It Is True- I Got Curls!

I am still having a cancer experience because as my hair is growing it is developing cute little curls- Amazing but true.  I am also told it will not last. My hair will eventually return to its original condition which is mostly straight. It is so soft though- I remember paying $80 for this when I lived in Florida- I would get a perm when my hair was long and let it grow out slowly- Let's see how this goes.

I got measured for my "sleeve" and now they have some with designs not just plain skin color- So I picked a colorful sketch of a bird scene. I will likely get that next week- It is for when I fly or do strenuous things- It is a compression stocking for my left arm where the lymph nodes were removed and had radiation so my lymph system was damaged.

A part of me feels like this happened to someone one else now. Like I just lent my body to the process of treatment- I guess al those years of being disassociated came in handy. I could separate myself from the experience. But I will not forget how sick chemotherapy made me- I understand why people quit. It makes you so sick and lousy. Thinking that it is temporary only relieves the anguish a little. So basically I feel good, I look good and I am happy.

I am going to met with my Cousin Craig soon- I trust hi completely as he is extremely well informed and help me sort out the current political climate- It is overwhelming and not clear cut anymore. So much eludes me with finding the facts in the middle of all the mud slinging and hatred...... the hatred is very frightening.  I do not remember a time when there was so much hatred in my fellow Americans.

I will pray for me and all my friends and loved ones but especially for my country and the world to learn to live in peace with one another.

Life Being Unfair Overwhelms Me

Sometimes I am overwhelmed just how unfair life is- People I know are going places and living in places that I would love to experience too.

And I am expecting to do them in my retirement years. My house is nothing I have ever invested in. My only investment is named Madison. She got a hold of all my resources and now that she is matured and off on her own, I am free to invest differently- as soon as I get out of credit card debt and car loans that is.......
So I got to thinking, I will be quite upset if I die before I get to retire.  I am just 60 years old and I am waiting until I can have Medicare to retire from my full time job at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging and will keep my part time job as a private practitioner for mental health. Successful Aging is not dying and having the mobility to do the things you want to do plus the money to carry it out- Actually- if I knew the date I was dying I would run up my credit cards in the last year of my life. I got about 200,000 dollars in credit limits- that ought to take me to Alaska, Israel, and maybe the Greek islands and a summer down the shore, and a winter in the Florida Keys.  My bucket list includes a lot of traveling- Once upon a time, I wanted to sell everything I owned or get rid of it as Madison would say because it is all hand me downs, you know, old people's stuff anyway- and rent an Airstream with a moped on the back of it and see every National Park.  Now that surely is unlikely. I wanted to do that with a life partner (aka husband) and that ship has sailed and burned.  So as I was thinking, I thought, maybe if I let the universe know how much I really want to retire and have a few good years- like 10 ( I am not too greedy) I will get to do those things and travel to all my dreamy places.

By the way, something NOT on my bucket list is happening this coming weekend. Are you ready for this.... my sisters Janet and Rhona and I are traveling out west----- to Ricketts Glen Pa.... to hike several miles to see several waterfalls- Now ain't that an event to be remembered.  Will let you know how it goes. Janet is 68 and Rhona is 66. And you all know my age. Rhona has feet and knees issues, Janet is as slow as they come. and I am quite large and sedentary.  Rhona has told Janet it is not hard- which is not really what most of the reviews say. Rhona can say that because she is the only one of us that goes to the gym every day........  I got my hiking poles thank goodness and I also know when to quit!  Will report back in a week!

“Awesome Waterfall Hike”

Reviewed 1 week ago

We had a wonderful experience at this state park. Not very many places you can see 22 waterfalls in one hike. They are very nice sized waterfalls too. We only did the loop to see 21 of them and was going to stop at the last one on the way out, since it's close to a parking lot right off the main road. We did that loop in around 4 hours with stops for taking photos on each of the falls. Unfortunately, I forgot to stop at the last waterfall. Most of the hike was pretty easy or moderate, until the last mile or so when you're hiking up, out of the canyon. Of course, you have a lot of steps to climb next to the 94 foot waterfall. Make sure you use the restroom before you head down to hike, as there are no bathrooms on the trail. Bring plenty of water.

