More good news... MILESTONE

I went to the radiologist for a couple of tests on Friday.

1. Mammogram: the technician couldn't find my lumps and had to refer to old mammogram to find the spot(s). Using the old (pre chemo) mammogram she did some high resolution, up- close shots in the appropriate places and still couldn't find anything.
2. Ultrasound of Breast: technician went over and over my breast looking and couldn't find the lumps, she found what she thought were the clips (put in to help locate the lumps during my biopsy) but wasn't sure. Dr. Leonard came in (he's the head breast guy - did my biopsy) and had a little trouble but found both clips.

Yay! Yippee! WhooHoo! I still have to have surgery BUT it will be MUCH less invasive.

Both surgeons agree to January 12 as the big day. UTMB operating rooms and hospital should be open by then. Mum is coming back to Galveston to take care of me! I can't thank her enough.

Thank you to all of you who sent prayers, good wishes and energies my way. That, and the chemotherapy, did more than could have been expected or wished for.

Thanks also to those of you who have been posting responses on this blog - I love 'em. They have really helped to make me feel connected, heard, and cared for. So many of you that I love have been here for me. Ain't the web great?!

I know I'm not done with this health issue/adventure. But a big milestone has been passed. I think of it like this: I beat the cancer and now all that is left is the cleanup (surgery, radiation, reconstruction) after the messy fight.

Good news? We'll see.

Went to the breast surgeon on Tuesday and she was only able to find the lump because she knew where it had been! This means I may (Note the use of the word MAY) be able to have a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy instead of a FULL MASTECTOMY!!!!! Dr. Silva scheduled me for some tests Friday morning to verify, so we'll see...
She also pulled in her husband who is a cardiologist and he will check on the status of my blood clots before the surgery. The big operation is scheduled for January 12.
Dr. Aristea says she can do my hysterectomy laperoscopicly, and now that I MIGHT be able to have a lumpectomy - looks like I'm going to get a easier time of it.
In school/work news: Central, my school, is almost certainly not reopening next year. Things are up in the air...

Good News from a Friend

Hi,

I just wanted to let everyone who might know her, Mauri Howell's (McLaughlin) had surgery in Dallas just before Thanksgiving for Stage I Breast Cancer. The surgery went well and the pathology report was excellent. No lymph node involvement and complete resection of the tumor. Her mother just returned to El Paso to meet with her Medical Oncologist to see if she will need radiation therapy. Selena and I were really, really happy for Mauri and her family. We will keep her in our thoughts and prayers that her recovery is uneventful.

I also have updated Selena's introduction to her blog. Her diagnosis is not Stage IIb or class iib as stated originally in the blog. It is Stage IIIa. Selena doesn't really care what the stage is, she says she's gonna beat it no matter what stage it is. Good girl!

Chris

Selena's School

Hi, So I am sorry for the confusion. Selena is back teaching but her school had to be combined with the other middle school in the city, Weiss. This year they had 'integrated' the schools again and so Weiss, the all White middle school, became 5th and 6th grade and Central Middle School, the Black and Hispanic Middle School (really for lack of a better term the ghetto school) became the 7th and 8th grade school. Central actually used to be the Black High School years ago. It has VERY strong ties to the Black community.

They bused kids to opposite sides of the island when school started. There was a big stink about it last year but the federal and state governments mandated it. When Hurricane IKE came along and flooded Selena's Central Middle School they put all the middle school kids together at Weiss. It has been crowded but it has worked OK. It is a little strange to see little 5th graders in school with the huge 8th graders.

Selena and I went up to Central on Friday and got some of her stuff out of her classroom. She did not stay in the school very long because the mold in the school is unbelievable. They did not clean the school out properly when it was first flooded and it smells worse than it did two weeks after the storm. I went in the school to get her cell phone right after the was opened and was it was not really that bad. Now there is mold growing all over the place and it smells terrible. Selena's room has been spared any type of damage but the halls and stairwells are terrible. The work in her room tired Selena out and she was only able to work a half day on Friday. I think she did really well and I am really proud of her. She worked four and half days after being off of chemo only one week.

Let's hope she can work all of this week. The GISD plan is to lay off 150 teachers because so many children did not return after the storm. I really hope she does not have to start looking for a new job. She will have her job until May or June I think if she is laid off. It will just be a pain to look for work again especially work that is so close to home. I hate for her to have to drive off the island because I fully expect gas prices to go up again soon. Gas isn't going to stay at $1.40 for too long.

Let it snow....

Here is a snowman someone made here in Galveston on Wednesday, December 10. It's not supposed to snow on a tropical island!

Selena has been doing really well. She has taught all week. Tomorrow is Friday, so it looks like she has made it through an entire week. We went to see Selena's OB/GYN Oncologist on Wednesday and it looks like the next phase in here treatment, surgery will be January 12. It will be the mastectomy and hysterectomy/oophrectomy (removal of ovaries). Recovery time is at least two weeks but the doctor said it could be as long as six weeks. Let's pray for the shorter time. She has already be out of work for a long time and they are starting to talk about layoffs at Galveston Independent School District where she teaches. They are also talking about not opening her school this year at all and possibly not even next year because of excessive mold and low attendance. This article was just in the GALVESTON DAILY NEWS today.

The roofers started working on our house today. Hurricane IKE tore up our roof completely so it will be nice to have the roof replaced and not have to worry about it leaking into the house every time it rains. The downside is that the heater is not working because they took they chimney off of the furnace for the night and covered that section of the roof with a tarp so we can't use the heater. It would build up too much carbon monoxide in the house. Our furnace won't even run without the chimney ventilating to the outside. That's a good safety feature. It is COLD inside the house tonight. Last time I checked it is 54 degrees inside the house. I have an oil space radiator next to Selena in the bedroom to keep her warm and she has several blankets. I hope she doesn't get sick from this.

School Days!

Selena started teaching today! Yep. That's right. She got home yesterday and is back at work today. This is her first day of teaching since three days before the storm September 10 and that was just a half day. TODAY she made it through the entire day!!! This is her first full day of teaching since last school year. She was really tired when she came home but she was in really good spirits. The kids were really happy to see her and she was really happy to see them. She heard rumors that Central Middle School will not open back up this school year at all. We will have to wait and see. Let's hope and pray that is not true.

She's Home!!!

