New Information On My Dad...

My Daddy on Christmas Eve 2011

















Hey All,

Just a real quick post to update you on my family.  I promise, I am in the process of writing a new post about ME, but I wanted to get this out so that it didn't get lost in my extra long post to come!!  LOL

My Brother had his Leg/Foot Amputated from about 6 inches below the Knee on Monday, and did so well, that he got to go home on Tuesday.  Where I am sure that he will recover much easier than in a Hospital with constant noise, etc....we all know that one for sure.  At least if you had to stay in the Hospital!!

My Dad had his Hip Biopsy and it was determined that he has Bone Cancer, but in his words, "the Doctor says that it is the good kind"....duh!  What kind of Cancer is a good kind???  He said that according to the Doctor, he would have at least 5 years to live.

He went in for a full Body MRI yesterday, and a full Body CT Scan today with Contrast.  They discovered a "spot" or "something" in/on at least one of the Lungs.  So the Doctor is scheduling my Dad for a Biopsy of the Lung next.  We figure that the Doctor is just trying to figure out how far the Cancer has spread.  So your good thoughts and prayers are needed.

Aloha My Friends  :(

Thank You For Your Prayers And Good Thoughts....

This photo was taken at Waimea Falls Park in Hawaii, and yes, I did take it!










Hey Ya'll,

I just spoke with my Brother.  He went in early this morning for his Surgery and is doing ok.  He said that he keeps looking down and wondering why his leg is lighter and where is Foot is....He told me more than my SIL had told me about his time in the Hospital a week ago.

She had told me that his Foot had not been Infected, nor had it caused his becoming so ill, thus needing the weeks Hospital stay to recover.  He told me that his Foot had gotten Infected, and did cause his Blood to get all wacky, as well as his Diabetes out of control.

He said that once his Surgeon got the MRI results back, he knew that just scraping the Foot wasn't enough, and needed another Surgery.  He said that even then, the recovery would be at least 4-5 months, and he could not guarantee that it would be enough to save the Foot.  Now remember that by now, he is friends with the Surgeon, and the Surgeon knows how much he didn't want to lose his Foot.

So my Brother asked him if taking the Foot would make it easier to recover and get rid of the Infection.  The Surgeon said that by taking the Foot, it would change everything!  So he said lets do it, I'm tired of fighting it.  So the Surgeon had another Specialist call him to discuss the different Prosthesis's available.  Luckily his Daughter's Boyfriends, best friend works at this Prosthesis Office and he was discussing them with my Brother as well, before he even went in to the Appointment.  I am not aware of what kind they chose, but I am sure that it is one that will enable him to be active again.

So thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, he really appreciated them!!  Now he can get on with his life and stop worrying about whether or not his Foot will become Infected.  And he can go back to work full time!!  He has been scraping by financially trying to keep their heads above water, as he couldn't work like he needed to.  He owns and operates his own Diesel Truck, so if he didn't work, he didn't get paid....we all know how that goes I'm sure!

I will post more later, till next time....

Aloha My Friends  :)

Good Thoughts And Prayers Needed!!

My Brother, even in this photo taken in July 2008, he couldn't go swimming like everyone else, for fear of Infection in his Foot.  Hopefully now he can enjoy his life again!

Hey Ya'll,

I will be keeping this short and sweet.  At 5:30 am, my Brother will be checking into the Hospital.  He is to have the Surgery today, to remove his Foot and lower Leg, somewhere between the Foot and the Knee.

He was always such an active person before his accident, that took the use of his Foot.  The only good thing about this Surgery, at least we have high hopes, that it will give him the ability to run again.  So please keep good thoughts/prayers for him.  I will keep you posted.

Aloha My Friends...

Even More Bad News....

Isn't this photo just beautiful??  I wish that I could take credit for it, but it is one of Walt's.  We took it at Pearl Harbor.  You can see the USS Bowfin Submarine with a fantastic Rainbow in the distance.


Hey Ya'll,

Well, it has been a few days since my last post.  A lot has been happening in our family.  So much DRAMA and worry!!  As I said a couple of posts ago, one of my Cousins in Arkansas has Stage 4 Bone Cancer in the Hips, Femurs and Spine.

