Shopping and poop talk.

For those that don’t want the poop talk, I will limit it to the BOTTOM (haha see what I did there?) of this post and you can skip it.

Sally and I went out to breakfast with Ina this morning. It was good to see her again. Wednesday night Sally and Ina had their girls dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s and they invited me along. There were 8 total including me. Most were in their 70s and 80s with the exception of one gal and me. I think she’s probably in her 50s as well...maybe younger I’m not a good judge of ages. Anyway it was nice to meet them all and have dinner with them.

It’s always nice to see Ina. She seems to be doing OK after the loss of her husband Robert.

After breakfast Sally and I headed to Elgin to get some fruits for her fellowship meal tomorrow at her church. I dropped her off and went over to the Bx to look for a headboard as I had seen them at out BX a while back. I had my mind set on a black leather one but THIS one caught my eye immediately:





What I didn’t realize is that they were selling me the floor model. BUT it was in great shape. We took it apart and put it in the back with minimal issues.

That being said I was having some “issues” today and had more than my fair share of potty stops. BUT I did make it through the a small part of the BX, a bit of the commissary, Lowe’s and a bit of Sams club as well before I realized as I was getting gas that my issues needed me to be home for a bit. And we headed to the house.

I didn’t accomplish much else, as evidence of the headboard still in the car! Soooo life is still good, just working through today’s issues and hoping things will calm soon.

I did come home, take a shower and put my sweats on and did some laundry and took a nap (short one as the phone woke me, but that’s OK too).

**poop talk**
This is what I posted on my reversals group.

Ok over the last few weeks I have come to the conclusion that if things are going well I have a HUGE sense of guilt and don’t want to say anything to everyone on the group because of the number who are suffering after reversal and, well, it feels like bragging. BUT for this facing their reversal, there is hope, and a few let downs. (Sorry long winded)

Im 4weeks4days post reversal, 1ft rectum/sigmoid colon removed, stump of a rectum left (1/2” maybe) and a side to end connect (tiny pseudo-pouch?)

For the first three weeks it was poop central. I decided because I had the time off work I would let my body do it’s thing. I would see if it work out it’s own issues and behave, if not I had fiber and all that Jazz to fall back on. I don’t take pain pills and am only taking Gabapentin, a stool softener (too chicken to stop those just yet), a multi vitamin and a probiotics (gummies type)

I was shocked that at about three weeks of constantly pooping myself at night and living in fear of pooping myself (with protection) in public that the switches started flipping. I started to NOT poop at night. Lots during the day still but my nights were mostly mine!! Yay

Then things started to slow down during the day and for about 5 days I had been pooping at 9pmish and not much during the rest of the day. As long as my stools were easy to pass I kept going with everything the same on meds.

I got so Cocky I drove 5 hours to Florida to get some work done on our little House here behind my mother-in-laws. I was wondering what the drive would do to my schedule but I’m happy to report things stayed pretty steady the first 4 days.

Today is day 5 and I’ve had a bit of diarrhea and urgency. Happy to report that Always incontinence pads work pretty good and my clothing survived. So. If it’s only every 6 days I get a “clean out” day I can live with that. But there IS hope. Your body can adjust. It’s not like it used to be, but it’s all good!!

I joked to my MIL that I can stay out until I run out of supplies! So what that I had to poop in three stores today. Then as the uncontrollable urges hit again while getting gas I realized that, nope, supplies or not, it’s time to go home and let this play out close to a potty!

Shopping and adventures in Fort Walton

I went to TJ Maxx but they weren’t quite open. Soooo I went to Salvation Army. I know, I know. But it was a huge one and I resisted a lot of “project” items that had temped me quite a bit.

So what I DID buy I had been thinking about for a few years and determined if I ever found a house canister set I would buy it. Why? Christmas mantle pieces. I had been looking fir ones I could paint,but this one was much better. It’s already ready to go. Ones I have seen in the past were $30 or more which is why I passed on them. I was looking for a bargain.

Here is what the front looks like. Obviously a canister set as it’s confectioner shop, bakery and coffee shop. There was s 4th one but it was broken and glued together. It got left behind. I purchased these for $5. I think they will do just fine.


And here is the backs. Now you can see why I wanted them. Nicely plain for decorating at Christmas.



After that, back to TJ Maxx. I bought three shirts (yay me!) and more importantly to my poor feet in tile floors was this:


A cushy set of rugs for my bath so I don’t have to keep moving the rug all over the bath! My poor feel are a mess here. The tile just NEVER warms up in the bathrooms. The floors are so cold and the neuropathy is really messing with me while I have been here. Feel aching and feeling cold although when I feel them with my hands they are perfectly warm. It’s just my nerves not working right. Sigh. Oh well problem solved with more socks and rugs ;)

Saw this cute towel (didn’t buy it!)



So I THEN went to Ross. Hummmm bad store!!! Really GOOD store but bad for my wallet!!

I found Three MORE shirts. Sweet. Spring shirts for me!!

Well I found shells to put on my glass containers on either side of the TV. Nice. I like them.


I also bought some things for Georgia. I got a plant rolling caddy for my lemon tree. I then picked up a super soft fake sheepskin for the office chair. Either at work or Home. As yet to be determined.

I then went to K Mart. Bet you didn’t know they had any more. Yeah it’s one of the few left I think. I picked up the last of my odds and ends items on my list - laundry soap, plungers, fun stuff like that - ha!

This is my car after the fact! Ha! Time to go home when your car is full.



