April 2015 Chemo Crew... Starting in April? Please join us!

Jackbirdie

I haven't been to SD in years. Didn't think it was possible it could still exist...., but the memory lives on.

I'm in Oregon now. There is a dearth of good Mex here. I crave it so badly sometimes.

I love Maine too and had the same wish to see the diagonal location. The last trip I took with just my Dad (leaving the snake charmer wife at home) we "did" Maine. He was an old yachtsman and loved the surroundings. We also tried to get in at least one lobster roll per day. The same way you do Mai Tais in Hawaii. In both places they lift it to an art form and it seems obligatory to do your very best to consume and appreciate.

We did.

gingeel

I take 37.5 mgs of Effexor XR, and have been for a few years now. No change in how it affects me.

littleblueflowers

Congrats on finishing g up chemo Copperlisa! That must feel so good! Be well and may the force be with you!

Ok I'm wearing the dang leather pants...and wig. And makeup. It's 102 and we are going on our first date since our descent into hell...at least I can't sweat my tits off..😕

lovlilynne

Hi - I take L-Glutemine 10g, 3x a day for 3 days (Taxol day 1, 2, and 3) per MO's instruction. I bought a bag of powder from Amazon - let me know if you need the brand, and I'll find the link. It doesn't taste like anything to me, but I mix it will ~14oz of Crystal Light ice tea. It tastes different than straight ice tea, but it doesn't taste like anything, if that makes sense. It could have been my taste buds from the Taxol. I thought it was good because it made me drink even more fluids for 3 days.

Scarlett - my drive to ME isn't too bad, about 1.5 hours from home. It will take me about the same if I were to go directly from here to my hospital. I have to have chemo on Monday, so I'll leave tomorrow night after dinner, sleep at home, and report for poison at 9:45 AM. Based on how I felt last time, I should be able to drive straight back to ME after I get home (about 4 PM if it's like last time), and be there in time for dinner.

I was thinking how the timing was really good for me - I am feeling my best since my last chemo, almost 2 weeks ago now. I still have tingling in fingers and feet, but my energy is back (but not stamina or cardio), and I was able to pack these last two days, shop on the way up here, etc., and almost feel normal. I know that next week will not be like that, but by the time the rest of my family arrives for the 4th on, I will have started to feel better (I hope).

We (my family - mostly my sisters,(but also other family visits and stays for some parts of it) have been coming to the same place for 22 years. The place we stay is an old hotel that has been converted to condos (think "The Shining") There are also "cottages" on the property that have also been converted to condos. Over the years, we have gone from renting 1 to renting 3 separate places to house us all. Sometimes, we rent the same one year after year, but sometimes they are sold, or owners stop renting, etc., and we have to find a new one to rent.

This is one of those years for us - we had the same place for the last 2 years, but they decided not to rent, so I was in a scramble to find a place that wasn't rented. This was all before diagnosis. I put a deposit down on the place we are in - coincidentally, we rented it about 18 years ago, but it was different owners, and it was configured a little differently.

So, my main complaint right now is that there is no TV/cable in the bedroom. I usually fall asleep to the TV. There's nothing on during the summer, but I like to watch HGTV and reruns - flipping between the channels. It's mindless. I tried to stream my Xfinity, but of course it won't connect (but somehow the popup ads play just fine). I have a Netflix account, but not sure what to watch. Since I have to go home anyway, I could swipe my Chromecast device from our TV at home, but it doesn't work with Amazon Prime, so I'll have to figure out something else for that.

I made dinner tonight, and the kitchen is equipped in that weird way that rentals are - like, they have all these baking pans (muffin tins, cake pan), but no casserole dishes - they have a big microwave, and really nothing to cook anything in it. No serving spoons. No bread knife. No paring knife. Weird.

No pictures yet, we just got here, unpacked, had dinner, then I took the girls to the pool to swim, now bed time, Guess I'll get a lot of reading done, hope I brought some good books!

AndreaC

Lynne, hope you are having a great time! It sounds lovely! My hubby and I went to New England in 2013 and loved it. Beautiful part of the continent! Have you watched Grace and Frankie on Netflix? It is great!

