2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

ritajean

Laura....the gals from the Illinois thread are envious of you! Hey have a ball!!!!!

Rita

marymelodi

Yes, I'm thinking all about Kelly, too.

I reflected last night on how this change is in my life. I never thought about bad things happening to me before my dx. I know we are all like that. It makes me sad and a little angry at fate that now I do have the small, but nagging, fear that at any time, another "bad" event will happen. On the plus side, it is motivating to me to have these episodes of wondering if anything is wrong. In January, as I lay in the MRI machine and now this week, in the CT, I thought of how I must, must do everything I can to prevent. In my case, you know, I am convinced that more exercise is key and I have been trying to make that happen. I'm also trying to change my thinking and relationship to food. Much, much harder, as you know. Still, since the past cannot be changed all I can do is try every day to have a little more success.

To that end, I am going to bundle up here in a few minutes and walk, not drive, to the library. It's just 2 short blocks, not a big walk, but more than I might have done at an earlier time in life. The temp is not too cold today and the sun is shining. Need that Vit D from the sun.

Hope everyone is finding enjoyment, satisfaction, and contentment in some way today.

Oh, we have our internet back on at home. I can "talk" more often once again.

love you all!!!
Mary

Curlylocks

Good Afternnon to my sisters,

I spent a few hours this morning finishing up painting our downstairs bathroom. I am pleased with the results, it looks so bright, clean, relaxing and inviting which is what we want as we are putting our house on the market next month. We now have 2 items crossed off our "to do" list before selling and only 20 more to go.LOL.

It is snowing again today, argh....winter go away.

My parents got home safely from Florida yesterday (they were driving). They came back a month earlier than planned as my dad has alot of fluid retention in his legs and feet which is not good. He has had three heartattacks in his life, first in his early 40's. His mother died of congestive heart failure and his father also passed away from a heart attack in his early 60's. My dad is 67.

He is off to his GP on Monday to find out what is going on.

It is there 45 wedding anniversary today so hopefully the snow stops so I can go over and visit with them.

Deb - Thanks for the compliment. I know my hair will grow back just miss my long hair...It was a nasty drive on Thursday and I am hoping that we have no more extreme weather like that as spring is a little less than 3 weeks now according to the calendar. It is tough when people make judgements of what you should our shouldnt be doing when going through treatment. Everyone is so different in how their handle things and every body's body is different. What some people can and cant do or will allow their bodies to do during treatment is up to the individual, no right or wrong here. I think some people feel that just because you are not throwing up you must be okay. They dont realize the toxicity of the drugs that were pumped into our systems and the long term effects of such drugs.

Laura - enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.....

Rosemarie - the area in which we live is rural, two lane roadways, lots of hills, turns and it can be very tricky in winter. Some people drive like it is a summer's day, those are the people that you usually see in the ditch later on down the road.

Victoria - it took me awhile to find that photo. How is the packing going? We will soon be in that mode when we sell our place. We have been here since 1993, so lots of junk to get rid of.

Mary - good for you on the walking. I have to go out soon and take the dogs for a run as they are getting ansty. The little nagging fear that crops up is totally normal I think and a part of having this disease. It does motivate me to live my life to the fullest.

Kelly - thinking about you and hoping for good results.

Have a great Saturday.

Love to all my sisters.

Michele

Anonymous

Mary: I am very happy about your good news.

Kelly: I am praying for good news from you. Just think that whatever it is will be manageable.

ravdeb

Hey Brenda..How are you?

RoseMarie..your dh goes away a lot on business. I need to find a job where I have to travel too!

Michele..I know you miss your long hair. I don't like my hair anymore. I actually don't like the color anymore either but I'm not going to dye it. I don't like the color but I do like the freedom from the hair coloring appointments. I'm going to get my hair done somewhere else though, I decided, so maybe I'll get a new hair cut finally! That's ambitious of you to paint the bathroom. I love freshly painted rooms. Your house will be beautiful once you put it up for sale. Then we'll have 3 ladies here downsizing for a move!

Mary...one thing you could do with your walking is to park far away from any entrance you are going to so that you have to walk. In fact..put a pedometer on your belt and check out how many steps you are walking and then park a little further the next time and walk just a bit more.

