2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS
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Debbie -- teacher
Brenda -- teacher
Rosemarie -- teacher
Laura -- Designer
Cathy -- Toy company owner
V -- RN and therapist, artist
Tadah -- keeping the Salvation Army running
MaryAlice -- works at hospital
Amy -- child psychologist
MaryAnne -- dr
dEBBIE -- artist, (were you a teacher)
Tracy --- Software Test Lead (probably forever)
Graycie -- Sales merchandiser
Michelle -- bookkeeper???
Paula --
Cindy --
Me -- finance mgr
I added myself to the list..... Well, I went to the Doctor. Nothing wrong. My Blood Pressure is fine. My lymph nodes are fine (my neck has been aching so I was a bit worried). She basically said that it is stress and that I need to find a new job.
She also cautioned me as my oncologist did back in February about how bad Stress is for a Cancer Survivor. The immune system just doesn't like it.
GREAT.
As far as the job hunt, well, I have a phone interview tomorrow with Premera Blue Cross to be a Software Test Lead. A consultant from a contracting firm has been emailing with me today regarding opportunities at Boeing (which would be AWESOME - close to home). These opportunities are also for a Software Test Lead position.
I have been in Software for 30 years and a lead for 15 so I guess it is just what I do. At least I have the experience....
Well, Dave and I are off to our Kiwanis meeting.
Hope we hear from Kelly soon - I hope all went well.... -
Kelly, hope you are looking womanly!
Debbie -- teacher
Brenda -- teacher
Rosemarie -- teacher
Laura -- Designer
Cathy -- Toy company owner
V -- RN and therapist, artist
Tadah -- keeping the Salvation Army running
MaryAlice -- works at hospital
Amy -- child psychologist
MaryAnne -- Family Doctor
dEBBIE -- artist, (were you a teacher)
Tracy --- Software Test Lead (probably forever)
Graycie -- Sales merchandiser
Michelle -- bookkeeper???
Paula --
Cindy --Writer-Mayo clinic
Kelly -- finance mgr
Paula, I am leaving to pick up DH tomorrow. I will be offline until Sun or Mon, good luck on Friday.
Debbie I think you could convince anyone to do anything with your sense of humor. How did the meeting go? Now that my mortgage is paid I will have to tackle the line of credit I racked up while I was off work...some day I will be debt free, that is my goal anyway.
TaracyNY, I manage about the same but the space in my brain allotted to cancer thoughts is sometimes too large. Since my bone scan I have been much more positive. One of the bad things about my profession is I have seen many good people have bad things happen. So it is a little hard for me to live in denial. I am going to continue to aspire to it though!
Ouch Cindy, just the thought of expanders makes me queasy. Take your pain killers.
Ravdeb I am still seeing rads onc, med onc and BS. Probably over doctored but...I like to keep them all at my fingertips.
Our MRI is still not able to do breast MRIs. They need new software and the funding is not passed. It is now 5 months since it was requested, the joys of the Canadian system!
Hello to everyone.
Fists up! -
Deb, I can't imagine having to drag all my test results with me to every doctor appt. I don't have any of my results, I probably wouldn't know how to read them if I did. The doctor's I go to are in the same group so they all have a copy. I pre-registered for my test's on Friday (mammogram and MRI) and they already asked me who I wanted the results sent too. Glad your appointment went well today.
Michele, Good Luck with the showing's of your house. I bet it will be a quick sale. Do you ever watch "Designed to Sell" on HGTV?
Tracy, Your job sound's interesting. I bet you will have no trouble finding a new one. I hope your BP is ok when you go to the doctor tomorrow. I am on BP med's. I didn't know you could go off of them. I thought once you are on them you have to stay on them forever. My BP is screwy. Sometime's it is super low to the point I feel lightheaded and when I get nervous it goes sky high.
Kelly, I hope you are feeling OK.
Rosemarie, Glad you appointment went good today. He sound's like my ONC. Did he take blood to check your cancer markers? I always feel better when they take the blood. It's been a week and I haven't heard anything so I am hoping it came out OK.
Maryanne, That's good new's that your dh is coming home. How long will he be home for?
How nice that you have a cottage to get away for the weekend. Do you take the kids or is it just a nice quite weekend for just the two of you?
