My friend CJ came over today and we went to the bank together. I would go by myself but this particular branch is located in a very busy strip mall. I don't feel safe walking by myself; the drivers speed and don't watch for pedestrians. On the way in the bank I noticed a woman with a small baby. She held a sign that she needed food for them and needed help. She sat quietly and really did not make eye contact with people. I decided I would give her $10. She was thankful and CJ and I went on our way, which was to make a quick stop in Marshalls.

After about an hour we walked outside and I noticed another woman asking for money from a shopper to buy a sandwich. She didn't have a baby, but just then this other young woman with a baby and holding the same sign as the first one walked by. WTF??? Were these women scamming people? Working together and using babies for sympathy? I felt myself getting mad. I had to see if the first woman was still there with her baby. She was. CJ told me she seemed to be by herself. I felt they were working together. I didn't see her holding the sign anymore. I don't mind helping people but when I find out they are scamming me, I get furious! CJ told me there was no way to prove any of this and I already gave her the money. She told me to let it go. Obviously I haven't or I wouldn't be blogging about it now. I know times are tough and I will probably see more of this in the future. I hope for their sake I don't run into them somewhere else. It could get ugly...

I like looking at pictures on peoples blogs. I think they make them more interesting, so I decided to add a picture of my sweet baby, Cooper. I love him soooo much! He was by my side (and still is) when I was bedridden. He is sleeping next to me right now. I would like to take him for walks more but if he poops, I cannot bend over to pick it up, so for now he is my lap dog. We have another dog, Charlie. John rescued him about 5 years ago and he is definitely John's dog. He follows him everywhere and his face lights up when John is home. It's funny how these wonderful creatures love unconditionally and ask for very little in return. I bet neither one of them daydreams about someone else or wonders if they could do better somewhere else.

I saw Dr. Wong yesterday. His scale said I weigh 128.  Hmmmm...Dr. Bui's said I am 126. Anyway, he said my weight is ok. I need to continue to eat healthy and not worry about my weight unless I lose alot at one time. He would like me to get an MRI for my brain. I would rather chew on nails for an hour. I see a neurologist next week, so I will see what he says. I have to be scanned this month anyway and just how much radiation can a girl take?

As I mentioned before my bowel has a mind of its own... I have been eating some veggies lately that gives me gas. I know everyone gets it and in the past it was not a problem but now my plumbing sounds like a machine gun without the safety on. I swear I sound like my grandfather and it happens at the most inopportune times, like when there are no dogs or children around to blame.. I told Dr. Wong this and he smirked - that is unfortunate but there is always Beano!

It looks like I won't be getting surgery anytime soon. Dr. Wong would like to wait longer to see if my sphincter muscles heal by themselves. Let me tell you, Pull-ups are love killers. There is no way to make them sexy and if I wear yoga pants my backside looks like I am carrying a load! Oh, well I still have my sexy bras... I just try not to look down.

Eat your fruit & veggies!   xo   Inge

I saw my doc today to get my pap redone. Hopefully she got enough healthy tissue this time for the lab. I was bummed though. I lost 2 more pounds...I am down to 126. All I can say is Shit! I eat like a horse and poop like one too. I went to the market afterwards and broke down and bought some organic apples. They were on sale....1.50 per pound so I bought 10. I got lots of other goodies too. I am back to juicing. I threw in 6 baby carrots, 2 celery, 1/2 a cucumber and apple. That made about 10 ounces. I figure if I juice my veggies then I will not get the amount of fiber I have been getting, and that will slow things down. I also will eat more high calorie stuff; peanut butter sandwiches, cream cheese and bagel, chicken & rice stirfry. Maybe I should change my ratio to 50/50. If I remember correctly, I did not have the amount bathroom problems when I juiced. My doc thinks that is the culprit. She is also sending me to a nutritionist. I explained to her I want to keep my diet healthy and alkaline and she looked at me like I was from Mars. Western medicine is great but there are aspects of it that are behind the times.

Of course there is a minute I think the worst, but doc assured me that is why I get regular blood tests and scans. I am supposed to get a ct scan next month but haven't heard about a date yet. I also feel a twinge on my right side where I think my large intestine is. It's hard to describe. It doesn't hurt but there is some energy going on there. I have had it before...probably for years if really think about it. Ugh! I gotta find something funny to watch...