I walk around my village a lot to get to the post office, the family doctor, and to some other places. I really try not to take my car out for those kinds of errands. And I always park far away from any entrance so that I HAVE to walk.

Kelly..how ya doin'? Haven't stopped thinking about you. I've been doing more breast checks. Well, I always did them but then I kinda stopped. Now I'm doing them again. Can't hurt.

My pregnant bride costume tonight worked. I stood by the door to help greet people as they came in and everybody said congratulations to me!! I looked about 10 months pregnant! It was fun.

I also wanted to note that my lumpectomy scar and snb scar are far nicer than the photo on this website. I wouldn't pose for such a photo but I was shocked to see how huge her snb scar was. Mine is so small that it's barely visible and my lumpectomy scar is shorter than hers. I know that our local nurse here, when she checked it after the surgery, told me it was done really nicely but I thought she was just being nice! I guess not!

Graycie

Michele, I love the picture of you with your long hair and your dh and I love reading your post's your always's so full of energy. You are like a breath of fresh air.....lol....you always's brighten my day even with all the bad weather. I have been lucky, I haven't experienced driving on the ice but my daughter told me she pulled into her friends driveway, put her car in park, got out and her car started sliding down the driveway. She grabbed on to the rearview mirror trying to stop it (that must have been a sight) and her girlfriends husband came out, jumped in and put the emergency brake on so all was well.......haaa
I also have a lot of heart disease in my family. I hope your Dad is OK.

Mary, I envy your energy also. I am trying to keep up with my exercise but I think I am overdoing since I am exhausted. Isn't it supposed to do the opposite?...lol...I have to say I am not as hungry, that's a good thing since I love to eat. We went for a walk outside yesterday and the wind was brutal. Hopefully it's not windy in Rochester. I am stuck with the treadmill today. Word of advice, don't exercise at night........I made that mistake, I couldn't sleep and my body wouldn't stop twitching. No wonder I am tired. lol Wonderful new's on the test's.

Kelly, Any luck in getting an appointment before your vacation? Positive thought's for you.

Ravdeb, I now have a lumpy scar where my port was . Probably too much scar tissue. It's only been 2 wk's so maybe it is still healing. What photo were you referring too about the SNB scar? I guess I'll give the eye doctor the benefit of the doubt. I had just finished telling her I was done with treatment's but maybe she had a lot on her mind and wasn't listening. I'd love to see you as a pregnant bride. Make sure you get pictures........haaaaaa ....

Rosemarie, I hope you are sleeping better. Once your dh get's home I bet you will be fine.

I wish Victoria, Michele and Tracy luck on packing up and moving. I wouldn't want that job.

Amy, Have fun in NY. Maybe your friend will surprise you and have the baby early.

Where is Tadah?

Graycie

Michele, I forgot if I ever told you but My Mom was from Warkworth, Ontario. Have you ever been there? We also had a cottage on Trout lake in North Bay. I spend every summer there as a child and loved it, it was beautiful.

TracySeattle

I think TaDah is in Atlanta! Hope she is having fun, I bet she will have stories for us when she gets home!

I have been over at my house all day with my Mom. Moving stuff downstairs to display it. I am having people come in to look thru my craft stuff - I have also advertised it on Craig's List. I figure once I get everything out that I am going to keep - I am going to pull all the rest of the stuff out into the Garage and have a Garage sale. Whatever is left I am calling 1-800-GOTJUNK to come pick it up!

Now I am getting Dave out of the house for a bit - we are headed out for dinner.

Tomorrow - more packing UGH!!!

hope you are all having a fun weekend!

RoseMarie

Tracy - good luck-I hope you're able to get rid of most of your stuff! (Hope you had a nice dinner, btw!)
Deb - Lol! I need a job that takes me away too!
Michele - loved the pic of you and your dh! Your hair looks like my niece's hair - very pretty. I colored my hair...again...a few days ago. The curl is really relaxing and I can even blow dry it pretty straight but I know what you mean, Deb, about having to color it all the time. It's a drag.
Gail - you're very sweet - and you're right. When Mike's home I do sleep better! Glad your daughter was ok, btw! How did the rearview mirror hold up?
Well, everyone, have a wonderful night!
lots of love

ravdeb

Good Morning...just wanted to second Gail's note that Michele's posts are like a breath of fresh air..they really are. Michele..you seem to really get the most out of life!

