Out party shopping!
The big event of the day was to continue shopping for party "essentials". Not knowing how many will actually be there makes it somewhat iffy as to whether or not we are getting enough stuff. But - God provides - so I'm sure that we will be OK.
Being Saturday, we kind of relaxed and took in a movie tonight. We went to the Wilton Town Hall Theater which is really a town hall that has two screening rooms - a large one and a small one. Wilton is out in the middle of nowhare but it seemed as if everyone in town went to the movies. The small room was sold out and the large room was just about sold out.
However, what it really sets it apart from everything else is that senior citizens pay $4 per ticket and the popcorn is made with REAL butter. So for $18 we get the movie and the popcorn. Can't beat that!
Otherwise, a quiet day as I have said. Tomorrow friends come over to play bridge as part of our couples bridge league.
I look forward to it...
Bob
January 29, 2010 11:55 PM 23 days to go
A turnabout!
For the first time, I went visiting someone else who is ill and in need of company. Another church friend of ours has been diagnosed with leukemia as well. This was no surprise to her as it was deemed a most likely consequence of another disease that she has battled for many years. But what sets her apart is that her time limit has been stated as being in the months time frame.
While it is relative easy for me at this point to be somewhat cavalier about my current status since there appears to be no problems, she is my real hero as she remains upbeat and positive knowing that if everything goes according to plan she most likely will not see summer. I can fully understand where she is coming from and can see that she is such an inspiraton as she chooses to continue her life as her current status best allows her to do.
Other than that, we visited my sister-in-law's for dinner tonight. A delicious meal to say the least.
No plans for the weekend...
Bob
For the first time, I went visiting someone else who is ill and in need of company. Another church friend of ours has been diagnosed with leukemia as well. This was no surprise to her as it was deemed a most likely consequence of another disease that she has battled for many years. But what sets her apart is that her time limit has been stated as being in the months time frame.
While it is relative easy for me at this point to be somewhat cavalier about my current status since there appears to be no problems, she is my real hero as she remains upbeat and positive knowing that if everything goes according to plan she most likely will not see summer. I can fully understand where she is coming from and can see that she is such an inspiraton as she chooses to continue her life as her current status best allows her to do.
Other than that, we visited my sister-in-law's for dinner tonight. A delicious meal to say the least.
No plans for the weekend...
Bob
January 28, 2010 9:30 PM 24 days to go
A TV star!
The saga never ends! As most of you know, my wife is planning a "coming out party" for me at our church on February 21st. If you have been a long time follower of this blog, you may recall that a little over a year ago, a woman from Norway picked up on it and has been a constant follower because while I was waiting to receive my transplant, she was about to be a bone marrow donor(people like her are the true heroes in these stories - people like me can't do anything unless peiople like her exist!). In any case, our two events were coverging on each other like two archers firing arrows at each other and having them collide with each other. So much so that on the exact day that I went into the hospital to begin my preparations for my transplant. she made her donation.
She has continued to support me through these many months and, along the way, has built up a relationship with one of my daughters as their ages and families are so very similar. Making a long story short, she has made the commitment to be here for the party. I am truly overwhelmed by this wonderful gift that she is giving to me. Just to make things clear, she is NOT my donor.
And, it's a wonderful story, if it just ends there. But, my daughter has written letters to the local media and now our local TV station wants to interview us when we are all together here on that weekend!
What can I say! As I said before, I'm an average guy who happened to get a not-so-average disease. Ever since then, however, I have been on the most extraordinary ride of my life. Riding the crest of a wave that has allowed me to experience miracles, to experience firsthand what people can truly do for one another, to see what fantastic doctors, nurses, and staff we have not only in Boston but in Manchester, New Hampshire as well, and the list goes on....
These experiences are all things that I can never repay even though I know that noone is looking for repayment. So I now look to do what that wonderful movie of quite a few years ago showed that we all could do to make our lives better...
Pay It Forward...
Bob
The saga never ends! As most of you know, my wife is planning a "coming out party" for me at our church on February 21st. If you have been a long time follower of this blog, you may recall that a little over a year ago, a woman from Norway picked up on it and has been a constant follower because while I was waiting to receive my transplant, she was about to be a bone marrow donor(people like her are the true heroes in these stories - people like me can't do anything unless peiople like her exist!). In any case, our two events were coverging on each other like two archers firing arrows at each other and having them collide with each other. So much so that on the exact day that I went into the hospital to begin my preparations for my transplant. she made her donation.
She has continued to support me through these many months and, along the way, has built up a relationship with one of my daughters as their ages and families are so very similar. Making a long story short, she has made the commitment to be here for the party. I am truly overwhelmed by this wonderful gift that she is giving to me. Just to make things clear, she is NOT my donor.
And, it's a wonderful story, if it just ends there. But, my daughter has written letters to the local media and now our local TV station wants to interview us when we are all together here on that weekend!
