2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

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  • TracyNY
    TracyNY Member Posts: 434
    edited October 2006
    Quote:

    Tadah.. unruly hair! Ahhhhhhhhh..... What is weaving? And just how long is your hair? Have you had it cut? Are you letting it grow?? So many questions! I get excited about hair. I decided I like mine.



    My hair is like brillo! Weaving is when you braid your hair flat against your scalp in cornrows and attach hair of any length, texture or color to it. When you see black women with hair dusting their butts, generally it is a weave.

    White women do it too. Don't envy your friends with thick wavy hair, many of them bought it!! I think its time for me to get some length. My hair is about 2-3 inches long and I have to smooth it back with gel after I've washed it every morning. I don't like the look, I go for a more high maintenance, polished style.

    I meet my stylist at 5pm. I'll let you know what happens later on!
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  • Graycie
    Graycie Member Posts: 839
    edited October 2006
    OMG, nine days without power.....I felt like I lost my lifeline with you girls.....Power just came on 15 minutes ago so I have a lot to do. I can't believe I am actually looking forward to doing the wash...we are just about out of underwear...lol....Mary, How did you make out? Did you get hit in Rochester?

    I will be back on tomorrow morning to catch-up, providing the electric doesn't go out again.....

    Graycie
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2006
    Thank you for all the birthday wishes!!!

    Had a beautiful lunch with friends by the ocean. It wasn't that warm... only 78 degrees... will continue celebrating this weekend. We're alive, we're here, I totally get it!!!
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2006
    GRAYCIE -
    9 DAYS - OMG - look back at the post I started - I knew you were in deep sh** because marymelodi posted that your area was hit by a really big storm - but OMG. LOL SO GLAD YOU CHECKED IN...build any snowmen?

    ravdeb -
    I am so sorry for you and your friend. I feel and relate to your anger at this disease. Why, why, why?

    Brenda -
    You had a nice birthday...that's great! You deserve it. Love your new avatar...you really look like a teacher!

    marymelodi -
    I registered at Fickle - I want to hear you! Will definately tune it in tomorrow afternoon!

    Victoria -
    My hip pain is due to "uptake" that showed up on my last bone scan. It's arthritis, but at least it's not mets. I'm exercising and trying to eat well...so hopefully it won't progress. Thank you so much for the info re: the mrm on the non-bc side. I have decided to wait until January to have it done. But I found an area of "thickening" last week in the "good" one. I am going to gyn Tuesday. I am 50/50 as to whether it's something bad or not. So...if it's something bad...that prophyl. mast. will become a numero uno priority.

    Laura
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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited October 2006
    Brenda..sounds like you had a wonderful birthday and you haven't stopped celebrating. You are right...celebrate life!! YES!

    Graycie..Whew! So glad you are okay! That must have been awful. My parents had that happen for 10 days after a big hurricane in southern Florida. I was so worried about them. There weren't any phone lines either and only once they borrowed somebody's cell phone that worked and called my sister. They managed fine. And they were in good humor! I would have been a basket case!

    Tadah...Oh..THAT's weaving. I know what that is! My daughter, who has long curly hair (but definitely not the texture of yours) loves the braiding. We had that done on her once. She looked cute but it didn't stay neat for very long!

    I have always been intrigued by hair, even when mine fell out it intrigued me! When I was about 10 I had a girlfriend who had thick..I mean THICK, long-down-to-her-butt hair and curly. They had a nanny or somebody (not sure but they lived in a gigantic house!)and that nanny braided her hair in these really thick braids, but she started at the top and braided each one (two)against her head and then continues. I think that's the same idea as the weaving.

    So, how did the stylist do???

    Yikes..must run...

    Be well everybody!!!! Glad we are talking about hair again!!! (when I started chemo my dad said.."Hair today, gone tomorrow!" )
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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited October 2006
    Sounds fun, Victoria..and yes..I know what you mean about my pains on the non-bc side! Funny how we can be HAPPY about that!

