2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

ravdeb

HHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

All for you, Tracy!

ravdeb

ravdeb

debbie..yea..I know I should bathe in the stuff more but who has time for that???? I see the skin specialist on Wed and we'll see what he has to say on the subject!

ravdeb

marymelodi

Greetings to everyone! Love the new pictures of Tracy, Laura, & Debbie.

I do not have a digital camera, but have asked a friend to take a photo that I will post here soon. I remember that one of you gave some instruction on posting a picture. If you could send me a private message with the details, I probably could use some help.

I began the tamoxifen pills over the weekend. NO side effects so far.

I have one more radiation treatment to go. Tomorrow will see me finished. Today, I saw the rad onc and nurses for discharge instructions. They all are praising me for how good my skin has held up. I thought there were blisters, but no, no blisters, just a peeling patch under my arm which they say is very typical. The discomfort is lessening and the majority of my breast, which has not been treated for 10 days now, since finishing the whole breast treatments, is really healing well. I expect that the booster area will heal just as nicely in time.

Hope everyone is having a great day. We are in the midst of spring showers - rain, rain, and more rain. Nice emerald green grass and lots of flowers are in bloom. Love that bright yellow forsythia!

sherryhaire

Hope everyone had a better monday than I did. Lost my watch given by someone special, rough day at work, backed into a telephone pole, son's best friends brother died in car accident scraped to get money together to get him there 3 hours away as he has no job at the moment not enough wine in refrigerator to help just a bad monday hope all of your was better

Anonymous

Tracy, Debbie, Amy -
Great photos! We have come along way since our hair started to fall out last November!

Sherryhaire -
Hope tomorrow is better for you than today was!

marymelodi -
I've been on Tamoxifen for over a month now and have not had any side effects. Hope this gives you a little relief. Congrats to you on your final rad appt.! I N V U! (6 down for me - 22 to go.)

Laura

Anonymous

Paula -
Forgot to mention your new photo - you look great too!
Laura

Anonymous

OCTOBER CHEMO GIRLS -
Here's a photo of me, my "Mum", Sydney and Shelby. While in MX, we put on our pink ribbon scarves and put our FISTS UP for this photo.

(maryanne) - when you posted the photo of you with your fists up after you had climbed that mountain - I showed it to Sydney and Shelby. They thought it was "awesome". I explained to them that I am part of an incredible group of girls who have bc and that we have helped each other through our illness. They thought that was "awesome" too!

They, my dh and so many others are my beloved co-survivors! I am truly blessed!

Laura

TracySeattle

Laura, what a great pic!

RoseMarie

I have really missed all of you! It's been a few days...
I've been on Tamoxifen for almost 2 weeks now with no side effects. I've been taking it at night right before bed and can't believe how well I'm FINALLY sleeping!!! I still atttribute all my aches and pains to Taxol but maybe Tamoxifen is to blame too?? My fingernails look gross - still very dark with some shadowy stripes - toe nails seem to be ok! (Tda you're a trip, by the way!! ) My eyelashes and eyebrows are still at the after Taxol party!!

Laura, Debbie, Tracy, Amy - your pictures look great!! And Tracy...here's a hug from me too!! (((((hug)))))

Laura, once I saw the LE therapist I felt much better - mine appears to be pretty mild right now, I hope that's the case for you too!!!!
Brenda, can so relate to chemo brain...still!! In fact, I had a great example I was going to share...BUT NOW I CAN'T REMEMBER IT!!!!
Met with the ps on Friday - I had expanders put in back in September - did the whole saline injection thing - this new ps seems pretty great. His office is in a spa for crying out loud! It was so relaxing - light music playing, waterfalls in every nook and corner, candles burning...a little surreal but very cool. Saturday we did the Race for the Cure in downtown Indy - we decided to go as a family (so needless to say we did not make the 7:30 am survivor parade) but we did make it for the family 1 mile walk. (I'll save the 5k for next year!) It was a fun day...
Debbie - hope you have a great appt. today!
Sherry - hope things get better for you soon - here's a hug for you too!! ((((hugs)))))

RoseMarie

While I'm still sitting here...the hardest thing for me lately with the whole hair issue is feeling like I have to explain to every new person I meet what has happened to me for the last 6 months...I want to quickly explain that the hairdo is really a chemo-do and my hair is finally coming in...blah, blah, blah. (As we are brand new to the neighborhood we are meeting new folks every day) Oh well, I'm feeling almost normal...I guess I want to look normal too. Jeez, this dumb hair thing! (dumb, gray hair thing!)

ravdeb

Laura...gorgeous picture!

Well... I saw the orthopedic oncologist for a discussion of my CT scan. The good news is that it has nothing to do with my cancer OR chemo. He was surprised to have to tell me that I have a HUGE herniated disk that is causing my pain. He said I've had it for a while because if it just happened, my leg would be paralized. oh...I said.