Amy, I hope you are feeling better about your low wbc. Sorry about the puppy but August will be here before you know it.
Debbie, How did you do at convincing the council that you need to raise money for a bike shelter?
Linny, I am so sorry about your sister. That has to be very sad seeing her in that condition. Maybe the antidepressant's will help her. I will say a prayer for her. On another note, Isaac sound's like he is really progressing very well. That's wonderful new's.
Tadah, Very good advice. I am trying to live like you. Whenever I start thinking about that nasty "C" word I try to put it out of my mind. I guess you could say I am in denial. I also think of decorating, shopping, etc to take my mind off of it. Like you said Life is too short....
Cindy, How are you feeling?
Cathy, Wow, You are going to France. How cool is that. Have a GREAT time which I am sure you will. How long will you be gone? I hope you stay long enough to take in some of the sights. -
Amy, I thought the chemo -- not cancer -- gave us low blood counts.
dEBBIE, are you having asthma or panic attacks? Get the ativan! I think I have been watching too much "House".
Kiersten, thanks for your message. You're a bright little kid.
Kelly, I'm thinking of you too.
We have 5 years to go on our first and second mortgage. It's not so bad because we bought our house in 1983 for 85K! We could really live like rich folks if we sold our house and moved back to the Philippines where we could buy a mansion and still have spending money. But we won't do that because our boys are native San Diegans and they are happier here.
Goodnight, lovely elephants! -
for the occupation list - i am a business analyst for Qantas.
Kelly - thinking of you!
Amy - hoping your mummy dog will get knocked up soon ..
Linny - so sorry to hear about your sister..
Brenda - i LOVE 'House'!! one of my favourite shows. -
Good Morning...
I forgot to mention that we think our dog has cancer..squamous cell carcinoma. I have to take her to the vet but have no time. But my sister in law is visiting from the States and she is a vet and we noticed the other night she has this weird stuff on her gums hanging out. I looked it up and that's what it looks like on dogs. She's old. My SIL also thinks she lost a lot of weight. And frankly, all she does is sleep and she does eat but not that much anymore. And we think she has dementia, too. What a mess. She's old..about 17 years old. She will need a biopsy, I think. I'll see the vet later or tomorrow or over the weekend. Not sure.
Debbie..how did your meeting go?
Brenda..I should tell you that my onc thinks i should see a psychologist for anxiety over my bc. I don't think I'm that anxious. I just talk about it a lot because it's on my mind and she's my onc! I can't help it. I don't think I'm much different than any other bc survivor and I am not losing sleep over the bc..it's the menopause and hot flashes that are giving me a problem and she also thinks it's my fluctuating TSH that is causing fatigue.
She also told me it's good that I am aware of all the pains because it's important to have them checked out when I have them.
So..I'm aware, I talk about it and I am not sure I'm anxious..just very aware. Some days I don't think about it it all...well...maybe not "at all" but not as often as other days!
I had asked my onc about scans and the fact that triple negs don't usually get local recurrence but rather distant mets or a new primary. She told me scans wouldn't help detect before symptoms. She has told me this before. So, I guess she thinks I'm anxious but actually I was kinda testing her about the triple neg and wondering what else she knew. I had wanted to see the head onc because she heads bc research in this center. But they won't let me see her. I dont' think my onc knows that much about triple neg and only views me as an early stage bc survivor. They don't stage in our center. i was trying to tell her that we are different. But she stands firm about scans. That's okay. not so sure I want any scans anyway. -
Tracey - my cousin works for Boeing ( not sure what doing - something to do with helicopters i think) in Philadelphia - he loves it.
All this talk omortgages is getting me! Before we moved we had decreased our mortgage by paying extra and got it down to 14 years. Now we are back up and paying twice as much as before - i try not to think about it!!LOL
Deb - is it worth putting your dog through tests when realsitically (sorry to say it) she is near the end of her allotted dog time anyway?? Emma , was the dog i grew up with - we had her when i was 4. She was an Alsation /Collie cross , pear shaped with a gammy leg and crossed eyes ( oh and hard of hearing) and in my eyes was the most beautiful thing ever , soft as grease and loved by all the neighbourhood kids. Well, towards the end her legs started failing and she couldnt lift herself up to get out and she was upset at soiling the house. We had a family conflab , and as we all sat there sobbing (me 22 my sister 31 and my brother 34!) we decided it was best to let her go ( gosh i am crying now and this was 13 years ago!!!!) The neighbour helped dad take her to th evets and they sat crying in the carpark afterwards , even though the vet said that she had never heard anything like it , she was surviving on half a heart and had virtually no circulation in her back end. Isnt it funny how you get so attatched to pets and yet never see some of your family from month to month.
