HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

Hi Friends!

After blogging earlier today and letting you know I'm still alive and kicking -- we did our homeschooling and household chores. I picked up Cameron an hour earlier than usual from school at 2:15 rather than 3:15. Instead of late day in the morning today, they got out an hour earlier than usual due to Sophmore testing. I met him at Spudnuts, and we had a couple donuts together on the way home!

When I got back home with Cameron, we tied up a few loose ends on our homeschooling day. Then since I'm finally starting to feel semi-human again, I offered a trip to the park. Only Nate wanted to go -- so the two of us were off. Him on his skateboard...Me walking...We went to the fountain path and got some exercise there.

We stayed from 3-4 p.m. and it was nice to get outside again. However, it was very hot today -- 84 degrees in Oxnard at this time of the year is quite unusual! At least we get a nice ocean breeze, though! That's important as there is no air conditioning in our townhouse! I don't think we'll be here too long, though as our intentions are to buy soon!

At 4 p.m. Bill came home and took over on kid detail, so that I could go to the pharmacy and then Dr. Cohen's office in Thousand Oaks. My first stop was the pharmacy in T.O. where I get all my pain meds filled. You have to use the same pharmacy when working with a pain management doctor. So, Dr. Lin (pain management) wants me to start on Nucynta as a possible replacement for Dilaudid. But they had to order the drug. Today I stopped by to pick it up, and we'll see if it works for me.

Then off to Dr. Cohen's where we reminisced over the past 2 years of my lupus roller-coaster ride. He just got back from a Lupus Conference in New York and had talked with many people about my case. After examining me -- he and I are both pretty sure the CellCept is not helping, I'm up to the maximum dose of it at 3000mg a day. I will keep going like that for another month or so. At that point, we will probably go back to Rituxan or another chemo treatment if the lupus smptoms have still not subsided. So, he only needs blood from me one more time- next week. Then we are going to remove my PICC line. When they need access for chemo, they will put in a port, which should be easier to live with! I got the "OK but be careful!" in regards to my trip to Vegas.

I got home just as Bill was coming home from taking Nate, Molly, and Isaac to church activities at Gold Coast Christian Church. Bill and I talked for a bit, and then I helped Cameron with a history timeline (on posterboard) that he was doing for homework.

Soon enough, Bill went back to pick up the kids and they all had fun. Isaac was very enthusiastic about his first Wednesday night in "Discovery Zone." It's nice to see him making friends and interacting with kids of his own age.

I finished my audio book, Little Bee, by Chris Clave tonight. It was a really good book and I enjoyed it a lot. My only problem with audio books is that they tend to put me to sleep, and then I have a hard time figuring out where I left off the last time, because when you fall asleep the CDs just keep going and going. But the other two books I have checked out from the library are in book form -- so I won't put myself to sleep as much with those.

More tomorrow...Bill is taking the day off to go riding with his friends. He deserves some time to himself, so that he can maintain his sanity...now let's just hope I stay sane without him here tomorrow!

Much Love,
Michele