UPDATE and Portland's newest bridge over the Willamette

UPDATE: The appointment went fine with Dr. Da Graca. We talked about the fatigue side effect and how it is having more of an impact than it did between the other rounds of chemo. We've got a plan in effect which I will share later on this week; suffice it to say that I am pleased with what he decided. I got home, ate my leftovers and am headed to the recliner in a little bit. I hope that I am able to stay awake for all of Dancing With the Stars, but, if I don't, no skin off my nose. Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and concern.



I got to my work building early this morning so that I could rest a while before starting work. I sat outside on the rooftop garden for a few minutes and took a few photos of the Tilikum Crossing Bridge. I have yet to ride over it, but once I get back some stamina, I'll be riding over it on either the TriMet MAX Orange Line or the Portland Streetcar. I'm excited at the prospect!

Here's some info about the bridge that I'd like to share with you: Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People is a cable-stayed bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. It was designed by TriMet, the Portland metropolitan area's regional transit authority, for its MAX Orange Line light rail passenger trains. The bridge also serves city buses and the Portland Streetcar, as well as bicycles, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles. Private cars and trucks are not permitted on the bridge.

Construction was begun in 2011, and the bridge was officially opened on September 12, 2015. In homage to Native American civilizations, the bridge was named with the local Chinook word for people.

Tilikum Crossing has its western terminus in the city's South Waterfront area, and stretches across the river to the Central Eastside district. In the 21st century, these two industrial zones have been evolving into mixed residential and commercial neighborhoods, and new transit accommodations are required by the growing populations. Both districts, however, are limited by antiquated road infrastructure that was deemed incapable of handling the increased traffic that could be expected from a conventional automobile bridge. The primary rationale for the bridge was thus "first and foremost as a conduit for a light-rail line."

The bridge is south of, and approximately parallel to, the Marquam Bridge. The west "landing" is mid-way between the Marquam and Ross Island Bridges, and the east landing is just north of Southeast Caruthers Street, with the east approach viaduct reaching the surface at the west end of Sherman Street, which the tracks follow to a new Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) MAX station located near an existing Portland Streetcar station and the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.



I cropped one of the photos so that you could see this MAX light-rail train, the MAX Orange Line, as it heads east--look toward the bottom of the photo at the right edge. The yellow truck you see above the MAX is on the Ross Island Bridge which is south of the Tilikum Crossing Bridge. The blurry bar across the photo is the guard rail around the rooftop garden at my work building.

The crossing opened for general use on September 12, 2015, becoming the first new bridge built across the river in the Portland metropolitan area since 1973. The first public access to the bridge was given on August 9, 2015, in the morning for the 20th annual Providence Bridge Pedal and in the afternoon with a three-hour period in which the bridge was open to everyone.

UPDATE and my little picnic Wednesday after work in my front yard

UPDATE: The difference between my energy/stamina levels yesterday and today is shocking. Today both are at an even lower level than they were on Monday and Tuesday. I've had to lean on exterior building walls and/or handrails to rest before continuing to walk on the sidewalk to get where I'm going. I even had to rest a bit at work when going to check the fax machine, one of the things I do twice a day--I stopped and rested on the locked shred bin that is near the fax machine. After such a great day on Wednesday when not only my muscles felt more normal than I expected, but also my brain seemed filled with clarity, I'm working hard at not being down in the dumps about how I feel today. The thing to do is take these side effects one day at a time, maybe one hour at a time, deal with each one the best that I am able. And to not give up! Here's to Friday, y'all!



Wednesday after work the weather felt perfect. So much so that when I got off the bus around 3 p.m. and walked by the Subway, I thought to myself, "I'm gonna go in there, buy myself some food and drink, and see if I can get it in my front yard with my folding aluminum lawn chair and my wooden snack table. I'm having a picnic!" If I hadn't been having a good energy/stamina day, I would not have been able to get everything outside without dropping something or spilling something. Here you see my food, a six-inch tuna on wheat with an extra scoop of tuna, shredded lettuce and tomato. Plus Lay's original potato chips and a cup of Coca Cola with no ice. I know it's boring, but that's what I always get when I go to Subway. It's reliably the same which I find comforting.

To say that I enjoyed my little picnic would be an understatement. I loved it! Plus, I got to visit with my neighbor Matthew and his dog Birdie. Then, Lamont found me out there when he came over after work. Sweet! He told me later yesterday evening that it made him feel real good to see me enjoying myself outside.

