Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

Thanks Caya for the shoe expert advice.  I was thinking the same thing, light silver would be too light for the shoes but more pewter.  I agree the shawl color should be wine if I can find material the exact shade.  My sister-in-law offered to make one for me, as it is pretty easy to make and she is a great seamstress.  I have all winter to look for the right material.  I hope the dress is not too dark for spring but oh well I like it and feel good in it so that's all that matters.  I don't want to be the center of attention.  The mother of the bride and the bride of course deserve that.  The bridesmaids are wearing indigo so that's not very light in color. We'll see what the mother of the bride comes up with.  She's waiting for the new fashions to come out in January.  She dresses very nicely so I'm sure she'll look great.  Getting the petite size was key as alterations are much less.  Now I'm fretting over the shower, people are calling in their regrets.  I know times are tough financially but you'd think you would want to wish a new couple well starting out.  These weddings bring out all kinds of emotions.  Guess you have to be there in it to fully understand. 

hey i got my appointment postponed until tomorrow at noon , another day ! I have yoga tonight so that should help , we have a great bunch ,  all of us survivors and a good yoga instructor . She is good at getting us out of our "conversations" and into yoga . I am sure one more day will go fast .....

Hi Ladies,

Sharon, it's nice you have another day and can sneak a yoga session in. We are all still with you. Have you noticed the yoga helping in terms of general fitness?



Mary, I LOVE the description of you MOG dress. Maybe you can post a pic of you in it to the egroup. As for the shower, I think people have all sorts of conflicts no matter what date and time you choose. I enjoyed the one I gave my new DIL, despite those who weren't there. Once the fun starts, you just forget about everything else.



Cindy, so glad you've rejoined us. I bet the refinancing will give you a general lift as it eases your financial pressures.



Caya, how lucky are we to have our own footwear expert and advisor in this group!



Melia, I sure hope you can get that swelling addressed, too. It sounds so very uncomfortable, makes me cringe just to read about it.



DH is working part time this week but he is usually in pain as soon as he gets home and has to lie down. I think he will be fine on his own this weekend when I go to Chicago for that sci-fi/fantasy writer's conference. NEXT weekend he is going deer hunting! He and his pals rent a luxury condo so he says he will just hang around the "deer shack" if he doesn't feel up to sitting in the woods.



I'm feeling ok, slightly sub-par, not up to doing my video exercise today but not too bad to stay home from church choir practice. Luckily my friend is driving us to that conference, and I can go up to our room any time I tire out or the throngs dressed as Klingon warriors start getting to me. The best thing about today was that I sent the final version of the latest manuscript to the publisher, with all extras such as glossary, bibliography, end notes, resources, etc. attached, and got his word back that he received it. I'm looking at this weekend as my reward.



Nancy, I read your e, too, and send you much sympathy and many hugs. Together we will get through all these things.



Hope everyone enjoys their evening - Skye

i am NORMAL ! what a relief to know that ...... the lesion was not very big and the dr said if it was bone mets I would have lit up on the bone can in more than one spot . The worst part of this damn bc is waiting and getting worked up thinking about the "what ifs "

I gotta go and get dinner on the go a stir fry ..... will check in later as my story continues as i prepare for more surgery

Sharon, I hear you on those "what-ifs." Most of the time I don't worry about anything that I can't do something about, but every once in a while "what-if" sneaks in. I'm glad to hear things turned out well for you.

Caya, chemo the gift that keeps with you. Darn those UTIs; I hope the antibiotic routine will kick them out of your life.

I don't have much going on with me right now, but I thought I'd check in.

My friend in Ohio seems to be doing ok, so far. Her chemo starts next Thursday. I'm trying to think of all the things that might have been more hlpful if I'd known them earlier.

Take care. See you next time.

Oh Sharon that is the best news!  I am so happy and relieved.  Did he have any idea what it might have BEEN since it was NOT mets?

Caya ditto the ick on the UTI.  Hopefully the urologist will help you sort all that out.

EEEW Tina on the incognito nurses.  That is just awful.  Talk about at atmosphere designed to make you feel like a nameless piece of meat moving through the office.

Mary hope the bridal shower goes well….and the dress sounds gorgeous, by the way.  I am totally clueless about shoes…all my dress shoes are either black or brown….so I guess if I have need I will be calling on Caya’s expertise as well!  LOL.

Sharon, I just checked in and read your wonderful news.  I am SO happy!  I think you handled it very well, but still, what a scare, and what a relief to know you're fine after all.

YAY Sharon!  Whew!

Sharon, I am thrilled at your news. You were so stoic while waiting for results, and now you can sleep well!

 Caya, glad you are feeling better; I don't like the fact that you have these utis so often. Try to relax this weekend, and don't spend too much time on paperwork.

Mary, I agree, enjoy the shower. This is a happy event, and you should try to relax into the joy.

