The Chemosabe March Cruise

playwriter

i'm thinking of making a pumpkin pie from scratch this year, rather than a can of pie filling. any recipes? also, i would love a good broccoli/cheese casserole recipe. i tried one last year for Christmas dinner, and it sucked.

today is my last day of rads! yahoo!

love and prayers,

terri

GrammyNancy

Terri....congratulations....I think today is your final rad!

Melissa, nice to hear from you...happy the rads are behind you!

MissS...great news on your cholestrol...sorry to hear about the EF not improving.  Take care of yourself and eat that protein.

LisaSD....how you doing?  How are the girls looking?

Jacque...as always you are in my prayers.

rosebud1962

Congrats on finishing your rads Terri!!!  Here's a pumpkin pie recipe that I love.  Fresh pumpkin is some trouble but it's worth it in taste.  Remember, you can sub fresh pumpkin in any pie recipe you have, just use 2 cups instead of one can and add your own spice to taste.

Use pie pumpkin, they are small and more dense then regular jack-o-lanterns.  Pie pumpkins have less water and more sugar also and that's why you should always use them.  Cut your pumpkin in half and remove any seeds and that stringy pulp.  Bake at 325 on  greased baking sheet 30 to 40 mins till fork tender.  Cool till just warm and then scrape from peel.  Either mash or puree small batches in a blender.  Put pumpkin in a fine mesh strainer and let drain over night.  This gives you really thick pulp and reduces the watery pie you might get if you don't.

Next day, pre heat oven to 450 and in a large bowl mix the following..

2 cups pie pumpkin                       1 table spoon flour

2 eggs                                           1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar      2 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 (12 fluid ounces) can evaporated milk

Mix well and taste to see if you like the spice, add more if you'd like or perhaps add some nutmeg or cinnamon.  It's up to you now just how much or little spices you like.  Pour into a prepared pie crust.  Place strips of aluminum foil around the edges of the crust to prevent over browning.

Bake 10 mins at 450, then reduce oven temp to 350 and  bake for an additional 40 to 50 mins, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Remove the strips of foil about 20 mins before the pis is done so that the edges will be golden brown.  Refrig overnight for best flavor.

Mine never make it over night, heck..they never get a chance to cool even.  Good luck on your baking and just ask me if you have any questions..I love to cook...Hugs..rosebud

GrammyNancy

Thanks Rosebud....this sounds wonderful!

Keenie

Yea! Terri's done!! Congratulations on your final rad! I hope you aren't too tired to try Rosebud's amazing recipe. I saw some of those sugar pumpkins in the store and I may give it a whirl!



Hope everyone has a grand weekend!

Christine

jacqniel

Thanks everyone for your kind words and thoughts.  While I am far from feeling myself I can see improvement each day.  I have one week to get myself fighting ready for my next round of chemo.  I can tell you, I am NOT looking forward to it - but I do want to beat the nasty beast so guess it is fists up.

I am so happy to hear about all of you finishing up your rads.  Soon all of this will be just a bad memory. 

Miss S - do take care of yourself.  And yes, protein is a very important part of your healing process.  I decided it was reason enough to enjoy a good fillet once a week for a while!

OK, Rosebud - now you have made ME hungry! 

Take care everyone!  Hugs, Jacque

GrammyNancy

Jacque...so nice to hear from you...and it is wonderful that you are seeing some improvement!  You will beat this nasty beast!

Rosebud, I'm cooking the pie right now.

whitecotton

Rosebud that pie sounds so good. 

Jacque my goodness I am so happy to hear you are doing a little better. What I do remember so well during chemo was baby steps.

Miss S take care of that heart of yours. I am going for a muga soon and I hope all is well.

GrammyNancy it is nice to be back I missed you girls.

take care all

Melissa

rosebud1962

Hey white, I'm glad you found your way back to us!!!  I got burned really badly during rads to but that seems like a distant memory now.  Good luck on your muga!! 

Grammy..Hope that pie turned out.  I just love pumpkin.  Maybe I'm the great pumpkin reincarnated? LOL.

