Monday, June 16, 2008

OFF TOPIC: Knee/Me Update and TVS Post


Vampires beware! For some odd reason, I have no desire to use the phone in this photo I took before my surgery!

I finally got a new post published over on TV Squad -- it's about the first season of Big Brother and includes some YouTube videos.

Recovery is going along okay, I guess. I still get tired very easily and yet can't sleep well. I have good days and bad days. This past Friday I had the best day ever in physical therapy (range of motion up to 120, consistently able to go backwards full revolutions on the bike, only my operative leg used in total body machine to lift my weight for three sets of ten times).

Then I blew all my progress by going out with a friend on Saturday. We went to lunch sitting two hours, then shopping and such. I pushed my knee way too hard being on it for more than a few hours. It let me know by getting all swollen, hot to the touch, and stiff. I couldn't do my exercises well yesterday and continue to have problems today. Thankfully I don't have PT today. I'm down to two times a week starting this week trying to spread out the whopping 20 visits allowed by my insurance company.

I go to PT tomorrow, go out to have blood drawn for the Coumadin levels on Wednesday, to the orthopedic surgeon for my five week follow up on Thursday, then PT on Friday again.

I won't be dancing soon.

81 comments:

Delee said...

Sorry to hear you over did it, but look at it this way...at least you felt like a lunch out and shopping. Think of a week or two ago and even the idea of that would have made you cringe. So you are progressing, remember two steps forward, one step back.

All seems to be in order and you are charging forward. So glad to hear from you, Jackie. Thank you for the update.

Also thank goodness for cell phones, no need to use the horrible pay ones any more.

RBennie said...

Aw, you hang in there Jackie! Sorry you had a bad couple of days, but it still sounds to me like you are progressing very well. Don't let the little set backs get you down. You'll be dancing before you know it! :)

Terry is a Texan! said...

yikes Jackie, sorry you overdid!
The doctor called me today to say on my xray they arent sure if this is a new break, reinjured the old break, or what, so I have to go to the ortho....But Im still glad I did the zip line!

Anonymous said...

jackie.....sorry to hear of your set back. HAPPY you got to get out and do something enjoyable. it is always so good to feel like you are getting back into the "real" world. just please be careful. relapses are a b#@%$. THANK YOU on the bb update. here you are going thru all this and still keeping us up to date. you amaze me.

karen...i had the same symptoms you described as well as upper resp. too. i managed strep throat, ear infection, which kicked in asthma....then all the GI stuff...throwing up, the runs, it was a mess. be careful and take it very slow and easy. i didn't..i pushed too hard and paid dearly. initially i had a nasty GI flu. everything else kicked in when i did too much too fast. take care..i hope you are feeling better!!

nana in nw...just wanted to say hi.tonight i am giong to watch my first "mole".

dla said...

Great to get your update, Jackie, even if you had a very minor setback. Rest it today, and get in some good PT tomorrow!

One day at a time...

Anonymous said...

Where did all The Bachlorette comments go??? I went to the sidebar and there are no new comments--I know Sydney, joyn, delee,and many other are watching...;{

Jackie, glad to hear you are progressing(even with yesterday's setback). I'll bet your PT staff are thrilled!

Karen-your "bug" sounds like what I had in May. Don't go back to work until you are really feeling well. I was very sick for 2 weeks and the cough hung on for 6 weeks(I had to get an inhaler). Nancy was very sick for a long time--be careful!!

terry in ca.-I saw the clip of Chris Harrison saying Deanna had made up her mind, too. I can't wait to see the show. I'm thinking it might mean that she knows who the final four are and doesn't need to have the "cocktail hour" to have more time?!

nancy-I hope you like The Mole. It might be confusing but hang in there. I haven't tried to figure out who it is yet--I've just been enjoying the show.

My life hasn't slowed down! Tomorrow is the last day of school and Thursday morning I leave with my hubby and three grandkids for Disneyland!!

Will check in later....if you find the Bachlorette please post it! Thanks

Anonymous said...

Unbelievable how much you are getting around. I am pretty sure I would still be in bed. Shopping??? Daredevil!!! Take it easy on that knee.

Tom`S said...

Jackie, loved your photo, friends and I were discussing pay phones, about a week ago, I briefly lost my cell phone, I needed to make a call, however there wasn't a pay phone in sight, I had forgotten, in Austin Tx the city had removed nearly all pay phones.
BB previews on Sunday July 13.

CBS has a new series called the
11th Hour, although it's spelled Hoor, it should be a pretty good show.

I better get a few ZZ's..

Zoetawny said...

Jackie...

I was hoping to hear from you soon. It's good you went out with a friend for some leisure time and not just to go to another doctor appointment. Now you've given new meaning to "shop 'till you drop". :) I'm sure you will learn to judge your pace and what you can tolerate without having to pay for it later. You seem to be making great progress and I know you won't let a small setback discourage you.

Loved the photo of the pay phone. You always find the most unusual images to shoot. Wasn't "Make love not war" a 70's slogan? The graffiti couldn't have been that old, could it? I haven't seen a pay phone around here in a very long time. What would Superman do? LOL Keep dancing but rest in between songs.

terryinca...

