Never! But for some reason this week I decided to catch a cold...On Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I was fine all day at work until 5pm exactly, when, I started sneezing like crazy. (Now I do sneeze crazily all the time, I sound like a poodle, or a small dog barking.) But this was different. I could not stop, and when I did I only had like a 5 minute break in between bunches of sneezes. My throat felt itchy, and my nose was running. I thought that it was an allergic reaction, but on thanksgiving morning I felt just as bad. I thought that I should call in sick, but I thought that if I did the unit would be short staffed, and it is hard to get people to come in on a holiday. So I was going to truck on through. Sick or not. At 0620, as I was saying to myself "Aubri, you need to get going." My cell phone rang. I've said this before but when my phone rings that early, I know it is work calling to say stay home! I was so thankful! I was not fit to be working, because not only was I sick, but I was also sore from working out. And when you have a cold, aches and pains seem so much worse.
I was also thankful, because this meant that I would be able to see Jamaal's family as well for Thanksgiving. Since I was going to be working we decided that he would meet me at my parent's house after he had already been to his grandma's house in Tacoma. I was not looking forward to driving all by myself from work, to my house to change, and then on to my parents house, and then driving home again.
As it was, I was able to go with Jamaal and his brother to my parent's house first to drop off the girls (I did not want the girls to be left alone all day on Thanksgiving!) then, we went to Jamaal's parent's house to drop off his brother's luggage (Jamaal picked him up from the airport at midnight the night before) and meet up with their parents. And off we went to grandma's house. Jamaal's mom has 8 brothers and sisters, and most of them were there at one point in time, I think one brother did not come. You can imagine that he has a ton of family, many many cousins, and I still have a hard time keeping them straight. (even after 3 years!) I know the ones I see the most. Anyway it was a good time. Jamaal's dad made the turkeys and they were fabulous! So juicy and he seasoned it well.
Off we went to my parents house after a few hours at grandma's. My mom was mad at me for not calling her when I found out I wasn't working. (It was 0620 and I thought that I didn't want to wake them up) Besides I sent an email to my dad telling him the story because he usually gets up at like 0600 even on days when he does not work. Well she did not get the memo...and she was upset with me...even though I told her that even though I was not working I would probably get to her house around the same time as if I had worked since we went to Grandma's...
Anyway she got over it quickly, and we had a good meal there with my parents and my aunt. (I say "we" but I was the only one who ate. I just had turkey and a roll at Grandma's house, because I told my parents I would eat with them. Jamaal ate at Grandma's.)
By the time I got to my parent's house, I was really beginning to notice my cold. And my arms and shoulders were so sore I was beginning to be miserable!
I will show some pictures later, but all in all, it was a good night. I had the worst time trying to fall asleep, but the benedryl I took helped a lot. The rest of the story will come, I just keep walking away from this post, and now it is time for bed...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
On my way to being Chemo certified!
Well today was the last day of a 2 day course on chemotherapy. The course was rough: we trucked through a 1 inch thick (at least) book in less than 12 hours. And then, to make matters more stressful, in order to become certified, you must take a test at the end of the second day.
Fortunately it was open book, but if you don't know the book very well, it would be difficult to find the answers in 90 minutes. 50 questions total, and you can only miss 10!
I was nervous in anticipation, but I had faith that I would pass it.
Oddly enough I was reminded of college. And how much stress it was to prepare for tests. How I often felt nervous before the test, only to have relief directly after the test. Most of the time I did well. Better than I felt I would do before the test.
And today was no different. Last night I went over all my notes in my book, and reorganized. They gave post-its that were the small ones, but bigger than a simple skinny tab. And it was a mess. I couldnt read anything because they overlapped. So I used my skinny tabs, made sure they didn't overlap, and went crazy. Mostly I did it so I would know the book, and would know where to find things.
It paid off. I missed 2 questions. One of which was obvious afterwards, it was one of the first questions and had I gone over it before turning it in, I would have caught it. But since i looked up pretty much every answer, I didn't want to go over the questions again.
What a sigh of relief!
Now, all I have left is a "skills day" on december 5th where we will go over the how-to's and have a more hands on day for chemo administration.