Selena wore a mask all the way from Tampa, FL to Houston, TX to keep from catching anything in the airport or on the plane. She also gets pretty tired walking long distances because of the chemo so she had a skycap wheel her around. Doesn't she look cute!

Selena is back home now!!! I picked her up at Houston, Hobby Airport a little after 5pm today. She had a good flight. She had an aisle seat and no one sat next to her in the middle seat. Selena thinks it's because she looked scary with her mask on. Whatever it was, it made for a comfortable flight that was almost completely full. It is great to have her home. I worked all day to make sure that the house was in as good a shape as it could be considering it is still in demolition/construction mode.

Excited!!!!!

Chris, the Bowtie and Suspenders Doc (in a year and a half....)

I am really excited! Selena is coming home tomorrow at 5pm. The house still needs a lot of work but it is safe for her. Not all of the sheetrock is out of the house, but as long the mold is trapped behind the sheetrock. So I as long as the sheetrock is not disturbed it will be safe for her to be in the house. Galveston is also safe now. The water and the air quality is good. Selena has not been back to Galveston since 9/11 so that is almost 3 months. I can't wait to see Selena!!! I know I saw her a few days ago. But it is going to be so great to have her back home!!!

She is REALLY going to be shocked at the destruction and devastation here on the island. Over 85% of the houses on the island were damaged. The number of businesses closed is staggering.

Here a few links to some articles about what is going on in Galveston:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-12-01-galveston_N.htm

http://galvnews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=f24ebcf02d15b099

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6145726.html

Another interesting little story about the hospital that seems to be almost on the brink of opening but never quite gets there:

STAFF EMAIL

As President Callender noted during yesterday’s all-staff meeting, every effort is being made to bring the hospital back online as quickly as possible. Given the instability of the campus infrastructure in the wake of Hurricane Ike and our commitment to maintain the highest levels of patient safety, we continue to closely monitor our air and water quality.

As a result of that rigorous testing, UTMB epidemiology staff last week found Legionella bacteria in the water supply in John Sealy Hospital. Thisis a naturally occurring pathogen found in fresh water but typically at levels insufficient to cause illness. Legionella bacteria cause Legionnaires’ disease, a respiratory infection characterized by high fever, coughing and pneumonia in people with compromised immune systems.No one has been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease at UTMB as of today.In fact, the disease is not at all common; it affected fewer than 18,000people nationwide in 2007. Most importantly, it can be treated quickly and effectively with antibiotics. We do not believe that employees and students are at risk. We have sent samples to the state health department laboratory for more detailed testing to determine the levels of bacteria. We believe the levels too low to be a health risk for anyone. We have also contracted with a specialized group from Pittsburgh that will arrive on campus next Thursday to begin retesting and removing any existing bacteria from the water system. In the meantime, we are installing special filters in the nurseries as a precaution. Our physicians and nurses are aware of the issue and are closely monitoring all of our patients.

UTMB has a stellar record of preventing infections in our hospitals, and we are committed to maintaining that level of safety for our patients, our employees and our students. If you have additional questions, I recommend you visit www.cdc.gov/legionella/patient_facts.htm to learn more.

Karen H. Sexton, R.N., Ph.D., FACHEInterim Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer

UTMB Health System

Pictures

Here are a couple of pictures of stuff around Galveston.

This house was completely knocked off of its piers by the storm surge. I have the feeling this house will be condemned and not rebuilt. You can see the original height of the house by looking at the outdoor deck to the left that did not fall down.

This does not look that big in the picture, but it is actually a huge tree that washed up on the beach a few days ago. It looks about 25-30 feet tall.
I could not get a picture that had anything in it to represent scale.

MY BOWTIES

This picture is for Joel David... as you were saying... you tie them yourself... I believe this indicates that I have bowtie skills as well. When I was practicing for my medical school interviews I kept joking with Selena that when my interviewers asked what kind of doctor I wanted to be, I was going to answer "A Bowtie Doctor!" Well, this idea stuck and I pretty much exclusively wear bowties instead of long ties. The bowties are fun, unique and are much more sanitary. They never drape onto a patient and transfer bacteria and viruses from patient to patient. Also, pediatric and psychiatric patients can't grab them and choke you! I have actually become a Bowtie and Suspenders doctor. It makes me look like an old time General Practitioner. Which is exactly what I want. (Also, the suspenders help keep my pants up!)

Selena Rings the Bell

Selena got to ring the bell at the Bradenton Cancer Center to celebrate her "graduation."

She has just finished 21 weeks of chemo therapy.

We really want to thank every one's thoughts, prayers and kindness for getting us through this difficult part of the treatment. The road ahead is not going to be easy but Selena has gotten through a very, very difficult part of the treatment with great optimism and determination.

Selena,

I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

Chris

One Day More-Part Quatre

Our celebration seafood dinner on Bradenton Beach.

It was actually pretty chilly.
Selena's Award that I made for her.

One Day More-Part Trois

Selena and I with the bell.

It is tradition at the chemo center in Bradenton to ring a bell

when they "GRADUATE" from their chemotherapy sessions.

Selena was so excited when she rang that bell!!!

The last one.... YEAH!!!!!

(Chemo, good to the last drop...)

Bradenton has a real nice Chemo Center.

The doctors and staff were so kind to Selena during her six weeks

of treatments here in the Sunshine State.

Selena's Award I made for her. She is the BRAVEST INDIVIDUAL!!!!

One Day More-Part Deux

The Beautiful Sunshine Skyway outside Bradenton, Florida

Selena relaxing in one of Mum's hot tub.

It really helps her aching muscles after the chemo yuckies start sinking in.

I forgot how much I missed Florida until I landed and saw the beautiful scenery and the gorgeous drive along the Sunshine Skyway.

Chris

ONE DAY MORE.....

SHE'S THE BRAVEST INDIVIDUAL!!!!

Hi, this is Chris and today is Selena's final day of chemo here in Bradenton, FL. YEAH!!!! I got to come to Florida for Selena's Birthday (Tuesday, November 25) last week and Thanksgiving. Two classmates of mine in Galveston bought me an airline ticket to come see her. We could not afford for me to come because financially things are a real mess right now with her cancer, the hurricane house mess and the car. It was so kind of them to do this for me. I couldn't believe it.