Yes..TracyNY should be shopping in Atlanta.

Tracy in Seattle..Yuck! I hate that kind of stuff. And I need to empty out my studio and just can't get to it. I actually have a different project...cleaning my kitchen. It needs to be emptied out for Passover and I need to do this and have it spotless a few days before the holiday starts so that I can spend my time cooking! Once it's clean and the groceries are in the house, I won't really mind the cooking. It's the preparation for it that will boggle my mind!

Gail..my daughter took pictures of me and my girlfriend as the pregnant brides. It's on her camera so I need to wait til she gets home from work and find out where they are.

If you go to the Home page on here there are links for seeing photos of different things and one is a woman who had a lumpectomy.

I can picture your daughter grabbing onto the mirror..LOL. She must have gotten a real fright. Luckily she and the car are okay!

RoseMarie..are you sad that your curls are relaxing? Mine have. My hair doesn't look like my avatar anymore. I was looking at that..I still had my curls. Now it's just wavy. I want the curls back but won't do chemo again for it!

ravdeb

Gail..actually..if you go to the top of this page and go to Pictures of Breast Cancer, there are two women who have photos there. I had only seen one until I checked this out now. The second woman's scars are much less noticeable.

ravdeb

I took a break and went out on the grass and I just lay there in the sun...........ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Felt great. Am hoping those in cold climates will get Spring really soon! What is better than flowers blossoming?

Passover is our next holiday. It is also called the holiday of Spring. We always buy flowers to plant. This year I hope to fill my entrance patio with potted flowers to welcome in the holiday.

But, it's still Purim... Linda? Did you dress up??? Isaac is still on our list :-) How is he doing?

V...There's no reason you can't be a bit eclectic! We have a modern style house and our bedroom is a bit of a mix because my dh likes modern and I like everything else, just about!

ravdeb

Question..what are turkey breast tenders? Am looking up recipes and I don't know what that is!

And never look this up on the internet!

Anonymous

Ola - well right now I'm a scuba widow! Roy went diving - if the boat's not full - sometimes I go along, but not today. I am going to head out for some b-fast, and then to the poolside for a stretching class, and then a 30 min. workout. I really need to shed this Tamox. butt! al though I'm sure I've made it worse with all thefood I've eaten here! Struttin' my "stuff" in my cheetah print bikini is not going to happen - maybe next time! LOL Hope you're all having a gr8 weekend. I hear snow is falling everywhere in the states. Yuk! We have met people here from: Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Romania, France, and more! I'm envious because they all speak many languages other tan their own. I wish I would have paid better attention in my highschool spanish class! LOL

Have ony of you read the book Pomegranite Soup - Marsha Mehran? It's interesting...but

DEBBIE - or any of you what does the term gobsmacked mean? I think it's mesmerized/ in awe of...
------------------------
When we get back home we are going to look into getting our French passports...Roy was born there, but never pursued it, and we think that because I'm his wife, I might be able to get one also. Then we could go to Cuba - supposedly there are some great resorts there.

Hope you're all having a great weekend...hope the weather will be getting better soon there...

Curlylocks

Good Morning Ladies,

You ladies made me blush, thankyou for the kind words.

I took the dogs for a walk through the walking trail again but it was really tough as the trail needed to be made due to fresh crunchy snow (freezing rain on top of snow). I felt I could have used a pair of snow shoes yesterday what a workout!

Yesterday was a great day as I got to see my parents and wish them a Happy Annivesary. We ordered chinese food and then watched "Russel Peters" who is a comedian on dvd. He is so bold but funny....we laughed and almost cried some of it was so unbelievable. My dad kept saying oh my gosh this guy is unbelievable, meaning "I dont believe he's saying this?"

My mom and Dad were both in a good mood but dad's feet are pretty swollen. We will get him into the doctor's tomorrow to find out what is up.

The roads were a little slippery again coming home, winter, winter go away. Maybe if I say it enough times and pretend I am a fairy good mother and can grant wishes -- spring will just appear!