Eat your fruits & veggies! xo Inge

My mammagram came back normal. Yay! I am happy about that, now if they were just a bit more perky.I remember when I was in my 20s and I wore an A cup...why bother right? I wanted bigger boobs so I saw this ad from I think the back of a magazine that claimed it could make my breasts one size bigger...so I ordered it. It came in a plain brown box about two weeks later. It worked like the thigh master...remember that? only instead of putting it between my thighs I pushed it together (it had heavy springs for resistance) with my hands. Today I realize it was working my pectoral muscles. Anyway after a couple of weeks of using this contraption, I started to see amazing results. Wow! And then I got morning sickness. Of course my boobs were getting bigger I was pregnant! I should have waited and saved myself the 19.995 plus shipping.

I also heard from my doctor about my pap...apparently the radiation did a number on my cervix and she could not get enough healthy cells to do a thorough screening...so back I go tomorrow for a second try. I told her I would go but only if that same cute intern would be there to help...I mean learn. Hey! I would like to get some kinda action down there and its been a long time since a handsome 30 something man has paid attention to me.

Eat your fruits & veggies! xo Inge

This is exactly why we have health problems in our country from obesity to cancer. Processed food is shit. Plain and simple. There is more nutrition in the packaging than the actual food. When you shop for food, stay away from the aisles and shop the peripheral of the store...you are better off!

There are days I feel like I am in the movie "Ground Hog Day". I miss going out and doing something everyday. I have never had this amount of time off in, well never. I was either working or looking for work. I have worked full time since I was 18 years old. I am bored. I am working on some art projects, meditating, writing, doing some lite house chores and going to the store, but I need mental stimulation. I know my main job is to get well, but my mind sometimes wants to mess with me. Why is it soooo easy to think negative thoughts and harder to think positive ones? The negative ones just pop in my head and since I have OCD these same thoughts come in over and over. I have to fight to kick them out and the next day I get to start all over.

I do have alot of alone time because John has to work. What I think I need is something outside the house, but then I have the bathroom issue. I just never can be sure when I have to go. I laugh about it when I have an accident but it really is annoying. If I am at a store I can leave but if I am somewhere else, lets say doing some volunteer work, I would hate to tell the person in charge "sorry I gotta go. I pooped myself".

Then there is the issue of my weight. I still weigh 129. I really want to gain 10 lbs before October when I see my surgeon. I am eating like crazy, but healthy stuff...I want to keep my body alkaline and eat a ratio of at least 70% veg/fruit and 30% protein. I am drinking green smoothies and lots of high calorie stuff. I think my problem is that I cannot keep the food in my digestive track like before. I poop all day long and I don't know how to fix that. Hopefully, my "bag" will fix that, however I still want to gain weight before the surgery. I know I will lose more when I have to go back in the hospital.

I also stopped juicing because I am waiting for apple season. Right now organic and regular apples are 1.99 a pound. That comes out to almost 2.00 for each apple! I am picky when it comes to juicing. I like some sweetness. Drinking only juiced veggies makes me gag and the sweetener I like is apple. I may have to break down and juice every other day until apple season is here.

Right now I am cooking a red pepper and onion stir fry with jasmine rice. I added one of my favorite seasonings that I made (I actually got the recipe from Dr. Oz); equal parts turmeric, black pepper and garlic powder. Dr. Oz says it is a powerful antioxidant. I keep my mixture in a shaker and sprinkle it on just about anything. Well, I better go eat...

Eat your fruit & veggies! xo Inge

I'm feeling really good today. John is off today and tomorrow. We are spending time at home with the furbabies. I also started my mosaic project with the goodies I found at the Habitat for Humanity store. It is still a work in progress. Also catching up on my Abraham Hicks videos. I hope you are having a fun day!
Eat your fruits & veggies! xo Inge

Abraham-Hicks: This will make you laugh!

