It’s been another week…

Posted on November 15, 2025 | 10 comments

…in the life of the Zodys!

It’s been a really good week, too. Terry is four weeks out from his procedure at Stanford and is back to his old self.

On Monday he changed the sheets on our bed which I had helped him with the week before. Our mattress fits very tightly into the bedframe and it takes some strength to lift it. He did it.

On Tuesday, knowing we had a major storm coming through, Terry cleaned the rain gutters and downspouts. Then he took his car for the free carwash they offer to all veterans on Veteran’s Day.

On Wednesday he went to the cat food store (PetSmart) for the weekly pickup. I had been doing this the previous three weeks. It is a herculean effort. He also emptied and refilled the litter boxes. Another chore I had been performing.

On Thursday we went out to a late lunch because Terry had a personnel meeting at church at 5:30.

While I was across town on Friday at a friend’s church loading food boxes for the monthly food distribution, Terry vacuumed the whole house. He had done that the week before, but it took him two days. This week, all done in one.

We are quite pleased with ourselves around here! That food distribution work was the first time for me. I have always sent money for this endeavor because I never felt I was strong/energetic enough to do the heavy lifting, but my friend LindaJean, who I saw at LadiesWhoLunch on Monday, said she was short on help for this week and could any of us help. Two of the group usually volunteer or volunteer their husband, but both were out of commission. I got the details of the work involved and said I would give it a try. The best part, it’s early morning when I am at my best.

For 90 minutes or so I loaded cans of USDA surplus food into plastic bags. I stopped now and then to retrieve and open more bags. I kept moving, and my hands worked well, and my sciatica never said a word! As a matter of fact, I think the movement of loading the cans and sliding/gliding down the assembly line really was therapeutic. I recommend anyone with sciatica give this volunteer activity a try.

A good week in the books!

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Perhaps a turning point

Posted on November 6, 2025 | 10 comments

It’s been a little over three weeks since Terry’s procedure at Stanford to kill off a tumor. He’s been tired and in some pain during these three weeks of recuperation.

He did finally feel well enough last week to drive a short distance. He went to church on Sunday. He was able to go out again this week, driving himself. This morning he was up and in the kitchen with a bounce in his step. He was moving more quickly, like his old self. He also made coffee on Wednesday and today.

The coffee issue is HUGE. When he returned home he did not want coffee for about 10 days. Then he needed to do a lab test that required him to abstain from a variety of foods, including coffee, for five days, so he didn’t make the usual daily pot. I was left to make my own coffee.

I was never a coffee drinker until I married Terry, 50 years ago. He makes really, really good coffee. I have gotten spoiled and love a good strong coffee with my chocolate soy milk, making a lovely mocha every morning. If I wanted a mocha for the past three weeks, I had to make a pour-over every day. Which I did. But it just added to my already long list of chores. Sigh.

Yesterday, when he could turn in his lab homework, he made a pot of coffee. And another this morning. This, to me, is a huge turning point. The bounce in his step…that’s even better. I’m hopeful it’s a turning point for this segment of treatment.

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Pacific Gas & Electric gave us impetus to return to standard time ahead of time

Posted on November 1, 2025 | 8 comments

Late afternoon, the doorbell rings on Halloween, too early for trick or treaters. It was the PG&E repair man, coming to tell us he had to switch out our electricity meter, it no longer was working.

Doing this service would, of course, cause all of our electric devices to stop working for a bit of time. Would that be alright with us? Well, sure. Terry and I were sitting in the living room that was filled with light from the picture window, reading from various printed materials. The life of retired people can be pretty easy to readjust. The vacuum cleaner was sitting, at attention, but resting from the morning’s workout.

Sure enough, as he pulled that device from its box, various devices through the house pinged. About 5 minutes later, they pinged again, saying “back in order.” It was fast.

The repairman again rang our doorbell to make sure we were okay and all the devices had come back. I love how our power company looks out for the old folks. Now, it was a matter of resetting ALL of the clocks in the house. If your house is anything like ours, this is a huge undertaking. A few of them are online, like thermostat and phones and computers. They immediately reset to the correct (daylight savings) time.