Did you hurt yourself? I must have missed reading about it here.
I hope it's nothing major.

I'm going to turn into a pumpkin soon. So...

Niters~

Anonymous said...

Oh jackie thanks for the memory of the first BB Oh that was the best season i think :) Jamie on there is now living here in oregon and works for the local tv station channel 12 fox news. She is co anchor on the weekends. I knew she looked familier when she started doing the news then i read her bio and saaid she was on BB lol. Anyway hope your knee gets better and heals quickly
Karen

meb said...

Welcome back again Jackie... read your post over on TV Squad... yes, I'm ready for BB10... just hoping for a lot better one than last season.

Gonna make a few comments here re In Plain Sight... you know, I sorta like the show, but why do they have to do all the silly stuff. Mama wasn't in it this week, so what do they do, they have her boss dance with with Marshall. And they're always making Marshall look stupid. Yet, when they have the good parts, they're really good. Somebody needs to tell writers to get off the crap and make this a serious show.

I have the same problem with NCIS with the boss always smacking Denoso (sp) in the back of the head, and Denoso always picking on the other guy. Could like this show otherwise.

nana in the nw... take me with you to Disney... please!!! I'll even help take care of the kids.

nana... I did write a post on the Bachlorette on the last one that I think Sydney put up.

We're going out on the Pontoon again this Monday coming up. Gonna spend the whole day. Hopefully we don't break any rudders this time. It's my grandson's birthday and we're also renting a couple of Jet Ski's for half the day. I really enjoy this long weekend vacation stuff rather than one long one where you spend all your money and can't afford to do all these little things. FUN!

Later.

Anonymous said...

meb...I have to agree with you about IPS,they throw in some really stupid junk and it really takes away from the show. I could live without the mother and sister even being on there,but would love to see more of (Rafe)Christian. I hope him going away to the majors doesn't mean the end of him.I really liked the show last week about the little boy,that was good tv.

Jackie,sorry to hear you are hurting! It is so hard to be patient and to know your limits,until it's too late and then you pay! Hope you bounce back from this and continue to get better day after day. Hang in there! We miss you!

Anonymous said...

Jackie - You're geting better. YAY !!! My husband loves NCIS. I am watching The Mole, but I don't have a clue. We don't have a cell phone and when we have car trouble the police don't stop to ask if you need help for a long time because they assume that everyone has a cell!

joy n said...

Jackie, those baby steps are turning into strides.

Loved your TVSquad post. The chicken George clip was so funny. I started watching BB at the end of the first season, so I'd missed that. I laughed so hard I almost p**d my pants!

Anonymous said...

Although I had a different injury--a new acl--a few years ago, I overdid more than once. I think it's just human nature. We finished re-watching the first season of Survivor on DVD. Interesting how it has changed.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jackie, I just read what you had to say about BB1. It was good to remember. As I read it, though, I realized how much I have changed since it was on. You said that you would have liked Will Mega to stay because there would be fireworks. All these years later, I agree with you. But, at the time, I was rooting for him to go. I don't remember why. I know I had a conspiracy theory that he was working for BB when he changed the furniture around. But, didn't he get in trouble for doing that? Or was that even him? For whatever reason, I am a different kind of viewer now than I was back in the day. Sue

Anonymous said...

something is wrong with our cable. there is no sound and the picture is broken up into little squares. UGH!! the only channel i can get is TVLand. so here i sit watching andy griffeth.

i think i am going to watch "americas got talent" if the tv gets back to normal. it starts in about 30 minutes.

nana...my daughter and husband are leaving for disneyWORLD on thurs morning too. have a great time!! i got out to target today and thought i was hot stuff! (just slowly getting back to normal)

watched the mole. ???? will watch again and try to get it.

joy n said...

Finally, lying, back-stabbing, mean-spirited, phony one who believes there IS an I in team, Jen, has left the kitchen. Hell's Kitchen, that is. It's about time!

RBennie said...

I missed Hell's Kitchen last night, but not too much of a surprise about Jen. I figured Corey, Christina and Petrozza would be final 3. I'm torn between Corey & Petrozza for the win.

Anonymous said...

Good morning all--it's finally summer vacation here!!! YAY!!! I have a few minutes before the grandkids arrive, then it's cleaning and packing for tomorrow.

I will be commenting on The Mole and The Bachelorette on the sidebar sites but.....

nancy-hang in there on The Mole. It is confusing but just watch for entertainment and some schemeing and verbal abuse!

I watched part of America's Got Talent. The opera singer singer was unbelieveable!! I hope he goes far. Still can't stand David Hasselhoff--he's so full of himself!

Gas is know $4.37 here. I paid $73.00 to fill up my car--this is crazy!!!

meb--pontooning and jet skiing...you are a rockin' granny!! You go girl!

I'd love for you to join us-I could use the extra hands, but I think you are going to have more fun on the pontoon!

