Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

The gas shortage is just a mess. There is one station near me that has gas today, but the lines are unbelievably long. DH is working from home today b/c his car is almost out of gas. Luckily, I generally keep mine over half a tank, so I'm OK for now. But, yes, it's a 30 min. drive to pick up the kids. My neighbor and I have been strategic (as always) in our carpooling to minimize how much we each drive. I'm probably OK through the weekend, so hopefully the situation will improve by Monday. I heard on the news this morning that bus ridership is up

The good news is power is back on for my son.  Told him he better put some money in the collection basket at church on Sunday in thanksgiving.  He's really happy and so is his cat.  So sorry about the gas shortage.  It's incredible to me that a gas line could go from Texas to NC, so that's how much I know about things, duh.  The bank thing is scary...afraid to look at my 401 K which is modestly conservative.  Good to hear from you Debbie.  My ortho dr suggested swimming...might give it a try.  Really looking forward to the weekend.  Hugs

Oh, Bernice, thank you so much for letting us know about Joni.  I'm so sorry to hear she's feeling so bad.  I am wishing her all the best to bounce back from this episode.  She has so many plans and I want her to feel good and to get on with them.  She was so great in Las Vegas...  like a spring chicken, getting all around town w/no problem.  It scares me that you can go from feeling like that to her current state so fast...  really stinks.  Joni, if you see this, rest up and get well soon!  We miss you.

Jan, cannot believe the gas lines.  I was blown away by what you wrote...no gas for TEN days?  What country are we living in?  OMG!  And Mary, your son STILL without power?  Unreal.  We need to stop spending over in the middle east and straighten out our own sh*t around here.  Crazy country this has become.  Debbie, I hear you on making sure you don't have all your chickens in one bank.  I need to divvy it up so if one of my banks should fail, I don't lose.  As it is, I have accts. with Washington Mutual and Merrill Lynch.

Caya, Rebecca, Happy Rosh Hashanah!  Enjoy your festivities.  I will live vicariously from hearing about all the fun.  Lynn, hope you're feeling better this week...  that trip seems a little soon for what you've been through.

OK...gotta go watch Obama and McCain.  XOXO all!  Esp. to Joni!

GrammyNancy, thank you for copying the message from Bernice and putting it here for us. We'll keep Joni in our prayers, too.

Happy Rosh Hashanah to you too, Viddie.  Sounds like a very busy couple of weeks you've been having.  Glad Ed's tests went well.

I am doing the happy dance...all soccer fields are closed due to rain.  Otherwise it would have been one of those insane days driving all over Loudoun County...  I do still have to take Jaclyn at 9:30 for team pictures.  Tonight at 6 we are taking about 7 girls out to dinner at Red Robin for her 8th birthday, coming back here for cake and a movie (Another Cinderella Story) sleepover.  I've got all the requisite junk food...chips, cheetos, m & m's...  I have the dining room all done up in luau decorations.  Goodie bags are done and now all I need to do is paint a dozen terra cotta pots orange, as a basecoat.  The girls will paint on a white and yellow stripe so it looks like a candy corn.  Then we will use floral tape to secure sunflowers onto pens.  You pour candy corn into the pot so the pen will stand up.  That's the little party activity we are doing.  Will the fun ever end???? 

My dear Joni,

I've been thinking about you and wondering how you are doing.  I can't stop the tears after reading your message.  My prayers are with you, hoping that you will overcome this.

With all my love,

Lynn

Dear Joni,

I am praying for you, hoping and wishing you peace and serenity.

hugs

xo

caya

I have been pretty quiet here, mostly because I am totally swamped with school stuff.  In fact I should be commenting on papers now instead of writing to you guys, but I just HAVE to talk to you all! 

Owen got tapped for the gymnastics team, so now I am spending yet MORE time at the gym waiting for kids.  Thank goodness for laptop computers and large tote bags full of papers!  I try to make the time productive....just try to picture me grading an english paper on my computer while bopping to the Red Hot Chili Peppers on my MP3 player.  When the papers are REALLY bad I switch to Nirvana  :-)

My sister is coming up from Florida this weekend to visit, and we decided to have Rosh Hashana on Sunday because that way we can all be together.  We are going to trek out to LI in the morning, and have a lavish brunch at my mom's house.  Of course, the fact that it is not at my own home does not mean I escape cooking...my mom is not the best cook, so I will be making the waffles and various toppings.  As we speak I have a honey cake in the oven that smells just divine.  I am torn as to whether or not to make a coffee cake also...the lazy side of me is saying NAAAAH honey cake and waffles with whipped cream and strawberries should be quite enough!

School is going pretty well...although I actually had a student in one of my classes start complaining about the reading assignment (it is sooooooo much work!!!) in the middle of class.  Not the best way to get on my good side LOL.  Especially since the reading assignment was 5 chapters of an Agatha Christie novel and amounted to about 25 pages.  I mean SHEESH I used to get more than THAT when I was an undergrad!  This guy should take world lit with me...I assign  Homer's Odyssey as ONE of the works that we cover.  Now THAT is a lot of reading.  On the other hand, the students really seem to be progressing nicely and overall they are an enthusiastic crew.