However, all those other devices that needed to be changed, they would need to be changed to Standard time in another day anyway, let’s just do it now. So, on Halloween afternoon, the Zodys returned to Standard Time. We left the TV recorder on DST as it would need to correctly record Friday and Saturday evening’s offerings.

Have I mentioned how much I like Standard Time? I want my sunlight in the MORNINGS when I am up and energetic. Not in the evening when I am tired and ready to have my dinner and go to bed.

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We are still here and still functioning

Posted on October 28, 2025 | 5 comments

It’s been a week so thought I would check in and let you dear Readers know we are still alive…

Terry had a video conference on Thursday with one of the physicians at Stanford Medical who is also a professor of medicine, working on the cutting edge of tumor treatment, especially the neuroendocrine variety, of which Terry carries around in his body.

The printed report he later furnished to us is 7 pages, back to back, with great detail of the previous treatment, Terry’s health, recommended treatment, and especially how Terry is the perfect candidate for the radioactive treatment. It would be 4 treatments, 8 weeks apart, all done at Stanford, and each dose done in one day. The doctor would like to start as soon as possible.

All heady stuff for Terry and me. We, too, would like to get moving on this, but we were told by the team who performed the procedure two weeks ago (it seems like it was a month ago, but only two weeks) that they would like to treat the second, smaller liver tumor before heading into the PRRT treatments. We will let the professionals settle the matter.

Our BIG concern is how Terry will handle all of this and how he will feel between treatments. These two weeks, post procedure, have not been bad, but nothing great, either. He has been very fatigued and there has been pain from the liver, protesting what was done to it.

I am handling the bulk of the work here, and as I’ve written before, by the end of the day, I am collapsing into bed. As a matter of fact, just getting dinner on the table and cleaning up is a herculean effort. I have never been an evening person, but now I’m hardly a late-day person!

A bright spot this week–lunch with some younger friends at a local Mexican restaurant. When we arrived there was already a full table of witches in the center of the dining room. Maybe 20 to 25. They were all decked out in witches garb from pointed hats, to capes, to flowing robes. We sat near them, and I watched them all have such a wonderful time among themselves. When my small group got up to leave, the witches were still going strong so I stopped to chat and find out their story.

All women, they were high school friends who have found each other in “old age” (their term) and get together for lunch once a month with a theme. October being witches. Now, about that “old age”….These ladies all graduated from one of the city’s biggest high schools in 1973. I laughed outloud. I graduated from a tiny country high school in 1970. We laughed about life and how much fun they are having in “old age.” They allowed me to take a picture of them, and if you are on social media with me, then you saw the photo. It was just the bright spot I needed.

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Healing and gratitude

Posted on October 22, 2025 | 8 comments

Because the bulk of the work around here is falling on my shoulders (and into my hands), I am so busy all day and so tired by evening, that I have thought of posts to write here, but time and energy have kept me away.

Terry is doing okay, just extremely fatigued with some sharp pains in his liver area. Both were to be expected. The fatigue, though, whoo boy, it has been overwhelming. Stanford Medical staff called on Tuesday with a one-week check-in. The doctor was impressed with how well Terry is doing (or so he said).

Terry was not sent home with any pain meds. We didn’t even know that was a possibility. He has been taking Tylenol twice a day to help with the side pain which we have determined is from his liver protesting what has been done to it. (Actually it’s the large tumor that got the treatment of chemo and the blood supply cut off, but the whole area is tender and in protest.)

The doctor who called on Tuesday asked about Terry’s pain meds and was surprised to hear that none were offered at the hospital. He was advised to ask for them for the next go-round, and Terry made a loud agreement that made the doctor laugh. The doctor was very impressed with how well Terry is doing, and that what he is experiencing is right on target for the time.

There will be a video consultation on Thursday to talk about what was done and the next steps, going forward. We are hoping that there can be a bit of a reprieve between treatments and consultations during November. We have plans towards the end of the month with our grandson.

There has been some conversation around here about how grateful we are for all the time we had this year to do so many wonderful things, and it’s only here at the end of the year that we are facing this health deluge. I checked my calendar for 2025 and found we have been away from home 33 days, only the last 3 of which were for medical stuff. We have three more days scheduled away for fun stuff before we wrap up the year.