“Beautiful waterfalls”

Reviewed 3 days agoNEW

I've been here numerous times over the years and the only thing that changes is how much water there is flowing depending on the season and rainfall. The trails can be challenging which is fun but there are many that are easy. The falls are beautiful all the time, especially when there is more water. I love spending the day here and it is a great start park.

We're All In This Together

Sorry for the delay in writing but I worked last night until after 9 pm. Yesterday I received a phone call from Dr. Wilson with test results from my MRI.... All Good- benign lesions on my bones in certain places and of course arthritis..... along with some other insignificant things..... nothing that has to do with cancer or my future.  YIPEE!  He also said it will take a few more months before the temperature of my skin returns to normal- Now I have a hot side and cold side, like a faucet at a sink.

So I now I will cope with my hair growing back looking more and  more like someone's shaggy bathroom rug...... either that or a poodle's rump.  There are layers in the back that are wild and the front is so thick I can do nothing with it. So it is hair hair everywhere again.

Fireworks were fun but then there was a tragedy - a close friend's nephew at the age of 35 was struck by a car while riding a bicycle and was killed.  Maybe some of you know him. It was Matthew Von Ohlen, the nephew of Harold Katz. It haunted me for days and days as it felt like murder.  I can't stand how vulnerable we all are that life can be over in seconds. And from one person so many other lives are permanently changed forever.

One of the artist I enjoy listening to is Ben Lee- He sings many great songs but I like the line in "We're All In This Together" about there not ever being any protection from human connection"  It is hard to be human. Sometimes, it just hurts.

BEN LEE

We're All In This Together 

Woke up this morning
I suddenly realized
We're all in this together
I started smiling
Cos you were smiling
And were all in this together
I'm made of atoms
You're made of atoms
And were all in this together
And long division
Just doesn't matter
Cos were all in this together

I saw you walking
In the city
We're all in this together
The city's changing
Cos we are changing
And were all in this together
Every twelve seconds
Someone remembers
That were all in this together
In the kitchen
Of your rent-control apartment
We're all in this together

C'mon baby
I dont mean to rush you
I only wanted to reach out and touch you
I've gotta start to open my heart

I know you think
About jumping ship before it sinks
But were all in this together
Ask a scientist
It's quantum physics
We're all in this together
And on the subway
We feel like strangers
But were all in this together
Yeah I love you and you love her
And she loves him
But were all in this together

Y'know baby
There's never been protection
In all the history of human connection
C'mon darling
It's alright to show me
You don't ever need to be lonely
Once you start to open your heart

I saw you crying
I started crying
Cos were all in this together

And then religion
It's a big decision
But were all in this together

We're all in this together

Brooklyn cyclist was killed in 'deliberate hit-and-run' and hours later NYPD were slammed for handing out pamphlets telling bike riders to 'be responsible'

• Matthew von Ohlen, 35, killed after a black Chevrolet slammed into his bike 
• Investigators believe driver deliberately crashed into von Ohlen 
• Following day, NYPD handed out flyers telling cyclists to be responsible
• Director of Transportation Alternatives: 'NYPD have skewed priorities'

By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 20:01 EST, 10 July 2016 | UPDATED: 23:53 EST, 10 July 2016

A cyclist was 'deliberately killed by a hit and run driver' in Brooklyn during the early hours of last Saturday.  Matthew von Ohlen, 35, was killed after a black Chevrolet Camaro slammed into his bike on Grand St. near Manhattan Avenue in Williamsburg at around 2.30am on Saturday July 2, say police.  Surveillance footage from the crash and statements from the NYPD suggest that the driver deliberately killed von Ohlen before driving off, while a neighbor told New York Daily News: 'He was killed like a dog in the street.'

The New York Police Department were later slammed for cracking down on 'irresponsible cyclists' the morning after the incident.

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Matthew von Ohlen, 35,  (left and right) was killed after a black Chevrolet Camaro slammed into his bike on Grand St. near Manhattan Avenue in Williamsburg

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The 35-year-old bike enthusiast, who had co-founded BikeStock, had been travelling on the cycle lane when the Chevy driver slowed down and the pair exchanged words. Pictured: Grand St. near Manhattan Avenue in Williamsburg

NYC bicyclist killed in suspected intentional hit-and-run

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But the morning after the fatal incident, police were on the Brooklyn street canvasing cyclists and passing out pamphlets about their 'obligations and responsibilities', reported The Village Voice.   Paul Steely White, the director of Transportation Alternatives, told the Voice in a statement: 'This is a particularly egregious example of the NYPD's skewed priorities when it comes to traffic enforcement, and of the victim-blaming mentality that pervades the department.'