Now we find out that my Dad also has Cancer.  He went back to the Doctor today, and when he told the Doctor about his Shoulder/Arm killing hurting him so bad, that he can barely sleep at night.  The Doctor immediately asked him how long this has been going on, my Dad told him since before Thanksgiving.

The Doctor had previously told my Dad that his Cancer was in the early stages, which is good.  But since finding out about my Dad's newest site of pain today, he took even more Blood from my Dad for testing, and is going to setup a whole body scan for my Dad.  My guess is that he has Bone Cancer as well.

The problem with all this is that he is trying to conceal his true problems from my Daughter and I.  He told me that even if he does have Cancer, it isn't a bad one....but my Sister who lives with my parents, mentioned on her Facebook page, that he does have Bone Cancer....It is like pulling teeth getting him to admit his full medical problems.  But my guess is that he doesn't want us to worry about him when there is so much more to deal with in the immediate future!

My Brother, whom I also wrote about in the last few posts....well, he did go home from the Hospital, but when he went in to his Surgeon's office yesterday to find out about his latest MRI scan of the Foot, he apparently found out that it was indeed necessary to have it removed!  The Surgeon told him that the recovery time for the Amputation would be 2-3 months.  When my Brother asked him if the recovery would be easier and quicker if they removed more than just the Foot, the Surgeon said yes.

Now remember that the Surgeon and my Brother have become friends through the years of his taking care of my Brother since the Accident, so he wouldn't lie to him, or sugar coat it at all.  So my Brother went back in to his office today to discuss the Surgery, and it was decided that they would remove the Foot and part of the lower Leg from about halfway between the Foot and the Knee.  This way, they are hopeful that he will be able to have much more use of the lower Leg and Foot, as in being able to twist the Leg right and left, whereas he hasn't been able to do this since the Accident.  So hopefully, he could resume an active lifestyle again, and begin playing Softball, etc.  Trust me, if there is any way that this would be possible, he would do it!!

But...on the good news front, we got our Truck back!!  Thank goodness, as it turned really cold the day after we got it back.  It was bad enough before, but then the temps dropped down into the single digits, and poor Walt had to drive to work before Sun up....then drive home after Sundown!  So we are thankful to have the Truck again.

We have decided to save up to buy my Can Am Motorcycle in the future.  We will sell the Gold Wing to help pay for it.  As a reminder, here is a photo of me sitting on one at the dealership!!  I love that Bike!!  It puts a big smile on my face just to think about it.

Anyway, I will go for now, sorry that this has been such a Debbie downer post!!  Till next time....

Aloha My Friends  :)

 

If you look closely in the background to the right of my Head, you will see our White Gold Wing Bike.

And you can see the Gold Wing a little better in this photo in the background.

You're Gonna Think I'm Crazy, But....It happened Again!!

Could This Be My Guardian Angel???

Hey Ya'll,

First off, I want to say that my Brother was released from the Hospital last night.  He ended up staying in the Hospital for 6 days!  He was very happy to get home, and was able to sleep for the first time in over a week!!  Thanks to all that sent good thoughts and prayers his way!!

As for my Cousin with Cancer.  I found out that she does have Stage 4 Bone Cancer.  The Cancer is in her Hips, Femurs and Spine (ouch!).  Apparently, the Cancer had begun spreading from her Stage 4 Breast Cancer that she battled about 6 years ago, which turned into Bone Cancer.  When I heard that her Breast Cancer was at such a late Stage 6 years ago, I was afraid that this would be the ultimate outcome.  She is through trying to prolong her life with Chemotherapy and Radiation.  She is now being treated with Drugs to reduce the pain involved, trying to make her remaining time easier to bare.  Which is sad, she is about 3 years younger than myself, and her Mother died of Breast Cancer just a year or two before my Cousin finally went in for a Breast checkup herself, and found her Cancer at such a late Stage....So any good thoughts or prayers her way would be very much appreciated.

Now for the Crazy stuff!  First off, I want to say that this incident that I am about to talk about is my 3rd strange occurrence in the past couple of years or so. 