Secret of Happiness is to be Thankful

John & I went to the farmer's market at the Buena Park Mall this morning. It was our first time and we definitely will be back. For one thing they are dog friendly...that's a selling point right there. I want to find more places where we can bring our pooches so they aren't stuck at home so much. We went there in search of organic or at least unsprayed apples. We didn't have any luck...I know it isn't really apple season yet...but it will be in one more month. We did get some other fruits and veggies though. They also have a petting zoo...baby goats, chickens, and pigs. Next time I will bring the camera. There were also pony rides for kids...too bad my legs are so long...if I got on one of the ponies my feet would drag on the ground...what am I thinking? They would never let me on one in the first place. Dang kids get all the fun!

I met a couple who make and sell honey soaps and skin care products...they even have products for dogs. They specialize in products for dry and sensitive skin. I qualify for that because the radiation really dried me out, including my hair. I don't want to put anything on me that has chemicals so finding skin care products like that isn't easy, and when I do find them they are expensive. They have a special at the market... buy four things for $20. That is very reasonable. So I found five things and they only charged me an extra $5. If I bought these at say Whole Foods or Sprouts I would have easily paid over $45. I am happy I found them because I got the products I was looking for at a good price, it's made in America, and I supported a small business.

They have a website http://www.honeysoapshop.com/ and they are also on twitter

http://twitter.com/#!/honeysoapshop. They make their skin care products in Cypress, California so if you live close by you could probably pick it up from them and save on shipping charges. Here is their phone number 714-995-1880. Oh and they also sell wholesale.

Here is the website for the farmer's market. It includes some photos. http://www.yelp.com/biz/buena-park-farmers-market-buena-park

Eat your friuts & veggies! xo Inge

I Like This Link

http://crazysexylife.com/2011/it%E2%80%99s-not-going-to-turn-out-the-way-you-thought/

Have you ever shopped at a Habitat for Humanity store? I did when I lived in Chico so I decided to see if there was one close by me in Anaheim. Well, there is! This store was even better than the one up north...it is bigger, clean, and has lots more stuff. At first I thought Oh this store is too nice they will be expensive but to my surprise they aren't. I went there looking for odds and ends for my mosaic art...I found 2 cabinet doors with hardware attached, glass drawer knobs and tile...sooo much tile! I'm talking 25 cents a piece tile. The doors were 1.50 each. If you need home remodeling stuff or furniture check this store out. The money goes for a great cause and is 100% recycled stuff donated by contractors.

Eat your fruits & veggies xo Inge

If you know someone or meet someone who is either recovering from cancer or battling cancer PLEASE do not tell them sad stories about people you know who died from it. It is not helpful to the person hearing it. That person needs ALL the POSITIVE reinforcement they can get. Believe me...even though I won my battle it is still in the back of my mind. There are still days I have to talk my way down from the ledge. I know why I have to keep that port for 5 years and why I have to be scanned frequently. The last thing I want to hear from "well meaning" people are sad stories. I know I am not alone on this and if I hear one more depressing story about someone else's lost battle I will have to thump that story teller in the head.
Eat your friut & veggies! xo Inge

I got a mammogram today. My last one was done about 20+ years ago. Now I remember why I waited so long. There's nothing like having your breast squashed between 2 pieces of Plexiglas to get your attention...just when you tell the tech "that's too tight" she tightens it a little more. I think she squeezed out left over breast milk from 34 years ago! I have to say this was the fanciest medical office I have been to yet. I should have brought my camera. It looked like a spa! They had a gift shop, so while I was waiting for my pager to buzz...yes, I said pager...I said it was fancy. I found some inspirational pendants that were half off... I just had to buy a few...after all I'm in creative mode and these beauties will become something fabulous!

Eat your fruit & veggies! xo Inge

I drove myself to the hospital to get my port flushed today. For those of you who don't know what a port is...it's bump thing that was surgically implanted under my skin just above my left breast. Any type of blood work, chemo, injections can be accessed through this port instead of poking me with needles on my arms. I don't need chemo anymore....because I am cancer free!...but when I did the nurse gave it to me through my port. Chemo is very hard on veins and most of the time the veins collapse after a few days...so having a port is great. I have to keep it in for 5 years.