Jackie--you and my Josie!! She "overdid" it on her knee yesterday(chasing the cat again) and now is limping around on 3 legs!!!
Before that she was doing really well--no restrictions--the leg is crooked and she has a limp but the vet says it will always be that way.

Jackie--loved the pic. It's funny how things like phone booths dissappear and you don't even realize it until you see a reminder.

Does anyone have a memory of something from "yesteryear" that is gone??
Mine is milk trucks--remember when all your milk products(ice cream,milk, cottage cheese, etc) could be delivered to your house?? Everyone's houses had those aluminum boxes on the front porch.....I grew up with that and continued when I got married. Stopped getting delivery when my milkman retired.

Enjoy the day--I will try to check in before I leave--otherwise will "see" you all next week!!

RBennie said...

I tried to watch America's Got Talent last night, I really did. But I just don't like this show. I don't like any of the judges and I find the different hodge podge of acts to be a little annoying. I guess I like my shows to be focussed on one thing - sing, dance, cook, lie, etc. LOL I did get a kick out of seeing "Nuthin but Stringz" though. I'm a NYer and they have a commercial on NY1 - a local news channel in NYC. Does anyone here watch the show?

joy n said...

Nana, sorry to hear of Josie's setback. That darn cat!

I remember the milk trucks. I had eight siblings and he delivered three times a week.

I also remember my mom's Victrola that you had to wind up and it only played 78's. We had one of the old Singer sewing machines that you had to pedal with your foot. The wringer washer was used almost everyday and clothes were always hung on the lines outside to dry. The old wooden icebox that was relegated to the basement and used as storage for the Oxydol and such next to the washer. No more icemen with those huge tongs.

Mostly, I remember the old Mom 'n Pop grocers in every neighborhood. Wooden stands out front filled with fruits and veggies. Wooden shelves on the walls filled with everything you could think of. Mostly, though, I remember the huge glass case that was wonderfully filled with "penny candy". How us neighborhood kids must have driven Mary crazy when we came in with our pennies or a nickel and would have our noses to the glass for endless minutes trying to decide which delights we wanted to choose "this time". Whatever was two for a penny was usually a big hit.

Convenience stores just "ain't" the same.

Anonymous said...

nana.so sorry to hear about josie..perhaps she feels a good cat chase is worth the set back once in awhile. kinda like a good party is worth the headache the next day :)

ok, so i am re-joining the world little bits at a time..today i FINALLY got to see Sex and the City (the movie) i LOVED it.

i remember the milk man leaving milk, orange juice and chocolate milk at our door. i also remember potato chips being delivered in big cans. the mom and pop shops with the penny candy case..and the hour spent picking and choosing. i would have a nickle at a time..i felt like i was the richest person in the world. do you remember hotpants, fishnet stockings, and white go-go boots?.....i think what i remember most was being able to go out and play....until lunch time...with no fear of strangers or mis-trust of adults. i miss leave it to beaver days. people say it was a fake and homes were never like that. while i don't think the sadness of todays world isn't new, i do believe there WAS a simpler, more innocent time in our world, and i miss it.

monty924 said...

Hello all, I haven't checked in for a long time now. Jackie, I hope the progress continues and you don't have anymore setbacks. Sometimes when we start feeling better, we push ourselves beyond the limit.

Hang in there!

joy n said...

Nancy in PA, I, too, remember the innocence of the fifties when it was safe to walk to the neighborhood playground. On summer evenings, we had to eat dinner with the family and then we got to go out to play, but had to be home before it got dark. If we misbehaved, the neighbors would let your parents know about it. You knew your neighbor's names and they knew yours. Trick or treating was fun and never a problem. I can't imagine we'll ever see those days again. Very sad.

Anonymous said...

joyn and nancy--what memories....I also remember family dinners and back out to the neighborhood park until dusk. My problem was my definition of dusk and my dad's.....when I was 13 I spent a whole summer on restriction for getting in late. Every 2 weeks my restriction would be over and within a few days--there I was getting home too late!!! I think it was more torture for my mom because than my friends all came over to hang out with me(I mean a group of 12-15 teenagers).

Playing 45's on the record player outside and go-go dancing around the yard with fishnet stockings and white plastic boots!! LOL

It truly was a simpler, more trusting world. We tried to raise our daughter's with those standards. My son-in law always tells Amy "that not everyone lived in a Beaver Cleaver home". To which she replies, "maybe not, but there was nothing wrong with it"!

nancy-so glad to see you are getting better each day! Just don't overdo.

Anonymous said...

just re-read my post....I had more on than fishnet stockings and boots.LOL Not much, though. Usually a short mini-dress or sometimes a mid-drift top and hip-hugger bell bottoms in a wild print. What a "wild child" I was...sigh.

Anonymous said...

yes...family dinners! ours started with a prayer. and yes, going out to play after dinner in the summer until dark. not only did the neighbors all know one another...and tell our parents on us....but my parents never allowed "attitude". they never excused bad behavior as "teenage years". being a smart mouth was not an option. ah!! the good 'ole days.....:) can you imagine june and wards reaction to evil dick????? hahahahahaha

Anonymous said...

nana..i have a daughter named amy too :)

joy n said...

