Good Blood, Great Skiing
Sun Valley never disappoints. Those indigo skies and gorgeous sunshine can make up for anything, even sub-zero temperatures. And, we had the COLD temps last week, that's for sure. Kim and I arrived in S.V. on the 11th. On Friday it was -30 degrees, with wind chill, on top of Seattle Ridge. Now, that is cold! We could do only two to three runs, and then we had to go into the lodge and warm up. We noticed that the crowd that day was about 85 percent men, and just a few brave women, like us! Fittingly, Kim introduced me to Blueberry Tea at the end of the day -- hot tea with a shot of Grand Marnier and Amaretto. It warms the heart, the soul, the body and all other parts. Each day the weather was a little warmer, and we were grateful for the temperature inversion by the time the Mixes arrived. By Monday and Tuesday it was 18 and 23 on top, a virtual heat wave. I got in my five days in a row, taking my season count of ski days up to sixteen. What a wonderful time we had with lots of friends. Pat L. and Diane T. were in the Valley, and we also got to ski with Jim M. for three days. It was a total blast having the Mixes with us, for our second annual MLK weekend trip.
I've discovered an interesting new malady. If I eat too much (and I do mean large portions), afterwards I become cold in the core of my body and cannot warm up. This occurred twice during the past week. In both cases I had overly enjoyed large meals, two days in a row. E.g. on the 10th Annie and I had pork shank with mashers at Tulio's, while waiting for the guys to give us the "all clear" to head home on I-90 (which was completely gridlocked due to the snow on the Eastside). The next day Kim and I had lunch at the Boise airport, and I devoured a large burger and fries. Dr. Picozzi says it's because the energy and blood rushes to the digestive system, and there isn't enough left for warming the skin. As he has told me at least a dozen times "Eat smaller, more frequent meals". I am a slow learner in that regard, but have become more attentive now that I understand this cold core concept, and I don't relish the discomfort of being chilly.
The 10th was a freakish night, weather wise. We'd had a small amount of snow the night before, but not a show-stopper. Then, out of nowhere, it snowed heavily in some areas, starting around 5:00 pm, and continuing for three hours or so. As Ann and I dined at Tulio's, Al kept watch on the computer, so he could advise us when to head home. By 9:00 we were able to have clear sailing across I-90 in the HOV lanes, but our Lakemont Hill was closed to traffic just as we got there. We ended up hiking the mile uphill, and the guys met us at the top. The hill was littered with at least forty vehicles, abandoned in an array of positions.
I had to skip chemo on the 10th because the labs revealed a white blood cell count down at 1.6, which makes one more prone to infection. "It's not a race" says Dr. Picozzi, so we skipped the Gem-Tax that week. The week off was good for me; the white blood count jumped to 5.8 by the 18th, and the red count was the highest it's been in over a month, at 3.2. We proceeded ahead with the treatment. I only have one more chemo left in this round, on the 31st, and then we'll head to Sun Valley for an extended stay. We'll resume with Gem-Tax in late February, and stay with this protocol probably through September. I'm very lucky to not have side effects with this treatment. Uh, well, I am bald (photos to be posted within a day or two), but I don't count that; it's a given, and I accepted that fate some time ago without further ado.
Great news on Jan R's recovery from hip surgery. She has her surgeon's green light to walk without crutches, as long as she's not limping (which is a signal that she's getting tired). You can't believe how well she gets around. We've enjoyed shopping and running errands with her handicapped parking privileges (hair handicap for me??), but we make sure she's using her crutch when we get out of the car to avoid any potential nasty stares. Her endurance is excellent. Last Friday we were out and about for eight hours, with no problems. Lunch with Anna, head shave for me along with the acquisition of wig #2, visiting friends at FAB (our former bank offices), a Trader Joe's stop, and picking up lots of bargains (vases, picture frames) in prep for decorating for Anna's wedding. We LOVE being retired!!
How closely do you watch your fingernails? I recently noticed that I have a white horizontal line across all of my fingernails, about a third of the way up. I asked Dr. Picozzi about this. Always the comedian, he took my hands in his and says "If I were a palm reader, I'd tell you that 2 1/2 months ago you were very, very sick." Ah ha, it's reflective of the intense 5 1/2 week treatment I had last fall.