****The first incident happened when we were still living in our house.  I would Crochet late into the night sitting on our sofa while watching TV.  This one night, I started to get a Headache, so I took something for the pain, and laid down for a few minutes.  Before I knew it, I had started to drift off to a light sleep.  I became aware of feeling like something, or someone, was playing with my Feet and lower Legs (like lightly touching/ticking).  At the same time that this was happening, I could hear what sounded like a small group of "people", standing about 10 feet away from me, talking quietly and very rapidly, so that I couldn't make out what was being said.  When it became obvious that I was alert, it stopped. 

This happened a couple more times over the next half hour, but each time that I heard the "voices", they were getting nearer to me, eventually it sounded like they were standing right next to me, which really freaked me out.  I decided to get out of there, and go to bed! After that night, I never took a rest in the dark, in that room!!

****The second incident was the most amazing experience I have had so far.  This is where I believe that I had "someone/something" watching over me that night.  Basically, we had been living in our RV for just under 2 weeks, and Walt was still commuting to Sacramento for work, from Carson City where we were living at the time.  Because of the weather this particular trip, he ended up being gone for about 9 days instead of 4!  Luckily I had plenty of food in the place.

Anyway, we had been having problems with our Circuit Breaker, and the night after Walt drove back down to Sacramento, I woke up to a loud BANG! at 3:45 am.  As soon as I made sure (by turning on my flashlight and pointing it down towards the far end of the RV), that I was alone, I got up to see what had caused the bang.  I realized that the Heater had tripped the Circuit Breaker during the night.  I could see my breath when I breathed, so I checked our clock that tells the indoor temperature, and the temperature in our Bedroom was down to 33 degrees!  What had woke me up, was a Lock-N-Lock container holding bread.  The reason that I believe that it was either a "Guardian Angel" a "Ghost", or "something else" that saved me, is that the bread container was placed where it would literally be impossible for it to JUST FALL OFF!! 

It was behind a barrier, and tilted at an angle that made it impossible to just fall off....And NO there was no Earthquake either!!  I grew up in California and have lived through many Earthquakes.  And because our RV is only 40 ft long, and the distance from our Bed to the Kitchen is only about 15 feet, I would have heard the dishes and glasses clanging together, had it been an Earthquake....So I reset the Circuit Breaker and went back to sleep.  But every since that night, when I am alone over night, I always ask that my Guardian Angel protect me while I sleep....Just In Case!!  LOL 

I had found out later, that several people had died in this RV Park.  Think about it, a lot of Retirees live in the RV Parks as it is so much less expensive.  A lot of them moved in with their spouses, and stayed even after one had died.  So some of these Deaths were not discovered until later.  And at least one of them had died during a night like the one I encountered, because of extreme cold....maybe this is who woke me up???  I also found out that there had been several Suicides there as well....anyway!

****The third thing that happened to me was just last week.  I was in one of the laundry rooms on the site of our RV Park, doing our laundry (duh!).  I was alone in the laundry room at the time.  Walt had returned home from work by then, but was at our RV waiting until I needed him to help me carry the laundry back.  While I was waiting for the clothes to finish washing/drying, I was sitting at the table provided, reading my Kindle.  All of a sudden, I felt like someone had come up behind me (I was facing the door and didn't see or hear anyone come in) and squeezed my Butt with both Hands!!  It truly felt like real Hands on me, I totally jumped in my seat, and turned around expecting to see Walt there laughing at me....only I was totally alone....still.  It was the freakiest thing!

So that's my latest "weird" story to relate.  Hopefully you don't think that I am totally crazy!!  LOL  Well, I am going to end this as I have a Headache....still, and I want to relax my Brain so that I can get over it! LOL  So my friends....till next time.

Aloha!  :)

Nothing But Lots Of Sad And Scary News Here :(

My Brother standing next to my Dad at our July 4th Barbeque and Swim party in 2008.

Hey Ya'll,

I'm sorry that I haven't really posted much lately, but there has been so much drama going on in our family this last week. 

Tuesday, my Dad called me to let me know that my Brother was in the Hospital.  He didn't know too much (mostly because the Family tries to hide the worst of any news from him, as he is in such a delicate state himself), so once we were off the phone, I called my SIL for the full report.

