2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

marymelodi

Meatloaf is ground beef mixed with bread crumbs, a couple of eggs, tomatoe paste, lots of seasoning like onion / garlic, and shaped into a loaf, then baked in the oven. You really can make it in any shape - round, square, or loaf-like. Other people have different ingredients, but those are the basics. One of my favorite dishes.

Grits are from corn, I think - ground up very fine. Boiled in water to make a cooked grain, like a mush. People eat them with butter or gravy, or with cheese melted on them. I find them bland, but filling.

Debbie, I like your use of the word "whilst". Tights would be nylons or pantyhose, right? Although, I wear opaque black or navy tights under my pants all winter here in Rochester. The are made of a thicker thread than regular pantyhose and I like the warmth.

I grew up in the western US and when I moved to New York had the difficulty of learning that a purse is really a POCKETBOOK, that soda pop is just SODA, and you carry your groceries home from the store in a BAG not a sack.

Isn't it a grand world?

debbie444

Would that be a carrier bag then?
Debbie

debbie444

Just reread the explanation of grits - bolied mushy corn - YUMMMMMMMMY!
I think ican see why it didnt catch on over here somehow!!

Anonymous

I remember when I was in England and one of our guy friends said he would KNOCK US UP in the morning! My girlfriend and I were in complete shock until he explained that it meant he would knock on the door to come get us. Oh boy!!

Hope you don't have to look under the BONNET for any problems today!

Anonymous

Here's some collard greens

TracyNY

Quote:

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What on earth is a tiki torch????????
Debbie

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Those burning poles you see at late night beach parties. Looks like a little fire on a stick.

TracySeattle

Marymelodi - My Rad Onc perscribed a stronger steroid creme for me to use for the itchy rash, maybe yours would do the same for you?

Kelly - I am so sorry that you and Teryn are having problems. You don't need any more stress right now! I will be thinking about you and saying a prayer on Tuesday!

The Rocktober Girls is a great name! Too bad we can't have T-Shirts made!

Debbie - a Tiki Torch is a Tall stick with a flame at the top. Many people use them in the summer around their patios. The Rad Techs had to use a "torch" to find my tattoo today too!

Have a good weekend everyone!

ravdeb

Debbie..
We have a lot of British influence here because they were in control of Israel at one time. So...there is a mixture of British grammar and spellings.
When I first moved here and was teaching English in the schools, I didn't know about this. So, i was correcting my 7th graders when they would say...he went to hospital instead of he went to THE hospital. They were angry with me all the time! And I had to learn new spellings...like colour instead of color and neighbour instead of neighbor. I still get confused with where to put that "u"!

My dh has a cousin from s. Africa who lives in the States and she told us that when she first arrived in the States and had to bring her car in for service, she had no idea what they were talking about... all those different words for the trunk and so on..I can't remember them all!

Oh...and when I first moved to Israel, a woman from N.Zealand who had just moved to Israel as well, had a 2 year old son and so did I so we decided to do shared caring for each other so she would bring her son over a couple of times a week with a bag of his belongings. She told me there was a "jumper" inside the bag and she was off to the "plot". Yikes...she left and I opened the kid's bag and saw a sweatshirt inside. So THAT'S a jumper. Then I thought..why would she be going to a plot??? then I remembered...oh..they are building..must be the LOT she went to... GEEZ...and I thought I knew English!!
ravdeb

Anonymous

My mom will be here today!! She is going to stay for at least a month and maybe I can get some rest!

Ravdeb, hope your itching subsides soon!

Tracy, did the radiation cause your rash???

TracySeattle

Yep, the radiation did cause the rash. It is like a sun poisoning rash and it is in the middle of my chest. My boob has held up quite well throughout. I start boosts on Monday which will leave the rash with time to heal!

ravdeb

Terynsmom..glad to hear your mom is coming. Have a nice visit and REST!

Tracy..do feel for you about the rash as I continue to itch away and haven't started rads yet.
New diagnosis ala ravdeb and friend..my itching could be caused by nerve damage. have been reading up on this and will be talking to my onc at some point.

have a nice weekend everybody.
ravdeb

TracySeattle

Ravdeb, I can now identify with your itching and I feel so bad for you! At least mine is confined to one spot in the middle of my chest. I could not imagine having it all over! I hope it stops for you soon!

