Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
Comments
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Oh, Poodles....so glad that you are OK....sorry you are feeling badly ....have had you on my mind! Thanks for letting us know...rest, rest, rest....please!
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Yes, echoing that: try to get some rest MLP! HUGS!!!
Octogirl
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Poodles: thank you for popping in! I worry.
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Worrying about starting rads Monday. Usually have DH and DSister with me but am going it alone for first actual radiation ...already getting anxious. Going to hit the shower and read- hoping to sleep better than last night. Ugh...haate the unknown.
Anyone reading anything light that you would recommend? House is decorated pretty much as it will be except for tree which we will do tomorrow. I need a new book.
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Poodles, glad you are okay. You have an infection? I'm glad you went to the ER. They do anything for you? Take care of yourself and rest and rest some more. HUG HUG HUG HUG
HUGS!
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HH, Please try not to worry about the rads. You're there hardly any time. And most of us have few if any problems or SEs. Don't anticipate problems. You don't need anyone with you unless you just like to have company. When I need good reading, I re-read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (which I have in hard cover AND as e-books so I always have them handy). Or Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh trilogy. I'm reading Jeffrey Archer's Clifton series right now (on #4). Got #1 as a free e-book and got hooked. Then I'm going to read #2 in Meg (M M) Justus' Yellowstone time travel series. So I'm pretty well set.
Glad you are almost all decorated for Christmas.
HUGS!!
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Poodles, glad you are home. Thinking of you.
Some good cheer:
We lost our fur babies (both within two months) last year so thought I'd share our new rescue kitties - Alice and Sammy. 14 and 12 weeks!
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Mlp, I hope you feel better and better. Hugs and thanks for letting us know how you are. Reader, your kitties are adorable.
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Reader, your babies are so cute. Your heart must be filled with furry love.
HUGS!
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Oh, I have a friend who is a HUGE Outlander fan. Actually, several friends. It's odd, but I bought the first book years and years ago and lent it out to someone and somehow never got around to reading it!!! I suppose I should. Everyone I know talks about it so much. Strangely enough, I HAVE read the spin-off mysteries (Lord John).
Yep, my hair seems to grow more on the sides and back than top and front... I was wondering if it was just in my imagination! JLC looks amazing in short hair (and no make-up). My hair is just THE WORST for being short. I've always had a problem with a super-strong cowlick... and seeing my hair grow in, I could see that it was totally strong all over my head--it's one big swirl and is straight and totally lies FLAT. When longer, gravity helps it look a bit less crazy, but short, there's not enough product in the world to make it do anything but what it wants to do!
My wig has long bangs and totally covered my eyebrows when I didn't have them, so I could get away with lightly tracing them in or not. It helped that they didn't fall all the way out until chemo ended, and then they started growing back, so I always had a few hairs there to know where to draw in my eyebrows! If I didn't, I don't think I'd even try--it's not easy! I also wear glasses, so lack of eyelashes wasn't a big thing, either, and they stuck in until right at the end, too. I was surprised that they grew back pretty quickly, too. I guess since they are all such short hair, it doesn't take much.
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poodles -- Glad you got sprung from the ER and didn't needed to be hospitalized.
HappyHammer -- Aside from that first session when they are setting things up and marking and tattooing and taking photos, the regular sessions are super-quick. For me, I was in and out in 20 min, except when I needed to stay and get checked by the RO... and even that was maybe 5 min (with more time waiting for him!).
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Poodles, glad you didn't have to spend the night, and hope you feel better tomorrow. That is one thing I am worried about, the low white counts. I have a pre-existing auto immune issue and have low counts to begin with from that. I know the chemo is going to drop them lower, and I know they are going to give me neulasta, and that they plan on chemo taking 6 months because of this. Ugh. I just don't want to spend time admitted because of it.
Got most of my Christmas presents wrapped today
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April, don't you love the Lord John series? He is so interesting. Do invest or borrow the Outlander series. I think Diana Gabaldon's writing is superb. Her characters aren't "flat", they are flesh and blood. I love what she does with mere words. After re-reading the series, I hate to emerge from the world she has created. Happy reading! One of my favorite quotes is:
Reality is That Which, When You Stop Believing in It, Doesn't Go Away
From "Written in My Own Heart's Blood" by Diana Gabaldon. I think we've all learned that.
HUGS!
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LoveMyVizsla- Want to mention about the neulasta... it really helped keep my counts up. It was a bit painful when they gave injection in my arm. Got brave enough to have injection in stomach last couple of times and it was much better. Hard to imagine but guess there just aren't as many nerves there. Hope your chemo goes smoothly.
