2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

ake

laura...you look beautiful you frickin' gave me gray hair from the stress of wondering where you were the last couple of days!!

so, i told my supervisor/director about the googling thing. she wasn't even fazed. she said it would only make me look even stronger to my patients if they ever read anything and there is absolutely no reason to worry about it. so, i feel a lot better and i'm even putting my picture back up!

cathy987

I just checked into my motel in Iowa after a 10-hour drive from North Dakota. It’s late but I had to know if Laura had posted and wow…what a great picture. Laura, you don’t know me but your were in my thoughts all across three states. Anger isn’t all bad—it can make us act and take control.

Tracy, all time favorite song, Helen Reddy “I am woman” That should do a pretty good job of dating me. Birthdate 5/22 (1940). I will PM you with my address.

Amy—the spark was your anger and my fear that you would all remove yourselves to a private board. It’s great to see your picture up again.

It’s late and I have another long day tomorrow but will keep those of you waiting for good news in my thoughts.

ravdeb

OMG Laura. How so unfair to keep you waiting. My dh was burning up mad about my MRI last year. Took like a month or something. And it was clear! So.. hope that yours is too.

Your dh is so cute! You look alike with your similar hair cuts. Laura..you look great! Beautiful pic of the two of you.

Yea Amy..good to see your avatar back! Of course, I personally know what you look like and you are beautiful. The avatar doesn't show it. Glad you are calmed down about that whole affair!

Victoria..that is wonderful, wonderful news! So happy to hear that. Love good news like that!!! Be well.

debbie444

Good news all round Hurray!
And no a plaster i think you call a band aid? - I was in charge of cutting the roof felt - enough said!

DEbbie
P.s - mashed potato blocks the dishwasher and floods the kitchen - just a warning from the wise

ravdeb

uh oh, Debbie...flooding???

We call band-aides in Israel "plaster". By the way, Debbie, do you eat chocolate spread on bread? I should start thinking about all the things the Israelis picked up from the British when Britain had control over Israel.

ravdeb

Victoria..
Thank you for your good thoughts. And thanks about my hair, too!

okay..so today I was out doing my regular errands for the weekend and as I stood in line in the grocery store and looked around me... everybody dyes their hair. I mean..everybody!!! So, I took a look at this one youngish woman in the line next to me. She had dyed black hair which is what I used to dye mine (used to be natural black hair)and well, her sunglasses were on her head and pulled back some of her hair and there they were..the gray roots. Brought back memories and right then and there I decided I WILL NOT DYE MY HAIR AGAIN!!! It's my new mantra!

I think that that is just not me anymore!

Graycie

Laura, Glad to hear you have been busy and that is why we haven't heard from you. I can't believe the run around but I tend to go with Tracy thinking it probably isn't that critical or they would have notified you right away. Hopefully you get good new's today. And what a nice picture of you and your husband. Not only is your hair the same length but it's the same color, etc. You make a very cute couple. Your husband reminds me of someone but I can't think who, maybe a movie star........HA.

Amy, I am glad you put your picture back on. It just didn't seem the same not seeing your avatar. I was thinking on the same lines as your director. You have been through a lot and you shouldn't be ashamed of that.

Victoria, Great new's on your scans. So glad you joined our group.

Ravdeb, I have always hi-lighted my hair with a lot of blond but I am starting to like the new dark hair. I may not color mine again either. I guess I will wait and see how it looks when it get's a little longer.

Well, I better go, today I really have to do something. Can't blow it off like yesterday..... Actually I have my grandson so he will keep me busy I am sure. I will check in later and hopefully Laura will have good new's for us........
Everyone have a GREAT day!

ravdeb

Hi Laura..waiting to hear the news. I think that Graycie and Tracy (hey that rhymes!!!cool!) are right..it's probably nothing because if there was something they would want to talk to you right away. I like this theory. Will try to keep that one in mind for future reference.

gotta go cook.
Have a good one, everybody!

TracyNY

Its Labor Day weekend and baby, in Brooklyn, that's the equivalent of the fourth of July!! Parties galore, West Indian carnival on Monday, half naked sweaty people gyrating in the streets. Yup, I'll be there!