Steph, I have been on paroxetine (Paxil) for the past 4 years or so and was on it many years ago as well while going through a divorce. I have clinical depression and an anxiety disorder and it has absolutely changed my life. I tried for years to get by without drugs for my depression but I was so miserable. I would never be able to handle two years of cancer without the help of pharmaceuticals! Never be ashamed to ask for help.

Thanks all for the compliments on my granddaughter...her brother is a cutie too! I am so blessed

Andrea

ksusan

#19: I am grateful to be back in the classroom again.

Rockerwife

Ksusan- I agree with your #19. Me too

Alibeths

anyone reading any good books?

gingeel

Lynne, I know what you mean about having a tv, etc. We went to FL last year and the hotel, which was beautiful, didn't have order in movies, or movie channels, and we felt like our arms were cut off. Enjoy your time with your family!

re Alcohol, I'm not a huge drinker to begin with, but since I get migraines, the last thing I want to do is purposely make myself hungover, or headachy. Every day I feel good is a blessing right now!

Good for you Ksusan and Rockerwife. Getting on with our normal lives is healing.

Littleblue, how did date night go? Hubby and I had the house to ourselves last night (Grandparents took them), and it was nice to reconnect with him.

lovlilynne

Alibeths, what do you like to read? I am currently reading "The Other Typist", it was recommended to me by one of my book club friends. So far, it's ok, but I haven't read enough to recommend it.

I like mostly fiction, specifically historical fiction if it's good. Because I'm in a book club, I read a lot of other types of books. I'd say memoirs/autobiographies/biographies are the next most popular genre after fiction. We haven't had a big winner (5 stars from all) in a while - the books we've been reading have been just 3.5-4 (we all rate them on a scale of 1-5).

I have my favorite books that I recommend to anyone who likes to read:

1. In the Fall by Jeffrey Lent - this is a multi-generational fictional account of a family starting in Vermont right after the civil war. It's beautifully written, and the story keeps you involved. This was rated a 5 by my book club.

2. The Black Flower by Howard Bahr. This book takes place during the battle of Franklin, TN, but it has flashbacks and flashforwards as well. Again, the writing is superb, and the story will keep you turning the page to see what happens. Mixed reviews at book club, it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but it got an overall rating of 4.2.

3. A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson. Soon to be a movie starring Robert Redford! This is a nonfiction book detailing Bill's experience walking the Appalachian trail when he was in his mid-forties. I loved the way Bill balanced the writing about the trail itself - it's history, facts and figures, how it came to be, etc., with his personal experiences. There are definitely some LOL parts - very entertaining, but educational too. I thought this got a 5 from book club, but when I went back to check, I found it was only 4.5.

4. Star of the Sea, by Joseph O'Conner (Sinead's brother). I happened on this book by chance when I was on vacation and ran out of books (before Kindle days), and I took this from the "take one/leave one" library at the hotel. It took a little bit to get into it, but once I figured out what it was all about, I couldn't put it down. It's Dickension in style, and written about that period. If you like Dickens, I think you would like this book. It was not well liked by book club :-( Some did not even finish it. It is a more challenging book, but I think it is worth it.

5. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. Always one of my favorite books, my book club decided to read it last year, and I was pleased that I loved it as much if not more than I remembered. I figured out that I must have read it for the first time when I was 12! If you have never undertaken reading this classic, I recommend that you do, you won't be disappointed. I always say that the movie GWTW is one of the better adaptions of a book, even so, there is so much more in the book that makes it better than the movie.

So, there is my top 5 books of all my reading - it seems very civil-war heavy, but honestly only 2 of the books are from the civil war, and they are both about so much more than just the war. I have read lots of other books that I would recommend that come in more like my top 50. One of the recent favorites is "What Alice Forgot" by Liane Moriarty. It is a good book on its own, but it also resonated with me.

Anyone want to hook up on Goodreads to share book recommendations?

Alibeths

Thanks! I like fiction. Easy reads!!!!

Jackbirdie

there is a fairly active thread here on bco called Book Lovers Club. I have gotten several good suggestions and they have been very supportive and understanding of how hard it is for some to read/concentrate while on chemo. Sometimes I just enjoyed reading their synopses. But they cheered me when I finished Kent Haruf's last book. Our Souls At Night I think. It was a pleasant read, not huge, good story, not complicated, but dear.

littleblueflowers

Have you read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon? Time travel, romance, adventure..pure escape! So good! Actually you guys have inspired me to reread the series..hopefully will take me through the end of treatment and beyond!