PontiacPeggy- thanks for the help about radiation. I am going for a long walk this afternoon and again in the morning to get my mind set on "positive". Mostly, I have been able to do that with each step. Trying to let things go and not stress. Thanks for the book ideas as well!
Reader- those 2 are SO cute!!
April- your wig sounds cute and is doing double duty with keeping the eyebrows covered. I wear glasses too. Think that's why I didn't realize the lashes had fallen out again.
Great weather here today- clear and around 60. Going to enjoy it. Hope you gals have a great day!
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HH, for me, I found that concentrating on what each treatment was doing - killing cancer - helped me stay positive. You probably already know that having gone through chemo. Radiation was just a blip on my radar but I had a lot going on about then. DH was in hospital with post-surgery pneumonia and was in dire shape and he wasn't in good health prior to the surgery. My BC took a back seat to caring for him. I certainly did everything I could but I was concentrating on him. Life sure doesn't stop because you have BC
Definitely give Diana Gabaldon or Sharon Kay Penman a whirl. Neither writes "bodice-ripper" books. They are for adults who appreciate good writing and stories.
Let us know how tomorrow goes. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is. Even for 33 times
HUGS!
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Thought I'd share this clinical trial for Mammaprint testing ...
If you have been diagnosed and are early stage ( see the link), it may be of interest to you....http://www.abstracts2view.com/sabcs15/view.php?nu=SABCS15L_557
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Thanks for the nice comments about our sweet kitties. They really are both love bugs!
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Thanks for the kitty pics, reader. They are adorable.
Vizsla, I get the Neulasta the day after each chemo. At first they were giving it to me at the chemo center, but then my insurance called me and "offered" to "let" me give it to myself at home. How swell of them. Oh, well, it's not a big deal--I'm a nurse and I've done way worse things than give myself a shot. Still, its one of those little inconveniences of life to have to order it, make sure you receive it on time (and on ice!), and remember to give it to yourself the day after chemo. This might seem silly, and I suppose in the scheme of things it is, but I'd really rather just not have to even bother with it.
I must say, the Neulasta has been doing its job. My WBCs are staying above 9 and my red blood count is decent enough. This stuff is the bomb.
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Poodles, are you feeling better? Temperature down? That's not real nice of the insurance company to make you give yourself Neulasta. That should be done at the chemo center. I'm glad you're able to do it but geez. So glad it is working for you!
HUGS!
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poodles - glad you are home from the ER!
Italtchick - Wow, you have lot of hair!
Happyhammer - your stories remind me of the day I rubbed my eyebrow off. Be careful of a little itch! Haha
Those of you in chemo, I'm thinking of you. My WBC count got down to 1, and nulasta bumped it up just fine. You ladies hang in there!
I got some good news. My lymphedema in my arm is down, and I'm only wearing my sleeve and gauntlet when I exercise or am busy. Yay. Unfortunately, my foot was swollen today, but I am elevating it. Geez, I am so DONE with side effects!
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Oh geez, Sloan. If it's not one thing it's another.
Peggy, my temp has been below 100.2 for about 24 hours now, so I'm feeling a lot better now. I must say, Fri night and all day Sat were pretty rotten. My poor DH kept trying to feed me, but nothing tastes right. It's not just the flavor of food, but the texture smell, and other intrinsic things. Like, if I gave you a plate of potato chips but they turned into paper clips and cigarette ashes in your mouth. It's hard to describe. Finally, around 6pm I told DH that the only thing that sounded appealing to me was a donut~! So, he drove me up to the Dunkin Donuts shop and bought me a donut & diet coke, then drove me around the neighborhoods to look at Christmas decorations. About an hour of that wore me out, but it was good to be able to get out of the house for a little bit.
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Mustlovepoodles: yeah, remembering frm friends-and-acquaintances that there often comes a point in chemo where it's 'whatever tastes good and stays down' is what you eat. Nutrition be bleeped, at least temporarily. (Clear memories of one lady, terribly embarassed that I'd caught her with an armful of Little Debbies in the grocery store checkout.)
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Poodles, good news about the temp - I'm sure that helps. It amazes me what chemo can do to taste. Your description was very vivid. Glad the donut and diet Coke worked. Hopefully, you'll get your taste buds back in good order soon.
HUGS!
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Aww, he bought you doughnuts and a diet coke. That's love.
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Poodles -- Just eat what you can stand to eat. SO wonderful of your DH to get you doughnuts! Chemo was just awful for me as far as eating. I basically couldn't stand anything (except ice cream! OK, maybe Instant Breakfast... something easy and gentle like milk with something to give it a chocolate flavor. Even soda hurt to drink!). Each time I'd.) do a cycle of chemo I'd lose 10lbs. I got all the way down to my High School weight--around 120lbs. But I was SO happy to be able to eat after Chemo that I gained it all back! (Oops!) Just hang in there.
