tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87954735108712122172024-03-13T05:24:41.857+01:00What's happening with Carol.....Keeping in touch with life, family and friends!
Sharing adventures, feelings and fantasies!Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.comBlogger222125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-43631162271537988782009-04-20T07:45:00.004+02:002009-04-20T08:26:54.388+02:00Bird Party Update<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The bird birthday party sort of wiped me out although the dynamo grandparent team of 4 plus Bo did nearly all the work. In the morning, as I was having a lot of pain, I broke down into one of my bad crys and Bo took me to my couch and said, "Carol, I think you still haven't accepted the fact that you are really ill, you can NOT do all the things you want to do now, you must let us do it, maybe it won't be perfect the way you want it but at least we'll try our best and you must accept that, next year you can do more but NOT NOW. Please stop worrying and relax so that you can have energy for what's really important today and that's watching Maya enjoy her party." He's right, I know. Part of me thinks I can still do but I really can't. I get so frustrated.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Maya did have a lot of fun and that's what counts. Her friends were so nice with her and each other, so no problems. We have always had the rule that she can invite the number of children that she is old. So this year she was excited to invite 7 of her closet friends. It makes it so much more managable then having the entire class or all the girls in the class. (many of who have not treated her very nicely at school) Maya has always been one to have just as many guy friends as girl friends so it really isn't her party without a mixture. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> One of her favorite friends, Jakob, flew into the party as a black crow! Maya was THRILLED!!!! (Later he gave her a bag of sunflower seeds as one of his presents...what fun!) They played a lot on M's swing set first, then tried to push Pappa into our pond. When they came inside each child made a bird mask (with feathers, sequence and beads) and decorated a pair of toilet paper binoculars (for the bird walk that we didn't have time for!). Next they played "Spin the birdie" to see which present Maya would open up. She got all different things and she was so pleased. One little boy was so cute...a guy after my own heart....he wanted to take home the wrapping paper his gifts were in (very good taste, I might add). The cake was a huge success...8 little birdies sitting in a nest, 4 with baseball caps on, 4 with princess crowns. It was very yummy! We still have half the cake so if you come over you can have a piece!<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Since the masks were dry they were able to put them on to go outside again, but the time was nearly finished and we needed to do the "Fish Pond" (fishing for goodie bags). Maya got a little upset because the parents came on time and we hadn't done the raw egg race or the bird walk but we told her we could do it again another day! Bo and I realized that this year was the last for the "fish pond" because they are out growing it. (We'll do a treasure hunt next time.) Everyone stayed a little longer playing in Bo's tent , running around the swing area, and looking for the real fish in our pond. Lots of smiles and the weather couldn't have been better for mid-April! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I will post photos if I can....but I'm having trouble with my photo program as I have too many photos loaded up. (14.000 oucsh!) </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;">*******************************<br /><br /></div> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sunday I took it easy...my mornings have not been so good and I have a lot of pain. I think it is related to what's happening in my digestional track. Gas, poops, whatever....once it comes out eventually I feel better. Early afternoons around 13:00 I'm usually ok. I try to take my whimpy walk then. I can't believe how weak my body has become in such a short time. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My big outing today will be to get medusa (my hair) cut a little bit. I'm dreading telling my hair dresser. I've gone to her for about 8 years. It's always hard telling people the first time...I usually end up trying to make </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >them </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">feel better! </span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-65237154552717346242009-04-17T23:07:00.004+02:002009-04-18T01:05:57.603+02:00What a GOOD FRIDAY for us again!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A nervous morning was spent here in our yellow house, pins and needles were everywhere after I got the phone call to come into the hospital for the results at 1:30pm. My anxiety was high and I wondered if I should have a relaxer pill but decided I wanted to be "me" for the meeting. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">While Maya was at her "Swedish 2" class (she receives extra Swedish language lessons on Fridays because our primary home language is English), my Dad and I took a walk around our garden and admired all the new growth coming up through the soil and budding on the trees. The rabbits haven't done nearly as much winter damage as previous years....but still, darn things have to make their mark, don't they!? It's the most I've walked outside in a long time. Dr. Down-to-Earth said I must walk everyday despite pain to avoid blood clots. Will do!<br /><br />Our house is full of stairs and I'm noticing more and more that I avoid them. Going down slowly is no problem but going up I feel like I'm clumbing in the Andes Mountains (gasping for breath, legs wobbly).The doctor told me today my shortness of breath is due to the low blood value.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After lunch, with nervous teary but positive outlooks, we said good bye to Mom, Dad and Maya, then Bo and I headed out to hear the results. I was feeling so good that I was able to sit up the whole car ride and enjoy the sunny views! To get diagnosed in the spring was a miracle to me...I don't think I could have held up heading into the dark winter months with this illness.<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">At the hospital we were met by Dr. Soft Swede and Dr. Blue Lagoon who took us into a private meeting room. Dr. Soft Sweden asked if I wanted to take it in English or Swedish...</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >English</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I replied with relief. (That eliminates one obstacle for me...even though I understand most of what is said, my replies are slothish in Swedish and there are so many new words I'd be asking for clarification all the time.)<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >So then he proceeded to tell us this about the MRI and Biopsy tests & treatment:<br /></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 - MRI showed that my cancer is anal canal cancer (very rare in Sweden 400 cases a year and rare in the USA at 5,000 cases a year) and NOT rectum cancer.<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 - This anal canal cancer is the "mother tumor" which has matastisized to my liver in three places. The biopsy confirmed that the tumors in my liver are the SAME CANCER which makes it MUCH EASIER to treat. (yeah!)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3- The anal canal tumor is ....well picture this....an 8 cm (3.2 inch) long garden hose with 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick wall that is split length wise (it is not a full circle) lining my anal canal. Now can you fully understand why it's been so darn difficult to poop!? No wonder my poopies were so weird...they were being squeezed through that tube like play dough! Of course, not all of this hardness is solid tumor, some of it is inflammed tissue/hardened skin. (remember I mentioned before that anal canal tumors are attached to the skin organ) So basically, for a couple of slow growing years I've been sitting on a garden hose up my butt! OUCH....why didn't I feel it before just 2-3 months ago? I still don't understand that...but it's too late to go back!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4- This type of cancer is SLOW GROWING....so my vivid imagination fueled by my intense pains have not been true...in my head I've had this image of my tumors taking over my entire abdomen and chest. Since my first CT scan to this latest MRI there hasn't been any measurable changes in my tumors. (yeah!)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5 - I did not ask what "stage" my cancer is...maybe I'll ask next week....maybe I won't. Do I really need to know? Won't it scare me?</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />6 - My blood counts are too low but having my period this week during the biopsy has an important role in that. More tests will be done with the oncologist before chemotherapy starts as they may have to give me a blood transfusion beforehand.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7- I was told that having <span style="font-style: italic;">my extra kilos will serve me well</span> in the near future as these extra kilos, plus my "youth" and my general healthiness will give me strength to endure what's coming next....</span><br /><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >At today's Cancer Team Meeting,</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> the oncologist was handed over my case officially although this doctor (who I haven't met yet so I can't give him a nick name yet) has already been in several meetings about my case over the past couple of weeks. So plans have been made....</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1- I will get my chemotherapy treatments in Lund Hospital (it's the "big mamma" hospital in Sweden). <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 - For the first rounds of chemo I will be staying in Lund Hospital for a week as they plan to fire me up with VERY STRONG dosages "plus some" during that week to hit both liver and anal tumors. In order to help me with the tiredness and nausea, it will be best if I'm there at the hospital with professionals around me. (I"m ready...bring it on!)</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3 - After one week or so in Lund, then I'll come home for a 2 weeks rest.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4 - Go back again to Lund....depending on how I'm reacting to all the medicines will determine if I stay over night or not.<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5 - </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >It's a LONG, TOUGH ROAD ahead but the doctors were very hopeful that I could make it to the end successfully!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> ( I think by this point Bo was crying freely I didn't dare look at him because I didn't want to break down too!) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6- Treatment may start in 1-3 weeks but they assured us that it would make no difference in the final outcome! But that all was being done to progress and process my case as fast as possible!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7- From now on I MUST be extremely careful about coming into contact with GERMS! All members of my household are to wash their hands before touching me. No risks should be taken! (Tomorrow is Maya's b-day party, I must keep a distance and not give hugs!)<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">***************</span> <br /></div> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Then we talked about other things....how our daughter was handling it. We explained all the different things we have discussed with her and her reactions. And about the journal books we have to let her express herself and children's books to read about cancer. (<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Thanks LORI, I can't thank you enough!</span>) They thought we were handling Maya very well. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />They asked me about my job. Although I cried while telling them about Maya, I </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >completely</span> lost it talking about my students. <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >I NEVER GOT TO SAY GOODBYE TO THEM! </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> It was Tuesday at school, I said I wouldn't be there the next day because I had a doctor's appointment (lots of groans and moans from the kids) and POOF....I was gone! No closure for me or for them. And now I can't go because I can't take the emotional stress and I certainly can't take the sickness risk. But I want to hug each one of them and say goodbye and good luck next year...especially the 5th graders. Our school ends at 5th grade, so many I will probably never see again. There is a possiblility I will see the 4th graders after I'm well later this year. Writing a letter isn't the same...several people suggested that I do a video clip but honestly, I want to see THEIR EYES and SMILES one last time! Anyway....I had a good ol' cry about that with the Doctors looking on. My actual job, I could care less about right now....I'm so tired and exhausted from pain I don't have room to think about it.<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After I got myself back together about the school thing, we ended the meeting with funny stories of Bo's and my parents helping us out with each their own sets of painful health problems, hearing miscommunications, language misunderstandings but mostly of their steadfast teamwork to support us to make things easier for us. And most importantly how the LOVE of GRANDPARENTS has surrounded Maya with a solid, soft wall for her to feel, receive and give comfort when we cannot provide it for a moment. Bo and I could not be blessed with parents more perfect for this task than the wonderful ones we have in our family! No matter what comes next for me during the treatment to RECOVERY, I have no guilt or insecurities about Maya. She will be given the BEST of care from these funny old people we love so much!<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">***********************</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tomorrow is Maya's "friends" b-day party! Everything is prepared.... I will stay my distance but try to participate a little bit. Will let you know how it goes and post some photos. <span style="font-weight: bold;">(Thanks to Gerd for picking up the special cake for us!) </span><br /></span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-49648715199022503112009-04-15T21:03:00.003+02:002009-04-15T21:32:38.346+02:00Biopsy went well<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Just to let you all know that the biopsy procedure went very well today. I'm too worn out right now to report any more funny details about my day in bed (from 8:30 to 19:00) but I will try to give you more details tomorrow when I'm on my new morphine pain killers! (now that ought to be interesting! we'll see how I do!) </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I met a new doctor today who is one of the team...we really liked her...very down to earth. She told us that since my case is 'advanced' (meaning that it has spread to my liver, not just sitting there in my butt)...the "older" doctors will be in charge of me. The ones with the most experience...she is one of them but she wasn't old at all...at the most 50 so you get the idea. I was concerned about my case being talked about by different doctors each week and wanted to know if there was a CORE GROUP in charge with MY case. She told me that she understood that's the way it is in the USA but it's not like that here, she did say though that I will have two core doctors (surgeon and oncologist) who will always be the ones responsible for the final decisions based on the recommendations of the group meeting. The surgeon in charge of me from now on is Dr. Soft Swede (who I've written about before). I REALLY LIKED HIM the last time we met when he looked up my butt! (then drew a diagram for me and explained everything in superb English--which calms me) So Bo and I were both very satisfied with this knowledge. Dr. Down-to-Earth also said that they will be pleading, begging and praying to the pathologists to move my biopsy results through the process as fast as possible so that they can discuss them during THIS FRIDAY's meeting! Halleuah! I'm supposed to be at home on Friday noon and after to wait for their phone call to tell us the results for MRI and biopsy. (No one call me on Friday after lunch, please!) At the Friday meeting the oncologist will take my case and prepare my treatment plan (which is already tentively in the works) so we can START the FIGHT. I cried when she said that and said "I"m ready to fight this" and she replied "We want to start too...and we want you to WIN!" </span><br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Can you see why I really liked her?! She's on my team! </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">That's the basic important information for the day....but I'll tell the details tomorrow if I'm up to it...some funny things happened. </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Bo is the most wonderful husband...it's such a blessing that I fell in love with a chemical engineer who has a fantastic memory for numbers, medicine names, dosages, reactions, etc...he is always a step ahead and jumps right in with his questions. I feel like he's my "medicine care lawyer". So grateful he's on my team, too! I pray he can hold up through all of his worries because I really need him! </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">*************</span><br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Maya news: she FINALLY lost one of her front teeth! It fell out during the night and my Dad found her holding it this morning while she was sleeping! She is so proud! The American tooth fairy will come tonight (next tooth will be for the Swedish one!). </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Her kindergarten class walked to the public library today for a tour inside and each child got a huge book about Monsters! A very appealing book for children...has the "bath tub" monster, the "closet" monster, as well as the truly famous ones...cyclops, werewolf, etc. </span><br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-weight: bold;">Thanks for all the extra thoughts today! :-) </span></span><br /></div>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-37158143030520061172009-04-15T05:59:00.004+02:002009-04-15T06:19:02.373+02:00Liver Biopsy today<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We're up with the sun....early to get to the hospital at 7:30 am for the blood flow tests and others. Then it's up to the Cancer Department for my valium shots and other things....the biopsy is planned for 10:00 am. From the blood tests until the rest of the day, I will be in a bed. That means nurses will be changing my pads (for my period) and helping me pee & poop in a little cup on the bed! So glad I'll be on valium! