My LMS adventure

I'm skeptical when someone claims they have the "truth."  Frequently, they are just reflecting their belief in their universe. Here's what my universe looks like. People are basically good and lazy.  We are formed by our genetics and habits.  We tend to think everyone is like us and our friends.  We are both right and wrong. We've learned to trust people like us, and fail to double check what they do and say. Politically, I hate the current name calling.  It takes more than a sound bite, or FB comment to make someone change their mind.  But we still need to listen. What I hear when the current president speaks.... FEAR and EGO.  He's afraid of anyone different than him, and fails to realize the USA is made of many different people and cultures.  That is what makes us strong... pulling from the strengths of many, and learning from the history of all. Truth is just a word.  Saying it doesn't make it so.  Please let me see your ...

A power port at that.  I'll read up on the advantages of this, and report back.  I'm a small woman, only 5 foot tall.  my veins are small also.  So the nurses and phlebotomists were talking about PICC lines and Ports since I started chemo. I'm on two chemo drugs, gemcitabine and Taxotere (I'll check spellings later).  The Taxotere is the stronger of the two.  It burns going in.  I've still got a reaction showing at the site from 19 days ago.  Monday will be my second dose of Taxotere.  I'm glad the port is in place.  Taxotere may also be the reason for my hands and feet being painful and psoriasis looking.  The skill becomes dark and gray, then sloughs off.  Ugly.  Painful.  Underneath though is some nice skin.  I've been rubbing petroleum jelly into my hands, as per the dermatologist's suggestion.  That helps with the sloughing and look of the hand, but not the pain. My feet feel like there are giant b...

I'm grateful for my job, for my insurance, for my friends, for my family. I'm grateful that I found this as early as I did, that I have a chance to tell the important people in my life that I love them. I'm grateful I've had 54 wonderful years... 31 of them sober. I'm grateful for AA that gave me the tools to get and stay sober. I'm grateful for knitting which keeps me calm when my mind wants to race. I'm grateful for today, and focusing on today, and not thinking about tomorrow (outside of planning to get the port, and Saturday when I'll be with friends.). These are the big things.  The biggest thing lately is I'm grateful for Moffitt Cancer Center ... 1.5 miles from my door.  I could walk there.  The staff is wonderful, the treatments are wearing on me.... but I know it is what I need, to explore this adventure. 

was playing when Zeque was cutting my hair.  Previously I had decided to shave my head with friends present.  Last Tuesday, I went to Zeque and told him what I wanted to do, and what was going on.  He talked me out of the shaved head.  Now, I walked out of his shop looking fabulous.  Yesterday everyone commented on the haircut.  I got lot of love for the haircut.  How good is Zeque?  I've lost about 15 pounds in the past 2 months.  No one noticed.  I get a haircut and everyone comments that I look skinnier.  Zeque has lost friends.... cancers, AIDS, other long term debilitating diseases.  He's seen the effect of chemo on hair... assures me that I need to wait and see.  Maybe I won't look like Riff Raff from Rocky Horror Picture Show.  I needed his voice of reason.  We also talked about the early AIDS epidemic, how scary it was, so little information.  And now AIDS is a chronic ...