Update

On behalf of Gail’s family and friends, we would like to thank you for your continued support of Gail through her battle with advanced stage 4 breast cancer for over a year. Gail passed away on Monday, October 12, 2009 in Akron, OH. Her funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 31st in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands at Bethel Baptist Church. The viewing will be at 9am and the service begins at 10am.

The family and friends will make every effort to include your tributes in the program.

God Bless,

Gail's Family & Friends

Dell is the Devil...in case you forgot

I have said this before but I wanted to reiterate that Dell is the devil!! Why do I have about 4 dells with maybe 2 are operable?? So the first dell's LCD display decided to stop working...of course one month after the warranty expired...coincidence? I don't think so! Its a plot!! And the cost to repair that is the cost for another computer!! So far the desktop seems to be maintaining. The next laptop decides to shut down whenever it feels the need too. Doesn't matter if you are in the middle of work or sending an email or doing anything of importance because when that computer feels like shutting down it will. And then you put it back on as if nothing happened. I mean do you know how paranoid you get in pressing that save button? And then the LCD display just decides to loose some screws and refuse to close. Dell why must you be like this? Where is your quality? Am I going to have to start my savings account now and hold out for...dare I say it...a MAC? I am so tired of Dells acting up. Roarrrrrrrrrr!!!!

So I am keeping hope alive that this current laptop stays loyal and working because I can't get high blood pressure on top of everything else I have due to the aggravation!!! Let me press save right now!

To those that saved my life

This is for all the people in my life that have been there for me throughout what I have been going through. I was just thinking back to last year when I was diagnosed with all this and back to my friend Darlene having to get me off the bathroom floor in my old condo and get me to the hospital. Because of my hypercalcimia (I think that is what's its called..when your calcium is to high...my bones where stealing it from my body) that I was experiencing, had I not gotten to the hospital at that time I could have died. Of course no one realized thats what I had at the time but that was the initial prognosis. Then it was all about removing the lump then all the pieces started to fall into place but by that point the big C already decided that it was going to take residence in the liver and bones. To all my DE residents please double check your doctor's prognosis as I had more than one tell me that my back pain was due to back strain and "over doing it" at the gym. Yeah I don't think so!!! But again here is an example of God's perfect timing in that I was at the right place at the right time and that was the time I was suppose to get the right diagnosis finally!

Similarly my recent hospital rendezvous started because my aunt was so aware of what was going on with me. When she noticed that I was "sleeping" a bit to long and then unresponsive when she tried to wake me up she knew something wasn't right. Thanks to her efforts she got my dear loyal brother and they got me to the hospital again just in time because it seems that I was in a diabetic coma with an 800 blood sugar level!!! And I don't remember anything about this incident other than waking up in the hospital. This one took me out for a month and left me with a nice case of diabetes to add to my list of illnesses. But once again an example of Gods timing...had it been any longer I probably wouldn't be here writing this blog! So thank you thank you for all of you that helped save my life: literally and through prayer and support!!

I'm still here for some reason :) So here is a link to a song that says just that. Everyone knows I'm critical about songs and stuff but out of this song I just want to emphasize that its by the Grace of God that I am still here.

Work those hips

I get physical therapy about 3x a week and they sent me over the hardest PT person they have I was told. Which is great for me because that means the sooner I can get back to regular walking minus the walker! So lets see what the worse exercise is, could it be the lying down leg lifts with leg weights? Maybe it is the calf lifts. No no I think the worse are the squats!! The down and up with the legs....ughhhh. It hurts me right now thinking about it. But the hip flexors are weak and they need to get stronger so this is the way to do it. And of course to round it all up is to get that daily walk:it pulls all the exercises together. For all of you all gym heads you know about all these exercises and more and know that I so miss doing all this stuff at the actually gym and doing real workouts but all in time. Soon enough I will be back in spinning class sweating like I'm in the shower (yeah that's gross...but its intense!)


SQUATS done right:

Back in the crib

Well its great to be back home. Now its time to get it together and make it work from the house. That means at home Physical Therapy and new treatment. So far so good and the weakness is getting stronger. We are looking forward to walking without a walker sooner rather than later...at least the PT guys think so. So its time to strap on those leg weights and get to some leg lifts (something I couldn't do just a few weeks ago!) Hopefully by the time I get my legs back I have this diabetes under control as well and figure out how to manage that blood sugar (bye bye Bryers Strawberry cheesecake ice cream!) But its all good and I am still soo sooo BLESSED! Every day I can get up and take a breath is another day where I can serve the Lord and make some impact here.

Oh and as you can see I am bald again...I had the reverse Mohawk going before (because of radiation no hair in the middle of my head!) ...trust me it was very scary looking. So now back to a clean head. Maybe it will grow back at some point!! I miss the hair!!! It would help to cover the mega chipmunk cheeks...yes I am still talking about the cheeks!! And don't let me get started about the double chin and the big gutts (stomach). These stink steriods!!!!

Life behind the bedpan

With these recent hospitalizations there are alot of things that have come to my attention that must be normal in hospitals but can be really annoying. Here are some examples: You have to hear "Ms Douglas I am here to check your blood sugar" like 6 times a day or "I am here to check your vitals" I mean seriously, did my blood pressure really change from like the 2 hours that you just checked it? And why must nurses stare at you as you take your pills...to ensure i am not hiding that oxy to sell them later? And then they have the ones that give you the fake smiles...and the ones that don't smile at all! And why does it take so long sometimes for them to answer the call light...by the time they come to help you to the bathroom the deal is done!! At least the nurses are much nicer once you hit off a conversation with them. But also be ready to discuss stories about kids and grand kids because those are the main topics of conversation. And be ready to explain your life story and all the reasons why you would leave living in the islands and end up living in the cold!

the Man Up Clinic

Let me tell you folks this Therapy Center is not like the other place where I was. This should be called the "Man Up" hospital. Example: these people took my catheter out and said heifer you are going to muscle on over to that bedside commode...even though you can't walk!! And you need to wash up, here is your basin with some water and soap have at it...well could you help me with my back at least? So lets just say they are more hands off than the other hospital lets put it that way. But I guess that is the point of therapy. To make you strong and stand up on your own so if that is the case then they are definitely doing it.

But whatever they do, the goal is to get back some strength in these muscles so I can get around again so whatever I gotta do to make that happen that is what its going to take.