Colonoscopy Days

Sunday Mike & I slept in until 12:50 pm. Yes Folks- you are reading that correctly. I planned to sleep in as late a possible because I knew I couldn't eat or drink until Monday afternoon...and hadn't had even a sip of water since midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning.

I'd like to give you the reasons that Mike chose to sleep until nearly 1pm, but...well...your guess is as good as mine. :) He was trying to be a devoted husband..yep, that sounds pretty good!! We'll go with that!!
After we got up, I suggested that after my dose of dulcolax at 1pm, we make a beeline for the water & ice store to pick me up a shaved ice. For the colonoscopy prep, only clear liquids (basically not red, purple or blue) can be consumed for the entire day prior. Shaved ices and lemonades are what help me through...giving me enough calories to sustain life.
 
We got our shaved ices (1/2 ice cream flavor & 1/2 dreamcicle flavor) & headed to the post office to grab our two Netflix movies that had been awaiting us all week. We got there & couldn't get the box open. We are assuming that some of our mail was blocking the mechanism, but who knows. And of course we haven't been back to check...(note to self: go to the post office & get your mail...sheesh!!)

We made it home just in time to start the 3 o'clock regimen of 64 oz of Gatorade mixed with 8.3 oz of Miralax...not all at once of course...8 oz at a time until finished.

Let me start by saying that whoever deemed Miralax "tasteless" was either paid to say it or just plain lying. By the end of my first 8 oz I was nauseous. Ugh.

The other 3 or 4 colonoscopies I've had the pleasure of prepping for I used the Fleet Phospho-soda for the prep. If I remember correctly, it took about 3 or 4 tablespoons...starting much later in the evening...and continuing until the last tablespoon is taken in the wee hours of the morning.

The effect is the same (trust me), and the taste is AWFUL either way. The one benefit to the "new" awful cleansing regimen is this: you start earlier in the day...which makes you nauseous earlier and makes other "stuff" happen sooner...all of which does NOT make you WANT to eat ANYTHING!!

Fast Forward: Mike & I again slept as late as possible...which luckily for us is our favorite past time. We woke up about 10am...showered & headed to the the fun finale. I wore my BLUE shirt that we wore the day of Kim's volleyball fundraiser...I thought it was appropriate for the event.
This was Mike's first experience taking me or having any part in colonoscopies...welcome to the Rodgers Family!!

They took me back to get my IV in & to have me change, blood pressure yada, yada, yada...oh yeah- and a pregnancy test...which of course/obviously was negative. Awesome. They let Mike come back to sit with me for a few minutes until it was my turn. He took this picture for the blog...When the nurse asked, Mike told her it was for our blog & I chimed in that we're working on being advocates for colon cancer awarenes...both true statements.

They wheeled me back and I met with Dr. Amin & then after a few minutes, Julie (his nurse) began pushing verset & fentanyl through my IV...I got very sleepy...VERY sleepy!! The next thing I remember (luckily for me) is Mike waking me up...and walking me to the car. I was OUT of it...I don't remember anything after getting into the car until Mike woke me up about 6pm...telling me I needed to drink something & eat something...

I'm pretty sure I fell back to sleep thinking, "WHATEVER!! Leave me ALONE!! I'm SLEEPING and it's GOOD!!" I can't remember for sure...

Mike ordered us Carrabba's (it's always a good idea to have the first meal planned BEFORE the drugs are pushed...that way you're sure to get what you want...or at least what you think you want when your brain isn't working!!)...and left to pick it up. I got to sleep more until the food and my babysitter/husband arrived. The Carrabba's was delicious & hit the spot...especially the dessert!!

Mike was a great care giver...I guess he's hired to do this task every other year for the rest of my life... :)

Sockless in Seattle...Uh...I mean Chandler

Mike freezes me out at night, so I sleep in socks to keep my toes warm. I woke up this morning with only one sock...how does this happen?? I found the other sock on the other side of the room...how does THAT happen..??

Top 10 List (the opposite)

Top 10 List of Reasons I'm Sad to Leave Chandler

10. not being able to share Costco food with Pretty Carol

9. moving away from the best (& prettiest) running partner EVER

8. not being only 1.5 miles from Pretty Carol

7. because I've loved not being "Bishop Rodgers' " daughter or Kyle's widow...it was nice to finally be just ME...away from everyone that knew that me.

6. who will I split meals with?

5. because I won't find little gifts in the garage

4. because I wanted to live close to Pretty Carol my entire life...seriously some of the best years of my life

3. because I love this house I built all by myself...

2. because it sucks to leave

1. leaving my BCE (best cousin ever), knowing we'll never live this close again.

You Know it's Freakin' Hot When:

I picked up my city truck from the shop today...they had parked it out front facing west...and did not put up my sunshade. The steering wheel was shiny and "wet"...I think it was melting. Good thing I found this paper towel on my seat...first time in 29 years of living in Arizona (14+ of them driving [OMG that's A LOT]) I've ever had to use a barrier between my hand and the steering wheel.

Busy Weekend

This weekend (okay & the past several weekends) flew by with fun stuff planned for nearly all of it. Saturday started with laundry & getting a few things taken care of...including making several returns and dropping the 4Runner off at the dealership for a new battery.

