RMLincoln

I took the first batch of pills. They’re a bit large but not as big as my magnesium supplements, so I didn’t have trouble swallowing them. The directions say take them one by one with a sip of water, finishing all 12 and a pint (16 oz) water over 15-20 mins. Not bad. I’d have liked to have had a piece of toast to help push it all down but not allowed! Now on to doing the next pint of water an hour later. I’ll have one more to do. Then at 4am I’ll do this again for the second batch of 12 tablets. I’ll be glad to be done with this tomorrow! m— @dfish Debbie I hope you can get some advice from another party… maybe a PCP? I hope you can get on a faster track.

Karen, I’ll be using the pills for the first time this time. Two sets of 12 pills followed by spaced pints of water… first set of pills this afternoon, 2nd set starting about 4am. Seems every time I go this there’s a new prep! I’ll let you know…. m—

Sunny and up to high 70s today in north Jersey. Today is prep day for colonoscopy tomorrow. I’ll be glad to get it over with. I’m about 6 months late due to canceling because of our move. In the past they’ve always found mild concerns so I’m hoping for a report of no worries! I’m very appreciative of your encouragement for us! Thank you Ann, Gerry, Lenda, Nancy, all of you holding us close during these tough days. We were very relieved yesterday to hear that the inflammation is reduced. But we both walked out of the doctor’s office yesterday a bit bewildered about the possibility of fully opening the incision maybe as soon as next Monday, or even maybe later this week depending on what the surgeon might recommend. We’re told the eye is not healed enough to be confident that it won’t collapse if there’s too much flow through the incision…. but that that wouldn’t be the end of the world, we’d just need to get to an OR to have it restricted, then start over. Well that’s rather daunting…. But reading your encouragement brings me back to taking it one day at a time! And remembering my own words to others- to breathe and not go borrowing trouble that hasn’t arrived. DH is getting his COVID shot tiday; I postponed till Thursday in case I have a reaction and run a slight fever, I don’t want to jeopardize my colonoscopy! Elizabeth, I’m hoping for Amazing results for your eye procedure and from your neurologist appt. Glad your shoulder is improved but I understand that not working when you need to be is it’s own burden. One day at a time is enough. Jacqui, please keep checking in, we are all with you and concerned, as well as learning together! Has anyone recommended heat pads or warm baths for your foot? That is what our orthopedic told us for DH when he developed a bone infection in a toe (dropped a log of firewood on it, smashed against the tick hearth). Terri, I’m very happy you and Jim are working together through options to keep living life. The future will not look like the past for us either but there’s plenty of life to be lived! Terry, I’m happy you are getting help! We too are finding the pollen load noticeable. Vanessa, I hope your healing progresses and you and BFF can get the help you need. Paul, thank you expanding on the Holocaust and Heroes Day. We must remember! I’m starting to look at travel options for September for my birthday trip. DH woukd like to go to Ireland. Seems within reach. I was thinking more of a regional road trip- Cape Cod, Niagara Falls, Acadia NP…. it’s a good distraction! Loved yesterday’s pix of Maine! Today’s drink is a sweet one, I’m sure I’d enjoy it! No solid food for me today! I doubt we’ll get to Japan but it’s interesting to read about others’ visits. How ‘bout those Bruins! A 5-1 opener, on the road! (DH was born in Boston so we’ll gladly cheer them on! And the Rangers for me, once a New Yorker always a New Yorker!) Blessings sent for all of you especially our Care list folks. For my country, your country and those caught in wars! Cheers to those celebrating Life🌈. And to our many cruising friends, thanks for the travel reports! May we and our loved ones all be safe and well. Maureen

Oh Vanessa! A tib-fib break is not good news but eventually it should be just fine! It’s the getting from here to there that’ll take a lot of adjustments. Hoping more damage is avoided until it’s really stabilized. Zero weight! Maybe a knee scooter in BFF’s future? And please don’t be tempted to overdo your restrictions! You can call 911 for EMS support if needed. EMS are there for non-life-threatening situations too. Dispatchers triage the calls so it’s not like someone’s going to die while EMTs are elsewhere, they’ll get redirected if needed.

Sandi, thank you for your kind thoughts. There isn’t anyplace I’d rather be than here ti support him through all this. Back from eye doctor. Eye is better, less inflammation. Come back next week, probably open second(last) suture…. He’ll communicate with surgeon in Maryland, she might want to move sooner. We’re not eager to move ahead with that but they know more than we do. Off to dinner… last prior to Wednesday’s procedure. I help DH, he helps me! Very grateful! One day at a time.

