2012

2011 wasn't a bad year for us despite the "wheels falling off" about 2 months ago. It was a dicey ending but
could've been worse, right? We have some clean-up to do in that respect. Namely, get my van fixed and continue negotiating (fighting) with our insurance company to get our rental house fixed. The check they sent to remove the tree,(which we did), redo the roof, siding, soffit, gutter, and damage to the inside of the wall was LESS than the check they just sent to fix my car. Makes perfect sense, right?!  Grrrr. Other than what has happened in the last 2+ months,
we can't complain about 2011. Tim's numbers, which began to show a slight band in January, after 2+ years of no m-spike, have stayed stable, and we are very grateful, as always. Did some great vacationing and fell in
love with the Lake Winnepesaukee, NH area. Tim was VERY busy with work the whole year so, financially, it's been a successful, albeit exhausting year. After much looking, and a few big arguments, he finally found a new, to us, work van and bought it yesterday. Man, is that boy FUSSY!!! Our old van has been gasping away the last months while he let good vans I found slip away because the grills weren't chrome or whatever. He drives me crazy sometimes.  Looking forward to the Disney trip with my family at the end of this month. Got some medical stuff to take care of for me between now and then, starting with my first colonoscopy in 2 days. Lovely. :o(  I've got to get on the ball about taking care of me. Been saying it, just not doing it. Definitely not getting away with it either. I have to get cracking on chores around here I have been avoiding like the plague. Hopefully, this is going to be the year of getting organized and taking care of ME.
I need to not only get to work around here but also try to SLOOOOOOOW things way down somehow.
Time is flying by so fast and I'm not taking time to do things I want to do. I feel bogged down in all the things I HAVE to do. Hopefully, organizing the latter will help me with the former. Myeloma-wise, things are tough right now. Too many people really struggling now and that elusive cure not showing up yet, it seems. I just called a woman yesterday who lives near me that I "met" on the ACOR listserv. She had invited us up to see her horses with Liv months ago. We never had the time and then things got bad for her. She did an allo with her sister's cells and it hasn't worked. They've tried everything on her and it's still progressing. I'm praying that GVHD kicks in(she had none) and helps her out. I feel so helpless. I was just talking to the nurse at Tim's MM doc's office the other day via e-mail. We passed on having Tim re-vaccinated after his failed SCT because I had heard of people on the ACOR list that swore they came out of CR when they had their shots.
Apparently, this is why the pneumonia vaccine was overlooked for Tim. The 3 people who transplanted with Tim all relapsed after those "baby" shots. Keeping in mind, I know folks who had no problem with them too. BUT, the nurse told me they've had a lot of people relapse after those shots and she'd never thought about it, it seems, until I mentioned our 3 friends that did. On the one hand, I am so relieved that I did research and we made that decision, especially now that she told me this. Tim had gone into CR by then from Velcade and we would have second guessed ourselves forever if he got the shots and relapsed. On the other hand, it is absolutely terrifying to have to make life and death medical decisions with no medical backround and since
Tim's way of dealing with MM is putting it out of his mind, that leaves me to do all the research and he makes his decisions based on the information I give him. SO DARN SCARY for me. But, what choice do I have? I know full well how the medical field can fail people and drop balls. It happened to me and drastically changed the course of my life.  After what I've seen over the years, and things that have already happened to us both, I can't sit back and trust that things will go OK if we just listen to the doctors.I guess this is one reason I have done so little for me. This caregiver job seems to be so important, I place little importance on anything else. Gotta try to find a balance there. Well, I hope all of you have a wonderful 2012. Oh, and Steven from CA, I am following along but your blog is one I cannot post comments on. When I go to write the security word, the eagle backround is all I see and I can't see any word in the box. Anyway, onward to the new year. Gonna try to make it a good one. Wishing you all peace, joy, and health.

First recipe of the New Year. Made these for a party we attended last night. They were a hit-Very moist.
Banana brownies
You need:
1 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet-recipe called for milk chocolate)
1 cup all purpose flour(recipe called for 1/2 c of whole wheat and 1/2 c all purpose white, I didn't have whole wheat and STOP trying to make brownies healthy damnit. What's the point then. I'm already using bananas for Pete sake.  ;o)   )
3/4 teaspoon baking powder (I use the aluminum free, SEE I do make some healthy choices)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas slit lengthwise and chopped
____________________________________
Melt 1 cup of the choco. chips in microwave or double boiler(for neanderthals like me who don't own a microwave). Let cool. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In mixing bowl, beat or blend(for those of us who don't think it's worth having to clean the mixer blades) the butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Mix in melted chocolate and then add flour mixture and blend. Stir in the remainder of the chocolate chips and the chopped banana. Bake in a greased(sprayed with Pam) 9" square
pan in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack.

YUMMY and a perfect way to use up those bananas that are going brown on ya.