I made a really cute celebratory sign today and posted it around Mum's condo in a few places. It says:

YOU'RE THE BRAVEST INDIVIDUAL!!!!

and the background of the picture is a ferris wheel. This is from the musical SWEET CHARITY. In the musical the couple falling in love (there's always a couple falling in love in a musical, right!) are stuck on a ferris wheel and one of them is afraid of heights so the other one convinces them that they are not afraid but rather THE BRAVEST INDIVIDUAL.

The chemo treatment has been a lot like a ferris wheel ride with many ups and downs. (Too many downs in my opinion, I think maybe our ferris wheel has a momentum problem!)

I think Selena is the bravest individual. She has shown so much courage, strength and optimism and I am so proud of her.

Chris

By the way, the title of this blog if from LES MISERABLES!!! I am still such a musical theatre queen. :)

Does it ever stop?

New indignity of the week -Gross but true-some of my toenails are coming off. The side effect list said "nail changes" and I assumed it meant the lovely ridges I already have in my finger and toenails. Now I get to lose my toenails? Mind you, I am not all that attached to my toenails, never thought much of, or about them... I just find this gross and slightly uncofortable. I wonder if this will extend to my hands?
Chris is still here... He changed his ticket so he can be here for my last Chemo - he leaves on Wednesday. I hope that gives him enough time to do what he needs to do to the house before I can go home.
I haven't been home since September 11! I understand it is going to be different, but I want to go home! My ticket is for December 7.
I'm starting to feel better after Chemo #11. Reminder, I only have one left!!! I will have had 16 in all, counting the AC. This chapter is almost over.

One chemo left!!!

Had the birthday Chemo - most people do cocktails on their birthday by mouth... Then we went to Cancun Mexican & Cuban Restaurant and had some decent Cuban food. Came home and had a nap. Watched Dancing with the Stars finale - yay Brooke.
My doctor wants to give me some Neulasta after I have my last Chemo to boost my immunity for my trip back to Galveston December 7th. I don't need the Neulasta because my blood levels have been good, but Dr. Berry wants to make sure that the plane trip doesn't make me sick.
Today Chris and I are going to Target to fill my prescription for Coumadin (I have to get a lower dose) Sad when a trip to Target is the big excursion for the day.
Big news and celebration - ONLY 1 CHEMO LEFT!!!!!!

Only 2 left!

Sorry it's been so long - yes, I've been avoiding blogging. I find myself too depressing.

Chris is here!!! Some VERY generous people bought him a ticket to come visit me in Florida for Thanksgiving and my birthday. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love having him here and have missed him terribly. Guess I married the right guy, huh?

Yesterday we went to get a massage and had some Peruvian food(yes, Peruvian). Chris is taking a class right now about alternative medicine so he also went to see a acupuncture/Chinese medicine guy this morning. Sandi, Mum's friend and mine will do some hypnosis and Reiki on him today or tomorrow. So, he's working on this vacation...

Tomorrow, Tuesday, is my birthday. I will be 45. I am grateful to have gotten here, but HOW did I get here? I will celebrate by starting my day with Chemo #11! That means I have only 2 left. After tomorrow, only one!!! I have also made a request for a Cuban food birthday celebration.

Before Chris came to Florida, he 'found' my surgeon and cancer OBGYN! They are both practicing near Galveston and he has made appointments for me for after I go back on the 7th. The hospital in Galveston opened today (300 less beds!) so I don't know if I will have my surgery there or on the Mainland. I don't know if my doctors will return to Galveston...there were big layoffs at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Surgery is the next step.

Tonight is Dancing with the Stars finale...guilty pleasure soon to be over.

Chemo #9

I have only 3 left! Had #9 on Tuesday, which went well, with the following exceptions: they went in through my hand (IV) and i could feel EVERYTHING going in and my blood is too thin. I have an appointment this morning to go get my levels checked because I've been off the Coumadin for 2 days and they may have regulated me. In future I may have to take a half tablet each day.

Had a bit of fun last night. It was a good day for me and I had a craving for Thai food. Mum and her friend (and mine) Sandy went to Thai Palace and had Crab Rangoon, Tom Kha Gai, and Pad Thai and then went to Perkins and had coconut cream pie. We had everything family style, shared and stuff and chatted a lot. We talked about my job and I started to miss it... Then I came home and watched the premier of Top Chef - love that show.

The Galveston news said that my school suffered $17.1 million dollars in damage from the hurricane. They have crews in there now trying to get everything back to order so we can go back in January.

Chris had a terrible horrible no good day yesterday - seems a transformer was throwing sparks near our house, then the power went out, he stayed up all night to make sure that our house would not catch fire 'cause the transformer was still sparking. Then it rained soaking some of the new duct work in our house (roof isn't repaired yet). Then he went out to the car to find a flat tire. Called AAA to change the tire. Went to FEMA and was told the resubmitted request to pay for the generator needed a note from the doctor saying he really does have asthma. Then we were turned down for a FEMA loan. Then he couldn't find a place to fix the tire. Please continue to send your prayers and good wishes his way. Right now it sucks to be him.

keep on...

It's me. I am still alive - blood clots didn't get me. Just now feeling decent after chemo #8. As Mum said, while I was in the hospital they took out my port and my arm swole up. They did a variety of tests that determined I have several blood clots - none in my lungs. They have put me on Coumadin( a blood thinner). The arm is back to normal and Mum took out my stitches yesterday. The neck is still a little stiff... I'm trying not to be paranoid about the blood clots, but now I know they are there... Hard to believe, but that was my first time in the hospital - admitted and stuff.

I'm growing hair! It looks mostly white and feels kind of like the soft side of Velcro.

Chris is in Galveston working on the insurance lists and cutting drywall to get rid of the mold. The mold is not good for anyone, but Chris' asthma makes it hard on him. Send some love his way.