And the games we played! Tag, hopscotch, hide 'n seek, dodgeball, running races to the corner, roller skating on those all-metal skates with the key to tighten them, double-dutch jumproping, derring-do (look, Ma, no hands!)on our bikes, etc. etc. etc. We had so much fun and most of it was just in the neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

We had neighborhood games. One was a sort of hide and seek where our hiding territory was a block or more. To think of allowing kids to run free in a neighborhood, finding odd places to hide on other people's property. We were all told to go home 'when the street lights came on'. But, most families had their own signal...a whistle, a shout... that would call their kids home. When we were bored, someone would come up with a dare to add a spark to the day. One summer it seemed like every one I knew had jumped off at least one roof and swung a swing all the way over the bars at the school yard, either just for something to do or because of a dare. And not one of us wore a helmet. How did we survive?

joy n said...

Sue, you reminded me of something. When I was eleven, all the kids in the neighborhood had jumped off this particular garage roof on a dare. I was afraid of heights and was one of the last to do it. When I did, I landed flat on my feet and broke a bone in both feet (on the insteps). I'm flatfooted because of it. I thought my mother was going to kill me. She didn't.

Anonymous said...

I've been looking for something for a few years now, but alas no luck in finding...diaper pins!
I also remember having to be home by the time the street lights went on.

joy n said...

Yeah, the ones with the pastel duckies on them. Guess they're gone too?

Past my bedtime, 'night all.

Anonymous said...

We watched cowboys on TV and heard war stories from the newspapers, so that is what we played. I remember a bunch of us sitting in trees, hiding from the bad guys, watching them arrive in our yard, and waiting for the pretend war to start. As we were shot, and fell from the tree, we grabbed handfuls of berries (usually mulberries, but sometimes other fruit trees) and crushed them on our clothes to simulate blood. Our mothers, having little idea of what we did all day, always wondered how we got so dirty and stained our clothes so that they couldn't be handed down. And what made us think falling out of a tree was a good idea?! Sorry to hear about the painful landing joyn, but I am glad to hear it wasn't just Kansas kids jumping off roofs. : )

Anonymous said...

joy n sue.......ah yes! the roof jumping!! playing on a 2-3 street radius!! hide and seek games that had about 15-20 kids playing on them....roof tops were a fav for the older kids to hide on. we survived jumping off small bridges into water, riding bikes without helmets, riding in a car without car seats,....i never saw anyone actually swing all the way around the top bar but would have thought that was VERY cool!! ever play stick ball with a stick and half a pimple ball? i feel sorry for our kids today that spend beautiful days in front of a computer or video game playing. its not all their faults...but still sad. organized sports are ok i guess, but there is no substitute for the freedom of summer days as they used to be....

RBennie said...

Come on now, you guys really have to stop! You're making me long to be 10 again. My summer days consisted of playing handball, jumping double dutch, playing Barbies on my front steps and impromptu talent shows. There was also at least one fight before the end of the play day, but every one was friends again by the next day. I'm a little young for the milk truck, but I do remember the soda truck. My mom would order a whole case of assorted flavors and this really old little man would deliver it in this really ancient truck. That was the best soda I ever had! I remember having a quarter and being able to buy candy for the whole block with it. Oh and don't let me forget the ice cream truck that we always had to chase for a block before he would stop. We could play outside until dark and the only rule was that you had better stay within the sound of your mother's voice - in other words, if she yelled out the window for you - you better hear it and come running - LOL. Ah what good memories. I really miss my mommy today.

meb said...

I remember having to walk to school (seemed like miles) always with a dog coming out to bark at us. I would always refuse to walk past the dog, making us late for school, and getting my sister in trouble all the time since she was the oldest.

I remember the 2 stars in our window for my 2 older brothers who were serving in the Navy. One was knocked out of his bunk from his ship being hit while stationed in Okanawa (sp). Both came home safe, Praise God!

I remember climbing trees too. Going up was easy, but someone always had to come up and get me down.

I remember living next to our town's baseball park. There was a gate next to our side yard and we were always given permission to just come in and watch the games. The hot dogs there were always better than anything in the world!

I remember my sister sitting on a curb and my brother, in his infinite wisdom, deciding to jump over her...kicking her in the head. A huge lump appeared almost simultaneously with the kick and there was my father, smashing an onion and applying it to her head. The lump just went right down, leaving a scrape and ugly red mark. An onion...some kind of health care huh?

I can remember the doctor visiting us at the house to give us our check-ups/shots. Not a fond memory, but what a concept.

Many a memory...thanks to whomever started us down memory lane, it was fun!

Anonymous said...

Then, when we headed home in the middle of the afternoon...maybe to have a skinned knee cleaned and covered with iodine (which hurt) or mecuracom (which I still can't spell but didn't hurt) and we complained of hunger, Mom would take out a loaf of Wonder Bread, with its red, yellow, and blue balloons on the cellophane package, spread a slice with butter and sprinkle it with white sugar. It doesn't even sound good now, but it was a real treat to me then.

