Melanoma

Image: www. southcoastmedcenter.com

It's been almost two weeks since I last blogged and this is why.

Heather's melanoma looked like B/malignant - what had started out as a cute heart-shaped mole grew into a clump just like in the picture. She had it removed and then found out that she needed more surgery.

That surgery was a week ago and included removal of seven lymph nodes. Although the path report showed that the melanoma was not the aggressive type, it was still malignant and the lymph nodes had to go.

More skin was removed from the original op site and a skin graft was put in place. The skin graft didn't take, but the surgeon is using it as a biological dressing to help the underlying tissue to granulate. She has a crater in her calf - but considering the alternative -not a bad thing.

Today she did the dressing of the crater and the skin graft donor site herself - without mother/nurse helping. I had showed her last night - she's a fast learner.

Tomorrow I fly home - I'm so glad she was able to do the dressing without needing me.

Oh, yeah - the lymph nodes were negative for any metastasis from the original site. We were over the moon when we heard that! Now we can take our Alaskan cruise next month and really enjoy it!

Please - please - check for any changes of moles - look at the pictures - do you have anything like this? If so - get it checked out.

Back to Seattle

Heck of a way to rack up frequent flyer miles.
Heck of a way to get me back to Seattle, Heather.
More surgery at the melanoma site, skin graft and lymph node biopsy.

I fly out tomorrow.
I wouldn't be anywhere else.

The Judicial System Works!

The outrage that swept throughout the country last night when it was learned that this person was released from jail may signal a new era - one where the privileged few are not viewed as celebrities just because they exist.

Those privilege few - whether they are a no talent celebrity or the president of a country - must realize that the laws are written for us all.

"She who will not be named" (Anderson Cooper's line*) must serve her 45 days in jail - but she goes screaming. Tough! At the end of the 45 days, your mansion and your minions and your millions will still be there.

And I'm sure there will be a publisher out there who will give you a book contract.

Oh, wait - no - you can't read or write.

Well - have a good time in jail, staring at the four walls.

Suck it up, sister. You did the crime - now do the time.

It couldn't have happened to a nicer gal.

* Anderson Cooper - a son of privilege who does more in a minute that she who will not be named did her entire existance........

AP Photo - June 8, 2007

Mad Mitzi (in more ways than one)

One of the few times I had to rant loudly at a teenage Heather, she began to laugh (which caused my voice to go up a few more decibels) because she said I looked like Ozzy Osborne when I was yelling at her. Granted I was wearing eye-make-up but not THAT much. I did have long dark hair at the time. And I have fewer tattoos and usually wear a shirt.

But lately my inner-Ozzy has come out. Maybe I'm under some stress, but my tolerance for stupidity has decreased greatly (if I ever had a tolerance).

Friday night I discovered that the doctor's office and then the pharmacist had made a mistake in the dose and frequency of a med that keeps me from having tetany - a terrible calcium deficiency that can kill. I called and yelled. Tomorrow will be the doctor's office nurse's turn. He had the script refilled by what he thought I'd said on a phone message and without checking my records or the faxed copy of the script from the pharmacy. What if I wasn't a nurse? What if I didn't know better?

Today at Barnes and Noble - I left books and magazines at a table to go back and put others away. I wanted to buy the ones I left. I had no jacket to leave to show that I was coming back - it's frigging 80 outside. At least I put my magazines away - but when I got back, the ones I wanted to buy were gone - almost back to the stacks. Well, it seems that they have a "directive from corporate" not to leave anything on the tables. Next time I'll leave a note when I get up from the table. Geeeeesh - I was gone less than a minute. Then the books I bought did not scan the discount price and that made me madder. The more the clerk tried to "make nice", the madder I got. "I know," he kept saying. Well, uh - no, you frigging DON'T know. None of the B&N clerks were concerned that they could have lost a large sale - guess they wouldn't be - B&N is so big and it's not their business, what's my little tuppence to them?

So I'm pissy and the pissiness will continue.

I hope I'm good and pissy by the time I get to one of my nursing homes this week. They caused a major problem and were very blase about it. While three thousand miles away, I'm standing on the fire escape outside of a surgical unit where Heather's having the melanoma removed, talking to my boss on my cell phone about that building and the resident who died.

Ozzy's back. Hide your bats and chickens!

Progress of Agent Search and Articles/Short Story

As of today:

In the last two months, I've queried six agents:
Two rejections.
Two no responses.
One requested a full - emailed two weeks ago.
One requested a partial - mailed three weeks ago.

I pitched to five agents at the Writers Digest Conference at Book Expo;
Three requests for partials -
One has been emailed.
One will be snail-mailed this week.
One will be emailed after June 6 - per agency's request.

No response from Cup of Comfort for "Love Pats".
No response from Woman's World for "Murray's Choice".

Still writing.

Typewriter Causes Madness

I wrote my first short story on one of these - a Royal Portable - nearly 50 years ago. Pop gave me the typewriter for Christmas because he'd hope it would encourage me to take up a secretarial career. Nope. I wanted to use it to write (not a job where I could support myself - or at least that's what Pop said).

I submitted the story to Family Circle (that was back when it was still publishing fiction) and received my first rejection letter.

Madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. This is madness, but I can't stop....

Huusker and the Shirts

I bought shirts at the Fine Wines and Felines silent auction in Seattle a few weeks ago. When I got home and unpacked my carry-on, I set them on the dining room table. Huusker found them. The shirt says: "All nine lives are precious."

Birds in General - Sea Gulls in Specific - and Totems

My fascination with birds: I can watch them all day. Maybe it's the cat in me or maybe it's that I love all of nature.

One of my favorite scenes from Mary Poppins (and the saddest) is of the old woman feeding the pigeons on the steps of St. Paul's in London. She is alone but not alone - surrounded by the pigeons who know her and know that she will be there to offer them crumbs or seed.

Next to Heather's apartment is a senior high rise building. I always see the residents walking their dogs - all sizes of dogs, even a husky-mix - some of them need to use walkers or electric wheelchairs (the residents, not the dogs).

And there's a woman who, every morning between 7 and 8, brings a bag of something out to the back of the building and feeds the sea gulls. They know when she's coming - they're there first. I know; I've seen their gathering.

There are crows that nest on the roof immediately above Heather's second floor apartment. Sitting in front of her large picture window that looks out over part of downtown Everett, I saw them, huge black birds, swooping up to the rooftop. "Did you send them to watch me?" she asked, knowing that crow is one of my totem animals. "Yep. To watch over you" was my answer. I think she liked that.

I just hope she doesn't see the wolf pack that's guarding her.

Been Quiet around Here

Yep, it sure has.

I'll be posting more regularly soon and will even have some pictures. But Heather needs more surgery and that's my focus for now - head and heart.

I'm flying back to Seattle in a week.
Hell of a way to get frequent flyer miles.