+me! Grahams sea fog reach us in New Jersey but we’ll make it to eye doctor. Helped DH with shampooing. Slow getting my act together. Had a long sleep, longer than in months! Still feel groggy. Blessings sent to all the Dailyites, our country, your country and the saddest in tge world. Another alarm going off, almost hourly. But we’re hanging in and hoping for good observations from eye doc today! m—

Rainy and foggy here. It’s been a good day to just keep up with the almost-hourly eye regime, and get a few little things done. So far so good, the eye pressure does drop with the “massages” but it goes back up 🤷🏼‍♀️. Tomorrow afternoon we go to eye doctor to get it checked. Hoping he can see some improvement- I guess that would be less inflammation and some flow through the new flap, that it’s not sealed again. 🤞 I’m adjusting my meals to conform with restrictions for colonoscopy Wednesday. I really enjoyed the Cinco de Mayo specials in the dining room tonight (some I brought home to enjoy after the procedure). I miss the New Mexican cuisine being readily available even though we seldom ate out. Our dining room chefs here do a nice job changing things up and having special menus for celebration days. Plus special occasion drinks! I had a Pina Colada, DH a strawberry margarita! A bit of fun! Welcome home Jacqui. I hope tomorrow you’ll feel better in many ways! Congrats to Morgan and family! Very happy that Sandi and family could make the trip to honor the events. 👩‍🎓 Terry, good you have help, I hope it continues, I’m sure you do too! Annie, hoping for a breakthrough! More than one. Vanessa, any location that’s pain-free has got to feel heavenly! Terri, I hope the support group offers you some practical ideas that will bring your stress level down. Bruce, I’m looking forward to the safari 🦓🦁🐆 I love hearing about all the happenings, the reactions to the sports events (we have hockey on now, Elizabeth’s Stars are ahead!) The port links and cruise pix are beautiful, the recipes mouth-watering and the quote confusing… or maybe it’s just me, I’m not at my best. Blessings to all sharing the journey. Thanks for being here! Maureen.

I most definitely salute Firefighters 👩‍🚒 having been one. All firefighting is dangerous both imminently and long-term with high latent occurrences of cancers. Structure and vehicle fires produce copious carcinogens; wildfires produce ultra fine particulate that lingers for days and weeks. Wildland Firefighting is grueling work, usually paid at minimum wages and seasonal therefore without benefits. Most firefighters are rotated onto a fire for 2-3 weeks working 8-16-hr “operational periods” usually wearing heavy gear packs. I entered the fire service as a local volunteer in my late 40s. 70-75% of firefighters in the US are volunteers (mostly rural America). We were “Initial Attack” in our district until federal, state or county crews could muster and be deployed which could take several hours. Often we were not released until several hour after their arrival. Usually I quickly relegated myself to less intense activities than “cutting fire line” such as running pumps, driving/shuttling/filling water trucks, laying hose-lines, then later assignments for crew accountability, communications, weather tracking, and acquisition and distribution of water and meals. I hold my NM fire family close and communicate with Chief frequently; today is their required annual wildland firefighting refresher class including practicing deploying a fire shelter to hopefully save your life if caught in a burn-over. Tomorrow much of NM will be in Red Flag and Fire Weather Watch conditions with warm temps and dry winds. It never gets easier, and fires are becoming much more intense than when I began in 2002. 🙏 I’m very grateful for all your support during our tough days! And as we keep putting one foot in front of the other. Thank you ALL! DH is continuing the Plan B regime and we’re not giving up! Check with eye doc Monday afternoon. Blessings for all in need! Grateful for the encouraging reports! Praying for Amazing! Cheers to all celebrating and cruising! Maureen

@ger_77 Amazing! Such great news! @marshhawk Glad your boss is on your side. And we know you are doing everything you can to help Chuck! One day at a time is Everything! We managed through today pretty well. Plan B regime seems to be helping. The eye pressure does come down with the “massages” 4x a da. So it seems like the flap is flowing like it should be at least some of the time, keeping hope alive! I took a nap today and felt much better. And we used a second window between treatments to do a grocery run! I’m looking forward to fresh strawberries tomorrow! @dfish great that you have relief in sight! Thanks for the trilliums, they didn’t grow where I was. Lenda, Elizabeth, I hope you’re not flooded! Vanessa, it’s so heartwarming to read that you have no leg pain or tingling! Amazing 🙏 Sandi, glad you’re there, have a grand time together. Paul, I like your B&B! Hope the zoom was interesting. Bruce, Love those sea days! May everyone get a good sleep or a g’day for our friends afar. Maureen

