2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

ravdeb

Have so much catching up to do! I'm home..back in Israel. So very tired, though since I haven't slept in a few days.

Will get back in on what is going on here on the boards in the next couple of days. It's peaceful here, thank goodness.

Being away has really helped my moving beyond bc. I've got other things on my mind besides bc though I have a ton of doctor appointments, mammogram, etc... as my one-year anniversary approaches.

Amy..smile about it...you are a year out! This is a great thing! You did it!!!! And we've all come so far and been through so much and yet.... we are probably stronger for it all.

Kelly... good luck on Fri. I wish you the very best. May it be easy for you...

Be well...

TracySeattle

Deb! I am so glad you are home safely!!! Can't wait to hear more from you when you catch up on your sleep!

Anonymous

Lake Stevens looks like a beautiful spot. How neat to live in a lake community.

Ravdeb, so glad you made it home safely! Now, stay safe!

TracyNY

Welcome back Ravdeb. I'm glad you had a pleasant and distracting vacation. It is nice to start putting bc in the past.

I was almost there but I now have lymphedema in my left arm. I'm a little down about it but I'm hoping the therapies will get it back to "normal".

Terynsmom: still praying for you for Friday.

Did I tell you all that I showed up for my Tuesday appointment on Monday?! My head is well shot!!

Anonymous

Kelly -
Best wishes to you on Friday. I had my left Ovary removed a couple of years ago (had a 6cm cyst). I was in bed for a few days, but after that - I was fine. You will need some pain meds for a few days also - atleast I did. And, they filled my abdom. w/air (don't know if they do this to everyone) so they could see around inside better, so I had some gas pains under my rib cage for a few days. Hope all goes well.

Debbie444 -
Roger looks smashing!

TaDah -
Lymphedema? I'm so bummed you have to deal with this. Do everything they tell you - I hope it's back to normal soon. So funny about your appt. on Monday! LOL For some reason I keep putting the ice cream in the fridge instead of the freezer!

Paula -
Have a GREAT TRIP!

Everyone -
Hey there...I have been so incredibly frickin' busy with my graphic design work! And, I now have a personal trainer that I work out with 3 days a week! Things are CRAZY, CRAZY, CRAZY! My gardens are suffering this year as I just can't find enough hours in the day to keep them watered and weeded! Help - Calgon take me away ...

Laura

ake

tadah...i'm sorry about the lymphadema! what a pain in the ass. i know someone in my support group who has it and she's doing great. how did you get it?

kelly...good luck on friday! i'll be thinking of you

i can't remember if I told you all yet...I found out which group I was randomized in in that clinical trial I joined regarding premenopausal women and ovarian suppression. I agonized about joining this study for months...1 group gets tamoxifen, one group gets tamoxifen and ovarian suppression, and one group gets an AI and tamoxifen. I stressed all about the ovarian suppression and then decided it was the best thing. I freakin' got randomized to the group that is Tamoxifen only! All that stress over nothing and now I dont' know what to do. grrr. my periods are like freakin' clockwork, but my onc. reassures me that tamoxifen is still working...it doesn't stop your estrogen...just binds it differently.

so, trying not to stress. my parents are coming tomorrow and we're going to this fancy shmancy restuarant in dc to celebrate my year. i'm going to deck out in a fancy dress and silver high heels

TracyNY

I wish I knew how I got it. A few days before I left for vacation I started to experience the tightness. My regular surgeon sent me for a vein scan and the vascular surgeon felt that the swelling was caused by narrowing of the veins due to the port along with a touch of lymphedema.

I got the port out and left for vacation. Who knows? Maybe the flight, maybe the little nicks I get when I clip myself chopping vegetables... I am very uncomfortable at the moment and the therapist they referred me to is on vacation until September 5th. I can't take this until then and even though she is supposed to be a miracle worker over at Sloan-Kettering, I'm going to have to get some work started on this until she comes back.

I just took half a vicodin and will be off to bed with my arm elevated! Have fun at your dinner tomorrow. Next time in your area I'll look you up, I go to Baltimore every now and again.

Anonymous

TaDah, I wish you a speedy recovery! I bet you could find a sling and still find a way to dance your pants off!

Amy, have so much fun with your parents!

Laura, Teryn loves her new shirt!! So does mama.

Tracy, do they allow water sports on your lake? It looks like so much fun.

Have we lost Graycie again???

Paula, hope your trip planning is going well!

MaryAnne, don't cha wish you hadn't gone back to work???

Paula15089

Thank you for your well wishes girls!