Zoetawny said...

OMGosh! What a trip down memory lane going on here. I remember many of the same things. It is a different time for all of us now...some good and some bad. The world as we knew it changed even more after 9-11. I suppose there's only one constant and that is change. But just think of the wonderful memories we all hold.

nana...

I'm sad to hear Josie has had another setback. Guess she really doesn't like cats in her territory.
I hope she's not in any pain.

Sorry to be brief but have to sign off now.

TTFN!

Anonymous said...

Jackie - I am one of your silent fans. I am with you everyday thru Big Brother and then mainly just keep a check on you from time to time. I have a new computer at home so maybe I will not be quite so silent.
Anyway, you and your buds Rock. I am thankful that you share your life with all of us...and the "not so silent" fans share their's too. I'm glad you are making progress with your knee.
Debbie from N.C.

meb said...

Hey Debbie from NC... I'm from NC also... near Raleigh...

Without giving away too much, where are you located... give a county if you don't want to be more specific.

joy n said...

Nana, look at what you started! It's been a great walk down memory lane.


Well. I saw the hemotologist last Monday and they took several vials of blood for testing. I'm understanding Jackie's vampirish feelings. I won't know the results until July 7. Why that takes so long, I don't know. This Wednesday, I have to go get ultrasounds on both my legs. My left calf and ankle have been swollen for months and my right calf is slightly swollen, too, now. The ultrasounds are to check for blood clots. Sure hope that's going to be a negative. The doctor says it probably is not connected to the diabetes.

I have to confess I've been a smoker for 40 years and the doc seems to feel that may be catching up with me. My white blood count is fine and so are my platelets. He thinks my lungs are not able to absorb oxygen very well anymore and that's possibly the reason my marrow is working overtime to create all the extra red cells. I guess they carry oxygen thru your whole system.

Anyway, I'm on a prescription for Chantix to stop smoking. I got them today. I've heard they make some people sick immediately. I'm fine so far. No nausea. I absolutely have to quit. I've tried many times; gum, patches, cold turkey, you name it. My husband smokes, too, and says he will not quit. It would be easier for me if he did, but I definitely understand his reluctance. I've been there for over forty years. Maybe if this works for me, he'll change his mind. It's going to start affecting his health, too. Part of the problem has been cheap cigarettes bought at the Indian Reservation. Ten dollars a carton. Smoking is so stupid. I started at age 20 and thought it was so cool. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

My mindset is truly different after talking to this doctor. He's a hemotologist who works often with cancer patients. I don't want to be one of them. Now, I just have to hope I get lucky with all the test results.

Wish me luck, everybody.

Anonymous said...

joyn, My husband quit 15 years ago. He had a medical scare, and after the visit to the doctor's office, he never picked up another cigarette. He had tried to quit before, and nothing helped. but, that day in the doctor's office something just clicked in his head and he stopped. He didn't even have a horrible withdrawal from them. I think it was that he had made his mind up and hadn't left any room for even the possibility of smoking again.

I hope knowing his experience will help you. At least it is good to have a place to talk about it. Thanks Jackie for letting us talk amongst ourselves while you are healing. I am hoping all your tests and reports are coming back great.

dla said...

joy n, thank you for the update on your health. I have been wondering what was up, and knew you would fill us in when the time was right.

I was a smoker, and quit cold turkey in 1987. I had started to smoke at 15 years old because we thought we were cool, and I quit just as suddenly because I realized it was NOT cool. Only smoked one time after quitting, and I was out drinking with my friends, and that led to purchasing a pack of cigarettes which then led to me being sick as a dog for about 4 days. I have never smoked since that time.

I am sending you POSITIVE VIBES in your effort to give up the habit. Please keep us posted, and stay positive that you can make this healthy change in your life!!

I have you in my thoughts...

meb said...

joyn... I too was a smoker for 33 years. I started smoking at 13. Yeah dla...thought it was cool... and my reason for quitting was not quite the norm. It just became unfashionable to smoke.

I was Dir. of HR in a hospital and whenever we had meetings, which was all the time, the only two of us who smoked was myself and the Dir. of Nursing (believe that one). That was in 1984.

I just decided to quit and never wanted another one, similar to Sue's husband. I was a two pack a day smoker. Why it was so easy for me, I don't know, but I guess I had just made up my mind that I wasn't doing it anymore.

I had tried numerous times to stop before and couldn't. Go figure? I had said that when cigarettes went to 75 cents a pack that was it for me. They did and it was!

I'm believing for you joyn that this is IT for you as well and you have the easiest time stopping. Your health is so important!

Jackie...how's everything with you since your last report... hope you've recovered a lot from your outing!

RBennie said...

Joyn - hang in there girl! I'm sure you will kick the smoking habit this time around. It's unfortunate, but sometimes it takes a real medical scare to make us do the right thing.

Anonymous said...

Jackie,wondering how your last PT went after your little setback. We are all concerned about you and praying that things are on track.

