I can't get my act together and I don't know why

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  • wishiwere
    wishiwere Member Posts: 3,793
    edited November 2008

    Well, you won't be bald for long Jane! :D 

    Seriously though...EVERYONE is so different in response to the drugs they get.  I lost weight from 133-122 during chemo, then on arimidex I've lost another 2 and just keep keep fluctuating.  Not sure why it is, but some lose, some gain and some have no problems.  I keep waiting for the weight gain, b/c I know both my sister have continued to fight it after menopause, so I thought I would too.  Between chemo, steriods (which btw were a nice addition b/c they filled in the wrinkles around my face  when I was bald), the arimidex and chemopause, I've lost rather than gain, so it's really a crap shoot like everything else.

    Did you gain with chemo?  If not, you might not with arimidex either.

  • gsg
    gsg Member Posts: 3,386
    edited November 2008

    Good afternoon, girls.  I don't have time to respond to everybody's right now.  I'm in the middle of a bunch of paperwork and need to get back to it, but I wanted to say I'm so happy to see the regulars posting again...Shirley, Sue, Hanna, and any of the other regulars who had been off for a bit and are now back.  Also, really happy about the new people.

     Jane, I have gained A LOT of weight since starting Arimidex, but it's partly my fault.  I haven't been exercising and eating the way I should.  I'm going to start again soon.  Hopefully, I can burn off 250 calories trying to locate my vacuum cleaner.  That would be awesome.   Some women don't gain...some do.  

     BBL all.

  • gsg
    gsg Member Posts: 3,386
    edited November 2008

    i forgot to say welcome to lefty and also that hanna's remarks about chunky ice cream may cause my diet to go haywire today. i could go for some moosetrack ice cream.  yum!

  • wishiwere
    wishiwere Member Posts: 3,793
    edited November 2008

    Omgosh!  Another girl after my heart! I love CHOCOLATE Moosetracks!  Thank heavens I don't have any, or I'd be eating it for dinner now!  And that I'm too lazy to get my shoes back on to go and get any! :D

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2008

    I had been losing weight before my dx.  I probably only gained 2-3 pounds during chemo.  THEN, I don't know if it's the Arimidex or me not exercising and eating wrong, I have gained back all the weight plus five pounds the LAST time I went to the doctor.  I'm due for another pcp appoint next month.  I need to get on that treadmill.

    Hmmm..cleaning for one hour makes one use 260 calories.  Well, when my kids come I should be burning losts of calories, but I don't think I lose anything.  Then, when the grandchildren are here they keep me going so I should continue to lose.  I don't USUALLY eat as much when they're here because I'm too busy and I forget.  Ya think it's those walnuts I throw in my mouth?

    I have to admit I've been eating Halloween candy...waaayyy to much.  It's much easier putting on the weight than taking it off.  Yell

    Well, I'm off to doing NOTHING! 

    Shirley

  • althea
    althea Member Posts: 1,595
    edited November 2008

    I find little comfort in knowing that housework burns 260 calories in an hour.  Doesn't a pound of fat contain 3,000??  That translates into 11 hours of housework just to drop one measly pound.  hrmph  I might as well go eat another piece of my rum baba cake. 

  • KAK
    KAK Member Posts: 1,679
    edited November 2008

    Hanna, you cyber-smoocher you!  Hugs & smooches right back at ya!!  I sort of remember vacuuming.  And I remember peeling a few areas of kakup off the wood floors (after they'd dried under paper towels, of course).  But doing windows?  Mmmmmm. . . .nah, don't know that one.

    By the way, I'm thinking that with all the cake I'm going to be eating in exchange for doing massages, I may have to make this a walking trip instead.  Or, you could just roll me out the door after I've had my cake.  With enough momentum, I should be able to get to my next stop.  Also, Hanna, if your mention of chocolate chunk brownies was intended as a hint/bribe in exchange for a massage, it worked!!!  Can I have a scoop of chunky monkey on top?

    Althea & Nancy, rum baba & spice cake sound just dandy!  I am an equal-opportunity cake-eater.

    Shirley, are we talking about your arm having lympedema?  That's what I was assuming, vis a vis BC.  If so, how the heck does anybody expect you to massage your own arm???????  Key-ripes!  Did you get a compressive sleeve made for your arm, with one of those pump thingy's?  Maybe I should start the Will Massage for Cake Road Trip with you & go from there......

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2008

    Althea, if that's the case I will never lose weight.  Does typing count toward losing weight?

