2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

marymelodi

How delightful to be laughing with you girls.

Today someone was complimenting me on my hairdo and remarked how long my hair is now. I then realized that last Thurday was the 1-year anniversary of the last chemo session. She and I both were amazed at how quickly the time has passed. Now I think my hair is too long and I want to get it cut. Never satisfied, I guess.

Mary

ake

Hi ladies

I'm still going through all the posts to catch up, but I wanted to say hi. I'm getting ready to leave with my husband to go see Georgetown Univ. stomp West Va (hopefully) As much as I'm obsessed with tennis, I'm even more obsessed with college basketball. And I get treated at Georgetown (plus my dad went there), so I'm proudly sporting my Georgetown t-shirt I love it!

Other than that, things are good. I've been battling a cough for a while because I keep getting a cold because everyone I've been seeing is sick plus my co-workers are sick (of course I think I have lung mets) and I've been working out like a nutjob at the gym and my back hurts (of course I think I have bone mets) but other than that I've been hanging in there and living my life the best way I can

I miss you all and love you all and even taking a break, I think about you all the time

Love,
Amy

Anonymous

Quote:

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(of course I think I have lung mets) (of course I think I have bone mets)

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Amy -
LOL - Same thing here...Walking through the snow today to feed the deer and I got short of breath - my instant thought was lung mets. And then my hips and knees started aching and of course - I thought of bone mets!
Laura

Graycie

That makes three of us. I have had this headache now off and on for a few day's and of course I think I have brain mets and my back has been hurting and I am real tired so I thought of bone met's too....

TracySeattle

LOL! I have had an aching at the back of my head and I, too, am thinking Brain mets.....

I think this is just something we are going to have to accept and get used to. Maybe we will stop feeling this way as time goes on?

Amy - I am so glad to see you here, we miss you! Glad to see that you are enjoying life. Have Fun!

Hey Ladies!!! I got some cheetah jammies!!!! Bought them off of ebay and I LOVE THEM!!! They are summer weight too!

Anonymous

Remember when we were thinking of tattoos? I think I have decided on mine. It's going to be the chinese character. I am not willing to vote and choose something I like 2nd best on my body. I am choosing the chinese character that says: "Live a Life" ......

I hope you all don't feel bad but I that's really what I want to do. Now, I just have to get the courage to do it!!! LOL

Hope you all are feeling better..... Good thing for me that my joints in my knees only hurt in the morning and then the hip joint (you know where the leg bone goes into the hip??) only hurts when I walk a distance. I had to take Teryn across the mall to the birthday party and I thought I would die from the pain. It is not constant, so can't be mets!!

ake

kelly...will you post a picture of the tattoo you want to get? i'm still trying to think about what i would want.

georgetown won..they beat them by like 25 points. i've given so much to that hospital, i felt like i should have had my own seat center court

Anonymous

I also like the one that says win or survive ... but Live a Life is more about me now because I guess I just feel that even though we won, it's all still a crapshoot. No matter what happens, I want to live the life that I have been given and build memories for Teryn that tell her how much I love her and how we really did LIVE.

debbie444

http://www.frontiernet.net:80/~jimdandy/specials/friend/friend.html

Remember - sound up loud!!

ravdeb

Debbie..can't get it..will try again.
Amy..good to see you! Glad they won!

OMG..so we ALL think we have mets in some odd place on our bodies!!!

Just came back from seeing the onc. I had a new onc today. She's okay..nothing special. My first onc and the one who saw me through all my treatments..she is special. Her smile ligths up the room and just makes me feel good. But, this one is just a doctor, if you know what I mean.

At any rate, she thinks all my pains are from the herniated discs and tension. But, she is sending me for a bone scan. I didn't even ask her to. She said she is sending me just to be sure. She was too quick to offer me a sleeping pill when my dh told her I dont sleep well. But, when I told her I fall asleep with no problem and wake up during the night, she took back the offer. I respect the doctors who ask me questions first before writing prescriptions.

At any rate..they will call me about a date for my next appt in May. The secy put me down for my other doctor but she's not sure she is returning to our unit. Too bad...

Congrats on the cheetah jammies, Tracy! Now..keep quiet about the Valentines stuff!! How fun!

Mary..the onc nurse today told me that she knows she already told me about my hair but wanted to tell me again how pretty it was! I also think my hair is too long. I need to find a good stylist though my girlfriend told me to keep it this way. I kinda wanna try something new and this guy only knows ONE style!!!

I'm going to try to get into the link Debbie left here...

Have a good day everybody!