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The conversation around being “so busy”

Posted on October 18, 2025 | 9 comments

When older adults say they’re “so busy,” even with a fairly light schedule, there are usually a few real reasons behind it.

🧠Every task takes more time and energy. What used to be a quick errand can now involve extra steps with getting ready, moving slower, factoring in mobility issues, or resting afterward. A single doctor’s appointment can feel like a whole day event.

⏳They need more recovery time. Older bodies and minds tire more easily. Something simple like a home health visit or a trip to church can take hours to “bounce back” from, making the day feel full.

📆They mentally plan around each activity. When your energy is more limited, even one event on the calendar can shape your whole day. They might skip other things so they can be ready for that one commitment.

⏰Routine things can feel bigger than before. Cooking, bathing, medication management, and basic self-care, often require more time, focus, and pacing – turning empty time into mentally busy time.

👥They may experience anxiety about timing or logistics. As people age, planning and preparing for activities can feel overwhelming. Thinking about transportation, health, concerns, or just being ready adds invisible weight to their schedule.

👴🏻Their sense of time shifts. Many older adults aren’t measuring productivity the way they used to. A slower pace makes the day feel fuller, even with fewer activities.

🗒️It’s also about perception, not just the calendar. To them, their days do feel full, just in a different way than when they were juggling work, kids, and errands.

What looks like free time to us may genuinely feel like a full schedule to them. It’s not exaggeration. It’s a reflection of how their world has changed. 💙

I read this on an Instagram post and it resonated with me. I wanted to share it with you, dear Readers, as you may feel the same. I have said for some time now, that the 70s are a whole different game than my 60s. My 60s decade was still energetic and healthy. I was sharp and a felt able to conquer so much. That has changed as I get farther into my 70s.

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A fast week

Posted on October 17, 2025 | 4 comments

Okay, here we are, another week has passed, and whew, did it ever fly by. I just read an article on Instagram that explains why old people (that would be me) feel they are so busy when they really have so little to do in comparison to those years of career, child care, housekeeping, community affairs, etc. There is really an explanation, and, if I have time (hahahaha), I will post that article.

As that article stated, just getting ready for an event takes old people longer, and that’s exactly what happened last weekend. Friday, Saturday, Sunday I worked at a quick pace (or so it seemed to me) to get household and yard chores done to be ready to be gone for just three days, nothing like being gone for 13 days as we were in September.

I never had time to grocery shop so left the refrigerator pretty empty for our house/critter sitter. She survived, and now that I am back home with a recuperating husband, I really have to get the pantry and fridge refilled. I shopped on Thursday for a wee bit and now, Friday, must make the big trip to Whole Foods so we will have nourishment for the next few days.

This week has been all about the recuperating husband. We left midday on Monday to make sure we got to Palo Alto with time to check out the location for Terry’s 5 a.m. Tuesday checkin in at Stanford Medical.

We checked into our funky little renovated 1950s hotel on El Camino Real and headed out. The little hotel proved to be not the best place to stay and I may have to do some research before our next trip, but for this stay, it worked okay. The doctor who did Terry’s procedure on Tuesday wanted him to remain at the hospital overnight so they could keep an eye on him. That was good because the hotel (can I even call it that) did not have an elevator and I don’t think Terry could have handled the outdoor staircase after his procedure.

Everything went very well with the procedure, and the doctor was very pleased with the outcome. Terry will have to return for treatment of one smaller tumor that has been found on the liver (the surgery is to cut the blood supply to these tumors) and then they can start the treatment for the tiny, almost hidden tumor behind his small intestine that is sending out the offensive hormones.

It will all take months to achieve. But, with the way time is passing, it will probably be a fast few months.

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Time and medical details

Posted on October 10, 2025 | 16 comments

I cannot believe it’s been a week since my last post. I usually write sooner than that, but it’s been so busy around here. The days are literally getting shorter, both with daylight and time for me to get everything accomplished.

This past Wednesday got completely away from both Terry and me as we waited for and then participated in video calls from Stanford Medical Center.

