Thursday, March 9, 2017

Warm Wednesday

Wednesday was a warm day.  86F was the afternoon high.  But, there I was, I seated in front of the heater, dressed in sweat shirt and sweat pants, with socks on my feet, a scarf tied around my neck, and draped in a knitted poncho, until noon!  I was feeling cold!  I turned the heater off at noon and, eventually, in the afternoon, I removed the poncho and the scarf.  It's night now, and I have the poncho on, again, and the heater is on, too.

It was also International Women's Day, commemorating the movement for women's rights.  I didn't take the day off from work, but I did refrain from going shopping today.  I don't know if not buying anything for one day really does anything, though, because it simply means the shopping will get done on another day, unless people decide not to buy those items at all.  In my case, the item I need to buy is one of my medications, so it's not something I can be without buying; I need it for my health.

Wednesday was a quietly productive day for me.  I worked on my office stuff for a good portion of the day.  In the afternoon, I took a nap on the living room sofa.  Later in the evening, I did the load of laundry I didn't do on Tuesday and hung it up to dry (it will dry overnight).  I also did the dishes and cleaned the litter box.

I also trimmed my finger nails and, for the first time in over a year, my finger nails are no longer discolored from the chemo!  The chemo had turned my nails a purplish brown.  I have now trimmed off all the discolored finger nails.  I still have some discoloration on my toe nails, however (on the big toes).

No More Chemo Discoloration!

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:
- Rights that were fought for and achieved by generations of women who persisted
- The strong women in my own life - my grandmother, my mother, my daughter
- Being able to work from home
- Finger nails are clear of chemo discoloration
- Daily exchange of emails with a friend

Breakfast was cereal (cornflakes) and a banana; lunch was pasta with fish curry and an orange for dessert; dinner was a salad (lettuce, cucumber, carrots) with slices of roast chicken breast, sprinkled with raw cashews; grapes for dessert:

Dinner

 Wednesday's To Do List:
- Office work - DONE
- Load of laundry - DONE
- Pharmacy - Thursday
- Other daily tasks such as dishes, litter box, etc. - DONE

Thursday's To Do List:
- Office work
- Put away laundry
- Pharmacy
- Garden center for edging stones and a bag of compost 
- Daily tasks

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?

12 comments:

  1. Your fingernails are lovely. Here's to many more years of lovely fingernails.

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    1. Thank you, Live and Learn. :) I am pleased to be rid of the discoloration.

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  2. Bless, I'm worried about you feeling cold when it's in the mid-80s and you don't have the AC to blame. It sounds very extreme to have sweaters AND a heater on when it's that warm outside and when you seemed to be fine when it was cooler recently. I think you should call your GP or even your oncologist about it. I know you said you get cold easily but this isn't normal.

    My plans for today are: Grocery Shopping (which also didn't get done yesterday) and The Dishes. As I don't feel like doing either, it's not going to be a particularly enjoyable day but they can't all be. I do hope yours is a good one!

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    1. Nathalie, thank you for your concern, but I am OK. I think it is because I lost so much of my insulating layer of fat! Also, my house tends to be cool - it's 83F outside, but it is 68F inside the house at noon (I just checked the thermostat). I have opened the windows in an attempt to bring some of that warmth inside (the heater is off).

      I hope you manage to enjoy the grocery shopping (maybe treat yourself to a little something yummy?) As for the dishes, can you persuade your daughter to do them for you? Or perhaps your son?

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  3. This time of year even when it is what I would consider HOT outside with the 85F temperature it takes a long time before the house starts to retain the warmth. Sitting at the computer all day and not moving around adds to the chilled feeling and of cause your illness. Glad you wore plenty of clothes and used your heater as needed. The fact that your nails are improving is a very good sign.

    I am a strong supporter of women's rights. My mum showed how strong she was during WW2 and served as a Wren (branch of the navy). If I were still working I would not have taken the day off. My daughter worked. I also went shopping along with many other women. I do not see these type of protests changing things for women.

    Our midweek Lent service focused on Karpas, the Hebrew word for "greens" and "vegetable" read backwards forms an acronym of a phrase meaning "600,000 [were enslaved with] spirit-breaking labor, and the saltwater in which it is dipped are the tears they shed. which is one of the traditional rituals in the Passover Seder.

    The sun is up and it is to warm up before another cold front arrives with the possibility of wet snow this weekend! I will be joining other retirees from the nursing home that I worked at for lunch today.

    Take care and stay warm.

    Sandy

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    1. Thank you, Sandy. Yes, as I was explaining in my reply to Nathalie's comment above, it is in the mid 80s outside but only 68 inside the house. Plus, as you say, I am seated at the computer, not moving around much, so not generating a lot of heat, myself. I should probably sit outside and work.

      I hope you have an enjoyable lunch with the other retirees from the nursing home. Have a pleasant day and store up some of that warmth for the cold weekend ahead! Take care.

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  4. Are you really sure it's safe for your daughter to be walking around Berkeley? I ask this because it's a sanctuary city. I know she feels she's safe but all young people feel they're safe and invincible. I think she's probably already signed the lease again so moving to a place that is lower rent and using the difference for cars probably not possible right now. But I know that I wouldn't walk more than a block in that city. Tell her to be really careful, to be aware of her surroundings at all times and to not make eye contact with anybody.

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    1. Thank you for your concern, Marylynn; I appreciate it. I, too, worry about her walking about, especially after dark (and burdened with a backpack and pull-along luggage after a trip home), but she feels it is less of a hazard to walk than to wait for a bus in downtown Berkeley.

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  5. Your fingernails are looking so nice Bless! My plan was to stay home all day Wednesday other than making a quick run down to the library and to get the mail. In this small town, that was a 5 minute total round trip from home and back. ;) My hubby did surprise me though and took me out to dinner to celebrate our Anniversary one night early since he had his bowling league tonight. :)

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    1. Thank you, Debbie. Happy anniversary! Wish you many more! :)

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  6. It's not often I'm warm either Bless no matter what the temperature is outside or inside, it's one of the side effects of the medication. Quite often I will be dressed and have to put my dressing gown on as well.

    I never knew chemo discoloured nails but yours look lovely and they are a nice shape. I have square stubby ones! Keep warm :) xx

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    1. Suzanne, I'm sorry you, too, are finding it hard to keep warm. I'm sure it is due to the medications, and, in my case, the reduction in the insulation! Plus, I tend to be rather sedentary. Yes, the chemo "kills" all the cells that are fast growing, not just the cancer cells, and that means the hair cells, nail cells, etc. Even the tips of my fingers got discolored, but that has faded, now. I also lost one toe nail, as it fell off! But a new one has grown, since, so all is well. :)

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