RoseMarie

Wow, if ya stay away for a day or two there's a lot to catch up!!
Kelly - GOOD LUCK and enjoy your mom's visit! BTW - thanks for the translation. I was picturing an actual torch and since I haven't done rads figured it was something needed for rads...sounded painful...
Debbie - I actually taught a little girl from England and the first semester was very hard for her - it was truly like being an ESL student!
Scout - just finished Taxol but did not have the extent of the side effects you're experiencing. I have mouth sores which I had at the very beginning but just recently reappeared. My knees continue to ache - mostly at night - when does THAT stop?!!
Ravdeb - will keep you in my thoughts! I remember itching like nuts on Oxicodone - it is NO fun! I get periodic itching but it doesn't last long and it's only on the palms of my hands and soles of my feet. Could this be related to neuropathy? I have tingly toes but my hands/fingers have been spared.
I'm starting to feel like myself again and not like crazy nut woman!
Tuesday I'll be going back to the onc.-how many of you were put on Tamoxifin right away? I wonder if I'll be put on Tamoxifin even if I elect to have an oopherectomy I wonder how quickly I can have that done??? The side effects of the Aromatise (sp?) inhibitors sound awful!!

Anonymous

Thanks, friends, for the compliments on my HAIR!! I officially went topless today. My husband, 10 year old son, Ma and I went to the flower fields today. We had the perfect weather.

Mary-Anne - I am very happy for Patrick. I teach regular ed. but I find that my most of my mainstreamed spec. ed. kids are musically inclined.

Amy - I can just see you breezing through your boards!

Laura - I can see you doing some salsa dancing!

Kelly - I wish you did not have this ex husband issue along with the bc.

All the other ladies I did not mention: I feel a certain affinity with you all. It's almost like we're sisters. My own sister is 10 thousand miles away and 11 years older. I've always looked at her as a baby-sitter. But you, guys. You're different. Despite the difference in our ages and cultures, we have this bond that is so close I can feel it right now. Thank you for being here and being you.

Anonymous

Well girls I will definately be sipping the Margaritas and doing some salsa dancing! Hope my prosthesis doesn't pop out of my bathing suit top .

It's 11:47 Sat. night and I'm still awake tying up lose ends around here. We can't all fit into one car with all our luggage, so a limo is picking us up at 4:45 - OMG that's just about 4 hours from now! Have to get some sleep. I am doing a little better emotionally but all night everytime I looked at or hugged my dh - I sobbed uncontrollably. I am going to miss him very much (I'm going to MX. w/my "MUM" and 2 of my nieces (Shelby Laura is 10 and Sydney Dena is 14). He has been my knight in shining armor these past 7-8 months. And, I am leaving my fallout shelter/safe haven for the first time since diag. I'm holding onto hope that this will push me one step closer to overcoming my feelings of insecurity and vulnerability as a result of bc and maybe, just maybe my paranoia as well. Ahhhhhh...that would be nice. My brother and his girlfriend are going to be at a resort not far from ours at the same time so he is going to rent a Jeep and visit us at our resort.

Ternysmom -
The reason I have to have radiation is because of one darned ******* unclean margin (micro) at the chest wall! Hate those unclean margins!

ravdeb,
My tattoos are really tiny! I can hardly see them.

Debbie -
Yikes! I hope they don't light a torch to find them - LOL,LOL. Just in case I'll bring my pocket flashlight to my first rad. visit!

Adios - Senoritas - Mucho Gracios

ravdeb

Hola Laura...
Como estas???

Hope you had a jumpin'bean ol' time in Mexico.

Adios.
ravdeb

sherryhaire

Scout, Mine weren't as bad as yours seemed to be Had 4 rounds of Taxatere and Xeloda combined, Had and still have watery eyes, and lots of muscle aches mainly in my legs and I am now almost 2 months out. I keep thinking that If I would finally get some eyelashes maybe the tearing would stop or slow down at least.