Graycie

I got Debbie's link, it cute.

Mary, I thought your hair looked really pretty when we went out to lunch. Nice length and a nice color. I am sure it is longer now but I think you should keep it like that. You should update your avatar so everybody can see how nice it looks.

Ravdeb, I think your hair look's nice that length too. Actually everyone look's good with the shorter hair except me..haaaaa.....Never liked my hair short because it is so fine.

I think I have figured out my headache....My husband made the coffee the last couple of day's and he made decaf...That could explain it, I need my caffeine fix. No wonder when I had a glass of pepsi the headache went away.

Anonymous

Debbie -
That was adorable!

ravdeb -
It's good you're getting a bone scan. Is this the first one?

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Girls -

I'm really getting worried about my knees and hips. Last night, I could hardly sleep or roll over. I have an appt tomorrow w/a new Rheumatologist (this one is closer to home). The timing could not be better. I hope I like him. I don't understand how he'll be able to distinguish arthritis pain from Tamoxifen pain. This really su*#&!

We're having a blizzard right now. Have to run out to send a package to my client - hope I don't skid off the road and smash into a tree - ala Debbie! The problem is...I don't have 9 lives like her, but the good thing is I don't have her family disaster gene! LOL (Love ya Debbie!)

One more thing...lately I have felt that as time goes on, the more I worry about mets, because the chemo is wearing off. It worries me because mets/recurrence usually happen after 2-3 years, right? Or am I wrong?

Love you all. I am so thankful for our friendship. Debbie's link says it all.

ravdeb

Debbie..I got the link..it worked! Thanks! I love you, too!!! And I see your smiling face is back on the avatar..you must have gotten tired jumping around like that!

Laura..no..this will be my second bone scan. I had one before I started chemo. And no..I'm less worried about mets now than I was before. I mean..it's in my mind but I don't believe I'll get them. I do believe the chemo killed any stupid cancer cell that may have escaped unnoticed. I will NOT be getting mets, so THERE!

Gail.. I like my hair short. I think the guy didn't cut enough off. When I went in for a trim the last time he asked me if I was keeping my hair short. I am! But, it feels LONG now!

And yes..it was your coffee withdrawal. that happens to me if I don't drink a cup in the morning.

Mary..put in a new avatar so we can see you!

At any rate..once I find out results from the bone scan I'll find relief for the pains I have. If there are no mets, and I'm quite sure there are none, I'm off to the orthopedist to see what he can do for me. I'm way too stiff and uncomfortable to go on like this. I think that is why I'm so fatigued.

Kelly..I like the meaning behind your tattoo. I think it's great but I will NOT be getting one!! OUCH!!!!!

debbie444

Just a quick pop by as i have so much stuff waiting to be done.
Get to go and see my Daddy tonight - it seems ages since i have seen him. He must be getting better as i was sent to his house to collect different clothes for him - my sister had taken in the wrong ones. I couldnt believe it , i opened his wardrobe doors ( remember he is nearly 76 ) and there, arranged in order of colour and shade, were 36 shirts. Yes 36 ! What does he need so many for?? The next wardrobe held trousers - 19 pairs of, again , in colour and shade order. The next wardrobe held 8 suits and 14 jackets and coats!! The best bit is, as i looked at them, i realised that they werent old ones he didnt wear, they were all recent. I just know when i get there i will have taken the wrong shade of brown socks or the wrong jacket !!

The coffee idea drew me, I havent had a coffee for the last few days as Roger read somewhere that good old British tea is full of all sorts of good body boosting things that coffee isnt,so he has moved the coffee to where i cant find it. Guess i will have to learn to like tea!

I hope your pains get sorted soon Deb. Roger went to see a guy about his back last year, after years of back ache, put down to being tall(????) He did this thing with a metal bar, which he warned would kill th efollowing day ( and it did) but after 3 sessions it seemed to have done the trick and he has had no twinges since. Alot of that was put down to Roger constantly carrying his wallet in th esame back pocket, so his muscles compensated and slightly shortened on one side . Isnt that bizarre!!

Ok, better go drink tea!

ravdeb

Victoria.. good luck with the sale and the decision on where to move to! That's a lot to think about! Hope your visit with your onc goes as planned..chatty and pleasant!

No... Victoria..you have no mets! not in your liver, not in your bones..not ANYWHERE!

Debbie..that is amazing about your dad's closet! Sounds like in the movies. And it sounds like the kind of closet I'd like to have..only with dresses! Hope your dad is doing better.