My first docs prescribed me Neupogen--I had to shoot myself up 5 times! I switched insurance and docs and got Neulasta and they would give me the shot. Whew! SO much nicer!!! Yeah, I could do it, but it was no fun... Weird that insurance makes you do it yourself.
PontiacPeggy -- I love the Lord John books. I'm sure I'll love the Outlander books... just got to find the right time to tackle them! I have a bit of a thing for Scotland, to begin with (I went to the University of Edinburgh for a year). I also have a degree in History. I don't know why I haven't jumped in and read them yet. I'll probably kick myself later for waiting so long. That happens to me with some books!
HappyHammer -- I look way too much younger in my wig. I haven't had thick hair like that EVER. It's kind of scary. (I'm sure people are thinking I'm a kid from the back... but then they see me from the front and I'm definitely so very far from being a kid!) It's a bother to wear a wig, but I probably will miss it after my hair grows back. I'll probably keep it around for bad hair days, although people will probably wonder why my hair sometimes looks long and thick and other times thin and scraggly! (Of course, now I'm either in a knit cap or thick long wig, so I guess that's weird enough.)
I am SO glad my lashes only fell out once and immediately started growing in. I remember them falling out, and the stupid things kept falling into my eyes! So annoying! -- The stubby-lash phase was interesting. I'm glad the glasses pretty much distracted from all that! (and I have crappy, short, sparse lashes anyway, so I wasn't missing much when they were gone).
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Benefit Cosmetics operates “Brow Bars" in most Macy's and some Nordstrom stores. Not only do they groom wayward brows but they will show you how to simulate missing or fill in sparse ones.
For “light” reading I’m a fan of humor books--Jenny Lawson, Ali Wentworth and David Sedaris are always good for a laugh. Rock star autobiographies, John Grisham legal-drama novels (Scott Turow’s are a bit darker). I like crosswords (especially very hard themed ones), acrostics and especially diagramless and “skeleton” ones (I think I’ve exhausted every one of them for sale on Amazon).
Went to Barnes & Noble today to check out some adult coloring books--but most of them aren’t my thing. Too many are like filling in wallpaper patterns. For me, there has to be some sort of purposeful picture to color, such as still-lifes, landscapes, animals, etc. Those pattern ones give me headaches. Found one of Van Gogh’s paintings, with thumbnails on the inside cover as a guide. There was also “Secret Paris” and “Secret New York,” but there were too many little patterns, tchotchkes, and nondescript streetscapes and not enough recognizable landmarks. For a performing artist, I guess I’m disgustingly left-brained. How I miss Venus Paradise sets! (eBay has a few uncolored templates, but for insanely high prices; and the numbered pencils for sale tend to be used or limited to a few colors per collection). Never could do paint-by-numbers: too messy & smelly.
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April, a woman is entitled to change her look - even hourly. So wear the wig when the spirit moves you. Long, thick hair sounds wonderful! And yes, you will kick yourself for not having read the Outlander books. I love big, long books. I wish I had been a history major - I would be now (and interestingly, both my sons, who are in the tech industry, would be too). Must have been fun going to school in Scotland.
ChiSandy, I was wondering about the adult coloring books. I'm with you - I want the pictures to be of SOMETHING rather than wallpaper as you said. I did do paint by number. I'm definitely no artist but I enjoyed doing them. Not familiar with the Venus Paradise stuff.
HUGS!!
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Happy Chanukah to those who celebrate.
My taste buds come and go. But the thing that I like best is spicy food. Chinese, Thai, Mexican and Indian are my faves. Although I might pay for it later , it sure tastes good going down. It's making me hungry just typing about it
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Jclc83, I don't think I could face spicy foods for breakfast. You're a better woman than I am! Glad you've found food that agrees with you.
HUGS!
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Starz Original has the Outlander series on demand....I might have to check it out after all the recommendations. I'm a very slow reader so don't think I could get thru all the books.
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No, spicy didn't work for me at all. Think the taxotere made everything seem hotter or spicier and it would often "hurt" to eat. I've lost about 35 lbs since starting all of this...taste buds are back to normal but still not eating as much as before and that is good! Much healthier, too. There are things I ate after treatments that I will prob never be able to eat again... the thought of some things makes me feel yuck! I had been drinking the Shakeology protein shakes in the mornings before BC and that has continued to work and be something I could have all of the way through.
Also, about the neulasta....I took Claritan (generic) and Aleve for 4 days starting day of chemo for the possible joint pain and it worked.
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