2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

RoseMarie

Oh goodness, Kelly!! Soooo aggravating! I love "on demand", btw!
Ok, ok, slacking on my job... Tracy Ny has a good point - please send me any new addresses and I'll update the list.
Anyway, happy Monday - although not so happy in VA!!! OMG, Amy, I hope you're far, far away from VA Tech's campus - what a nightmare!!

Anonymous

Well, TWCable just called and said they will not be out today but will be out tomorrow between 1-4pm. I said, "I never scheduled for Tuesday. I go to work and just can't take a half day off." Well, it's scheduled, she said. I told her I said never, no way, no how on Tuesday.

They just do not acknowledge their mistakes nor rectify them in a satisfying way.

I am going to think about this for a few hours but I am leaning to reinstating Dish and saving the money and doing without ON DEMAND. Maybe Dish will come out with that eventually.

Anonymous

Hope everyone's having a good day!

Buddy's terribly depressed because he sees our suitcases out again (we don't leave for another week and a half though). He crawled in one of them and looked at me with eyes that said, "Mama - please don't leave me!" This just breaks my heart. But I know he'll be in good hands.

The sun is shining here and it's nice and warm. Gotta make the most of it...this weather is so crazy - we could be having a blizzard tomorrow!

Back to designing...

Anonymous

ravdeb -
You found the disc! Hate to say it but...told you so! LOL

jasmine

Victoria

Please reconsider this decision. There is room for everyone here. We would love to have you in the middle of the Wagon Circle thread. We have already put you in the center of the circle.

ravdeb

a breast cancer survivor needs to withdraw from a support group because there is more anger than support going on.

I hope, Victoria, that you change your mind as you have a right, just like all of us, to be wrapped in the support that other bc sisters want to give.

But along with this, I hope that each of us can learn to speak kindly with each other and take on the task of supporting each and every member here. We have all been diagnosed with a life threatening disease and now two of our members have just been hit again with it. We need to support them and then hope that other survivors will find it in their hearts to support us in return.

Anonymous

Good Evening Everyone! As soon as I get on the computer, my husband wants to know if LauraGTO made any posts and what did she say. Hmmmmm Laura - you sure left one great impression on my family. BTW Laura - Peggy was my angel during diagnosis and treatment. We are like sisters, not SIL. She special. She used to have a driving plate that said "special one."

I just want to tell all of you I think this is a very special place here on bc.org! The support and love you have given to each other is so inspiring. I have sat back and read, but didnt feel comfortable joining. You all have a very special bond and friendship.

Tracey: Thanks for the invite. I will probably be checking here more often. Hear you all are coming to Chicago for your reunion. Means you will be in my neck of the woods to.

Have a wonderful evening.

Nicki

ake

ugh, i'm watching all the news on virginia tech and i'm so sick to my stomach. i went to college at james madison, which is about an hour away from tech. a lot of my friends from high school went to tech and a friend of mine teaches there. i can't imagine families not knowing if their child has been shot or not. it's so disgusting.

maryannecb

I am liking my hair this week. Must be because I made an appointment with hairdresser...for later this week. Maybe I will cancel, I can feel it starting to fall down a little. If I go see her, she will do what she does best and cut it.

V and Cindy, you sound good. It is early so hopefully all will be fine. I just hate the thought of doing any of this again. You are both strong.

Another school shooting! So many people affected.What a tragedy. I haven't watched any TV or listened to the news yet, just heard by word of mouth. How can any one be that disturbed?

Fists up!

Anonymous

Mary-Anne -
You and your hair look gorgeous! I would give anything to have the waves and curls! Mine is straight as an arrow. I can't complain though...I'm just thankful to HAVE hair...in any way, shape or form! LOL

RoseMarie

Nicki - you are so sweet -
MaryAnne - you look GREAT! I'm very frustrated with my hair right now but I'm afraid to get it cut!
Amy - this VA tech thing is awful!! So, so, sad!

My dh is finally home...bye ladies

Have a wonderful night!

Anonymous

Mary-Anne,

Your hair looks great! You don't need another haircut just yet. It looks glamorous!

Speaking of hair, I am very tempted to have mine cut! The longest part of my hair is below my shoulders when it's wet. It is so darn awkward-looking because it still has layers from being bald. I so want my old same-length hairstyle once again, but it's taking so long!

Laura,

I'd give anything to have straight hair! I used to have mine professionally straightened.

I guess I should just be thankful I have hair.