Bike sheds - aaaargghhh! Get council members together and things take forever. By all accounts we have to publish a school travel plan - being as we are only on page 3 (kids having near misses with taxis coming for the autistic kids) i guess th ebike shed isnt going to be there any time soon. May even be quicker to build my own - always fancied learning to weld.
Looking back there seems to be some good news filtering into some of your posts. That is good. Tomorrow it is 2 years since i was diagnosed -4th May 05. -
ok girls...here it comes!!
i gotta be in the hospital at 6.30am, which is exactly 10 hours away... so i am off to bed shortly.
if there is no internet at the hospital, i might be MIA for a few days.
but i promise to update you as soon as i can!
love you girls,
talk soon -
Oh Paula , didnt realise it was coming up so fast!
Good luck - let us know how you are doing soon as you can . -
Paula, Best of luck tomorrow. You better get some sleep. Would someone like to tell me not to be nervous about the MRI I am having tomorrow. Now I wish I never asked for one.
Ravdeb, I didn't know when you are triple neg you are more likely to get met's then a local reoccurrence. Oh great now I have something else to worry about. Actually I do know two girls that were triple negative that got BC in the opposite breast that turned out to be er/pr+. Sorry about your dog. We had a dog once that had cancer and we had to put him down since he was getting up there in years too. I guess you will have to wait to see what the vet say's before you make any decisions.
Debbie, I bet you could build that shed........lol
It's early but the sun is starting to come out and it is calling for a beautiful day. I only have to work for 4 or 5 hours today so I think I will get an early start so I can get home and enjoy the day. I hope winter is gone for good now. I have to say the weather has a big effect on lifting your spirit's and then there are some people that get to go away on these great trips.............lol......That has to be a mood lifter. Laura and Victoria enjoy!. -
Good luck Paula! I'll be thinking about you You'll do great!
Graycie....don't worry about the MRI. I know I'm one to talk since I worry about everything, but the only thing good about these scans, tests, whatever is that afterwards, you feel that much more confident that you're truly okay
Deb...I'm sorry about your dog! My onc. by the way doesn't do scans. She goes by symptoms. There are so many false positives with scans...look at all the stuff we find just by being screened, tested, etc! And they cause so much emotional trauma. Trust that you're okay...just like you tell me -
Hey - where's Mary? I am missing her!
Paula - thinking of you - the Elephants are circling.....
Kelly - we will split up and keep circling you too. Hope all is OK!
Deb - sorry about your dog. It is hard when they get old.
It seems like all of you are seeing your Onc more than I am - I went in Feb and not again until August. 6 months seems like a long time to be on my own....
My "bad boob" is bright red and my scar is kind of a bruised purple color. I showed the Dr. yesterday and she examined it. It is from the LE. Obviously I am not as good at the massage thing as I should be. I guess I had better get on it and do a better job. It gets sore too when the fluid is built up.
We are having some nice days here in the Northwest - GOSH! The flowers are pretty!
Have a good day everyone! (((hugs))) to Kelly & Paula -
Not sure if you all have heard about this show on Discovery. It is Sunday night:
On Sunday, May 6, at 8 p.m. EDT, Discovery Channel will air a three-hour special of "Koppel on Discovery" dedicated to the discussion of living with cancer. This touching documentary by legendary journalist Ted Koppel will feature former news producer and NPR essayist Leroy Sievers, who is facing his second cancer diagnosis, as well as conversations with Sievers' doctors and other patients whom Sievers met through his blog and personal cancer journey. The documentary will also highlight Lance Armstrong's experience with cancer. A live town hall discussion led by prominent cancer survivors including Elizabeth Edwards and Lance Armstrong will air throughout the program. Thirty American Cancer Society volunteers who are living with cancer or who have beaten the disease will be in the studio audience for the discussion.