Anyways it is a big deal for me to take myself to my port flushed because a couple of months ago I had panic attacks when I sat in the Infusion Centers waiting room. The Infusion Center is where people get their chemo treatment in house. I never had to go there for that. The first time I got it was when I was in the hospital and then at home with a portable canister.

In the afternoon John took me to another doctor appointment to get a pap smear. Yuck. I don't care for that much. Dr. Bui had an intern work with her today so I had 2 people poking around my down under. I am grateful I did not have a bathroom attack at that moment! Doc said I sure looked better than when she saw me 5 months ago. I really don't remember much about that visit. Morphine is one powerful drug! She said I looked very sick back then. It's funny to hear that from people. Sometimes I feel I have been out of the loop for years instead of 8 months. I really am doing great...5 months ago I couldn't stand up to take my weight and today I can drive myself around.

I found out that Jeremy was trying to collect disability while he was in the hospital but when the person from the disability office called him he couldn't understand Jeremy because he whispered. So instead of this person coming to see him or getting him a social worker, he stopped calling. Jeremy was too sick to advocate for himself and he did not have the family support that I did. If you ask me I think he fell through the cracks. I am fortunate that my son wouldn't take "no" for answer. The squeaky wheel does get things done.

Jeremy's memorial service is this Friday. I don't know if I will go yet, but I would like to buy a gift for his baby daughter.

Eat your fruit and veggies! xo Inge

Hungary Destroys all Monsanto GMO Corn!

Yay! A country takes a stand against the big corporate machine!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/09/hungary-destroys-all-monsanto-gmo-corn-fields.aspx?e_cid=20110814_SNL_MT_1

I went out today looking for yard sales. I left at 1:30 because I try to make sure there will be no bathroom issues once I leave home. Apparently that is too late for these people because when I followed the signs there were no yard sales...which brings me to my pet peeve...why can't these people take down the signs? They did go to the trouble of putting up these signs...why can't they take them down? Do they really think it's up to someone else to clean up after them?

Now that I got that gripe out of the way... I visited the Salvation Army. They were having a 50% off sale. Yay! Who needs some stinking yard sale anyway. I got lots of goodies for $7... mostly dishes that I can break to use for my mosaic projects. I am looking forward to the day I am strong enough to smash some plates. My bottom still is unhappy when I sit on it too long and mosaics take awhile to do.

My body is also very stiff. Before I got sick I stretched twice a day. Now I can barely stretch anything. I try sitting cross legged for the lotus position but my knees won't cooperate. I can also forget doing yoga child pose too. I will keep trying and hopefully I will be more flexible again. xo Inge

Police Begin "Guns Drawn" Raids on Organic Food Stores in California

Food police target organic foods in California!

I am very sad to say that Jeremy lost his battle with cancer today. He was only 19 years old. I dedicate this song to him. xo

My brother & sister in-law came to visit us for 3 days. They live in Switzerland and come to the States about every 5 years...so it is a real treat when they are here. Actually we were part of a 5 week jaunt through the US. They started in New York and will end up in San Francisco. The Europeans have it right when it comes to vacation time. Everyone there get 5 weeks a year. Americans are among the few who work themselves to death. The work philosophy in Switzerland is to work hard when they work and to take time off to recharge themselves...a tired workforce will not be productive. We could learn alot from them!
Anyway one of the places we took them was the Sawdust Festival http://www.sawdustartfestival.org/ in Laguna Beach. The weather was great and the artists were wonderful. We brought the wheelchair and it made my life easier...unfortunately there was tanbark all over the ground...to represent sawdust...so poor John got quite the workout pushing me around. They are open everyday until August 31st, so if you're looking for something fun to do I highly recommend it and you just might find that perfect gift for someone or yourself! If you are interested in contacting any of the artists I photographed, email me and I will send their info.
They sure got my creative juices going and I plan to get back into my art very soon.
xo Inge

When I was in the hospital last January, I met a young man by the name of Jeremy Araole. He has lung cancer. He is 19 years old and his girlfriend gave birth to their daughter this past July. He is a sweet soul and when I was released from the hospital we stayed in touch. He has been in the hospital this whole year except for 2 weeks. He was recently told by his doctors that they cannot do anything more for him... so I am asking you to pray for him. He needs a MIRACLE. I know they exist because I am living proof. I know I am cancer free because so many people prayed for me. There is no doubt in mind. If you go to church please put his name on your prayer list. Thank you so much. xo Inge