That means I have a good two weeks before I actually start giving chemotherapy on the floor. Which gives me time to absorb and review the information and get used to the idea of administering toxins to people...
Fortunately it was open book, but if you don't know the book very well, it would be difficult to find the answers in 90 minutes. 50 questions total, and you can only miss 10!
I was nervous in anticipation, but I had faith that I would pass it.
Oddly enough I was reminded of college. And how much stress it was to prepare for tests. How I often felt nervous before the test, only to have relief directly after the test. Most of the time I did well. Better than I felt I would do before the test.
And today was no different. Last night I went over all my notes in my book, and reorganized. They gave post-its that were the small ones, but bigger than a simple skinny tab. And it was a mess. I couldnt read anything because they overlapped. So I used my skinny tabs, made sure they didn't overlap, and went crazy. Mostly I did it so I would know the book, and would know where to find things.
It paid off. I missed 2 questions. One of which was obvious afterwards, it was one of the first questions and had I gone over it before turning it in, I would have caught it. But since i looked up pretty much every answer, I didn't want to go over the questions again.
What a sigh of relief!
Now, all I have left is a "skills day" on december 5th where we will go over the how-to's and have a more hands on day for chemo administration.
That means I have a good two weeks before I actually start giving chemotherapy on the floor. Which gives me time to absorb and review the information and get used to the idea of administering toxins to people...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
TMI post follows...
So you will probably think this is TMI, but don't say I didn't warn you...
Yesterday at work, I was having bladder spasms. Not too often. Just once in a while it would happen more often if I leaned forward while in a sitting position. The spasms were terrible though, the pain would shoot up from my bladder up through my sternum (the middle cartilage/bone in your chest...). From that I knew I had a bladder infection.
The weird thing is that that was the only symptom I had. (Except for a dull pain in my bladder while driving home from work) Normally there is pain or burning with urination, feeling like you have to pee all the time,
I knew I had to do something. So I called my doctor, who is located in Federal Way, during my commute home after work. It was 4pm when I called them. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it to Federal Way thursday or friday, so I opted for an appointment on saturday of this week. When I was talking with the receptionist, however she mentioned that they accept walk-ins for things like bladder infections, but they only accept walk-ins until 4:30pm. I settled for an appointment at 9am on saturday.
The more I drove, the more my bladder hurt. The more I thought "what if I wait until saturday and the infection moves to my kidneys? what if I need to be admitted to the hospital? what if I have to have fluids and IV antibiotics, and I have to call Jamaal to bring in stamping supplies to me so I'm not bored...what if..." You see my point? Mostly only a nurse would think like that...or someone who is familiar with the way these things go...
So I decide that I am going to try to make it to federal way from seattle by 4:30. Traffic was on my side. It was at least moving. (unlike today, which is a completely different story!) But by the time I hit the 320th exit, it was nearly 4:30. My exit was the next one after that. And it would probably take 5-8 minutes for me to get to my clinic. So I decide, I'll call the clinic and ask if I could get squeezed in. The receptionist checked with the "nurse" (I say it in quotes because they call medical assistants nurses...which appalls me, only because I have worked hard for my title...) and it was okay for me to squeeze in just after 4:30. (it was 4:33 when I arrived at the clinic.)
Peed in a cup, and sure enough it was positive. So the MA, asked if I wanted to fill my Rx here or at my pharmacy. I asked if there was a difference, and since there wasn't much of one, opted to take my Rx from the clinic.
She left me in a room, and I thought..."crap, I hope they don't only have Penicillin drugs or sulfa drugs" and she came back only to say, "what we have here, you are allergic to."
I guess I could have predicted that!
So now I am on an antibiotic for 7 days? or perhaps 14 days...BID.
Yesterday I felt terrible. I was fatigued, so much so that I wanted to go to bed at 8pm. But I stayed awake 1 hour longer to get something done. My bladder was sore, and I had a few more spasms. But I was definately not up to snuff. Today I feel better, the pain isn't as bad, but I still notice it. Fortunately I had my chemo class today, which made me drink plenty of water, and go to the bathroom often!
I hope my symptoms are gone tomorrow! That would just be wonderful...although now I am feeling slightly nauseated from the antibiotics...you just can't win I guess!