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">For the moments I'm bored and awake, I've got an 'entertainment' bag packed with iPod of my music & KellySue's iPod (maybe I'll finally finished the Carl Hiasson book "Skinny Dipping"), embrodiery, funny book, and comics from the USA that Mom mailed me a long time ago and I haven't sat down to read yet. I figured that was enough for one day and I'll probably be asleep most of the time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Bo is going to stay with me as much as possible but he's very nervous, too, so he's got a little list of errands to run in Helsingborg: visit Peder, buy wheat grass seeds at Goodness, and visit my school to give Kristina, my director, important medical leave papers. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Nervous but READY to go through with this test because THESE tests will give the Doctors all the answers they need to make the decisions for the best treatment for me and my case. Just have to remember that the results won't be instanteanous, the pathologist needs time to do his/her job correctly. But soon...treatment will start SOON! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I feel GOOD today with an energy of a bright future! Hold your thumbs, cross your fingers, say an extra prayer, hold me in the LIGHT, cover me with Angels of Healing and send me POSITIVE THOUGHTS! As you have been doing all these weeks....today I need them a lot! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Love to all of you! I'm taking all my friends and family, real and virtual, with me in my head today to give me strength! Thank you!</span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-44171008514135792112009-04-14T08:07:00.009+02:002009-04-14T23:22:22.350+02:00A love letter to my brother, Tom<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I was 5 and a half when my little brother was born on </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >April 14th, 1969</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. But I had loved him long before that. He was my imaginary friend when I was a younger child in Peru. "Little Brother" had to have a cookie if I had one (yup, I got 2 cookies then!) and he had to be seatbelted into the car just like me before we drove off. I must have played a lot with "little Brother" as I was an only child until I was in Kindergarten. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Don't really remember much about my mom being pregnant, she lost two babies during the years between us, so I think she was rather cautious about announcing the news to me. But I can certainly tell you how exciting it was when I woke up one morning without my parents in the house and a friend/babysitter told me that my Mom was in the hospital having a baby! I talked to her everyday. I learned to write my LONG last name while she was gone. I ate at different friends' homes. I had fun without my parents but I really just wanted to see my REAL brother. Then FINALLY after three long days of waiting....my Mom was coming home with </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >MY WISH COME TRUE! </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> At school I must have told EVERY open ear that I had a little brother and HE was coming HOME TODAY TO ME! I ran as fast as I could from the carpool lady's house down the street...whipped open the front door to find Mom and little brother bundled up on the couch. My Dad made me wash my hands thoroughly and sit down on nicely on the couch, he told me to hold my arms out steadily to hold little Brother and Mom came and laid him there close to me! My heart thumping wildly in my chest....</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> I HAD A LITTLE BROTHER AT LAST!<br />Thomas Hansel Doughty </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeQoUaXWAZI/AAAAAAAACBI/67V_BE84A7Q/s1600-h/Little+Brother+comes+home%21+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeQoUaXWAZI/AAAAAAAACBI/67V_BE84A7Q/s320/Little+Brother+comes+home%21+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324424990598496658" border="0" /></a>In case you are wondering...he carries the names of both our grandfathers.<br />I have always loved his name, seems so strong,<br />wise and gentle as our grandfathers were in life.<br />*****************<br />Tom and I played A LOT together once he was bigger (and more interesting) in the meantime, my Mom has written in my baby book that I was a great helper girl with my little Brother.<br />We built great palaces and forts from wooden blocks. We sang to all the Disney Albums. We made grand parties with all our stuffed animals. Tom cried on his 4th birthday when I went to school and refused to play with his new toys until I came home. We played Barbies together (with your action men and Ken doll). We slept in the same room even though we each had our own room, I was 10 and Tom was 4 when we decided that it was time to separate.<br /><br />Then hormones came into the situation and having a pesty little Brother was, oh, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">so embarrassing</span> during my middle school and high school years. That darn little Brother followed me EVERYWHERE....he spied on me and my friends, he TAPE RECORDER our conversations during parties, and worse, I HAD to "babysit" him when our parents went out in the evening. (Actually, it wasn't all that bad because Mom always gave us our food of choice, Arby's or crumbly hamburger.) We continued to play together despite the age difference....we dug huge holes to China in our back yard under our tree house, we played endless swimming pool games, we bicycled, we made messes, we had fun! (most of the time)<br />We went on a gazillion family trips each summer and holiday. We simultaenously enraged each other and entertained each other. (spit ball fights in the car, ugly face game)<br /><br />***************************<br />When my little brother graduated in 1992 from San Fransisco State University, I was much happier than on my own graduation day in 1985 from Indiana University. <span style="font-size:85%;">(The reasons for which I will not get into now.) </span> Listening to the ceremony, watching my brother do silly but respectful things on the field below to catch our attention and finally seeing him receive his diploma were such proud moments for me! <span style="font-weight: bold;">MY LITTLE BROTHER had graduated!!</span> He had accomplished something my family, frankly, didn't think he'd finish! THIS was a major FEAT, whereas, my own graduation was basically a fact when I started university...I don't mean this in a snobby way, it just means that I stay within the box, usually. I do what I'm supposed to do...what's expected of me by my parents. When I have strayed out of those neat perimeters, I somehow really make a muck up of things. (rhymes with.....) My brother, on the other hand, struggled, studied, hated, quit, started again, enjoyed, learned, and finally acheived! No box with timelines for him! More than anything I wanted to<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> PARTY ALL NIGHT LONG</span> with him and his friends on his graduation day....but who was I in their eyes? The elementary school teacher big sister....boring!<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"> <span style="font-size:100%;">It was HIS MOMENT to share with his friends...<br />but <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">the JOY I felt for him was tremendous!</span><br /></span>(notice that he was carrying a book to read during the ceremony, or was it his last term paper?) </span></span> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeTm3E3-V1I/AAAAAAAACBQ/w_YeOdHnIyU/s1600-h/Tom%27s+day.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeTm3E3-V1I/AAAAAAAACBQ/w_YeOdHnIyU/s320/Tom%27s+day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324634493334476626" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now I will reveal something I've never told to my little Brother....</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >I admire him</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" > for his ability to follow his ideas and try something new</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, if it fails, oh well, pick up and start again. Sometimes it's a welcome change, sometimes it comes with a lot of hurt and sorrow and loss. He has done this time and time again and now I feel he is entering a stage when he knows what he wants and he's going for it. That's being 40, I think. He's found himself again but this time THIS IS IT! All his knowledge, creativity, drive, faith, and strong will to acheive will give him the success and happiness he has been searching for a long time! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> On the other hand, the big sister has only had one job her whole adult career....happy with status quo, take no risks, follow along with what comes next rather than trying to make changes. Oh, you readers think...but you've done this, you've done that....you've moved to Sweden....the fact is travelling and adventuring are part of my hobbies, but taking steps to try something completely new as a career is a little scary for me, partially because I love my job teaching with students of all ages. I've fantasized many times about trying a new career...but the fantasy is only that. It stays in the treasure fantasy chest and only peeked at once in a while. Maybe some day.....who knows after I beat cancer, I may just have the courage to try something new! New adventures wait around each corner, you know! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My dearst Brother, you are the BEST a sister could ever have dreamed of for her lifetime! We have had good times to laugh at (Land of Cut the Cheese), we have fought like crazy (the Costa Rican machet incident comes to mind and the Princess Diana souvenir plate) and we have shared many quiet moments (walking in the rain with Maya under rainbow umbrellas)! I love you so much and I miss you so much. Your wisdom and knowledge about organic foods & proper excercise probably could have saved me from some of what I am suffering now...I wish I had listened to you more back in time. I am thankful you have faith in me now and continue to support me with suggestions (that I'm now following). You are a beautiful, kind soul and you are still my LITTLE brother even though (</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >gasp</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">) you are 40 years old today! No matter where you are or what you are doing....I'm always proud to point you out in a crowd and say </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"THAT'S MY LITTLE BROTHER, the one I wished for when I was a little girl living in Peru." </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Happy Birthday, Tom! </span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;">***********<br /><br /><br /></div> <span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Tom, I'm so sorry...my energy is wiped and I am having some computer memory problems again...maybe has something to do with the 14, 000 photos on my hard drive? help me!<br />I had full intentions of scanning all kinds of great, embarrassing and fun photos of you from my collection. Soon....then you will get your REAL present from me! xoxxo</span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-13679034334853647512009-04-13T22:18:00.003+02:002009-04-13T22:42:30.372+02:00Double Delightful<div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> Double, Double Delight Monday!<br /></span> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfY1umB3I/AAAAAAAACAw/GCUNrgjwJ8s/s1600-h/Monday-jennifercathyamanda.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfY1umB3I/AAAAAAAACAw/GCUNrgjwJ8s/s320/Monday-jennifercathyamanda.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324274433570244466" border="0" /></a>Jennifer came with her twins <span style="font-weight: bold;">and</span> her Mum, Cathy, who is one of my favorite people! It was a double delight for me and I wasn't prepared for Cathy to be here too (Jennifer had told me she was working)...as soon as I saw them get out of the car I burst into tears! (remember I'm PMS!) It was so wonderful to see ALL of the Barkers!<br /></div> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfYgHKjaI/AAAAAAAACAo/FQHULT9cHz4/s1600-h/Monday+Cathycolin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfYgHKjaI/AAAAAAAACAo/FQHULT9cHz4/s320/Monday+Cathycolin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324274427767721378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The babies are GORGEOUS, ROBUST, and HAPPY! Colin and Amanda entertained us with their smiles, dribbles, and just plain cuteness! Jennifer is an excellent mum especially getting her long time wish come true! (twins= boy and girl) I was so pleased to see them on their little puffy quilts that I made for them! I hope they will have lots of fun on them in the future....and once they are walking they can use them for picnics, tea parties and matresses in their little indoor huts! </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" > Thank you Jennifer for sharing your treasures with us today! </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Next time I see them I hope to be more lively myself and be able to play with them! Maya loved being an "older" child, she kept bringing them stuffed animals to look at and she enjoyed their reactions! (later she told me that she did NOT want twin siblings!) </span> <div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfYffXALI/AAAAAAAACAg/M3bLvrn3cu8/s1600-h/monday+twins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfYffXALI/AAAAAAAACAg/M3bLvrn3cu8/s320/monday+twins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324274427600765106" border="0" /></a><br />*********<br />One of my workmates is a kind, gentle, and very thoughtful woman named Mimmi (Maria)....I've been meaning to show this for some time on my blog but never get around to it. She makes these beautiful bouquets out of leaves...so simple, yet I think so stunning!<br />I miss you Mimmi! And all our small talks! Hug to you!