    KAK, of course you can massage your own arm.  My dh needs to do the part on my back, but I don't ask him to.  I may later.  I have been to two LE therapists.  The last one was teaching me how to do it and also gave me a diagram..the picture of the arm and what you needed to do.  Also, I bought a LE massage tape that I watch and do with the woman.  I've been kinda..REAL...lazy about doing it.  It's just nicer when someone does it for you.  But you know how insurance is...you only get so many treatments.

    Shirley

    I want some cake. 

  • bee5467
    bee5467 Member Posts: 112
    edited November 2008

    gsg --

    You took the time to write down here exactly how I feel.  I finished unilateral mast., chemo & rad - graduated in July.  I've gained at least 20 pounds (I don't even look now).  I have never craved sweets or junk food, except now.  Gone from size 8-10 to 12-14+.  Can't figure out whether its the Armidex, Effexor, or bingeing food.  Probably all of the above.  Very depressed. Sigh. 

  • KAK
    KAK Member Posts: 1,679
    edited November 2008

    Well, Shirley, the thing is that I'm so used to using both hands to do massage, that I guess I can't believe one-handed massage could be as good or as effective.  I say this even though I've been massaging my own boob-ish scar tissue mostly one-handed.

    Oh, scr#@ it.  Lets eat cake. 

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 5,446
    edited November 2008

    Shirley and KAK

    You are right... it ISN'T as good if you have to do the arm massages yourself.  I guess that is why I gave up doing them, too, Shirley.  It couldn't be that I'm just lazy, could it? Wink

  • Daffodil
    Daffodil Member Posts: 829
    edited November 2008

    These %^$#* expanders weigh 8 pounds. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

    Tongue out

  • gsg
    gsg Member Posts: 3,386
    edited November 2008

    What's very bizarre, Daffodil, is that *your* expanders have added 8 pounds to MY weight.  That's *my* story and I'm stickin' to it.Tongue out 

     All this cake talk has to stop.  I could really go for a gooey brownie.

    Bee, sorry you are depressed, but welcome to this thread.  I know it won't make a difference in the way you view yourself right now, but your current size is now my goal size.

    Althea, it's feasible for me to spend 11 hours just trying to locate my vacuum cleaner and thus drop 1 pound, so hope springs eternal.

  • KAK
    KAK Member Posts: 1,679
    edited November 2008

    Oh, gsg, your point about burning calories by just searching for the vacuum cleaner, that's the most encouraging thing I've heard all day!  I might lose a few pounds by the time I find mine.  'Course, I might just not bother.  But then, I think that shuffling through all the dust bunnies & kitties & gorillas around here must burn off some calories, don't you think?  Just looking for my shoes every morning, I must burn off 500 calories.

  • wishiwere
    wishiwere Member Posts: 3,793
    edited November 2008

    Well, I suppose it's 500 if you find them.  THen again, I went all day thinking I had my contacts in their little container and didn't realize it was still IN my eye!  Hope that's not where you find your shoes, b/c it surely can make you feell...uhm....not so bright? LOL

  • KAK
    KAK Member Posts: 1,679
    edited November 2008

    Hey, wish, that's like my regular routine when I can't find my glasses -- they're usually on the top of my head.  No sense, no feeling, my mother used to say.

  • Daffodil
    Daffodil Member Posts: 829
    edited November 2008

    gsg, you do realize we probably live fewer than 30 minutes apart? Good opportunity for pounds to shift around in all this wind!! Get ready for more; I had a big chunk of divine bread pudding tonight!

    I have been trying to "switch closets" for a month now. I did actually toss some sandals, but am holding on to some dilapidated loafers that someone else threw out------20 years ago.Embarassed

    I have to get everything up on shelves or into drawers before my exchange Thursday. No way am I jinxing this!!!

    Oh, losing things? In this switch, I have found the last TWO driver's licenses I have lost (yes, I got scolded!). gsg probably knows of the horrors of dealing with our motor vehicles office; our new pastor mentioned it from the pulpit!!

  • gsg
    gsg Member Posts: 3,386
    edited November 2008

    Daffodil, I didn't realize that, but now that I do, you're going to become my new scapegoat.  When I get on the scale this morning, you get the blame.  And, yes, our MVA can be awful (Glen Burnie), unless you go to the one in Annapolis.  I've never had a long wait there.  I discovered last week I lost my social security card someplace in this house and am going to the SSA sometime this week for a replacement.  Please send out a search party, if you don't hear back from me in 10 days.