How I got my bladder infection: At work, I "forget" to pee. I get busy with patients' tasks, and multiple requests, that I forget about my own needs. So I end up going from 7am to 1 or 2 pm without peeing. So that means the urine sat in my bladder, and some sort of bacteria snuck it's way up my urethra, and grew a huge family of bacteria.
This is why it is important to pee often Ladies!! :D
Yesterday at work, I was having bladder spasms. Not too often. Just once in a while it would happen more often if I leaned forward while in a sitting position. The spasms were terrible though, the pain would shoot up from my bladder up through my sternum (the middle cartilage/bone in your chest...). From that I knew I had a bladder infection.
The weird thing is that that was the only symptom I had. (Except for a dull pain in my bladder while driving home from work) Normally there is pain or burning with urination, feeling like you have to pee all the time,
I knew I had to do something. So I called my doctor, who is located in Federal Way, during my commute home after work. It was 4pm when I called them. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it to Federal Way thursday or friday, so I opted for an appointment on saturday of this week. When I was talking with the receptionist, however she mentioned that they accept walk-ins for things like bladder infections, but they only accept walk-ins until 4:30pm. I settled for an appointment at 9am on saturday.
The more I drove, the more my bladder hurt. The more I thought "what if I wait until saturday and the infection moves to my kidneys? what if I need to be admitted to the hospital? what if I have to have fluids and IV antibiotics, and I have to call Jamaal to bring in stamping supplies to me so I'm not bored...what if..." You see my point? Mostly only a nurse would think like that...or someone who is familiar with the way these things go...
So I decide that I am going to try to make it to federal way from seattle by 4:30. Traffic was on my side. It was at least moving. (unlike today, which is a completely different story!) But by the time I hit the 320th exit, it was nearly 4:30. My exit was the next one after that. And it would probably take 5-8 minutes for me to get to my clinic. So I decide, I'll call the clinic and ask if I could get squeezed in. The receptionist checked with the "nurse" (I say it in quotes because they call medical assistants nurses...which appalls me, only because I have worked hard for my title...) and it was okay for me to squeeze in just after 4:30. (it was 4:33 when I arrived at the clinic.)
Peed in a cup, and sure enough it was positive. So the MA, asked if I wanted to fill my Rx here or at my pharmacy. I asked if there was a difference, and since there wasn't much of one, opted to take my Rx from the clinic.
She left me in a room, and I thought..."crap, I hope they don't only have Penicillin drugs or sulfa drugs" and she came back only to say, "what we have here, you are allergic to."
I guess I could have predicted that!
So now I am on an antibiotic for 7 days? or perhaps 14 days...BID.
Yesterday I felt terrible. I was fatigued, so much so that I wanted to go to bed at 8pm. But I stayed awake 1 hour longer to get something done. My bladder was sore, and I had a few more spasms. But I was definately not up to snuff. Today I feel better, the pain isn't as bad, but I still notice it. Fortunately I had my chemo class today, which made me drink plenty of water, and go to the bathroom often!
I hope my symptoms are gone tomorrow! That would just be wonderful...although now I am feeling slightly nauseated from the antibiotics...you just can't win I guess!
How I got my bladder infection: At work, I "forget" to pee. I get busy with patients' tasks, and multiple requests, that I forget about my own needs. So I end up going from 7am to 1 or 2 pm without peeing. So that means the urine sat in my bladder, and some sort of bacteria snuck it's way up my urethra, and grew a huge family of bacteria.
This is why it is important to pee often Ladies!! :D
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
One of my new favorite things...
Recently I've been told that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you. Like terrible for you. (the research right now is kind of in the middle. Some say it's bad for you, some say it isn't any worse than plain sugar...) But I decided that it probably isn't the best for me...and have been trying to limit my intake of high fructose corn syrup.
Do you know how hard that is? Have you looked at your labels lately?? Bread...has high fructose corn syrup in it (unless you buy organic or Frans, or some "healthy" brands) However even some healthy brands have high fructose corn syrup in it...