    A woman who I did my Taxol with came to visit with her dh and 2 little kids today. It was such fun to meet her little boys (they are sooooo cute!) and talk to them both (we as couples became quite good friends in the chemo room, supporting each other) and to see how much her hair has grown! She doesn't think it's nice but she said she had hair down to the middle of her back before she had chemo. But, it's beautiful and she looks wonderful and it was good to talk. We go to the same onc as well and have our follow ups almost at the same time. It's so good to talk to somebody from the same center!

    I have a question...have any of you done TAC (with Taxotere) She started on that but moved to our center and was changed to AC followed by Taxol. I just read about the studies on TAC and they sound good.

    Just wondered.
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  • cathy987
    cathy987 Member Posts: 179
    edited October 2006
    Good afternoon good women!!

    I was so depressed yesterday because I couldn’t get on this board. Then there was your message Graycie and I had nothing to complain about. Welcome back. We were without power here in 1998 for 8 days. Our business is on our farm and is very dependant on electricity. We now have a generator which comes on in 7 seconds. What a blessing.

    Mary–I’ll be listening. Saw your picture on Fickle’s website. Happy to see you were nominated as a Fickled pink champion. I wanted to do that–rules said had to be a NY resident to nominate. And Laura will be there too. It’s almost like getting together/but not quite.

    Ravdeb–I sense you are depressed. You are such an inspiration to so many even beyond this crazy little group. It’s time for you to get some positive feedback. It sounds like your visit with your fellow chemo traveler has raised your spirits.

    Now can I gently request than you consider bringing back the chocolate to your signature line. The carrot line was really funny but the rocks are making me nervous. As far as the high cholesterol goes–check this out: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/10/011024073452.htm

    Tracy–I’ll be thinking about you tomorrow and Monday. I picked up my kit Thursday. I forgot that colonoscopies involve iv’s. Another search for an elusive vein.

    Victoria–every time you describe your community be it family or friends or physical location I feel the warmth and wish I were there. Have a great weekend.

    It’s almost time for Fickled Pink.
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  • cathy987
    cathy987 Member Posts: 179
    edited October 2006
    You did a great job, Mary

    On listening to you I realize that it was you who nominated yet another Mary as your Fickled pink champion.
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  • ake
    ake Member Posts: 684
    edited October 2006
    I did the Komen walk today...it was so great. My best friend and I ran the whole thing....I coudln't believe that this time last year, I was bald and through my first chemo and exhausted. This time, with my hair blowing in the breeze, I ran my ass off and made it I will post pics so you all can see

    Love,
    Amy
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  • ake
    ake Member Posts: 684
    edited October 2006
    here is a pic of me, my best friend, my brother, and of course, my sweet husband [image]image[/image]
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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited October 2006
    Great pic Amy! And that's terrific that you ran!!! good for you!! I don't know how you did it! I can barely walk!

    Mary..saw the pics on the site but didn't hear your broadcast. Love that huge bra!!! LOL. I think I saw you in one of the pics. I had a hard time getting the pics to come in but when I hit the back button often enough, it worked!

    Cathy...I will consider changing my line at the bottom of my signature. Since I can only have bittersweet chocolate now (which is okay since I like THAT too!)I took the chocolate off out of respect for my daughter who is only 22 and also has high cholesterol as of now. She's sad about her chocolate and I caught her eating some.

    This is very frustrating! She is young and NOT overweight. She's a dancer and used to dance all the time but with her work schedule she barely has time to sleep! Doctor said her life style is causing her fatigue and she needs to exercise again and eat better. She got upset because this is the kind of work she is doing now and she could find.

    My mom said that both she and my dad have high cholesterol and this is just a genetic thing. Probably our trial 3-month diets will not help and we will have to take pills. When the doctor told my daughter she'd need pills for the rest of her life, her heart sank.