I will tackle another item on the "to do" list today but cant be too loud as my hubby is sleeping as he is working his last night shift tonight.

Deb - the bathroom is now dry but we still have a mess of stuff sitting on our dining room table. There is also a two piece white cabinet that belongs in the bathroom but we dont want to put everything back in there until the new baseboard is in. We will go and pick out some next Saturday when my dh is off. The funny part about all the fixing up especially the kitchen is now everything is the way we would want it and you pack up and move, too funny....but in our case it does make sense to make this move. Too much extra yard work, etc that I can no longer do.

What type of potted plants do you buy? I love bright red geraniums, mums and purple waving petinuas.

Graycie - now that I think of it you did tell me where they were from - I will have to look up Warkworth on google as I dont know where that is. I have heard of Trout Lake before in Thunder Bay. Norm and I actually rented a cottage one year in Thunder Bay. It was a long drive there almost 5 hours from here and the time of year that we went was really bad for black flies. It was so bad that we had to spray our dogs with bug spray as the bugs were attacking them!! It was a beautiful cottage though and good fishing but a bad time of the year to go up there. I think it was in late June when we went there.

That is scary about your daughter's car sliding down the driveway. Good thing that calm head's prevailed and they were able to get it stopped.

Dont overdo the excercise, ease into it slowly. I find although I do have more energy than I did even a month ago if I go full tilt which I have been known to in the past, I need a nap to renergize. Yesterday was one of those days, I spent two hours doing the bathroom and then snooze for 1/2 hour and then took the dogs out for an hour walk. Listen to your body it will tell you when you have done too much.

Tracyseattle - good luck on the packing. When we sell our house whatever is left that we dont want to take will either be given away to those that want it or trashed.

Rosemarie - thanks for the compliment. I wouldnt even know how to begin trying to straighten my curly locks. They are like poodle curls now.LOL. I havent put any temporary rinse in my hair for about two months now and my own hair is very dark. It is a pain to be dying it every month besides I just painted the bathroom walls and my dh would literally shot me if I got hair dye on them again.LOL.

Victoria - I love this sisterhood and am thankful that I was invited to be a part of this great group. Spring is my favourite time of the year especially when you can hear the birds singing early in the morning. Here it is at 5:00 a.m. I also enjoy gardening, love to get out there and just turning up the ground and planting new flowers gives me alot of joy. Gardening is therapeutic, it relaxes me and you can go off in your own little world while you are doing it.

Laura - scuba widow, that's funny cause my dh loves to scuba dive too and he would sometimes go on two dives a day. I did go a few times but dont have the comfort feeling while scuba diving. I enjoy snorkeling more. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Amy - hope you are having a good weekend away.

Where is Debbie?

Hello to all my other sisters.

Have a great Sunday.

Michele

linny

I just lost my post!!!! why does this only happen when I write a long one - I am so upset.

Anyway, Isaac has recovered nicely from surgery, his first "turn on" for the implant is tomorrow - it will be done 4 times, once a week.

Debbie and all other Jewish ladies, Happy Purim!!! We are invited out for the seudah today (festive holiday meal). I always had it at home, but now the kids are not here. Ladies, for those who don't know, this is a very festive Jewish holiday where drinking is actually enouraged!!! My husband does not drink today, but my sons (they are not usually drinkers) and son-in-law will likely get drunk.

Love to all,
Linda

Curlylocks

Hi Linda,

I had that happen to me so many times, type a long post and lose it. If you have word, type your message in there and then paste it into the thread.

Glad to hear that Issac is doing well and starts to "hear" the world for the first time, how exciting!

Wasnt Thursday's storm a nightmare?

Enjoy your dinner and celebrate.

Your bc sister
Michele

ravdeb

Hey Linda..Happy Purim and happy drinking! I didn't drink this year (or last year since I was on chemo). In fact, I finished my Taxol on Purim! Can't wait to hear how Isaac is with the "turn on". I've never known anyone who had this done. I think it's just amazing.

Casey is acting weird again. She never goes upstairs and I was upstairs napping and she came running up the stairs to my room. Weird. I took her for a walk earlier. I think she napped all day and now is up and doesn't know what to do with herself. She was outside crying to come in. Now she is restless.