<br /></div> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfYMrFOAI/AAAAAAAACAY/2ki65E3BGGs/s1600-h/Denmark+trip-leaf+flower+bouquet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfYMrFOAI/AAAAAAAACAY/2ki65E3BGGs/s320/Denmark+trip-leaf+flower+bouquet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324274422549657602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's one view of my beloved Crescent Beach....on a windy day...no sweat dripping on this day! </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Just thought I'd show it! I talk about it so much. My Dad sent me this photo last year. Can't wait to be back there jumping in the waves! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfX34gD8I/AAAAAAAACAQ/R93KhKywgR8/s1600-h/Dad.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeOfX34gD8I/AAAAAAAACAQ/R93KhKywgR8/s320/Dad.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324274416968798146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Talked to my nurse today....feeling positive! Only one more day of waiting until the liver biopsy! She gave me a lot of details about what will happen but I'll wait to write about it after it happens then you'll get the REAL story! </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thank you to everyone for your continued support! </span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-52471720880969585672009-04-12T22:32:00.005+02:002009-04-13T22:18:07.186+02:00A Good Friday<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">What a GOOD FRIDAY we had at Maria and Andreas's home outside in the garden! Thank you so much for inviting all of us! You don't know how much we appreciated the attentions, the delicious Greek food, the laughter, and your kind hospitally! I ate more that meal than I have eaten in long time! I felt so good!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Maria:</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> I will call you to tell you this in person if I can manage to do it without crying...but I wanted you to know how wonderful it is that our friendship doesn't just revolve around work (we only talked a little about it when we were alone) and that during dinner my illness</span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> wasn't mentioned once! I Love you, my Aussie-Greek friend!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeJQUnMzN7I/AAAAAAAAB_o/u2ADl42W_nE/s1600-h/Good+FRiday+table.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeJQUnMzN7I/AAAAAAAAB_o/u2ADl42W_nE/s320/Good+FRiday+table.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323906024555624370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Maya and Antonia enjoyed their individual servings of pannacotta and berries! We left Maya with her bike and helmet to spend the night with Antonia...what a treat it was for her! She's still talking about it! Antonia is only 2 months older than Maya but she's so advanced physically...a head taller, stronger, more balanced. We took advantage of the situation to see if Antonia would inspired Maya to ride her bike on her own....it worked! With a little more smooth road practice Maya should be biking without training wheels soon. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thank you Amilon FAMILY! </span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeJQUeTr97I/AAAAAAAAB_g/z1oEXwc924w/s1600-h/Good+friday-+m+%26+a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeJQUeTr97I/AAAAAAAAB_g/z1oEXwc924w/s320/Good+friday-+m+%26+a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323906022168590258" border="0" /></a>******************<br /></div> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Later that evening, I had to stop taking the Ibprophen in order to prepare for the liver biopsy blood tests. New pains started to come and I threw up my dinner (not Maria's food!). I was rather scared and shakey. Since then I have not had much energy. I took it easy on Saturday only helping a little bit with the Easter rabbit preparations. Rested as much as possible before Maya came back from Antonia's so we could dye Easter eggs together outside in the Florida room. </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeObhfJs_vI/AAAAAAAACAI/4CEb4EkWG98/s1600-h/Easter+dye.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeObhfJs_vI/AAAAAAAACAI/4CEb4EkWG98/s320/Easter+dye.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324270184082243314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeObhJZtJjI/AAAAAAAACAA/M7MHlZagHCA/s1600-h/Easter+eggs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeObhJZtJjI/AAAAAAAACAA/M7MHlZagHCA/s320/Easter+eggs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324270178243782194" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;">************<br /></div> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sunday we had the Easter egg hunt (which is not a Swedish tradition) in the forest behind our house. Each year we invite the neighbor's 2 children to join Maya and it's a lot of fun. </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeObg9hSCFI/AAAAAAAAB_4/NUBXi5KvXS4/s1600-h/Easter+egg+hunt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeObg9hSCFI/AAAAAAAAB_4/NUBXi5KvXS4/s320/Easter+egg+hunt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324270175054334034" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">***************</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Off the ibprophen is awful...new pains along my left breast, breathing is difficult--being poked in the side--, back ache, and on top of everything I'm PMS. It just doesn't seem fair. I keep repeating to myself, this will pass, this will pass, I can survive....I WILL SURVIVE! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Looking forward to a visit tomorrow from a former colleague, Jennifer and her twins! I will finally give them the presents I have made for them! Will definitely post photos of that special event! :-) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">On Monday afternoon, my in-laws will come to celebrate with Swedish style Easter food...I'm not sure I can sit at the table with them...somehow the pickled herrings that I usually love do not appeal to me at all at this time. But I can handle the hard boiled eggs. There's hope! No snaps for me this year either! next year!<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;">********************<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crafty News</span><br /></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeObgbuCp_I/AAAAAAAAB_w/mgpdbgNMrmk/s1600-h/FAWCO+quilt+2009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SeObgbuCp_I/AAAAAAAAB_w/mgpdbgNMrmk/s320/FAWCO+quilt+2009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324270165981046770" border="0" /></a><br />Each year I try to participate in a FAWCO fund raising event by making a quilt square or two (or 3) based on a theme. After we send in our squares the organizer always sends us a colored print of the completed quilt that was raffled at the International FAWCO Conference. This year's theme was "Save the Planet" and my contribution was the little polar bear with orca friends on the top row, second from the right. FAWCO is an NGO of the UN...Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas.<br /></div> </div>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-22386557514674958132009-04-09T18:59:00.009+02:002009-04-10T20:42:18.618+02:00Survived the MRI<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Adjusting the pain medicines this morning was EXTREMELY difficult for me (see previous post) but I managed to hold out until around 9:30 for the full dosage to make sure I was comfortable during the whole MRI procedure...it would have been pure hell to run out of meds while I was in that noisy tube!</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">OK...so, here's the MRI story....DO NOT exam my hair at closer view....I sweat the entire time I was at the hospital like a dang race horse after the Kentucky Derby! When I sweat like that I get Medusa hair (as Bo has decided to call it), it's not at its highest in this photo but you kind of get the idea. I wake up with it nearly every morning now after the night sweats. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">OK...back to the story...the first hour was spent in my own private "get the poop out" room. My wonderful, faithful-through-the-worse husband administered the dreadful laxative and then we waited for the results, which were as they should be. Enough said about that.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Then the technician/nurse Rolf (who couldn't have been a nicer man) took us over to the MRI area where he outfitted me in this lovely two piece outfit. The cropped pants were comfortable and I would have liked to take them home! (should have asked) The back of the pants had a velcro snap so the Doctor would have access to my rump. The gown was comfortable and a perfect fit! (I should have one of these at home too!) If I had known the outfit was going to be blue, I would have choosen a different pair of socks...but really...who cares when you're at the hospital! ?</span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tJKYVFZI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/110mfjUaAGg/s1600-h/MRI+blue+outfit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tJKYVFZI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/110mfjUaAGg/s320/MRI+blue+outfit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322741445026977170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Next, I met the Doctor who went over, again, the MRI procedure. Rolf had already explained it to me but what the heck, I listened again. This Doctor was ONLY there to insert contrast dye into my butt. (oh lucky him!) Rolf held my hand tightly and Bo was kissing my sweating head while the Doctor was torturing me. SCREAMS! Once the dye was inserted I was back on my back again and ready to be photographed inside, all around.</span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tIy6z3_I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/ICyIqTjnx4o/s1600-h/MRI-+with+doctor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tIy6z3_I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/ICyIqTjnx4o/s320/MRI-+with+doctor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322741438729150450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Several people had given me suggestions and related their MRI stories to me but as always, each person's experience is unique! I brought along a couple of CDs to play on their sound system, as instructed by the brochure I got in the mail. To avoid the claustrophic feelings, (and to avoid thinking about being in coffin!) I had planned topics to think about in the machine while listening to one of my CDs. They put on the gospel choir CD I got from Åsa yesterday with really up lifting songs on it! (</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Tack Åsa!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Jag tycker om det välligt mycket!)<br /><br />So there I was cozy in my cocoon, Bo vigilantly watching the top of my sweaty head (they had to change the towel on my pillow before we started!), ready to "drive to Crescent Beach" in my head while grooving to the spiritual rhythms of the music. </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Then the machine started!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://scrandasnewland.blogspot.com/">Amanda</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> at </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://scrandasnewland.blogspot.com/">Scrandasnewland</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> told me she has doozed off during her MRIs! wow) </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Could that thing be any LOUDER!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Where was my peaceful, relaxing cocooning? First, I thought I was in the engine room of a steam ship for "3 minutes" (not the Titanic, please!), then quiet--oh, THERE's my music for 10 seconds, next I was at a party with the Aborginals of Australia--stomp dancing around the desert to the beats of a diggeridoo for "2.5 minutes", quiet again while they adjusted the machine view "Ain't no mountian high enough" for 15 seconds, back to the steam ship for "3 minutes" (Rolf told me how long each photo session was lasting.).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I forced myself to think about </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >driving to Crescent Beach</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (after all, I was looking forward to the ride and the destination!) ...drive out pass the Gainesville airport, make a left at the "dangerous intersection", pass </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Melrose</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (wave at Natalie's street, even if she doesn't live there anymore), </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Putnam Hall</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> to the right (count the guys at the corner, supposed to determine how high the waves will be--folk legend), pass the Bible Camps, pass </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Flora Home</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (where once I ran out of gas on my way home while hauling my brother's surf board and his friend's on top of our VW, dog and cat in the car- no leash or box, wearing ONLY a bathing suit and flipflops...I opened the windows just enough to let in air but not to let out the cat, wrapped a towel around me and started to walk 1-2 miles back to Flora Home, didn't get but 20 yards from the car when I good Samaritan- an older gentleman- stopped his pickup truck and siphoned off enough gas for me to get to a working gas station in Putnam Hall- he said to me "This is not a good situation for a young lady like you to be in. Always keep your tank with at least a quarter of a tank", I've always tried after that!), then....let's where was I on the road...oh, next </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Palatka</span> (where one of our funniest family moments occurred while we stopped for gas and our "Fluffy" kitty got out of the car--image all four of us running around the streets of Palatka yelling "Fluffy, FLUFFY...." it was like a Chevy Chase Vacation movie scene--really bad but we found the cat!) , cross over the St. John's river....turn left towards <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Hastings</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">...stop at County Line for fresh veggies (delicious!) and Bull Chips (made right there in Hastings...darn good...say the name as fast as you can & you'll see why we kids thought it was so funny), once I had a spin out in a rental car at the Hastings intersection while on Spring Break in college driving with my roomate, Dianne (do you remember?) and my exchange sister from Peru, Lucy....it was scary! Anyway....this is where I couldn't concentrate anymore during the "drive"...maybe the sounds of the machine were to great for me to over come or maybe the anticipation of getting to the beach was too much for my Florida homesick head. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Then the final round of photos were accompanied by a tremendous racket of concrete street drills....ba babababababababab...babababababab......babababab...at that point I was getting REALLY HOT, sweat pouring off my forehead, making my face itch, the light over my head like the sunshine....so naturally I skipped driving the rest of the way to Crescent Beach...I was THERE! I was basking in the Florida sun mid-day like a fool that I was in High School..craving the deep, bronzed look we all wanted back then! It was a windless day and the concrete drills drowned out the sound of any waves that were in my mind. "Carol, we're almost over, only 2.5 more minutes." BABBABABABABABABABB.....BABABABABABBA..finished! Out I came from the plastic cocoon, absolutely SOAKED in sweat head to feet! Thank goodness I was wearing that gorgeous blue outfit! The results will be ready for my team of Doctors next week after Easter weekend. Then Wednesday....LIVER BIOPSY! Need for a plan of survival for that one! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tInBHAjI/AAAAAAAAB_I/_YxFu_5ca9U/s1600-h/MRI-+fl+detail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tInBHAjI/AAAAAAAAB_I/_YxFu_5ca9U/s320/MRI-+fl+detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322741435534344754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">You know what's truly amazing? Look at this wrap around skirt (sarong?) that Betsy mailed to me from Hawaii just 3 days ago....YES, it's the map of Florida, including GAINESVILLE, PALATKA and CRESCENT BEACH! (there's even Randy Austin driving his race car!) What a great gift, Bets! THANK YOU! And what incredible timing...I had just decided to mentally drive to Crescent Beach when I received this package! Can you believe that? You're in my soul, girl! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tIeZA2GI/AAAAAAAAB_A/w9dyG4jCAq4/s1600-h/MRI-+fl+fab.