    The rock is just that...Life is a journey but there are obstacles in the paths of the journey. I had more to write there but there were too many characters! It's not that I'm depressed...just going through a time of WORRY! My chemo friend feels the same way. Because of her worries, the onc is sending her for a bone scan. So now my dh wants me to ask for a bone scan at my next visit. I think I will go for a chest x-ray.

    OY..the colonoscopy is coming up, but not for me. I didn't ask for one. And he didn't offer. I had an occult blood test and it came out normal. I think that they won't offer the colonoscopy if this comes out normal unless there is a family history of colon cancer. I will do it, though. First we'll see how you and Tracy come out of it!

    G'nite Ladies!
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  • cathy987
    cathy987 Member Posts: 179
    edited October 2006
    Amy–another walker/runner Rocktober woman!!! How many are there now? The picture of your group shows some pretty proud/happy people.

    ravdeb–please forgive me for playing amateur therapist/nutritionist. I had no idea about your family cholesterol involvement. I hope the 3-month diet does the trick for you and your daughter. Now about those rocks-–I'm not as nervous as I pretended to be–but am relieved they’re the stumbling in the path kind of rocks and not the falling from the sky/avalanche kind.

    I'm off to Minneapolis tomorrow to visit my daughter, Ann.
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  • marymelodi
    marymelodi Member Posts: 515
    edited October 2006
    Major frustration . . . just lost a great post . . . took too long to get it up and didn't copy before going on. Grrr!

    Ok, today I did another interview for "Fickled Pink." If you have seen the website picture you can see how I look now. The woman in blue, next to me, is my friend, Mary Jo, who I nominated for my "champion." The station is running a contest to select a Champion who supported someone in their BC experience. Mary Jo helped me in so many aspects - physical, emotional, and spiritual. If she wins the random drawing the prize is an overnight stay at a casino in Niagara Falls and tickets to an Olivia Newton-John concert. She says if she is the winner, we'll go together. How fun would that be??

    This time the interview went better. I wore our t-shirt and mentioned our group. I also got to talk about the cancer center and my experience there. They did take pictures so maybe there will be another one posted on the website. This time of me in the "Rock-tober" shirt.

    So, it was a good day.

    Congrats to you, Amy. You look wonderful and I admire your commitment to being fit and healthy. Happiness radiates from your pictures.

    Graycie: welcome back!! NO, we did not get snow. We are usually not affected by the lake effect snows from Lake Erie. We are north of the Thruway and it misses us. I was a little concerned and kept checking the news to see when the power was coming back for you.

    I share concerns with all in the menopause phase. I have memory, sleep, and emotional effects. I seem to be less resilient, physically and emotionally, than I thought I would be. I worry some about it and will be talking to my family doctor, but I think I'll just have to adjust. Not possible to turn back the clock, no matter how much I wish I could.

    Well, I have a new book and want to spend some time reading before trying to sleep tonight. Best wishes to everyone and hopes for your well being in every way.

    Mary
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  • TracyNY
    TracyNY Member Posts: 434
    edited October 2006
    Your work is beautiful. I don't have an artistic bone in my body. I really admire people with the creative spirit.

    Well I got hair ladies!! It is long and red and I am loving it. I got my last wig, The Lady Chablis, dyed and sewn to my braided hair.

    When I said my prayers this morning I had to give God praise for allowing me to complete this journey. Last year this time we were having head shaving parties and now we're blowing in the breeze and getting out there and enjoying life again.
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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited October 2006
    Tadah..That is terrific!!! Now you HAVE to get a picture of your new hair for us to see!!!

    I agree with you..it's amazing where we are at today...a year later.

    Victoria..what beautiful paintings!!! Wish I could see them in real life! thanks for sharing them with us!!!

    Cathy... I forgot to read that link you left. I will do that after I write this since I'm going to lose this otherwise. I really do think my rock was not something I was gonna throw at somebody!! Though now that you mention it.... Hey..the rock could be to watch out for US, the ROCk-tober girls!!!

    Mary..that is great!!! You are a star!