Freedom of Speech

I drove by a man yesterday who was holding a very large American flag. He was standing on the corner, on the public sidewalk next to a gas station. He wasn't saying anything, just standing there. I kept driving & thought about why he was doing that. I don't know if you have ever done something like that but I have. I stood by myself protesting the 1st Gulf War & it was scarey, but I did it anyway...until other people joined me. Anyway...you already know what happened to me at the store, so I won't go back to that but on my way back home, he was still there....only now the police had shown up and were talking to him. Now I know from experience the police are not there to chit chat. Someone complained for whatever reason and it was their job to get him to leave. This really pissed me off. I wanted to turn around and find out what was going on. But because of my earlier incident, I was not prepared for possible jail. This guy has every right to stand on public property and hold the flag. He even has the right protest. I may not agree with his point of view but he has the right to express it..publicly. The day we lose the right to public debate is the day we might as well fly the flag of China or any other communist country! xo Inge

I crapped my pants in the middle of Trader Joes this afternoon, right by the freezer section. So what did I do? I finished my shopping of course! Then I went to the bathroom, cleaned myself up and drove myself home. Luckily there were lots of babies there so I could easily blame one of them for any unpleasant odors. Thank God for pull-up panties! xo Inge

I found this photo on Face Book. Click on the picture to enlarge.

I am having some issues this morning. Some bleeding, burning and I pooped my pants in the car. Looks like I will be laying low today. xo Inge

I told you that I am "off" the morphine. It has been over a week, but I switched to hydrocodone because I still have pain sometimes. I have been taking one 5mg/325mg tablet every ten hours. I wait that long because that is when my body says it wants it. I also have been experiencing hot flashes lately, with a small dose of anxiety. I decided to look up hydrocodone on the Internet and found out that this medication is also a member of the opiate family, namely Vicodin. Well, that's great! Now I get to wean myself off this stuff too. There are times I can't figure out if my pain is real or is my body addicted to this drug. I do know if I don't take it before bed, I wake up in the middle of the night because the nerves in my feet are going crazy! The feeling is hard to describe. I just know it keeps me awake. I also have disturbing dreams.

I noticed that my hair is super dry...so is my scalp. I thought it was my shampoo so I switched to another one, but now I think it is not the shampoo but yet another side effect of radiation. I was told that even though I have not had a radiation treatment since March, it is still in my system. No one knows how long it will take for my body to completely get rid of it. I am grateful I only had to have 2 chemo treatments, even though they were heavy duty doses. Who knows what side effects I would be dealing with if I had to have more. I said it before and I will say it again it is worth the price I had to pay in order to save my life, but there are times it can be annoying!

Eat your fruit & vegetables. xo Inge

Have you been to the Good Will lately? I haven't been in months and I got sticker shock when I was there. Their merchandise has gone up alot! Even when they are damaged. I am guessing it has to do with the economy...most people will continue to shop even when they have less money in their wallets, but they will shop at cheaper places....namely second hand stores. When I lived in Chico, I was always able to buy lots of things with my $10 budget...now, not so much. Infact I went over my budget by $9. I did find 3 large rubber tubs though for $4 each...that's about half the price than Target. I like packing my things in tubs instead of boxes because they are easier to stack and just look better. I also found this cute circa 1950s bunny planter...I plan to put small indoor plants in them and sell them at flea markets. I did that two years ago and did pretty good...the price point was $10...people seem to be willing to spend that amount on an indoor plant, especially if it's in a vintage planter. I bought the bunny planter for $2. I also found a metal shelf that I will use for display. For now it will sit outside in my patio. It looks good but I paid $6 for it...a couple of years ago I would have got it for $3. Oh well...I still had fun snooping around and looking for treasures that were also bargains. Where do you find your bargains? xo Inge

My wheelchair arrived today! Freedom and Independence!... Now I can go on family outings longer than an hour. I can walk until I get tired...then hubby can push me. I'm a lucky girl! and VERY Blessed! xo Inge