Good Saturday to you from the Dahlen house where we are enjoying chilly weather, although we may reach 70 by Monday. The squirrels and birds are busy outside and so is my hubby as he works on yet another yard project to add borders and rock to an area on the south side of the house.
Speaking of projects, this is what he does when something is weighing on him. Instead of worrying or stewing, he prays, and then does something physical and within his control. Not a bad way to deal with stress. It will look really nice when he is done adding the rock under our Linden tree that drains all the water and nutrients out of the soil. In some ways stress is like that Linden tree........it drains us of our nutrients and energy, bringing drought to our souls!
Speaking of stress, the issues with word retrieval and losing train of thought, or brain fog have continued. My anxiety over it just made it worse, that whole vicious circle thing. The anxiety became a real problem for me when the Oncology PA was so intense about me getting an MRI of my brain. She is a bit of an alarmist which does not help me at all. Long story short, after sleepless nights and a long wait for an MRI, I had the test Thursday and the results were normal. Normal. Nothing found. Such a relief. Ruling things out will probably be something I will need to get used to. Now I need to get my body to realize that all is well........
Speaking of well, it is not quite well since the cognitive issues continue. The good news is after being off the Arimidex 3 weeks I noticed my word retrieval was a bit better this week. Not gone but BETTER. We are still not sure it is from that or anxiety and stress ( the dr. is not sure) so I will try the Arimidex again just to see what happens. I have done a great deal of research finding study results and message boards that speak to Arimidex and cognitive issues. I need a hormonal treatment to starve any cancer cells, it is an important tool so the journey is not quite over yet. Like I said, the good news is there was no cancer or stroke found in the brain. And my exam revealed nothing new on the chest wall or in the bloodwork. Grateful.
Speaking of grateful, before going to my scheduled appointment with the Oncology PA I prayed that God would guide her and help her be open to what i had to say. She has a tendency to brush over and minimize my words.....at least that is how it feels. I sat in the early morning and visualized Jesus coming in the exam room with me and Joel and standing between us as we talked to the doctor, but as I did so I saw Jesus walk away from Joel and me and go and stand behind the PA with His hand on her shoulder. I realized that He was telling me He was answering my prayer............and He did just that. She listened. She even agreed and was open to our thoughts on it. Jesus was "in the room". I decided recently to try taking melatonin to help me sleep longer at night. The first time I took it, I was groggy until noon the next day. I then decided to cut the dose in half and took it at 3am.....staying groggy until 1 the next afternoon! I don't think it is for me! So my friend Lana told me she drinks Tart Pure Cherry Juice before bed and it is supposed to help you relax to sleep. I researched it some and sure enough the studies show it helps some people to sleep longer due to the melatonin it produces.....I tried it for four nights. First two nights I slept 8 hrs but next two only 7 and 5 hours. The verdict is out, but I will try it again since it does help relax me. Interesting.....look into it if you have trouble sleeping!
Last week I asked Joel to get me an "old fashioned sponge mop" so I could wash the kitchen and dining room floors. Joel really does not like to do floors and our Roomba Nora can clean them, but not wash them! Ha......So he brought home an old-fashioned-easy-to-manage sponge mop and I spent this week washing floors. I like making things clean and it is good exercise.
Death In Paradise has a new season available on Britbox. It has been a nice distraction along with Maine Cabin Masters, Finding Your Roots on PBS, and a new series called Atlantic Crossing. And I confess, we watch American Idol. Seriously. We try to stay on the straight and narrow but once in a while we digress and we get hooked on a show......thus American Idol! Haha When visiting our north country family, we watched the musical Hamilton on Disney +. We were not expecting it to move so fast and unfortunately did not know the history of it very well, so after we watched it (with an intermission for a nap) I decided that "Yes, we are getting older!" It was not our favorite. What have you been watching?
So, this week we have much to be grateful for........a clear brain MRI, a better functioning mind, Jesus being "in the room", distracting TV, an old-fashioned sponge mop, clean floors, a hard working hubby who loves his projects and me...., for getting older (beats the alternative), for the love and prayers and support of family and friends, for cherry juice, and so much more!
Time to end this Scribbles which seems to be all about me........and my health..........again...........
Enjoy your weekend...
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