stolen compost

Well life in Eugene is going great. We decide on a few errands we have to run and then get on our bikes and try to get them done. Yesterday we had to pick up some wine that did not get delivered at our house (because we were doing errands), at UPS. From the map it looked like it was at the university, or in the area. Once there we realized it was quite a bit further south, so our errand bike ride took us about 20 miles. On the way back, I fell off my bike. (this is not unusual, in fact quite a regular occurance. We used to have tandem bikes and the boys used to fight over who had to ride with me). Anyways at the time Ken was a bit ahead of me and a guy came running to my aid. I was not hurt, just a skinned knee, but when the bike fell, the contents of my pannier poured out on the sidewalk. There is a place down by the Knickerbocker bridge that I have found that has great composted oak leaves, which I have heard are good for blueberries, so one of my "errands" was to load my pannier with "compost". In effect stealing compost.....

I think that the guy must have thought it rather odd to have a pannier full of dirt. I guess I got caught red handed.... or red kneed...... with my pilfered compost.

So you can imagine then why I run, instead of cycle, you just let your mind wander for a minute and WHAMO you become "one with the pavement"

Likely the most painful part of it all was that, since the bike ride was so long, I got hungry and ate a couple of power bars and was sick the rest of the evening....(they had nuts and raisins and oatmeal in them)

My abdominal pain has gotten worse lately and I have been taking low doses of pain killers.

I take a half of the lowest dose of percocet at least once a day now. It just settles the burning lower abdominal pain that seems to be there a lot of the time now.

I have also started bleeding rectally more, passing blood several times a day now.

It has become a cycle, the bleeding is worse when my bms are hard, so I try to increase my fiber and I get more abdominal pain, but when I do get more fiber in, I have less bleeding.

I have this feeling that all of this got better when I was on the hyperbaric treatments, but gradually came back and now I feel it is worse than before.

I am seeing doctor at OHSU on the first of July, and am quite apprehensive about that hoping

he at least is interested in trying to help.

The last gastroenterologist basically really had nothing to offer for the upper abdominal problems and he said if the bleeding got bad enough to require a blood transfusion he could go in with heat argon and essentially cauterize??

I guess I am quite fearful of this treatment, is because it seems as though burning an area that is bleeding (bleeding because it does not have enough blood supply) just seems wrong. The tissues are bleeding bacause they do not have the blood supply to heal, and you cause another injury.........? I have read about the side effects, .... rectal ulcers, which basically cause chronic pain....... and if a hole is made in the bowel, then you get peritonitis, infection throughout the whole abdomen.

I guess what I am hoping for is another trial at hyperbarics, but with the proper dose. The EUgene one only goes to 2 atmospheres and the ones in portland go to 2.4

But we will see what he says.

I did have a breast MRI last week and it was normal, which is a huge relief, I have worried about that for quite awhile. My mother and grandmother had breast cancer.

I did get ahold of Dr Cook and have a CT scan booked for monday, of the chest abdomen and pelvis, with IV and oral contrast. He does one every 6 months looking for early recurrences.

This one is 2 weeks early, I thought that my visit in Portland would be more useful if this was done before my visit there. Also in a bit of a panic about the rising CA 125, so hoping the CT will provide some reassurance.

On the garden front, we have 70 tomato plants, and I can find 10 baby tomatoes. In Barbara Kingsolvers book (animal vegetable miracle) she had 50 and grew .3 of a ton of tomatoes.

I guess I have been dreaming of doing what she did for a few years and this is so exciting for me this year to see my dream come to fruition. Ken and I bought a set of about 30 antique canning bottles at an antique auction 15 year ago, and have just found out we can use these for canning and have found a store here that sells the rubber rings.

They have glass tops on them. Of course we will need MANY more, if all goes well. My neighbours think I am nuts, but I feel I have waited for at least 20 years to have a garden such as this.

Things just did not grow well in Bandon, and it was not for lack of trying. Even here, I am having trouble getting the pepper plants to survive outside the greenhouse, it is a cooler year than typical. But I really really am having fun with the garden. And there is ALWAYS something that needs doing in the garden. So far all we have been eating from the garden is the spinach and mesclun. I have one zuchinni that is little right now, and lots a lots of kale that may soon be ready to harvest.

Our garlic, which we planted last October, will soon be ready to harvest and I am replacing them with various winter squashes for the long lastedness of their fruits.

So good fun all and all. Last summer when I was sick, I dreamed of doing this and at times wondered if I would ever get a chance, so now I have the chance, I am doing it.

Love

Janet

jankenb @ gmail.com