For those starting chemo in June

mary1220

That was me girls, I clicked to view so I could proof read and it entered. Well anyway, hugs to all of you and I will check in later. P.J. I will continue to pray for you. Just ignore my mistakes on the above post. Mary

janie44

The ride sounds wonderful Mary! When are you going to Hawaii? I plan to go when I get a chance. I think I told you I already had tickets when I was dx'ed and the onc said no way. I didn't want to go while on chemo anyway.

Only 11 more Herceptin treatments! My back has been really bothering me lately. Didn't you have some back problems recently?

Have a good Labor Day weekend everyone.

Warm Fuzzies, Janie

rlswkndr

Paula- I too, am sorry you have to go thru this. We will be here for you, by your side, with love and support. Mary's stories will help keep us smiling.
Renee

janie44

Paula,

As always you are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope your week is not too yucky with all the pre-op stuff. Do you know yet how often the Taxotere will be? Does this mean they ruled out rads after all? I hope you have a good old fashioned Texas Labor Day hot dog feast with your son tomorrow. Or do Texans do hot dogs on Labor Day? That may just be a TN thingee.

Hugs,

Janie

PJB

Thanks all for the support. The taxotere will be every 3 weeks, and the Xeloda is on a 3-week schedule, too. I've read about some very lovely side effects like gastrointestinal junk and peeling and painful hands and feet. Wonderful.... But I've also read it's pretty effective. Of course, I read that about AC and Taxol....

We're going to probably cook out fajitas this weekend, Janie. With some friends at their house with a pool, so that should be a lot of fun. Hope you all have some fun Labor Day stuff happening, too.

mary1220

Well hello girls, I am home and got my daughter(the middle one with the middle child syndrome) and the 2 boys here. She is working on getting her house painted and fixed up so she can move in. She has been here since we left(she actually has a degree in phsyc. and criminal justice). My hubby went over and helped her today. We got home about 1a.m. I was going to cook but had my sons 2 kids and I just ordered pizza.... I played at the park till I could just scream...My daughter hopes to move in by Wed. or Thurs. Shes done a lot by herself. This will get my hubby outta my hair for a while. Let him "Fix Up" her house for a while. I don't have any sympathy for her after all I raised her, revenge is sweet . I have to work tomorrow, Bummer!!!!! I may leave early....I bet my bosses house is a mess cause penny pincher doesn't like to pick up after herself or her kids. I hate to even think of going in, no rest for the wicked.....Hey Janie, we need to Hula together, we will talk..... I will send ya a pic of my helecopter ride. Gotta go, its late already. Hugs, Mary

janie44

Welcome back Mary!

Everyone have a great holiday.

Janie

mary1220

Hi Girls, Yea Janie my hair is growing pretty good. It seems to grow slowly though. I haven't had a trim yet as I am affraid it will kink. Its pretty curley but the top seems to be getting straight. I just let it be because I can't do a thing with it, it does its own thing. I did dye it before I left and it took some color, not a lot but it looks better. Gosh, I am watching the La. flood stuff and I am wondering where all the jobs are going to come from for all the displaced people????? What a mess. Well better go working tonight. Hugs, Mary

janie44

What time zone are you in? Do you work all night and sleep during the day?

mary1220

Janie I am central time, its 9:40 p.m. right now. I don't know what time it will say I posted but we will see. I get to sleep most the time, someone has to be here in case my boss decides to go for a stroll and gets lost at night. If he gets up I hear him because he uses an elevator to get downstairs. (He has one in his home.) Well I better go. Hows the job? Our school starts tomorrow because they were doing some work on the schools and had to get done. I will have grandkids to get to and from school now. Gotta go, Mary

mary1220

AHHHH, my bosses puter is off on the time. Its 10:30. Wow I wasn't tired when I thought it was 9:40 but now that its 10:30 I am. Later, Mary

janie44

Good morning all!

Mary, You are a couple of hours behind me timewise. I'm glad you do get some shut-eye. I was beginning to think you never slept.

School is going fine. It has been very busy from the get-go. I enjoyed the long weekend, but alas, it is over and I had better scoot.

Everyone have a good one.

Janie

janie44

# 42 today!

PJB

Ten more! Ten more! Ten more! Fantastic! Hope today's goes well. It'll be a nice Christmas present to be done, huh?

Hope you're settling back in to non-vacation life, Mary.

Hi to Renee. I'm jealous when I hear about your great weather up there these days. I guess you have to have some beautiful days to offset that nasty winter cold.

I've got a damn cold. Tomorrow I go down to the med center to do all the pre-op junk. (Drain management. I'm really looking forward to that little session.)