Other than that, the days are kind of blurring together....and right now my brain feels a bit packed in cotton because of my greif over Joni.

I love you all.....

Oh gosh, I finally checked in and read the news from Joni. Know that I am thinking of you and sending all my good thoughts your way.

Will try to write more later. Things are the same here. You are all on my mind.

XXOO Amera

Joni,

I haven't written because I was stunned by your note.  So happy to hear from you, but just in shock at the turn of events.  I am praying so hard that your liver kicks back in...  in the meantime, I have those adorable little Canadian Mounties stuffed animals out that you got for Jaclyn/Paul and I've got them on the prayer wagon...we have your picture out.  We are rooting for you, Joni.  You are a wonderful woman!  You are on my mind 24/7.  I read some other threads today....boy, lady, do you have a lot of friends!!!!!!  You should be proud!

Love you Joni! You have taught me more about how to live life fully than anyone else I've ever known.

Hi All,

Joni, we all love you and we are all surrounding you with our fervent prayers. I hope you can feel us with you. I am thinking of you constantly. Jan, thanks so much for the photos.

Cindy, I hope you are feeling better. Any test results?

Viddie, what great news about Ed!

Tina, hope Jac's party was great fun. You are a wonderful mom.

Caya, Viddie, and Rebecca, enjoy the celebrations with your families.

Jan, I hope the gas snafu is easing up. I never would have thought your supply would be affected.

We had a great week at the beach, enjoyed lots of walks, bike rides, and books. Our dd and her husband joined us for the second half, which was fun. Her pregnancy is still early, but she feels great, and they are so excited. I have started knitting a blanket for her, and she was happy about that.

The cycle of life .... so sobering for all of us. We none of us know what is ahead. Hold your loved ones tight.

Melia

Jan, those are fabulous pix, thanks for sharing!

Joni I hope those pix help you visualize us being there with you.

Amera, so good to hear from you.

Sharon, I swear you ARE Janis Joplin's reincarnation. The song is wonderful.

Rebecca, honey cake sounds divine. And yay for Owen the Gymnast! Also had to laugh at that horrendous 25 pages of Agatha Christie assignment. This is the YouTube generation.



I had a call today from my mom, she was crying because her hip hurt, my niece was at work and all other sibs elsewhere occupied, so I had to spend most of my day driving there and back and taking her to urgent care. Dx was bad osteoarthritis, probably requires a hip replacement. Tomorrow I have go back and take her for an MRI and bone scan. 80 seems old for a hip replacement but we'll see what the doc says.



Tina, it's Desperate Housewives night, at last! Let's see how Felicity Huffman is doing 5 years after her fictional cancer bout. - Skye



Always something! - Skye

luv the pics awsome ! wish i could have been there , Skye those lyrics are from gordon lightfoot one damn good canadian songster . And Joni lives right by those Rocky Mountains , I miss them dearly ,

Light a candle for Joni and send positive thoughts , the winds blow from west to east ....... around the world , over the Rockies ... blowing sweetly to her .......

Hello, lovely friends....

My heart is tender today, thinking of you Joni, and just hoping that you can feel the love from this group of women. I too love that song and just thought of you, Joni as I read the lyrics.

I saw my onc on Friday. Generally speaking, I'm okay. Specifically writing of my new hypertension, she is somewhat concerned. I have an ultrasound doppler of my kidneys on Wednesday afternoon. She wants to eliminate the possibility of renal artery stenosis (narrowing) that would cause the hypertension.

I also sometime have to do a 24 hour urine study. Whoopppeeeee! Collect my urine over 24 hours and then deliver it to the onc's office so they can study it. They will evaluate the adrenal gland function. The only time I can do that is on a Sunday so I can collect it all and deliver it Monday morning. I've told my daughters if they see a funny looking brown jug in the frig, don't drink out of it - it's NOT lemonade.

Dr. B thinks all will be well but since this has come on so suddenly, she wants to make sure nothing is overlooked. I have to go speak to my GP about medication. I used to be so proud that I didn't need any routine meds. Now it's tamoxifen and Effexor. In January, if my menstrual cycle continues to remain absent, I will be switched from the tamoxifen to an AI. And now I'll have to add an anti-hypertensive. That's what I get for being cocky, I guess.

The weather is much cooler here. I love it. Autumn is my favorite season. The trees are showing color and the clouds are changing. 

Skye, we've had 80 y/o patients come  through my rehab facility after joint replacement. If they don't have many other health concerns, they generally do fine. Especially if this is elective and not the result of trauma, like a fracture from a fall. Those just turn deadly for the elders. Seem to start a cascade of negative health events. Speak to Mom's physician about her comorbidities and the possibilities. She can decide if it's worth the risk. You can also plan her rehab - scout out the best facilities. Ask the ortho doc what facilities have had good outcomes for his/her patients.

Tina, isn't that an exciting yet scary time? When you first leave the children to themselves? Even if you are just a hop-skip and jump down the road. Congratulations.

Blessed Rosh Hashanah to those who celebrate.

tender in Iowa.....Cindy