Chemo #8

Mum Notes: Great news! Selena's INR was therapeutic and so she had paclitaxel #8 today. This is the one she was scheduled for last Thursday but it was interrupted by blood clots. All went well and the swelling seems to decrease daily. She said today she could tell that she had knuckles in her left hand and she continues to admire the French manicure she had last week.
Dr. Berry said she could have the rest of her root canal next week. What fun! But she is feeling in good spirits and all your messages have rejuvinated her. Joel, I had to tell you I made my famous chocolate cherry cake tonite and it was yummy!! D

Blake Hospital Bulletin

Mum Notes: Well the news is finally better. Today the surgeon and oncologist both saw her and feel that she is out of immediate danger of throwing clots. The blood thinners have taken hold and she is allowed to get up. Tommorow she can come home!! Will be on the coumidin for 6 months but can continue the chemo immediately. We were worried yesterday about swelling but it seems to have gone down and today she has mobility in her left hand as well.
So!! onward.....
Thank you to the flower fairy. When I arrived home from the hospital this am there was a pretty pot of mini mums at my door for Selena. Will take them in to her tonite. There is a card but of course I didn't open it. D

Bulletin from Blake

Mum Notes: Selena came thru the surgery to have the port removed very well. She didn't throw any travelling clots. Afterward she had a CT scan and the lungs are clear. So now just the usual post surgery pain with two IV's, one a heparin drip and the other potassium, as it was low.
Her biggest concerns were having a couple of women lift and haul her from bed to gurney and back several times as she went for procedures. You all know how she feels about being heavy.
Today she can lift her head and eat by herself without too much pain, yesterday I had to feed her soup, and her "sparkle" is back. She has on those pressure boots to move the blood flow in her legs and is on bed rest with bathroom privelidges only. She is in a private room due to her immuno compromised status. Left arm is swollen and hard with fluid buildup but today has more mobility in fingers. Just now have to get the existing clots dissolved.Doctor is thinking she may go home Mon or Tues if all goes well.
We all appreciate the prayers and I will let her know when I go back to hospital that you all called and posted. D

Selena is in the Hospital

The news in this post is not very good. Selena is in the hospital. She is in surgery right now having the chemo port removed. She has been having pain in her arm, shoulder and neck all week and went yesterday to have an ultrasound. It was discovered that she has multiple thromboses (clots) in the subclavian, axillary and carotid veins. This is very dangerous because if they break apart they could cause go into the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolus. This could result in a serious complication from difficulty breathing to heart attack to death. I am not trying to be an alarmist, I am just trying to convey the seriousness of this situationl. She is on medication to dissolve the clots and to stop more of them from forming. Mum will post more when she gets out of surgery and knows more. I am at the FEMA disaster relief center and thought I would type a quick update.

Bradenton Bulletin 2

Mum Notes: Whee! It's been the usual rollercoaster. Sunday Selena had the worst day since the paclitaxel started with nausea and vomiting, spaciness, and bone aches. Monday was somewhat better and she was able to keep food down. Tuesday even better and Valerie came down from Tampa with her, son Brandon, wife Kim and 2 year old. Lawson is a cute dynamo so they could see we weren't geared for toddler terror and left for more appropriate entertainment.
We, Valerie, Selena and I passed a lovely afternoon visiting and watching the political story unfolding. We then had a nap and actually went out. We went to the 50 cent movie - thats not a typo. 50 cents on Tuesdays, $1.00 other days. saw MAMMA MIA which Selena and I had wanted to see all summer. Then drove thru Burger King and rushed home with the burgers to watch Dancing With The Stars. Selena and Val are devotees and I am learning to appreciate by default.
Today we are off for manicures and will take Valerie to the bus terminal.
The neuropathy had returned so we got Selena on Vitamin B6 as ARNP suggested and it is fading.
Thursday chemo again and so the rollercoaster continues!!

First chemo in Bradenton

Mum Notes: Well Selena had paclitaxel #7, her first in Florida, on Thursday. All went well. The infusion center is huge. A large room with 36 chairs, yes I counted them, in sections of 12 ceah a different colour. We sat in the blue room and had a nurse named Dianne. The gave her all the usual antinausea stuff but she had asked the MD to evaluate the dexamethasone as it made her so restless and antcy and she had never been nauseated on this chemo. He dropped the pre dose and decreased the iv dose to 10mg form 20mg. All was fine and we went out to Cortez kitchen for snapper sandwiches and fishing village atmosphere. Friday was another good day and we watched a lot of TV and had some good girl talk.
Selena received a parcel from Mary - good stuff - great warm halloween sox (she always has cold feet) a great candle and the cutest little pink duck with the breast cancer ribbon. Mary, I think
you got a twofer
as I enjoyed seeing the goodies as much as Selena did.
Today we had apts for mani' and pedi's but Selena woke up nauseated and needed to take the compazine she hasn't needed since the summer but the nausea did subside so we went to see Audrey who obligingly did the two pedicures and rebooked the mani's for next week. She has had a milkshake and is in bed. We will see how she does when she wakes. I have to go get mac 'n cheese, as that's the thing when she is poorly.

resuming chemo

Mum notes: yesterday was a GREAT day. Many good things happened.
#1 Selena got in touch with Dr. Markowitz who recommended continuing on with the original chemo plan as it appears that most of the neuropathy has dissapated. Br. Berry received the email from Markowiz and the rest of Selena's test results, thanks to Chris. So the end result of the uncertainty is that she resumes chemo tomorrow and we monitor the neuropathy closely. She has the next 2-3 chemos scheduled and feels very good about the decision.
Because she has had a week chemo free I am almost seeing the REAL SELENA as the chemo fog clears, almost hate to see it fog up again.
#2 We found a Massage Envy in Sarasota and Selena says she had "the best massage ever" so we will definitely return. We have paid for them anyway as we have a prepaid massage plan.
#3 Chris tells us he has gas AND electricity and plumbing. No ac as of yet as a platform has to be built for the ac and that takes $'s. (ins and fema have not been quick). Waiting for a cheque!!
Will post more after the chemo.

Some Pictures of Galveston

Hi,

Chris put together some pictures of Galveston from his trips there. You can click on the "START SLIDE SHOW" to view the pictures larger and as a slide show. He did his best to label the pictures so they would mean something to everyone. He has more to come later.

The website is:

(CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW)

http://web.mac.com/chris.scm

He is back on his way to Galveston today to move into the house. The bunnies stay in a safe environment with his Mom and Dad until electricity and niceties are restored to 1407.