After all of the crap nobody talks about when you are 15 wishing you were 25 was taken care of, Mike & I headed to our soon to be neighbor's house to meet Madison. One of my closest friends, Rebecca and her husband Cody had a get together for all of their family and friends to meet the newest addition to their family. We arrived near the end of the party, and Rebecca quickly scooped up Madie from whomever was holding her and brought her to me. If I wasn't baby hungry before, I am now.

Madie is perfect!! She was born 20 days ago (17 on Sat) weighing in at 6 lbs 9 oz...the perfect size. She has tons of dark hair (way darker than her sister Tatum's hair was), but has a beautiful face. I wanted to run out the front door with her, but seeing as how I've known her since I was 12...and I love her parents to death...I thought I might get hunted down.


We stayed longer than we should have talking with Rebecca & Cody and before we realized it, we were REALLY late for my dad's birthday party!! Luckily, Rebecca lives less than a mile from our new house, so we were also pretty close to my dad's.

We arrived in time for Mike to eat enchiladas and to have cake & homemade ice cream. We were also lucky enough to be in time for the first "Family Meeting" to discuss details ref: our Christmas at the Cabin planned for the 2009 holidays.

On Sunday, I got to sit with Kim at the hospital while her family held Kyrsten's 6th birthday party. Kim had a so-so day, but was worn out by the afternoon. I was able to wash her hair, help her get her face washed, teeth brushed, etc. before she laid down to take a nap. (The picture is Kim finishing her 1/2 of our grilled cheese sandwich...she promised she would finish her 1/2...and she did!!)

There are times when I look at Kim I see so much of my mother when she was in the same position. Kim cut her hair short when she first started chemo in November 08. When her hair started falling out, she decided it would be easier to lose short hair...her hair has thinned, but not completely fallen out.

With the short brown hair, the color of her skin and her breathing pattern while she sleeps, she reminds me so much of my mom. Even her determination to fight and to continue to raise her children reminds me of my own mother. I miss my mom so much, but am so thankful she protected me from the majority of her suffering. I have learned so much about colon cancer since Kim was diagnosed. I have also seen the suffering I know my mom also suffered, but seeing it at 29 is a lot different than seeing it at 15.

After the hospital, Mike and I had dinner at Olive Garden with Mike's parents...and then headed to Baskin Robins to try their new version of the Blizzard, the 31 Below. We learned two things last night: 1. Olive Garden's never ending pasta didn't start until today and 2. We all like the Blizzard better.

On Monday...it was my Monday off, so Mike & I spent most of the day in bed. That sounds worse than it should- we were in bed SLEEPING. It was nice to get some extra sleep and not have anywhere to be. After we drug ourselves out of bed, we picked up the 4Runner, ran a few errands, and then cooked dinner together. After dinner, we did our normal Monday night ritual- sit on the couch & watch "The Closer" and "Raising the Bar".

Hopefully in a handful of Monday's we will be sitting on the same couch in our new house...keep your fingers crossed that everything works out in our favor (including renting or selling the house we currently live in).

Fundraiser @ Athena

This is one of three fundraisers that will be put on in Kim's name over the next few weeks...to try to help the Miller family. Check back here or check Kim's blog (www.kimfightscancer.blogspot.com) for updates & further info.

August 10th.

Nine years ago August 10th became a day I would never forget.

As we all have learned, life never stand still and whether or not we want it to life keeps moving forward.

Like every year, today I made plans to have lunch with my Prettiest Sister & her boys...Carlys came too...unfortunately "lunch" was at McDonald's this year. I got to Richelle's late and yada, yada, yada we ended up at McDonald's.

One of the "yada's" was the 4 o'clock birthday party I attended this afternoon. Kim's baby girl, Kyrsten (aka Kiki), turned six today. I was in charge of bringing the cake.

We had a small party in the "family room" at the Cancer Center. Kiki had fun opening a few gifts, blowing out candles and playing with her new pink Nintendo DS (when she could get it away from her brother Dylan).

Kiki's actual birthdya party will take place this Sunday at home...I'm glad I got to attend this smaller party...plus on Sunday I get to spend time with Kim instead of spending time with screaming six year olds!!

Decoupage Donations

On Saturday the Alumni from the GCC volleyball team 1998-1999 & 1999-2000 put together a benefit for Kim's family. I wanted to help out, but didn't think having part in teaching anyone how to play volleyball was a good idea...for anyone. I was asked to help at the sign in table and was asked to bring a box to collect any donations.

I decided I wanted to make the box...well, not MAKE the actual box, but make the box. I am not exactly a crafter, and I've rarely (if ever) made something anyone would want to hold on to...

I decided to teach myself how to decoupage, so last week I drug Mike to Michael's (the craft store) to pick a few things up that I would need to complete my project...about 2 hours later (it was a lot harder to figure out what I needed than I thought) we checked out & headed to Coldstone. After a much needed ice cream break...we headed home.

Royal Blue is the color designated to signify colon cancer. So, I painted the box blue and went from there...what I came up with made me really happy. The amount it collected made me even happier.

