Present and Unaccounted for

Slow but steady progress. That section of community lot in the middle of the map is "the prize".

Last time the Harrell's saw the founding of their second house, Darius moved out, Dominick aged up and Alexander and Rosica actually produced a girl!!! They finished the week with a score of 45.


( Octopus Tenticles, only some of them on the Water Wigglers )

I am getting these out as quickly as possible because I am getting a bit more time to play around the bird ... oh yeah, we have acquired a bird, but that is another post entirely ... and would like to get the updates as caught up to where I have played to as possible. I have played about halfway through the week 6 rotation so getting there! And then there will be more time between updates and way less update spam.

Last time the Murphy crew finished off with a score of 21 and some badly behaving teens.


( Adventures in the House of Red )

Almost caught up to where I have played to!

Last week the Murphy clan maintained a not too shabby for as new as this challenge is score of 8. They can't all be breeding like demented bunnies on hormone drugs ... ALEXANDER AND ROSICA!

I should probably mention there is a ton of pics in this update because things happened. No, let me rephrase that:  PRESTON happened. He had a little help from his sister but mostly it was all Preston.


( How do they get themselves into these things? )

When we last left the Harrell family their contribution to the town population accounted for a whole 4 sims. Which is not bad for a week really.

( Read more... )

These first few updates are going to be of the Q&D variety just to get everyone caught up and through the really boring bits as fast as possible. So here we go.

( Read more... )

I looked at the calender on my computer today and was all "Wait ... the 18th? SERIOUSLY!?"

I am still here btw, just ... ummm ... other stuffing? (as opposed to stuffing others .. though that might be fun too, I know a few people who need to be stuffed in really small closets, or maybe air tight boxes ... moving on shall we? Yes, I think so.)

( updates )

Okay, so maybe I might have lied. Now that I think about it, the State of The Sims doesn't look so bad at all. Was just a matter of finding a way to put the fun back into the rebuild.

I have exhausted my list of things I have the mental capacity to focus on to stave off boredom. I can't even seem to focus on colouring in a colouring book right now and yet the "everything else" is not engaging enough to offset the boredom setting in. In a weird place. Only so much staring blankly into space thinking 'I really don't feel well' a person can take.

Thing is, I really don't feel well. My stomach has picked up exactly where it left off for the start of round 4 of chemo. The slice of toast I ate this morning set my stomach to churning and even small sips of water soon end up in dry heaving. I made it through the last two days mostly by sleeping, only I'm not tired anymore. Tried watching a movie (several actually) and sooner or later I realize I have zoned out and now have no idea what is going on anymore. So, I stare off into space and think 'I really don't feel well'.

Maybe part of it is the waiting for the results tomorrow? Could be. I am not sure. I seem to be kind of numb about the whole thing overall.

Very strange place I am in right now.

On the other hand, typing this has used up a few minutes so that is good I suppose.

Until I start the last round of chemo. You would think I would be happy about this wouldn't you? Before I can explain why I am not, I think we need to go back to last Thursday.

( for talk of vomiting, not graphic )

Forgot to mention this earlier and it kind of needs it's own post anyway. I remember telling Mom, right about when I gave her my last 2 percocet and said "I don't need them anymore and someone else has been taking them, get them out of here!" (I have a suspicion who was taking them ... I am not pleased and for more reasons than while everyone knows certain visitors often go through their medications, actually taking the medication they find is going a little far!) It seems I also forgot to mention this to Mathew (he is currently a little hurt by this) but it really did slip my mind.

Mr. Lumpy was last measured at 2.2-2.5 centimeters (depending on which angle they took the measurement from) and had grown (not angle dependent this time. Both angles showed the same) approximately 0.2 centimeters over the past 1.5-2 years. This math puts my acquisition of Mr. Lumpy at somewhere around 11 years ago. That is of course assuming a steady rate of growth, which is not terribly likely (or so I am told) which puts the probable window for Mr. Lumpy taking up residence anywhere from 5-20 years ago.

Here is where it get really interesting.

I have had acid reflux since I was 15 years old. I have had random inexplicable shoulder pain since I was 17. I was Diagnosed with Chiari Malformation nearly 3 years ago at which point the reflux and the shoulder pain as well as the numb hands and feet and random pain in all of my limbs I had been experiencing since about age 20 was chalked up to Chiari. It made sense. These are Chiari symptoms. Especially the headache that never leaves and only gets worse, the hand/feet pain/numbness and the occasional bout of temporary paralysis that worsens in both frequency and degree over time.

Except, both acid reflux and shoulder pain are also both symptoms of cancer and with the shoulder pain specifically, a symptom of lung cancer.

Somewhere around the middle of radiation the shoulder pain went away. Completely. I can grasp my hands behind my back again. With NO pain where as previously I couldn't lift my arm to shoulder height. Added to this, I can also feel my fingers again which is both really cool and really disturbing all at the same time. Relearning these concepts of hot and cold has been a bit startling. I almost miss being able to reach into the oven and pull out the pans that have been in there, baking, for a few hours and when I picked up an ice cube a few weeks ago and it was cold it kind of scared me. On the plus side I can hold a paint brush again and doodle and paint and write with a normal pen again.

The paralysis continues, no surprise there.

I need to make this perfectly clear right now, I am not taking this as a sign that a "cure" has been achieved. I knew going in that while intending to treat for a cure was the plan, it is far more likely that a reduction in tumor size is the only positive outcome. Equally as likely is no change at all. I am not taking this as a sign that Mr. Lumpy got any smaller either. Maybe, for the time being growth has been slowed and thus the easing of the shoulder pain and perhaps the proper function of my hands.

What I am taking this as a possible sign of is the possible time frame for the acquisition of Mr. Lumpy is much, MUCH closer to 20 years ago.

I wasn't joking when I said he had been here for a loooong time and that I planned to be here for a long time to come, Mr. Lumpy continuing to reside with me or no. I see zero reason I can't expect another 20 or more years even if the combination of radiation and chemo does not achieve a cure. They are not my only options, just the logical first step. I have the next two treatments to explore already lined up. Of course I am hoping they won't be needed, but one of them makes sense to adopt simply as a lifestyle choice. If it does end up working, I will be spreading that news far and wide at every opportunity, of that I can assure you.

So, since finding out the shoulder pain is gone (which I still can't believe I didn't tell him. He'd noticed the feeling in my hand returning all on his own) has Mathew feeling a bit better about me returning to somewhat normal after treatment, I thought I would put it out there for anyone else who might find it promising. Also puts things in a much less urgent time frame, stage 3 is still not a good point to be diagnosed in, at the same time (theory backed up by my oncologists here), the progress of Mr. Lumpy being as slow as it has been is incredibly promising.