Do you know how hard that is? Have you looked at your labels lately?? Bread...has high fructose corn syrup in it (unless you buy organic or Frans, or some "healthy" brands) However even some healthy brands have high fructose corn syrup in it...
Meanwhile, I love granola bars. I really do. They are perfect for eating after work on my commute (20-45minutes depending on the time of day) home. I looked on the boxes of some of the ones I had purchased, and both of them had high fructose corn syrup in them! What a pain....I still ate them, and enjoyed them!
My verdict is that if there are nuts and dried fruit together I am in heaven. It is like so scrumptious!
A lady at work, who happens to have quite a few food sensitivities, to the point where she tries to avoid them all together, is trying to get me to eat smarter. She was disgusted in my choice of yogurt: Yoplait Light, thick and creamy. It has, yes you guessed it, high fructose corn syrup! So I have been trying all kinds of yogurt to find one I can stand. My favorite has been Tillamook Light yogurt. It has no high fructose corn syrup! Some of the yogurts I tried made me want to vomit...
I think she is making it her mission to fix me. :D Not really, but after the yogurt fiasco, she brought in a dish that I asked "what is that?" And she replied: "quinoa (kin-wa)" I stared blankly, and next time I saw her she brought me a ziploc with some quinoa in it!! (which I used in my vegetable soup recipe! And I also bought some today at the store, because it wasn't too bad!) Well she brings a Larabar to work ever so often, and I looked at the label and it said:
Ingredients: Cashews, Dates
That's it. So simple. So clean. So natural.
These suckers run pretty pricey...I bought some today for $1.79 a piece. More than I like to spend on a bar...but I thought, it will be worth it.
I tried the Cashew Cookie, and it was fabulous! Nuts and dried fruit! All I ever asked for in a bar!
I'm going to be on a look out for larabars on sale. Perhaps in bulk? I love me some granola bars...but in this case hold the granola!
It would be worth your while to try these lovely bars! They are really quite a great find! :D
Monday, November 17, 2008
This week...
Tomorrow is my monday, I work two 12-hour shifts on the floor and then on thursday and friday I have chemo class.
**Addendum: I lied, I work one 12 hour shift, and one eight hour shift, then I have class on thursday and friday...***
On my floor, we have sarcoma patients. You might remember this from my first post. Sarcoma is a type of cancer, and can be treated with chemo, radiation, and excision. Usually a combination of treatments is used.
Since I have been on the floor for a year now, I will be going to chemo class, so that I can take care of the chemo patients on our floor. It is going to be a stressful time. But exciting as well, I get to really understand the sarcoma patients, and they are quickly becoming my favorite patients. It is draining emotionally, but since they come to us for both chemotherapy and surgical excisions, we really get to know the patients and become a sort of family. (I've thought about eventually doing pediatric oncology in the future...) Kids with cancer, is what that means.
I'll let you know how it goes...
**Addendum: I lied, I work one 12 hour shift, and one eight hour shift, then I have class on thursday and friday...***
On my floor, we have sarcoma patients. You might remember this from my first post. Sarcoma is a type of cancer, and can be treated with chemo, radiation, and excision. Usually a combination of treatments is used.
Since I have been on the floor for a year now, I will be going to chemo class, so that I can take care of the chemo patients on our floor. It is going to be a stressful time. But exciting as well, I get to really understand the sarcoma patients, and they are quickly becoming my favorite patients. It is draining emotionally, but since they come to us for both chemotherapy and surgical excisions, we really get to know the patients and become a sort of family. (I've thought about eventually doing pediatric oncology in the future...) Kids with cancer, is what that means.
I'll let you know how it goes...
Veggie Soup
Today was a soup day. It was going to be a bread day as well, but when I was in the store looking at yeast I thought "I have yeast at home" and put it back. But when I got home I could not find the yeast. It is either hiding from me, or I didn't really buy it like I thought. Now I have some bread flour, for that day when I really do buy some yeast....
You will notice that this recipe is VERY flexible...
Aubri's Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
-32 oz Chicken broth (I use 100% fat free reduce sodium)
-6 oz tomato paste (I don't use the entire can, probably 2/3 it would be okay with the whole can in it though)
-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (I use it the tomatoes with green chilies to add a little kick, but you don't have to)
-12 oz bag of broccoli and cauliflower florets (you can cut broccoli crowns and cauliflower yourself, I was being lazy.)