I was happy that it wasn't cancer but shocked and unhappy to see that I've got a new thing to deal with. He's sending me for an MRI and then to see a specialist so that he can explain to me what my options are. I don't see any options...I will need to learn to live with this. I don't do well when I learn about new health issues. I have so many doctors I have to see all the time outside of cancer things... but I will get used to it and just be grateful that it's not more cancer....

Before I walked in to see the doctor, the radiation department called me and said I could start my rads today so I'm happy to announce that I had my first rads treatment today!!! that was very good news for me!!! Yahoo...one down, 34 more to go!!!!

Oh..Rosemarie...about the dumb hair thing... I met up with a bc friend of mine today at the cancer center and her friends were with her for her chemo treatment. I had never met them but they knew I had chemo-curls and told me that they honestly thought my hair looked very chic and purposefully cut. Made me feel a tad better. And my bc friend hadn't seen me yet without my scarf and said she was soooooooo happy to see me like this. I'm a couple of steps ahead of her in treatments and she enjoys letting me try out all the stuff and then reporting back to her how it is...like taking off the wig/scarf and so on... :-)

ravdeb

marymelodi

Laura:
What a great picture!! How photogenic you all are.

marymelodi

I had my last radiation treatment today and got tears in my ears while on the table because I started crying. It was very hard to say good-bye to the "team." They all came away from their workstations and rooms and clapped and hugged me. I was just bawling my eyes out. One of the techs who has been in my "team" from the start also started crying and we were quite a pair. Funny thing is, I work here in the same hospital and very likely will see any one of them at the snack shop or the cafe or in the parking lot. It's already happened. But, to be finishing the 6-week habit of seeing them everyday is hard. I told my husband I feel like I'm on the edge of the Grand Canyon and scared to death. He surprised me by saying, "You felt like they were protecting you with the treatments." That's exactly it. I did feel more protected by going to the treatment center every day. Now I'm on my own, so to speak, and I am frightened.

I know you all understand. This is a very hard good day for me.

TracyNY

Don't be scared, marymelodi, you'll be okay. You've had the best treatments from a caring group of people who you will be running into in the lunch room!

Congratulations on finishing your treatments. Enjoy your accomplishment and remember how this day seemed like it would never come. If I could have found my tiara I would have worn it to my last chemo!! Celebrate!!

maryannecb

Marymelodi, awww, you cried. Don't worry you will get through this. I finish my rads in a few weeks and It is a little scary.

Laura I do love your photo. We do have a great spot here.

Tracy your new Avatar looks spunky.

Rosemarie glad you and your family did the walk. That must have been special.

Ravdeb, what news on your itching?

Fists up!

TracySeattle

Hi all,

Just stopping by to see what all of you are up to. I am enjoying my new found freedom now that Rads are done, but it is soon to end as I start back on full time at work on Monday.

Mary - sorry you had a tough time, you sould just go to the Rad Center and see your Techs every day! It is nice that you work right there with them. I had some great techs too and I plan to stop in and say Hi when I have my checkup with the Rad Onc next Month!

maryannecb

Tracy I go back to work on Monday too. Will be strange after all this time at home. But I am looking forward to filling my mind with something other than cancer.

Fists up!

sherryhaire

Don't know how to react this weekend is the walk for life here in m,y small town of about 8000 people. In the local newspaper was a list of people who died of cancer this past year and then a list of the survivors an my name was among them , when you see it in black in white it sure does a number on you.

TracySeattle

Mary-Anne,

I have been back to work part time since the 6th of Feb and I have to tell you that it is refreshing to get back to more normal things. It really does help the "moving on" process. The first week or so was hard as it took a while for my brian to work right and I was pretty tired, but after that, it was good to be back. I will be thinking of you!

Sherry - Maybe I am stange, but I feel honored to be a survivor. I guess I feel that it is an accomplishment to have survived all of the treatment and come through it OK. You shoould go to the walk and participate with the other survivors, I think it would really lift your spirits to be there with more of your bc sisters. We will all be there with you in spirit! (((hugs)))

Leizel - Happy Birthday and hope you had a fun holiday!

maryannecb

Sherry I forgot to acknowledge your bad day yesterday. Maybe you will find your watch...Car accidents are so tragic, it must be hard on your son.

Did you mind seeing your name in the paper? I think I would , a little.

Take care and hope today is better.

Fists up!

debbie444

Sherry - hope today is better for you. If i have a bad day i just try and think that at least ir was just one day and not spread over an entire week!
Did you get any choice over your name being in the paper? Dont think i would like that.

Well, the women at my Look Good Feel Better thing yesterday werent too bad and didnt make me look like Scarey Mary. The goodie bag was phenomenal tho - i would tell you all to see if you can sign up for it if you can. My makeup bag is now graced with the likes of Estee Lauder, Clinique, Yves St Laurent etc ( guess i wont be replacing them when they run out - back to the Avon!) The reps who do the course say that each bag is worth around £200 is that about $350?

Am still suffering from chemo head - at school they are threatening to leave me trails of post it notes so i know what i am supposed to be doing!