I have two friends coming in tonight, one from Toronto and the other from Atlanta, and we'll be out there. Check for me on CNN!!

debbie444

I ll be watching CNN ! I hope your friend from Atlanta maneges to leave that airport - it was horrendous when i was there. My brother worked there for a while, says it was like Sheffield.
I eat chocolate in all forms ( am munching my way through a family bag of malteasers as we speak!) but chocolate spread - urghh. Even chocolate body paint tastes better than that stuff!
Victoria - let me know when you are coming over - i will be there waving the plane in! Pm me that name and address. I have had a word with the woman at our village post office and she says as long as there arent any queues she will help me do the postage in stamps rather than pre paid sticky labels, thought the kids would prefer that.
Yes - i flooded the kitchen ( with the aid of the dishwasher). I wouldnt mind but both of the kids had friendsover for a sleepover and there seemed to be kids and water everywhere. The kitchen is about the only room apart from the kids rooms which we have nearly finished. My conservatory is now at floor level!
Debbie

TracySeattle

My! We are a chatty bunch this morning--I LOVE IT! I just don't know what I would do without all of you....

I am so looking forward to the long weekend! I need to sleep!!! Do you all find that you are still tired no matter how much sleep you get? I read in CURE magazine this month that it is yet another side effect of chemo and it can stay around for a long time.... I have too much to do, too many places to see and too many people to meet to be tired all the time!!!!

I am going to the fair with friends tomorrow! I love the fair! Monday I am meeting a guy for coffee. I met him last week at the 3 day walk. When I met him last weekend, he was dressed in a skirt and had hot pink shoulder length hair in pigtails. If I remember right he may have even been wearing a bra over his T-shirt.... Wonder what he looks like for real? I think it is so cool that the guys who help with the 3-Day get into it and dress up to make us all laugh.... I like his sense of humor (he has to have one to dress like that, right?). He seems like a very nice person and he lives close to me--it would be great to have a guy friend to do things with once in a while, we will see....

I bought the greatest pair of shoes at the 3-Day last weekend (check them out on the New Balance web site), they are the tennis shoes that look like clogs, black with pink trim and they have the bc ribbon on them. I told my friend today that if I had to have cancer, I am glad that I had one that has clothing and accessories to go with it..... LOL!

This afternoon I get my port taken out! In my mind it kind of puts and end to some of this journey.... Not sure how they are ever going to get blood out of me again, though.

I love you all, have a fun and safe weekend!!!!

marymelodi

Oh, my sisters, how I love this group!! Your messages are likes rays of sunshine to me.

Tipper has returned . . . I am overjoyed! When hubby went downstairs at 5:30am he was on the front porch. I had left food, water, and his "bed-in-a-box" on the porch with the light on. Perhaps familiar smells lured him home. We suspect he may have spent the entire 56 hours of his "excellent adventure" cowering under the porch because he is dirty and had cobwebs on his whiskers. When we got him inside he went right to the cat fountain we have and he drank water for about 5 minutes straight. When I left home to come to work, there he was, stretched out on my side of the bed, in his usual spot, looking sleepy. I think he will spend alot of time resting today. I am so very relieved.

For me, the worst feelings was not knowing . . . not just his location, but his condition. Was he hungry, thirsty, safe? I suspect this anxiety of the unknown is similar to Laura's anxiety about her test results. We just want to know. Once we have the knowledge, then we can cope, we can cry or shout in joy, we can reach out, we can move, and we can act. Waiting in suspense is perhaps the most difficult of all the phases of our journey, I think.

So, now I feel a bit reluctant to say, considering that Laura is still waiting, but I will share that my family physician wrote me a very good letter, which I received yesterday, about my CT results. Although I had received the report myself, from the rad onc office, I am so pleased to have her communication to me including her thoughts about what to do next. She is also facilitating communication between all my docs and will advocate for me (with insurance) to have a 6-month mammo on my non-treated breast because there is a mass in it that was biopsied last year and diagnosed as a fibroadenoma. She wants to keep a very close eye on it to be sure nothing develops. I am relieved. I thought I might have to work to get permission for additional mammo surveilance or pay for it myself.

I am so very grateful for all you support, encouragement, kind words, and friendship. I love this group. You are so important in my life. I've never had a tight bond with sisters ( I have one sister but we have difficulties) and this has opened up a new world of relationships for me that is extremely precious. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Mary

TracySeattle

YAY!!! Tipper is home!!! I am so glad!

marymelodi

Tracy:
Thanks for your enthusiasm! Shouldn't you be working? Or are you, like me, doing this on the side???
Mary

ravdeb

Debbie..I totally agree with you about the chocolate spread. It is NOT chocolate..just some overly sugared brown concoction that is spreadable. But here parents send their little ones to school with chocolate spread in pita bread. It is the most digusting thing I've ever seen! My kids never went to school with that stuff. They hated it!