Now if everyone make the pie and send me some I won't have to make anymore this year.LOL   Hugs to all...rosebud

LisaSDCA

Mmm-mmm, I can just smell homemade Pumpkin Pie wafting its way westward!  In this house the #1 pie is Pecan but Pumpkin makes it smell right, doesn't it?

I'm so sorry to have been MIA for so long. I seem to only be able to prop myself up here at the computer for a limited time these days. Not that my recovery is not going well, it is - just that this is not a particularly good position for me.

Jacque - I'm glad to hear you are seeing some small improvements. You have been my chemo idol all along, going out to dinner and concerts and traveling and lunching with friends all in the midst of treatments when I was being a dud. So you just give youself a chance to catch up and take it easy. It'll come back to you - you define irrepressible, girl.

Terri - congrats on getting through rads. Did you throw a Goodbye Rads party, too? Or is it too chilly for the pool now?

Nancy - Thanks for asking about the 'girls'. They ended up being the full C-cups I've always had, even after my surgeon said I'd only have B's since I was losing weight after chemo. They are really just the "breast mounds" now, and need Stage II and so on, but despite the swelling, still look pretty darn good in clothes. And I can go bra-less for the first time since I was 13!  I've gotten my range of motion back much faster than I expected with a bilat. mastectomy which has helped a lot with that helpless feeling, but it'll be awhile before my activity level is back to normal. An SIEA and DIEP leaves you with a few owies. They are so worth it, though!

MissS - I was so surprised to read of your sudden drop in your ejection fraction. Take extra special care of yourself. Are you able to find the energy to keep up with work? I will say a little prayer for you. Can you believe I have still never had a MUGA? Not before or after chemo. They just went with the EKG I had.

Good luck with your MUGA, too, Melissa.

Hugs to all my Chemosabe Sisters,

Lisa

playwriter

rosebud -- thanks for the recipe. i'll have to try it out this w/e. do i bake the pumpkin face up or face down?

lisa! so good to hear from you! glad you are doing better. glad the girls are perky.

Jacque -- still praying for u, sistah.

Bettye -- congrats on being done with rads and being back in Mississippi!

missS -- hope you're feeling better.

playwriter

we went on a little family vacation to the hill country of texas to celebrate the end of my cancer tx. we stayed at a family friendly resort that had a water park, and nightly western entertainment. DDs were over the moon. i got to relax and read, and do some shopping in Boerne and Fredericksburg. i'd show y'all some pics, but i slipped in the wave pool and dropped my camera and now it's not working....

anyway! i'm looking forward to today, which will be the first day since my dx on February 12, that i haven't had to plan my life around surgeries, chemo, or rads.

i am going to have a BRCA this week, tho.

rosebud1962

Terri..you want to bakes those puppies cut side down on a grease baking sheet.  It would be good if the baking sheet has a small lip cause they do lose some moisture when they cook.  Sometimes I boil them also but that just adds moisture and that's something you don't want..Glad you had sometime off...feels good ddoesn't it!? 

playwriter

today is my first day since  February 9th that I'm a) alone and b) not concerned about upcoming cancer treatments or surgeries. i can't decide if i want to laze around and watch tv, or tackle the clutter, or go see a movie.

dear rosebud, thank u for yr help. wish u could come to Texas and show me how! i'll let u know how it turns out....

Anonymous

Terri, congrats on being finished. It's time to worry about new stuff! Yay!!!

Love you,

Miss S

MisK

Hi, everyone!! It's been awhile since I have been here to check in. Hope everyone is doing good. Doing pretty good here. I was wondering if anyone here is on Tamoxifen. I have been taking it for about 2 months. I am wondering if I should still be getting my period while on this medication. Can anyone answer this question for me? Thanks. Take care, everyone!!

jacqniel

Wow!  It is wonderful seeing everyone checking in! 

Still crawling up the hill, but if I look back a week I can see progress has been made.  I go in tomorrow for blood work to make sure my platelets are rebounding.

My son has fall break and will be here tomorrow for a visit through the weekend (from Minneapolis).  It will be great to have him around, plus he's always very helpful so I have some projects for him!  Hoo Hoo!

Hugs!

3boys4me

Hi!  Just checking in.  I love to hear the stories of those who have completed this part of their journey.  Though, some of you seem to be in the same boat as me, still trudging along at what seems like a snails pace when what you really want is for this to be over and done with.