My dog is up to no good. She whimpers outside and is restless inside. She insists on eating dirty tissues in the waste basket and making puddles in front of our daughter's bedroom! I just heard her running through the house so I better go find where she piddled this time! She is really not behaving in her old age!

TracyNY

You know I've been thinking about this new chance of recurrence test that has been approved and I decided that even if they were giving it away free at the supermarket I don't want it.

I like my cloud of oblivion that I live in. I look so hot today it ought to be illegal. And its supposed to snow tomorrow?! I'm so happy!! I'm going to see my BS this afternoon so he can feel up my little kittens and we can chat for a minute.

The furniture man continues to disappoint. He failed to show again last night so I decided that the three other pieces I have on hold I will cancel because I can't take his stress any more. Its not like I'm begging for the darned furniture, I'm paying him good money.

Anyway enough about him. Drunkard. I am too cute!

ravdeb

thanks for smiles, Tracy! You do crack me up!!!

I was rereading my first bone scan. My herniated discs..both of them in my lower back, lit up. Now...remember that my bone scan results were written in Hebrew. I didn't notice that the lower part of my neck also lit up! They said it was part of the aging process so it appears to me that I might have a herniated disc in my neck that wasn't bothering me before but is now! I think that is what it is. Glad I found this paper..for some reason it wasn't in my file at the onc's office. At any rate..now I may have the answer to my neck pain that came on and won't give up.

Funny..they didn't ask for any follow ups on my back or my neck at that time..they had spotted a spot on my femur and that turned out to be a benign tumor (enchondroma) that I'm supposed to be following. That was followed up and showed up on the CT.

At any rate..Tracy NY..I agree...when it comes to the recurrence test...I want to be in oblivion.

And..you ARE too cute to worry about the drunkard!

Anonymous

Don't get me wrong girls...I am certainly not sitting around worrying and "not doing my life" because I fear mets! It's just that every once in a while, like anyone else, I can't help but think about it...I am having a great time being productive and having fun. Look how far we've all come since last year at this time!

Last week we started the construction on having our basement finished. It's really noisy, and I can't wait until it's finished. I went shopping yesterday for tile (for the bathroom section), hardwood flooring (below the bar) and carpeting for the remaining areas. It's brought me back to when we designed and built our house 5 years ago. That was a lot of fun too. We were all set to have the basement started at the time I was dx'd...needless to say, everything was put on hold. So now, it is appreciated even more (not that it wasn't back then)! The best part about the new basement, is that I designed an area for some exercise equipment, it has windows that look out to the forest. If that isn't the incentive I need - nothing will work! And I'm going to have one whole wall with floor to ceiling mirrors, so I can agonize over my big ol' Tamoxifen butt and no doubt that will make me work out even harder and longer! LOL LOL Costco has a 5 piece workout package for sale: Elyptical, treadmill, weight machine and two other pieces (I can't remember). The price is fairly reasonable, but I will have to work ungodly hours for the next few months to help pay for it all.

And btw, the recurrence test isn't even that accurate!

ravdeb -
Did they say your problem was Degenerative Disc Disease? (It sounds scary, but it's not. My dh was having some back pain and an MRI showed it, but at our ages, it's not an uncommon situation. Not that we're old, but hey, we're not teenagers either!)

Hope you're all having a great day.

Curlylocks

Hello Dear Sisters,

A quick hello tonight as I am staying at my mom's for the night. We are expected to get a big dumping of snow this evening and overnight. We live about an 1 hour from work and I will not about to go into the ditch anytime soon.

Mom lives 2 minutes from my work so I am here tonight with my sister as my parents are in Florida for the winter.

TracyNY - you crack me up, cant wait to meet you in person!

Debbie444 - OMG that list of things that have happened to your family is too unbelievable to be real. See I told you could write a book about your family's great luck.LOL.

Laura - renovations are no fun but think of how nice it will be once it is done.

Ravdeb - greetings across the water, can we have your warm weather now! It is mighty, mighty cold here tonight. Almost froze my hands off getting gas for the car.

Will check back in on Thursday as tomorrow is Valentine's Day! Will finish my personals then....

Have a super Valentines everyone.

Michele

Graycie

Scooby, I can totally relate to your weather. We are getting the same storm and I think Laura has already gotten it according to the news. TracyNY, you are probably getting it too. My son is supposed to fly in from NYC Thursday night, I hope he makes it.