Joy,we are all going to be sending good thoughtsa your way and praying for strength for you. I know this has to be one of the hardest things you've had to do.Now my Dad also quit cold turkey after a health scare,but then I have a sister who has smoked for over 30 years and I have almost given up that she will ever quit. Even after watching our Mom die of lung disease(not smoking related),still she smokes and drinks coffee by the vat. I worry about her so much and now my 30 year old son has been smoking for about 4 years and we've bought him every thing we can think of to stop with no sucess.I have to say,I am addicted to food,so I know how hard quitting is,and ciggies just get that hold on you and it's tough. You WILL beat this,I know you WILL!!

Well,this Monday,my doctor's appointment for my neck lump is here. Keep me in your thoughts everybody,please.All of you are a wonderful support system.

meb said...

Sharon, only good thoughts coming your way. Let us know asap what the results are!

RBennie said...

My thoughts are with you Sharon. Good luck on Monday.

Haven't heard from Jackie lately, I hope all is well.

Anonymous said...

joyn and sharon......hang in there! my thoughts and prayers are with you both. keep us posted on how you are doing.

what a blessing this blog has become for us all. jackie....you planted a wonderful seed of friendship. hope to hear from you soon.

Lars said...

Jackie we miss you! Hope your doing okay. Hello to all.

I felt this urge to let you all know, each time my thoughts are racing, my nerves jumping loops, it's this blog that'll soothe & calm me down, I know we're all super busy, I wanted you all to know even though I don't post often, I always find time to check in Jackies blog.

You guys rock!

dla said...

sharon, you are in my thoughts!

lars, you made me smile! Thank you! :)

meb said...

lars... that really says it all doesn't it. I feel the same way. It's great to have so many friends pulling for each other. Thanks to all.

Jackie, we miss you and look forward to your next post.

Anonymous said...

you know those days where EVERYTHING goes wrong, all news is bad, everything breaks......i'm goin to bed! 'nite all

joy n said...

This has been my first chance to get online today and how nice it was to see all the supportive comments from Sue, Dia, Meb, Rbennie, Sharon and Nancy in PA. You guys are great!

I have to say that this Dr. told me I could smoke for the first week with this Rx, and that each day I would lose the desire to do so. I tried so hard not to, but actually smoked five today. I usually smoke a little over two packs per day. BUT, it's been four hours since my last, and at this moment, I'm not craving another. I wish I could say I won't smoke one tomorrow, and I'm going to try my best not to. I smoked ten yesterday, and have to say, I never thought I could accomplish that. I'm trying.

Thank all of you for your kind words and wishes. I'll keep in touch here to let you know how I'm progressing.

I up the Rx dosage on Sunday and, again, next Thursday. Then I stay on that dosage for twelve weeks. I'm thinking this stuff might actually work because the craving isn't driving me crazy as it did with all the other stuff I've tried. I'm also trying not to snack. I don't need to be fat(ter) too.

Sharon, bless you for taking the time to bolster my confidence when you're having serious worries of your own. My thoughts and prayers are with you also.

Jackie, hoping you are feeling better after your last outing and continueing to make lots of progress. Let me add my thanks for giving us a place to vent the things that are troubling us at times.

joy n said...

Bachelorette fans: RealityTV World has two separate interviews with Twilley and Sean of the Bachelorette. Twilley's is a bit long, but he gives his assessment of what DeAnna's final decision will be and also his very honest read of the other bachelors. You'll learn some interesting stuff.

Anonymous said...

Hi, all!
Been out of the loop for awhile - out of town & busy with summer activities. Trying to catch up with what's going on with all of you. Jackie, hope the knee is feeling better today!

All the talk of yesteryear & how we all grew up is making me sad! I won't let my daughter play outside unless I have the gate locked on our 7 ft tall deer fence. And I am outside with her! We have a registered sex offender living two blocks away. My brother and I, too, grew up running all over our neighborhood with all the other kids. We used to all hang out at the creek, or playing in the woods. Oh, I could never let her do all that today!

Jennasmom

Anonymous said...

Nancy in pa said: you know those days where EVERYTHING goes wrong, all news is bad, everything breaks......i'm goin to bed! 'nite all

***

Yes! I know exactly what you describe. Hope the sleep went okay. I have a daily horoscope calendar that includes a symbol to describe each day. Almost every day is a green stoplight...but I just flipped onto this weekend, and it is a big red stop sign! what is that supposed to mean. The text says hide until Monday. I am hoping for the best. : )

jennasmom, I agree and was thinking similar thoughts. It wasn't safe then either,though, we just didn't know it. Years afterward I heard that many frightening things happened, but I was ignorant of them at the time. Your family (and mine) benefit from the safety measures that came about because of those days when kids thought it was safe to run wild and didn't know it wasn't.

I interviewed a woman several years ago. She had been a 1950s housewife and I asked her what she most remembered of those days. I was thinking of the freedom kids had then and didn't know what her role was in it. Her first thought, the one that, in her mind defined those years, was "I baked a pie everyday'. It wasn't the answer I was expecting.