Lynne, Maine sounds amazing...and nice and cool. It's supposed to be 106 here today. On the plus side, it seems like the hotter it gets the fewer hot flashes I have...like my body is constantly so hot it just normalizes with the ambient temp...weird..

Jackbirdie

littleblue- 106? Waaaaaaaa. Glad you find it doesn't make hot flashes worse. Thinking cool thoughts for you from coastal Oregon. In the 50s here.

littleblueflowers

Jackbirdie, wow! Oh god I love the Oregon Coast so much- I can't even imagine cool Temps right now. Well you guys had such a nasty fire season last year you definitely deserve a break. My husband and I want to come out this fall so he can fish the Sandy River outside of Portland, and I want to got to the ocean to forage for edible seaweed and beach asperagus. Hopefully radiation ends befor the weather gets to cold out there. Plus it will be awesome to let my bald freak flag fly in Portland!

Smoothie of the day; kale cassaba Mellon and rhubarb juice. With cinnamon turmuric and ginger. And protein powder. Not to bad!

AndreaC

Lynne - I love Bill Bryson! I have read many of his books...A Walk in the Woods is one of my favourites! Right now I am reading "One Summer: America 1927" which is quite interesting. I am not American but the history is fascinating. One of my very favourite books ever is his "At Home" - really good! It goes through a house in England (which Bryson lived in) and talks about the different rooms, items in the rooms, architecture etc. from a historical perspective. (ie, why do forks have four tines rather than three or five?)

Re the Oregon coast - I have been many times and love it, it is so beautiful! The sea lion caves are fascinating, and riding an ATV on the dunes is a lot of fun!

Andrea

Jackbirdie

little- if you get anywhere near me in the Coos Bay Area I'll make a bed up for you guys here. Serious offer.

In exchange I'm so stealing that smoothie recipe.

Today I am beet, strawberry, carrot, green apple, orange and pineapple. Plus a big scoop of grass fed whey protein powder. No soy! Having a hard time getting the nutrition in right now. Should have put some fresh ginger in for my upset tummy. Never had nausea till this last one.

Jackbirdie

Andrea- I think Bryson is so gifted. Really makes me laugh without fail and educates or at least "makes you think". I like to be made to think. Would like to think about something other than this last chemo today. It's not OVER!

We have a sea lion and elephant seal colony quite close to where I'm living now in OR. I just drive out there and park listening to them bark. Last fall I was doing that and about 50 whales went blowing by, just beyond the shoal, very close! Too exciting! No admission $$$. You come too if you want.

littleblueflowers

I've been to Coos Bay! What a beautiful place! Mmmm your smoothie sounds delicious..I put protein powder in mine too. Sorry your tummy is upset...is this your last chemo? I've been brewing kombucha and drinking it..it kind of helps my stomach sometimes. We would love to visit you! You are so sweet to offer. 😊

sheshe3

The Outlander series! Yes! I am just about done with the last book - #8. Love it! So sad there's not a #9. Anyone in for a long haul, these books are full of adventure, history, love and characters you won't soon forget. Excellent suggestion Littleblue!

Jackbirdie

Yes, Littleblue. Last and worst of TC x 6.

It's over, but my body doesn't know it yet. I'm sure it's uphill/downhill? fromhere. Easier anyway, just trying to sleep it off and hydrate today. My only goals. 😢

littleblueflowers

CONGRATS JACKBIRDIE! Still, it blows that you are feeling rough. Wish I could do more for ya then just be here to listen, but here I am! Hope the side effects pass soon..it's still 103 here btw..😠

SueH58

Littleblue - I didn't realize it got so hot in Montana. I thought it was cool and mountainous.

AndreaC

Jackbirdie - congrats on finishing chemo! Too bad the SE's are rough though. I get my last TC (#4) on Friday. I cannot wait to have it over with and get my PICC out!!!

I live on Vancouver Island, we have sea lions and whales around here too. But Coos Bay is lovely, I would love to go back there.

We are having a major drought and heatwave here too...I have such a hard time with the heat. Doing a lot of sitting around drinking cold water with a fan aimed at me. The temperatures are breaking all kinds of records for this early in the summer.