Today, I was in the recliner by 4:30 p.m., about an hour after I got home. Like my little Mama used to say sometimes, "I just don't have it." That's today, Thursday. We'll see what Friday brings. Next round of chemo is one week from today, Thursday, October 1.

UPDATE and a young woman on her bike

UPDATE: Well, there's no doubt in my mind that the chemo side effect known as fatigue is here, in all is cumulative-ness, as in the impact increases with each round of chemo. No matter how much I sleep and/or rest, I remain tired. I'm still able to get what I need to do done, if I sleep and/or rest. I guess that's because I don't go into the negative, energywise. If I don't sleep and/or rest, I'm wiped out. I know that it could be much worse as far as side effects go, so I shall not give up. I expect this to happen. I am dealing with it the best that I possibly can.



The other day I sat in front of Albertina Kerr and noticed this young woman looking intently at the traffic. I knew why she waited. She wanted to go across the street so that she could get on the far side into the bike lane, more than likely so that she could go west on NE Sandy Blvd. A construction worker from around the corner got in my way, or I would have a photo of her doing that to share with you. Sometimes serendipity doesn't happen. That's OK.

UPDATE and a look back

UPDATE: Slept until 5 a.m. and have been awake all day, tired but not as exhausted as other times lately. Achy knees are back and peripheral neuropathy. I hope that I will be able to sleep tonight with all of this aching and humming/buzzing going on from my knees down. There's some in my right hand, too. We'll see. No nausea, thanks to the anti-nausea meds. I haven't had much of an appetite today, but I've made myself eat, not too much, but eat. All's well with the other bodily function, too. Leland came over today; I think he'll be back tomorrow to go to Fred Meyer for me. Lamont's coming over tomorrow, too. I am thankful for these sons of mine and for all of your continued prayers, love, and concern.



I took this photo on September 15, 2012. 3S Consulting LLC, chemistry demo, as seen at the Portland Mini Maker Faire. I had been attracted to this booth because I noticed the man's old Aladdin Thermos, just like the one that my dearly departed husband LeRoy used to have. Then I started watching and listening. By the time the man asked, "Does anyone want to strike a match?" I hollered, "Leland does!" My son stepped right up and followed directions as his brother Lamont, in the solid red T-shirt and the sunglasses, looked on and I took photographs which turned out well, despite the loud pop.

Straight out of the camera, cropped only. Here's Leland holding the bottle in which something just ignited. Leland and I remember it as oxygen and hydrogen. I know you don't have any trouble understanding just how excited I was to see this photo of the explosion and the flame inside the bottle, as well as flying out the neck of the bottle. So was the man in the booth, wearing the red shirt and holding the match.

I'm revisiting this photo because, if I were well enough, I would've said, "Let's go, guys!" to the 2015 Portland Mini Maker Faire today; we'd have ridden there for free on TriMet and the Portland Streetcar, a special perk connected to the opening of the TriMet Orange Line and the brand new Tilikum Crossing Bridge. Alas, chemo and side effects made other plans for us. However, back then, those two sons of mine agreed instantly when I said, "Let's go!"

UPDATE and my supper this evening

UPDATE: Interesting day. I slept well, woke up 15 minutes before the alarm, put too much salt in my morning oatmeal and had to toss it, instead ate tiny croissants, prunes and raisins, with hot tea and water. I took all of my pre-chemo meds as prescribed. Lamont and I got to the Oncology Center just after 7 a.m. I had the blood work again, checked in for Chemo Round Three when the receptionist was ready to begin her day, then I sat down to wait the hour until the 8:30 a.m. appointment.

I had to get that blood checked again because the very low platelet count from yesterday demanded a re-count. Happy that it and the white blood count and the hemoglobin count were inside normal, too. I was so happy about that that I forgot to ask the oncology pharmacist what would have happened if the platelet count stayed so low. I'm going to e-mail her and ask about that so I will know, in case this happens again. At 4:21 p.m., Lamont and I were in his car driving out of the parking garage.

During the morning I had developed two tiny, itchy, red hives on my left wrist which the nurse, the oncology pharmacist and I agreed were hives brought on by the chemo called Taxo. It was paused, I had Benadryl dripped in through the line used for the saline, and once the hives had completely disappeared, the Taxo was turned on again. I took until 3:21 p.m. because I was able to tolerate 150 ml/hour starting at 12:48 p.m. That's my max rate since I've had some side effects from the Taxo on all three rounds. Nothing that those professionals couldn't straighten out. Let me tell you, I am treated like a queen by everyone there! I am so grateful for these people and the care that they give me!