     Hey, Shirley, my son is living in China.  Haven't seen him in 20 months.  He just renewed his apartment lease in Shanghai for another 3 months.  He's still teaching and saving money.  I'm hoping he'll surprise us with a visit at Christmas, but who knows.  Miss him terribly.   You are so lucky to have your kids back here in the States and Colorado is a gorgeous place to visit.  What interesting lives our kids are leading. Think of the memories they have already!

  • Daffodil
    Daffodil Member Posts: 829
    edited November 2008

    gsg, you must be a little further than I thought! (I'm in the town with 185 restaurants; come over, and we'll have lunch!) But I'm happy to be your scapegoat; little tired of being one on political threads (I knew better than ever to have logged on; we are a bi-partisan society here, thank goodness!)

    I just plugged in iron and threw in a load of laundry. Early bird?  NO, night owl! I have to get my ducks in a row before implant exchange.... these ducks have been quacking for awhile. I'll go up shortly.......this is what I get for reading these threads very long and late.

    SSA? Oh yes, been there done that~~~it was with one of the licenses. Oh no, Arimidex doesn't affect cognitive powers!

  • gsg
    gsg Member Posts: 3,386
    edited November 2008

    hmmmm.  I'm not sure which town has 185 restaurants, which is amazing, considering how much I love to eat. I would love to join you for lunch sometime!  I have met some people from  the board.  Two years ago several of us from Maryland and Northern Virginia got together for lunch.  It was wonderful meeting them.   Good luck with your exchange surgery...now get to bed!

  • GramE
    GramE Member Posts: 5,056
    edited November 2008

    Hey gals,  Good morning.   Thanks for the welcome - I have lurked here often and have enjoyed the humor and hints on how to avoid anything strenuous or remotely connected to cleaning.   Did someone mention windows??   I am in an apartment, and if they want them clean, they can come in and do them...   Sheers work great for filtering the sun and hiding the dirt !

    I once lost my vacuum for 3 months - and it was bright red in color.   It ended up under the bed somehow in the spare bedroom.   Do I get kicked out the this group because I use a hand sweeper, but not all that often?  

    Dec 5 I will have a lump and gotta get some things in order (maybe !! ). One good thing is I am invited for Thanksgiving and might only have to bring an appetizer.  Thank goodness for super market veggie trays.    

  • gsg
    gsg Member Posts: 3,386
    edited November 2008

    Hey, lefty.  I have found that dirt works beautifully for filtering the sun.  Some of my windows are nearing blackout stage, which is nice because you don't have to get up and pull down the blinds if you want to sleep.  Also, hand sweepers are mostly topical, so you absolutely can stay...it's akin to my sliding around on a damp rag on my kitchen floor and declaring it scrubbed.  I'm all for anything that makes life simpler.  And what a time saver the supermarkets are now with everything they offer...also Costco.   Actual cooking is pretty much a thing of the past in my house.

    Best wishes with your lumpectomy.  Mine was relatively pain free (really) and that's what my wish is for you.

  • Jane_M
    Jane_M Member Posts: 1,549
    edited November 2008

    Daffodil - IRONING!? What are you thinking? I'm proud of myself for actually brining a garbage bag upstairs so someone else can empty the garbage can in the bathroom.

    I did sweep the floor, too.  I thought dogs were supposed to shed in the spring - when they lose their winter coats, so why do I have so much dog hair?

  • KAK
    KAK Member Posts: 1,679
    edited November 2008

    Hi, all.  Daffodil, good luck with your exchange surgery.  I find I need to be threatened with extreme inconvenience or embarrassment in order to clean the house as thoroughly as you are now doing.  Nothing like scheduling surgery to do the trick.  Or if I'm really desparate, I'll volunteer to have everyone over for a holiday.  Works like a charm.

    Hi, lefty, sorry you have to have any surgery, but good luck with the lump.  I actually went to a work barbecue the evening after my same-day lumpectomy, believe it or not.  I was sooooooo happy on all those lovely drugs they gave me, plus completely STARVING from having to fast before the surgery, that I had one of my work buddies come pick me up as soon as I got home from the hospital.  And, you know, when you are wearing an elastic binder around your boobs, you don't even have to bring an appetizer to a party.  You get to sit & put your feet up while everyone fills your plate for you.  It was great!  Couldn't drink, though, but heck, I already had the best high there anyway.

