The Chemosabe March Cruise

pmarsh34

Bald truly is beautiful!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing ladies.

marshabel

Happy Birthday, Ladies!

Love the bald pics - you guys are truly gorgeous!

Miss S - how long do you continue with the Senecot? My immediate problem resolved itself (painfully), but I'm gonna prepare better next time. Terri - be careful - don't let yours go too long!

Thanks, everyone for your helpful advice with the big C.

Here's wishing calm seas for all of you this week!

Marshabel

Anonymous

Woohoo for the sexy bald ladies.... you are beautiful!

Marsha, if I get home from chemo at 1PM, take Senecot and haven't had a BM by bedtime; I would take another one at bedtime. The only time I have had to take more than two was the first time when I let the "C" go for 2 or 3 days before I started trying to fix it. [I know... very dumb!]

As a rule of thumb, since it says it works overnight, I would give it at least 8 hours to work before taking another.... but I have taken a second one after 4 hours when I was obviously suffering.

Good luck and happy movements all around.

Miss S

jillrush

Sign me up for the bar on Friday May 4. Taking first taxol tx. I'm half way there!!

Keenie

Gorgeous pictures, ladies! As I recently said to my friend, I'm going to try out for the two new soap operas - "The Young and the HAIRLESS" and "The BALD and the Beautiful". I'll try and load a picture later. . .
Christine

dmknanny

Rosebud and Terri - you ladies look MAAHVALOUS, Daaaahlings.....
I have been enjoying bubble baths much more frequently since I've been diagnosed...we went to Lowe's to look at jacuzzi tubs last night which would be so much better than the regular bathtub....
Gotta go shower and head to the bar - see you there Rosebud and BettyE

GrammyNancy

Updated Bar Reservations April 29 - May 5

Monday: Whitecotten (#3), Jacque, Cynthia (#3)
Tuesday: Rosebud (#3), BettyeE (#8), dmknanny (#4)
Wednesday: Taurie (#2), PMarsh (#3),
Keenie (last tx..Hurray!!!), 3boys4me (#3)
Thursday: Playwriter (#3), MissShapen (#4), Subilvox, MusicMom (#4)
Friday: Jillrush (1st taxol)

Smooth sailing!!!!

jacqniel

Rosebud and Playwriter - you look great! Yesterday at my tx there was a gal who was bald but beautiful. I wish I had the moxi to do this. She was a tall middle aged woman - and she looked great.
Marsha - my onc told me to take two Senokot S the evening after my chemo and then every evening as needed. By the way, you can get a printable $3.00 off coupon for this at senokot.com. My onc also gave me a trial sized prescription med called Amitiza that is suppose to be very good - but my onc nurse pointed out all the side effects, so decided to keep it in my arsenal if my Senokot doesn't work.

playwriter

i ate some Activa today, and literally within ten minutes has a BM -- first one in days. i feel like writing Dannon a fan letter....
DD1 accidentally got sharpie on the kitchen table this morning -- i used Magic Eraser and voila, all gone!

JannM

Dmknanny and Dawn happy belated birthday to both of you. Sorry I missed it. :-(

Angel, sleep is elusive, that's for sure. Can't remember who suggested it, but a combo of melatonin and benedryl has worked for me lately. (melatonin 90 minutes before bed, benedryl 30 minutes before bed). I have an ativan script, too, but try not to take that as often because the onc told me one of the side effects was becoming dependant on it.

Rosebud and Terri: You do look wonderful!

taurie

Thanks for all the great bday wishes.
Rosebud (#3), BettyeE (#8), dmknanny (#4), hope your trip to the bar went ok today.
Got a little worried about mine. Tomorrow is the bar and no emend as of this morning. I called the company and thier pharmacy forgot to send it. (After calling me on thursday and telling me it was on the way) I got these visions of the inside of the toilet bowl. Merck said they would ship it priority overnight, but chemo is 10 am. Thank goodness my onc said come get some from us and replace it when you get yours. Whew, visions gone.
Hope everyone is well.

playwriter

so, has anyone else had weird medical bills?
i got bills from 2 separate pathology labs, they both said "Surg Path Level V 2 Specimen" for the same day. both labs used the same billing service, so i called, and the lady said, "Oh. One lab performed the test. The other interpreted it."
Oh.
Wow, wouldn't it be wacky if the same lab could do BOTH?

Anonymous

Post deleted by MissShapen

Keenie

Miss S!

Fantastic! You can be a different woman 6 days a week!