Unfortunately we were very premature in saying that our house had not flooded. Chris has discovered that 2/3 of the house had about 3" of water in it. Not as much as our neighbors, by far, but this has changed the picture considerably. He will have to scrub all the floors with bleach solution to kill the silver HARRY POTTER "unicorn blood" looking fungus. Also there is mold growing everywhere. He will have to remove the molding at the bottom of every wall in every room to check the sheet rock and probably remove the sheetrock about 1 foot above to wet mark. He will also have to spray down the damp dovetail walls. Our house does not have stud wall construction. So he can't get inside the walls. Work-wise this means that EVERY piece of furniture in EVERY room must be moved out and the room inspected, cleaned and then restored. All of this by Chris. He really is not in the shape to do this by himself, but what choice do we have?  He will try to clean the floors with wood soap, but they will probably have to be sanded and refinished. The surge also displaced a large number of sewer pipes under the house. The electrical circuit box has to be replaced because it was submerged for 8 hours. All of the wiring in the house was submerged so it will have to be replaced. Our TV cable wiring and ethernet network will have to be replaced. Phone wires under the house will have to be replaced. All the Ike slime under the house (about 1 foot of yucky mud/sewage) will have to be dug out. It smells like a sewer under there. The central air conditioner unit has to be replaced. It was under water for about 8 hours. The roof leaks and was severely de-granulated and de-shingled, it will have to be replaced. Our bedroom ceiling needs to be re-sheetrocked because of leakage. We lost every tree, bush, shrub and all of the grass on the property. Insurance will NOT pay for landscaping. Our back yard fence was destroyed, it will have to be replaced. We lost two computers, a color laser printer, medical textbooks, clothes, shoes, bags, irreplaceable photos from my Grandmother, Nanny. (I did not mean to imply we lost Nanny, we lost her three years ago...) And, of course, we lost our refrigerator that Chris and Paul described as smelling of 'liquid cadaver.' Chris would know about this, but how Paul knows the smell, I am not so sure. Was he really in the Army all those years or are all those unsolved serial killings in the west coast somehow related to a bespectacled, short-haired man with a penchant for poetry?

We really are blessed compared to MANY of the people in Galveston county. Bolivar Peninsula is wiped of the face of the earth. The West End of the Island is really no more. Those still standing will probably be reclaimed because Ike took so much beach that they now stand on public land. This is a no-no in the state of Texas that calls for immediate demolition and most of the times they do not even pay the owners for their land. "This land is Texas, the great, great land of Texas!!!!"

We are trying not to be to pessimistic. The loss of belongings is not hard, it is the work that Chris is going to have to put in to try and get the house livable again. He is 40 now and a VERY old man.... ;)

Safe driving today old-man...   I miss you...

His FEMA hotel has expired. FEMA turned us down for the generator that they promised they would pay for so we have to appeal.  So much for George W. Bush's promise to do everything possible to help the people of Galveston rebuild. Different city, same story. New Orleans, we hear your cries across the swamps and bayous.

Selena

Another Video from the Day Before Hurricane Ike

Here is a another video of the awesome power of the storm surge 12 or 13 hours before Hurricane Ike made landfall. Qua'nisha shot this video while I narrated it. When we left this area we drove down Seawall for a little while dodging the debris and being splashed with huge waves. We got off Seawall when it felt that the waves were getting too dangerous. It was actually pretty scary.

Pictures From The Day I Evacuated from Galveston 9/12/08

Water coming up the storm drain from the bay at 9am 9/12/08

The Galveston Storm Drains drain into the bay sooooo..... the bay was filling up due to the early storm surge, thus the streets started to fill up WAAAAAYYYY early. NOAA has analyzed Hurricane Ike and said that according to wind Ike was a Category 2 and according to storm surge it was a Category 4!

These three pictures look like I am on the beach. I am not. The ocean is level with the 17 foot seawall. The waves are crashing onto the street and splashing and crashing debris all over the Sealwall Boulevard. The waves were shooting up to 20 feet into the air!

Seawall on the Day of Hurricane Ike

Here is some video I shot from 14th Street and Seawall (1/2 mile from our house) on 9/12/08. This is about 12 or 13 hours before the storm made landfall. This is the first place that Qua'nisha and I went. The police came and yelled at us on a bull-horn to leave because "the Seawall is closed and it is dangerous!" Qua'nisha is not in the video.

Qua'nisha's Video on the Day of Hurricane Ike

This is Qua'nisha's video she has been pestering me to post for over a month. We braved the dangers of being on Seawall Boulevard as Hurricane Ike was coming on shore to bring everyone a live update of what the conditions were like 12 or 13 hours before the landfall of the storm.

The police actually came and told us to leave the Seawall because it was very dangerous and closed at the the first place we went so Qua'nisha, the determined reporter that she is, made me drive her down Broadway to another spot so she could shoot her video. (She's very bossy sometimes, but she does such good work!)

A trip to the dentist

Mum notes: Today we went to my dentist at 7 am as Selena's temporary cap had fallen out. It turned out that she needed a root canal and antibiotics as she had a severe abscess. So she had the first half of a root canal, the rest to follow after antibiotics do their thing. Soo sore mouth and all we went to Target, the family's favourite store for her drugs and refills of other pills. We also perused the sale racks and found a great blouse for her for $3.

Tonight we dined on halibut, cheddar cheese biscuts, noodles and fresh spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, yum!!
The bathing suit Selena ordered from Tyler came so now we can go to the pool and jacuzzi, perhaps tomorrow.

Bradenton Bulletin

Mum Notes: Well Selena arrived safe and sound on Saturday. She was able to bring me most of my "stuff" left behind in Galveston. I was glad to see my checque book and other bits.
Selena was tired and achey on Sunday. Monday same but she was able to sit up and watch TV and visit with me. Tuesday we had an appointment with yet another new oncologist. Br. Brian Berry. He was found by Dr. Basile in Tyler, Texas and also recommended here by my dermatologist and a cancer nurse I know. We both liked him. He was kind and thorough. He spoke with Dr. Basile and they were worried about Selena's ongoing peripheral neuropathy and decided to hold/stop chemo and offered the following choices:
A His recommendation - Stop the paclitaxel and have surgery now. Then complete the last 6 chemo treatments.
B Second choice - Stop the chemo and wait a week or two and then start another type that would be less toxic to the neuropathy BUT much more toxic to blood cells and general malaise/aches.
C Least recommended - Stop the paclitaxel and wait a few weeks and then resume carefully monitoring for neuropathy.
Selena is pondering but favors C. She wants to consult with Dr. Markoweiz so we are going to see where he landed after IKE and see if we can get dr's M & B & B to all confer and put the pieces together. Each seems to have part of the puzzle.
Meantime Chris is still in Mineola and today has become "officially middle aged" as he had the big 40. We had apple tarts in his honour here without him. sic
We are planning a small birthday party and a "meet Selena" at my condo on Saturday. Sandy Luse, my dear friend and fellow nurse will be 61 but we won't tell her. She thinks she is 39 and I must admit she is holding pretty well, considering she's Irish. I did order a turtle cheesecake for the event. Have asked several of the nurses to come.
Today I made a Sam's run for essentials and Selena did a stint on the computer. Now she is listening to the McCain-Obamma debate. I figure I will be hearing about it for several days as TV and radio digest and interpret it so...
Another issue is Selena's temporary crown which fell off. My dentist is going to see her tomorrow and see what it needs. We have no idea where the previous crown is as it was ready at the dental office in Galveston, on Broadway, AND was paid for..... so we have a 7 am apt. I am sure you can imagine we are both excited about an apt at that time but she was squeezing her in so we have to be grateful, I guess. I'm working on it.
Guess that's all the Mum news but I did want to tell Joel hello and how much I enjoy his comments, so Joel consider yourself told.