Ladies, when will the fatigue go away? I thought exercise was going to help -- I was wrong.

Anonymous

Brenda -
My little Asian sister...I think your "doo" flatters you!LOL What would you do with straight hair? ...a "bob"? I think your hair is perfect for you. Isn't it funny...we all want what we don't have! You say you are fatigued...have you had a blood count lately? Perhaps your red cell count is low, which could be a sign of anemia...not uncommon after chemo. Maybe you could call your Onc. Hope this helps...Love ya.

Paula15089

Mary-Anne, what a fantastic pic. You just radiate calmness and health.
Amy, i completely agree with your post. We are here to support each other, lets cut out all the fighting crap - there is enough of that in our everyday lives as it is. This thread should be our little haven.

Woke up today to the news of Virginia shooting. I am speechless... one sick person destroying 30 lives. This might be a selfish wish, but i hope and pray none from this group is affected in any way. We've gone through enough already...

Anonymous

Laura,
I did call my onc. He said it might be due to the fact that I am weaning myself off the antidepressants (again). I thought the other doctor and I were doing a good job of the weaning, you know, from 20 to 10 to 5 mg. with long intervals between each dosage. I just can't believe my body is missing it that much. I also am experiencing light-headedness, which is very annoying. I will see the onc. sometime in May for my regular check-up. Thanks for responding, my charming Polish sister!

Anonymous

Brenda -
My little Asian sister...sounds like your docs are doing the right thing. I'm glad you have an appt. set up in May. Put this on your list of complaints. Love, your charming Polish sister! LOL I love it!

ravdeb

Victoria..I'm glad you're back.

I am in shock over the Virginia Tech shooting..awful, horrendous.

Mary-Anne..you look just beautiful. I always like my hair a day before I go to have it cut! But, if you want to let it grow, then don't go! If you want to keep it this way, then go. You look great this way..beautiful. Wonderful pic of you.

Brenda..it could be the weaning of the drugs. That could do it. But go get a blood test. That would clear any other questions.

Gotta run..have to see my doctor to get a form for my blood test. will be back...

debbie444

Oh - i keep having mine cut - am i going to be the only one come August who doesnt have long hair done in plaits, bunches, pony tails etc????? ( but if mine looked like Maryannes i wouldnt cut it!)
I had a dream last night about the meet up - ravdeb was only 20 , with long flowing black ringlets, tracey NY was a tiny petite size 0 with the most infectious laugh, and Mary was th eonly one who would talk to me as the rest of you were disappointed that i didnt sound British enough!!

We have been watching the shootings on Sky. Again and again i thank everyone that we dont have the same gun laws as you. I really dont think there is any need for anyone to own a gun - but perhaps thats just what i have always been used to.

Have a good calm day ladies
Debbie

ravdeb

Debbie..I'm ROFL! YOu didn't sound British enough!!! That is tooooooooooooooo funny!!!! And me being 20 with long black ringlets..ahhhhhhhhh...that's MY dream!!!

I don't like guns either. Here, there are many Israelis who own guns. We get our bags and bodies checked before entering any grocery story and most malls and plenty of other public buildings as well. The first question they ask is if we have a weapon with us. My dh used to carry one at all times but not anymore.

Our main thing here is that every kid no matter how old, owns a cell phone so that we can keep in touch with our kids at school and elsewhere because of the political tension here (though it's calm here now).

My father in law will need surgery and he now understands that. The doctor said that if he doesn't do it, he will be in the hospital an awful lot. He'll need a heart valve replacement.

And, my dh has already gotten connections at the hospital where my cancer center is..it's the best in the country and a recent article I read said that the hospital in general is the best in the world! Well, they were mainly talking about cardiology since I was looking up doctors in Israel for him.

I just saw my neighbors and they told me that they put their 11 year old son in a hospital to be tested for chemical imbalances. He is off the wall and always has been but the poor kid (who is extremely bright)is asking for help and nobody seems to be able to help him. He's on some behavioral modifying drugs but he has gained so much weight on them and he is still in a desperate state. Poor kid..the hospital is way up north and it didn't seem like the parents were staying over with him..maybe they aren't allowed. They were on their way there when I saw them this morning.

I know that it's sometimes good to just do all the tests and figure it out, but it must be traumatic for him. He's very sweet...just can't manage in this world and they've tried so many things for him. But, he's a holy terror!