I got aspirated again Monday, but I think the amount of fluid is subsiding.  I see my surgeon again on Friday to see if I need more aspirating.  If not, it's chemo again on the 25th, but as usual, I'm not holding my breath. 

love to all,

Lisa 

GrammyNancy

Melissa...prayers for a good Muga.

LisaSD...so nice to hear that you are doing so well and that the girls are perky.  Take care of yourself and don't overdo.

Rosebud...the pie was delicious...now I've got to up my exercise to get rid of the weight I gained...it was worth it!

Terri....sounds like a nice vacation...you deserve it.  Sorry about your camera.  Hope you enjoyed your first day of nothingness since Feb 9th (that was my surgery date).

MisK...good to hear from you and find that you are doing well.  I am taking arimidex as I am post menopausal but I believe that tamaxifen is for premenopausal and I think some women get there periods back after chemo pause and others don't.  I believe there is a test your drs can do to see if you have transitioned into menopause.  I'm sure someone will come by soon that knows the correct answer to this.

Jacque....glad to hear you are making progess....crawling is good!  Your going in the right direction.  Fingers crossed for good results with you blood work tomorrow.  Have fun with your son...those visits are so special.

Lisa with 3 boys...good to hear from you.  The snails pace I relate to...go every week for my herceptin infusion, will be going until July of 2008 but we are doing what we have to do.  Good luck on Friday...hoping that fluid is a thing of the past.

Hugs to you all,

Nancy

playwriter

hey guys, i just found out the girls and i made the 2008 Hope and Inspiration Calendar after all! I'm apparently Mrs. May . You can order a copy from the photographer at 800-401-0118. i haven't even seen it yet, but i know what my family's getting for Christmas gifts, LOL!

playwriter

Bettye and I got together for lunch last week -- here's the pic:

playwriter

I'm starting a cancer posse, as two friends of friends have been dx'd in the past few months. Here's our first meeting:

 My t-shirt says "bald chicks rock"

playwriter

Did we have fun on our vacation?

yes, we did!

rosebud1962

What a AWESOME picture of your little girl.  That feeling that you caught in the picture describes how I am sure most of us felt when we finished up one or all of our treatments!  I can just feel the joy.  Great shot!!!  rosebud

whitecotton

awe terri those pictures are all so cute. I will have to pick up that calender.

Went out tonight played texas holdem lost five bucks. So happy to be out visiting friends and enjoy company again. Life is slowly getting back to normal.

Melissa

playwriter

any ideas when it's safe to start dying the hair? i'm more salt than pepper these days!

whitecotton

o my gosh so am I. I heard that you can do it any time.

I am just affraid I will have to do it like every 2 weeks. lol

I had my muga today but no words on how it was yet.

melissa

Keenie

Hi Girls!

I'm sitting at the Hilton in Seattle, writing this!  I've been attending a teaching conference this past 4 days and now I'm heading home.  It's been fun, but I think I'm going to be very tired tomorrow...

So, my gf dyed her post chemo hair after about 6 months and the colour was wrong- like ORANGE - and her poor hair got fried!  So, I'm waiting.  And embracing my greyness!  Even though I got called Granny . . .

Christine

Anonymous

I just dyed my hair yesterday and it's a really funky red color. It was supposed to be dark blonde. My lil gray sideburns show pretty often on the sides of my wig, so I was trying to make it blend. My hair is still very healthy so I might try again in a week or so.

Miss S

jacqniel

Hi all

The climb continues.  2nd three week cycle started today.  Right now I am hyped up on the prechemo drugs.  Too bad that feeling doesn't last longer.

I loved all the pics Teri - your daughter is adorable - no teeth and all.  By the way - were you the t-shirt fairy?

My hair is coming in very slowly.  Supposedly it should regrow on this new tx (however, it was coming in on the old one, too).  So far it looks pretty white with just a little dark sprinkled in.  I have decided to go blonde this time, rather than aubourne.  When I see how much white I have I realize why it was so hard to keep a true color!

Good luck Mellissa on the MUGA!

Hugs, Jacque