Debbie

Graycie

Hi Girls, I haven't been on here lately and boy do I have alot of catching up to do........All your pictures look beautiful. Laura, I love your family picture in Mexico. It is so cute of all of you with the scarves on. You look so healthy and if I didn't know better I would think you were one of the kids. You look like a teenager.

Marymelodi, I did the same thing, I cried on the table a few days before my last radiation. I know how you felt. It seems really strange to be done. I felt secure for some reason going there everyday and I do miss the girls. You will be fine, don't you worry.....just so many changes.

Ravdeb, I am glad to hear your tests show no cancer. I can't believe I am saying I am glad it is a herniated disk because I know that can be painful but that is the lesser of the two evils. How is your itching? I have a pink spot on my arm and for the past week I am paranoid that it is cancer. I asked my ONC and I think he was kind of laughing at me. See what this disease does to us?

Sherry, that must have been hard seeing all the people that died of cancer in your paper but also a good feeling to see that you are one of the survivor's. Are you participating in the walk? I agree with Mary, I think it will help to lift your spirits and make you feel good if you are able to walk it.

Tracy and Maryanne, glad to hear you are back to work. I just wish I had a job to go back too......I gave my job to my sister when I found out I had BC. She was going to fill in until I felt better and now I hate to take it back from her, she really loves it. I am sure I will find another one.

Debbie, I went to the LGFB and I also received some great makeup. It is really nice that they have that for all us cancer patients. I also thought it was a fun time. Although, I didn't get too lucky with them filling in my eyebrows, I did have a good laugh over it. They must have known something that I didn't because they did them black and now I have black hair. lol

I hope you all have a GREAT day.......

Graycie

Graycie

I forgot to mention I am going for my first mammogram today since BC. I am kind of scared, mostly of it hurting. I have to leave in a few minutes. Wish me luck!
Graycie

ravdeb

Tracy...great picture! Debbie...is that a new picture again???? Boy you girls are good at adding new ones! and fast!

marymelodi..congrats on finishing! I have only just begun and am so jealous. I don't think I'll get connected with the people there and I really don't like the grilling process. Not fun at all. Will be so happy to finish! So, enjoy the freedom of no more treatments. Yahoooooooo!

maryanne...great that you will be back to work and immersed in something other than boobs and the problems they cause.
and guess what maryanne... the itch is really scabies! I had a skin test taken today and I even got to see the dang parasite under the microscope. disgusting. But, the bad thing is that my dh has it too...they found the eggs so we are all getting treated for it and doing laundry and so on... but at least it will be taken care of.

I am angry about this because all this time..about 3 months...I've been complaining to any doctor I could get to listen to me, and today was the first time that a doctor (yet another one) said that he couldn't tell for sure and it needed to be tested. I'm pretty mad at my skin doctor for misdiagnosing me and not having me tested. I told my dh that I won't be returning to her anymore (and she is kind of a friend of ours...I told my dh to stop making friend with all the doctors!).

Had an MRI today before rads in preparation for seeing a specialist about my newly diagnosed herniated disk.

was a busy day at the hospital.


ravdeb

RoseMarie

Wow Ravdeb - I'm glad to hear your itching will soon be a memory!!!! It's terrible that you've been suffering needlessly for this long!!!
I guess I'm a little slow but I've never heard of "Look Good Feel Better" I'm going to see if it's available in my area!
My parents are coming up this weekend with my 91 year old grandmother! They'll only be here for a few days but it'll be fun.(for the first few hours anyway!)
Marymelodi - glad to hear you're done!
Graycie - I'll be thinking of you - good luck!

maryannecb

Ravdeb, I knew it! I work in medical field and to me it sounde d classic. It takes 6 weeks til next victim breaks out and gets itchy so it is very sneaky. Make sure you treat the whole household or it will rise again. Don't be too mad at docs, can be difficult to diagnose( as you now know), what made it simple though was your failure to respond to usual care. Typically you are supposed to have burrow tracks but personally I have never seen them.

Graycie hope mammo isn't painful and more importantly looks normal.

It is hard to connect to my rads girls as it is pretty much assembly line--in, lay on table, adjust for less than a minute, they leave for ten minutes then once they come back I get up and off I go. There might be 30 sec of conversation...The appts are booked every 15 min and they are bang on schedule.

Fists up!

Anonymous

marymelodi,
Congrats with FINISHING rads! I wish you the best going forward.

Graycie,
I was wondering where you were! Hope the mammo went well. Let us know.

Everyone else,
Hello!

Laura

Anonymous

and...BTW I'm 8 DOWN - 20 to go w/rads. No burns yet.
Laura

TracySeattle

Graycie! I missed seeing you around! Thinking of you, let us know how your Mammo went!

Ravdeb - I am glad they finally figured it out and now you won't have to itch anymore!

Rosemarie have fun with your parents.

Hi to everyone else!

RoseMarie

Got my first compliment on my hair today I passed an older woman with totally gray, very short hair today in WalMart. She stopped, smiled and told me she liked my hair. I laughed as my hair looks JUST like hers and told her I liked her hair too. She told me she likes to keep it that short since she's so gray.