Curlylocks

Good Morning My Sisters,

I’m having a hard time opening my eyes this morning as bedtime wasn’t until 11:00 p.m. due to my support group meeting last night. It is worth it though as the women in my group are all so diverse and the ages vary all over the map.

We are having a retreat I think I mentioned this a little while ago in May. We are going to an Inn and Conference center for a Friday/Saturday get together. There are 27 of us going and some of the things that are planned sound like a lot of fun like hmmmm….bell dancing we will have to see about that one.LOL.

We are counting down the days this week until we have a kitchen once again. It is so frustrating to go and look for a plate and there are no cupboards to open.

We are going to try the colour washing on the experimental piece of board that is base coated the same colour as the walls to see whether or not we like it. If it looks like crap we will not put it on the walls and leave them the base colour that they are now as they still look great!

The temps this weekend are suppose to warm up to 13-15 and sunny which sounds wonderful to me, hope it happens.

Deb – I like the old style sills as well as they look classy looking. Prayers going out for your father in law. That’s great news that you have a slipped disc, well not really but at least it is not cancer related is what I meant to say…

Kelly – did Teryn loose her front tooth? Kids look priceless with their big toothless smiles! We have a satellite dish and have had to replace 3 receivers in the past 10 years.

Cindy – If your tumour is er/pr+ hormonals are a treatment option. Hoping for the best for you sister and think of you often. I agree this disease hurts our family just as much if not more as they feel helpless. It is a blessing that you have so many people that love and support you so you are not doing this alone.

Jill – nice to hear from you again, hope you are doing well.

Brenda – you must be so proud of Sean. What a great action shot!!

Debbie444 – I;m jealous…bathing suit weather. We are just wanting some spring weather here…Your dream was funny, not british enough, now I’m laughing. Who cares what your hair looks like….seriously hair does not make the person and we all know about that.LOL.

Graycie – we had high winds yesterday, my poor Rav4 was blowing all over the place going to work yesterday. What did you win in the basket?

Amy – haven’t sent out the book yet, but will --- have been crazy busy with work and organizing the house. It is nice that you got to meet the mom of your future little pup. I love puppies they are so fun.

No Surrender – you are a true inspirational sister and I really enjoying reading your posts.

Paula – I sorry that you are still not feeling well, how frustrating!

Victoria – continued prayers that everything will be okay for you.

Laura – poor Buddy love, they know when we are leaving don’t they?

Maryanne – your hair is gorgeous, don’t cut it. Mine is at the same stage, I started putting little clips in it to keep it back so I wont cut it.

Rosemarie – waving a big hello to you sweetie!

Gotta run and shower.

Love to you all
Michele

ravdeb

Okay..as you, Michele, seem to be an expert..what is color "washing"? One day I plan to paint my studio and though I plan to stamp one wall with some stamp I'll make (dream on, dEB!)am interested in other interesting ideas...

Your support group and upcoming retreat sounds great!

Debbie..I forgot to tell you that I am keeping my hair short so you will not be alone. I look better with short hair these days, I think. In fact, the bottom fringe that I still have may come off at my next cutting. I asked my daughter what she thought but didn't get an answer. The hairdresser said to leave it longer in the back but I can't decide. I truly hope this is my most difficult decision I'll ever need to make!

I also didn't mention that my dh's truck was broken into last night when he had it parked near the hospital when he was visiting his dad. This is very frustrating because although they didn't steal anything (they emptied his briefcase but didn't find money so they left it there)they broke the window so he is now getting that fixed in between visits with his dad and talking to doctors and arranging second opinions and so on for his dad. What a mess. And he is in the middle of his busiest season on the farm so the truck is essential. Total aggravation!

linny

Hi everyone, I have not been able to keep up. The passover holiday was extremely busy, and my grandson (15 months) slept in the computer room, so we did not have access to the computer after 7 p.m., although my husband has a laptop.

Unfortunately, my older sister, who is 60, had a massive stroke two weeks ago. She had not shown up at my house the night of the first seder, and she comes here every year - I had made arrangements for her to sleep at the neighbour. When she did not arrive I knew immediately something was very wrong. She was lying on the floor in her house, she had probably been that way for a day. The stroke was severe, she is now in hospital, in pretty bad condition. Her cognition has been badly affected, so that she cannot follow any instructions. She is trying to talk, but is not walking or feeding herself. The doctors are not very optimistic about recovery beyond a limited recovery. She lives alone, and it is very complicated, since we know nothing about her personal matters (bills, insurance, etc). There is only my other sister and myself to look after things, she has a 27 year old son in New York, he was here for a week, but went back. People have called me to go visit her, but she is often uncovered (she takes off her gown) and I don't think she would want to be seen that way. The saddest part is that she had untreated high blood pressure for years (which I knew) but refused to take any medications for it.