Day by day

Yesterday I had my ultrasound and chemo- everything went well. I took Chris with me (I drove) since he had been driving all night to get here. He brought a lot of moms stuff that I am taking back to her today when I fly to Bradenton.

Dr. Basile has found me a doctor in Bradenton who will take me and keep me on schedule, just have to call on Monday.

I kind of hate to leave here, everyone has been so supportive and welcoming. Pat, Carolyn and Chris set up Matthew's old bedroom as a TV lounge for me and the whole family has been beyond, beyond, good to me. I can't even begin to express my gratitude. I have felt loved here.

Plugging along

I saw Dr. Basile today - Lori took me- and the following happened:

1. She is not happy about my liver enzymes and has scheduled me for an ultrasound tomorrow.
2. She is not happy about me leaving to go to Bradenton on Saturday. She is concerned that my treatment will be interrupted. She took down numbers and will make calls on my behalf.
3. She examined me and says my largest lump is now the size "of a bean" Yipee.
4. She is not too concerned about my peripheral neuropathy (tingling in fingers) and says that Because of the results I am scheduled for chemo tomorrow.

Afterwards Lori and I went to Chick-Fil-A and bought some cards in a dollar store. Chris is supposed to be coming back here to take me to chemo tomorrow - I miss him.

Sorry sucha downer...

I've kinda been waiting for good news... Sorry- ain't gonna happen.

• Chris has a hotel room, paid for by FEMA in El Campo, about 2 hours from Galveston and 5.5 hours from here (Mineola) Other than free Playboy channel it has little to recommend it. It's the closest he could find.
• Yesterday, Chris was in an auto accident - he's fine, just a bruised leg and head. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital and checked out, his heart and asthma. The car may be totaled.
• I'm starting to get tingling in my fingertips - a side effect of the chemo "peripheral neuropathy' that may set my treatment back. We'll see if the doctor let's me do chemo this week.
• My school started back today an I'm not able to be there -no work no check.

Here's my mother's update: Oct 6 Well I thought it was time to share the latest with all of you. I have been home in Bradenton since Sept 15 and haven't been back to work yet. Still don't know if I have a job or not?? Selena and Chris are based out of Chris's parents home in Mineola and Selena has been receiving her chemo in Tyler, TX, about 45 min away. Chris has been given a FEMA motel room about 2 hours away from Galveston instead of the 6 hours to Mineola. The rabbits remain in Mineola. Based out of there he has been working to make the house livable. FEMA has agreed to pay for a generator due to Chris's severe asthma so he can connect up fans+++ and try to dry out the house. He has been able to determine that the water in the office/computer room at the back of the house was from below (it really looks as if the water was right up there at the floor level and the few wet areas are from wave action and less than watertight construction.) In that room the Sheetrock does not appear to have wicked up. The next door ranchstyle house was totally submerged and those folks lost everything.Salvation Army drove thru and fed folks dinner yesterday. Chris said it was good to have hot cooked food. The Mosquito Cafe just catycorner on the corner was also totally submerged and destroyed but plan to reopen again. Selena will fly over here to stay with me on Sat Oct 11 and plans are forming for her to continue her chemo here. She started to have neuropathy (nerve tingling in her extremities - hands) yesterday so... who knows if and or when. That is evidently a side effect of her chemo, along with the flu like symptoms she gets for three-five days each week. That's the news as I know it today. Hope you all are well.

Sorry for the negative tone, but things pretty much suck right now. Please keep sending prayers, good karma - whatever ya got!

It's a miracle!!!!!

Chris went to the house today, first time since the storm. OUR HOUSE DIDN'T FLOOD!!!! turns out our house is high enough, less than another foot of water would have done it. We are on 8 foot pilings. The breaker box was under water, as was the air conditioning unit so there are issues there. The big tree in the back yard(avocado) fell on and destroyed the fence and we lost a lot of roof tiles, but we have a place to live.

We're safe

Sorry it's been so long without an update.
We are safe, warm(cool) have food to eat, a place to sleep and are staying with people who love us. Chris and the bunnies and I have been here in Mineola for 11 days.

Today I went for my second chemo treatment while I've been here. Tyler is the closest place and Dr. Basile took me over. She is really great and so is the facility they have there. I've been really tired with the chemo and the stress of being homeless... I actually am tolerating the chemo pretty well. This last time I had a couple of days of "good" and felt good for the wedding of Matthew and Savannah on September 20. Yes, I danced at the reception. It was really nice and we had planned to come, just not under these circumstances. You should have seen me scooting around ( yes, I use a wheely cart) at Target looking for something to wear... I left Galveston with 2 changes of clothes and some pajamas - needless to say no wedding wear. Don't worry, I am no longer clothes-less I got a cute shirt and some socks from the Red Cross and Patti sent me some clothes fron El Paso. Thanks Patti!

Tomorrow, Chris is going back to Galveston to see what shape the house is in. Neither of us thinks it is gone... The question is how much of the stuff in it and the interior is ruined. Today Chris spent the day amassing all the stuff they recommend you bring with you, work boots, first aid, bug spray... He's in knots - understandable. Paul, my brother in law, bless him, is taking him back to Galveston and then to Michael's in Houston to pick up our car. Micheal and Donna have finally freed the cars from the blocked/jammed garage. I don't think they have power yet.

My school district and job are of concern. The district has said they are paying us at least to the end of the year, but they also have said that we may or may not start school on October 9. I am concerned about my treatments and naturally where we are to live if/when we go back. My mom is worried that with my compromised immunity that I shouldn't go back too soon. There are also rumors that my school will be closed and others open... All the housing projects on the island have been destroyed so we may not have any students. So much we don't know.