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tIeZA2GI/AAAAAAAAB_A/w9dyG4jCAq4/s320/MRI-+fl+fab.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322741433218685026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And to finish up this post....Look at what my darling husband bought me...my own COMFORTABLE lounge chair for outdoors! (it was a suggestion from one of you, but I can't remember who, sorry! maybe Kate? ) Now I can enjoy the outdoors even if my body doesn't want to cooperate! It very easy to tilt back slowly just using my feet...and easy to get up too! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tILupQcI/AAAAAAAAB-4/FSK0Beds1pE/s1600-h/MRI-+new+chair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sd4tILupQcI/AAAAAAAAB-4/FSK0Beds1pE/s320/MRI-+new+chair.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322741428209140162" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So that's it for today! We're going to watch a good funny movie <span style="font-weight: bold;">Love and Lyrics</span> (from Kelly Sue's collection, thank you!). Looking forward to seeing the Amilon family tomorrow! :-)<br /></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I thank all the doctors and nurses who helped me today, especially Rolf!</span> </span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-85902662469079138902009-04-09T06:44:00.003+02:002009-04-09T06:55:16.792+02:00Nervous for today<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I woke up with a new pain and I'm so nervous about today's MRI. It hurts to breath a regular breath......something, probably a nasty tumor or nerve is poking into my lungs when I fill with air at a certain spot on the right side. oh I want this to be fixed! I"m probably hungry...really hungry. I had to fast with only liquids yesterday to prepare for today's test. Not easting was actually rather easy for me since I don't find food at all appealing anymore but I feel like something else is eating me from the inside faster if I haven't eaten for the strength of my body. For breakfast I can have plain white bread and liquid. Looking forward to that! Drank 4 protein drinks yesterday and my wheat grass shot. I can eat again after the procedure at 1:00pm. Oh give me strength......patience, this too will pass. It's part of the battle I keep telling myself!</span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-6163853493561157102009-04-08T20:07:00.003+02:002009-04-09T18:58:45.738+02:00Tuesday's nice things<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Very quickly...I've been on my way to the shower all day and I"m STILL in my PJ's at 9pm! I will finish this post later tonight! no promises...detours happen! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Thank you to my Easter Swap partner, <a href="http://www.onefrustratedmomma.blogspot.com/">TAMMY</a>, for these cute surprises! I'd almost forgotten about the Easter Swap I signed up for "pre-cancer" although I've made one thing for my partner and I've communicated with the organizer (Bush Baby) a couple of times.....then a sweet package arrived from <a href="http://www.onefrustratedmomma.blogspot.com/">Tammy</a> at <a href="http://www.onefrustratedmomma.blogspot.com/">www.onefrustratedmomma.blogspot.com</a>....this is what was inside!<br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thank you Tammy! </span></span> </span><br /></div> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As always, my daughter wants to take everything from me but this time she remembered it was for Mommy! She really liked the SPRING mini banner...we'll put it on our Easter Tree. I love the little bunny and egg! But where did the chocolate go? Oops! (My Dad ate it!) </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdzpOGWcGuI/AAAAAAAAB-s/n8vWINskf9w/s1600-h/Tuesday+Easter+Swap.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdzpOGWcGuI/AAAAAAAAB-s/n8vWINskf9w/s320/Tuesday+Easter+Swap.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322385288077253346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Isn't this flower lovely? Purplely on the outside, green on the inside...only you have to lift up the blossom to see how lovely! It's a shy flower! This plant lives at the summer house where the temperatures are warmer than at our regular house. </span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo2f5DMqI/AAAAAAAAB-k/2p0jSkBx5pM/s1600-h/Tuesday+flower.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo2f5DMqI/AAAAAAAAB-k/2p0jSkBx5pM/s320/Tuesday+flower.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322384882616447650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A mighty fine strut on this peasant who was prancing proudly through our yard trying to impress his lady friend! (slight glare as I took photo through the window)</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo11TojsI/AAAAAAAAB-c/bjZFUznIn00/s1600-h/Tuesday+strut.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo11TojsI/AAAAAAAAB-c/bjZFUznIn00/s320/Tuesday+strut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322384871185223362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Pappa took Maya and her class friend, Julia, down to the beach to look for shells, etc. A little chilly but a lot of fun for both of them! </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo10hv9kI/AAAAAAAAB-U/tZpezXfcR30/s1600-h/Tuesday+beach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo10hv9kI/AAAAAAAAB-U/tZpezXfcR30/s320/Tuesday+beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322384870975993410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The tide was waaayyyyyy out while we stopped by. I did walk out to feel the water..too cold! (I am too weak & pained to walk down from the house, my dad drove me to the beach side...pitiful!) I can't wait until the summer again to frolick in the waves avoiding jelly fish! LOL Doesn't Mom look so Nordic strolling along the early spring beachside?</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo1jNFV3I/AAAAAAAAB-M/VKWjNiBTESA/s1600-h/Tuesday+beach+mom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo1jNFV3I/AAAAAAAAB-M/VKWjNiBTESA/s320/Tuesday+beach+mom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322384866325911410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We buy our fresh eggs here at a self serve nursery near the summer house! GREAT prices on perennials (20 kr. a plant) and 4 kr. for pansies and annuals. </span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo1Acw91I/AAAAAAAAB-E/-Z6mQr4dMVM/s1600-h/Tuesday+eggs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sdzo1Acw91I/AAAAAAAAB-E/-Z6mQr4dMVM/s320/Tuesday+eggs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322384856996443986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dad bought me a bunch of plants for my garden at home...we picked out ones that rabbits DO NOT like! (at least the plants they didn't like last year...who knows, their tastes might change this year!) Damn rabbits! Can you believe they're already digging up my rose roots? I hung our "pumpkin lady" upside down over one of them...might work! (you'd have to see my October posting to know who the "pumpkin lady" is) </span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-84203680037643541352009-04-08T14:35:00.007+02:002009-04-08T21:28:29.566+02:00Three good days in a row!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today I can say that I think I've finally gotten my pain in control...after 3 days of "wake up feeling good" (not pain free, but MUCH better than thinking PAIN from the moment my eyes open). It's much better when I take my medicines exactly every 6 hours rather than waiting for the pain to begin and then take them. Someone (and I don't remember who) told me that was </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >the key...to anticipate</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> when they would start and jump on it before the pain got worse. I can feel exactly when the medicine starts to wear off at about 5 1/2 hours, so I lay on "my" couch (nest) and distract myself in some way (embrodier with iPod- music or story/look at magazine/read a bit of a book/play or talk with Maya or someone near by) then I slowly eat something before I take the new set of medicines...sitting up. (Bo is very insistent that I SIT UP) Then I snooze on the couch another hour (sweating and having hot spells) until the new medicine kicks in. After that...I'm good to go again! At night I find it best to take my first round of pain killers at midnight (after eating a bowl of Quaker Oats instant oatmeal-yummy flavored from the USA), those meds keep me relatively pain free until about 5:30-6:00am, then I wake up eat a digestive (like a graham cracker) to take the 6 am dosage, sleep (and sweat) until 7 or 8 am...then I wake up "feeeeeeelllling GREAT" (remember Tony the Tiger?). It's wonderful to wake up that way without any organs screaming bloody murder at me!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is not to say that I am completely pain free....because "it" is always there reminding me. Like when you are pregnant and you know little sweet baby is there...but this is the opposite because it is not a good, warm feeling...it's a hard, tight, jabbing "I'm ready to gobble you up" feeling. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyway....we got good news today...</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >TOMORROW is my MRI in the Angleholm hospital.</span> I'm 'fasting' today, just clear liquids and my protein drinks. I'll be in the MRI tube from 30 minutes to an hour. According to the letter I received, I can take along my own CDs for them to play for me! good! My mind has come up with a list of topics for me to think about in detail while I'm in the tube as well so I don't get freaky claustrophic while they are photographing me.<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Some of the topics are:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- remembering and describing little details of the exact route from Gainesville to Crescent Beach, Florida. (ex: Putnam Hall-count the people at the corner, Melrose-wave at Natalie's house, Hastings-stop for fresh veggies & Blue Chips, Palatka-stop for Dairy Queen frosty & gas, etc.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- plan out Maya's bird party (already have the ideas but need to put in order)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- think of changes for my garden (think about what's already planted and what it will look like this year)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- design next quilting project</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- image myself cancer free!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the post today I also got the information about the Liver Biospy (capital letters as this is the BIG one!). On the 15th of April (next Wednesday) I have to be at the hospital at 7:30 am for blood tests but the actual appointment isn't until 10:00. I will be in bed all day since this organ is rather bloody and it will be well monitored for leaks after they puncture it! Unfortunately, I counted out my menstral cycle (I'm Ms. Regular-to-the-day) and wouldn't you know it...piss off if I'm not starting my period that same day! Thank goodness I will be on heavy duty anethesias!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(the spell check on my blogspot doesn't work...how do you spell that word?) When it rains, it pours...in this case, bleeds! (sorry guys!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">All of a sudden I feel like things are moving faster and a week doesn't seem so long anymore...I'm holding my weight more or less steady. I feel stronger and calmer. (I do cry a little every day though but not much.) The sun is shining! I have many events to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. I feel the love and support of everyone who knows me around the world! My battle amour has been polished and I'm READY TO FIGHT! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Later today I will post some fun photos about our outing to the summer house and my surprises from the post box from Tuesday and Wednesday!<br /></span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-3156044548610683342009-04-06T15:53:00.005+02:002009-04-06T21:52:11.527+02:00Sunday with Cousins<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Opening birthday gifts continued on Sunday with the arrival of Ulf and Olivia Nilsson from Köln, Germany! Ulf is my husband's other brother who owns a foo-foo wine shop in Hagen. He is one of Europe's wine masters (with title)! He always brings us wonderful wines to enjoy at the moment or some to savior in the distant future. The one he served last night, which I couldn't have, was exceptional apparently but he left a bottle for me to have after I've beaten this rotten cancer! I'm certainly looking forward to that! </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKOy9O8FI/AAAAAAAAB98/SS9V090lAYI/s1600-h/Apri+5+-+UO+M.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKOy9O8FI/AAAAAAAAB98/SS9V090lAYI/s320/Apri+5+-+UO+M.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321577159004713042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Olivia and Maya had a jolly good time outside as well as inside together despite their language differences. Olivia only speaks German with some Italian (her father has taught her Italian since he used to live in Italy for 10 years and he hopes she will be fluent some day--perhaps to take over his wine business?). Maya with her Swedish and English (and bits of Spanish) gets a little frustrated that Olivia can't speak SOMETHING that she can understand! But amazingly enough they find the way to communicate with each other enough to have a lot of fun together! Kids always do! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKOsumFSI/AAAAAAAAB90/yvPXdjKUc9w/s1600-h/april+5+-+O+M+outside.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKOsumFSI/AAAAAAAAB90/yvPXdjKUc9w/s320/april+5+-+O+M+outside.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321577157332702498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here they are preparing something that never flourished...but they certainly look artistic! They are exactly a year apart in age, Maya is older & slightly taller but Olivia is more muscular and tougher than petite Maya. Both are PRINCESSES! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKOoGA6dI/AAAAAAAAB9s/lJVJPOo9Adw/s1600-h/April+5-+cousins+perform.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKOoGA6dI/AAAAAAAAB9s/lJVJPOo9Adw/s320/April+5-+cousins+perform.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321577156088752594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Although Pepe wore this tutu with pride, he wasn't such a cooperative dancer in the troope. He preferred to be a member of the audience! </span> <div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKOXERxcI/AAAAAAAAB9k/PoKTAgYz1MQ/s1600-h/April+5+-+cousins+dog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 317px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKOXERxcI/AAAAAAAAB9k/PoKTAgYz1MQ/s320/April+5+-+cousins+dog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321577151518066114" border="0" /></a>With the right music, the ballerinas performed their best piece yet!<br />Bravo, BRAVO!<br /></div> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKODLrEOI/AAAAAAAAB9c/DWj6F2DNC-4/s1600-h/April+5+-+cousins+dance.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoKODLrEOI/AAAAAAAAB9c/DWj6F2DNC-4/s320/April+5+-+cousins+dance.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321577146180374754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">At the moment, (Monday afternoon) the cousins are out on a picnic with Farmor, Farfar, Papa and Pepe! I've taken the quiet time to sleep, take a walk (went 600 meters today! better than yesterday!), and catch up on this blog! Oh...here they come back!<br />*************<br />Farmor is COVERED with Maya's car sickness throw up! GROSS! But Maya is fresh in clean clothes and running to the swings with Olivia. Poor Farmor! (Maya reported that she PUKED ALOT!) It was rather obvious by the look of Farmor's clothes and hair (even in her ear!). Yuck!<br />Sorry to share so much but this blog tells it like it is! That's life!<br /><br />*************<br />PS- Ever since our upstairs bathroom has been "in renovation" Maya and I have been taking a shower and sauna together in our basement bathroom. (We have very interesting sauna talks!) Before our Sunday guests arriv</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ed we were again doing our routine there in the bathroom, it is often difficult for me to bend down to pick things up from lower levels and Maya has proved to be quite handy to have around as she is so willing to be a Mommy's helper! I asked her to please pick up the dirty clothes to take them to the laundry room and she did it without a fuss. Then I asked her to hand me my socks and pants which of course she did without a fuss. So I said to her how much I appreciated her help, especially when I only had to ask her to do it once (instead of our usual bantering!). She replied, "I want to help you as much as I can Mommy <span style="font-weight: bold;">so you won't die!