-1 clove of garlic minced fine
-1 tsp pepper
-2 tsp oregano
-1/2 head of a small green cabbage
-1 cup quinoa (pronounced kin-wa) cooked (it is a grain similar to rice)
-8 oz can of green beans
1. In a large pot, mix most of the ingredients except the quinoa, cabbage, and green beans (if canned, if the green beans are fresh, add them now.)
2. Cover and cook on medium for 10-15 minutes. Add the cabbage.
3. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. (If broccoli and carrots are soft enough for you, add the green beans and quinoa and cook for 5-10 minutes) If not, continue to cook until they are the right texture.
4. Add the quinoa and green beans in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.
Enjoy! It is very simple. You can substitute many different things in this recipe....I was going to put onions in it but I forgot. But don't worry there was so much else in it, I did not miss them! :D
Sorry, no pictures. The camera battery is dead, and I keep forgetting to charge it!
You will notice that this recipe is VERY flexible...
Aubri's Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
-32 oz Chicken broth (I use 100% fat free reduce sodium)
-6 oz tomato paste (I don't use the entire can, probably 2/3 it would be okay with the whole can in it though)
-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (I use it the tomatoes with green chilies to add a little kick, but you don't have to)
-12 oz bag of broccoli and cauliflower florets (you can cut broccoli crowns and cauliflower yourself, I was being lazy.)
-1 clove of garlic minced fine
-1 tsp pepper
-2 tsp oregano
-1/2 head of a small green cabbage
-1 cup quinoa (pronounced kin-wa) cooked (it is a grain similar to rice)
-8 oz can of green beans
1. In a large pot, mix most of the ingredients except the quinoa, cabbage, and green beans (if canned, if the green beans are fresh, add them now.)
2. Cover and cook on medium for 10-15 minutes. Add the cabbage.
3. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. (If broccoli and carrots are soft enough for you, add the green beans and quinoa and cook for 5-10 minutes) If not, continue to cook until they are the right texture.
4. Add the quinoa and green beans in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.
Enjoy! It is very simple. You can substitute many different things in this recipe....I was going to put onions in it but I forgot. But don't worry there was so much else in it, I did not miss them! :D
Sorry, no pictures. The camera battery is dead, and I keep forgetting to charge it!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
It's been a while...
So just to post something, I thought I'd share my mom's potato salad recipe.
It is my favorite potato salad, for many reasons, but two are the following:
#1 it has NO onions in it.
#2 my mom makes it.
So this is a quick one for you, no real directions here:
My Mom's Famous Potato Salad
Ingredients
-Potatoes, boiled to the desired softness (firm is best) you can use russet potatoes, white, yellow or red. Remove skins before boiling, or after whichever.
-Bacon bits, (fry or bake thin, short strips of bacon)
-small cubes of cheddar cheese
-small cubes of dill pickles
-hard boiled eggs cut into cubes
The dressing is simply mayo and yellow mustard with some salt and pepper. I don't quite know the ratio, I always use the "taste test" method, meaning I dip a piece of potato in to see if it is right...it is easiest to salt and pepper the dressing before mixing with the ingredients. The color of the dressing should not be as bright as a yellow school bus, but not as pale as a cream color.
It is my favorite potato salad, for many reasons, but two are the following:
#1 it has NO onions in it.
#2 my mom makes it.
So this is a quick one for you, no real directions here:
My Mom's Famous Potato Salad
Ingredients
-Potatoes, boiled to the desired softness (firm is best) you can use russet potatoes, white, yellow or red. Remove skins before boiling, or after whichever.
-Bacon bits, (fry or bake thin, short strips of bacon)
-small cubes of cheddar cheese
-small cubes of dill pickles
-hard boiled eggs cut into cubes
The dressing is simply mayo and yellow mustard with some salt and pepper. I don't quite know the ratio, I always use the "taste test" method, meaning I dip a piece of potato in to see if it is right...it is easiest to salt and pepper the dressing before mixing with the ingredients. The color of the dressing should not be as bright as a yellow school bus, but not as pale as a cream color.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Apple, Apple, who wants an Apple?
