What a week!

What a group of weeks! The past three weeks have been hectic preparing for school to open, but we made it, just like we always do. Lots of new kids and parents moving into the neighborhood, which always leads us to wonder who moved out and didn't tell us. Judi did a awesome job of getting the students entered and onto the classroom lists. She's so perfect for her job as SASI clerk. We had only a couple of tiny glitches and I think they were out of her control because other campuses had the same glitch.

Meet the teacher night was a success, the classrooms looked great! Everyone was excited to be meeting their teacher and seeing their new classroom. I spent most of my time standing at the receptionist's desk helping parents who had not gotten a call or postcard telling them who their child's teacher was. I helped a lot of Spanish speaking parents, so now the questions, Como te llamas su nino/a? and Que grado? just roll off my tongue. I can also give them directions to their classroom and in which part of the building, but that doesn't roll quiet as smoothly as my questions. All in all, I think we're ready for them. Let the games begin!.... on Monday!

To top it off, when I came in Thursday night at 7:30 after Meet the Teacher Night, hubby had made dinner. He has done this for the past 7 years. He knows it's the longest day of my year, I go in at 6:30 and leave at 7:30. This time he prepared left over Red Beans and Rice, my mom was from Louisiana, I love it this way. I walked in the door and the delicious smell of the beans greeted me. I looked over and saw the rice cooker going, all covered in condensation. I said "You made rice? I didn't know you knew how to work the rice maker." (For 27 years I have done all the cooking... he does the outside of the house, I do the inside.) He said, "I don't know that I do know how to work the rice maker." Sure enough, I open it and find he didn't put water in the container with the rice..... so I have steamed dried rice. Mmmmm, crispy! I took it over to show him as he was lying on the couch watching the Olympics, we just laughed. I'll have to stock up on cornbread mix, I know he can make that, and I'll eat red beans the Texas/Oklahoma way also. Ain't he cute... feels all lousy and still makes dinner for me.

It's been a weird week for the Hubby. He had his treatment last Friday, you knew that. by Sunday he's feeling a little yucky. He continued to fell yucky and didn't attempt to go in to work at all this week. Monday or Tuesday afternoon (I can't remember, maybe I should blog daily) he has a shot to bring his white blood count up.

Let's talk about that... do you know what happens when they try to bring your white count up? They give you a shot of this widely advertised medication (we see commercials on it all the time and don't realize that's what it is) I can't remember the name of it. I didn't want to take notes when he was telling me last night, it may look strange to him for me to suddenly start acting like a newspaper reporter. "Don't mind me, I'm taking notes for the article." Back to the drug... they tell you there MAY be some bone pain with this. What happens is it kicks your bone marrow into overdrive to start pumping out white cells. I'm sure the pain varies from person to person and from man to woman..... Carol said she didn't really have pain, Carol is woman hear her roar! Hubby is man, see him writhe. My thinking is, if they prescribe Vicodin in fairly large (unbelievable refills!) quantities for the pain and then they say "some pain, or a little pain" as the Doctor and Nurse told him. Then they are not really telling you the truth. So yesterday when I came in he is clearly in pain. The Doctor told him when the pain starts, take the pain medication as prescribed, don't let the pain meds go out of your system for very long because then you have to endure excruciating pain while you wait for more meds to kick in. Hubby didn't take it when the 4 hours were up, wanted to see if the pain was going away... it wasn't and it really kicked his butt. By about 7:30 last night he was much better. I was having a hard time staying awake on the couch and was just about to go to bed (he had gone back and turned my side of the bed down and flipped the tv on just like I like it... he's SO sweet.) when he suddenly wanted to talk... My family knows, he's not much of a talker, so when he talks we listen.

Thursday he saw the Cardiologist (he didn't see him last week I was mistaken... he saw someone else), his Oncologist wanted him to have them check that weird valve thing he has going on. The Cardio Dr. told him that millions of people have this and don't know it. The only time they go in and do anything about it is when someone develops it from a stroke or heart attack and it's usually more severe. But he didn't see any need for Hubby to worry much less go in to repair this.

Hubby is livid. Wonders if he's the new circus in town. With some guy standing out in front of the hospital screaming at the top of his lungs.... "Hey everybody come see this guy! He has lymphoma that's barely lymphoma! He has a Tuma in his nose that's not really a Tuma! He has a squirty valve in his heart like millions of other people! We found all this weird stuff in this guy just because he went to the Doctor with a headache! And don't miss out on the action when we poke him full of holes taking blood and putting gallons of goo in his system! Come on everybody, it's fun for all!" Oh and that's another thing, the Cardiologist told him we can give you some meds that will thin your blood and could help this, but it will give you headaches! Hubby said the Doctor had this look of disbelief on his face when he told his that he wouldn't take the medicine and wouldn't go on to see a neurologist as he was suggesting. What exactly is the reason for Doctors to recommend seeing a neurologist anyway? Seems every time you go to a Doctor now days they say "I want you to go see this neurologist." Is he a new way to funnel money into their pockets? And then the neurologist starts prescribing all these meds to go along with what the Dr. wants you to take. One more reason to think about acupuncture.... worked for millions for millions of years.

He also wanted to talk last night about the Doctor and Nurses wanting to know why I don't come to his treatments with him. This is what he tells them, "She's working! Besides, why would she want to come in here and sit for six long boring hours? She's making a living, she's fine at work." Then they say "maybe she needs counseling. Maybe she needs someone to talk to." He says, "my wife need counseling? You think my wife is holding it in? You think my wife may need to talk about this? You have probably talked to my wife in the grocery store and didn't even know it, she was that woman you discussed the price of cheese with. She talks to anyone and everyone about anything!" I guess we seem like odd people to them, we don't both show up for treatment. (I know why couples do this, it's to show support and caring, but hubby prefers I show him my support in other ways, taking care of the house, my job, etc. He also knows I'll drop everything if he ever does need me to go with him. He knows I care when I keep the freezer stocked with Chocolate Ice Cream and Ice Cream sandwiches.) He doesn't carry a calendar with dates of all the other Doctor appointments for Cardiologist and Neurologist appointments and he doesn't have a list of all the dozens of meds he is taking. He knows the name of the one bloodpressure med he takes and he takes tylenol. Yeah, I guess we're circus freaks.

So long story short, Hubby is not worrying about the heart thing, he's getting through this bout with lymphoma, counting down the months and treatments. And in the end will NEVER go through ANY type of cancer treatment again. We have got to figure out a way to cut a deal with Dr. Julie our acupuncturist. Maybe she'll let us adopt her. I bet she could teach me to load a bento box. (this would be a great place to put in a link, but I don't know how... can't wait until Jolea comes home to give me lessons in blogging, if you want to see Bento Boxes, check out the link in the right column that says Obentobaby.)

Have a great week if I don't get back to this, I'll talk AT you next weekend.