Amy, i am doing ovarian supression(Zoladex monthly shots)+Tamoxifen, and its not a big deal, really. In fact my onc, who is a very well known prof of oncology, said that Zoladex actually tends to stuff up your ovaries less than Tamoxifen does when it comes to potential future childbearing... not meaning to scare you though, just sharing what he said to me. I was worried also, but he said there is no reason why healthy ovaries wouldnt get back to normal after 2-5 years of supression.
Who knows.. but we just have to trust doctors, dont we?

i've got a girls night out this saturday, and i intend to finally take some new pics to post here!! my hair is mad...

TaDah, sorry to hear about your LE... wishing you a quick recovery!

luv you girls,
-Paula

Anonymous

My little kindergartner this has happened too fast!

ake

she's beautiful!!!!

debbie444

Kelly - she's cute! My daughter starts secondary school in September , doesnt seem 5 mins since she was playing Goldilocks in her nursery play.
I had my second follow up today. My consultant told me that the pains in my joints could be to do with the tamoxifen or the oophrectomy, just take painkillers. The fainting could be to do with the tablets but not sure. I am to stay on tamox for another year then they are swapping me to one of the drugs that starts with 'aroma' ( I had stopped concentrating by then!)
I havent to go back for 6months and he has booked my first mammo since i was diagnosed in May05 for Jan07.
I showed my pink t shier to the nurses who did my chemo and they thought they were fantastic and asked where i had bought them. I felt rather grand saying 'well actually my friend made them!'
Oh - my consultant says i have lymphodema - in my breast! Not sure how i am going to get a compression garment on that or go to bed with it elevated!!
Take care
Debbie

P.s deb - good to see you back safe

TracyNY

What a pretty little girl!! I bet she keeps you rolling too, she looks like a lot of fun!

Debbie: They have a vest-like garment that you wear for LE in the breast. Its always something isn't it? But winter is coming and it will all be hidden under clothes. Kelly is right, my fat arm won't stop me, that's why they have dolman sleeves!!

TracySeattle

Kelly - She is beautiful!!! Yes, they allow water sports on our lake, it is a beautiful lake--especially when the sun is setting. Tonight I am going to a Happy Hour on my Friends' roof top patio that overlooks the lake. Beautiful spot!! I love the lake and our community, I guess that is why I decided to stick with Aquafest and try to fix it.

TaDah - sorry to hear about your arm, I hope it gets better soon.

Debbie - I would like to see you trying to elevate your Breast! LOL....

I have my one year Mammo on Monday. I haven't been thinking about it much, but all of a sudden today it is bothering me - just going there and having the Mammo is going to bring back all of the memories of being diagnosed last year..... Not to mention having my still sore boob smashed!!! UGH! I will be glad when it is over. I know that you all are really the only ones that understand this feeling.

Love you all! Have a good day!

marymelodi

Good luck tomorrow, Kelly! Teryn is just darling!

ravdeb: glad you are safe and sound and that your trip was wodnerful for you.

Tadah: so sorry about the "fat arm". But very glad you don't hve a "fat lip"! I hope you have some relief soon.

Laura and Mary Anne: life is funny . . . we wanted to get back to normal and now . . . normal stress and business is all too much!

Amy: I thought that Tamoxifen blocks estrogen receptors in breast tissue but in the reproductive tissue it acts like estrogen. I'm taking it and this week had a talk with my GYN because we have to keep an eye on my uterus so that the endometrium does not grow too thick, which can be a pre-cancerous complication. I have to see her right away if there is any bleeding since now that we are pretty sure I have stopped menstruating any kind of vaginal bleeding or discharge could be a sign of trouble. The chances of it are small and certainly worth it to me to block estrogen from feeding any possible breast cancer recurrance. At the end of this year, when I see my onc again, I will likely switch to the aromatase inhibitor (Debbie - - this is what your doctor was referring to, I think). That medication stops the production of estrogen by the adrenal glands which is the remaining source of estrogen after the ovaries stop doing their thing at menopause. Anyway, this is what I understand. I'm doing some reading because I'm starting to have some of the side-effects of not having estrogen, I think . . . memory and concentration loss, sleep problems, and others. That estrogen is powerful stuff.

