Starting Chemo March 2015

SpecialK

trvler - lol! I was on a sweet potato fries with sriracha mayo kick and decided if someone would provide me with daily servings that I would work for food! My friend had all her tights (she probably had 50 pairs - no joke!!!) in a paper bag in the closet - I organized them by color and texture and put them folded in a shallow drawer so they are all visible. Did the same with her cycling socks - I don't know why that stuff makes me happy, but it does. I also re-did all of her kitchen cabinets. She keeps texting me to ask where things are, lol!

shaz101

specialk I think you should come and visit me. Andrews a chef, you can have any food you want!

ksusan

Katy, thinking good thoughts in your direction.

slothabouttown

Katy, time for a trip to Portland? You might need to escape from the construction noise and debris. The Japanese garden is waiting. ...

Jackbirdie

Sloth- I actually thought that... But I think all my vaca money just went into the floor. I had a good meeting with my beloved shrink. I am feeling better and now have to be alert to a rapid cycle up. I'm a little suspiscous, especially since I had a "project" today. The word "project" used in association with any bipolar person should be viewed with a wary eye.

So when the going gets tough, the tough make strawberry jam! I had toast for dinner. Yum. Here is my day in pictures:

Jackbirdie

Eileen, by the way I almost peed myself over dry walling the cat in. Twice! Omg. Made me laugh. The best medicine.

SpecialK

shaz - I would love that!

jackbirdie - beautiful jam! Our strawberry season is so early in Florida - it peaks in March/April - jam making always gets away from me

ksusan

Katy, as a bipolar "project" that looks pretty normative. And fun!

IndyGal35

Diane, I have the date in my calendar. I will be sending extra prayers and mojo to you. After the tough time you had with rads, I know you're just ready to be done with the fear and treatments. We're counting down to the 1st with you!!!

Eileen, how are you feeling after your fill? Funny story about the cat. Pitiful, but funny.

Glad to see you, Special, you certainly have been missed!

Katy, I hope that the canning did you some good. It's hard to remember that we need mental healing as well as physical healing from now on. You certainly have been through a lot of upheaval, so don't forget that we all adore you. You are loved

eheinrich

I'm doing ok post-fill. I'm tight but not going to complain. Even though the PS is far (LA far - 20mi takes me 1.25h) I think I like the small fill weekly versus larger every other week. It looks really weird though. I have some cleavage but it's much higher on the TE side than on the real boob side. Now that I can't wear a bra to disguise my uni (i didn't really use an insert, just the bra itself was a little masking) it seems so weird looking. Temporary though, I know.

Katy: your jam looks delish!

Leighrh

Katy.... Jam away that ole depression... LOL!!! I wish we lived closer.. I LOVE strawberry jam!

Had apt with MO.. Last one for 3 months! He said tumor markers were at 0 and declared me Cancer FREE.... Now I will shout that from the roof tops but....... WE all know that is kinda bullshit... that we will never be cancer free again.... but others don't.... So shouting it from the rooftops takes away those Awww looks... LOL!

littleblueflowers

Wooohoooo Leigh! Suck It, Cancer!!!!!

IndyGal35

I had the Tamoxifen vs Lupron/Arimidex talk with the MO week. They want to start me on one of those options in 3 weeks. (All I heard was uterine cancer versus osteoporosis.)

Are any of you pre-menopausal gals on Lupron/Arimidex? No periods sound like a great perk, but I hear that the menopausal symptoms are worse. Is there a perk of one over the other with regard to fertility after a few years?

ninjamary

katy - positive vibes your way. We all have our "projects" don't we? Mine is in the garden or just pulling weeds in the grass. One day I was so "blah" I started pulling creeping charlie out (because it makes me happier) when I felt better/satisfied I stood back to admire my work. I created a big ole brown patch of lawn. Now I try to stick just to flower beds and veggie gardens.

I love homemade jam (not sure what the difference is between jam and jelly) I refuse to buy that chemical junk they sell in the supermarket. I hope you feel 100x better today.

Oh when it rains it pours on home improvement projects. Our front door the door handle came off, the door is so old that it can't be fixed. A new unit costs about $3k. Hence we no longer use the front door. The sliding glass door is slowly dying too. Soon we will only be able to leave the house via a window. I'm not joking.

Eileen - that is the funniest story!

KBeee

Diane, So sorry you are thrown back on the roller coaster of worry. Please keep us posted. Thinking of you. Cancer sucks.

Leigh, Great news!

Crazy busy week here; tough keeping up! Glad for the weekend.

Allison, Our bows are in sync. I am happy to say that after being browless since May, mine appear to be starting to peek though.

Trvler

I have been craving some homemade strawberry jam. You have to do it around May/June if you want local berries. I was kind of busy then.

Maybe I will make some this next spring. I need to do all those little things I say I am going to do 'someday'.

Karen: I can't believe how fast they are growing in. I saw a lot of people say it on here, that they grow in fast. Just a matter of days. I can't believe how happy new brows make me.

