Click on the link below...You will get a black page.
Click your mouse anywhere (& everywhere) on the page & see what happens!
Better yet, click (hold down) & drag your mouse over the black page...
Enjoy!!
http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf
On the mend....
I have been down and out since last Friday really(the 18th)....finally ending up with the knowledge that I have been having a gall bladder attack...having spent the better part of the day on Wednesday in the ER...(sent there by my Doctor)...lots of tests later (especially one to rule out heart attack) I will have to revisit my Doctor...but a change in diet is in the game plan for the first line of treatment....
Had to swing a lot of things to get to the ER....The main one was getting my sister out of the mall!! LOL..No, really she came willingly...and someone to check on Michael...Had to juggle a few things just to take care of myself! WOW...
But I am feeling much better today...after the last few days of liquid food and then adding some all white bland food when really all I am craving is some chicken wings!! (they might be out of my diet completely....OH NO!)
I did tolerate a cup of coffee this morning....Oh please don't let them take that away from me permanently!!
Michael has been extremely tired since having chemo on Monday...it will be interesting to see what his blood counts are on Monday...to see if he reacted the same way to this type of treatment or if he reacted differently this time around....
BE WELL...
Had to swing a lot of things to get to the ER....The main one was getting my sister out of the mall!! LOL..No, really she came willingly...and someone to check on Michael...Had to juggle a few things just to take care of myself! WOW...
But I am feeling much better today...after the last few days of liquid food and then adding some all white bland food when really all I am craving is some chicken wings!! (they might be out of my diet completely....OH NO!)
I did tolerate a cup of coffee this morning....Oh please don't let them take that away from me permanently!!
Michael has been extremely tired since having chemo on Monday...it will be interesting to see what his blood counts are on Monday...to see if he reacted the same way to this type of treatment or if he reacted differently this time around....
BE WELL...
BUT WAIT....THERES MORE!
So we got back home after 4.5 hours in the office....got settled in...comfy clothes put on...ready to veg
out and look at magazines and Michael was going to have a nap....the phone ring...CALLER ID: UNKNOWN....which means a Doctors office...and we have to go back in....to get a shot of Vitamin K...
This is because his blood is WAY to thin...He takes a blood thinner for his embolisms, but it is usually steady between 2 and 4....TODAY...after being tested 2 times it is 17...which is way off the charts....So back we went ...mind you in the comfy clothes!! Finally arriving back home at 3:30 ( we left the house at 8:30 in the morning)...There are quite a few things to watch for now....So doing the due diligence!! But as Michael
says....
ONE DAY YOUR DRINKING WINE....THE NEXT DAY YOUR PICKING GRAPES!
Here's to drinking wine today....
I have copied a bit about the INR level to give you an idea of what it is and what it should be....
BE WELL...
If you have ever undergone oral anticoagulation therapy, you have most likely heard of the PT-INR test, but you may not understand what it is and/or what it means. This article will attempt to explain the PT-INR test.
First let's talk about the PT test. PT stands for prothrombin time. It is a measure of how quickly blood clots. The traditional method for performing a PT test is to have your blood drawn and sent to a lab. At the lab, a substance called a reagent is added to your blood. The reagent causes the blood to begin clotting. The PT result is the time in seconds that is required for the blood to clot.
There are a variety of reagents that can be used when a PT test is performed. Since each of these reagents works a bit differently, a PT result obtained with one reagent cannot be compared to a PT result obtained with another reagent. To account for the different reagents, the result of a PT test must be converted into standard units that can be compared regardless of the reagent used. These standard units are known as INR units.
INR stands for International Normalized Ratio. As its name suggests, one INR result can be compared to another INR result regardless of how or where the result was obtained. So, the INR is really just the standard unit used to report the result of a PT test.
There are a few things worth mentioning about the INR. First, an individual whose blood clots normally and who is not on anticoagulation should have an INR of approximately 1. The higher your INR is, the longer it takes your blood to clot. In other words, as the INR increases above a given level, the risk of bleeding and bleeding-related events increases. On the other hand, as the INR decreases below a given level, the risk of clotting events increases.
The ideal target INR range will vary from person to person depending on a variety of factors such as the reason for taking anticoagulants, other medical conditions, and a number of other issues. Your anticoagulation clinician will determine the appropriate INR range for you. The most common INR target range for someone on warfarin is somewhere between 2.0 and 4.0. INRs of 5 or more typically are avoided because the risk of bleeding increases significantly at INRs above 5.
out and look at magazines and Michael was going to have a nap....the phone ring...CALLER ID: UNKNOWN....which means a Doctors office...and we have to go back in....to get a shot of Vitamin K...
This is because his blood is WAY to thin...He takes a blood thinner for his embolisms, but it is usually steady between 2 and 4....TODAY...after being tested 2 times it is 17...which is way off the charts....So back we went ...mind you in the comfy clothes!! Finally arriving back home at 3:30 ( we left the house at 8:30 in the morning)...There are quite a few things to watch for now....So doing the due diligence!! But as Michael
says....