</span>" (choke! my heart flew to my throat!) So then I answered, "I thought you were doing it to be nice." "Oh and that, too!" she said.<br /><br />I had the awful thought that if I do die she might think it was HER FAULT for not helping me enough! Each comment I make is so weighted these days. It's a precious line between the wrong and the right way to say something to her sweet little ego ...I just hope I will say and do more right things than wrong things. <br /> </span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-12022127619905926642009-04-06T15:31:00.004+02:002009-04-06T15:51:28.355+02:00Wheat Grass Power!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After the visit to the doctor on Friday it was time to harvest, grind and drink my first shot of HOME GROWN WHEAT GRASS! We mixed it with a bit of cranberry juice to make it a little less grassy, however I still felt like a customer at a cow bar! (Imagine a Gary Larsson cartoon...Carol with a bunch of heffers at a farm house saloon! Bar tender: "What'll you have?"</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Carol: "A Cape Cod Meadow shot! Moooony thanks!" ) Cape Cods are one of my favorite drinks...cranberry juice, vodka with a splash of lime. I'll have one as soon as I can! In the meantime, I'll be doing shots of wheat grass! The more I have them the more I like them! They are growing on me! (pun intended)</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoEP07IF-I/AAAAAAAAB9U/saVSUZa6Hfo/s1600-h/mosaicwheat+grass"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdoEP07IF-I/AAAAAAAAB9U/saVSUZa6Hfo/s320/mosaicwheat+grass" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321570579642849250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mom insisted that I be in the photo....I don't have on a bra so I'm holding my arm in a funny way to cover up my floppy boobies. At night I often take it off because it sits right at the bottom of my rib cage where one of the liver tumors is located so it can be rather irritating and constricting. Between the weight loss, lack of excercise and gravity I'm afraid some parts of me are sagging much too quickly!<br /><br />Has anyone else tried wheat grass shots? It's not just for cancer. </span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-52667973816486927922009-04-06T07:36:00.005+02:002009-04-06T21:33:22.759+02:00Saturday April 4<div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Maya's Family Birthday Party</span><br />Our Guests: the Nilsson Family (Farmor, Farfar, Leif-Bo's brother),<br />the Doughty Family (Mormor, Granpa),<br />the Carlsson Family (Sophia, Caithlin, Kelly Sue, Peder)<br />and the Paerregard-Torres Family (Ana Maria, Karsten- from Copenhagen)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdmVYnfxTiI/AAAAAAAAB9M/Qq-u_Ccpmk0/s1600-h/April+4+-+cake+better.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 264px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdmVYnfxTiI/AAAAAAAAB9M/Qq-u_Ccpmk0/s320/April+4+-+cake+better.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321448684866588194" border="0" /></a>What a day it was with cake, Polly Pocket frenzy, Littlest Pet Shop dreams come true, West Dean Art Institue presentation by Ana Maria (one of my "crafty" idols), delicious dinner, and GREAT company! I was able to do some resting on the couch during the party...see my new slippers that Ana Maria made for me?<br /></div> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdmVYJCMJDI/AAAAAAAAB9E/Kx2Fopns00s/s1600-h/mosaicMayapday"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdmVYJCMJDI/AAAAAAAAB9E/Kx2Fopns00s/s320/mosaicMayapday" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321448676689454130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mom, Dad and Karsten/Dad, Leif, Barbro & Bo/ Caithlin and Maya (Kelly Sue background)</span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdmVYAv7ZRI/AAAAAAAAB88/siXIJynX9TQ/s1600-h/mosaicb-day+friends"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 108px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdmVYAv7ZRI/AAAAAAAAB88/siXIJynX9TQ/s320/mosaicb-day+friends" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321448674465375506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Every year since Maya was 3 she has designed her own cakes for me to make for her theme parties. This year she has choosen a "bird" party. (Her 'friends' party will be all about birds but the family party only has a hint of it.) She drew the design for the cake a few days before as you can see in the photo however, this year I wasn't able to cut the cake into the form she designed but we settled on just repeating her design on the top of the cake. Unfortunately, I was having a great deal of pain Saturday morning and had to rely on my Mom to frost the cake first, somehow I was able to force myself to make the decorative frosting with the colors and squeeze the design out. It looks better in the photo than in real life and Maya and I had a great laugh over it. She is very accepting of my limitations now. </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdmVXwdHICI/AAAAAAAAB80/_1lSBB-wQ80/s1600-h/mosaiccake"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdmVXwdHICI/AAAAAAAAB80/_1lSBB-wQ80/s320/mosaiccake" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321448670091485218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">By the end of the evening I was exhausted but it was well worth the happiness the day brought my family, and especially to Maya! To be able to sit/lay down and chat with my family friends was uplifting for my soul and spirit! Thank you all!<br /><br /><br /> </span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-91706291304723732032009-04-04T00:58:00.005+02:002009-04-06T07:36:11.592+02:00Visit with Dr. Blue Lagoon<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We went to visit Dr. Blue Lagoon today...all other doctors and nurses had already "left the office" by 13:00! He was the only one there waiting for us. Reminded me of the dedicated teachers who stay behind to have "just one more" parent-child meeting on a Friday afternoon. He was there because he wanted to see me and he was willing to stay as long as we had questions to ask and things to discuss. Today he smiled more than once during our talk but for the most part he was very professional and nuetral, as he should be. I'm too tired to write more tonight but I can tell you that Bo and I both felt a LOT better after our 1.5 hour chat with him. He listened to my lungs, which I had had some worries about and he felt around my stomach for all the painful spots. Everything normal for a person with 3 tumors on her liver! Low nightly fevers (38-39 oC), furious sweats after medications that last for an hour, and increased pain in my abdomen are normal for me. He did recommend one more painkiller which helped a lot today! (just a high dosage of ibprophen in between the other pills) The mind is a powerful muscle, he reminded me yet again, I must use it! Keep positive and use the waiting time to my advantage! </span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >* REST * KEEP WEIGHT STABLE * MOVE & BE STRONG * RELAX * ENJOY *<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Big day tomorrow...Maya's "family birthday party"! More about that later! </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Betsy</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- I will buy the Qigong dvds tomorrow over Amazon! Looked them up now and found quite a selection. Chose the ones by Gaiam. Thanks for the push! ALOHA!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Natalie</span>- these people in the hospital already know me...from the dietician's secretary on the ground level to the nurses up in the cancer unit on the 3rd floor...I've spoken to a few on the phone and today I got the "Are you Carol? nice to meet you in person" chat! Felt good! Can tell they all want a positive outcome for me!<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">**************<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wishing all my colleagues and friends a <span style="font-style: italic;">GLAD Påsklov</span>!<br /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">What gorgeous weather we will have this week!<br />Hug yourself and your families!<br />Be Healthy!<br /><br /></span></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div> </div> </div>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-67824116988299398272009-04-02T23:43:00.004+02:002009-04-03T00:57:08.501+02:00I was kidnapped today....<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">without a blind fold, no violence...treated with only tenderness and love! Kelly Sue came to take Mom and me away to see "something different" instead of the same four walls of the house (so to speak)...I really needed to GET OUT! and what a lovely day it was! Nothing exciting or wild...just a slow, quiet walk through Landskrona to search out fun shops, then a drive to see the many sculptures around the crocus covered parks. </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU06YPtMlI/AAAAAAAAB8k/jtUC_gb4zWU/s1600-h/landskrona.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU06YPtMlI/AAAAAAAAB8k/jtUC_gb4zWU/s320/landskrona.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320216712353493586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Later we drove to Helsingborg so I could visit a wonderful organic (ecological) shop called GOODNESS on Drottingsgatan, owned by an English woman who used to live in California! (Thank you Wiveka for the information where to find her!) I bought my first WHEAT GRASS SHOT, mixed with a bit of apple juice. YUMMY! No kidding! She offered me some other healthy tips for my liver as well as answered all my questions about growing our own wheat grass. (It's almost ready to harvest!) I will be back to visit her shop with more money in my pocket! (She sells organic cleaning supplies as well as food products and clothes, make up, etc.) Thank you, Kelly Sue for a great kidnapping! Just my speed at this moment!</span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU06DM-0lI/AAAAAAAAB8c/2tfHrEDfCaU/s1600-h/landskrona+day.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU06DM-0lI/AAAAAAAAB8c/2tfHrEDfCaU/s320/landskrona+day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320216706704921170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I LOVE spring in Sweden...the flower shops spill out onto the sidewalks in all shades of green and bits of the rainbow! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU06I0uI7I/AAAAAAAAB8U/KcnwQoqTgow/s1600-h/landskrona+day+Dad+garden.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU06I0uI7I/AAAAAAAAB8U/KcnwQoqTgow/s320/landskrona+day+Dad+garden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320216708213777330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When I came home there were a few surprises waiting....My Dad was finishing up a new fence around my little herb garden! I doubt there are any rabbits or hares that can get by this fence! Soon I can plant kitchen herbs, lettuce, and a few flowers to attract the bees and butterflies! </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The other surprise I will show you tomorrow....Bo is making more advances on the bathroom project! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU05nqgR8I/AAAAAAAAB8M/x3-HMDTdrLw/s1600-h/swim+class.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU05nqgR8I/AAAAAAAAB8M/x3-HMDTdrLw/s320/swim+class.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320216699312555970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today was Maya's last day of swim class until the summer. She's on the left with the cute new BIKINI that she got on her birthday...it's a size 7, a little big so it didn't really cover her correctly. She was SO pleased that André the scuba suit cutie instructor noticed her pretty new suit! (André is Maya's official first crush! Perhaps it is André but it could also be the scuba suit!) </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU05janCdI/AAAAAAAAB8E/vYQoVu0c7Y0/s1600-h/swim+class+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 146px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdU05janCdI/AAAAAAAAB8E/vYQoVu0c7Y0/s320/swim+class+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320216698172148178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mormor (Polly, my mom) put on her suit to continue swimming with Maya after the class and diploma ceremony was over. Yeah, Mormor! I sat around the side of the pool and talked & talked with my friend, Maria (Jakob's mommy...he's the one with the snorkling gear on). Maria asked Jakob what he was going to look at in the pool with his goggles on...he replied "I'm going to look at Maya's Mormor underwater!" (We had a jolly chuckle over this at dinner time...told Dad that Mom was still being checked out by the boys!) Anyway, my talk with Maria was much needed...our children have been friends since babyhood and they are in the same class together at school. Talking about life's OTHER worries and wonders was excellent therapy for me! Thank you, Maria! We should do that more often like we used to...the stories you tell me about your children always make me laugh! At the end of the swim time, we practically had to drag Jakob and Maya out of the sauna...what a pair of chatter boxes! Ah....wouldn't have anything to do with their mothers, would it? </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I must tell you all about the evening Jakob told his parents about my illness. (Maya had told him at school that I had a "klumpen i rumpan" and the poopies couldn't get out.) Some time after he told his parents about this, they were sitting at the dinner table and Jakob had a very pensive look on his face, playing with his fork with one hand, rubbing his chin with the other...deep in thought. They asked him what he was thinking about. He answered, "There must be a way to fix Carol's problem. If only a gate could be made to let the poopies out another way!" I told Maria that Jakob has taken his first step into becoming a medical engineer! What a love! Thinking about how to solve one of my problems! Jakob is already an accomplished carpenter with his own shop! Thanks Jakob! Maybe one day you'll be 'fixing' people! I'd be so proud!<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">****************************<br />One last thing, because I've been thinking about it a lot today. I'll be honest, I couldn't relax during my nap because I was crying about all the people I KNOW AND LOVE who smoke.<br /><br />If you are a smoker, PLEASE STOP! I don't care if you "just smoke at parties", or "at the bus stop", or "one a night on the balcony", or "just to release stress". Because CANCER doesn't give a shit WHY you smoke or WHEN you smoke or even HOW long you've been smoking. That smoke you pull <span style="font-style: italic;">willingly</span> into your body KILLS, DAMAGES and RUINS your health! It CREATES a MONSTER inside you...a monster that you can't touch or grab and yank back out the same way you put it in there! I used to smoke "just at parties" and "just to release stress". I quit over 10 years ago when I got serious with Bo (xo). Thank God I did because who knows what <span style="font-style: italic;">other kinds</span> of cancer I'd have now! I'm telling you NO STRESS in your life can cause the same pain, despair and fear that <span style="font-style: italic;">cancer causes</span> in your life! If you don't stop for yourself...<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">STOP for the people you LOVE and the ones who LOVE YOU!</span> Believe me....you don't want to be in the same situation I'm in right now. I don't think my cancer is smoking related but it could have something to do with why my body was weaker for the cancer to take hold. Buy yourself a package of chewing gum, life savers, whatever...start walking away the stress....ANYTHING to avoid smoking! PLEASE!<br />I love too many of you who still smoke....<br />and you know EXACTLY WHO I AM WRITING ABOUT!<br />So STOP NOW!<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div> ********* This rant was brought to you by the Cancer Research Foundation which has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that SMOKING causes Cancer! *************Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-13335095203890280322009-04-02T00:06:00.004+02:002009-04-02T01:05:22.587+02:00No fooling about on April 1<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A busy day!