There are also going to be people from here at bc.org on the show. You can read about it on the home page of bc.org. I think I am going to have to record it because I won't be able to stay awake for 3 HOURS! Until 11pm! -
Thanks Amy, As you have probably already figured out I am the biggest baby around. I am just worried if it is a closed machine or not and of course if they find something.
TracyS, My appointments are 6 month's apart now too. I know pretty scary. Is there special bra's you can wear for your lymphedema? Or maybe wear a sport's bra, That's what I do whenever possible. It has helped quite a bit. No indentation's from the bra. I hope I remember to watch that show or should I say tape it. I can't miss "Desperate Housewives"...lol......I know pretty sick huh? I can't help it I am hooked.
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I wish we had flowers, pretty soon. -
Paula...GOOD LUCK! Will be thinking about you!
I will need to ask the vet about Casey. Need to know if it's really cancer. If it is..I'll see what he thinks we should do. The kids are going to be devastated if she needs to be put to sleep. Not sure how we will deal with it.
Tracy in Seattle...that sounds scary to have a red boob. Is there something besides the massage that you can do to "fix" it?
Good luck, Gail! Gail... I don't know what the statistics are but I read that triple negs have very low chance of local recurrance and will get either a new primary or distant mets. But that doesn't mean we have a high chance of getting either of those. Just that we have a lower chance of getting local recurrence than non-triple negs and a higher chance of getting distant mets and/or new primary than non-triple negs. But remember...the stats are good that we won't get that, either! But the point is that it seems unnecessary to have more than the annual mammogram and ultrasound (or MRI or just mammogram) than to have the extra one on the cancer side like my surgeon had for me. He's concerned about the grade 3 tumor I had and that it was triple neg so it's more aggressive and so he had this done. But I'll discuss with him about NOT doing it again like that and only doing the annual mammogram like the onc suggested. I think that's enough.
Amy..you are right about the scans and so I'm going to stop going on this search for more ways to find out what is going on inside of me. I'm fine unless there is a symptom. Besides..who needs all those extra rays? I do have this itchy nipple on good boob and will have surgeon look at it. My onc said he may want to biopsy it...biopsy what, exactly? There is no lump. Just itchiness.
Just spent another day in the hospital with my father in law. If the hospital was closer it would be so much easier. He is still in intensive care and so we spend a lot of hours just sitting around. At any rate, he was extremely tired today and could hardly keep his eyes open.
While in the hospital we ran into one of the residents that took care of me when I was hospitalized. I was totally in love with him! I found out from a nurse on the floor where my fil will be admitted after ICU, that he is one of the best residents and everybody is in love with him! He is now in cardiac care.
Must go to bed.
Hope that Kelly is okay.
Again..good luck Paula! -
Will catch up later, wanted to let you know that since I had expanded the one side, it is painless. The other side has pain but it's not severe. I got out of the hospital a couple of hours ago and go to the dr for removal of the bandages. He also grafted on a nipple. We'll see if it stays on or he has to do it again or try to form one from the breast.
It only hurts if I try to take a deep breath or use my left arm. My dad is here and Teryn is happy I'm home. Actually, I think I will enjoy my time off with the weather so nice.
Good luck, Paula!!! -
Good New's Kelly, Glad you are home and feeling ok. Your lucky you have such a nice Dad to help you out and I can only imagine how happy Teryn is to have you home.
I meant to tell you I saw someone with you cheetah coat on the other day when I was at Target and today I saw someone with a skirt, same print.....I wonder if it was the same lady......lol
See, I was not only thinking of you but had a visual reminder. -
Good Evening My Sisters,
I added myself to the list of occupations:
Debbie -- teacher
Brenda -- teacher
Rosemarie -- teacher
Laura -- Designer
Cathy -- Toy company owner
V -- RN and therapist, artist
Tadah -- keeping the Salvation Army running
MaryAlice -- works at hospital
Amy -- child psychologist
MaryAnne -- dr
dEBBIE -- artist, (were you a teacher)
Tracy --- Software Test Lead (probably forever)
Graycie -- Sales merchandiser
Michelle payroll/human resources coordinator
Paula -- Business analyst
Cindy --
Tracy Seattle -- finance mgr
Just catching a breather here .got a call at work to have a showing today from 4:30 to 5:00 p.m.. I normally work until 4:30 pm. and work 50 minutes from home so asked my boss if I could use some of my vacation time (1 ½ hours) to leave early for the showing she said dont worry about using vacation go .