Zoetawny said...

Good afternoon all!

I can see I need to send some xtra positive vibes out to Sharon and Joy.

Sharon...

I'm holding you in my prayers for the best outcome with your test results. I'm so glad you find it comforting to come here and share
your burdens. You know we all care about each other.

Joyn...

Good luck with your Chantix program. I know it isn't easy but keep trying no matter how many times you might fall off the wagon.

Jackie...

I hope your rehabilitation is still progressing well. I'm looking forward to your next update. It always makes me feel good to see your presence on the blog. I sent you an email 6/10 but I see you still haven't read it. We miss you!

Sydney...

We miss you, too!

Joyn...

Forgot to say thanks for posting some intersting tidbits on our fav shows.

It's 108° here now. We have broken records this June. I don't ever remember it being this hot in my area. I'm sure even walking on the sand at Malibu beach would burn your tootsies.

Take care all and have a good weekend.

Anonymous said...

sue...is your red-light weekend going ok? hang in there...tomorrow is sunday.

helped my son move into a new apt closer to work for him. well, i didn't do too much...put dishes away, etc...did what i could till the exhaustion set in, then went on my way. still bouncing back but doing oh so much better!!

joyn....keep up the good work! smoking even one less cig a day is a plus!! your struggle reminds me of my food dieting. both poor addictions. i'm pluggn for ya!

Laura said...

Hope you are feeling better.

Here's a question. Don't know if you will have any idea or not. Does anyone know of a place to read updates on the Big Brother houseguests since the season ended?

I would like to "keep up" with what's going on with some of them.

Anonymous said...

just another little note to your walk down memory lane...i'm 34 and i see HUGE differences from when i was a kid growing up in a NJ neighborhood...but i wanted to share this...
i went to the Statue of Liberty friday again, for the 3rd time in my life. this time i went with some friends and their children. we are all in our 30s and all the kids were under 8. Its so sad to me that the kids will never have the experience of going up to her crown and now must endure 2 security checks just to get into her pedestal. their lives will always include security checks at airports and national landmarks etc...and that NYC city skyline i grew up with will never be the same....

on another note...well wishes and good thoughts to joy n, sharon, and jackie....hope everything turns out well!

joyzgrl

Anonymous said...

hi jackie....was thinking about you..hope all is well.

Anonymous said...

hi jackie....was thinking about you..hope all is well.

joy n said...

I don't know if others have seen this clip or not, but CBS,com has a Survivor: Fans vs Faves final Poderosa clip, called Last Call From Ponderosa. It's about their final blowout party with all the cast there, including Amanda and what's her name who won. It's the first time I've seen it.

Anonymous said...

He was a comedy icon. Rest in peace George Carlin. Where ever you are, I hope there's a place for your stuff .

joy n said...

George Carlin was absolutely one of the best. Really going to miss laughing my butt off watching those HBO specials.

meb said...

Well you guys would be so jealous of my tan. We went pontooning (probably not a word) again for 9 hours yesterday as well as rented 2 jet skis... we had a great time. It was for my 20 year old grandson's birthday. I can't believe how cheap it is to rent this boat... $200 for the whole day plus gas, and we only used $30 worth.

Jet skis were a little more expensive at $145 each plus gas, also about $30 each, but I still think that for a whole day of fun for 8 people, it's cheap.

Just a reminder that these short day trips are in lieu of our taking a whole week's vacation where the expense would be big, as we had originally planned on going to Disney and spending all our money at one place. This way we get to enjoy more things for the same money.

I love the water activities.

Anonymous said...

meb...sounds like you had alot of fun! life is great when it is filled with some spunk, eh?

jackie...hope we hear from you soon.....best wishes to yu and sincerely hope all is going well for you.

i guess lots of people are on vaca? just a few more weeks till bb starts. can't wait! i guess its true...we love to watch what we hate :)

Sydney said...

Hi guys-

I'm back but wiped out. I tried to read a few of your e-mails Sunday when I was enduring the 12 hour drive home from Memphis but could not comment so I left it for when I was home. I started at the bottom up and could see that someone started reminiscing and realized I should start at the top -- which I will do after I get some sleep. So please forgive no comment on those right now. Just wanted to say hello!!!

Jackie-- I'm kinda worried that you have not posted any thing since June 16th... after saying you did too much. Don't want to be a pain in the arse but can you send us a paper airplane with a note or something short that just lets us know you are OK?

Anonymous said...

You just have to watch the funniest show of stupid human tricks- Wipeout. I have never laughed so hard! If you are up for a good laugh, check it out. I think they have parts of the show up on abc.com.
glad you are doing a little better. looking forward to hearing more from you with the new BB coming soon!
cheers to you
~Jamie in Akron Ohio

Anonymous said...

welcome back sydney!

meb said...

Hey Sydney... good to hear from you again. Hope your trip went well.

In Plain Sight was pretty good, but they had to put mom and sister in there being silly. I just fast forwarded thru those scenes.