Laura, Your basement sound's like it is going to be beautiful. I thought of you today. I saw the coolest barstools. They were cheetah print but you really couldn't tell, very tiny print(black with taupe). They had an upholstered seat and back, real classy, not the swivel type though. I wanted them but they wouldn't go with our basement since my husband has made it into a sports room. It is his little get-a-way from me....lol

marymelodi

Checking in. Worked really late today to make up time taken off to go home and have our freezer repaired. Big snow swupposed to be starting so I'm going to the entrance where the hospital has a shuttle to drive us to our cars out in the parking lots several blocks away. Anyway, beswt to everyone. I'll write tomorrow. happy Valentines!!!

Mary

Paula15089

Girls, its too hard to keep up with you!!

Gail, got the card - thank you so much!!

Amy, good to hear from you. I know what you mean. No small ache or pain is innocent anymore, is it... i feel like a 60 year old every morning b/c of my Zoladex/Tamox related (or so i hope!!) joint pains. My wrists hurt. My knees hurt. ouch...

TaDah, you are too funny girl!! I agree, you are HOT baby!

Kelly, i LOVE that tatoo!! I've been thinking about getting one for a while now, and i remember seeing those chinese characters before. For me, its a tie between a seahorse and that 'live a life' one. That will be my reward after i get rid of that extra weight...

Ravdeb, keep us posted on your tests results! It will be fine, i am sure.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Since i dont really have a 'proper' Valentine this year, you can all be my Valentines!!

love you all
Paula

Anonymous

Victoria -
You said there's two...would you be more happy with one of the new places than the other? If so, why? I'm just curious...I wish I could go to your estate sale. I know it's going to be hard to part with your treasures though. I just got rid of a bunch of stuff to clean out the basement, and it was really tough, so I can understand.

Graycie -
YES - we have already gotten it! dh is out there as I type...snow blowing the driveway! Enjoy the time with your son, I hope he's not snowed OUT! OMG - more proof...LOL I have cheetah print stools at my breakfast bar in my kitchen! I'll have to post a photo of them some time!

Scooby -
Row!...rat's rate...a ra-rama rarty rith rister! LOL (Did you get that?)

Paula -
You are the sweetest! I/we would love to be your Valentine! I feel bad that you have the body aches too! I can totally relate, but I hate that you have them at your age. Have you tried hot baths, my dear?

TaDah -
Oh My! I trudged through the snow to try to find our mailbox today, and low and behold...there was a very special package, from a very special friend, from a very special place in NY...! How appropriate...and I totally get the connection! Thanks so much - you shouldn't have, but thank you so much.

Laura

RoseMarie

ok, I finally get a chance to post and, OF COURSE, it disappears. (There is NO rhyme or reason to this!)

AHHHH - snow bound today - no school and have had 11 kids in and out of here ALL day. There will be no school tomorrow either BUT I can't do 11 kids again tomorrow. (Calgon...take THEM away!!!)

Great - now I've got to go and so I can't rewrite my post...:( Will try again later.
Have a wonderful, safe and warm evening!!!
Lots of love!!!!!

Anonymous

I went to the PS today!! He did a fill for me and I go for one more fill in my expander. I am so excited .... he got my paperwork ready to do the surgery!!!!!!

I have to tell you ladies, that I really have a WONDERFUL doctor!! I have seen recon pictures of other masts and seen how big the scars are. Mine is 6cm long and maybe it's 1.5cm wide. After he opens it up and puts in the implant it is going to be narrower! He took so many pictures of my breast and he and the nurse were all smiles telling me how well it turned out.

I am getting a 400cc implant put in the healthy breast and he is doing a lift on it. The other breast is getting about 900cc and he overfills it. I won't have a scar on either breast that anyone can see after the tattoo is done on the mast side.

My scar is so small because he had just gone to a seminar and learned a purse string stitch. He wanted to try it on me and see how it healed. He doesn't do them anymore because it took about 5 weeks to completely heal. I kept having to put silvadine cream on it and a bandage. He said that is really too long and infection could get in if the patient didn't keep it clean and even then ... bad luck could happen and the expander would have to come out if infection set in.

Anyway, I told him the result was more than worth the trouble of keeping it clean, I didn't know I had another option.

I know this part sounds funny .... my expander rotated. I was telling him my breast was ugly when he was saying it was perfect. He said that is because it's sideways. When he is done it will be right. But only 1% of the population have this happen. Where the side is now ... that was the top of the expander and it's flatter. So it explains why my top of my boob is so round!!!! LOL....

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TracyNY, you are a cutie pie and nice one, too!

Miss Vicky, you know how much you are loved by me and mi hija??? Anything that you can't part with, let us know, we can see if we can buy it and that way you always know where it is.

Paula, tell me about your seahorse. Why a seahorse....... they are cute!

