The Days and Nights of Catherine Evermore

Much has been said about Mayor Donna Deegan’s appearance at a pro-Palestine event earlier this year. She stood on the stage with the flag of Palestine and a lectern covered with a keffiyeh that is a kerchief worn by pro-Hamas, anti-Israel terrorists.

Her appearance at this event was posted on social media on the same day as the Holocaust Remembrance Day, and members of the Jacksonville Jewish community, as well as others, were livid.

Deegan made the following statement after receiving backlash:

“It’s disappointing to see partisan actors use people’s rich heritage to divide our community.” (Donna Deegan)

Donna Deegan just doesn’t get it.

She doesn’t understand why people are upset.

She blamed the people who were offended for being offended.

Isn’t that like blaming a victim for being a victim?

Donna Deegan has embarrassed our city many times before; however, this might be the greatest embarrassment of all.

© Catherine Evermore. All rights reserved.

Funny story! Well, maybe not that funny.

After suffering with an allergic reaction to blood thinner #1, I started taking blood thinner #2. Most of the issues with the first one had finally cleared up, but the second one, while much better, wasn’t completely allergic reaction free.

So, I asked the doctor if I could take it at night instead of each morning.

Why?

So glad you asked. Because if I was going to feel sick after taking it at least I would be sleeping through most of the nausea and wake up each morning nausea-free.

Let’s move on …

Two weeks have passed and I got a call from the hospital cardio rehab center. It seems they received a referral for me to attend rehap sessions.

How many? 3 x a week for 6 weeks.

Do these people know me? I’m old, and tired, and won’t be making trips anywhere to exercise.

My response:  That’s not going to work out for me. Sorry. Maybe later in the year but not right now.

Thank the dear Lord for patient portals because I used mine to let my doctor know that Friday was the first time I had heard about any cardio rehab sessions, and maybe we could discuss this when I see him in a few months.

That’s it. That’s the post for today. ~CE

When I was going through chemo for cancer, I used my website to write about my journey, good and bad. It helped to just bang away on the keyboard and type whatever came to my foggy brain.

Such is the case today!

Earlier this week, I was in the hospital for two days for two different heart procedures:  a heart cath & stent, and a TCC.

My cardiologist performed the first procedure, and another doctor performed the second. I survived both but the after-effects have been awful.

Why?

I didn’t sleep for nearly 36 hours between #1 and #2. Nothing I was given during my overnight stay put me to sleep. Nothing!

By the time I was wheeled in for the TCC (a procedure that took a picture of the back side of my heart), I was ready to be knocked out.

Oh, by the way, I had an allergic reaction to the injection that I was given prior to the heart cath. That was not fun!

Finally, I was sent home with an additional prescription for another blood thinner to be added to the 14 pills that I’m already taking. This new blood thinner has been a disaster.

Why?

It makes everything taste like metal. No joke. This reminds me of my chemo days when I had the same reaction to the poison they injected through a port embedded in my chest.

But wait, there is more!

I cut my hand. I didn’t just cut it, I sliced it across the top and as of today (day 4) it has finally stopped bleeding.

What did the cardio doc’s office tell me to do? Go to the ER or an urgent care center.

That wasn’t going to happen. I can’t run there each time I cut myself. They might as well wrap me up like a mummy!

So much for now. ~CE

 

 

Eight years ago, I had a heart cath, failed the test, and ended up having open heart, double bypass surgery.

Tomorrow, I am going to have another heart cath because my recent heart echo showed a decrease in my heart function and a “leak” or something like that, that I don’t understand.

To say I’m terrified right now would be an understatement. But this has to be done.

So, if I don’t survive then it’s been a good ride, just so you know.

Over and out … for now!

~CE

In 2018, I kept a journal about my journey with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. It was a way of recording my feelings – good and bad – and it really helped to write about one of the worst experiences of my life.

The following was posted on this website.

Cancer – July 27, 2018

Six months ago, I had long blond hair. Today I am bald.

Just before I started chemo, I had my hair cut short. Less than two weeks later, right after my first chemo treatment, it started to fall out. It started coming out in clumps, so I got a buzz cut that was actually quite cute. Within days what little hair that was left fell out.

That was before I lost my eyebrows and long eyelashes.

When I go outside, I wear a scarf or a cap. When I’m inside, I take it off. Lately, I’ve been removing whatever is covering my bald head while inside a store. Most always while at the cancer center.

I walk with a cane because of poor balance. The state handicapped sticker on my car is temporary, but it is a huge help when I go to the store.

I look at myself in the mirror and barely recognize myself. I know. I know. It’s just hair and it will grow back. This is true. I’m not that vain. However, it is difficult to see how I look today compared to six months ago.

We won’t talk about the weight loss. Nearly 30 lbs. to date.

We won’t talk about the numbness in my fingers and toes.

We won’t talk about the eye floaters that popped up on the day of chemo #5.

We won’t talk about the constant lack of energy and inability to sleep more than 2 or 3 hours at a time.

What I want to focus on are the results of my last two PET scans. No visible signs of cancer. My next PET will be week after next. I’m praying for the same results. No visible signs of cancer.

I have completed six rounds of the most intense chemo known to man. It has killed off everything – good and bad. Every 21 days I have spent hours at the cancer center hooked up to all kinds of infusions. The port in my chest has been a lifesaver.

Every Monday, I have shown up for lab work. The week after chemo is the most difficult because the results are very low. I’m sick for at least 10 days and slowly regain some strength. Food tastes like metal so I don’t eat much. I call these days the 10 days from hell. They are.

It is now time to move on to the next phase of this journey. In just a couple of weeks, after my next PET scan, I will meet with my doctor and she will lay out a plan of action for the next several months that will probably then become the next several years.

I know that it will take time for certain side effects to go away and even longer for my hair to grow back. The numbness in my fingers and toes may never go away. There is no guarantee.

As difficult as it has been going through chemo … and there have been times when I wanted to give up … the support that I have received from family, friends, and the cancer center got me to where I am today.

There are no words for the sense of gratitude that I am feeling today.

Catherine

© Catherine Evermore. All rights reserved.