Dh was working days and because of the dogs I had to come home to take them out especially the puppy who would go nuts in the crate if some stranger came into the house.
My funny mention for the day .as Im driving home about 15 minutes from home I see the car of the real estate agent who is suppose to be showing our house at 4:30 p.m. and Im thinking what the heck, he is almost ½ early. I followed him actually sped behind him all the way up the highway to make sure he didnt get to my house before me. He got to our town and pulled into a subdivision, must be where he lives, boy was I relieved that he wasnt showing up early. Made the mad dash home and feed pups, put a few things away and swiftered the floor before leaving the house.
Whoever was looking at our home was here for past the viewing time, they were here for 40 minutes.
We also have another showing on Saturday. I thought wow this is amazing four showings booked in a few days .keep your fingers crossed ladies that we sell soon as this process is so tiring. I feel like we are doing the Amazing Race everytime someone comes over.LOL.
My sister that is 10 months younger than me is coming home to my parents place for a visit for the weekend. She arrives tomorrow and it is a surprise as they dont know she is coming . I havent seen here in six months so it will be really nice! I will take a breather tomorrow night and if there are any showings dh can deal with them.
Tracyseattle I am going to get my bp checked when I see my oncologist again on the 14th of May as it was borderline high when we had a clinic at work a few weeks ago. Are you on hormonals, cant remember? I am on Armidex and have been for a year, heard it can elevate your levels. All of our trees are just starting to get blooms on them now, no leaves yet just buds wow it is actually spring FINALLY! All the best in your job hunt, sounds like you have some irons in the fire
Thanks for the reminder about that show on Discovery on Sunday, will have to tape it as I wont stay awake long enough either to watch it.
Rosemarie your daughter is the cutest and you can tell her that. She is welcome to bud in on mamas board anytime she wants!
Maryanne you must be so excited to see your dh. It must be hard being away from each other for such long periods of time. My dh works shifts so that can be a challenge but it has been that way since we have been together for the past 18 years. Thanks for the compliment, we are hoping that it sells before the end of the week.LOL.
Congrats on almost having your home paid off. We are lucky that we were in a position to do the same thing. We have been mortgage free for about 1 ½ years but once we sell we will have one again.LOL.
Amy I think yes denial land works well sometimes especially when the bad days hit. Our old pre-bc lives are gone unfortunately and this is our new normal which is sometimes hard to accept. I have people say to me oh you are doing great, look you always have a smile on your face but they cant see inside of our souls and what we really think sometimes. I do get angry sometimes too that this has happened but I know that I cannot change it. As you can see I;m still working too on finding my new normal too! I have to commend TracyNy your attitude rocks girl!
Kelly I am a payroll/human resources coordinator the keeper of peoples money and the person who also listens to everyone elses problems. Sending you a big hug and hope you are getting stronger everyday after your surgery. Good news that your home and get to spend some time with Teryn and your Dad.
Deb Your medical system sounds a little cumbersome having to carry all that paperwork around with you. Here everything is computerized but we dont have a network of doctors that we have to go see and our system is provincially funded so no payment for doctors visits, etc. I am sorry to hear about your dogs declining health. Our pets become one of the family, dont have to tell me that. We have two of them once again. We lost our shepherd last June due to his failing health, he was 13 ½ which is old for a big guy like him at 100 pounds. It broke our hearts to put him to sleep but it was the most kind thing to do for him as he could no longer get up off the floor.
Maybe just seeing someone that will allow you to vent your feelings of worry and talk to wouldnt be a bad idea. We have counselors here available in our local oncology clinics for survivors to talk to. I would like to see more resources for co-survivors, spouses, children, family members they seem to be left out in the cold to fend for themselves.
Glad to hear that your FIL is doing a little better.
Debbie444 we only have one real estate agent who also has a partner that would back him up when he is not available. The two agents I was talking about were agents that came to the real estate agents open house. Here it normally takes place a day or two after your home is listed and any agent can come and view your home for their clients. So two of the agents that were here on Tuesday and Wednesdays showings were at the open house on Tuesday. Congrats on being a two year survivor, wow!!!