@ger_77 It’s uplifting to hear about your impromptu trip to see CC friends! Life is Good!🌈

Sandi, many thank for the Daily FR and wonderful spotlight on Montevideo. Smooth travels and fun times celebrating! 👩‍🎓🎉 I had a pleasant day in Montevideo in early 2013 on our repositioning of Carnival Splendor before the new larger Panama Canal locks. I thought it was a striking mix of old and new and many of your pictures seemed familiar. I bought some jewelry pendants from one of those vendors in the park in one of your photos. Some people on our ship were getting info from our tour guide so they could come back and stay, it’s seemed a great place to visit, not crowded, lots to do, easy to explore. They told us the name came from the early cartographers identifying the location as the fifth (Roman numeral V) mountain (Mont) from where the coast was first visible. I was drained last night and only slept till 5:43. We’ll see what the day brings. Annie and Chuck, we’re here with you! Would you consider a visit to MDAnderson in Houston or maybe Mayo in Jacksonville? Or a Cancer Centers of America? A place that can deal with evaluating and addressing multiple situations together. We found MDAnderson well equipped to set up team evaluations, consults and integrated treatment plans. They were such a caring environment! They were great at getting records, images, test results. I was very impressed. Our first visit we stayed in a Comfort Inn for a week or so… had consults, tests, scans, used their multiple libraries. For our long visit for treatment we rented a trailer in a trailer park. Worked great! My life journey has taught me that when what we’re doing isn’t working, we have to do something different. Prayers for direction for a new path! Gerry, I’m so happy you have dates beginning to firm up. 🤞I’m sure they can’t come soon enough. You are inspiring me the way you keep so level. Blessings to all our Care list in need of healing, comfort or hope! So many of us! All in my heart and prayers. Cheers to all celebrating 🎉 milestones! Life is Good 🌈 Smooth travels to all away and our many cruising friends. DH is still asleep, the best healing! I’m bracing for a new day. Thank you all for being here! Maureen

Still catching up. It was a better day today. No blurry vision periods for DH; the pressure goes down with the “massagers” as it’s supposed to, showing that they do push fluid through the new flap, so the flap isn’t sealed! That’s Good! But pressures are up by 4 hrs later when we do the next set. Drops every 2 hrs. We’re staying hopeful! I’m still drained. Brother from NC made it home today, 10 hrs. Tomorrow I’ll get groceries, late but we’ve managed. Prayers for Maurice’s schedule to firm up! For Amber and family. For Sandi and family. For Paul’s reservations, nerve-wracking! Bruno. Jacqui. Terry and Tana, Terri and Jim, and not forgetting Annie and Chuck! For @Gsel and the horrific storm damage and tragic losses. For a good sleep, or a g’day for friends afar. Thank you all for being here. One day at a time is quite enough! m— It’d be grand to see Juneau again!

Rabbit rabbit white rabbit Grateful for every day. And everyone here. Blessings to all, hugs to Jacqui. Maureen

It was a very very long day. DH’s eye is not on track. We’re trying to follow the suggested regime but the pressure was too low for awhile today, vision got blurry, pressure too low to measure with home tonometer which means below 5. That was right after pressure message. Oiy. We were in the car, between funeral home time finishing up and start of the church service that I had a reading to do at, so I had to leave DH to try to recover. Very stressful. I got through the service, my reading… He did better after awhile. We did the steroid drops roughly every two hours. Haven’t done more pressure massages yet but must before bedtime to keep moving fluid through the new drainage incision to try to keep it from sealing. Nerve wracking. Trying to strike a balance. That’s all we can do is try. It was good to be with family today for funeral, I’m just so very sad for my brother, his daughter, my dwindling family. Their 50th anniversary would have been May 4th. Mother’s Day coming. Both too soon for them. I am so grateful! I help DH, he helps me! Especially through tough days. Many many thanks to you all for your support, for walking alongside me. 💙 @atexsix Hugs Bruno. Lotta good people here, all on your side! Hugs Annie, Gerry, Terry…. sometimes a day at a time just seems too big a chunk. Sometimes we just have to. Like my day today. m—

Good early morning. New day! Breathing in hope. Breathing out gratitude. Finished the morning regime. Pressure somewhat lower, very good! Onward. Thank you all! Blessing all! Maureen