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">By the light of a glowing candle, we woke Maya up with the Happy Birthday song ! She was VERY pleased! She dressed as an "Easter Chicken" for the school Easter activities. <span style="font-size:85%;">(I didn't get a photo of her.)</span> Her costume was a big hit in the class...wings, tail, beak and mask! She celebrated her birthday with her classmates with chocolate ice cream sticks!<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I won't tell you about all my aches and pains....but I did spend a lot of time sleeping again on the sofa in between wrapping Maya's gifts, opening my mail and talking on the telephone.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The weather was so wonderfully warm that we ate lunch in the Florida room! Nice! <span style="font-size:85%;">(Florida Room is a glassed in outdoor room.)</span></span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After all the phone calls I received today, I don't feel neglected quite so much by the medical staff at Helsingborg Hospital! Let's see...yup, I talked to about everyone involved with my case at the moment except Dr. Soft Swede.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Here are the summaries of the conversations:</span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Dr. Blue Lagoon</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - he is concerned about my high infection rating on the blood test I had last Thursday, possible virus? or? wants to do another test on Friday...probably why I get fevers and hot sweats.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- some of the pain I am feeling could be a gall bladder spasism but he would have to do an ultrasound on me to tell (no conclusive decision was made about this) he'll check me out on Friday</span><br /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- wants to SEE me on Friday to see how I'm doing in general (have I gone looney yet?) </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- I forgot to ask him more questions....so I asked them when I spoke to the Nurse Petra later in the day for her to ask him....darn it.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Nurse Petra</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - appointment for the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >liver biospy is April 15 </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(oh my, 2 weeks!) She was disappointed in the time but tried to keep me optimistic about it. I will be there the WHOLE day and until after dinner but not over night, mostly in a bed.<br /> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- asked for practical stuff like the paper work to send to the Swedish insurance so that I get my salary during this time off</span><br /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- need to keep focus on my weight and strength </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /><br />Dietician Albin and Nurse Marita</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - both were very pleased that my dad is making me veggie juice everyday to drink! <br /></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - both were very pleased that we are growing wheat grass for me to drink...full of good vitamins and minerals</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - emphasized that I need to eat cooked meals, chicken and fish, lots of veggies and fruits.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- I'll be getting a prescription for the protein drinks to pick up at the pharmacy in Perstorp, need to continue to drink 2 of them a day</span><br /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">***I liked both of these people very much...both were really upbeat! Dr. Albin even laughed!<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I remembered to tell both the Dr. Blue Lagoon and Petra that I want them to call on my house phone first since it is the most reliable way to contact me! </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnf2zNHXI/AAAAAAAAB70/a5X6KR-Dpes/s1600-h/April+1+gifts+in+mail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnf2zNHXI/AAAAAAAAB70/a5X6KR-Dpes/s320/April+1+gifts+in+mail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319850119326932338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mail lady is great...she beeps her horn for someone to come out to collect my packages (instead of us having to retrieve them from the PO). I'm so spoiled! Look what I got today! </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Thank you to Betty</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> for the crafty equipment holder! It will go with me to the hospital! (I might ask Maya to draw on it with fabric paints to brighten it up, I agree with you...it's a little boring but practical.)</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br />Thank you to Tree, Larry and the kids</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> for the BEAR HUG! She slept with me today! So soft! LOVED the photos of your beautiful children! </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br />Thank you Doreen</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> for the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >WAIT</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> book! Started to read it already! The words speak right to me! Lots of lessons in there!</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br />Thanks Holly</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> for my Posty Pal fabric card! HUG! Perfect for what I need now!<br /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Thank you to Karen</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> in Australia for the pretty, cheery scarf and fabric snips basket! So thoughtful!<br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">******************************************</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span></div> <div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Birthday GIRL! </span><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnfs_EzjI/AAAAAAAAB7s/9BHPJScCadI/s1600-h/Birthday+girl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnfs_EzjI/AAAAAAAAB7s/9BHPJScCadI/s320/Birthday+girl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319850116692364850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Gosh, she looks like a seven year old...no longer my baby! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnfiEfxXI/AAAAAAAAB7k/Ae-WuMx7UME/s1600-h/birthday+peru.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnfiEfxXI/AAAAAAAAB7k/Ae-WuMx7UME/s320/birthday+peru.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319850113762313586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">She got two Peruvian embrodiery pieces from my parents...as many of you who know me know, I was born in Peru and lived there until I was around 4-5 (we travelled back and forth). The yellow, wool skirt Maya is wearing is one of my "cholita" skirts! (from the Andean Indians) It's beautifully hand- embrodiered in thick wools. It's so wonderful to see Maya wearing it with such enjoyment! She really appreciates the workmanship on it! (and it is a perfect yellow color for her chicken outfit!)</span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnfWC-0aI/AAAAAAAAB7c/cvH3B24PEtk/s1600-h/birthday+girl+shoes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnfWC-0aI/AAAAAAAAB7c/cvH3B24PEtk/s320/birthday+girl+shoes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319850110534734242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">King Pappa helping Princess Maya into her "click clack" shoes! <br />Heaven! Maya got one of her birthday wishes! First pair of "high heeled" shoes! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnfKObyWI/AAAAAAAAB7U/-OAzjooEgkY/s1600-h/birthday+spaghetti.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdPnfKObyWI/AAAAAAAAB7U/-OAzjooEgkY/s320/birthday+spaghetti.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319850107361544546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Another birthday wish was spaghetti and meatballs for dinner! Here she is talking to Uncle Leif and continuing to stuff her face with food! What a mess! (Fanciful pin from Helen and John! Thank you!)</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Tomorrow...Kelly Sue is taking Mom and me on a road trip to a magical shop....I'll take my camera along to capture the moments!<br /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Happy for another day over and one less day to wait! </span><br /></div>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-76668972015062806742009-03-31T23:16:00.005+02:002009-04-02T08:52:45.332+02:00Tuesday contacts<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tuesday....lots of pain in the morning...walking around like a hunched over old hag.....had trouble reaching to put laundry away....not good. Cried out frustration. Rested a lot on the sofa...listened to book on iPod....looked at magazines....read snail mail...clipped my fingernails.....nothing much. No energy. I felt better after a hot shower and stretched my body and breathed deeply. I want to learn more about Chai Quon (or something like that). A friend has told me there is a woman in Helsingborg who specializes in a form of Thai Chi for cancer patients. Waiting for her to get back to me.....always waiting....it seems. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Finally talked to my nurse. Both she and my doctor had called me yesterday but </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >only</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> on my mobile phone...which I only use when I'm out and about.(otherwise it's turned off) Neither one tried our house phone although they both had the number.</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" > Growl! </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I will tell them tomorrow that I prefer the house phone but from now on I will have the cell phone handy by. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Summary of Nurse phone talk:</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- no appointment time set for my liver biospy - will get back to me about it tomorrow</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- no appointment time set for my MRI (see above)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- no appointment time set for dietician meeting (see above)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- result from one blood test concerning my nightly fevers...yes, my blood number for infection is high, perhaps it is a virus- Doctor will talk to me about it tomorrow. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- nurse suggested that I get in touch with Kamrater (don't know if I have the spelling right) for support & suggestions about how to tell my daughter! WHAT? Like I've known this for 3 weeks now....</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Been there, Done that!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Got many books already on the subject, thank you very much. (do I sound bitter yet?! I felt like screaming to her...YOU PEOPLE ARE SO BLOODY SLOW THIS IS MY LIFE WE ARE DEALING WITH!!!!) Breathe deeply. ouch. that hurts. Breathe swallow. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- I got a little upset about the MRI appointment delay (see yesterday's post) and told her that in Landskrona there is a machine that hardly gets used and if I could I please transfer down there for that procedure so that it gets DONE faster....she got a little flustered and told me that Helsingborg Hospital doesn't usually use Landskrona's equipment but if I was willing to go to ängleholm there could be a possiblity that I could get an appointment sooner than in Helsingborg (since they only have one working machine but they are working longer days and on weekends to meet the 2 week waiting period limit). She asked if I would need a tranquilizer for the MRI, because if so than I can only go to Helsingborg but I told her I can stand the small enclosure for the test...I just want to GET IT DONE! As long as it is not physically painful, I can handle the claustrophobia bit. So now I'm on the list for both places. Yeah! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- she reminded me to try to eat normal but small portioned balanced meals during the day...I could have some sweets, chocolate, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >a little wine</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">....I stopped her and said but I'm on Dexofem painkillers the first doctor told me to ABSOLUTELY NOT drink alcohol. She replied flustered again...oh, that's right! no alcohol. I'm beginning to wonder who is in charge here! Well, it's ME, of course, but SHE is the medically trained person! Breathe, Carol, don't freak out. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- she will get the doctor to fill out the necessary forms for the Insurance to pay me my wages now that I'm on official sick leave. (first 2 weeks are paid by the employer in Sweden)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- end of conversation....she will call me again tomorrow--HOPEFULLY with some REAL INFORMATION!! </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">************************</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdRgG_DbpwI/AAAAAAAAB78/HCbBmmCDvdY/s1600-h/Janis+truffles.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdRgG_DbpwI/AAAAAAAAB78/HCbBmmCDvdY/s320/Janis+truffles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319982732952708866" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">You should see the box of luscious truffles I got from my dear friend from San Franscisco, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Janis and her partner, Maria! THANK YOU!!!!</span> Loved the letter you wrote and thanks for the Allende speech! I told Bo we could SHARE the truffles. Is that fair enough?<br /><br />Had a maravillosa telephone call from my best Peruvian friend in Switzerland! <span style="font-weight: bold;">Giannina ALWAYS makes me laugh</span>...sometimes to tears! Te quiero, mi amiga fame!perfectismisaoptimistmaestupenda, y tu familia tambien! ;-)<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">*************</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tomorrow is MAYA's 7th Birthday! She was so excited she couldn't sleep in her own bed...so she cuddled with me awhile in my bed before going to sleep. I asked her if she had any worries for the little box I keep in my pillow case but she replied "no worries tonight Mom, just excitement!" We will all go in to wake her up in the morning singing....but we'll open presents in the afternoon after school by the fireplace as is our custom. She'll go to school dressed as a Påskkyckling (Easter chick) tomorrow (an outfit she directed me to make last year). They will have an Easter Crafts Day with their mentors in the 2nd grade class. Should be fun for her! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">During Maya's bath we had this conversation with the dinosaurs. (Maya is asking me to play with her so much more right now...I'm doing it, she needs it, feels good.)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Maya: You be the Mommy and Pappa Triceratops, I'll be the kid one. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mommy: What will they be doing?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Maya: The Pappa one just wants to do the fun stuff like tickle the kid and be silly and the Mommy one wants the kid to do all the important stuff.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mommy: What's the important stuff? </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Maya: Like you do with me; brush teeth, comb hair, pick up room, go to bed, you know. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mommy: Can't the mommy be silly too and do fun stuff?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Maya: Yeah, but the important stuff is IMPORTANT! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mommy: Smile! :-) (at least she knows it's really important and not just nagging!) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">************</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tonight we watched </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >About a Boy</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> with Hugh Grant (always easy on the eyes!) ....but damn it if it didn't have a suicidial mother in the story! I didn't cry though...knew the outcome would be good! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Hoping all is well at school....no one has called me or emailed, so I guess it's OK.