if it ain't one thing, it's another

I spent two days this past weekend in the yard and accomplished much. Only a couple things left to do.

As I was watering the new grass, I remembered when my brother Steve was little, I would sprinkle the grass and throw pennies down at the end of the rainbow when he wasn't looking. He thought it was the pot of gold. In some ways, it was.

Ella and I planted daffodils and tulips. She carried each one so carefully and gave them each a name...old names like Ethel and Herbert. I asked if she would remember them until spring but she didn't think so.

I have friends with cancer recurrences again. Mary is having a mastectomy on Thursday and will come home on Friday. I think I would demand more time. Kathryn's cancer has traveled to her lungs and bones.  Carol's breast cancer has turned into thyroid cancer. Not sure of the medical details of how that happens but it did. This afternoon, I visited Don, who is in the care of hospice.

But then I see Ann and hear about her husband's mother who had breast cancer 50 years ago and just celebrated her 100th birthday.

I started my online class last week but am frustrated that I have only gotten through Lesson 1.

Regis and I are cooking this lovely pork loin on the grill. We were going to stuff it with the same concoction we used last time but Ginger dropped off three jars of homemade sour kraut so we used that instead...with some apples, brown sugar, and cream cheese.

I took Mary a little gift before her surgery. Ann was there with two pounds of butter for me from the Hope Creamery. Oooh la la. The first time I tasted Hope butter, I nearly swooned.

I read the results of the bone density scan I had last week. Of course, my biggest worry is that cancer will get into my bones. I get an infusion of Zometa every six months which I like to think will protect me from that but I don't think that is a medical fact. I think I made it up.

So, here it is.

Report
DEXA bone density is performed of the left hip and lumbar spine.
Comparison: 2/25/2014.
Left hip: ROI appropriate, total T-score -2 (however, the individual
left femoral neck T-score is -2.6)
total BMD 0.697 grams/cm squared (0.4% worsened since 2/25/2014).
L1-L4: ROI appropriate, total T-score -1.8
total BMD 0.851 grams/cm squared (4.8% improved since 2/25/2014).
The lateral view of the spine (LVA) is of limited diagnostic quality,
but no compression fractures are suspected.
IMPRESSION: Individual left femoral neck osteoporosis indicates high
fracture risk according to WHO criteria.

So, I quickly send off messages to my trainer who promised me good results from my strength training, my regular doctor who ordered this test and could interpret it for me, and my oncology docs and research nurse. So far, I have only heard from the research nurse. She said the deterioration was only 0.4% and the improvement was 4.8%. She said she didn't think I needed to panic. Ok, I will try not to panic.