Linda glad to see you check in. Its great to hear about Issacs progress, your daughter is a very patient loving mom. I am saddened to hear about your sister. It is so tough seeing your family members suffer and feeling that you cant do anything for them.
Amy sorry to hear that your mommy dog was not pregnant. You will be a proud new puppy owner soon be patient my dear. All good things come to those that wait, thats what my mom use to say!
Cathy thanks for the compliment on the house. What a nice surprise to find out you have no mortgage left!
Graycie I have watched designed to sell on HGTV. Also sell this house too!
Paula all the best sweetie with your surgery keep us updated.
Gotta run and cook dinner.
Hello to all my sisters.
Love to you all.
Michele -
kelly...i'm glad you're doing okay and you're not in much pain. i hope that nipple stays on i was worried mine would fall off too, but they stayed on
paula...still thinking about you! i hope you're feeling okay
this is a bad week for dogs for sure. i just got off the phone with my mom and my parents' sweet dog, lucy, who is 4 years old, suddenly has lost control of her back legs. she just can't use them anymore. they did xrays and nothing. they think it might be neurological, but nothing has shown up yet. my parents are freaking out. this is their little baby. they have to take her to a specialist in north carolina to see what it is. anyone have any ideas? my poor doggie. -
So sorry about all the doggie troubles!! Hope your parents find out what's wrong with their dog, Amy!
Big hugs to all you ladies undergoing surgery! Hope your recovery is quick and easy!! Good to hear from you Kelly, thinking about you, Paula!
All you mortgage free folks...awesome....not me - we've got 28 1/2 years to go!! Jeez!! That seems like an eternity!
I like to see "teacher" by my name... I do miss it. I haven't been job hunting very hard, I must admit. Part of me really wants to wait one more year until Justin starts school -
gotta run! Have a great night, ladies!! -
Rosemarie: Once a teacher, always a teacher.
Paula: I always Tivo "House" because I really get into the medical stuff and I have to rewind a lot because they speak so fast. My doctor hates the show. I, on the other hand, am totally entertained by it. Hugh Laurie is a great actor. I can't believe he loses his English accent to be Dr. House, and he does it with such ease. He was hilarious in an episode of SNL. BTW, hoping for a fast recovery for you!
Kelly, you sound well. Good for you! -
Debbie -- teacher
Brenda -- teacher
Rosemarie -- teacher
Laura -- Designer
Cathy -- Toy company owner
V -- RN and therapist, artist
Tadah -- keeping the Salvation Army running
MaryAlice -- works at hospital
Amy -- child psychologist
MaryAnne -- Family Doctor
dEBBIE -- child development specialist/English teacher/wannabe artist
Tracy --- Software Test Lead (probably forever)
Graycie -- Sales merchandiser
Michelle -- bookkeeper???
Paula --
Cindy --Writer-Mayo clinic
Kelly -- finance mgr
Paula...Good Luck Today!
Kelly...so good to see you on here and to hear that you are doing well!
Maryanne..hope you have a superb weekend with dh!
My FIL is still in ICU but may get moved to a regular room today. I'm not going there today because I need to get things done at home. My daughter will take my place.
It's been very tiring and I'm zonked!
Michele..you are right. It could help to talk to somebody. I have no energy for more appointments! Seems I have appts for something all the time. I have my surgeon appt next week, just saw the onc, and then in a couple of weeks a duplex on my carotid issue. I also need to schedule a field vision test..something I get once a year and then before I know it, it will be time to see my neuro-ophthalmologist! Then I leave for the States and return to see the onc AGAIN! Never ending! I'm supposed to go for physical therapy but there is no time! I still haven't returned to the dentist nor seen my gyne this year!
I just wanna have FUN! -
Cindy..how are you feeling these days?
-
for my job...i'm actually just a regular old clinical psychologist who specializes in children. these days, i see mostly adults!
deb...i think it could definitely help to talk to somebody...i did during treatment. i needed a space for myself...to say what i needed to say that other people didn't want to hear or couldn't hear. how nice is it to have an hour a week entirely to yourself? -
I'm doing pretty good. I've been getting a little cabin fever, so dh took me for a nice long car ride through a state forest and part of a national wildlife refuge on Wednesday. Yesterday was a sleepy day, and I took a lot of naps.