We do qualify for an hotel through FEMA but we're staying put. We should know a bit more after tomorrow.

Hurricane Ike, Yikes!!!!

Sorry it has been so long since we have been able to blog.

THE STORM

We rode out the storm at my Michael's house. The power went out at 12:15AM on Saturday morning. The wind was unbelievable. It sounded like a thousand demons screeching outside. Things kept going 'thump' against the house. It was very hard to sleep even with very little sleep the night before and sleeping pills. We got up around 6am Saturday morning to a big thud. His house was hit very hard. Three trees fell on it. Two huge ones trapped the cars in his garage and one huge one leaned over onto it and punched a hole in the side and top of the roof and rain was leaking into the house. Another tree fell into the pool in the back yard and completely filled it.

THE DAYS AFTER

We spent Saturday and Sunday at Michael's with Selena getting sicker with no air conditioning. About 5 million people were without power with an estimation of up to 4 weeks for full restoration. I called Selena's brother Steve on Saturday to come get Mum and take her back to Austin so she could fly back to Tampa, Florida on Monday, Sept 15 and I called my sister Lori on Saturday to ask if her husband Paul, could come and get me, Selena and our two bunnies. He got there about 4pm and took us about 250 North of Houston to a small town where I grew up called Mineola, Texas. My parents and my sister and her family live there. We got to my parent's house at 1030pm Sunday night. We spent Monday, September 15 at the American Red Cross Shelter in Mineola getting some clothes because we didn't pack very many. We also went to WalMart to get some food for Selena and the Bunnies. This evacuation has been hard on all of us but especially Selena and Coinin. Coinin has had a really upset tummy for days with really yucky 'skunky' diarrhea. Bet ya'll didn't know that bunnies have skunk glands! Selena hasn't been skunky but she's been really tired.... ;)

GALVESTON, OH GALVESTON

If you have been watching the news, Galveston was devastated. It will be weeks or maybe even more than a month before they will let people back onto the island. The mayor said it could even be longer than that before power, gas and water is restored. We are in limbo.

We live in a Storm Survivor house. This means that it survived the Great Storm of 1900 which to this day is the worst natural disaster to ever hit the United States. Between 8,000-12,000 people died on Sept 8, 1900 in a Category 4 Hurricane that almost wiped Galveston off the face of the earth. If our house survived that we felt pretty good about it being alright until we read in the Galveston Daily News that The East End Historical District where we live was hit very hard with most houses taking in 2-4 feet of water. If that is true then that means that there was 10-12 feet of water on the street. My house is built on 8 foot piers. I am sure the house is still standing just fine, but if it took in that much water, everything we own is going to be ruined. Oh well, it is just stuff. I did get all my photos and the title to my house, my insurance papers and my Macintosh with all my recent digital photos and music. I will miss my collection of Broadway CD recordings that I have collected over the last 20 years. I have about 1000. Maybe I can at least wash the discs off and rip them into my computer. If the water was that high the entire house will have to be gutted because the sheet rock will have 'wicked' the water all the way to ceiling and also started to mildew the wood. I sure am glad we left. There was never any doubt we would, but still, I thank God I am not there now with Selena. She is feeling pretty fatigued right now. Way too much stress. By the way, I am feeling pretty fatigued too...

SELENA COMES FIRST

Today, Tuesday, September 16 I spent the morning on the phone with the three hospital systems in Tyler, Tx that have oncology divisions to see if any of them would be able to take Selena as a patient. Tyler is the closest 'big' city near us. I got one of them to take her without a consult/referral from her oncologist in Galveston. This is great considering I can't reach Dr. Markowitz. UTMB is in lock-down mode and it is not possible to page her doctor. We have an appointment with an oncologist this Thursday at 3pm. Hopefully they will take her and continue her treatment so she does not get behind.

MEMBER OF THE WEDDING

Other big news is that we are preparing for my little brother Matthew's wedding on Saturday! We had planned to come, but not this early.

That's all for now.

Qua'nisha still has a couple of videos she wants me to post.

"HUNKER DOWN"

That was the advice from the mayor of Houston. Thanks.

I evacuated Galveston at 1PM on Friday. When I got up at 7AM to finish prepping the house for the hurricane the water was already topping the Seawall and the Strand (our quaint little downtown) was flooding. There was also a lot of water coming out of the storm drains and flooding our street. That was 18+ hours before landfall!

Selena and Mum were doing fine in Houston with my brother Michael. It took me a little over two hours to get to Michael's house because I had to stop and change a tire along the way. I got a nail in the tire at some point either Thursday or very early Friday morning when I drove the car on my sidewalk and lawn to load the car because of the flooding in the street. The tire was still holding air well, but of course needed to be changed. There was NO traffic all the way to my brother house. No repeat of the awful evacuation of Rita in 2005.

Selena has been feeling OK. She is tolerating the new chemo fairly well. She is still very tired and fatigued. She slept most of the day.

Qua'nisha will have an update tomorrow.

I HATE HURRICANES

Selena was sick and was not able to work her 1/2 day on Wednesday. She has Thursday and Friday off because of the mandatory evacuation of Galveston Island because of Hurricane IKE.

Selena and Donna left just a few minutes ago to head to north Houston to my brother Michael's house to be out of the path of Ike. Hurricane Ike is headed straight for Galveston as a Cat 2/3 possible weak 4. Expected storm surges up to 18 feet. Yuck. I am staying behind to prep the house and then leave early tomorrow morning. It is so hot outside I think I might just keel over from heat exhaustion putting the window boards up.

Chris

Selena worked today!

"The vital components are Hydrobun and Oxybun..."

"And I sensed a great, infinite scream pass through nature."

"iBunny"

Selena worked 1/2 a day on Tuesday. As Mum said I am up late cleaning the bunnies. I have some energy so I am devoting it to them.