She has been by my Brother's Hospital bedside since last Sunday.  Apparently, he fell ill with what they thought at first was the Flu, on Wednesday of last week.  By Thursday, he couldn't eat anything.  And by Saturday, he was in extreme pain and discomfort.  So Sunday morning, my SIL forced him to go to the Emergency Room.

Once he was seen by a Doctor and tests were run, they were extremely concerned that my Brother was Septic, and his Organs were possibly failing him.  They thought this because his Diabetes was out of control.  His Blood Sugar Level was OVER 500, his Blood Count and Blood Oxygen was extremely LOW, and his Foot (the one that he has to have Surgery on all the time) was Swollen and very painful.

Luckily, they determined that he wasn't Septic, just Pre-Septic, so they admitted him to the Hospital, but didn't place him in Intensive Care like they wanted to at first.  Within the first 24 hours (I think), he had been given 3 Blood Transfusions, which helped bring his Blood Count and Blood Oxygen back into the normal range.  And his Blood Sugar Level was down to 146 by late Wednesday night.  So other than his Foot, he was on his way to recovery.  We are just so thankful that he got treatment in time to save him.  As he could have died....

Now for his Foot.  He had broken it a few years ago stepping down out of a Diesel Truck.  The Doctor that was originally taking care of him, did not send him to the proper Specialist soon enough, and by the time my Brother forced the Doctor to refer him (about 6 weeks later), the Bones in the Foot had already healed in the wrong position!  Think of the Foot like this.  Normally the Bones lay flat across the Foot while standing on the floor.  My Brother's Bones had healed, to where they were shaped more like a Church Steeple.

The Surgeon he went to really did the best that he could for my Brother, but unfortunately, it was too late to give him a normal Foot shape again!  This Specialist/Surgeon was really pissed at the 1st Doctor, as he said that that Doctor basically screwed my Brother from having a normal life after the accident.  Because of this, he could no longer walk normally, or run at all!!  Before the accident, he was really athletic, always playing Baseball on Mens Leagues, etc.  So now, he can only walk straight, he can't even twist his Foot right or left, only up and down (kind of).  And this also makes it VERY difficult for him to drive his Diesel....try driving a huge Diesel Truck constantly having to shift up and down with a Foot that is always in pain....

Other than this totally changing his LIFE!!  He has to have Surgery periodically, to re-scrape the Heal Bone down.  This because the Bone continues to regrow, causing it to grow through the Skin of the Heal!  So he is constantly taking Antibiotics to control Infection.  And this is the Surgery that he just had done....yet again!!  The Surgeon has told him that he recommends the my Brother allow him to remove the Foot, giving him a Prosthetic, but my Brother isn't ready to lose the Foot.  Also, during the years, my Brother and his Surgeon has actually become friends.  And because he hates what the 1st Doctor "did" to him, he refuses to "bill" my Brother for any of the Surgeries or Office Visits.  He bills the Insurance, and accepts what payment he receives from that as payment in full!  What a friend!

Anyway, on top of all the drama and scare with my Brother over the last week, I just found out late last night, that one of my Cousins, who lives in Arkansas, has Cancer again!  She is younger than me, and has already battled Breast Cancer about 6 years ago.  Unfortunately she now has Bone Cancer and it is in stage 4.  She called my Mom and Dad and our Aunt, to tell them of her new Cancer, and that there isn't anything that can be done for her.  I think that she waited until there was no hope, before she advised them about it, so that they wouldn't worry for such a long time....who knows?  But she is in desperate need of prayer and good thoughts.  I realize that there isn't any way to save her, but I would like to hope that she goes fast, and in as little pain as possible....good thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.  I have included a photo of her at the bottom of the post. 

Now, for us, we are ok.  We have talked out what was bothering us a couple weeks ago now and are doing great again!  As usual, one or both of us over stresses and gets overly concerned.  What can I say, we are both neurotic!!