I see my breast surgeon and oncologist today, which is 10 days post-surgery. I'd hoped to get my drain removed today but it's still producing too much fluid for that. This time I only had one drain instead of two, so that may be why it's producing more.
The fluid *has* changed from "tomato juice" to "strawberry pop," so I'm definitely headed in the right direction! I'd much rather have the fluid outside my body than in, so I'm not going to fuss about having the drain in longer.
The oncologist will probably talk to me about chemo options. I think I'm close to the borderline on tumor size (1.2cm) but I do have clean nodes and no more breast tissue. I suffered quite of bit of neuropathy with Taxol, so we'll definitely be weighing cost/benefit.
On a lighter note, one of my coworkers sent me a bunch of balloons yesterday. Each one was different: Happy Birthday, Welcome Baby Girl, Congratulations, Happy Anniversary and Way to Go! Her card read: "Because everyone else is probably saying 'Get Well Soon.'" It really made me laugh! -
How cute, Cindy! Good luck with your appointments!
I haven't been to the gym at all this week - excuses, excuses (I could list a few), so I am making myself GO today!!
Hope everyone has a GREAT Friday!!! -
Cindy - wow, the drains.... yep I remember that. You are right - having the stuff outside is better than inside! I am so bummed that you are having to do this all over again. Keep your positive attitude - it will get you through! You are so strong!
I am interested to learn what they say about chemo, I have heard that you can't do the A/C twice..... is that true?
Thoughts and Prayers for Paula today!
Kelly - glad to hear that you are home and being taken care of. (((hugs)))
I found out that the luncheon I am speaking at next week is for Cancer Society EMPLOYEES only. It is a motivational luncheon. That makes it more scary to me. I am supposed to be talking about how the Cancer Society helped me - well, I really wasn't involved with the ACS until after my treatment. I think I am going to talk about Support Groups - and US! I need to work on that this weekend!
No plans this weekend for me (I LOVE saying that!). We do have a Road Clean up tomorrow morning. Our Kiwanis club cleans up a road in the city - but that only takes about an hour. Tomorrow is opening day of Boating Season. Dave is a HUGE Boat lover, so I imagine we will find our way down to the waterfont....
Have a good Friday everyone! -
Cindy...Happy New Year! (just thought I'd say that since probably everybody else is telling you to get well soon! )
Sounds like you are doing well except for cabin fever! And drains have changed to strawberry pop..very nice!
Keep it up!!! Feel good! -
Tracy..have a nice calm weekend. good luck with that speech! And how's the job hunt going?
amy..you are right. I don't really mind seeing a psychologist. Of course YOU would recommend it! But I've done that before and I really don't mind just that I want one that specializes in cancer and my cancer center is over an hour away. Just would take up yet another day when I have so many appts lined up...ugh...it's not just an hour..it's a whole chunk of a day in order to get there and so on...just have no energy for that!!!
Well..my dog has magic powers..the "cancer" disappeared! Now, I had thought it was just some gook that she had gotten into and I told this to my sister in law because she really stunk the other day when she came in the house. My sil looked at it (she's a vet..OMG!) and said it COULD be dirt but it's stuck tight to her and looks too much like cancer! Well, today when I looked at her it was gone. I thought I was just not seeing it so I called my daughter and she said she also noticed that it was gone!
So, we are back to her just suffering from old age and possibly dementia! (and I don't think I'd recommend my sil as a vet!!! YIKES!). -
Debbie -- teacher
Brenda -- teacher
Rosemarie -- teacher
Laura -- Designer
Cathy -- Toy company owner
V -- RN and therapist, artist
Tadah -- keeping the Salvation Army running
MaryAlice -- works at hospital
Amy -- child psychologist
MaryAnne -- Family Doctor
dEBBIE -- child development specialist/English teacher/wannabe artist
Tracy --- Software Test Lead (probably forever)
Graycie -- Sales merchandiser
Michelle -- bookkeeper???
Paula -- business analyst, Quantas Airline
Cindy --Writer-Mayo clinic
Kelly -- finance mgr
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