People keep commenting on our apple trees. We have 3 right now...at the house we are renting. It could be great, except when I first noticed apples getting ripe, I also noticed holes on the apple. Every single apple had some sort of worm or bug living in it. I guess I could have sprayed them with some kind of bug killer...but that kind of defeats the purpose of having homegrown apples right? Anyway, now look at our backyard. The ground is covered in apples. And with 3 BOUNTIFUL apple trees, that sums to a ton of apples. Anyone want to come and rake them up for me? And then once raked, will you please cart them away to the nearest compost/yard waste facility? Please? 
My girls, enjoying the apples. The fiber should be good for them, right? At least someone gets to enjoy them. Oh well, I guess the squirrels also enjoy the apples, the squirrels also love to bring the apples onto our porch and gnaw them to mulch.
There have been a couple deaths in our family...
***Just a warning: Some of these images are graphic, and are perhaps not appropriate for children or stuffed animal lovers. ***
Don't say I didn't warn you...
One day, I came home to find poor Octopus, murdered in his own home! 
It was a terrible sight! Stuffing and beads galore. And the killer stood by, wagging her tail and acting excited to see me. (However when the broom came out, she and her accomplice were worried and hid from me.)
(I promise, we have never hit them with the broom, it is just a large scary object that has probably fallen too many times with them nearby. It probably doesn't help that they often get in trouble, and then the broom comes out to clean up after them...)
Probably a more traumatic event was the death of Pig. Pig has been a strong, loyal and true companion for Bella. He has been with us since May 2007, when I got Bella. At first, Bella didn't know what to do with Pig. He was about the same size as she, so she was barely able to sink her teeth into his plump arms and legs. Eventually Bella realized Pig's beauty and would walk around with him in her mouth whining, until she could find the perfect hiding place for him. He would hide for a while, until she remembered where he was hiding, or until I asked "Where's Pig?" whichever came first. She would search high and low for Pig, until again he was in her mouth and she was whining. On this fateful day, Jamaal left Pig with both Bella and Bacardi, which was a mistake. Bacardi goes into "destroy" mode when left alone, and Pig didn't stand a chance against her. So now Pig isn't nearly as plump, but Bella seems to still enjoy his company.
Bella and deflated Pig. (He is completely empty now...)
I had to go to the store to buy new bones for the girls, as you can see, the top bone is a brand new bone, the bottom is a used one. It has been loved.
Bella gnawing on a bone.
Bacardi's new Witch ball. She likes it...
Can you tell what this is? 
This time, Bella is the guilty party. Bacardi was outside....
Can you tell yet? It is a tea bag. There were 4 partially chewed Orange Pekoe tea bags on the kitchen floor. Fortunately it was in the kitchen...This is not the first time we have found tea bags chewed and littering our floors. I have found tea grounds on my Bella's beard...that beard has helped us to see who did what many a time. Cinnamon and frosting has been in Beller's beard before. Bacardi has a little more leeway with that, it's easier for her to clean her face up....
Here is a video of my babes...(I hope it works)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Post #50
The other day, I was at my mom's house visiting. She babysits my nephews on tuesdays and thursdays after school. So there I was, watching my youngest nephew play Wii Sports...I honestly wish I could have it on a video for you...it was hilarious!
He was boxing...and while playing, he kicked his feet, punched his arms, turned in circles, and said things like "I'm a rockstar!"
He said "I need to take my shirt off" because the boxing guy had no shirt on.
He made my day.
A little, quick poem
Connor
The little scrawny 4 year old
Shirt off
Nearly out of breath
jumping
kicking
and punching the air.
Calls himself a rockstar.
I cringe because
He is becoming such a young man.
He was boxing...and while playing, he kicked his feet, punched his arms, turned in circles, and said things like "I'm a rockstar!"
He said "I need to take my shirt off" because the boxing guy had no shirt on.
He made my day.
A little, quick poem
Connor
The little scrawny 4 year old
Shirt off
Nearly out of breath
jumping
kicking
and punching the air.
Calls himself a rockstar.
I cringe because
He is becoming such a young man.
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