You are right, Michele..need to watch how much exercise we put in. You are supposed to take it slowly and build up. And you are supposed to take a break and not exercise once or twice a week. HOpe your dad is okay with the swollen leg.

Laura..Hola! Como Estas? (see, I listened in Spanish class!) Are you eating arroz con pollo?

Debbie??? Hope all is okay.

Amy..you should be enjoying your weekend.

TracyNY

I'm back. Yes, I shopped. I damned near had to pay overweight fees to the airline!! I didn't buy that much though, the stuff was just heavy. I'm doing my bedroom in stark white and they had cashmere blend sheets on sale that I couldn't leave!

The picture is of me and my friends from high school who still travel together every year. We've known each other for at least 30 years and the tiny one in the middle was celebrating her 41st birthday that night.

Curlylocks

Tracy, welcome home. You look fabulous. Still dont believe you are in your 40's.

Michele

Paula15089

Tracy, you look spectacular!! But why all dressed in black?

Kelly, any news?

Mary, so happy to hear all is well with you.

I am so excited, I was given a heads up by one of the aussie girls on this board that there is an aussie forum for BC surviviors! I can't believe i missed it, and i am such an internet junkie... Anyway, had a quick look at it already, it looks like there is a dragon boat meeting happening in Queensland in September, which i think i might just try and make!! Can you imagine, August in Chicago with you guys, and then another meet-up here in Oz??!! Thankfully, its is much easier for me to get to Queensland lol!

oh, and by the way, its a worldwide meet-up, so you are all of course invited!!
check out their website, it looks like loads of fun!
http://www.dragonsabreast.com.au/

chumfry

I think DH and I walked about 700 million miles today in and around the French Quarter. For lunch, I had a fried oyster "poor boy" (a type of sandwich) and DH had red beans and rice. Haven't had any beignets (the yummy square donuts) yet, but we may perk up and head back to the Quarter later tonight. (Actually, it may be donuts for breakfast tomorrow!)

We're staying in a quirky B&B and it has a LOT of character. (We fit right in!) Our bathroom has the most gigantic bathtub I've ever seen. It's an old cast iron job, with gold clawed feet, but I can stretch right out in it without bending my knees. (All 5'10" of me!) And it's 3 feet deep!

I feel very boring because we're ready to call it a day in New Orleans at 7 p.m., but that bathtub is calling me and I'm looking forward to a nice soak.

ake

Tracy...you look so awesome. You really are beautiful! What a great pic!

I'm catching up on everyone's posts. I just got home from the weekend. It was good, but I'm exhausted. My best friend is a gorgeous pregnant woman. I made it through the entire weekend without being jealous or upset that I'm not having a baby anytime soon, but then she actually said this..."I love being pregnant. Seriously, now that I know what it's like, it would be so awful if I couldn't experience what it's like to be pregnant. I would consider it a major loss because it is truly the best thing ever." I just sat there and smiled like a moron and then when we left, cried to my husband until my eyes were swollen. I just found her comment to be insensitive and I love her dearly...my best friend!...I just don't think she gets it. She knows how I feel...we've talked about it a lot, she knows that the fertility/pregnancy issue is the hardest post-cancer issue for me. Am I overreacting?

Anyways, I am off to get a good night sleep. Have a good Monday everyone!

Love,
Amy

TracySeattle

Hi All,

Well another day at my house, moving and packing stuff. Man! It is wearing me out - I have too much STUFF!!! Here are a couple of pics:

ravdeb

Tracy Seattle..reminds me of when we moved to Israel. We had a sale also and sold a lot of "stuff"! Good luck!

Tracy NY..you look terrific and your girlfriends do, too! Looks like a really nice restaurant, too. Sounds like you had fun. I also noted you were all in black and wondered about that....was that just by chance? Truth is, I also have a black dress I'd wear to something like that!

Paula..that's great! You and Mary Anne will be able to share experiences.

Cindy..sounds like fun! I'd love to get into a big tub like that!!! Love bubble baths!

