Positive Girls Club

PIP, I usually post of Friday but we finally got some rain!!!! We have been in exceptional drought conditions for 2 yrs but TS Fay brought us much needed rain. It started with gentle showers on Monday, torrental rains Tuesday through Wednesday morning and scattered showers Wednedsay afternoon and through today. My mom said she has gotten about 8 inches of rain since Monday. The only thing is we didn't need all this rain in one week! There is some flooding in the Charlotte area. but the floods are subsiding.

Sheila

Hello everyone.

I hope anyone along the Gulf Coast will stay safe and go to higher ground if necessary. I've never been in a hurricane, but I've heard my hubby's story of Camille in 1969. He was at Kessler AFB just finishing up his tech school before going to his first assignment.

Sorry I haven't checked in the last couple of weeks. Everything has been going well. On my trip last month one of the ladies gave us all a print of a collage she had made called "In My Angel Garden." I had been intending to get a frame and mat for it all month. I finally did it on Friday and hung it up by my bed over my other angels who guard over me while I sleep. I forgot the print when I went shopping, but I managed to find a mat the brought out one of the colors in it. It makes me happy just to look over at it a few times a day.

September is my month for medical appointments. I see my Primary doc on the 3rd to check my diabetes, Then the medical oncologist is on the 16th and the radiation oncologist is on the 23rd. I'm hoping I'll be able to skip six months after this at the cancer center as this next week marks one year since I finished radiation.

Take care.

Ic, glad to hear you are alright.  You don't realize how much you rely on power it until it goes.

I am very excited this week.  Saw my gyn for post hyst/oomp check.  He said I am doing great and can start working again.  I am going to go in next week and can hardly wait.  I feel great and have more energy than I though I would by now.  Work has been great and I can just go in and leave whenever I want.  Yeah!! 

Hurricanes can be really mean. Hanna did not affect my area of NC much except for some wind on Saturday, but the coast was pounded with lots of rain. Just watching IKE.

Sheila

Hi PGC;

My name is Elizabeth, and I have IBC in my left breast and DCIS in my right breast.  I was dx in April 08. I have had a pretty good attitude with it all. My doctor was the one who told me on my first appointment that attitude is everything. Do not think about what stastics have to say, believe in yourself and know you can fight this. I was like wow.  Cause when she first came into the room it was like you have a BAD cancer! I was like there is such a thing as a good cancer? LOL My prognosis was poor. It has been amazing how it has all been working out. I  know that God is my biggest strength. That the power of prayer is amazing. I am scared though. I have a double mastectomy on 9/29. I am hoping I do well. I do tolerate pain pretty good. I do not want to lose my breast, but know that it is a good thing and it is what is truly best. They are removing all the lymph nodes on the left breast. I am praying they are negetive. If they are then I move onto radiation. If they are cancerous then more chemo, and oh that would suck! I did have a blood tranfusion on Saturday. I can tell you I feel so much better. It is amazing what 2 units of blood can do for a person. It is nice to see a place that has a positive attitude. We all need encouragment and a place to be. This seems like a nice place to be. Have a wonderful week.

Blessings;Elizabeth

Sheila;

I am glad that I joined the PGC. I need to hear positive things to keep me positive as well. Thanks for  letting me know there is such a good cancer. I do have DCIS on my right breast. I have goine through many of the threads on here. I am doing so much better with my blood transfusion. It has made such a difference for me. I know in my heart that I am going to get through this. That the decisions that my doctor has made for me are the best. I have amazing results so far. Thank you for the advice and for taking the time to write to me. Positive attitudes make a difference. Have a blessed day!

Blessing, Elizabeth

Well we made it through Gustov and then Ike. Gustov left his mark in our community, but we're getting things cleaned up. Onward and Upward!!