<br />Have to admit I don't think about my work so much but I do think about all the kids and the teachers! I miss you all!<br /><br />That's all for now...time for bed!<br />Tomorrow I will be reporting more concrete news! Yes!<br /></span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-5841962632985557362009-03-30T23:32:00.004+02:002009-03-31T00:52:52.405+02:00Not much of a MondayMonday, Monday....waiting, waiting.<br /><br />Tried to get in touch with my special nurse, Petra, but the phone was either busy or she was busy. Will try again tomorrow. Sort of put me in a down mood. I had the impression that she would be there for me whenever I called. wrong.<br /><br />Found out that one of the two MRI machines at the Helsingborg Hospital is broken so the lines to get into to one are even longer.....my husband's Uncle is also in line for one (that's how we found out)...he got an appointment April 8...I don't even have an appointment time yet! My friend Kelly Sue said her Landskrona Hospital has one that they hardly use! I'm going to ask my nurse or doctor tomorrow how I go about getting over there instead. I'm trying hard not feel DESPERATE!<br /><br />I counted down the "Friday cancer team Meetings" for when my case would potentially be discussed again...and wouldn't you know it * splat* it's on GOOD FRIDAY (långfredagen). A <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">red day</span> in Sweden when all professionals don't work! FUCKING SHIT TO HELL! (sorry!)<br />Can you believe it!???? Going to ask my nurse about that too. Maybe with any luck they have the cancer meeting a day in advance on red days! I'm afraid that is wishful thinking! So that means I'll have to wait another damn week for them to discuss me! SCREAMMMMMMMMM<br />Oh dear lord, give me patience, give me strength to endure this wait! I keep wondering how my care would have been different in the USA. But to travel to the USA for treatment is really out of the question. We don't have insurance there. And that would mean completely uprooting my family and REALLY disturbing my darling Maya's life. Can't think like that....I'm here. All good things come in good time. Breathe Deeply.<br /><br />We watched <span style="font-weight: bold;">BIG</span> tonight with Tom Hanks (love that man!)...even though it's not a knock out laugh movie, it's one of my favorites and I already knew the outcome. I was sure I wouldn't cry. Last night was a disaster...we decided to watch <span style="font-weight: bold;">P.S. I LOVE YOU</span> because the box said "best romantic comedy since <span style="font-weight: bold;">When Harry Met Sally</span>", it failed to mention that the woman's husband dies of a brain tumor. So it was all about how she was dealing with his death. It would be a cute, funny story but NOT for me in my situation! By the end I was crying so much I thought I was having some sort of stomach spasms and that hurt all my insides! (My husband asked why I didn't turn off the dvd...but I wanted to know how it turned out! Thank God he wasn't watching it!) My parents went all freaky on me because they really didn't know what to do--hug me, slap me, shake me, sing to me. I took a sleeping pill to calm myself down and I couldn't get into bed fast enough to "close down". Not again shall that happen! No movies about anyone dying! (unless it's like Pirates of the Carribean or something ridiculous like that!)<br /><br />My father planted some pansies in the back yard....makes things look more normal since that is something I would have done by now. Cheery. Bulbs are coming up all over the yard!<br /><br />Bo worked on the bathroom cabinets. The electrician is coming this week to put in the light fixtures again.<br /><br />Maya, cutie pie, is almost SEVEN! She keeps reminding us about the date! My little April Fool! We'll celebrate with more family and friends during the weekend. Her "Bird Party" with school friends will be a couple of weeks when the weather is nicer.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdFGOM0gZVI/AAAAAAAAB7M/n_0iY6yasS8/s1600-h/postcheer+insides.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdFGOM0gZVI/AAAAAAAAB7M/n_0iY6yasS8/s320/postcheer+insides.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319109844674831698" border="0" /></a>Forgot to post these photos...<span style="font-weight: bold;">THANKS to Mara</span> my friend from GHS days for sending me some TURTLE POWER and comical reading! (That's her on the cover of <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">A Rotten Apple: a memoir of teaching!</span>) And <span style="font-weight: bold;">THANKS to my dear esteemed colleague, Lori</span>, from Elizabeth Street Elementary School days (80's) for her insightful selection of books for me (the parent with cancer) and Maya (child of a parent with cancer). We have already put those to good use every day! The interactive notebook I'll save for when treatment actually begins!<br />(below is the t-shirt Mara sent to me! Thank you!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdFGNmLv7YI/AAAAAAAAB68/6tan2nfUwvs/s1600-h/postcheer+turtle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SdFGNmLv7YI/AAAAAAAAB68/6tan2nfUwvs/s320/postcheer+turtle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319109834303335810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">THANK YOU Erin and Nathaniel for the Planet Earth puzzles! </span> They arrived today safely! Polly has already assessed the situation with Maya and they've decided to start with a 100 piece first! I also got a bunch of cards! :-) Thank you!<br /><br />Taking my daily walks, pain or no pain, I must go! Today Maya followed on her bike. The neighbor's dog followed along with our dog. So we were quite the little group waddling down the road....reminded me that EXACTLY seven years ago today I walked in my house slippers (my feet were so swollen I couldn't wear shoes) with my parents & hubby for 3 miles through the forest a day before my first contractions started with Maya! Today I could barely walk a half mile! Oh boy....I will get back on trail again as soon as I kick cancer's ass! (literally!)<br /><br />Wheat grass sprouts are growing in all various stages of development around the house! Meanwhile I'm mixing wheat grass powder in my morning water...feel just like a cow at<br />a bar! "Hey there bartender...I'd like a mug of your best grass!" Burp! You should see what the stuff does to my poops! (nothing hurts coming out! :-) Told Bo we could save them to dry out for burning in the wintertime! LOL<br /><br />Yesterday one of my Swedish friends, whose son is in Maya's class, mentioned to me that Maya had told her son about my illness. I had already told this friend so she would be prepared since Maya and her boy talk A LOT together (for better or worse at times!). So I asked Maya about it.<br />Mommy: "Have you told any of your friends about my illness?"<br />Maya: "Oh yes, I've told many of them."<br />Mommy: "What did you say?"<br />Maya: "I said you have a bump in your rump that won't let the poopies out very well. And I also said you have a lovely liver paté that is working hard!"<br />(Now I'm thinking, Oh great...EVERYONE in Perstorp will think I'm having major hemorroid problems because I'm addicted to expensive goose liver paté!! or who knows what!) LOL<br /><br />For those of you who don't speak Swedish...just read this like the Swedish Chef from the Muppet Show and see if it doesn't make you crack up!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Min Mamma har klumpen i rumpan." </span><br /></div><br /><br />Well....it took me so long to write this that now it is Tuesday! Sure am glad Monday is behind me!Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-79459018546553060642009-03-29T12:26:00.006+02:002009-03-29T20:08:52.053+02:00WISPS finished for March Challenge<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For my end of the month report to <a href="http://www.abyquilt.blogspot.com/">May Britt</a> and <a href="http://tagalongteddies.blogspot.com/">Kris at Tag-Along-Teddies</a>....here is what I finished in the month of March for the Challenge....and boy, was it a challenge to accomplish something this month! The month that has changed my entire life! </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N9VsvFKI/AAAAAAAAB6c/xMLs35rfA44/s1600-h/Wisp+Easter+baskets.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N9VsvFKI/AAAAAAAAB6c/xMLs35rfA44/s320/Wisp+Easter+baskets.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318555401139983522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Above...the Work in Slow Progress (wisp)....as how I left it off sometime in the 1990's.....and below, 3 of the 4 little Easter baskets that I will be sending off to new homes this week for the Easter Swap and Angel Swap. I'll keep one for Maya and another friend. </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N9eQlRVI/AAAAAAAAB6U/fDK75d9_gfc/s1600-h/WISPS+Easter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 172px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N9eQlRVI/AAAAAAAAB6U/fDK75d9_gfc/s320/WISPS+Easter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318555403437819218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Finally...I finished the twin girl baby quilt...started in 1996! </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N9BDq4qI/AAAAAAAAB6M/HvnPAXap5CE/s1600-h/WISP_twin+girl+quilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N9BDq4qI/AAAAAAAAB6M/HvnPAXap5CE/s320/WISP_twin+girl+quilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318555395599032994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Below you can see why I didn't machine quilt the baby quilts...the batting is just too fluffy for my machine, even with the walking foot on it. So I just hand tied the quilts together rather than properly quilting them. </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N806puEI/AAAAAAAAB6E/vc_Nq7UxONE/s1600-h/wisp+baby+flannel+pucker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N806puEI/AAAAAAAAB6E/vc_Nq7UxONE/s320/wisp+baby+flannel+pucker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318555392339982402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My mom and Maya are often head to head like this working on a puzzle together. So sweet. </span> <a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N883xjLI/AAAAAAAAB58/iwuBfTipqVU/s1600-h/new+norm-mormormaypuzzle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9N883xjLI/AAAAAAAAB58/iwuBfTipqVU/s320/new+norm-mormormaypuzzle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318555394475396274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm so grateful they are here to help us. Their presence takes so much stress off of me to be super mom and super housewoman. I can rest, cry, sleep and be as I need without worrying about all the other stuff. And between naps I have managed to get some normal things done...laundry, sewing, cleaning, letter writing...etc. Playing with Maya everyday is a TOP PRIORITY, too. She likes paper dolls and I took out my old ones to share with her...she was especially pleased with the Mary Poppins set! We've been playing together with them this morning.<br /><br />Now we'll have lunch then drive down to my friend Liz to donate 2 boxes of English materials to the American Women's Club media sale. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this year but at least I can contribute stuff! Always feels good to get rid of stuff!<br />**************************************<br />My friend sent me this video clip....I'd love to present it to Dr. Blue Lagoon and Dr. Soft Swede .....Come on....Laugh with me!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N0w2rORwSc">Colorectal Surgeon Song</a><br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N0w2rORwSc<br /></span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-8700729069058325592009-03-28T00:26:00.003+01:002009-03-29T12:26:25.991+02:00Very tired on FridayI guess I was rather exhausted from yesterday's events at the hospital....and a little episode of Maya running away to the neighbor's without telling anyone. My usual peppy morning time was not....and I rested on the sofa most of it. By the afternoon I felt better and took a walk with Mom and Pepe the dog...but we went too far and I nearly didn't make it back home upright. Need to pace myself better!<br /><br />Surprises in the mail again! ....Kisses, Hugs and Reese's peanutbutter eggs from my cousin Linda! I was so surprised I cried! She lives in Hersey, Pa so that was the obvious gift to send me! YUMMY! THANK YOU LINDA!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9MY0H1-cI/AAAAAAAAB50/xX6GlDHesC8/s1600-h/postcheer+chocolate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/Sc9MY0H1-cI/AAAAAAAAB50/xX6GlDHesC8/s320/postcheer+chocolate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318553674139957698" border="0" /></a><br />So far every one of the Protein drinks that I have tried, I like....this will be a tough decision to choose the favorites! Maybe they'll allow me to have a bit of all of them! variety is good!<br /><br />Wheat grass is starting to sprout....<br /><br />Will post more tomorrow if I'm up for it.Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-26609928003104958742009-03-26T18:55:00.005+01:002009-03-28T08:55:52.357+01:00Further investigation needed.....<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Just to give you the run of today's events... Can I cry and laugh at the same time? OH YES!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is what we found out:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >1- next week I will have a biopsy on my liver</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - there are 3 spots spread out across all the lopes of the liver (so parts of the whole organ are contaminated...not just a small part)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - these 3 spots <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">may not</span> be cancerous, but they probably are....biopsy will tell and after today's probe they may not be related to the lump in my rump at all...they may be something completely different </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >2- next week I will have a MRI on my lower abdomen</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - to determine just how deep the infected tissue goes into my flesh</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - to determine without a doubt if the source of the cancer is in the rectum or the anal canal</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3- <span style="font-weight: bold;">next week I will talk with the nutritionist </span>to discuss my body's needs during this fight process...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> - in the meantime I was given a bag full of yummy power nutrient drinks to try, and I'm to make a list of my favorites which will be prescribed to me for the duration of the fight time, these are presciption drinks.<br /><br />I met the Nurse in charge of my care...Petra, she seems very nice and kind, a gentle but assertive type. Someone who would rather laugh with me than cry with me. I can call her with any questions I have and she will find the answers for me. She will be calling me to check how things are going for me. Her English skills are excellent but we agreed that as much as I can hang with Swedish we'd use it until I was too tired. (Thank goodness the Swedish school system teaches children another language starting in Grade 3!!! And aren't I lucky that that language is English and not German!)<br /><br /><br />My doctor, who I will call Dr. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lagoon_%28geothermal_spa%29">Blue Lagoon</a> (he is from Iceland), is very professional. As we had our discussion today his dark blue eyes hardly glanced away from my face...face to face we talked without one bit of emotion on his face. My God, what a job to have! Telling me all the things he must, answering my hard questions with complete professional NEUTRALITY. At first I was upset...why couldn't he be a little bit jovial?...a little bit sad?...but either one of those would have given me the wrong impression. The fact is that they still don't know the BEAST inside that is my enemy. Until they know that answer, no prognosis can be made. Basically what he said was this, we can't start the fight until we know what weapons we need to use against this beast. If we use the right weapons from the beginning we won't be wasting any time during the battle adjusting strategy. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The wait will be difficult but I've got to use this time to my advantage! </span><span style="font-style: italic;">(as Bo pointed out to me later..at least they don't think I'll kick the bucket during the next 3 weeks!)