The Thoughts I Have When I Can't Sleep

We have had a good weekend so far, but I have tomorrow (actually today) off so we get one more day to get it together before heading back to work.

Saturday we spent the day running errands (dry cleaner, bank, post office, Sam's Club, grocery store, etc), doing laundry, getting the bills paid & working on the house cleaning. Mike ran errands with me and then settled in on the couch until he started dinner. By dinner time, I was exhausted...and ready to call it a night.

Mike ran to Sonic to get me a lemon-berry slush (thx Babe!!) & then to Blockbuster to pick up a movie. We have & pay for Netflix, but have had the same movies that have needed to be returned for over a month. Lame, I know.

I'm not sure where the hours and the days go...they seem to move so quickly I can't keep up.


Anywho...we spent Saturday night sipping Sonic beverages and watching "7 pounds". It was a good movie...one that makes you think...one that makes me not a fan of jelly fish. Yikes!!

On Sunday I woke up and headed downstairs to finish balancing our accounts...I have been a small amount off for about a month and finally found the time to find my error. I feel much better.

Mike mowed the lawn...and found the turtles. They escaped the pond area and burrowed themselves under the over-grown ficus tree in the backyard. I don't blame them...it's hotter than crap outside!!

After that, we got cleaned up and headed to see Kim. I don't usually ask Mike to come with me...for two reasons: 1) I don't want to be on a time schedule 2) I don't want to be responsible for his boredom when I don't want to leave. I really enjoy getting to pay all my attention to Kim when I am able to be there with her.

Kim had a great day today!! When we walked in Kim had just finished showering and putting make-up on...she looked fabulous!! I couldn't believe it!! On Friday when I left the hospital, her pain was not under control and she has looked better. My updates on Saturday were that she was having a good day and her pain was much more controlled. Today was even better!! She is simply amazing. Her attitude is super positive and her sense of humor is still present.



I was lying in bed thinking about Kim the other night (well, every night) and I thought to myself- I met Kim my sophomore year of high school in 3rd hour photography class...we sat across from each other. That year, her Uncle Mike died and Kim was out of school for some time dealing with that tragedy. When she came back to school, we began to bond. My mom was dying of colon cancer, so we had "tragedy" in common...I think that's how it all started...that was a long time ago, so I hope my time line is correct.

We didn't stay too close after HS, but talked enough to keep current. We lost touch after Kyle died because I shut just about everyone out of my life. I guess shutting down & not answering the door was my way of figuring out how to deal with his loss. I'm still not the same socially I was before the accident. Maybe it's the anxiety issues that came about during all of that..?? I'm sure anxiety meds are supposed to be on my to-do list, but maybe after we solve the "how do you get pregnant" mystery..??

Anywho, Kim and I reconnected a couple of years ago when I was talked in to starting a "myspace" page. We began talking more and more leading up to our 10 year HS reunion...and spoke for hours on the phone about life- then and now. It felt like we never stopped talking. About 2 weeks later she was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. That was one of the worst phone calls I have ever received.

I just thought it was ironic that we became friends as my mother suffered from this awful disease and were reunited as she learned she is suffering from the same disease...same diagnosis.
That's all...just thoughts of an over tired, rambling woman (I want very badly to say GIRL instead of WOMAN, but I am sitting here thinking GIRL doesn't exactly fit any more...sad) that can't sleep...again.

Back to Sunday...

We had hoped to get over to our soon-to-be neighborhood to see our friends Rebecca & Cody. She had a new baby girl on Wednesday!! I have been trying to meet the newest Miss Madison for the past 5 days...unsuccessfully. I have been carrying around my gift bag with her gift and another one for her older sister Tatum just in case the timing works out...ugh. Hopefully this coming week I will be able to meet her!! (Rebecca & I have been friends since we were 12 or 13. The only friend I've known longer is Rachel...and we've known each other long enough to remember our Barbie dolls having their own rock concerts on Sunday afternoons!!)

Our one other item on the to-do list for today was to try and have dinner with Mike's parents. We used to have dinner more often (or so it seems), but again- where do the hours and days go!? It was nice catching up with them...unfortunately for me, Mike veto'd Carrabba's and we ended up at Claim Jumper. Oh well...we have Carrabba's every other time we have dinner with his parents...so I guess once can't hurt!! :)

After dinner we made the drive southeast and talked about our ideas and plans for the new house the entire way. We are so excited to be done driving.

I guess this makes me old, but it was a great weekend...boring and full of chores, but one of the best in memory.

Our House

I thought an appropriate start to our new blog would be OUR biggest announcement to date. Last August (the 16th to be exact) Mike proposed and we set the date for OUR big day. OUR big day was spectacular and after an amazing 10 day trip to Hawaii we moved Mike to Chandler and started OUR married life together. In March we began hoping to start OUR family...and in July (and every other month in between) we are still trying to figure all that out. We also started looking to buy OUR house in March...and in July we finally figured that one out.

After months of searching, waiting & being frustrated we finally found the perfect place to call OURS. Funny enough, it's the same house we first fell in love with...just a different address.

We move into OUR house the in mid-September. Hopefully we'll have other news by then, but we'll see.