Mum update

Well I finally commited myself to a return to Bradenton. Am going on Sept 15 as thats when my good friend Kathy B is off and can pick me up in Tampa. For those of you who have flown in and out of Tampa it can be very difficult to get all the way down to Bradenton without spending a fortune so I am very grateful that she is willing to come pick me up late at night.
So I am planning to try to work a bit at SMH and go to a conference as I need 75 CEU's to get/keep my certification with AANC, and get this they have changed the name AGAIN so I am now Donna M Gray PMHCNS-BC. That's a pia to write every time I sign anything. That stands for Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist- Board Certified. Sounds impressive but is only worth what you make of it.
The job at UTMB is on hold as they go thru some shuffling and downsizing, but they tell me they are interested and will get in touch soon.
Selena and I went and got manicures and pedicures on Friday and I also got some waxing done. I really like the shop so IF I do move I will have a place and an esthician to keep me pretty. Selena thinks my tattooed eyeliner is lovely but she wouldn't do it for anything. Me I love it and

as that esthician calls it I " wake up pretty".

Chris has been down the last 4 days but is up and out tonite and perhaps will clean the bunnies.
I made an alfredo dish with whole wheat rotinni noodles and ham, broccoli, carrots, and onions and parsley. It was yummy and everyone including Selena ate two helpings.
Am rereading or rehearing the Twilight series on my new ipod. The finale is soo good. Chris just finished it and he found it great also. Selena is stuck on book one, Twilight, but plans to hear more as soon as she can concentrate well enough to enjoy them. Becka tells me she is on book 2 New Moon and loving them. Sandy L has read the first three and plans to experience Breaking Dawn when she returns from Australia.
Tonite I have Selena's sewing machine out and am doing some mending and pant shortening for them and a bit of my own mending. Exciting life I lead. Whee!!!

Selena was sick all day

Selena did not feel well today and did not make it to school to work her 1/2 day. :(

Not so good day

Yesterday we went to the emergency room (Gastrointestinal tract issues-which can be serious) but it turned out to be nothing. They were very nice to me there and put me in a private room so I wouldn't catch anything, but "fun" I wouldn't call it.

I slept all day today and my joints are achy -yes, they warned me about that as a side effect from the Paclitaxol. Got a headache too. Got up to try to prep for tomorrow(I go back to work 1/2 time) and the remote system into my school district isn't working. Guess I'll be tap dancing... No, I do have a plan, but I wanted to hand out some papers including my syllabus and some permission slips.

When I woke up (the first time) today Coinin was in the living room! For those of you who know our bunnies, this is a major development. Since Toki died two years ago there has be NO adventurousness in the bunnies, so this is big... Shortly after he saw me he scampered back to his own turf. I was so proud (sniff).

Good day...

Yesterday I had my first dose/course of Paclotaxil and although it made me feel a little asthmatic, I tolerated it well. This was the 1st of 12 weekly trips to Paclotaxil land.

Today was pretty good. I had more energy than I have had for a while. Mum and I went for manicures and pedicures (I was very careful and wouldn't let Amy trim my cuticles!) then for lunch at Queen's BBQ and THEN to the library. Even when I got home and tried to nap (I felt like I should) I had trouble going to sleep! Maybe the steroids they gave me with the chemo are still doing their thing. The doctor said the side effects for this kind of chemo start 2-3 days in. I'm hopeful I won't have any. I start work 1/2 time next week and am hoping today is a trend...

Selena the Cat

Selena moves from place to place to sleep like a kitty cat. . .

Selena the Kitty in the chair . . .

Good couch Kitty . . .

Back to bed sweet kitty . . .   >^..^<    :)

Selena's Excellent Adventures

Selena felt good on Monday Monday, Sept 1 and Tuesday, Sept 2. Like Qua'nisha said in her video blog, we were very glad that Gustav missed us. Selena was in no shape to evacuate...

Selena's Excellent Adventure for Monday: She was able to sit through the ENTIRE movie CARS by PIXAR. We really enjoyed the movie and it was exciting that Selena was able to concentrate through the entire move and pick out the cute little details that they put in the movie.

Selena's Excellent Adventure for Tuesday: Selena went to get a massage with her chemo massage therapist. We ate steak for dinner (gotta give her protein) and then she took a shower and I shaved her head and gave her a foot massage.

We have Dr. Markowitz the oncologist tomorrow to start the next phase of the chemo: Paclitaxol.

Let's hope it will not be as bad a Phase I.

Peace and Blessings to you all.

Alegria

Ramadan Mubarak

Selena's Goodies II ~ Dr. Hope

This is the second gift the my sister Lori and her husband Paul and two daughters Ashley and Emily sent to Selena.

He name is Dr. Hope and she is a bunny surgeon that they sent to help take care of Selena while she has cancer and also to give her hope. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gift that it made me cry when I saw it. Thank you Lori, Paul, Ashley and Emily!!!

Selena's Goodies I ~ The Notebook

This is one of the the two really nice gifts that Selena received from my sister Lori, her husband Paul and her two daughters Ashley and Emily.

This is a beautiful notebook that Lori and the girls made for Selena to keep track of all of her cancer related information. She had a smaller notebook that she had already filled up. She had underestimated how much information we were going to be collecting. It is sometimes VERY overwhelming. Lori said in her note that she was sorry that the notebook was so big. It is GREAT that it is so big. It is pink on the outside and has a big HOPE button on it.  It has a big velcro pocket on the outside and it zips close. It has a handle to make it easy to carry to the myriad of doctor appointments and chemo treatmentsIt has little pockets on the inside of the front and back to hold pens and pencils and other stuff (like Kleenex and chapstick) and a pencil bag at the bag.

It is a really thoughtful gift and Selena really appreciated it. She certainly will get a lot of use out of it.

Gustav Update

Selena's friend Qua'nisha helps out with the blogging!

Mum again

Thanks for all the comments,messages,energy and prayers. There is some light!! Yesterday Selena said " Wow, I've been up for four whole hours". Today she went to the beach with Chris for a wee outing.
I took you'al advice and made brownies tonite. Chocolate, chocolate yum! It made ME feel better. Also good to talk to my friend Sandy, couldn't do without you girl!!
Gustav is looming and we made plans to go to Houston to stay with Michael and Donna Mitchell but we are waiting till tomorrow to see which way he is heading? We won't evacuate unless we have to do so. Chris is worrying about being without electricity and with Selena's compromised imune system becoming ill soo.... I did go out to the library and stocked up, also filled up the small car with gas in readiness.
Chris got me an Ipod. Yes I now have a purple Ipod and yes I am using it. Chris put one of Alexander McColl Smith's books on it that I had not read and I am again walking with Mma. Romotswe and her #1 detective agency.
They will drag me into the electronic age protesting all the way but getting there anway.