Another day just like the day before but with a lot of lower back pain.  I think maybe I’ve sat in this chair to long!  Things will change tomorrow cause it is going to get hectic.  They will put my picc line in tomorrow at Hospital Puebla and I have to be there at 8am.  I will try to post at some point that night.

Don’t know what I have done to my phone but Mom and Dad haven’t been able to call me, it goes straight to voice mail and it costs me a $1.00/minute to call them and/or check my voicemail.  Screwed either way but I can call them and if I have too, I will pay the cost. Got to have my daily parent fix! We are going to try Skyping tomorrow and see if that works. We shall see!

My readings for today were a little high and am hoping it is because of the back pain!

7:30 am blood pressure 145/80 temp 36.5C

8:00 pm blood pressure 158/78 temp 36.4C

Closing for tonight and wish me luck and keep me in your prayers because the next 3 days will be tough!

Another day has come and almost gone!  I bragged too soon about nausea, but then it could be Chriss’ cooking. Not really, that’s a joke.  I think I need to avoid the spicy food tho.  I know some of the patients have gone sightseeing today but I have decided to stay in and keep my strength for the treatment and recouping.  Also, I don’t want Chriss to have to push me around.

The nurse was here this morning at 8:30am and my readings were blood pressure  126/73 and temp  36.6C.

They were back again at 7:30pm and my readings were blood pressure 129/71 and temp  36.3C.

I can tell I was given steroids in the chemo cause I ballooned up more than what I was. Oh well, got to lose some weight when I get back!

All looking good so far. Watching TV as long as I can understand it.

Good night!

Today started bright and early at 7:40am getting on the bus to travel to the clinic. (Mom you will be happy to know I have been eating a slice of toast every morning!) Hooked up to the last chemo drip and now back at apartment resting.

Tomorrow starts the filgrastim (mobilizer) shot to make me produce more stem cells than normal.  The nurse will be here every 12 hours, oh boy!

I don’t have to have the i.v. left in the arm, I got it out today. I can rest better with it out but still have to drink lots of water so many trips to bathroom speaking of which gotta go!(Shadow that reference is for you I miss my little fur baby!!) I’m back!!

Shadow hasn’t missed me according to Mom and Dad but I sure have him!  He got loose not too soon after getting to their house slipped right thru Dad’s legs. My baby might be growing up cause he didn’t run away! Dad let him out again the next day and he stayed in the yard. He was sure unhappy the next day cause Dad worked at my house and he didn’t get to get out of his pen.

One of the girls in the group, Jamie,  is having a birthday tomorrow and we plan on meeting by the pool to help her celebrate!

Miss everyone back home!

This is the original Dr. Ruiz that founded the clinic in 1950. He is 92 years of age and comes to the clinic daily.

Ignore the fingers, he moved way too fast for me to get a good picture. We all said we wished we could move that fast!!

Until later my friends.

We started this morning at 9:40am being picked up by the van in front of the apartment. Got to the clinic and went over my medical records from the states. I then met with Dr. Ruiz, head hematologist, to go over the tests that were done Monday.  Everything was okay but my blood pressure (140/70), cholesterol (212), and blood sugar (112) was a little high. Lungs and breathing were great and so was my  I had guessed my disability on the EDSS chart was a 6.5 to 7 and I got that pretty darn close, they rated me a 6.5. So glad because 7.0 was the cut off for Mexico.

We started our chemo drip at 1:30 and got to head back to apartments at 6:40.  I wish I had known that they were going to leave the needle in my vein or I would have requested it in my right arm since I do everything with my left besides write. Oh well, live and learn. No shower in qthe morning!

Tomorrow will be my last trip to the clinic for a stronger dose of chemotherapy. Thursday they will come to the apartment to give me a shot every 12 hours (I think) for me to start producing an abundance of stem cells. It then starts again on Monday.

I have had to drink 2 liters of water and 625ml of electrolytes.  No sleeping tonight and I got my diaper on!  I just hope I don’t get nauseous or a headache.

If I get to graphic about things, skip those parts because this is my diary of events to have for many moons from now.

I am so proud to be in Group 1, everyone is so nice andhelpful. Uta (spelling) is our group leader.

Until I write again, I am signing off to finish my drinkin’!

Today is complete! The 5 in our group along with our caregivers headed off to the clinic for a meet and greet, blood draws, urine samples, and breathing tests. Nothing much different from the states but I think they might be vampires cause I have never had this much blood drawn. We all got finished and got to go get something to eat.

I ordered a crossiant sandwich and then saw a picture of crepes and thought I would like those so much better! NOT!!  Chriss got my order changed and when it came out I was so disappointed, it was swimming in apples and juice. Didn’t look anything like the picture. Chriss was so nice that he let me have half his sandwich and it was much better. Finished eatting and back to the clinic!  Not fun crossing 6 lanes of traffic down here while being pushed in a wheelchair! I survived tho.

Back at the clinic we had to have chest x-rays and of course my name was the first called and we weren’t there yet so we got moved to the bottom of the list!

Called in and had to stand for the x-ray. As  I said last night it is great having a caregiver that has done this, speaks the language and knows everyone but…. When the tech tells you to take a deep breath and hold it and the two of them starts talking that ain’t good!  I finally told them to not forget about me!  We all laughed and all was good!  Who know they could have been telling something about the test.

All done back to the apartment to rest until we had to be back to see the neurologist, cardiologist, and have an EKG.  I have never had pain with an EKG before. They used suction cups instead of sticky pads, so I don’t have to worry about finding a straggler! I have never had clips placed on my wrists or ankles either.  I thought I was a car battery needing a jump!

Back in the van to come back to the apartment during rush hour traffic and a construction zone.  It’s been 35 years since I have been down here and driving hasn’t changed, it will still scare you to death! Stop signs are ignored along with other car horns. Back at the apartment safe and sound!

Our day starts tomorrow at 9:40am curbside for the trip to home away from home away from home home!  We get to have our first day of 5 hours of chemotherapy while drinking 3 liters of water. I will wear the floor wheeling back and forth to the bathroom! It will be tag team city.

Paula and Marty came by in between trips and visited for awhile.  Took my Walmart list and picked me up a few things cause no trip tomorrow. don’t know what I would do without those two!  Told them they might have to fly back down here to help me back home, especially if it turns out to be anything like the trip down!

So good night to all and will post tomorrow!