What can I say! As I said before, I'm an average guy who happened to get a not-so-average disease. Ever since then, however, I have been on the most extraordinary ride of my life. Riding the crest of a wave that has allowed me to experience miracles, to experience firsthand what people can truly do for one another, to see what fantastic doctors, nurses, and staff we have not only in Boston but in Manchester, New Hampshire as well, and the list goes on....
These experiences are all things that I can never repay even though I know that noone is looking for repayment. So I now look to do what that wonderful movie of quite a few years ago showed that we all could do to make our lives better...
Pay It Forward...
Bob
January 27, 2010 11:15 PM 25 days to go
Much to talk about!
The doctor's visit went as well as it could go. He said that my counts were all doing fine though he wished for me to continue taking my prednisone and immuno-suppressant medication as I have been with an eye to starting to reduce the prednisone at my next visit which is March 3rd. I will be weaned off of the prednisone first and then the immuno-suppressant. It's always done one at a time. How can I argue with him when during our discussion he mentioned that Dana-Farber does 500 bone marrow transplants a year! They know their business!
By the same token, he said that my next appointment after March 3rd would not need to be for three months! I figured maybe two at best! Also, at my March 3rd appointment, I begin getting my vaccinations - another step forward!
I also asked if I could now visit the dentist and he gave his approval for that as well and even threw in the comment that I no longer needed to wear a mask or gloves when I visited the clinic. I kind of OD'ed on uppers today - there was no negative news at all!
A fellow transplant patient who had his transplant 12 days before me was there this morning as well. We have crossed paths quite a few times over the last year so we spoke for a while this morning to catch up on our progress. He has been plaqued by fatigue and sore joints along with an ongoing case of graft vs host disease from almost the very beginning. This coupled with the fact that his original drug doses were much more than mine has delayed his getting off of the drugs and hampered his recovery somewhat - although he was scheduled to get his first vaccinations today. When I hear stories like this I realize how fortunate I have been.
Since we were in Boston this morning, we also purchased the wine for the party. Obviously, after today, the party goes on for sure! Just pray for good weather! It's no problem being able to handle drinking all that wine on our own over time - but consuming all the food that needs to be prepared would take some doing!
I am really turning the corner now...
Bob
The doctor's visit went as well as it could go. He said that my counts were all doing fine though he wished for me to continue taking my prednisone and immuno-suppressant medication as I have been with an eye to starting to reduce the prednisone at my next visit which is March 3rd. I will be weaned off of the prednisone first and then the immuno-suppressant. It's always done one at a time. How can I argue with him when during our discussion he mentioned that Dana-Farber does 500 bone marrow transplants a year! They know their business!
By the same token, he said that my next appointment after March 3rd would not need to be for three months! I figured maybe two at best! Also, at my March 3rd appointment, I begin getting my vaccinations - another step forward!
I also asked if I could now visit the dentist and he gave his approval for that as well and even threw in the comment that I no longer needed to wear a mask or gloves when I visited the clinic. I kind of OD'ed on uppers today - there was no negative news at all!
A fellow transplant patient who had his transplant 12 days before me was there this morning as well. We have crossed paths quite a few times over the last year so we spoke for a while this morning to catch up on our progress. He has been plaqued by fatigue and sore joints along with an ongoing case of graft vs host disease from almost the very beginning. This coupled with the fact that his original drug doses were much more than mine has delayed his getting off of the drugs and hampered his recovery somewhat - although he was scheduled to get his first vaccinations today. When I hear stories like this I realize how fortunate I have been.
Since we were in Boston this morning, we also purchased the wine for the party. Obviously, after today, the party goes on for sure! Just pray for good weather! It's no problem being able to handle drinking all that wine on our own over time - but consuming all the food that needs to be prepared would take some doing!
I am really turning the corner now...
Bob
January 26, 2010 11:20 PM 26 days to go
Up and at'em!
Yup! It's 5 AM for my wife and I tomorrow morning as we progress on to my next doctor's visit. It's always of interest(obviously) butI'm not expecting anything too drastic to surface as I have been feeling well. However, the blood counts never lie! So I'll tell you tomorrow the truth that they have told.
Our bathroom vanity saga continued a little more today as they called us and said that they had to back order our selection which will add another 2 weeks to the delivery - not set for early March. It seems like a long ways away but February is just around the corner so we are talking about five weeks here. It gives me a lot of time to get everything else in the bathroom put together. And, at present, that's the one thing that I seem to have.
Meanwhile, I did a little work on it today and then we broke to go see my grandson wrestle. He suffered a bloody nose during his match and a loss by a decision. Did the bloody nose contribute to his defeat? He seemed to think so and that's all that matters.
Later in the day my son and his two daughters stopped by and it was a pleasant time for all of us.
So much for today. Much more tomorrow...
Bob
Yup! It's 5 AM for my wife and I tomorrow morning as we progress on to my next doctor's visit. It's always of interest(obviously) butI'm not expecting anything too drastic to surface as I have been feeling well. However, the blood counts never lie! So I'll tell you tomorrow the truth that they have told.