We put our Truck in the shop to get the Transmission redone, so that it would be able to pull any size/weight of RV that we wanted to.  It was only supposed to take about 2 days....well, it has now been about 2 weeks!  The problem is that with the Truck in the shop, we only have the Motorcycle to get around on!!  So I have basically been house bound....the last fill on my nails, was almost 4 weeks ago!  So they are really showing the growth, and the need for a FILL!!  LOL

Anyway, the main problem is that poor Walt has had to ride the Bike to and from work.  now remember that this is Winter, and the temperatures are a LOT colder right now!  He leaves early in the morning before the Sun has come up, and returns after Sundown.  We have been having temperatures dropping down into the teens over night here.  So him having to ride the Bike before Sun up, when it is still below 20 degrees, sometimes as low as 9 degrees, it is really cold!!  At least coming home, it is still at least around 32 degrees, or possibly higher.  So we are really looking forward to the Truck getting finished....I really feel for poor Walt.  Luckily he only has to ride about 6-8 miles each way.  We really hate to say it, but thank God this Winter we have not had the Snow and Ice like we did last year!  Can you imagine him trying to ride the Bike in the Snow/Ice????  We probably would have had to rent a car....

So, with saying all this....I guess I will go for now.  Got lots to do to get our Tax information pulled together so that we can get them sent off to our CPA.  Till next time....

Aloha My Friends  :)


My Cousin is in the center in Purple shirt.  She has lost a lot of weight.  I can tell by her Face, Neck and Chin line.  She is still wearing her "bigger" clothes.

A Big Shout Out To Sarah (Fat On The Inside...) !!

Hey Ya'll,

I almost didn't check back into my Blog tonight, but decided to anyway, before I began the process of  trying to talk myself into go to bed, and hopefully sleep....And I found that I had a new Follower!!  Her name is Sarah, and Sarah is a recent Bandster, having been Banded on October 23, 2011!  Sarah is from the UK....I love saying that...I love the UK!  Anyway, if you haven't found Sarah's Blog yet, please follow this link: Fat On The Inside..., and give her a big hello and all the support we can give her!!  So Sarah...."Welcome to my Nightmare!"

Aloha My New Friend  :)

Tag....You're It :0)

Tag.... You're it :o)

I was tagged today by Banded For Me :o)

The Rules :o)
1.  Post these rules.
2.  You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3.  Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4.  Create 11 new questions for the people you tag, to answer.
5.  Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.
6.  No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’  Blah blah blah, you legitimately have to tag 11 peeps!

My Random 11 :o)
1.  I love my Kindle! I don't know why I waited so long to buy one!

2.  Lately, I am using my own photos in my blog, instead of random photos on the net.

3.  I love the Queensland Salad at The Outback, and the BLT Salad at the Cheesecake Factory.  They both have the BEST Honey Mustard Dressing!!

4.  In High School, I was on the Drill Team,  I loved the precision of it!

5.  I can't wait for the final Twilight Movie to come out this year!!

6.  I Have 2-half Sisters, and 3-half Brothers!  But I only know one Sister and one Brother.

7.  I have 2 Best Friends.  Neither one lives near me anymore.  One lives in Virginia and the other lives in New Hampshire...

8.  I love to shop at Yarn Shops and at Costco!

9.  My favorite song of all time is...."At Last" by Etta James.

10.  I recently started to wear Acrylic Nails on my fingers and Gels on my Toes, and I love them!  Especially the Gels on the Toes.  I can go 6 weeks without them looking bad, and the polish lasts!!

11.  The one bad thing about living in the RV, is that I currently do not have the space to Paint!  Hopefully we will upgrade to a larger RV in the future.... :)

Banded For Me's Questions :o)
1.  Do you have, or would you like to have Artificial Nails?  I do have them now, and I love them!!  My natural Nails grows crooked, and bends down, etc.  So they look horrible!

2.  What's your daily goal for protein intake?  I stopped counting my Protein intake a long time ago.  But when I was tracking it, I always tried to take in what my Surgeon recommended.  Now unless I am eating crap....I mostly eat Protein anyway, so I figure that I am ok.

3.  Favorite item on the work desk?  My iMac Computer!!

4.  Who would you pick to solve your murder: Criminal Minds Team or CSI?  Of these two choices, I would pick CSI.  Otherwise, I would choose the team from Bones!

