had gotten bigger since the last one.<br /><br />Just then, the darkness got a whole lot bigger.<br /><br />The doc said that it was very unusual for it a recurrence to happen in that area and since it was adjacent to a surgical staple or clip, it could very well be nothing more than irritation from that staple/clip.<br /><br />None of that helped. I was a total fucking wreck and was on my second kleenex before he even finished his sentence.<br /><br />The doc then said that he was going to confer with my onc and then try to get either an answer or plan of attack when they both came back.<br /><br />Jody, universe bless him, was ever his logical, I-will-base-my-response-on-the-information-I-have-been-given self while I, on the other hand, was Missus Disaster Brain.<br /><br />I was sick. Again. I had ten miles of bad chemo road ahead of me, and possibly surgeries, just to keep things interesting. They wouldn't be able to put me back on FOLFOX on account of my neuropathy, so they would try something new. Something worse. Something that would knock me down, wipe me out. I would lose my hair. Jody would lose sleep. Violet might lose her mother. Oh God fucking NO.<br /><br />After a fifteen minute eternity, my oncologist walked in, with his right hand man right behind. It was ok. They had an explaination. The dark spot they had been watching, the one adjacent to the clip? <b>Was my ovary.</b> And this was not a bad thing, because ovaries in all pre-menopausal women change with a woman's cycle.<br /><br />Holy shit, they had been looking at my beloved, transposed to a new location, thusfar functioning ovary.<br /><br />And this is why my emotional fuse had been thisshort. Well, partly, anyhow. Because despite all lab results to the contrary, I was still cycling.<br /><br />My hair is still a wreck. Jody's sleep is spotty at best. But Violet? Not losing her mom any time soon.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*Not counting my bowel issues, natch.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-26727188965356732672009-03-03T14:48:00.003-06:002009-03-03T15:11:44.060-06:00I'm Back!Ok, so I've been back, just a little, um...busy? Sort of?<br /><br />So, I know I owe you all a report on our trip to Puerto Rico (short version: the Ritz has crap coffee and is across the street from the cockfights. I wish I were kidding) and I've got something else of import coming up in a few days but I wanted to post a quick note pertaining to a subject very close to my heart.<br /><br />Well, not so much my heart as it is my butt. Yes, we're going there.<br /><br />We are now in the month of ides, Guinness, lions and lambs but also awareness. March is coloRECTAL (sing it!) cancer awareness month. You all know <a href="http://mycancerdeployment.blogspot.com/">my story</a> by now, so I will spare a rerun, but it is my duty (or is that doody?) to deliver the following PSA as a CRC veteran.<br /><br />Colorectal cancer--and all cancers, really--does not discriminate, nor is it logical. I am proof of the fact that you can be so low risk as to be practically risk-free and <i>still</i> get The Cancer. It is <b>critical</b> that you remain ever vigilant and tuned into the ebbs and flows of your body.<br /><br />It is up to you to inform your doctor of any irregularities, whether it be unexplained weight loss, weakness, bleeding, changes in bowel habits (translation: they look different, happen more/less frequently, etc).<br /><br />If things have been amok for a while and are not improving, be the squeaky wheel. You must be your own advocate. And if your doc tries to pass them off as hemmorrhoids, have him/her give me a call. You know I love a good excuse to read someone the riot act.<br /><br />Spread the word, and if symptoms warrant, spread your cheeks. I've said it before, but I'll say it again:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><center>If your doody is red, get your pooper inspected!</center></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Oh and PS, contrary to what you've heard, the prep </span><span style="font-size:100%;">is the <i>second</i> worst part of a colonoscopy. The </span><span style="font-size:100%;">worst worst part is being told you have cancer.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-58137837459341590132009-02-13T08:27:00.002-06:002009-02-13T13:06:32.225-06:00From the Department of the InteriorI finally had my meeting with Dr. Ovaries yesterday, with the goal of his shining some light on just what the hell is going on with my lady business (Am I in menopause? Can we still have kids? Etc. Ad nauseum).<br /><br />As to the first question, he said that despite the crap lab results to the contrary, all other signs--five straight months of semi-regular cycling, heightened emotions and sore boobs prior to my monthlies--point to my not being in menopause.