Andrea

lovlilynne

Andrea, I listened to "One Summer" last summer - Bryson reads it, and I thought he was a good reader. I really liked that book, but book club members not so much. I tried to read "Mother Tongue", but I found it a lot more detailed than I expected, and did not finish it.

I think I've mentioned before that my husband was seriously ill last summer. He came down with flu-like symptoms at the end of May, then was admitted to a local hospital in early June, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, suspected lymphoma, so had him transferred to The Brigham in Boston. Turns out he had Babesiosa (tick-born illness), and he wasn't able to fight it because he doesn't have a spleen. Long story long - he ended up in ICU on a vent and medical coma. We had this same ME trip planned, so I spent it driving back and forth from ME to Boston at least every other day, if not every day. I listened to "One Summer" during that time on the road.

It really sucks that, once again, my ME vacation is interrupted by illness. I am home right now - left ME around 9. We lost our power up there around 2 PM. When I left, it was still out, and I started to totally freak out about leaving the kids there without me and without power. I could see that the people in the lower unit had candles lit, and all I could picture is that place going up like a Christmas tree. Thankfully, DS just texted me that the power is back. Now I can get some sleep to be ready for Taxol #2 tomorrow.

Alibeths, if you like easy reads, I'd go with "What Alice Forgot". I think you'll like it. I also just read, "At the Water's Edge" by Sara Gruen, who wrote "Water for Elephants". I didn't particularly care for it, but it was an easy and fast read, and I did finish the book, which gives it at least 2 stars in my book :-) Have you read any of Lisa See's books? I particularly enjoyed "Peony in Love".

I have had many people recommend The Outlander series, and I have one on my bookshelf, but never seem to get to it. I read quite a bit, but I'm not a fast reader, per se, and I try to keep up with my book club books, and sometimes that's all I have time for. Vacation is a time for me to be able to read 2-3 books just for me - I'll finish "The Other Typist" and I just started, "Julia's Chocolates". My eyes have been effected by chemo, I'm usually seeing double by the end of the day, and I cannot look at book or screen, so that might slow me down more.

Katy, thank you so much for checking in on us and contributing - I follow the March thread too, and mainly try to stay quiet, but I was thrilled to see that you are DONE!!! I can't wait to be able to say that . . . 3 more (including tomorrow).

Lynne

ksusan

I've been finishing the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books I have on hand, since a new one just came out. I've read a lot of classic travelogues this year, in part because everything else I read inevitably had some character or person dying of cancer.

lovlilynne

Hi - what is our motivation/flight song playlist? I am going to try to get it on my walkman while I have time on vacation. So far, I can only thing of:

We are the Champions (Queen)
We will rock you (Queen)

Fight song - Rachelle Platten
Stronger (Kelly Clarkson)

It's My Life (Bon Jovi)
Imagine (John Lennon)
Sure Shot – Beastie Boys
Here Comes the Sun (Beatles)
Don't Worry, Be Happy (Bobby McFerren) - not sure if I could listen to this one again and again.
I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)
Tubthumping – Chumbawamba
Bad Day – Daniel Powter
Not Afraid, by Eminem
Titanium, by David Guetta ft. Sia
Watch Me Shine, by Joanna Pacitti

Anything else? I know that Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" is often recommended, but I don't think I could listen to if over and over.

Lynne

Jackbirdie

how about Louie Armstrong's Its A Wonderful World

littleblueflowers

oh oh I got one!

Gone away by offspring

highway to hell by ac/dc

bleed it out by Linkin Park

Give it to me I'm worth it by Niki Minaj

cocky by kid rock

love the mix lynne! How about some newer springsteen? He seems like a guide thru dark times?

KBeee

Lynne,

Brave

Roar

I Hope You Dance

You Have More Friends Than You Know

Never Surrender

Those are some of the songs on my Fight Songs playlist. I hope Taxol 2 goes well tomorrow.

Little Blue, how was date night?

I have not read a book for pleasure in a long time. I always seem to be doing work readings. Maybe I will try to pick up a book here soon. It would do me good.

I definitely am starting to feel the "cumulative effects" of the Taxol. I will be happy to be halfway through this phase on Tuesday, assuming my counts are good. We were away for the weekend, it was nice, but I am glad to be home. During chemo, I think I do much better with routine!!! My dog was sure happy to get a 3 mile walk when I got home. My legs were happy too