Went to Look Good Feel Better today and it was a treat. Lots of nice goodies and three pink roses at the end. I recommend it if it's available in your area.

Christine

taurie

Keenie,
I did sign up for Look Good Feel Better, but its not at my hospital until June. Guess I have something to look forward too.
Oh and big suprise today, my DD wrote into Montel, telling how I had cancer, my husband disabled, our fight with medical treatments, blah blah. Montel Show called her today, made her send in all kinds of family photos, me with and without hair, wants pics of chemo tomorrow. I dont know whats happening with it all but will keep you posted.
Dawn

donnacws

Hi Miss S
While browsing, I noticed your comment about hats not feeling secure. I went to Home Depot and bought some adhesive backed foam weather stripping, in a roll. I cut it to fit the hat band and pressed in place. The foam keeps the hat secure on my head. As it is already 100 degrees in Phoenix, I will not wear a wig. Though I did buy a hair halo from headcovers.com to wear with a fancy hat for my son's graduation. If the hat blows off, I'll look like Friar Tuck
Regards, Donna

Keenie

Wow. Maybe you'll get to be on t.v.

I've never watched Montel - does he give away cars - like Oprah?

My cheekiness aside, I'm so shocked when I read about some of the medical problems and struggles you ladies in the States have to go through. In Canada, we take our system for granted. And while it's not perfect, you go to the front of the line when you have a serious condition like BC. I'm truly thankful for the care and attention I've received - all without a phone call to an insurance company or an HMO (whatever that is).

Christine

Keenie

Taurie,
Keenie here again! I just told my husband about the Montel thing and he said, it should never have gotten that far. He's right! You've got so much to focus on with your family and your health, that worrying about whether or not your meds are covered etc. is outrageous. This Canadian family is praying for you!

Christine

Anonymous

Thanks Donna! That's a great idea! I have a Lowe's right down the street. I appreciate you taking the time to pass on a good tip! That sounds like it will keep my hats on much better.

I hope your hat stays on. LOL If mine blows off, I'll be wearing my hat hair.

Miss S

Anonymous

Terri,
I get so many bills from people i have never heard of! It seems like I get billed 5 times for each thing I get done. I gave up trying to figure it out. I just try to make sure the insurance company isn't rejecting anything, which keeps me on my toes.

I just received a copy of the paperwork my onc sent to my HR department. It said, "current smoker 25 pack day." It says it with each visit! I quit smoking in 1988! I didn't smoke for 25 years, either. Nor did I smoke 25 packs a day!
I can't wait til Thursday so I can tell my onc I don't smoke!

Miss S

marshabel

I know what you guys mean about the crazy bills. Sometimes I get a couple of bills from the same place, dated 2 or 3 days apart with totally different info on them. For example, I got a bill from my gyno for my hysterectomy in Dec. saying they were turning it over to collection, then a couple of days later I got a refund check from them for overpayment. Terri, I agree about the lab stuff - what a racket!!!

Dawn - that's cool about Montel.....keep us updated.

Jacque - thanks for the coupon info. That stuff was $20, but I got some today, since so many of you report good results.

Angel - this is day 6 for me after #3, and I also slept all day. Usually I could not take a daytime nap no matter how hard I tried, but the fatigue is really beginning to hit me. I barely made it thru the grocery store today, but had to go cuz I was out of everything. By the way, I've developed an addiction to those little cups of lime jello with pineapple....it temporarily gets rid of the 18 wheeler in my mouth. OK, now I have to go eat one.

Talk to you all later,

Marshabel

Angelflight

As far as the sleep meds, I've tried the Melatonin to no avail. Also Ativan and a dozen others with no help. Dr. keeps giving me new stuff to try and it doesn't work either. The most recent was Lunesta and all it did was give me a headache for 3 days.

dmknanny,
I had my new jacuzzi tub put in last Sept. We got it at Lowes. Funny thing is most of the tubs have no space in the bottom to even sit with your legs stretched out. We decided to just replace the tub and by accident found one made especially for Lowes by American Standard. Looks just like a reg tub and was only $329 as opposed to the $700 most started at. I love it and am so glad I didn't get one of the others. You can see it here:
http://users.adelphia.net/~angelflight1/AngelsHouseRemodel.html

Angel

maxgirl

Hey, cruisers!

Nancy: I'm with Jill, getting my 5th treatment, 1st Taxol on Friday. Oh, what new and interesting adventures will this med bring?

I had no problem with nausea after tx #4, but I've been living on Colace and Sennekot at least every other day.