    Jane, how's the cellulitis?  How's that bleepin' dentist?  I've tried for years to get my dog & the cats to learn to use the vacuum, but they just never seem to get the hang of it.  My dog thinks it's a big toy & runs after it, & they cats think it's a monster & hide from it.  That pretty much leaves me to use the thing.  But, hey, you have hardwood floors like me, right?  If you position it right, you can turn a fan on the hair & blow it into a nice neat pile under the bed.

  • Jane_M
    Jane_M Member Posts: 1,549
    edited November 2008

    KAK - Thanks for asking about the cellulitis.  I saw the BS on Friday and she told me I could get rid of the visiting nurse.  The dressing only needs to be changed once a day and, with a little contorting on my part, I can do it myself.  I can go back to work on Wednesday.

    Ever since I had this set back with the cellulitis, I've been fretting over a problem we have had in our kitchen for 4 years.  That long ago, we had a leak in our bathroom that flowed into the kitchen.  The plaster in the kitchen ceiling is coming down and there is a big hole in the ceiling.  One of our kitchen cupboards is covered in mold.  My husband is not a big Mr. Fix-it.  We went 5 years without a bathroom door - just a curtain.  I've never complained about his penchant for proscrastination, and he rarely complains about my disorganization. But, right now, this has gone beyond a "honey do" issue to a "could pose a serious health hazard" condition.  I have tried hinting and several other passive/aggressive approaches and, to him, it's not a big deal.  I really don't think he gets the severity of it.  I'd love to have someone come in one morning after he leaves for work and have it fixed by the time he gets home, but I am afraid of the wrath that would follow.  DH is a very proud man and does not take "charity" well.

    Does anybody have any suggestions for "sanitizing" my kitchen area?

  • Daffodil
    Daffodil Member Posts: 829
    edited November 2008

    Jane, not to sound like Debbie Downer, but mold is a serious problem....as in you cannot sell your house or it is declared uninhabitable. As the Evil Queen of Procrastination, I do understand! I'm not gonna call Clean House, but you must get someone in there! It's your health we are talking about!  {getting off soapbox}

    http://www.hhenvironmental.com/mold/millerton-ny-mold-removal.html

    The ironing was all flat stuff~~old linens taken off porch to store for winter. Tonight I need to do the summer stuff that hangs so I'll be ready to take off to the tropics at a moment's notice.Wink The stuff that goes in drawers is...not in the drawers. Man, I gotta get a move in.

    KAK: me, too. DD etc. coming for Christmas, so I will do the 3-week decorating thing, which hasn't happened for the last 3 years~~~and Christmas Night Buffet. Or so I say.......

    DD is dropping off her Lab on way to in-laws' for T'giving; he's gorgeous, but, oh, the drifts of hair! My Lab is non-shed compared to him! I bought one of those 4-foot tall broom and dustpan sets.

    Bye, ladies~~~I'm fixin' to get ready to start thinkin' about commencin' to begin!

  • gsg
    gsg Member Posts: 3,386
    edited November 2008

    Jane:  I agree you need to call in a professional, if it's what they call black mold.  I'm curious, though, have you tried spraying Tilex or used any type of chlorine bleach on it in the past?  Probably best to leave it to the professionals at this point, though.  I wonder if your homeowner's insurance would cover it.

    My husband procrastinates too.  In 1997, he decided to repaint our shed out back and put on new door hardware.   He removed the old hardware.  The new hardware is still in the garage and we have to open the shed with a screwdriver.  There are two side-by-side doors on the shed and he only replaced the decorative molding on one side. 

  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 5,446
    edited November 2008

    Patrice,

    HA!!  That is MY DH, too!  In our Maryland house, he replaced the front door (ok.. that was great!), but he NEVER put on the molding around the door on the inside, until we were preparing to sell the house, even though he had the pieces of wood sitting right there the whole time!; he even cut them to the correct size and everything!

    But, since I am so lazy these days and I never get the house cleaned, or things put away, or... well, you get the picture!, I can't complain about HIS procrastination. 

  • gsg
    gsg Member Posts: 3,386
    edited November 2008
    Yeah, Harley, I've dug the same hole...don't feel justified complaining, since he's actually doing more around here.  so we're left with talking about them on here and that ain't bad.  Cool
  • Harley44
    Harley44 Member Posts: 5,446
    edited November 2008

    I agree, Patrice!  I'm SO glad you started this thread!!Laughing

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