    OMG I'm so spacey! I was driving to the beach, I got to this one round-about and I looked ahead of me and didn't recognize anything and wasn't sure which way to go! I drive this route almost every day! When I finally realized where I was, I just thought..where was I while I was driving to there????
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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited October 2006
    Cathy..thanks for the link. I just read it and it says that along with a low fat, high veggie intake, dark chocolate has been shown to help lower the LDL and actually raise the HDL. And so...dark chocolate will and is already our dessert!

    Thanks Cathy!!!
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  • ake
    ake Member Posts: 684
    edited October 2006

    beautiful, beautiful pictures...you are incredibly talented!!!!

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2006
    mary -
    You are a Fickled Pink Champion! Yay you! Saw your photo...you look great! I was stuck in traffic yesterday afternoon and missed the broadcast. Must have been lots of fun!

    Victoria -
    Your work is incredible! I envy your talent!

    Amy -
    The photo is great!

    TaDah -
    Hope you can post a photo of your new do...

    Laura
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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited October 2006
    Laura..I saw your picture on a website with other women from the boards... Christine and some others..can't remember all their names. Can't remember what site that was..there was a link on one of the threads. Oh..this is great help! Chemo-brained for sure!

    Well, you looked cute! That part I CAN remember!
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2006
    EVERYONE -
    Hey - I guess it's my turn at the Andy Warhol 15 minutes of fame "thing"...

    Lifetime Television website has posted my photo (and others) under the caption Faces of Breast Cancer. It's in relation to Monday night's premiere of the movie: Why I wore lipstick to my Mastectomy - it's on 8pm central, 9 pm, ept. (Written by Geralyn Lucas, bc survivor, mast, age 28.) I think my photo and the others MAY POSSIBLY be shown at the end of the movie as well...

    Here's the link (as if you haven't seen my face enough ) or copy and paste it into your browser:

    http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/photos/gallery10/index.php?currPhoto=1#photo

    ravdeb -
    Thanks much. One of the girls here was nice enough to PM me about it. I submitted my photo to Lifetime - but had no idea they actually used it.

    Love you all,
    Laura
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  • ake
    ake Member Posts: 684
    edited October 2006

    Laura...I love it! Love it love it. Isn't it random/cool to be famous because of this whole thing? You look beautiful in the picture.

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  • Graycie
    Graycie Member Posts: 839
    edited October 2006
    Laura, I will check that out.....I hope I don't forget to watch the movie tomorrow night. You better remind me. I have been waiting for it to air.

    Everything is almost back to normal here. Mary pretty much told it all about our storm. Believe it or not we have no snow left. Here are a couple of pictures if they work.image
    [IMG]
    image
    OK, Well, I got one picture and the other one came out small. Not sure why. Anyway that is a picture of the fallen branches in our backyard. Doesn't really do it justice, it looks much worse then the picture show's.
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  • Graycie
    Graycie Member Posts: 839
    edited October 2006

    Oh, it came out bigger now.....weird.....

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  • Graycie
    Graycie Member Posts: 839
    edited October 2006

    That's how much snow we got.........It left just as fast as it came.......It was almost up to my knee's and now it is all gone.....

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  • TracyNY
    TracyNY Member Posts: 434
    edited October 2006

    All that snow already?! I hope that's not a forewarning of the winter to come!!

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  • debbie444
    debbie444 Member Posts: 847
    edited October 2006
    Glad you are back Grayciwe - just about to strap on the snow shoes! How did you go for that long with no electric? Do you cook on gas? and oMG - no dishwasher! The snow looks great - it always does when you dont have to deal with it. Is that your house in the background?
    Mary, went to the website but must be doing something wrong - cant find you.
    Victoria - they are lovely. Have always admired the paintings of hills which are purple which still look like hills etc. Even if i coloured them green there would still be an identification problem!
    Tadah - i bet it looks spectacular. When my friend got married ( her mums from Barbados) she had a weave done, she had the colour of the bridesmaids dresses ( a deep scarlet) woven in and it was beautiful.
    Well, it half term here so i have a week off - all the decorating and tidying to do)
    Debbie
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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited October 2006
    I wish we were getting the movie here!