The 35-year-old bike enthusiast, who had co-founded BikeStock, had been travelling in the cycle lane when the Chevy driver slowed down and the pair exchanged words. t...

Investigators told Pix-11: 'The driver then hit von Ohlen's rear tire and as the victim fell off his bike, the driver slammed into him again, running over him and dragging him about twenty to thirty feet.  The driver then sped off, heading east on Grand Street.'

The motorist is believed to have intentionally hit von Ohlen, according to investigators, who are yet to find the driver.  A witness called 911 and when officers arrived, they found von Ohlen lying in the street with 'severe trauma' to his body, police told Pix 11. He was pronounced dead in hospital.  Von Ohlen was the twelfth cyclist killed in New York City this year, despite Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero campaign, which is designed to eliminate pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in New York. 

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Surveillance footage from the crash (pictured) and statements from NYPD suggest that the driver deliberately killed von Ohlen before driving off 

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The 35-year-old bike enthusiast, who had co-founded BikeStock (pictured) had been travelling on the cycle lane when the Chevy driver slowed down and the pair exchanged words.

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Von Ohlen was the twelfth cyclist killed in New York City this year, despite Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero campaign, which is designed to eliminate pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in New York. Pictured: Stock image of ghost bike, signifying death of a cyclist. 

According to the government site, 'approximately 4,000 New Yorkers are seriously injured and more than 250 are killed each year in traffic crashes. 

'Being struck by a vehicle is the leading cause of injury-related death for children under 14, and the second leading cause for seniors. On average, vehicles seriously injure or kill a New Yorker every two hours.'  Under the Vision Zero campaign, 50 dangerous intersections have been redesigned and 33 new slow zones have been introduced around the city. 

But according to the Voice, de Blasio has a negligible influence on the NYPD, who have generally been fairly reluctant to enforce laws against motorists who injure or kill pedestrians and cyclists.   

Anyone with information in the case is urged to call NYPD's anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA.

Grief for an Avid Cyclist Killed in a Brooklyn Hit-and-Run By MEGAN JULAJULY 5, 2016

Do This, Now Do That.

Thank goodness I am not a worrier- After all, I think I am done with this Cancer stuff- right. Well my very good doctor noticed that the radiologist said something about T11 being cloudy which meant that I needed further examination so he ordered a bone scan  to rule out metastasis---which I got Friday the 24th of June - Results- inconclusive. Which I now know is common- So now I am getting a MRI of my Lumbar spine so they can see L 3 and 4 and also T11 will be squeezed in. I know for certain that I do not have Osteoporosis because I took a bone density scan just prior to starting my estrogen lowering medication because that medication is known for damaging your bones. A likely explanation for the cloudiness on my scans at the above mentioned locations is Arthritis or inflammation. My appointment for the MRI is next Friday, July 8 at 430 pm. I am certain I will not get the results of that for almost a week. If that is also inconclusive- I will then get a bone biopsy. I promise to stay in touch. 

Bone scan

This test shows the entire skeleton, and can sometimes show a bone metastasis that’s not yet causing symptoms. It’s best at showing metastases that are blastic (where bone is denser).

Bone scans can usually find metastases much earlier than regular x-rays. Bone scans can also be repeated over time to track how the metastases respond to treatments.

Sometimes bone scans fail to find cancer that has spread to the bones. Bone scans have a harder time detecting metastases that are purely osteolytic (where bone is less dense).

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

MRI scans use radio waves and strong magnets instead of x-rays to make very detailed pictures of parts of the body. Like a CT scan, MRI produces detailed cross-sectional slices of the body.

Because an MRI scan is very useful for looking at the spine and spinal cord, it’s the standard test used if spinal cord compression is suspected. MRIs are also good at finding problems in bones and joints. Often an MRI scan is done to better define a bone mass seen on an x-ray. MRI scans can usually tell if the mass is likely to be a tumor, an infection, or some type of bone damage from other causes.