OBC – May 15 to 21, 2017

ONE BOOB CHRONICLE for the Week of May 15 to 21, 2017.  A recap of events in my attempt to get back to normal.  Frustration level….about a 15!  You will get a closer look at the daily activities for that week.

May 15 to 21, 2017

I bought this planner last August…..using it faithfully – NOPE!  I haven’t found a planner that would incorporate all of my “stuff”.

This is the MAMBI Happy Planner – 8-1/2 x 11 – not sure what the fancy name for it is.  The “Classic” is a half sheet size and too small for my liking.  There are TONS and TONS of videos on YouTube that are “PWM” or Plan With Me featuring the various sizes of Happy Planners.  Everyone is in love with their stickers!  The weekly layouts are beautiful BUT how do they find what they did that week when all the boxes are filled with STICKERS?!  I prefer white space so I can see what I have done….or have not done.

The weekly layout of the Happy Planner is supposed to be used for morning, afternoon, and evening events for a growing family.  I use mine for medical appointments in the top area, household events and personal information in the center area, and Joe’s whereabouts in the bottom section.

Last week in the “Flylady” cleaning schedule was Zone 3 – The Main Bathroom and One Other Room.

My energy levels are pretty darn high in the mornings.  By one in the afternoon I begin to flag.  I’m usually found napping for two to four hours around 2 p.m.  The rest of the evening my mental state is one of being uninterested in ANYTHING and I feel like the day has just got away from me.  I don’t get depressed, I just feel really frustrated that I have a window of about three hours that I can really get things done.  So I have learned how to take advantage of the time I do have.

One thing I depend on is my $20 garage sale find.  My Roombi.  And I also rely heavily on my $49 purchase in July 2014 of a Shark Steam Mop.

Roombi and Shark Steam Mop

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of last week were a total BUST!  Monday I slept most of the day and I had a 4 hour nap on Tuesday.  Wednesday Joe had an odd demand from his Coldiron Dispatcher.  He was to pick up two trucks in Oklahoma City but was told NOT to tell each place he was getting more than one truck.  Weird!

I drove Joe to a Bruckner’s Mack & Volvo dealership to get his first truck.  We drove that back home to be parked on a street near where we live.  We then went to the Hobby Lobby Warehouse to get his second truck.  On the way out of the Hobby Lobby place, Joe had to turn in his Visitor’s Badge.  While in the guard shack he told them to let me out behind him.  If they lowered the guard arm on me then he would have to come back with chains to get me out.  According to Joe the men inside the guard shack looked at him as though he was about to blow the place up.  Joe said if I were left to my own devices at their facility, I would have the car packed to the gills with goods.  That resulted in much raucous laughter from the men.

Needless to say, the guard arm was raised so I could get out.  Bummer!

Joe’s two trucks were parked on a street near where we live.  He would hook them up together on Wednesday and prepare to leave for New Jersey on Thursday.

May 15 to 17, 2017

As you can see, the “To-Do” boxes were not checked off for those days.  I did get 2 hours of paperwork done on one day, and cleaned the toilets all three days.  That was the total extent of my activities in that time period.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I had better luck at getting things done on my To-Do list.

May 18 to 21, 2017

You will see an orange circle around one event on Thursday – Scrub Joe’s Tub.

NOTE TO SELF:  DO NOT use Comet Cleanser while my chest is bare, except for a liberal coating of Silvadene cream, and the shirt I “borrowed” from Joe was wide open.  Comet Cleanser is a powder cleaner.  The fine dust flies out everywhere.

While I was cleaning Joe’s tub I could not figure out why my chest was burning.  Dumb A$$!

I continued working on Joe’s tub until I had it cleaned and thoroughly rinsed.  Then I hurried to the big bathroom and took a shower.  That felt so much better….until I put Joe’s shirt back on.  Dumb A$$!!  There was still Comet Cleanser powder on Joe’s shirt.

So, Thursday I was able to get in 2 hours of paperwork, clean the toilets, scrub Joe’s tub, and update the big wall calendar I have hung in the kitchen for Joe to know what is going on.  Friday and Saturday I was able to get the rest of the work done for both bathrooms.