    I suppose Debbie and others from outside the States won't be getting it either.

    Wow..Graycie... SNOW! Yikes!
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  • ake
    ake Member Posts: 684
    edited October 2006
    Hi ladies,

    Remember my friend from my support group who had a recurrence? I can't remember if I told you then...she was 2 1/2 years out and had a recurrence in her collarbone nodes and a node near her sternum. She did oral chemo and everything was fine. She just found out that the chemo is no longer working...the tumors are not shrinking...so she has to try something else. She's triple negative. So, this is the third chemo not working (she originally had AC and T). And in the midst of all this, her husband decided he can't deal and filed for divorce.

    So, again, I'm all tied up in my thoughts. I'm really scared for her...because they can't seem to get this under control. I'm scared of what might happen to her. Then, I start to feel selfish...because I start being scared for me...scared that my chemo didn't work or something like hers. Then I'm relieved...that it's not me. I hate all this. I don't know what to do.

    I didn't mean to scare anybody, but I needed to vent a little bit. This woman is beyond healthy...rock hard, goes to the gym every day, strong as hell...so why does this happen???
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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited October 2006
    Laura, The Star..enjoy tonight's debut!

    Victoria...come and visit and we can walk the beach together. Ahava is the best lotion and has a wonderful fragrance, too! Today at the beach I decided I'm lucky I can be there almost every day because I now feel like I "know" it. Today the waves were very calm and the sea looked almost like a pool. But before I noticed that, I noticed the sand..how it looked so different and then I looked out into the sea and realized that last night there were probably big waves and today they are calm. I love the sea!

    I'm so sorry about your friend. This disease is so beastly, so violent, so horrible. She is lucky to have you next to her, though.

    Amy..that is a terribly sad story. I do know what you mean..those mixed feelings of being sad for her yet thinking about yourself. I am sure we all think this way when we hear the stories of others not doing so well. We are scared for ourselves as well. I think that is natural. I wish her well.

    I have a chemo buddy with lung cancer..as I think I told you all..whose chemo didn't work and now she is on something new and it IS shrinking the tumor. So..you just never know!

    As you all have figured out, I'm in a basically panic state over my cancer. Why? I have never, ever felt so panicky and never expected myself to be like this today. I found an eency weency bump next to my scar. I found it because I decided that I'd better check for skin mets and I understand that it can be found close to the scar. And there is this tiny thing that may have been there always. I have no idea but unless one were to use a magnifying glass (I used a magnifying mirror)there is no way to see it, really.

    I am trying to be calm. Really! But I've become obsessed!

    Okay...back to work...

    Be well. And I send positive energy to all our friends who are suffering, scared....
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2006
    Victoria -
    My heart goes out to your friend, you, both of your dh's. I am so sorry. I am speechless/overwhelmed with sadness and horror and anger. I don't know what else to say...

    Amy -
    I most certainly remember your first post about your friend...I remember because I felt bad that you had to deal with the reality of recurrence so soon after your chemo ended. I assumed everything was fine. I am so sorry it is not. The fear is so real, it's surreal! Try to be positive about your own future. I know it's hard...

    ravdeb -
    I'm obsessed too. Keep a watch on that lump...I hope your friend is comfortable. How the hell do we ever live at ease again. I look back on my old life and liken it to having been in a free-fall. I didn't realize back then, how incredibly fortunate I was (although even back then I was thankful for every single day). I wish we could all free-fall again...

    MY BRO'S G-FRIEND....as if we haven't started the week off with enough bad news...is not doing well either. She has had 20 radiation treatments in an effort to shrink the tumor, but it has not shrunk. This is really bad...the tumor is attached to her sternum. She is taking oral chemo, but I don't think the tumor can be removed. I didn't know this...I am numb...

    Laura
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