TracyNY

Well ladies, its my turn for exchange surgery. I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

On Tuesday I will finally get rid of the old "iron bra" and get my new breasts. I'll be losing the pot belly too as I have liposuction on the menu as well.

I'll tell y'all what it was like when its over.

TracySeattle

tda!

Wishing you well with the surgery! You will be in my prayers!

maryannecb

Good luck tda, speedy recovery. Hope you are happy with more up top and less below.

Fists up!

ake

good luck with surgery, tda. one more milestone that you get to mark off your "to do list"!

laura...have a spectacular time on your vacation...it's time to get away from all this and it's nice to have that for yourself.

not much new with me...studying for my boards (the new project in my life). i actually go some days without thinking of breast cancer...it's always there when i wake up, but i find that i don't think about it as much during the day. i'm getting frustrated with my hair and i'm desperate for it to grow...but, people are starting to think it's a haircut, which is bizarre.

and now for my very personal question that i know i can only ask my october ladies...for those on tamoxifen, it's been a month exactly for me, and i've gotten what i've heard about from other women and dreaded...the discharge. anyone else or am i the only one? i know it's a personal questions, but sheesh...what's personal anymore after this experience!?

-amy

ake

by the way...check out the insane hair I've got growing...I look like a wild beast I'm so hairy!

marymelodi

Amy:

What discharge? Vaginal? I just got a tamoxifen prescription and this was not mentioned to me as a side effect. I will be getting it filled and start the medication this coming week. Please tell me how it has affected you.



I like your growing hair. Mine is coming in mostly white and it is not as easy to see, nor does it make me look as nice as your hair does.

Mary

ake

vaginal discharge it is. i heard from other women that it sometimes happens. it's annoying.

Graycie

Amy, I can't help you with the discharge since I am not on tamoxifen. But I love your hairy, insane hair. I just wish I had that problem. You can still see alot of my scalp....
Good luck with your boards, when do you take them?
Graycie

ravdeb

Amy..you look great! you have a nice head! Mine is so white and thin on the top that you can see my scalp and I"m not happy with that! and it's totally curly and I just don't look as good as you do!!!! (though the nurse in our clinic today told me AGAIN how much she loves my hair and I should keep it short. sure..she can talk..she has loooooooong hair and she is still dying it black, unlike my old lady hair I have now )

Good luck with the boards!

No on tamox. so can't help ya there...

ravdeb

marymelodi

I went topless at work today! Had the courage to show of my snowy white short, short hair. Everyone was complimentary. They think I look "edgy". Yeah . . . the most conservative, white bread, knitting, 53-year-old, EDGY chick. What a hoot! I'm the most un-edgy person I know, except for my ultra-short hair.

maryannecb

Amy great hair! It could be one of those very chic short haircuts some women have. I have always had longier hair myself but right about now I even love my 1/4 inch hair. You are quickly forgetting your hairless days I think. My hair is light brown so not making nearly the statement as your nice dark stuff.

No tamoxifen for me either. Do you think it might be yeast or bacterial vaginitis? PM me if you want to be more specific.

tda, this time tomorrow you will be done! Good luck.

Scout had a miserable time on Taxotere. Hospital twice, ++htburn, muscle aches , bone pain from Neupogen, really bad fatigue , dry skin, peeling hands and feet, irritated veins and chemopause. Soon it will be done for you so bear with it.

First rads tomorrow.

Fists up!

TracySeattle

Good Luck tomorrow, MaryAnne!!!

Paula15089

Amy, you look great!! I think you've outdone me in the hair growth department! Sorry about the discharge, I am starting Zolodex and Tamoxifen later this week, so we can compare side effects then...

tda, good luck!

My update - I've been going topless more and more, been called 'sexy' which was a great ego boost, been asked what made me decide on a short haircut, AND was asked out by a couple of guys! So, short hair aint so bad.. maybe i should keep it?

Other news - rads burns have been healing beautifully, new soft skin all around, AND, as a bonus - my mastect scars are practically gone with all this skin-shedding.

oh, and another small thig - for the first time since the beginning of my treatment i have put on my lovely acrilic nails... mine have always been short and brittle, obviously no improvement since chemo. Small thing, but makes me feel more feminine. At least i can control the length of my nails if not my hair!

take care all