Elizabeth, just a note of encouragement: YOU CAN DO THIS! I started this journey with BC in November 2007. I started chemo in December and ended in March. I had a bilateral mastectomy and hysterectomy one month after chemo was done. So, I guess I'm about 5 months out of my last major hurdle and I'm feeling great. I have hair growing REALLY fast, and my strength is better than ever. I still have Herceptin until January 2009, and Arimidex until 2013, but I can do it.......I know I can......I know I can........hang in there! My prayers are with you

My positive for this week is that I feel pretty good.  I have been going back to work for a few hours at a time and loving it.  I live on an apple orchard and we have started doing the school tours and pick your own business for the season.  So there is a lot of good, busy stuff going on here and I am enjoying it.

Hope all is well with everyone else.  Hello to Elizabeth.  To all those in the path of the hurricanes, we are thinking of you up here in Canada. 

Hi, I'm new today in this club and have been driven to find you because of all the griping going on in the forum I'm in. I feel the people on that one are muddling up what it is upsetting them about cancer and what upsets them in life. I'm trying to be positive in a common sense kind of way. I don't have a profound belief that I can change the course of my cancer, only a sense that I'm more likely to stay well and feel good if I can be positive for as much of the time as possible. More importantly I'm trying to use the time I'm off work and dealing with this to grasp what for me are a series of mini positives and hopefully extend and develop them. Such things as being closer to spouse, contacting more friends, getting into healthy cooking, reading more newspapers, picking up long- neglected craft projects, going on walks in new places. I do spend time mooching blankly around the place too, and have felt fed up with pain at times, scared or confused by various treatment stages and possible side effects, so it's certainly not all gung-ho fun but I like to celebrate the positives when they occur. I was dx late May, have had mastectomy and full node clearance, and first chemo on FEC regime on 9 Sept (6 x 21day cycles),

I received my results from my PET scan. No mets, and my tumor that was 11cm shrunk considerably. Praise the Lord. So now I am moving onto surgery Monday. I feel good about having the surgery. I know it is the best thing to do. I will miss my breast though. I can not have reconstruction for a year. Not sure what I am going to do. Part of me says reconstruction. The other part of me says do I really want to go through another surgery. So I have a year to really think about it. Hope everyone is doing well and keeping there positive attitudes. Ic4909 I too always think it could be worse, and I am thankful for each day I get.

Blessings; Elizabeth

Elizabeth, I'm glad to hear that you didn't have any mets. One more thing you can tick off the worry list. Good luck with your surgery, recovery, and whatever is next for you. Those graphics you added to your posts were so neat. Thank you for sharing them. Who can be negative when you see those cute doggies wagging their tails?

Welcome, cannedmusic1, there's always room for more here, and we try not to complain ALL the time. If one group doesn't fit your needs go find another one that does a better job. I've quit reading a few threads for that very reason. I may have aches and pains and side effects, but moaning and groaning about them doesn't make them better. I get out and do "normal life" stuff and not dwell on the bad things.

Sheila, I think I'll have to look up that Deb Copeland at the library. It sounds like she gave a good speech.

Speaking of aches and pains, I think my back might be getting better. My Yoga/water aerobics teacher gave me some yoga postures to do about 3 times each week in between our weekly class. I did them twice last week and twice, so far, this week and things are feeling good. I haven't felt the need for extra pain meds, anyway.

Also this week, I got my second real hair cut since the end of Chemo in July 2007. It's looking better all the time. By the time I go out to California for Christmas, I might even be able to make a tiny pony tail.

She is a motivational speaker from Charleston W VA, who at the age of 17 was caretaker of her mother who had terminal cancer and her father left the family when she was 14. You can order her book from her web site www.debcopeland.com. there is information about her. I am not sure how much the book is, they gave books to all who attended. My hubby even took the book with him in the truck to read when he is waiting to be unloaded or loaded. She talks about getting rid of the 'stinking thinking' and your attitude is what you make it. There are exercises to do after each chapter to help you get in the positive attitude.

Sheila

Hey PIP---Mine is a girl. Her name is Brittany. She's a junior in college to be an Elementary School teacher. What's your sons name?