ONE DAY YOUR DRINKING WINE....THE NEXT DAY YOUR PICKING GRAPES!
Here's to drinking wine today....
I have copied a bit about the INR level to give you an idea of what it is and what it should be....
BE WELL...
If you have ever undergone oral anticoagulation therapy, you have most likely heard of the PT-INR test, but you may not understand what it is and/or what it means. This article will attempt to explain the PT-INR test.
First let's talk about the PT test. PT stands for prothrombin time. It is a measure of how quickly blood clots. The traditional method for performing a PT test is to have your blood drawn and sent to a lab. At the lab, a substance called a reagent is added to your blood. The reagent causes the blood to begin clotting. The PT result is the time in seconds that is required for the blood to clot.
There are a variety of reagents that can be used when a PT test is performed. Since each of these reagents works a bit differently, a PT result obtained with one reagent cannot be compared to a PT result obtained with another reagent. To account for the different reagents, the result of a PT test must be converted into standard units that can be compared regardless of the reagent used. These standard units are known as INR units.
INR stands for International Normalized Ratio. As its name suggests, one INR result can be compared to another INR result regardless of how or where the result was obtained. So, the INR is really just the standard unit used to report the result of a PT test.
There are a few things worth mentioning about the INR. First, an individual whose blood clots normally and who is not on anticoagulation should have an INR of approximately 1. The higher your INR is, the longer it takes your blood to clot. In other words, as the INR increases above a given level, the risk of bleeding and bleeding-related events increases. On the other hand, as the INR decreases below a given level, the risk of clotting events increases.
The ideal target INR range will vary from person to person depending on a variety of factors such as the reason for taking anticoagulants, other medical conditions, and a number of other issues. Your anticoagulation clinician will determine the appropriate INR range for you. The most common INR target range for someone on warfarin is somewhere between 2.0 and 4.0. INRs of 5 or more typically are avoided because the risk of bleeding increases significantly at INRs above 5.
A bitter/sweet morning...
After weeks of very low counts they finally gave Michael his chemo treatment today...His counts had come up within a range to be reasonably safe to give him the chemo....But, he must be watched carefully.
It was a good day at the clinic today....people seemed to be in good spirits...and one woman we have made good friends with, along with her 2 sisters who stand by her side for support, got a certificate from the Doctor
today for SUCCESSFULLY completing her chemo....We all clapped and cheered her on today!! Cake was passed out along with coffee...I have to say we have met some wonderful people here....We decided that we will get together with the 3 sisters (as we refer to them as) outside of the clinic when Michael is feeling better...We live very close to them...and in fact one of the sisters son live on the same street as we do....
That certificate also made me very aware that we will never receive one....and will continue to come to the clinic till the end...or until the chemo no longer works....
A bitter sweet sort of morning....
It was a good day at the clinic today....people seemed to be in good spirits...and one woman we have made good friends with, along with her 2 sisters who stand by her side for support, got a certificate from the Doctor
today for SUCCESSFULLY completing her chemo....We all clapped and cheered her on today!! Cake was passed out along with coffee...I have to say we have met some wonderful people here....We decided that we will get together with the 3 sisters (as we refer to them as) outside of the clinic when Michael is feeling better...We live very close to them...and in fact one of the sisters son live on the same street as we do....
That certificate also made me very aware that we will never receive one....and will continue to come to the clinic till the end...or until the chemo no longer works....
A bitter sweet sort of morning....
Mid-day
By midday yesterday, Michael had been sleeping for most of the day...the temp still hovered around 100...
but things just did not seem right to me..."due diligence"..."woman's intuition" call it whatever....I called the Doctors office right after their lunch...explaining that he was extremely fatigued...very pale in color...the tumors had suddenly popped out again...low grade temp continued....So...I had him get dressed and in the office we went....All sorts of blood work was done...cultures were taken...IV fluid was administered for 2 hours..prednisone was prescribed....and a bone marrow biopsy will be scheduled once we get approval....It seems that either that last doze of chemo complete knocked him down and his bone marrow just can't handle anymore or the lymphoma has filled so much of his bone marrow that it is not allowing enough new cells to be produced....
Today, he feels a bit better...and actually has some color....and the plan is to still have a nice kid friendly dinner with the little love and open up presents...cake and ice cream for the 4 of us!!
BE WELL....
but things just did not seem right to me..."due diligence"..."woman's intuition" call it whatever....I called the Doctors office right after their lunch...explaining that he was extremely fatigued...very pale in color...the tumors had suddenly popped out again...low grade temp continued....So...I had him get dressed and in the office we went....All sorts of blood work was done...cultures were taken...IV fluid was administered for 2 hours..prednisone was prescribed....and a bone marrow biopsy will be scheduled once we get approval....It seems that either that last doze of chemo complete knocked him down and his bone marrow just can't handle anymore or the lymphoma has filled so much of his bone marrow that it is not allowing enough new cells to be produced....
Today, he feels a bit better...and actually has some color....and the plan is to still have a nice kid friendly dinner with the little love and open up presents...cake and ice cream for the 4 of us!!