</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">He said that the most important thing now is to PREPARE for the FIGHT! Get my body ready...which means a little excersise everyday so I don't lose too many muscle tissues and most importantly, STABLIZE my weight! (I've dropped another 3 kilos since my last post about it.) When Dr. Blue Lagoon said this I burst out laughing...never in my life has a doctor told me to hold on to the weight I have! Now is NOT the time to shed the kilos! I need to eat balanced meals in small portions 5-6 times a day instead of trying to eat 3 regular meals. And I can drink the nutrition drinks as snacks. (Petra suggested in a wine glass poured over ice cubes! I like her!)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Then there was Dr. Soft Swede, who is the chef of Doctors for this unit, also on my case. He is overseeing all the decisions for my situation. His English is also superb and I was so glad when he used it after the retroscopy to explain their findings. They didn't give me any morphine this time...only a BUM NUMB. Thank goodness I had brought an iPod to listen to during the procedure to distract me 'cuz boy did that HURT. The Doctors said I could call it "off" at any time if it got too painful but I stuck it out because before we started Bo came to my side and whispered to me "NOW you begin the FIGHT, Carol!" (he was absolutely right because if I hadn't let them go through with it they wouldn't have ordered the MRI) I won't share with you what they did with my bootilusciousness...but I can tell you that Dr. Soft Swede was as gentle as gentle he could be for such an invasion into my rump to find the bad bump. (Thus his nickname) He was grateful that I was able to withstand the pain to give him a first hand view of the area because now he could put his view together with the notes in my files to make a more complete picture of the situation. Up until today he had only read the reports from the 3 other doctors who have looked up my butt! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">With a picture chart he explained that the tumor seems to be more in my anal canal which coincides with the "neatness" of it...unlike rectal tumors that spread themselves around the rectal area and into the intestines, mine seems to be rather isolated. Hence, there is a possiblity that what's happening in my liver is either another type of cancer or something else! (a lost alien perhaps?) This kind of anal canal cancer is rather rare (in Sweden) with only 400 reported cases per year...whereas there are 5,500 cases of rectal/intestinal cancer. Also, and I found this interesting, the anal canal is part of the organ that is our skin. (So I asked if it could be like a melanoma...thinking of all the beached whale imitations I used to do on the sands of Florida growing up with my bum facing the sun!) But he said that wouldn't be likely. (My father howled with laughter later wondering if they would do a skin graft to replace the skin there...see what I have to put up with!? ha ha Dad!) Anyway...the MRI will give them more answers to be sure about this beast within.<br /><br />They also took 3 blood tests...a little concerned about the fevers I've been having in the evenings, my vitamin levels and a tumor test (but I 've forgotten the name at the moment and I'm too tired to find my notes...).<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My preparation to go to the hospital was rather planned because I wanted to be ready in case they decided to keep me there over night....for some reason in my head I thought of the American (?) wedding tradition to bring good luck on the special day for the marriage. The bride is supposed to wear......</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue"</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Although I didn't wear everything, I had these things with me. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Something old</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">=my </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >sea turtle earrings</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (sea turtle= long life and endurance)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Something borrowed</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">=</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Kelly Sue's iPod</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> with "Moving On" and "Hope and Glory" songs</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Something blue</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> = </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >my GO GATORS</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> fuzzy socks! (Gators are the CHAMPIONS and I will be too!)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">but </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Something new?</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">....agh what to bring? .... I settled on an unopened </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >tube of tooth paste</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">! can't get much cleaner and newer than that when packing an over night bag! LOL</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I figured we got this horrible diagnosis on Friday the 13th...I gotta use all the other rituals, traditions, supersitions, and wise tales to combat it! </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So now we're waiting alittle more...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">but <span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">PREPARING FOR BATTLE! </span></span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tomorrow I'll share what I got in my surprise packages! :-)<br /><br />Tom, We watched <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Ellen's Here and Now HBO special</span> tonight...MUCH better than Borat last night. (My students kept telling me how funny Borat was so we watched it and I"m horrified parents would allow their children to see that total crap! That DVD went straight into the trash! bleeck!) Love Ellen!<br /></span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-74262517821993937852009-03-26T10:33:00.003+01:002009-03-26T10:37:15.035+01:00FEELING GOOD!I'm ready for whatever happens today! BRING IT ON! <br /><br />The sun is shining...the birds are singing...there's not a drop of poopy in my body ...and I'm ready to be poked, proded, and prognosised! (is that a word?)<br /><br />Bo just came in with an armload of packages! SURPRISES! OH, THANK YOU!<br /><br />Today is HOPEFUL and ENERGETIC!<br /><br />PS- need to tell story of playing dinosaur family last night with Maya.Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-74289629630619940882009-03-25T19:02:00.004+01:002009-03-26T00:11:29.132+01:00Waiting for tomorrow<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Just hanging out waiting for tomorrow's anal & rectal review! Sounds like a bad comedy show! </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We hope to get answers about what's happening there inside my stomach, too, with those inflamed lymphnodes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> To tell you the truth, the pains in my ass aren't the center of attention anymore, maybe because I don't sit in the car so often now. (when it hurts the most!) My entire abdomen is where it is most painful now. It varies during the day and night where the pains are most severe. I can explain it to you like this, most of the time it feels similar to those cramps or "stitches" you get on your side when you've been running or jogging. Only I haven't been running or jogging and the feeling never really goes away even with a full dosage of pain killers that I've been prescribed now. (I'm trying not to over use these). And it's not just in my sides--it's a bit here, a bit there and oh, sometimes over ttthhhhheeerrrreee. (I"ve had these pains off and on over the past months but I thought they were from indigestion...I especially had them at night when I was quiet and calm, probably feeling my body more without the distractions!) I can manipulate the pain by the way I sit for small periods of time...like holding my body in a certain position with the help of pillows. Lovely Liver must be swollen because for several weeks I haven't been able to take a deep breath without the ribs digging into her, this makes deep laughing painful, yawns painful and coughs painful. (I think many of you may have felt something similar when you were at the end of your pregnancy.) These swollen organs also make it difficult to bend over. I feel like one of those fat bellied Buddahs! ...I'm squatting much more to reach lower heights. Oh great...now my thigh muscles will get stronger and bigger! LOL<br /><br />Getting up out of bed and standing up from a sitting position is often VERY painful because it is as though my liver and all her organ friends stay in the bed (or chair) and I'm pulling away from them on tight rubber bands that are about to snap off! It is HORRIBLE! I want to grab my abdomen and hold everybody in but to touch my stomach hurts even more and I usually end up giving in and going back to the orginal position for a moment and re-adjusting before trying again at a slightly different angle. Rolling out of bed is IMPOSSIBLE! OUCH! Getting off a chair in my "minimal pain" style probably makes me look like a sumo wrestler ready for an opponent! Who said cancer would be elegant!? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mornings I'm feeling pretty good after the painful break from the bed...today I concentrated on eating a snack between meals to help with the low blood sugar MONSTER who had been appearing each afternoon. And the kitchen crew had dinner on the table by 6pm (18:00) which was much better for ALL of us! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We watched Best of Show last night...lots of ridiculous laughs! (Thanks Tom!)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Soaking the wheat grass seeds to plant tomorrow. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Using the juicer with all kinds of veggies everyday now.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tomorrow Mormor and Granpa will be in charge of Maya's swimming school stuff and they will go swimming with her at the indoor pool afterward her class! FUN... </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm taking things with me to the hospital just in case I have to stay over night...don't want to be stuck again wearing those button-popping pj's and hospital underwears! Better to be prepared....<br /><br />More later...will let you all know the results as soon as we know!<br /></span>Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795473510871212217.post-75509521883743034142009-03-24T21:31:00.005+01:002009-03-26T00:04:35.578+01:00In a holding pattern....Embarrassing as it is...here is the FIRST photo I took with my new camera!<span style="font-size:85%;"> <span style="font-size:100%;">Luckily, the camera did not break! </span><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(do NOT click on the image to see a larger version until Halloween!)</span> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEf1gWRLI/AAAAAAAAB5U/RMhK3__j_4c/s1600-h/new+camera+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEf1gWRLI/AAAAAAAAB5U/RMhK3__j_4c/s320/new+camera+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316856148816970930" border="0" /></a><br />My brother, Tom, sent me this HEALTHY JUICER to make my own WheatGrass Drinks...and other nutritional drinks for my struggling body. Dad (what a clown!) put it together yesterday and we had fun experimenting with it...making a lot of mess in the process ...we had the collection tray on the wrong part at first and all the precious juice went all over the floor! (Pepe the dog didn't like it, he said he eats enough grass from the garden.)<br /></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEfaRo-vI/AAAAAAAAB5M/2BPssn5HNu8/s1600-h/new+camera+dad+and+juicer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 274px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEfaRo-vI/AAAAAAAAB5M/2BPssn5HNu8/s320/new+camera+dad+and+juicer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316856141507525362" border="0" /></a>Dad made a special trip to town to get a different variety of veggies to use in the juicer! He had a good mixture with a bit of grapes for sweetness. It was quite yummy and boy, it make things MOVE inside me...not in an uncomfortable way but a really good way! Maya and Dad will plant the <a href="http://cancertutor.com/Cancer/Wheatgrass.html">wheat grass</a> seeds tomorrow and then I'll be able to start drinking that valuable oxygen! (Cancer doesn't like oxygen.) Along with the<a href="http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/milk-thistle-000266.htm"> milk thistle extract</a>, I actually feel a little better these last two days. (maybe it's in my mind....but....if my mind is happy, my body feels happy!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEfbMZBuI/AAAAAAAAB5E/ePgA-daPmn4/s1600-h/new+camera+dad+makes+juice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEfbMZBuI/AAAAAAAAB5E/ePgA-daPmn4/s320/new+camera+dad+makes+juice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316856141753943778" border="0" /></a>While my Dad and I played with the juicer...Mom and Maya were having their own fun unraveling some gorgeous 'fabric yarn' she is going to knit with in her spare time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEfA9Mz5I/AAAAAAAAB48/lAuPnaPfTKw/s1600-h/new+camera+mom%27s+spinning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEfA9Mz5I/AAAAAAAAB48/lAuPnaPfTKw/s320/new+camera+mom%27s+spinning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316856134710906770" border="0" /></a>Maya danced around unspinning this material...should have used the video function on the camera but I was a little lazy. I have some playing around to do with the camera and reading some of the instructions so that my photos will be a bit better!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEeEE_zHI/AAAAAAAAB40/_-GGwA_ZKUk/s1600-h/new+camera+mom+spins+with+Maya.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F1S0Mh1pf0c/SclEeEE_zHI/AAAAAAAAB40/_-GGwA_ZKUk/s320/new+camera+mom+spins+with+Maya.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316856118369045618" border="0" /></a>We are in a holding pattern here as far as the treatment goes....the waiting is hard but the days seem to go by rather fast despite the fact I'm not doing hardly anything all day long. A rather sudden change in my life style...I used to complain I never had time for anything...now I have the time but not the energy. There's a lesson in that....<br /><br />The important question they are researching before starting treatment is...where is the source of the cancer. Where did it start growing from....my anal canal or my rectum? In any case....it's all a PAIN IN THE ASS to me!<br /><br />The receptionist for the cancer department at the Helsingborg Hospital called me back today (I called her yesterday with some requests and questions).<br /><br />1- the phosphoral ( a <span style="font-style: italic;">top down cleansing</span> for test preparation that Nurse Kelly Sue had recommended) is NOT recommended for me in my condition. It's too strong according to the doctor. So I must use the <span style="font-style: italic;">bottom-up cleansing </span>for my appointment on Thursday. (SCREAM) She gave me the name of suave we can buy at the pharmacy to <span style="font-weight: bold;">numb my bum</span> before Bo administers the torture to me. She also said that I only have to do it once before going to them instead of twice. Praise the BUTT GODS!<br /><br />2- she could not find out about the appointment I was supposed to have with the nutritionist...but said that I will probably get that information on Thursday. (I will stalk them until I get the information!) Although I feel my brother, my husband, and my personal nurse: Kelly Sue have me on the right track with the wheat grass and the milk thistle...and the iron tablets from the doc...but I know there is more to it than that. I will say that my weight is stablizing now at 5 kilos less than I was 2 weeks ago. It was pretty scary there when I was losing 1 kilo a day. (for you metrically challenged that means 2.2 pounds = 1 kilo)<br /><br />If you look at my photo, you'll probably think..."Hey Lady, you could lose a lot more kilos"...but THIS is not the way to do it...not before I need my strength for the FIGHT! <br /><br />Well...that's all for now folks! The adults in our house are going to watch a funny movie that my dear brother gave to us! Tell you which one later....(Best of Show)<br /><br />Thanks for all your messages, thoughts and prayers! Love you ALL!Carol in Swedenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08269032707952515342noreply@blogger.com5