Take care,
Paula

mary1220

Hi Girls, Hey, Hey, Hey Janie. Only 10 to go???? I am jealous....I have like 16 or something like that but its a wopping 8 more months. You go girl! Yep....Its back to abnormal around here. My hubby and I are jocking 4 grandkids to and from school. One goes 3 blocks down the street so thats the easy one, he walks. There is no rest for the wicked. Penny pissed me off, sorry....She said she don't know what she will do with her dad the end of next month cause she will be working a lot of hours. She don't want to pay me anymore money, she wants me to work for free, out of "loyality". I left her a note that I don't know how much longer I want to work. I figure let her worry for a while. Now I have Cobra to pay so I hope it don't backfire on me but I know my boss can't stay at home without me and I just had about enough. We would have to sell the house if I lost my job to pay for insurance for the next year. I think Cobra is only good for a year. Oh Well, I if I made her say "Oh Shit" then I made my point. Let her worry for a while or maybe not. OOps gotta go to a baseball game. Later, Mary

janie44

Mary, She has a lot of nerve...but some people just think the world owes them something. Yeah, I have heard about Cobra. I don't know how anyone affords it.

I told my coordinator about my back / rib pain. She told the onc. while I was there today. He said they would monitor it closely and maybe do another bone scan. I really think it is just old age but I have taken lots of Darvocet lately. The back/rib pain is what took me to the doctor in the first place many months ago, and then she says "it's time for you to have a mammogram......." Since the first bone scan showed nothing back then, I tend to still think it is nothing (as in metatasis). The bone scan showed Arthur taking up residence in my shoulder and foot, but not the back/ribs. So I don't know what the pain source is, and apparently neither does anyone else.

PJ, sorry to hear you have a cold on top of everything else.

Renee, Nancy et. al. Hope the world is treating you well.

Janie

PJB

Janie, wish they'd get that pain thing figured out. You and Mary are having a time with that.

Well, so I get back from 3 hours at the hospital (45 mins from here) doing pre-op crap and have a message from the hospital's clinic here in town saying they want more mammo shots. Was there Tuesday. So, I dragged my germified self over there and got squashed some more. All clear, as it turns out. I was about to have them whack off the other one, too...

janie44

PJ, I know you are tired of all the tests etc. Good news about the clear mammo.

mary1220

HI Girls, I second Janies "good news on the mammo". I know how hard it must be to have to go through all this crap already. I would love to say it will be better soon but you have a rough road ahead for a while and I know you will make it through. Its another bump in the road or sink hole may be a better discription. Hang in there. Janie I am going to an ortho guy the 20th. Hes a great spine man so I am going to find out what the heck is going on. I think my onkie only messes with treatment and cancer problems and I think I have a disc problem. It sounds like you may have one too. Well another day flew by thanks to the benadryl sleep. I need to get some things done. Janie, ya know, I seem to eat sweets after my infusion. Then I konk out. No sugar hyperactivity here....Gotta go. Hugs Girls, Mary

janie44

Mary, I'll have to take note of the sweets after the big H. I crave sweets anyway so I don't know if I would notice. My neuropathy of the foot is back! It is so strange that some symptoms of Taxol are returning, like the backaches, now the neuropathy. Maybe it is an accumulative effect of the Herceptin. At least maybe it is kicking butt.

Paula, Hope you have a better day today.

Happy Friday Gang!

Janie

mary1220

Hi Girls, You all have a great wk. end. I am just so happy to be off 2 days and relax, well try to. I have to do some things around my house. My daughter is going to try to get into her house this wk. end. Hey Janie, have you noticed any puffiness in your fingers? I put a ring on Wed. and I can't get it off today. I thought my wedding rings felt tight but didn't really pay attention cause I only take them off to clean them. Oh well. I am scratching today and that will stop Sun. when the diarrhea starts. I have had the foot pain since A/C stopped and it has gotten much worse. I feel like I am walking on marbles. The calf pain in my right calf is bad. A man sitting by me yesterday had it too and they are sending him to get checked for a blood clot. I was checked too and it wasn't and no one knows why my calf hurts so bad. I just live with it. WOW, I can't believe all we have learned to live with now. Well, got to scat(yea like I am so perky) or for a better discription drag my lazy butt back to work for a while. Later, Hope you are hanging in there P.J. Hi to Renee and Nancy Lee. Mary

janie44

Hi Perky Mert:

My lymphedema hand swells anyway. It goes down every night when I wrap everything including my fingers. I did put some rings on that hand - the right, and they were tight...but I do not wear them much on that hand anymore since it seems useless to adorn a hand 1/2 covered by a sleeve and sometimes completely covered by a sleeve and a glove. However, I have noticed that sometimes my left hand looks just as swollen, but not as bad. My right fingers feel funny when I try to bend them. Yet, I write, type, whatever with that hand. My foot isn't really hurting. It is just swollen and numb. I think we need an overhaul and a new transmission.