Amy..I'm glad your husband is there for you when you get upset about these things. Your girlfriend said it all without realizing, I'm sure. She is probably just so into it and was just expressing herself and wanting everybody to know how she was feeling. You know that people say the dumbest things in front of us..even our good friends! I am sure that if she realized what she had said, she would feel badly and maybe even too embarrassed to say anything to you about it.

I know this doesn't compare, but my cousin, when she learned I was diagnosed with cancer, sent me a "care package" of SHAMPOOS, HAIR CONDITIONERS, etc.. Not only did it take a long time to arrive (as usual!) but I got it after all my hair had fallen out.

But..who in their right mind sends shampoo to somebody with cancer??? I mean..just in case that somebody had to do chemo... She didn't mean anything by it and didn't realize I guess and never said anything to me about it.

At any rate...just be happy for your girlfriend and remember that she is just in a new phase of her life that is all encompassing. And..women here on the boards, after chemo, have gotten pregnant.... Don't give up...

ravdeb

Happy Birthday Laura! Hope you enjoy a real Mexican fiesta!

Paula15089

Amy, i dont think you are overreacting. One of my best friends is pregnant, and as much as i love her, i find it difficult to sound all bubbly when she is discussing baby stuff with me.. her baby shower was pretty hard on me.
The thing is, i think we are all so good at not showing our true fears (of infertility, in our case), that people dont actually realise that some things they might say are likely to be upsetting us greatly.
I do think your friend should have been a bit more sensitive though. Its one thing to want you to be happy for her (which you are), but saying stuff like 'i dont know what i would do if i couldnt be pregnant', knowing that YOU are facing that possibility, is, in my opinion, very insensitive.

Ravdeb, i had to laugh (sorry!) about that hairstuff story.. well, at least you can use it now, right?

Laura, happy birthday!! Have fun!!

Curlylocks

Good Morning,

Its snowing again, but the cars look like they are moving a little faster this morning than last Thursday. Will have to leave a little earlier today though.

Laura - happy birthday!!

Paula - cant wait to meet you in August. It sounds like you have a month of excitement planned out for you. It is wonderful meeting a bc sister, you immediately fell connected even though you are strangers in reality.

Cindy - hope there was lots of bubbles in that big bath tub. Another tall sister, you beat me by 1", I;m 5'9". Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Amy - I;m sorry that you are having to deal with the fertility/pregnancy issues along with bc. Your friend probably didnt realize what she said in the "heat of the moment" and the excitement of her pregnancy. I dont think she said it intentionally to hurt you. Your dh sounds like a great sounding board and a real sweetheart. You will experience the joys of motherhood and make a wonderful mother one day.

Deb - did you get lots of potted plants, take a picture of them and post it. They are probably gorgeous!

Tracyseattle - you have alot of craft stuff, can see all the plastic containers in the picture. Have fun getting organized but dont overdo it.

I hope Debbie is okay, it is strange not to see her on her all weekend?

Have a great day ladies.

Love to you all.

Michele

RoseMarie

Laura - ***Happy Birthday!*** Hope your day is awesome and relaxing!
Cindy - sounds like you guys are having a nice time!!
Linny - yay for Isaac!
TracyNy- beautiful picture! You all look so elegant and beautiful! How wonderful that you guys travel together every year!
Amy - ((((hugs!)))) I wish your friend would have been more sensitive! Ugh!
Debbie - hope you're ok!!!
TracyS- wow, you and V will need a long soak in Cindy's tub after all the sorting, packing and selling!

Well, nobody faint, I'm going to the gym this a.m. with my neighbor. She goes faithfully EVERY day. I am going to take it slowly but heck, I've been signed up for over a month...guess it's time to actually go IN! This is a beautiful new YMCA - lots to do for the kids too.

Well, ladies, have a WONDERFUL day!! I need to go wake the "big" kids!!!

ake

deb....your story made me laugh about the shampoo. people are so whacko sometimes. i'm letting it go with my friend....i vent, i cry, and then i take a deep breath and move on. ah, the life of a breast cancer survivor.

tracy...good luck with the organization. wanna come do my house afterwards ? give yourself something really great as a reward

rosemarie....good luck with the gym! it's hard at first. dont' get frustratd with yourself or compare your strength to anyone else. each time i get frustrated i think, "keep going. you're killing breast cancer". that seems to motivate