Italychick

Ninjamary, omg, we are in the same boat with our back patio door! I wanted to take a sledgehammer to it yesterday, I am not kidding. The thing is like 8 feet tall, and takes up a whole wall, probably like 10-12 feet across, or maybe more. So the track the stupid thing rolls on is all bent and messed up. And the wheels are degraded. We have replaced them like 3 times, but the glass company says it is the weight of the double pane sliding door. My husband and I have become experts in being able to jerk a door sideways at a very high speed to open the damn thing. But yesterday, the track became so bad we can't open it more than about an inch. So right now until the glass people come out to fix the track (they are going to cut it out and replace it), to get to our back yard, we have to go through the front door. But the problem is we have to go through this skinny side yard when we go that way, and these enormous spiders like to make giant webs right across that walkway. And I don't always see the webs. So I go out the front door, armed with a golf club, and I swing it in a circle all the way down the side of the yard to get into the back yard, hoping it will catch any spider webs along the way. I told my husband maybe we should just take the screen out of one of the windows in the back of the house and put a step stool there to get in and out. I am so mad about that stupid door! And I have run into a couple of spider webs, so I posted the below picture on Facebook. I can tell you that this statement is true lol.

Eileen, love the cat story, howling with laughter. We had one cat that was the biggest scaredy cat you have ever seen in your life, she lived hidden in closets, etc. One day I couldn't find her, but heard her crying. She had gotten up inside the foundation of my daughter's mattress between the backing that covered the bottom and was in the wooden frame. Anyway, I saw no entry point, couldn't figure out how she got in there. I guess she squeezed in through some tiny opening. So to get her out I tried cutting a slit in the fabric to get her. Every slit I cut, she moved to a new area. Finally, I flipped the damn foundation and cut off the entire bottom cover of the frame. What else to do? I'm still mad about that, and it was 21 years ago.

Carrie37

Katy, I hope you're feeling better. I hate depression. I hate it with a passion.

Jackbirdie

Haha T- mad for 21 years. That's the Italian in you! Made me chuckle.

Allison and Karen- especially Karen because I know you were extra-worried second time around- I am beyond delighted for you that the brows are making a vigorous comeback. You both deserve it and more. It's enough we are going through without worrying about the long term ramifications of THAT!

I am still struggling. Cannot lie. But just looked up and saw Tutti in the window. Just had to share the sheer luxuriousness of her tail. Her tail is her pride. It reminded me of what chemo has done to us with our beautiful hair and eyelashes and everything we try not to believe defines us. It doesn't, but it takes a lot of repeated reassurances, does it not?

Wow! What a beautiful tail

Jackbirdie

Carrie- we X posted. Thank you. It's pretty rough. I think when you fall from a manic high you bump your tailbone a little harder on the way down.

I did everything I know today to feel better. Walked 3 miles, went to PT ( I love my pt) and took Jack to the hospital which included a wonderful but ironic visit to the psych ward. One man spent a lot of time with Jack and I think it helped him.

The roof is finished and it looks great.

I am so low I'd have to reach up to scratch a snake on his belly.

IndyGal35

This was from an old Crank Yankers episode, and it never fails to make me laugh. It's crass, but I hope it gives a pick-me-up to those of you that are having a rough day:

http://youtu.be/t3LHMiH18nQ

Carrie37

I am right there with you. I am so down right now that I can't tell which way is up. It just sucks.

ksusan

Sending powerful warm healing vibes your way, Katy. They will be picked up and transmitted to you by local quadrupeds.

Carrie37

Lee, that make me laugh so thanks! Too many great lines to quote just one. Haha!

eheinrich

But Katy you got out, you did the things you know you need to do to help yourself. That is a true sign of strength and shows hope. Compare that to the days where (I'm assuming we've had similar experiences with this) the thought of showering is completely overwhelming, a walk an impossible idea. PM me if you need me.

Heading to the lake in the am - will be thinking of y'all.

eheinrich

Btw my expander is not my friend today. I'm not sure how you ladies with big fills do it. Mine was small and it's sucky today.

IndyGal35

Eileen, can they give you another week before your next fill? I know it delays your permaboob surgery, but (in my opinion)it's better to go in for a fill after the muscle has had time to recover and isn't so sore.

eheinrich

They told me to let them know how it goes & if I need extra time to just call. I only had it yesterday so I'm hoping it will feel better soon.

pboi

Lee...I am premenopausal and on Lupron and Arimidex. Don't know if I would suggest the Lupron long term if you are interested in preserving your fertility. I chose this over tamoxifen due to the Soft Study and I have a positive genetic variant that increases my risk of ovarian and breast cancer. I will have an oophorectomy in Nov.

I was in chemopause so adding the Lupron did not seem to affect me much. I have mild hot flashes and night sweats. The arimidex does cause bone/joint pain for some people, my MO told me more often in premenopausal women. I have been on it 7 weeks now, and at this point don't seem to have side effects, but I've heard some don't get them til 3-6 months, so it might be too soon for me to tell. Actually I do have insomnia but not sure if it's from the arimidex or what since I've had that since chemo. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

PB

Italychick

Awesome, now I have an infected tooth implant. And on a Friday night. Good thing I've got a bajillion antibiotics and pain meds. So don't know if it is chemo related, or just coincidental.

Anybody else have any teeth issues after chemo