Michelle, how's hubby? Feeling better???

Laura, when you are out looking at furniture, I need outside bar stools ... cheetah print would be fun. Lemme know if you see some out at any of the store we would have out here.

Gail ..... stay warm and dry!!

Love you all!!!!!

TracyNY

Anonymous

Tracy, I love you draperies and chairs!!!

Paula15089

Tracy, I bet you place looks gorgeous.

Kelly, i dont know, i just find seahorses adorable. In fact, i want to get a REAL one! But they dont like being kept in captivity. So i am torn between a meaningful vs cutesy tatoo...

Laura, thanks! Too hot here to be taking baths.. plus we are having a worst drought in a 100 years apparently, so water restrictions are in. Bath is ok, but i would feel too guilty. Although i love my showers and probably use lots more water then i would in a bathtub... hmmmm...

ravdeb

Laura..I do have degenerative disc disease. It isn't called that here but that is what it is. It doesn't scare me. It BUGS me!

Paula, I can relate to the drought. I wish they were stricter in our summer months. They have regulations about washing cars and watering the grass but nobody follows them..not even the municipalities.. too bad.

new idea..I have a friend here who told me to run shower water on affected side to keep lymph nodes healthy and avoid infection/swelling. She is into alternative/massage stuff...

Keep getting phone calls..will return later..

debbie444

Drought - hmm - i will post you some of the water that is currently standing in pools 3" deep in front of my house!!
Got to see Dad last night. It came as a shock, a real shock. Yes, I know he is old now , but the man i visited last night was an old man, and Dad never really seemd like that before, even when he has been seriously ill (which he does on average 3 times a year!) Dad to me, is the man who used to play with me when i was little and Mum was to sick to, making me grocery stalls out of cardboard and modelling each individual peice of fruit. He used to polish pennies and put then in his pockets, then turn cartwheels so they fell out for me and my friends to chase. It was a shock to see him, not because of his breathing, or th esores that have appeared on his face, but he was so confused. Couldnt remember talking to me earlier, couldnt sort out things in his locker, plus i think he cant hear me properly either. He did seem to get better once we had been there a while so i am hoping that it is maybe lack of stimulation that is doing it?? When we left he was a bit more like normal. He has come out in a rash like chicken pox that they seem more concerned with than his breathing, so we shall see.
OK - enough misery !!
TraceyNY- your furniture tale reminded me of when i bought my furniture - i had forgotten all about it.
About 6 years ago, we were left a little money, so decided that we would spend it on some decent furniture. Because it was a through room we needed a dresser, a computer cabinet, a tv stand, a book case and table and chairs, all matching. Well we found everything but the table. The longer we searched , th elonger i realised that it was a bit of an oddball colour that i had chosen but it was too late by then as the rest of the furniture was already in residence. Finally, i found the table and chairs, but they were covered in white ( 2 kids 1 dog and a husband -dont think so!) but thesalesman said he could do terracotta so we said fine and paid. Then, he said 'that will be 10 weeks then'. If we didnt desparately want them i would have had my money back at that point as they cost about twice what i really thought they were worth!
Ten weeks came and went , no table and chairs. I rang the company and the little man said' Ah, Mrs Ward - they are stuck on a boat from Poland - give us 3 more weeks'. Four weeks came and went. I rang the little man ' Ah Mrs Ward - there has been a misunderstanding , we have sold it to someone else but dont worry, another one is on th eway - give us 8 weeks'
So, finding nothing else, we gave them 8 weeks.
I rang every 2 weeks for the next 2 months to be told that ' I cant understand it - we do have 1 in white if youd like that'.
Eventually i got someone who i think was a junior, who said ' Theres one in white in th estockroom with your name on Mrs Ward, with a note saying it doesnt come in terracotta' Well, when i had peeled Roger from the ceiling, we bashed out a deal that they would recover it for us. The next day, when Roger is up a ladder fitting windows, he got a phone call from them, asking what size the seat pads were, to which Roger replied 'Bum size - how the ~~~~~~~###~~~ am i supposed to know - you still have it.
A week came and went no news . This was a thursday when i rang again. 'Oh it hasnt been started Mrs Ward as we didnt know what fabric you wanted - and th eupholsterer goes on holiday tomorrow' So i got in th ecar, went into town and bought some material, drove it over and stood over him while he literally stapled it on. It took 20 mins - i was furious..and yes , when we got it into the room it matched beautifully - but Rog recovered it shortly after as Teracotta really wasnt th eright colour after all!!
The moral of the story - there is nothing wrong eating off of trays!!