Also, my blood counts, which have been falling gradually, tanked this time. One day I worked 7 hours, the next day I couldn't move. I worked from home several days so I could take naps and finally asked if I could come in and get checked out. Normally I don't get blood work until a day or two before treatment. So I got a Procrit shot today and will get one a week for the next 3 weeks.

I also lost 5 pounds from lack of appetite and my sore mouth and also a honking big cold sore right at the crack of my mouth. I can't even open wide enough to floss, so my mouth feels really yucky.

And to make life interesting, I'm having a battle with my onc over communication issues and my mother had an emergency hospitalization over the weekend for high blood pressure, which she has never had before. (Why do I feel my condition has something to do with it?)

Anyone have some cheese to serve with this whine?

My mother is out of the hospital now -- no clear reason for the BP spike -- and I'm actually feeling better. That licking the tires feeling has decreased, and as soon as I can open my mouth wide, I might be able to eat some decent food.

Sorry this is such a me-me-me post, but I knew you'd understand. I'll catch up on SO's to everyone tomorrow.

GrammyNancy

Updated bar reservations for May 2 - May 5

Wednesday: Taurie (#2), PMarsh (#3), Keenie (last tx...Hurray!!!), 3 boys4me (#3)

Thursday: Playwriter (#3), MissShapen (#4), Sybilvox, MusicMom (#4)

Friday: Jillrush (1st Taxol), Maxgirl (1st taxol)

Smooth sailing!!!!

GrammyNancy

Taurie...happy your Emend problem took care of itself...wouldn't want you going to the bar without it! Let's know about Montel....we can say we knew you before you became a celebrity plus any media attention that BC gets helps us I think.

Playwriter...I agree with you....aren't these bills just crazy..it's a full time job keeping up with all of them.

Keenie...you folks in Canada are fortunate not to have to deal with this insurance stuff and just focus on getting better.

Maxgirl...sorry to hear about your Mom...prayers for her speedy recovery.

Question Ladies getting the Neulasta shot....they changed me from Luprine to Neulasta last Friday...I was being so cocky, feeling great and then last night the bone pain started...I am able to control somewhat with Tylenol but I'm wondering how long should I expect this to last? Thanks for your help!

Wishing calm seas to Taurie, PMarsh, Keenie and 3boys4me as you go to the bar today!

Nancy

jacqniel

Nancy, the worst of the Neulasta pain only lasts a few days for me. And the last two times I haven't had much problem with it. It was pretty bad the first few times (extremely achy sternum, ribs and hips).

Max, so sorry you have had such a bad time of it. Don't worry about whining - that is what 'sisters' are for.

Angel - did that tub price include the jacuzi workings or was that just the tub?

I am so fortunate as my DH takes care of checking out all my bills. So far everything has been covered - but he checks them over to make sure the insurance company isn't being duped. We had one problem where they were going to charge us $600.00 for a heart monitor, saying the company used wasn't on their preferred list - which they were. But I think we got that settled.

I have decided that I like scarves better than hats & wigs. I have been collecting hats and scarves over the last few months but it is hard to find cotton ones that are larger - and I like cotton for the hotter months. I tie the cotton scarf on like a bandana and then put a pretty scarf around the edge for color and interest. I purchased a bunch of cotton fabric at a fabric store and as I left my eyes fell on the Junior League Jumble Shop (which is a thrift store)across the street. A light bulb went off and I went in and low and behold they had some beautiful scarves for not much money (four for around $10.00). Now I am hot to search other thrift stores. So much less costly than the $20.00 + the department stores want!

Good luck to all having their cocktails today!

Hugs, Jacque

GrammyNancy

Hey Girls,

Just wanted to brag a little bit. One of my granddaughters just completed a commerical for a new product by Juicey Juice. Although they have not put voices to the clip yet you can see it at website...www.4morebites.com. Hope you enjoy...she's a real ham.

Nancy

Anonymous

Nancy,

She is absolutely adorable! What a cutie! How old is she?
I can't wait for sound... Heh!

Miss S

jacqniel

She is darling. You have a right to brag! Jacque

playwriter

cutie patootie! can't wait for sound!

can i just say, today i was stopped at a stop light, and the guy in the car beside me honks his horn. i look over, and he gives me a thumbs up. i roll down my window, and he says, "That look is good on you!"
I said, "Well, I'm not bald by choice, I'm a chemo patient."
He said, "Well, I'm sorry about that, but you look good bald! Not everyone can carry that off, but you can!"

Can I just say, I have never in my almost 45 years of existence, had someone stop me in traffic to tell me how good I look before. That made my day!