Here's what I wanted for supper, the Killer Burger minus the house sauce, grilled onions and pickles. It is perfect; the fries are perfect; the fountain drink Barq's root beer is perfect. I ate half of it all and drank not quite half of the root beer. The rest of it is in the frig, ready for me to enjoy tomorrow. For dessert, after I'd been home for a while, I enjoyed a single piece of Edwards' lemon meringue pie. Now, I'm heading for the recliner and will, in all probability, fall asleep during Thursday night football on NBC

I'm that tired. The oncology pharmacist told us that the fatigue is cumulative with each round, so it will get more pronounced and could continue after the last round in early November. I certainly have noticed it lately. Anyway, it's great to know that it is an expected side effect.

In the back of my mind, I wonder if I will be able to go to any home Portland Trail Blazers' games due to this fatigue. Opening night is October 28. I know that I have the option of calling for a wheel chair to meet me at the curb and roll me to the entry where I will sit, and then take me back to the curb afterwards. I'll go in a cab each way, wearing my mask to protect me against the possibility of a cold or the flu. We'll see if it works out. If it doesn't, maybe I'll be able to sell those games or give them to someone who wants to go alone. Go, Blazers!

Thank you for every single prayer, for your love, and for your concern. I need all of that and can feel it happening.

UPDATE and quirky, seen around Portland in September, 2008

UPDATE: Slept well, woke up a half hour before the alarm went off. Went to pre-chemo blood work and appointment with chemo doctor. He said that since my platelet count was low, I need to get there very early tomorrow to have the blood work done again before the 8:30 a.m. Chemo Round Three appointment time. So, Lamont's coming to get me around 6:45 a.m. We will have a long day tomorrow and be exhausted afterwards--both of us. Oh, when I got home today I had an e-mail of the test results and was also surprised to see that my white blood cell count and my hemoglobin had also been flagged as low. I wonder why the chemo doctor didn't mention them when we were at the appointment? I'm not needing any blood transfusions, yet. I do believe I now know why some days I'm very tired--thank goodness it is not all days, so far. Anyway, tomorrow's Chemo Round Three will add to the possibility of side effects. I'm as ready for them as I can be. And looking forward to going to Killer Burger for supper, when we're done.



I'm so glad that this Zapcar didn't turn out to be a Zipcar.



Three wheels? Not my cuppa tea.



Someone discarded their partially eaten sandwich on a TriMet bus, on top of the wheel well beside the front door. I took this photo because it reminded me of a Scottie dog, one of those terriers whose hair looks like a maxi-skirt, hanging almost to the ground between the front and back legs in a side view. Do you agree?



What are these three about? I have no idea, but I surely like the look of them.



Last of the quirky photos on this post, a lovely neon H that I photographed in the Pearl District. Naturally since both of my last names, single and married, begin with an H, I just had to take this photo.

UPDATE and seen in the neighborhood

UPDATE: Stayed awake better today after sleeping well during the night. Portland's weather has been cooperative with my not having to run the window unit, so the fresh air in the apartment has been great. It is predicted to be much warmer tomorrow, so I'm going to turn it on before I go to work tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers, love and concern.



Naturally, this is an eye-catching vehicle. I have no idea what it is, other than pretty. I took this photo from the south sidewalk along NE Sandy Blvd. That's the credit union during the remodel, there on the north side of the street, in the trees.



Naturally, this is an eye-catching color of hair. The TriMet bus is stopped at the bus stop on the north side of NE Sandy Blvd. This is the one where I catch westbound buses when I go to work or into downtown. The fence is still up from the credit union remodel days. The colorful shrubs are still in the planter, too. I miss them!

UPDATE and here's dessert for my Saturday night supper. Go, Dawgs! It's SEC football time, y'all!

UPDATE: Slept well, slept late this morning. I felt fine, but I stayed so sleepy that I had to give up and get in the recliner where I dozed off and on the rest of the morning until Lamont texted to ask if I wanted to go to the grocery store in a little while. I'd asked him to take me with him when he planned to go for me on Saturday, that I wanted to go instead of sending a list and my shopping bags with him. So, I woke on up enough to get ready. I felt OK doing it although I could tell that I was still very tired. After we got back and he put away most all of the purchases, we hugged bye-bye, and I headed back to the recliner. Five, six hours later, I finally woke up enough to get up out of the recliner. I don't feel like I'll fall asleep again right away, but I'm staying outta the recliner, to be safe because I don't want to fall asleep this early!