Army Wives was good too. Glad they're starting to heal from the bombing and from the looks of the previews, some new stories will unfold for us to sink our teeth into.

Watched a little of America's Got Talent. Some of them were pretty good. Didn't have it taped and had to go to bed.

meb said...

Oh... I forgot... I did watch Hell's Kitchen. I'm glad Corey is gone, she really just looked unclean to me. I like Cristina, but I have a feeling Petrozza is going to win. He's just been so under the radar tho that I'm not sure he hasn't just glided to the finish because all the others were so unlikable, they were the ones being offered for elimination.

Anyway, he did a good job "running the kitchen" but so did Cristina. Cristina has been winning a lot of the competitions, so I still think she deserves a chance for her own kitchen.

We shall see I guess.

Anonymous said...

I like In Plain Sight, too. And meb, I think it was you who pointed out the leather jacket in the 110 degree heat, since you wrote it, that is what I watch for. LOL There are so many inconsistencies...as you also noted. It has many parts that are just unbelievable that I want to not watch...but there is something there that holds my interest. I wonder if they have two writing crews and the one doesn't know what the other has written?! I am drawn to watching the lead character, but the smaltzy pseudo cutsiness is a turn off. Sue

joy n said...

Meb, I agree that Corey was the right one to go last night. I think Christina should win, too, because she's done so well in the comps. Petrozza is lovable and funny, but he goofs up pretty good in the kitchen on a regular basis. Christina is young and less experienced, but learns quickly. She deserves the win.

Anonymous said...

I'm H O M E !!!

First I must say...zoe, terryinca., laurie, caligirl, and all the rest of you from Southern Ca....it's HOT!!! I don't know how you all live in that heat.

That being said, Disneyland was great. We made memories that will last a lifetime with the grandkids. Even with the heat we did everything(and some things twice), played in the pool at the hotel, and saw fireworks every night. After the Electric Light Parade and fireworks my grandson looked at me and said "Nana, It just doesn't get better than this!". That said it all.

Now that I'm home it's time to decide what color to paint the outside of my house and get started on scraping it.

I loved reading everyone's trip down memory lane...so many things were the same no matter where we grew up. Hide-n-seek till dark, jumping off roofs, skateboards made with roller skate wheels, and tetherball(I was the neighborhood champ!).

The Bachelorette was a shocker!! I am so glad she chose with her head and not her heart. Because of her comment about Graham being the only one she was falling in love with I hope in the end she will pick one "to see where the relationship will lead". The show doesn't have to end with a marriage proposal. My guess will be the final two to be Jason/Jeremy. Jesse is still too free-spirited and really has to long-term career ahead of him. As I said before he is Deanna's "Bob Guiney" from Trista's show...a really good friend but not someone she can see spending the rest of her life married to.

Jackie--hope things are progressing well for you. Would love to hear a "hi".

joyn and sharon--sounds like you both had positive dr. visits. Good vibes going your way!

Smoking can do some really nasty things to your body that don't show up until years later! I never did start and luckily neither have my girls.

Sydney--good to see your back. Sounds like it wasn't a "restful" vacation...maybe more of an obligation? Go feed the ducks, visit the zoo, and rest.

The only thing I am watching faithfully is The Bachelorette and The Mole. I'm trying to get some things done before BB starts and consumes my life!!(I can't wait) :)

Has anybody found out anything about the new HG or what the theme for the show will be?

It's a beautiful day here with clear skies and 72.

meb said...

sue... you are so funny.... two separate sets of writers... now that does make sense. I love the way you describe things. I'm with you tho, even tho some of it is silly, I'm also drawn to watching. Maybe they'll "hear" us and get rid of the cutsiness. After all, mamma was there at the hospital when she needed her. That was tender.

joyn...we can only wait and see as they say... I do hope Cristina makes it tho. It looked like a good next week, going to NY and all.

nancy in the nw.. I know what you mean when you said your grandson said "...it doesn't get any better than this..." Even tho my g-kids are in their 20's, my granddaughter told me (referring to the jet skis and pontoon) that "This was the best day of my life". I know there will be many more for her, but it's so cool to hear your kids have enjoyed themselves. The birthday boy, after 9 hours, commented that he felt like we had just gotten there. Those jet-skis were a winner!

jackie... it's time... we need to at least get another "I'm alive and well" post. You know we worry. Sydney, can you find out for us?

joy n said...

Had my ultrasounds done today. No clots - yay! I was only told by the technician that there were NO clots and that my Dr. would discuss any findings with me on the 7th. She sounded cheerful when she said it. Sounds good to me. I mean, my leg(s) are swollen so there's something, but I'm thinking nothing dire.

Yesterday was my first whole day without a cigarette. Today is my second. The night is young, but so far so good. This is really hard. Thanks for thinking of me.

Anonymous said...

Hi Meb,
Debbie from NC - I haven't checked in since I sent the other message...I am in Western NC - Asheville to be exact. I have lived here all my life and think the area is great. Yours is too! I don't get too far east very often though.
It's nice to know there are other NC people on this wonderful Blog!
Debbie from NC