One call was to go over next week’s procedure and activities that needed to be carried out beforehand. And, of course, I have my own planning to do for this trip to the Bay Area and all that entails. It’s not like I can grab my purse and walk out the door as I do for medical appointments here in town.

The second call was from the head oncologist leading this case. There was a long wait, just like in the 3-D doctor’s office, for her to be available. She was very conscientious and thorough, though, once we were connected. I can see why she is probably always running late.

She explained, and showed, what was found in the MRI Terry had at Stanford two weeks ago. Wow. A lot! Next week’s procedure is to cut off blood supply to a tumor in his liver that has grown substantially in the past two years when this was all first discovered. Now, mind you, Terry does not look or act sick. He just got a glowing report from his heart doctor which the oncologist was glad to hear. She did a lot of questioning about his heart situation. The earlier call in the day had gone over all of Terry’s activities and the nurse was highly impressed with what Terry does.

Next week’s procedure will be the first step to getting ready to treat the main cause for these tumors and then in three months the next set of procedures will go into effect, PRRT that targets the neuroendocrine tumor that is hiding and sending out the hormones. This procedure has only been used since 2018 and is still in research. The tumor board believes Terry is a good candidate for the treatment as he is still healthy and there is time to stop the tumor. In previous times, the tumor was not even found until it had done so much damage that repair was impossible.

So, time flies, and it will probably be another week before I am back here, hopefully with a good report for the Stanford visit.

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Lighter schedule? Less to do? Hah!

Posted on October 3, 2025 | 12 comments

The end of summer, the beginning of a new school year. Terry and I thought life would be slower, there would be fewer demands on our time, our schedule would open up.

It’s been a busy year up to now, so much travel and celebration and joy. We were planning on a quiet fall, easing into the holiday season, yet with the knowledge that next spring would start a new round of activity.

No break for us, after all. While taking care of our grandchildren for two weeks at the end of September, Terry was scheduled an MRI at Stanford Imaging Center which was an easy jaunt down the freeway for us. Lovely city, Palo Alto, where we would be going.

Although we have not learned the results of that MRI, the wheels have begun to turn. Video appointments with the Stanford team have been made. An appointment for treatment has been scheduled. Hotel reservations have been made. House/critter sitter has been booked. We will be back in Palo Alto in a couple of weeks.

It appears, from the very small amount we have gleaned, that the MRI showed very little improvement with this very unique tumor after 18 months of treatment here in Fresno. Even Terry’s oncologist, with whom we met in person on Thursday, has not gotten all the details, but did postpone the scheduled injection he would have received Thursday. We have felt a bit disoriented, not knowing all the specifics.

Terry’s oncologist reassured us that Stanford has seen this tumor condition before, they have protocols to treat this as the Fresno cancer center does not because it has no experience with the tumors. The only two cases the cancer center in Fresno has seen were diagnosed too late for help and the patients have died. Terry’s case was caught at the very forefront of the disease, before much damage had even occurred. It took almost two years to even figure out what the doctors were seeing.

So begins the road of treatment, and when I say road, I literally mean road. Three hour trips to and from the Bay Area, with much of the driving done by me. Terry is the trained driver in this family. He drove tactical vehicles in the military. I’d appreciate your prayers.

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A new month, the final quarter of the year, life moves on

Posted on October 1, 2025 | 3 comments

Returning after two weeks away has been a marathon of chores, errands, bits and pieces of catch-up, and it’s still not all done. Our refrigerator remains barren. The leaves have begun to fall in earnest and there is much yard work to be done. Terry has various appointments to keep this week, while I have none. Mine will begin next week. I try, upon return of a time away from home, to plan very little for that first week.

Saturday will be a bit of celebration for us. Our daughter will be 47 and we will have been in our house 45 years. When said out loud, 45 seems to be a long bit of time, and yet, it feels like a blink of the eye. I remember the day so well. Yet, just like this year, the years were done a quarter at a time, a month at a time until the time has added up to decades passed.

A blogging friend wrote this week, quoting Saint Benedict, “and we begin again…”

Another week, another month, another quarter, another decade…continuing to trust God as we move through life, doing the hard things, being brave, living a most amazing life.

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