But:



The one thing I noted today was my hair! Goodness. It’s a mess!! AND I just got it cut. It’s either too short or not short enough. Sigh.



It won’t lay right.


You can see all the new hairs growing in and waving at the world.


So I bought a headband or two at KMart. We shall see if we can’t figure something out a Pt taming the beast!!

Updates from Florida

Yeah. I decided I would do my rest and recuperating in Florida like a proper diva. Now to have warmer weather, a beach chair and a drink with an umbrella and I would be set!!

I got here Tuesday night after getting my MRI done. The MRI is to look at my spine to make sure there are no compressed or bulging disks causing the numbness in my legs. I still think it’s all neuropathy from chemo and as I wasn’t moving much, I simply didn’t notice how far it had progressed. The answers to that will be found out soon enough. I’m big sweating it just yet. Nothing I can do about any of it anyway.

So. Last I updated things in the healing front were going well. I participated I. My first Undie Rin for colon cancer.






Sherry’s boyfriend Josh. Tagged on his bum, appropriate for a colon shot anyway. Yes that is a Giant colon behind us.





The three of us ready to go





Liz with her “What’s up your butt” shirt.





So this ambulance was following me. It was funny he first quarter mile.





By the 1/2 mile I was beginning to wonder if he knew something I didn’t. Ha! Although I have walked upwards of two mikes in a day recently I have discovered it’s not all at once!! Yikes!!





Sherry and I at the finish





Butch and I at the finish amazing this is such a good shot as I couldn’t see a thing!!





Lizzie coming across the finish line. She cut two minutes off her time fro
The 5k ran the weeks prior. Yay Lizzie!!





And a fun time was had by all!!

The day after Lizzie and I drove to Ikea to shop and to visit with Angela. She drove down and met us. We shopped out hearts at in Ikea (buying surprisingly little) had pizza at Antico’s pizza.






They have the BEST pizza. Check them out if you’re ever close!! It’s as close to TRUE Italian pizza as we have found stateside.

That done along with a Target run and we headed home.

Long fun filled weekend!

Flash forward to me making some calls for air conditioning heater replacement for the the tiny house. Why you ask? Well one emergency call from kids last year that the A/C was on the fritz on the weekend of all times led us to know it’s time. So. Everyone wanted to give me quotes on Wednesday. I HAD planned on driving down on Wednesday. Guess not. I decided to bite the bullet and drive down after my 9am MRI. Thinking that it should be quick. *insert maniacal laughter here*. Yeah what they didn’t tell me was blood work was first then an hour after that was the MRI. So I didn’t go in until 10:30. I came out at noon. Back just screaming. I hate MRIs. That table is too hard!!

So seat heater is a wonderful invention as it goes up the back a bit. I had it on for parts of my drive.

I had to go home from that, eat and pack. On the road by 2pm. Not shabby. By the time o got here I just wanted to lay down and relax, so that’s just what I did. Crawled in bed and read and played on electronics.

I didn’t even disturb my bowel habits too bad. Whoop whoop!! Still had 9pm poo and bed. Yeah!!

Wednesday was four quotes and even a nap as the 1pm came early and the next one was at 3pm. Yeah!! Nice nap!!

So today is Thursday. Sticker shock is in full affect. $4500 to $5645. U had to justify my choice to go with the cheapest. The REASON wasn’t because of price. It was because he was the only one to mention the $400 rebate from the gas company AND will fill out all the paperwork and file it and pass the saving on to me up front. Sweet!! I like one stop shop!! So, choice made.

Sad fact was someone “rang my bell”at the front door. Yeah. It noworkie. So I went out to take it off to check battery size as it’s a wireless one. Uhm, yeah, I broke it. Whoops!!! In my defense it’s about three years old now, so it was delicate. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!! Ha!!

I think parts of the higher price is I’m not doing a simple a/c replacement. Why would I do something so mundane? Nope. So, when the folks had the a/c put in they put it here:






This is it. Smack dab in the middle of the back of the house! Right next to the back door and RIGHT under windows.





Yeah can you tell that’s the living room windows. Yikes!! Noisy in the summer.

Where do I want it?

Right here:





It’s in the west side if the house... the only down side is it’s planned to be in the wrong side of the fence. Now realistically it is just a deterrent for honest folks. The gates are never locked so it would be easy enough for anyone to off with the unit as it is. But it’s OLD so who wanted it?











And realistically it’s sort of out of sight when the azaleas are in bloom and has leaves. BUT. Going to get a fence there anyway. Why???

This:





That my friends is three windows in the house next door boarded up. Why ? Who knows but it’s a crappy job and it’s all sorts of messed up with plywood, metal and some fake brick veneer looking stuff. Not sure what’s going on over there. Not sure I want to know!! They are odd ducks.

So while out there I snuck this picture. See the pink dog in the distance? Gone are the days of folks not stepping out of their house fully put together. (Guilty as charged a lot of the days)





A closeup. I feel I can show this as there is a shrub blocking her face. Hahah. Wonder if bunny slippers are involved?






During today’s adventures I also listened to my husband and ordered my blinds for the last two rooms in the house - coral bedroom and side window in the living room. A bit more sticker shock... but I bought them anyway. Done and done.

Now to get a fence installed on the side of the house I’m having the A/C moved to.... and a few other odds and ends and this will have been a very success trip indeed. Finding a handyman to remove our attic fan would be icing on the cake, but doesn’t look like it will happen. Sad face.