For supper I ate a little bit of deli baked turkey, sliced thinly like I like it; some green grapes; two little bitty croissants; a little bit of Coca-Cola from a big bottle named Tailgate. For dessert, these two totally perfect Fudgsicles. I love these triple-C sweethearts: creamy, cold, chocolate. I have to control myself and let them sit for a few minutes so that they thaw--that's what makes the creamy and the chocolate get ahead of the cold and reveal their perfection. Yummy.

I missed most of the first half of the Mississippi State University vs the University of Southern Mississippi football game. I woke up in time to see State stop Southern at the goal line, so State still leads 14-10 at half time. I hope that I am able to stay awake for the rest of the game. Let's go Dawgs! Win this football game! I just got to ring my Mississippi State Cowbell app! Mississippi State, 21-10! Yeah! Yea! Yippee!

UPDATE and I made it to work and back today!

UPDATE: I worked today from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., without needing a nap, dining on tidbits of cheese and crackers and fruit at my desk while I kept working--four hours means you don't qualify for a lunch hour, but I certainly didn't need one, and I know beyond any doubt that I'm not ready for however many hours you need to work to qualify for a lunch hour. I rode the bus to work with one transfer and not too far to walk from that last bus to the office. I rode the streetcar--boarding it right in front of the office, then transferred to the bus for the last leg of the home-bound commute. When I got off the bus two and a half blocks from home, I walked straight into Subway and got a six inch tuna on wheat with lettuce and tomato, a individual-sized bag of chips, and a cup of Coca-Cola. I walked on home, sat down in my apartment, and ate all of that Subway stuff. Now I'm ready to make an effort to stay awake until bed time and do it all over again tomorrow. Well, not the Subway part probably. I need to cook something to eat, but I'm not sure I'll have the energy this evening. We'll see. Thanks for every single prayer--I felt each one!



When I got off the bus at NE Couch and NE MLK to transfer to another bus for the rest of the work-bound commute, I saw the progress that has been made in building these two. I just read online that the one on the left will be 21 stories tall and is named Yard, not the Yard, just Yard. I'm not very happy about the changes in the view, nor am I happy about what the apartments in these two are likely to cost. Too many people are no longer able to live in inner Portland unless they have high-paying jobs. I believe that the city commissioners have dropped the ball about affordable housing in Portland. Shame on them.



Here's a short video that shows how the taller building on the left looked on June 10. Oh, well. I hope the building turns out to be not as ugly as lots of those which are being built in Portland's residential neighborhoods, also with crazy high rents, things like $1400 for a 570 square foot studio!



Not happy to be missing the Big Pink, I walked down to the corner for a look across the Burnside Bridge and took this photo to show you what we're missing.



Here's how I looked right after I arrived at the office today. Ready to go! I'm holding up my bus pass which we get for free--the best perk I've ever had--with its brand new 2016 sticker. The 2015 one expired today, so I'm thankful that I got to go back to work today early enough to get it before signing in at work.

UPDATE and left at the bus stop

UPDATE: Slept well, doing OK today. I am still surprised and thankful at this turn of events. Feeling this strong allowed me to go to my sweet friend Casey's wedding. She married Cristina in lovely Woodlawn Park in Northeast Portland yesterday late afternoon--the rain stayed away for the entire ceremony! The wonderful reception after the ceremony took place at The Village Ballroom, complete with family toasts, great food and lots and lots of dancing to the music CD that Casey made for the celebration. Everyone had a great time, smiles, joy, and laughter all around! Lamont and Leland took me; we had a great time and are happy to have shared this with Casey and Cristina and their families and friends.



Tomorrow I'll be at the bus stop in time to catch one to work, for the first time since June 23. I won't be leaving anything behind when the bus arrives. I'll work four hours (10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and then take a bus home. I'm looking forward to getting back to some sort of routine out in the world, that is, until the next chemo treatment. We'll see how soon I can go back part time after it.

UPDATE and they'll need a change in clothing, if the predicted weather comes true.

UPDATE: I felt a bit better today than yesterday. I'm going back to work on Monday at 10:30 a.m., four hours a day. I'm really looking forward to it! My next chemo is September 10. I hope I'll do as well after it as I am doing now.



These young ladies enjoyed their summertime clothes back in July, 2009--no rain in sight. Now, if the weather report turns out as predicted, they'll need protection from the rain tomorrow. Not that the weather has done as predicted pertaining to rain lately, at least in Portland. I hope it does rain because we need it!