<br /><br />Not yet, anyway. Between the beating my body has taken over the last year or so and my less than favorable labs, the doc is concerned that my pre-menopause window may be rapidly closing. To that end, he strongly recommended that if I/we had even the slightest interest in having more biological children, we get moving. <br /><br />Because while some women have achieved <a href="http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/13/3/660">spontaneous pregnancy after ovarian transposition</a>, my transposition surgery was different from theirs, specifically my fallopian tubes were cut to achieve the necessary distance from the radiation field, which resulted in cutting off their blood supply, so no more fallopian tubes for me (which now kinda makes the impersonation of a fallopian tube that I would do in college kinda sad or something).<br /><br />Remember when I said <a href="http://mycancerdeployment.blogspot.com/2007/12/wtf-detonation.html">I didn't want to take extreme measures to have more kids</a>? Yeah, me too. Funny how your perspective changes you aren't looking into a basket at the bottom of a guillotine. <br /><br />Even as recently as my appointment yesterday, I was pooh-poohing IVF, since I didn't want to spend six figures simply to have another child. What conceit, right? Haven't we moved past the whole <i>Selfish Gene</i> thing?<br /><br />Well, a whole 20 minutes of research turned up that not only is IVF not that expensive, but our insurance covers it up to $20K. <br /><br />So here's the new plan: Jody and I are going to get the wheels in motion to put some embryo pops on ice as an insurance policy. If we want to have another kid, we [hopefully] have the option of doing so, even if I were to go into menopause the day after the cells go on ice since they can pump me full of enough hormones to fool it into thinking it's a fresh and fertile youngin'.<br /><br />I have an appointment at the end of next month to talk with one of the endocrine docs at UW that specializes in helping women that have been through cancer treatments have kids. <br /><br />And before that, I've got some sun to soak. T-minus five days. Hooray!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-68795520380833750702009-02-11T11:52:00.007-06:002009-02-11T12:34:02.262-06:00Doing Our Part to Stimulate the EconomyI am thrilled to report that, despite the inauspicious beginning, Jody and I are half way through with our insulation projects. We had the water heater replaced with an HE unit and moved to a more logical position in the basement, the crawlspace underneath the 1st floor bathroom insulated, and old insulation pulled out from the sill boxes in the basement and replaced with sprayed-in foam.<br /><br />Yeah, I didn't know what a sill box was, either, but I can talk a good game.<br /><br />Next on the list is to have the attic air sealed, the old insulation ripped out and replaced with 14" of blown in cellulose.<br /><br />To give you a picture of how badly we needed this work done, the old water heater was at least 20 years old, the 1st floor bathroom used to be a good 10+ degrees colder than the rest of the house when the door was closed, and while current building code requires that attic insulation is rated no less than R38, we've got about R6 up there. Oy.<br /><br />My primary goal with all of this work is to first keep the house in good shape (read: prevent it from crumbling around our ears), with the second goal being an increase in efficiency. Apparently the attic improvements wil also keep the 2nd floor cooler in the summer, which is <i>great,</i> because it can really cook up there, despite the AC being cranked up.<br /><br />I'm also hoping that the new attic insulation prevents new ice dams from forming (the old ones have just about completely melted away in the recent heat wave) because I swear to GOD that there is a new crack in the molding or along the wall seams every time I turn around and it is driving me absolutely BITCHCAKES.<br /><br />In other house news, we had been thinking about having our garage redone. Currently, you can get a car in there, but being able to open the doors is another matter altogether. In this neighborhood, it seems like you have two choices: use your garage for storage or strip it bare to the walls so you can park you car in there.<br /><br />We had given some thought to putting on a new garage, and then doing a garage with a bedroom on top, but I had a revelation about a week ago and thought what I would say if a neighbor were to undertake such a project. Since the answer to that scenario was "nothing nice," Jody and I have agreed to put that one on the back burner for the time being.<br /><br />That's enough outta me for now--I'm going to go and do my impression of a Hungry Hungry Hippo.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802915945401043062.post-20010984898587005752009-02-06T14:24:00.005-06:002009-02-06T14:34:39.319-06:00Why I Love 30 Rock, Exhibit Q17, Part 6b:<blockquote>"I'm trying to produce a Christmas special that makes <i>It's a Wonderful Life</i> look like <i>Pulp Fiction."</i></blockquote><center>--Jack Donaghy</center><br />Catch episodes for free at the great and powerful <a href="http://www.hulu.com/videos/search?query=30+rock">Hulu</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0