Hope all is well with everybody. Paula, have a fun-filled weekend.

Janie

janie44

PJ,

Any luck on getting rid of the cold? Will you know the PET scan results quickly? I guess you already know all the tips on surgery, but in case you missed it, I found that wearing snap down dusters with pockets was better than gowns for getting in and out of and for holding the drains. We will be thinking about you for the next several weeks. Hugs. Janie

janie44

Mary,

You mentioned something about checking for errors in your messages. Have you all found that you have more typos and word interchanges etc. since chemo? I still lose words when I'm talking. I guess chemo brain is here to stay.

PJB

Janie, I forget words all the time when I'm talking to people. It's a bit embarrassing. I'm actually on antibiotics now to try to keep this cold from turning into anything else before my PET scan. It's Thursday morning, so I guess I'll probably hear Thu afternoon or Friday. Please, oh, please be clear.....


Anyway, have to work this afternoon and night, so I'm just lying around being useless until work. Hope you guys have a good weekend.

rlswkndr

You guys are great. I get my words mixed up, can't think of a word, sometimes I feel like I have dyslexia! It is very frustrating as I don't usually have any loss for words.
Paula, still praying for you while you wait for those tests. Wish I could jump on a plane and be there with you!
Janie and Mary, You are so close to the end of that tunnel.
It is 90 here today- what's with that? Ironman is here in Verona tomorrow- I can't imagine doing that 2.5 mile swim, 112 miles bike and 24 mile run with that heat! Of course, I can't imagine doing that at all! We are building a new church- we've been renting space- so I am covered in paint. Gotta go rest.
Renee

janie44

Hey Paula. I reallllly hope the next few weeks go well for you.

Hi Renee, 90 in WI ! "Who would of thunk it?"

There was a piece about chemo brain on the news a few months back. Claimed it never goes away. I was hoping they were mistaking, but.....

Everybody have a good day.

Janie

mary1220

Hi Girls, Well hubby has been helping daughter with her house lately. Thank God!!!! She just encourages him to do stuff. I don't know; maybe she bumped her head harder than I thought a few times when she was little. Things are going smooth here since he has been helping her so I won't complain. He is making x-mas stuff (wooden orniments and puzzles) for a couple craft shows we are going to do. We don't sell much around here but we do it. Gosh....Oh Gee....Chemo brain???? I've forgotten what that means???? I am sooo bad that I know exactly what I want to say and all of a sudden the word is gone and its always a word that it's hard to find another for so I replace it with a stupid word like "Now that her husbands gone she won't have so much responsibility and she can have time for herself." I said "now that her husbands gone she won't have so much of ahhh,ahhh burdon"....Can anyone beat that big booboo? I said thats not what I mean.. I just smile and keep my mouth shut now. She had been taking care of a bedfast husband for 4 years. He was fed with a tube etc. He had Lou Garricks desease. I go to write a note and can't spell a word I have been spelling all my life like Lose or bubbles. I just live with it and joke about it cause I think its here to stay. Well hope all is well, I have to intercept and referee a spat with 2 boys before it becomes an all out brawl. Later, Mary

PJB

I tell you. Sometimes I wonder if I've had a stroke I have so much trouble getting words out. It's especially embarassing at work.

Mary, I had to work last night til about 11:30. And today I am just completely wrung out. I can't figure out how you do it all the time and still do all the other stuff you do.

Ordered myself a camisole for when I go asymmetrical next week. Man, I hope they let me wear underwear during the surgery. That was the worst part about my lumpectomy, not being able to. I couldn't figure out why. I mean, they're not operating ANYWHERE near there!

On that note, you guys have a good one....

janie44

Hi All,

--------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>positive vibes coming PJ's way for a clear scan and the right to wear undies.

I agree, the worst place for chemo brain is at work. I am in a lot of meetings trying to explain learning disorders, underlying emotional conditions and such to parents. They probably think I have one myself, and maybe they are right. Maybe I qualify for Other Health Impaired due to chemo brain impeding my educational progress. Got to go to bed. Tomorrow looks like a hectic day.

Anybody watch the US open (tennis)? Some really good matches.

Night all.

JF