time to go

Hi everyone

Well what a wild ride the past few weeks have been. Last Tuesday we resigned our jobs at the hospital. We both love our jobs and the people we work with, but the politics just got to be too much. For years we have worried about the future of the hospital and challenged the direction of the administration, and we somehow just decided that there was nothing we could do and we would likely live longer if we just stopped trying.

You know the saying Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to accept those I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Serene is the only thing I have felt since we made this decision.

I am sleeping better than I have in years, laughing more, and somehow can see the future much more clearly.

We gave our notice as the First of September.

We still have 3 years until Ken can tap into his retirement, and have this very large mortgage (until we sell our house), but we are determined to make it work.

The univerisity (in Eugene) has already expressed and interest in both of use, and we can still do shifts and holiday relief back in Bandon.

Not quite sure how I will come up with the funds to do another cd, but perhaps with more free time I might work a little harder at selling all the ones we already have. :)

I am work work working on the garden as well. I have two books to help me with growing a sustainable garden in a small space. We are using whatever techniques we can to maximize space. Potatoes for instance, we are growing in Oak barrels and layering the seed potatoes with sand and compost, I have read where this can yield as much as a hundred pounds of potatoes. Strawberries I am growing in plastic buckets, and cutting circular holes in the sides and planting more strawberries in the sidewalls of the buckets. I have bamboo teepees for the cucumbers and beans.

I have already had 2 meals with the spinach I have already grown.

With regards to my health, well I guess my mental health has just had a great boost.

It is now a little over 3 weeks since my HBOT treatments finished. I feel that I am doing much better. I have much less abdominal pain, and much less nausea. I find in moderation I am able to eat many more things. I still have the bleeding, now pretty much on a daily basis. I think that part of the problem is that for the small bowel problem I have to take a low residue diet (which I can be more relaxed about now), but for the colon bleeding, I should be on a high fiber diet, which I just cannot do.

Anyways, since thus far neither my oncology surgeon, nor my oncology radiologist, nor my gastroenterologist seem to know much about any of this, I asked if I could be referred to OHSU, which is the main referral center in Oregon. The gastroenterologist said that if the bleeding gets to be too much he could do argon treatments, which means burning the area that is bleeding. From what I have read you can get permanent rectal ulcerations from that. I seem to have ended up with all the “rare” complications thus far, so am wanting to find a doctor who knows something about the effects of radiation on the bowels.

So I have an appointment for July 1st. up at OHSU in Portland.

The hairdresser I have had for years, is very hard to get into, and I have had my hair “woven” with colour every 6-8 months. I usually schedule a year in advance. Well needless to say I kind of got off of the list. I am quite excited because today I am back on the list and getting my hair done today. Ken thinks it is getting scruffy and I need a cut too :) I am savouring every centimeter though.........

Other news Josh got straigh B’s on his 3rd term of university and actually also did a full course load, AND he is looking for a job today. Yea! !!

Upcoming festivals ........ Folk life in Seattle at 1pm May 31st

Oregon country Fair July 10th and July 11th times and stages TBA Eugene

Bye for now LUV

Janet Bates

jankenb @ gmail.com