WE'RE HERE !!!!! 2023

I have neglected this blog for 3 years. Truth be told, it was not only neglect, it was that they changed the sign in process and, for some reason, (like I don't know it was because I am so technically challenged) I was unable to get signed in and publish a new post. Today, I just gave it a whirl and, lo and behold, I got in. I used to cringe whenever bloggers went silent and worry that something happened to them. So, if I have any readers around that were tuning in back then, I apologize for that. I was in a very bad place when I last posted. The pandemic had just got into full swing and my Dad had taken a turn for the worse. I had to move my parents out of their condo into assisted living and then clean out their condo and 3 large storage units. I am sad to report, I did lose my father on November 6, 2020. He had lung cancer and then bladder cancer decided to chime in too. There were a lot of very painful things that happened in 2020. It was a year I won't ever forget but I wish I could. On a brighter note, my mother is doing better than we all expected, after losing the man she met when she was 15. Her short term memory is shot but she is still functioning pretty well in her assisted living, just 4.5 miles from my home. It was VERY hard when the place was locked down due to covid, and we could not even visit her in the beginnning of her grief journey, but, we are gladly past those awful days, I hope, for good. She has made friends and feels safe there. As far as Tim's health goes, he went back on treatment in 2021, after a 3.5 year break. Yes, we consider ourselves VERY blessed. To get these kind of drug holidays is not common for myeloma patients. He went on Darxalex, Velcade, and Dex. Things were OK for a bit, but, about 6 weeks into it, he started having major GI issues, which included 4 hour bouts of vomiting about 30 hours after he'd get the belly shots. We dropped the Velcade and it stopped. It seems he does OK on either Dara or Velcade, but, doing them together was too much. Then, in November of '21, he once again decided he wanted to feel good for the holidays and stopped all treatment. He was blessed with another year and a half off meds. He just went back on 10 days ago and I can't say it went well. This time they tried Dara/Rev/Dex. He has not been on Revlimid since induction 16 years ago. I remember the fatigue, chemo brain, loss of taste. Well, this time it caused a burning rash on his torso and unrelenting fevers. He was taken off after day 6, put on Levaquin, but the fevers persisted for several more days. They seem to have stopped but he's still getting bad night sweats and has to start a prednisone taper today for the rash because Claritin wasn't cutting it. His doctor seems to think he can still do Revlimid with supportive meds. Tim thinks NOT. It's always a worry about how much longer he can continue his business if he has to be on treatment. You cannot refinish folks' hardwood floors remotely, from a laptop. The other big news around her is our daughter is moving out. I am proud, excited for her, and devastated all at once. She graduated college in 2020, though she missed the last 2 months of her senior year when we had to move her home in March instead of May. Due to the pandemic and not being able to go out and get a job, thereby risking all of our lives, she went ahead and got her masters degree and finished that up in May of 2021. She is working for a marketing company but has always wanted to move to the JERSEY SHORE, near where she went to college. We thought we'd have her home about another year or two but an opportunity arose with a former college roommate and, since she doesn not want to live alone, it seemed like it might be the only opporunity she might get. SOOOOOO, she's moving to Asbury Park June 1st. I am not looking forward to being an empty nester, but, they don't stay babies forever. I will just have to get used to it. And, just like I did when she was in college, I comfort myself by remembering she's only 70 or so miles away and not in another state or country. As for me, not much has changed. I'm a bit older, heavier, and I think the gray hairs outnumber the brown now. I still do a terrible job taking care of myself and it shows. As a caregiver, you get so used to putting others first. It becomes a very hard habit to break. I'm trying to think of new hobbies I could take up after Liv moves out but, I am still masking indoors and nobody else is. I went to a myeloma summit in early March, because I thought most folks would be masked. Well, they weren't. 4 days later, I came down with the first cold I've had in over 3 years. So, I get pretty anxious going places indoors when nobody is masked. Pretty much everyone I know that eased up on their masking got covid, including both of my sisters, one of whom then got shingles as a parting gift. I have to think of some way to keep busy. Drowning in paperwork makes Denise a dull girl. I guess I will sign off for now. I sure hope this wasn't just a fluke and I can figure out how to get on here again. Summer's coming! I hope it's a good one!