Our bathroom vanity saga continued a little more today as they called us and said that they had to back order our selection which will add another 2 weeks to the delivery - not set for early March. It seems like a long ways away but February is just around the corner so we are talking about five weeks here. It gives me a lot of time to get everything else in the bathroom put together. And, at present, that's the one thing that I seem to have.
Meanwhile, I did a little work on it today and then we broke to go see my grandson wrestle. He suffered a bloody nose during his match and a loss by a decision. Did the bloody nose contribute to his defeat? He seemed to think so and that's all that matters.
Later in the day my son and his two daughters stopped by and it was a pleasant time for all of us.
So much for today. Much more tomorrow...
Bob
January 25, 2010 10:40 PM 27 days to go
A whale of a day!
We went to our local big box home store to order a vanity for our downstairs bathroom. No big deal you say! Hah! It turns out that the price that is posted for the vanity and the sink that goes with it is no longer the price. It went up a few hundred dollars! As the clerk said "By law they have to sell it to us for the posted price" That's fine except for the fact that the computer system wouldn't allow them to order it at that price.
Now the fun starts. No one knows how to circumvent the computer and enter the floor sample price. We wait for 45 minutes while it seems that everyone in the store gives it a try - and fails! We even suggested that they sell it to us for the new price and give us a store credit for the difference. For some reason that neither my wife or I understood that was not feasible.
They finally told us to go home and await a phone call when they figured it out. We do and they do not 10 minutes after we get home. I go back to the store. The fellow rings up the sale gives me the receipt and I look at it and it's the wrong color! Now we have to void the sale and figure out how to get the right one ordered. This easily took another 20 minutes before they seemed to get it all figured out. What a day! Now we wait, cross our fingers, and hope that we get what we wanted!
Most of the rest of the day was spent looking for vanities on the web before we made our "big box" decision.
I'm not so sure that you all needed to hear our tale of woe but that was the day and, right now, there is really no news on the medical front. That's for Wednesday.
Meanwhile, we kind of jelled our plans for the room and I now have plenty of work to keep me going for a while.
It's fun...
Bob
We went to our local big box home store to order a vanity for our downstairs bathroom. No big deal you say! Hah! It turns out that the price that is posted for the vanity and the sink that goes with it is no longer the price. It went up a few hundred dollars! As the clerk said "By law they have to sell it to us for the posted price" That's fine except for the fact that the computer system wouldn't allow them to order it at that price.
Now the fun starts. No one knows how to circumvent the computer and enter the floor sample price. We wait for 45 minutes while it seems that everyone in the store gives it a try - and fails! We even suggested that they sell it to us for the new price and give us a store credit for the difference. For some reason that neither my wife or I understood that was not feasible.
They finally told us to go home and await a phone call when they figured it out. We do and they do not 10 minutes after we get home. I go back to the store. The fellow rings up the sale gives me the receipt and I look at it and it's the wrong color! Now we have to void the sale and figure out how to get the right one ordered. This easily took another 20 minutes before they seemed to get it all figured out. What a day! Now we wait, cross our fingers, and hope that we get what we wanted!
Most of the rest of the day was spent looking for vanities on the web before we made our "big box" decision.
I'm not so sure that you all needed to hear our tale of woe but that was the day and, right now, there is really no news on the medical front. That's for Wednesday.
Meanwhile, we kind of jelled our plans for the room and I now have plenty of work to keep me going for a while.
It's fun...
Bob
January 24, 2010 10:35 PM 28 days to go
A real quiet day!
Obviously, I spent a good portion of the day watching football - the all-American male way to spend a Sunday!
I really didn't do much else - leaving the next portion of my bathroom rework project until tomorrow. As we speak(write?), I have plenty of time to continue on unless the doctor gives me the OK to go back to work when I visit on Wednesday. I doubt it, given the fact that my year still has a little more time to run. We'll see what he says.
I'm also interested in seeing if I can go to the dentist or not. It's not that I need to go, but not being able to get your teeth cleaned for over a year kinda gets to you after awhile. Those are about the only issues that are currently on the table at this point. Obviously, going back to choir and church are both going to occur within the next four weeks.
Another week starts tomorrow and it could be the foretelling of my future in the next few months.
We'll see...
Bob
Obviously, I spent a good portion of the day watching football - the all-American male way to spend a Sunday!
I really didn't do much else - leaving the next portion of my bathroom rework project until tomorrow. As we speak(write?), I have plenty of time to continue on unless the doctor gives me the OK to go back to work when I visit on Wednesday. I doubt it, given the fact that my year still has a little more time to run. We'll see what he says.
I'm also interested in seeing if I can go to the dentist or not. It's not that I need to go, but not being able to get your teeth cleaned for over a year kinda gets to you after awhile. Those are about the only issues that are currently on the table at this point. Obviously, going back to choir and church are both going to occur within the next four weeks.
Another week starts tomorrow and it could be the foretelling of my future in the next few months.
We'll see...
Bob
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