This really sucks!  Before my breast cancer I would have had both of the bathrooms fully cleaned in one day.  Hey, the work is done – even though it took the whole week to do it.  I’m still very happy that I was able to complete my Zone 3 project.  YAY!

CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.  Even if it seems to take forever to do the smallest task.  Having the job done will give you a boost of confidence and put a giant smile on your face.

Woo Hoo!  Two blog posts in as many days!  I’m on a role here!

Leslie

OBC – May 22, 2017

Welcome to the third installment of  ONE BOOB CHRONICLE.

Two weeks ago (seems longer than that!), I was given a prescription for Silver Sulfadiazine – otherwise known as Silvadene – to put on the “Skin Tears”.  The prescription was for a 50 Gram bottle, with two refills.  I had used the stuff a few times on the “skin tears” with a thin coating as I had been told.

All through my Radiation treatments I had no problems with my skin being affected.  It turned brown and slightly red by the start of the fifth week.  Wednesday of the fifth week was when things went south and I needed to use the cream.

On my seventh week of Radiation treatments, the week of just my scar being treated, my chest began to really show the effects.  As I had shown in my last post.

Thursday of my seventh and final week, I came home in dire need of Joe’s help getting the raging fire put out on my chest.  I walked in the door and didn’t even consider what he was in the middle of, which was a phone conversation with one of his sons.  “I need  your help!” is how I greeted him once in the door.

I grabbed the container of Silvadene and headed for the bathroom.  I stripped off my shirt on the way back, with Joe following behind me.  “What can I do?  What do you need me to do?” were his questions lobbed to me.  “Wash your hands” is what I told  him.  Once he had that task done I told him to put the cream on every inch that was RED!

Joe did as I told him to do….except he “Frosted The Cake”.  That 50 Gram pot of Silvadene was emptied in no time flat.  Once the “Fire” was out and I could think clearly I had to call for a refill.

I was not looking forward to the following day and my last Radiation treatment.

On the way home on Friday, we stopped at our pharmacy to get the Silvadene.  Joe “Frosted the Cake” again, using most of the pot’s contents.  There would not be enough for the weekend at this rate.  I called on Saturday to get the last refill and was told that I could not have it until WEDNESDAY!  I could pay for it out right and get it immediately.  I thought the stuff would be about $100 so I declined.  I did end up getting the final refill on Monday.  The cost was $18.99 USD.

Tuesday, May 16th, I called the Radiation doctor’s office to request another refill.  After a few questions about how we had gone through the entire supply in just a few days, I had to tell the doctor that I was getting increasingly  more “skin tears” and a lot of wound weeping was going on.  So that doctor “Hooked Me Up!”

Three original 50 Gram pots and the NEW prescription

The original three pots, in the photo, are totally EMPTY.  Gone in a mere five days.

My skin looks TONS better.  It still hurts in places.  You can see the changes and healing done in those five days of Joe’s ministrations.  LOL! 😀

Healing is underway

I have been very diligent in taking a shower every morning to clean off the nights yucky stuff.  Joe would slather on the cream….giving me a “Crumb Coat” this time.

Mid afternoon I give the area a good cleaning with a cleanser I was given at the start of my Radiation treatments.  Cleanse the area of all yucky stuff and Joe would reapply the cream.

At night, I would take a second shower and then go to Joe for the “Wrap” treatment.  A “Crumb Coat” of cream…..

Layer of Silvadene applied to the red area.

Joe then, delicately, placed a couple of gauze squares over the creamed area….

Gauze applied to the creamed area

Finally, he would wrap  me in a roll of gauze, taping the layers together as he went….

Rolled gauze to hold everything in place for the night.

Put on a loose t-shirt to keep the gauze wrap in place as I slept.  Through Joe’s ministrations I am healing well.  I still have some areas that are tender and oozing.  I see my surgeon on Tuesday, May 23rd (tomorrow), to see how everything is going with me.

So, “Frosting the Cake” may not have been the right thing to do but it WAS the right thing to do at the time.  LOL 😀

I will have another post for you tomorrow.  My week of cleaning two bathrooms in Zone 3 of Flylady.  This week is the Master Bedroom.  That room is a HIDEOUS mess!!

Thank you ALL for your encouragement, love, support, prayers and friendship.  I appreciate everyone of you.

Leslie