Mary

ake

it's all so confusing. this estrogen stuff. my periods are like clockwork, i don't have any side effects, but my onc. says that tamoxifen is still working. i actually feel really good. some days...i just surrender to the fact that i can only do my best. it's hard on other days when i want to control everything!

what's with all the lymphadema with everyone? how is this happening?

tracy...don't be scared about your mammogram. just think how amazing you'll feel when it's all clear

amy

RoseMarie

Oh my goodness Kelly, Teryn is SOOOO CUTE!! She brought tears to my eyes thinking about my kids first day of Kindergarten!! I will be praying for you tomorrow, by the way!!
Ravdeb - so glad you're home safely - hope all remains pretty quiet where you are!! Hope all of your appointments go well also!!
Brenda - I'm not working right now - I quit back in January when we moved to Indiana but I hope to go back next year. Justin won't start Kindergarten until '08 so I'm enjoying myself right now.
Mary - you always have such sweet and thoughtful things to say!
Mary Anne - loved the pictures - you are so adventerous - I love your spirit!
Tracy - good luck with all the Aquafest stuff!! Egads - sounds like you have your hands full!!!!!!
Amy - enjoy yourself!! Think of us at that fancy restaurant!
Debbie - did I miss something??? Have you been fainting??? Holy smokes - ok...let me get back on my knees!
Paula - good luck on your trip - sounds like a lot of FUN!!
TaDah - LE is a bother!! I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this too!!! Mine is mild and it's still annoying - I'm thinking about you!!
Laura - thinking about you too! Glad you're staying busy - wish I could water your plants for you!!

Today is my "anniversary"...I thought it would come and go and I wouldn't really give it a thought - I'm ok today but boy was I a mess yesterday!! I had to go in for blood work, EKG and Chest X-ray in prep for my upcoming exchange surgery and that just triggered a flood of memories and emotions!
Lots of love to all of you!!!!

Anonymous

Kelly: What an adorable little girl Teryn is! I still have Sean's and John's pictures of their first day in Kindergarten. Priceless.

Debbie and Tadah: Sorry about the lymphedema concerns. Is there a cure for that, or does that go away in time? Is there a chance I could still get it after not having symptoms for a year?

Ravdeb: Glad to hear you're safe.

I was having trouble with my online banking when I discovered I should have been using a feature that came with my computer all these years that would have made everything so much faster and neater. It's called Safari if you have a Mac with OSX. Anyway, this little thing just cheers me up today.

ake

happy anniversary rosemarie you are a rock star!

ravdeb

Rosemarie...congrats on the one-year anniversary!

Kelly...now the picture of your daughter came through. She is so beautiful! Continue to enjoy her!
Good luck tomorrow!

so, today was our 24th wedding anniversary and my dh surprised me and took me on a mystery train ride to a wonderful restaurant in Tel Aviv. As dessert wss being served, my son from the army surprised me and sat down with us! hadn't seen him for 2 months! It was wonderful!! I made kinda a scene in the restaurant when he came so the waitress explained to everybody that I hadn't seen him in 2 months!

On the train ride home, he gave us his IPod so we could see the pictures he had on there. While listening to classical music and looking at the pictures, my eyes teared up when I saw a picture of me from before bc with a full head of black STRAIGHT hair.

Have been thinking about what I went through this past year and how much I've changed both physically and emotionally. I think I'm a lot stronger and my vacation gave me the energy to be motivated to get my new business off the ground, but physically... I really feel pre-mature aging in less than a year and well, yea...that makes my eyes tear up something BAD.

Yikes..it's late. I'm still on Florida time. Not a good thing...g'nite ladies. Love you all!

TracyNY

Wow Deb, that must have been fantastic seeing your son. What a lovely surprise.

Anniversaries are all rolling around, it is amazing to me how life has pretty much resumed its regular pace after all the upheaval. I'm so glad that its in the "past" now, past as in its over but it never really seems to go away.

Rosemarie, exchange should be a breeze and you'll be loving the braless life. I got the bill for mine yesterday, $12,800. God bless insurance!!

Brenda: the possibility is always there for LE to develop. I was reading in the LE thread that there is a book called 18 steps to prevention that seems to be pretty popular. Perhaps you lucky ladies unaffected should get it and work on them. This condition is quite annoying but hey, it can always be worse, I could have a "fat lip", Marymelodi!!

Anonymous

Ravdeb ...... post a pic of you with straight black hair. Love to see what you liked then. I miss my long straight hair.

TaDah, I can't wait until its exchange time ....... take out the cement placeholder and put in a boobie ..... and lift the other with a small implant.

Brenda, I have heard that you have to limit the amount of weight that you lift and that you don't constrict the arm of the mastectomy. For instance, I don't allow them to use needles or put a blood pressure cuff on my mastectomy arm. Don't carry a heavy suitcase, etc.