Sorry to hear about your flooded kitchen and all the kids in the house. yikes!

Tracy..yahooooooo..port is coming out!!! Hope that goes well!!!! Those shoes sound great. I love that...clothes and accessories to go with bc!!!LOL!
Have fun with that gentleman friend and let us all know how it went!

Mary.. Tipper is back!! I knew he'd go back home. They always know where HOME is!

Tadah..HAVE A STUPENDOUS TIME AND THEN TELL US ALL ABOUT IT!! You rock!

Victoria..what are calabacitas????

ake

just wanted to wish you all a good weekend. we're off the nyc tonight. we go every year on labor day weekend to the us open with my family and my husband's family...it's a 10 year tradition. it's so great because it's straight tennis all weekend, which we're all obsessed with.

well, trouble is...Ernesto. The damn tropical storm is messing up our plans! Tennis is definitely going to be washed out tomorrow and NYC is supposed to be cold and windy. My parents are in VB and not sure if they can get out with the storm and we're not sure if we're going to be able to get there on the train. Then, I'm not so sure I'm going to be happy walking around NYC in the pouring rain.

But, you know what's kinda funny? We're totally stressing about this weekend with the weather, coordinating all our families, etc. Well, last year, this time, we were all breaking down and try to go into denial to get through the weekend and just have fun...my surgery was right after that on the 15th of September. I had been diagnosed about 2 weeks when we went to the US Open last year. It's crazy when I look at the pictures and see how out of it we all were, but how hard we were trying to smile and get through it. Here's a picture from us last year at tennis...how did we get through it smiling and looking normal??

And now we're back to normalcy and stressing about something totally un cancer related. I love it [image][/image]

debbie444

You have such a good looking mob there - surely you have someone average or even down right ugly hidden somewhere in the family tree!

The weather is holding - so far my balloon trip is on! I have to ring at 11 tonight to check. Watch the skys over New Mexico! Evil kneival on board!

On another note - i started making my christmas cards today. I feel quite proud of myself , usually i am hidden in a whirl of glue and shiny stuff a few days before christmas!
DEbbie

ravdeb

Amy..you all look great! Hope the weather improves for you so you can have a great weekend in NYC ...like Tadah!

Debbie..you make your own Christmas cards? That is quite impressive. Cards for the gifts or to send out? How do you make them? Although I don't make too many Christmas cards (but I do make some!) I am a card making person. I draw mine with pen and then color in with water color pencils and use some acrylic glittery paint, too. I'm always interested in how people make cards and things. Love to make things and draw.

TracySeattle

Mary - LOL.... I totally cheat and check in from work!

Not sure about this whole meeting a guy thing - I kind of initiated the two of us getting together because my friend knows him and told me that he is single. It feels strange and not right. I will give it a shot anyway....

Amy - I can totally relate to what you are saying. I had my biopsy just before Labor day last year and spent the three day weekend - WAITING (as we have all come to hate more and more). I saw my Dr. the day after Labor day and was told that I definitely had cancer..... What a difference a year makes......

ravdeb

awww Tracy...just go with the flow and enjoy the experience of going out with a new person. Just be cool :-) I think it sounds like fun!

marymelodi

Okay that sounds very yummy!

I'm going to a AAA baseball game tonight. It has become cool here so I'm afraid I might be cold. I have a warm fleece jacket and a blankie to take, just in case.

We expect a rainy weekend also, here in Western New York.

Amy: I believe your family will make the best of the time together and you'll enjoy yourselves, no matter what.

Debbie: wear a seat belt or something in that balloon!! I hope you have great fun!

Tracy: Maybe if you concentrate on learning something unusual about this gentleman you might forget your uncomfortable feeling - or - think of it like a business appointment. Anyway, you deserve to have fun.

Ravdeb: I thought you were likely to be an "arteest" - I just had that feeling about you.

To all: have a wonderful weekend. I'm going to be checking back frequently to see if Laura has news. Hope you all enjoy family, friends, and something special in your life this holiday!

Mary

Anonymous

YAY ME!

YIPPEE YAHOO!

I called my Onc's office this morning and demanded to speak to him! (My dh was ready to drive over to his office and beat the crap out of him - not literally, of course.) He just called me and said "the spots" are unchanged! THAT IS VERY GOOD NEWS! I would have preferred if they were gone, but I'm soooooooooooooooooooo very relieved! I will need to have another CT in 6 months, but he said he's very confident that they will have not changed at that time as well. He was very apologetic and wanted to know exactly who I had spoken with at his office. He did say however, that they really were held up in Radiology for several days. I let him have it - big time. LOL

Thanks again girls! You rock! I felt your positive vibes all the way over here in my neck of the woods!