BE WELL....
Turning a corner...
Finally after days of up and down...ranging from a temp. of 98. to 101.6...it seems this morning that things are holding steady at 98.9...WOO-HA!
The chemo was canceled once again yesterday because the counts were still to low...so another booster shot was given....We really have to watch carefully for signs of blood clots...He already has 2 in his lungs, so any strange pain, especially in the legs needs to be taken VERY SERIOUSLY! (try really telling him that!) When the platelets are low that is one thing that can happen very quickly...plus he is on blood thinners so that adds another element to the mix....AH YES!!
HOWEVER....today is a GOOD..GOOD DAY! Today, is the little loves 6th birthday...we probably won't get to see him till tomorrow...but we celebrate the wonderful love he has brought our way!!
BE WELL...
The chemo was canceled once again yesterday because the counts were still to low...so another booster shot was given....We really have to watch carefully for signs of blood clots...He already has 2 in his lungs, so any strange pain, especially in the legs needs to be taken VERY SERIOUSLY! (try really telling him that!) When the platelets are low that is one thing that can happen very quickly...plus he is on blood thinners so that adds another element to the mix....AH YES!!
HOWEVER....today is a GOOD..GOOD DAY! Today, is the little loves 6th birthday...we probably won't get to see him till tomorrow...but we celebrate the wonderful love he has brought our way!!
BE WELL...
Dodging the bullet...
Michael started running a fever yesterday...I called the Doctor and they told me if it gets to 101 that he needed
to get to the hospital ASAP....mainly because his white cell count is low along with his platelet count....
99....99.9.....100.....100.8...101....
GIVE IT AN HOUR MORE he asked as I started to pack up for the hospital....
FAST FORWARD: 100.3....100....99.9....
This morning holding steady at 99.....
OK ...so he dodged the bullet....
to get to the hospital ASAP....mainly because his white cell count is low along with his platelet count....
99....99.9.....100.....100.8...101....
GIVE IT AN HOUR MORE he asked as I started to pack up for the hospital....
FAST FORWARD: 100.3....100....99.9....
This morning holding steady at 99.....
OK ...so he dodged the bullet....
Diligence...
SO I have been doing my diligence and watching closely...and there are normal side effects from any drug one takes and then there are the acceptations that perhaps 10% of people taking the drug MIGHT experience...
OF COURSE! We just had to fall in that 10% range....So off to the Doctors' to get a shot to boost those white blood cells once again before hopefully a round of chemo can be given on Monday...and another dose of anti-bodics!! I have to say it was great going to the office and not being called out for not calling when the symptoms first appeared....my diligence paid off!!
It has been bitter cold here in upstate NY but, you can't just stay cooped up in the house all day...So with Michael donning a face mask we actually went to the grocery store for a moment....Lots of disinfectant after returning home...but a "driving Miss Daisy" trip!
OF COURSE! We just had to fall in that 10% range....So off to the Doctors' to get a shot to boost those white blood cells once again before hopefully a round of chemo can be given on Monday...and another dose of anti-bodics!! I have to say it was great going to the office and not being called out for not calling when the symptoms first appeared....my diligence paid off!!
It has been bitter cold here in upstate NY but, you can't just stay cooped up in the house all day...So with Michael donning a face mask we actually went to the grocery store for a moment....Lots of disinfectant after returning home...but a "driving Miss Daisy" trip!
Good/Bad
You know that they have always said that there are two sides to every story...two sides to every coin...two sides for every medication....
SO...
The good news is that there was no chemo today....
The good news is that the chemo is shrinking the tumors...
The bad news is because the chemo knocked his counts down way to low....and they could not chance giving him the chemo so we have to wait for the week...
The bad news is that the Dr. informed us that the chemo treatments are being rejected by the bone marrow..so, we are getting to the point where the chemo is not going to work anymore...HOWEVER...we will continue treatment until that time comes.
...in the meantime we "WATCH AND WAIT"...Which really is a combination of good and bad...the longer he goes without treatment the more symptoms arise....This week alone he lost 6 pounds....memory has been really bad...and he is back to sleeping a lot...So this week I have to use due diligence!
BUT...the good news is ....NO CHEMO TODAY!
AND THE CHEMO IS SHRINKING THE TUMORS!
SO...
The good news is that there was no chemo today....
The good news is that the chemo is shrinking the tumors...
The bad news is because the chemo knocked his counts down way to low....and they could not chance giving him the chemo so we have to wait for the week...
The bad news is that the Dr. informed us that the chemo treatments are being rejected by the bone marrow..so, we are getting to the point where the chemo is not going to work anymore...HOWEVER...we will continue treatment until that time comes.
...in the meantime we "WATCH AND WAIT"...Which really is a combination of good and bad...the longer he goes without treatment the more symptoms arise....This week alone he lost 6 pounds....memory has been really bad...and he is back to sleeping a lot...So this week I have to use due diligence!
BUT...the good news is ....NO CHEMO TODAY!
AND THE CHEMO IS SHRINKING THE TUMORS!
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