We've embraced a new friend in our village. Dr. P. introduced me to Connie last week (PanCAN had also emailed me and asked me to touch base with her). Connie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on 12/21, and is just beginning treatment. She's a delightful woman; I ask all of you to extend your thoughts and prayers to Connie as well. Men, are you flossing? I caught a segment on TV yesterday which stated that men who don't floss nor take care of their gums are 60 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. How do they come up with this stuff??
I've discovered an interesting new malady. If I eat too much (and I do mean large portions), afterwards I become cold in the core of my body and cannot warm up. This occurred twice during the past week. In both cases I had overly enjoyed large meals, two days in a row. E.g. on the 10th Annie and I had pork shank with mashers at Tulio's, while waiting for the guys to give us the "all clear" to head home on I-90 (which was completely gridlocked due to the snow on the Eastside). The next day Kim and I had lunch at the Boise airport, and I devoured a large burger and fries. Dr. Picozzi says it's because the energy and blood rushes to the digestive system, and there isn't enough left for warming the skin. As he has told me at least a dozen times "Eat smaller, more frequent meals". I am a slow learner in that regard, but have become more attentive now that I understand this cold core concept, and I don't relish the discomfort of being chilly.
The 10th was a freakish night, weather wise. We'd had a small amount of snow the night before, but not a show-stopper. Then, out of nowhere, it snowed heavily in some areas, starting around 5:00 pm, and continuing for three hours or so. As Ann and I dined at Tulio's, Al kept watch on the computer, so he could advise us when to head home. By 9:00 we were able to have clear sailing across I-90 in the HOV lanes, but our Lakemont Hill was closed to traffic just as we got there. We ended up hiking the mile uphill, and the guys met us at the top. The hill was littered with at least forty vehicles, abandoned in an array of positions.
I had to skip chemo on the 10th because the labs revealed a white blood cell count down at 1.6, which makes one more prone to infection. "It's not a race" says Dr. Picozzi, so we skipped the Gem-Tax that week. The week off was good for me; the white blood count jumped to 5.8 by the 18th, and the red count was the highest it's been in over a month, at 3.2. We proceeded ahead with the treatment. I only have one more chemo left in this round, on the 31st, and then we'll head to Sun Valley for an extended stay. We'll resume with Gem-Tax in late February, and stay with this protocol probably through September. I'm very lucky to not have side effects with this treatment. Uh, well, I am bald (photos to be posted within a day or two), but I don't count that; it's a given, and I accepted that fate some time ago without further ado.
Great news on Jan R's recovery from hip surgery. She has her surgeon's green light to walk without crutches, as long as she's not limping (which is a signal that she's getting tired). You can't believe how well she gets around. We've enjoyed shopping and running errands with her handicapped parking privileges (hair handicap for me??), but we make sure she's using her crutch when we get out of the car to avoid any potential nasty stares. Her endurance is excellent. Last Friday we were out and about for eight hours, with no problems. Lunch with Anna, head shave for me along with the acquisition of wig #2, visiting friends at FAB (our former bank offices), a Trader Joe's stop, and picking up lots of bargains (vases, picture frames) in prep for decorating for Anna's wedding. We LOVE being retired!!
How closely do you watch your fingernails? I recently noticed that I have a white horizontal line across all of my fingernails, about a third of the way up. I asked Dr. Picozzi about this. Always the comedian, he took my hands in his and says "If I were a palm reader, I'd tell you that 2 1/2 months ago you were very, very sick." Ah ha, it's reflective of the intense 5 1/2 week treatment I had last fall.
We've embraced a new friend in our village. Dr. P. introduced me to Connie last week (PanCAN had also emailed me and asked me to touch base with her). Connie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on 12/21, and is just beginning treatment. She's a delightful woman; I ask all of you to extend your thoughts and prayers to Connie as well. Men, are you flossing? I caught a segment on TV yesterday which stated that men who don't floss nor take care of their gums are 60 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. How do they come up with this stuff??
posted by Sniglet's Mom @ 8:24 AM
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