I need to pick up some hair dye - Amy - as my hair is grey now too! LOL

I'll write more later - I have two design projects that I have to have out by end of day today...yikes!

YAY YOU!

Laura

RoseMarie

I want to cuss but I won't...I should know how finicky this discussion board is by now...AAAAAAGGHHHHH!! I'm not as smart as you, Mary - You'd think I'd learn and open up Word but here I am still typing in the Quick Reply!!
Ok...I can almost smell your cooking Victoria - sounds good!
Have fun in NYC Amy and TaDah! My brother is a bartender in NY. It's on my list of places to visit...one of these years!
Laura - love the picture - beautiful!!!
Mary - so glad your kitty came back!!!
Debbie - sorry to hear about the wound but glad to know a paster is NOT a cast!! Have fun on your balloon ride!!!
ok...here are some pictures of my kids

First day of 3rd grade!!
Here's Justin with his broken nose:

debbie444

Oh thank goodness for that Laura! I think we must be the most relieved section going!

I am really cross now - we were going to pick the car up tomorrow and did some last minute checks. Turns out it has been an insurance write off recently. We got in touch with the seller via email and it turns out he sold it to someone else anyway ! AARGGHGHHHHHHH
And the wind is getting up!!
Ravdeb, these are embroidery on paper which is something i havent tried before. In the past i have done 3D decoupage,cross stitch and ones which include lots of holographic card, wire and sticky pads. Last Christmas we made each other cards and Roger made me a 3D metal card with his welder and some sheet steel!
Debbie

RoseMarie

SOO HAPPY LAURA!!!!!!

marymelodi

Remember that song? We are all so happy that Laura has stable, unchanged spots!!! Yeah, Wahoo!!!! Hey, Laura, maybe before your next CT you should get leopard print underwear as a good-luck token for unchanging spots!!! What do you think, huh? I also have another CT in 6 months. I wish we could go together to the same place and then have some fun retail therapy as a reward! Wouldn't that be fun?

Well you wonderful woman, I am so happy to hear that you are fine, right as rain, and A-OK. If I could think of another cliche I'd throw it in there.

Have a wonderful, relaxing, super-duper holiday weekend!!!
Now don't go drowning you spots in spirits . . . oh, all right, drown 'em! Have a ball!

Mary

scottishlass

Hi
Christmas cards already - I made lots last year because it was something to do - cannot quite think it is time to be thinking of that yet - however there has been Christmas stuff in the shops for the last month over here.

I do "tea bag folding" - this involved folding little squares of paper somewhat like origami. I have to describe this very carefully as I recently told someone about this and called it teabagging. She was aghast as this apparently means something quite different!!!!! For those who have not come across this term - try google.

Anyway my quite innocent hobby suddenly sounded so much more exciting

Hope you all have a great weekend. In Edinburgh we have just finished with the fesival - On Sunday we have a huge fireworks display at the castle and I have tickets (which are like gold dust) for all the family - my sister's family too. So we will have a champagne party - probably huddled in the cold with a tarten rug - but you cannot have everything.
Love to all Jill

scottishlass

I cannot keep up with all the mails - Just wanted to add my relief at your good news Laura. I hope Justin has not been reading Debbie's e:mails and that is why he has become accident prone with the broken nose. This could be something that is catching !!!!!

debbie444

Oh i never thought of that - poor Justin! Hope you enjoy it Jill , like i said my brother has just got back from the tattoo and said it was fab. Roger used to visit Edinburgh with his work ( was business manager for Royal Bank of Scotland) and we are thinking of going next year.
Rosemarie - dont they alllook like you ! How old are they?
Debbie

scottishlass

Hi Debbie - we went to the tattoo this year - first time in twenty years - generally people in Edinburgh leave the city when the festival is on - standing joke !! The most amazing thing about the tattoo this year - other than the New Zealand marching band which was fab - was that it did not rain on us - we are hoping for another dry day for the fireworks as they are difficult to see through an umbrella.

My son is away tonight - camping under the stars - OK well the clouds - in a bivouac (which is a glorified plastic bag)with the scouts. Goodness knows what state he will be in when he comes back.

Another co-incidence - AL my Hubby also works for RBS - has yours changed jobs now?
Jill