Tracy, my mammo is next Wednesday ........ kinda nervous, too. Good luck.

debbie444

Is anyone else having painful joints from sleeping or sitting?I walk around like a vicars whos tried to stop a pig running through a gennel for the first hour of the day at least. Painkillers are knocking on thehead so i can sleep . How do i find out what supplements are safe to take?
DEbbie

ravdeb

YES Debbie. I have tons of pains. When I get up in the morning I can hardly walk. Can't get down on my knees anymore and when I do because I forget, I can't get back up! My back aches, shoulders ache, knees, etc... I even have an ache in my jaw.

I have been getting terrible cramps in my feet. Before bc I got them in the calves of my legs. Now my feet. hmmmmmmmm....

If I'm on my feet too long I can barely walk..like if I'm shopping I wish I could fit in the shopping cart seat and have somebody push me to the car!

I like your signature, Debbie. I will try to take that to heart.

ravdeb

Kelly..
Wishing you well today. I'll see about posting a pic of me with black hair. Have to remember how to post pics first!

TracySeattle

Debbie - I have been noticing pains more lately. My right leg aches and I have been aching in my lower abdomen - I am wondering if it has something to do with my ovaries and the Arimidex depleting the Estrogen. One of the ?? that I have for the Dr. on Monday.

Thinking of Kelly today and saying a prayer!

Hope you all have fun plans for the weekend....

t

TracyNY

Why am I the only person without an avatar? Dadgummit, I can't get this thing figured out.

I was supposed to be going to a girlfriend's house today but she cancelled so I am home watching Judge Mathis and filing that stack of paperwork that accumulates on the dining room table, hall table,kitchen counter, basket beside the bed....

debbie444

Thankgoodness i am not falling to bits by myself!
I feel like an old man - i have to lever myself up when i sit on the floor now .
Three good things today.
I - We saw an urban fox just down our road. I now they are supposed to be vermin but it was only young and very blase!
II - I went to get my windscreen mended ( stone from another car) and got my card out to pay the £60 insurance excess when the guy said it didnt need replacing,he could mend it and that was FREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! Goodness knows how they mend glass!
III - My dad was well enough to be taken to church today, the first time since Christmas. Its very quiet during the week . There were only 40 people there today - turns out Dad was related to 10 of them. It turned into a bit of a party at the end with people coming to see him. One of his cousins introduced herself, she had BC 18 years ago and has never looked back.
Tadah - come on get a pic!
DEbbie

Heres thinking of Kelly.

marymelodi

Hi, everyone:

I'm along with all the rest of you . . . having alot of aches and pains. I woke up a few nights ago with a terrible cramp in my calf. I wanted to scream my head off it hurt so bad. I never had feet or leg cramps until this last year. I do feel it is related to the treatments but don't know how. Was it chemo? Was it the drugs to combat nausea? Is it Tamoxifen? Also, I still have a tremor in my handwriting from time to time. That really makes me notice pre-mature aging! I agree ravdeb, this last year brought some good changes and some awful changes. So many people talk about how good my hair looks and they call it the good thing that came out of my experience. I'd call still being alive the best thing to come out of the last year. The anniversary of my diagnosis is this coming Monday. I'll be getting a follow-up CT scan that afternoon and will certainly be reflecting on all that has occurred.

How wonderful to have all of you to share this with. I honestly do not know how I could have found the strength to undergo it all without knowing I could check in with you at any time. Even though I have not been face-to-face with any of you I feel a closeness that cannot be denied.

Let's all pray for Kelly today and send her all our positive energy!!!

Love you all,
Mary

maryannecb

Tadah I lost my Avatar while posting a new one. I am having no problem posting pics but the same method I use keeps telling me it is an improper picture type...

I hope Kelly checks in with an update.

Deborah , glad you are settling back in and best of luck with your new business plan. I have been working since May 1 (except for my vacation). I have found it great for making me feel more myself and productive. I am somewhat tired but overall it is manageable.

Tadah-that sucks about your arm...it can be very swollen and uncomfortable-you are reding the LE thread I hope. They seem to have many good ideas. I hope you get to OT soon and that with massage and sleeves you can feel better. A few of the ladies on our paddling team have this and they are still exercising with the rest of us. I suppose it is yet another thing about the "new you". I missed the fat lip reference???

Debbie, your Dad is feeling better? Wonderful you must feel relieved. I have looked at all your recent pics from travelling. Looks like you had a great summer. Are you going back to work?

Aches and pains?? Sometimes, uasually when I rest. Onace I am up and about I either forget about them or thay go away. I am ER - so not on Tamoxifen and also am not menopausal anymore. I do exercise fairly regularly too. I am proud to report that I am now at my precancer weight. I had gained almost 20 ponds so am glad to see it gone.

I better pst this before it disappears.

Fists up!