Hello this is Marty,Janet's husband.  I am publishing this in a tribute to my wife Janet who passed away one year ago today, 2.1.2016.  In the last twelve months I have thought of her so much and those thoughts were of so many happy times spanning 50 years ago since we met Valentine's Day 1966.  I have been keeping busy during the day but nights are lonely without her.  My strength comes from those many memories.

Click the link below ;
 In Memory of Janet

Thanks to all of our friends who gave so much support during her illness.

Love you all,
Marty

Kaiser to the Rescue !!!!

This week has had more drama than usual.  Monday the lab work (blood work) came back with lots of different issues.  When they took vitals I had a low grade fever.  They told me to check my temperature every hour or so,  parts were out of the normal range.  Tuesday instead of chemo they hydrated me and gave a mineral cocktail.  They told me that if my temp got to 100.4 or more to go to the Emergency Room.  The fever was staying in the normal range, but it jumped into the dangerous Will Robinson land after 9:00 pm.  So off to the ER at 9:30 pm ( we had to get dressed from PJs to clothes).

They hydrated me on arrival and then took "gallons" of blood.  Some of the tests would take three days because cultures had to grow.  About 2 am they decided to admit me to the hospital because there were so many issues going on.  I was still very very weak like last week, and maybe even worse.

From early Wednesday through late afternoon Saturday I was in the hospital.  During that time I was hydrated, on antibiotics (IV) and many minerals that I was low in.  They also fed me antibiotics during my stay to fight the infection.  As usual, Kaiser provided fantastic care and attention to me as if I were their only patient.  The blood tests came back including the cultures and all were in the good range except for one minor infection that I am treating with antibiotics for the next week and a half.

After i got home last night, I am resting more because the noise level is lower and Marty does not check my blood pressure every two hours.  Also the moaning and yelling patient down the hall is not here with me.  I am trying to walk more (with a walker) to regain my strength.  I am forcing myself to eat more even though food tastes awful.  Not because of Marty's cooking ,but because of my taste buds.

Prayer warriors, its been a tough week and I appreciate it so much.  We do not expect it to get much better so I need you to kick it into overdrive,   God bless each and every one of you.

It has been a year and a couple of days since the great drama began

A year ago I went in to Kaiser and stayed for 8 days.  The great drama of A- Fib, diabetes, high blood pressure, and blood clots.  It was a scary time, and it was a life and death time.  Marty and I had to make decisions on my life.  Did I want to live a good life, or be a ticking time bomb?

We chose a good life.  We changed diet, exercise, cut back on commitments, and went through hell for about 9 months.  Lots of ER visits, midnight calls to the advice nurse, scary tests, and meds that didn't work.  Or meds that worked too well and I was a zombie. 

Around July things started meshing. I was used to eating healthy, still want bacon grease and butter.  I exercise 7 days a weeks.  I feel it is a punishment, I don't understand people who love exercising.  My meds were working together and no midnight ER visits.  Not even calls to the advice nurse. 

I have lost 95 pounds and am pretty cute if I do say so myself. 

Before

 

After with Marty, Little Brother, and Ann.

 



I feel fairly good most days.  I have learned to rest before I am exhausted.  I'm blessed with a husband who loves to shop and cook.  So a lot of routine work is off me.  I still cook, but rarely shop for anything.  Yesterday Marty came home with jeans for me.  He saw some 10 short, and knew they are rare and hard to find.   So he bought 3 pairs in different colors.  Yes, Marty is a keeper.

We understand none of my heath issues are curable.  But they are very treatable.  We know I will have flare ups and bad hard days.  But we know most days will be pretty normal.  Of course all of this depends on me following diet restrictions and exercising.  Boo hiss.  But I will do it.  I like my life and want to continue groups I am in and to continue volunteering. 

Most importantly I have learned that prayers from around the world help comfort and help with healing.  My blog friends and Facebook friends are very important to me and to Marty.  You all really helped us through a tough time.  Thank you. 

Stay tuned.  I am a drama queen so you know I will do something dramatic in the near future. 

Shopping, Happy Dance!

My weight loss has continued.  Again my clothes are getting baggy.  Shopping therapy is called for.

I needed dress slacks, shoes, and jeans.  I have reached the goal weight I hope to be able to maintain for ever.  Maybe if I write that I will stick to being healthy. Today Marty and I went shopping.  This is why he is a keeper, he will search racks for me while I try on clothes. Plus he pushes me to wear colors other than red and black.  Thanks, Marty.

I have lost so much weight my shoes are all too wide.  I am back to wearing narrows, which few stores carry.  So no luck there.  I guess I will have to go to an upscale shoe department and pay too much money.

But fancy jeans and dress slacks he found for me.  I need a petite length now that I am considered short. Not sure how that happened, I always was the tall girl in the back row of school pictures.  Also I now wear a size 10, instead of a 20.  I can't remember ever wearing a size 10.  Not real sure sizing is the same as when I was a teenager.  But 10 makes me happy.

Happy Dance has begun!

THERE'S HOT AND THEN THERE IS HOT

Marty and Randy Strong making a glass sculptured flame. Randy is torching it while Marty helps turn it. The flame is equivalent to 60 or 70 pounds. It is like carrying a bowling ball on the end of a 6 foot pipe.




Below Randy is using cork blocks to shape the flame. Marty turns the glass as it is shaped.








The Bay Area has had a little heat wave, and there was humidity. We don't do heat and humidity on the west side of the tunnel. And when it happens we all think we are dying.
It has been in the upper 90's on our side and few have AC. We do and we used it. But there are times you can't have AC. As at a glass studio.

Thursday Marty assisted Randy for a tour group. I worked the gallery. This was an afternoon tour and we were getting late sun right into the studio. And there was very little breeze. Two furnaces running at 2100 degrees, annealing oven going, torches going, it was hot. The makeup just slid right off my face, and my lovely hair wasn't.








Huge crowd pleaser: flames and smoke as the cork blocks touch the 2100 degree glass.




Thanks to Susan, Randy's wife for the pictures.