My friend who has had a recurrence of b.c. (who started the support group for Jewish women w. cancer) has a treatment plan for radiation right now - besides many pos. nodes under her arm, the cancer has spread to the neck nodes.

Cindy and Victoria, I hope all goes well and you have good results - thinking of you.

I am extremely distressed about my sister's situation, and can't see a good outcome. Usually she smiles at us, but sometimes she is crying - I wonder how much she knows. The doctor says she has "global aphasia" - cant speak or understand. She is 60 years old.

On a positive note, Isaac is doing well with his implant, he is responding to sound. My daughter is very pleased with his progress, she told me yesterday he turns when she calls his name, which is a huge step. She was told not to expect this for a few months.

Linda

ravdeb

I pm'd you, Linda..I'm so sorry to hear the news about your sister...

Curlylocks

Linda - so sorry to hear about the news of your sister. My thoughts and prayers are with your family. This is so not fair and she is still young.

Deb - colour washing is where you put a base coat of paint on the wall, then you pick out a shade of paint that is a lighter palette of the one on the wall. You mix the lighter shade of paint with a special glaze which allows the darker shade to still show through when done. You put this on with a sea sponge either in dabs or circles on the wall. The circle effect allows it to look really mutted and quite nice! Dont know if we will put in the extra work and do this. Sorry about your dh's car.

Have a good day ladies, I have to work now....

Love
Michele

RoseMarie

Linda - soooo sorry about your sister!!! Oh my! Your family is in my prayers.

Deb - thinking about your family too, hoping for the best with your FIL.

My FIL has gone bonkers. My MIL doesn't know what to do. He has dementia/maybe early alzheimers, they're still not sure. BUT he has started wandering the neighborhood and exposing himself. He's got his pants down at every chance! She is a retired teacher but still works part time as an IA and is constantly worried about where he is and what he's doing. She was at her wits end last night and doesn't know what to do next! She has to put him somewhere and I think she's also dealing with the guilt of not being able to "handle" it. (She'll be visiting him in jail if she doesn't move fast!)

Paula, how are you feeling???
Brenda, hoping the fatigue goes away!

Off to the "Y"...grrrr....

Lots of love

Paula15089

oh linda.. i am so sorry. It would have been terrible for you to have found her like this.
We have not had a good week, have we.. so many sad news.

Rose Marie, i think i am getting better! If only this damn chest congestion went away!!

Tomorrow i am having my pre-op blood tests, so i am hoping my flu is not going to delay the surgery.

chumfry

I'm doing pretty good, but both me and dh had a hard time sleeping last night. Jittery and anxious. It's just part of the waiting. Once we get a surgery date, I think we will calm down again. It's nice to read everybody's posts. For some reason it calms me down just to read about what's going on in your lives, even the sad and frustrating bits.

RoseMarie

Cindy (((hugs))) once again, sister!

Btw, if you go to www.cciadoption.org you can see my friends in the "coming home-Guatemala" video and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page to "humanitarian aid" you can see where the shoes are going. thanks Deb!

Anonymous

Rosemarie, I caught myself laughing at your fil's strange behavior but I know in real life this cannot be funny. I would be worried sick if I was his wife.

Michelle, no DD has not lost her front upper tooth yet, just the lower fronts but not at the same time. So, one space at a time but the other is already half way out. She wiggled the tooth this time and would not let me pull it out. It was all wiggly for weeks, I am not kidding, maybe 3 or 4 weeks!! Finally, she was eating something and out it came.

Glad you are doing better, Cindy!

ravdeb

Cindy... the waiting is so hard. We are waiting along side you but I know it's not the same. Sending you hugs....

Michele..I know that technique but I didn't know that that was what it was called! My girlfriend did that in her kitchen after seeing it in the States and it turne out really nice. But, that's a lot of work. Remember... new people moving in will probably paint over it anyway! I remember she was so insulted when people came in to see the house (she did it before they sold it, also) and the people who bought it criticized everything! Remember that. It's best not to be in the house when people come to see it!

Rosemarie..that's awful about your father in law! My grandmother would wander sometimes. She was living with us. We had to put her in a home because we couldn't keep a watch on her anymore. It's very hard to do that.