5.  What is your favorite flower?  The Carnation...it smells so pretty and delicate.  It doesn't overpower you with scent, so it doesn't bother my allergies.  Plus it lasts so long!!

6.  What book are you reading now?  "An Echo In The Bone" by Diana Gabaldon, one of my favorite Authors!!

7.  What is your favorite sport?  NHRA Drag Racing.  I love to watch the Top Fuel Dragsters, and the Funny Cars run!!  What can I say....the smell of Nitro is addicting!  LOL

8.  Are you usually late, early or always on time when meeting with someone?  I try to be right on time, if not a bit early.

9.  Have you / would you ever bungee jump?  I haven't tried it, but I definitely would if I could....But out of fear that I would injure my Spine further, I can't!!

10.  What would be your dream career?  Probably a successful Painter.

11.  Do you believe in first love?  Yes.



My Questions To Those That I Have Tagged:

1.  Do you have, or would you like to have Artificial Nails?

2.  What Restaurant makes you all time favorite Salad?

3.  What was your favorite Book as a Child?  (mine was "Island Of The Blue Dolphins")

4.  Were you Athletic in School?

5.  If you are ever somewhere like Las Vegas, do you gamble?

6.  What is your favorite Movie?

7.  Do you prefer a solid color for your Mani/Pedi?  Or do you like to get all fancy and jazzed up with colors/glitter, etc?

8.  Do you prefer to Fly or Drive to long distance Destinations?

9.  Are you a Crafty person, and if so, what do you like to do?

10.  Where is your favorite dream Vacation destination?

11.  If money were no object, and you were given the chance, would you up and leave your job to Travel the Country in an RV?  If not, why? 

And Who Am I Tagging?  (First off, I want to apologize to all that I didn't nominate.  As it was, I had a hard time finding many who hasn't already been nominated!!  But since we could only nominate a few....)

1.  Sandy Lee (The Weightloss Rollercoaster)

2.  Sheila (This One Body)

3.  Nikki (Bands, Babies and Bellies)

4.  Lyla (The Former Big Fat Professor)

5.  Annie (Band-Aid Baby)
6.  Amber...(Thin At Heart) Fat In Reality
7.  Tessie Rose (Band Me Baby)

A Big Shout Out To Poonapalooza !!

Hey Ya'll,

I would like to welcome my newest Follower!!  Her name is Leigh and her Blog is titled: Poonapalooza.  Leigh is someone I consider to be very strong, in that she has lost 50 lbs since September 2011 without having Surgery!  Oh how I wish that I could be that strong!  So if you haven't found Leigh's Blog yet, please follow this link: Poonapalooza, and give Leigh the support to continue losing!!  Yea Leigh!!  I know that you can make your goal....just keep on doing what you have been doing!!  So, Leigh...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend  :)

A Big Shout Out To Strawberry Confessions !!

Hey Ya'll,

I just woke up about 45 minutes ago (the phone rang.... :( , (now remember that I didn't get to bed until almost 4 am!!)), so anyway....I decided to stay up, instead of going back to sleep.  I turned on my computer and checked my blog, and low and behold....I have another new Follower!!

She goes by Strawberry Confessions and was Banded only 6 days ago, on the 29th of December!!  So this makes Strawberry Confessions, a very new Bandster!!  If you haven't found Strawberry Confessions blog yet, please follow this link: Strawberry Confessions, and give her a big hello.  This is the time that most new Bandster's can really use all the help, support and guidence that they can get, and I know how supportive our Bandster Clan is!! 

So Strawberry Confessions...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend! :)

A Big Shout Out To Rockband Barbie !!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it has been a long time since I have had a new Follower.  So I was totally surprised when I checked my blog tonight and found that I had a new one!!

She goes by Rockband Barbie, and was Banded on November 7th, 2011.  So she is new to Bandsterville, and could use all the support that ya'll can give her!!  So if you haven't found Rockband Barbie's blog as yet, please follow this link: Rockband Barbie, and give her a great big hello from me!!  So Rockband Barbie, I will be Following you too!  And...."Welcome to my Nightmare"!

Aloha My New Friend!!  :)