So I saw the surgeon today. He said he has never seen such a big, nasty hematoma. Yea, I don't much like it either. It is actually as big as the breast was. He tried to drain fluid, but it's hard as a rock, so he wants me to come back in 3 wks to try again. I don't really see the advantage of draining it but am willing to try. He says it will fill up again each time, just not quite as much. He told me that I was looking at 6 - 12 months for it to resolve. The surgery option is out as far as I am concerned; an open wound for 6 months, changing dressings daily, etc. No way. I don't want my life defined by this. So ... tomorrow I am going to try to find some soft camis, sew a pocket on what, ironically, is now the "good" side (the original mx cancer side) for a prosthesis, and see how that works. The previously good, non cancer, side, is so sensitive that I need to protect it with something soft. The hematoma is large enough that, if I wear loose tops, it looks like a breast. I have often thought God has a sense of humor, and this kinda reinforces that to me. I am walking around with one flat side, one breast sized hematoma, very uncomfortable. My goal is to just get comfortable and symmetrical. Good Grief.

Ok, my friends, have a good weekend. Sweet dreams and stay safe.

Sharon,

Congratulations on the clean bill of health. That is such great news!

Caya,

I am glad you are feeling better. Hopefully the prophylactic approach will help. I haven't been to a big Shabbat dinner in years. I am sure the meal was delicious. 

A therapeutic massage sounds like a great idea. Does Canadian insurance pay for that? Not here. I hope you feel better soon. 

Cindy,

I also loved your rant. I agree that greed was the reason for this whole financial mess.

 Mary,

Have a great time today!

Melia,

That sucks! I don't see the humor though. A soft camisole sounds like a good idea. I know this is cliche- but it WILL get better in time. I do wish you didn't have to go through this discomfort. 

Skye,

I hope you feel better soon. You are so busy:I don't know how you do it. 

I had an appointment with my new oncologist- I love him. He is starting me on Aromasin. He agrees that Fosamax should keep my osteoporosis in check. Time will tell. I am willing to take that chance. He also wants to check my liver function after I stop the Tamoxifen for three months. Apparently my liver tests were a little high- due to Tamoxifen. Oy! more s/e's.

I have gained over 12 pounds since starting effexor and tamoxifen. I have never been this heavy and it really bothers me. I have been doing the WW thing with not much results. It is very frustrating. My onco says that tamoxifen and AI's slow our metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. I am bound and determined to lose this extra weight, even if it means having only salads for dinner. I am also stopping the Effexor slowly. Hopefully that will also make a difference. My primary care doctor wants to see me next week to discuss what else I can take for my "anxiety" that will not affect my weight. Hopefully we will come up with something. 

Am I the only one with a weight gain problem since starting these meds? 

Skye,

Are you taking Aromasin? Do you think your joint pain could be caused by that? My onc told me that some patients feel older and have joint pain, especially in their hands. He said that is the case on any AI's. but new studies suggest that Aromasin might cause less harm to the bones.Great!  What am I doing? Other than weight gain, Tamoxifen has not bothered me. I might be setting myself for an uncomfortable ride. Oh well, away I go.

It is a dull rainy day here, but I am enjoying it. I like dull rainy days once in a while, as long as there are not too many of them. 

Nancy, Mel, Jan, Rebecca, Tina, Robbin, Lynn, and Amera,

How are all of you? Hugs.

I hope everyone is having a great day. 

Love,

Viddie 

Melia, I can't believe you are having to deal with this...  here you are just trying to do the right thing, get on with your life.  TOTALLY aggravating.  I've never even heard of this complication.

Quiet weekend here...well for me at least.  Jaclyn, as you know has been the party queen all weekend.  Last night I finally got around to renting Sex & The City on demand.  It was good, but I didn't care for the story line of Big leaving her at the altar, AGAIN.  Way overdone.  And to think she'd forgive him was unrealistic.  Tonight is Desperate Housewives.  I love Ugly Betty.  Anyone watch that?  And my latest fascination, are those trainwreck girls on Real Housewives of Atlanta.  Hysterical!  Taking the kids to Uncle Julios later for dinner.  DH is in Portland, OR until Wed.

Mary, glad the shower went well.  The plus of the wedding will be that others will do the work, so you can visit with people.  As Melia always says, take it all in...

Viddie, I've been taking Aromasin since Sept 2007 and so far I haven't gained weight. I was diagnosed with diabetes in the Summer of 2007 so I started really controlling my carbs then and taking 1 metformin a day. I lost about 20 pounds those first few months, but now I'm sort of staying even. I think exercise helps. I go to my water aerobics 3 times a week.

Melia, that swelling doesn't sound good. I'm glad you got in to see the surgeon about it. I hope it gets better for you.

Caya, are you getting snow, already? I guess it is November. I remember white Thanksgivings from when I lived in Wisconsin.

Fun times at my house this weekend. The water heater we had installed in Feb 2006 decided to spring a gusher yesterday. I did some laundry in the morning, and we noticed the lack of hot water about suppertime. The overflow pan didn't contain the flood so we got some water into the living room (the other side of the wall from the water heater); most of the water drained out the garage and driveway. After we found the intake valve and turned it off we could start the mopping up. We got the carpet pulled up and towels to blot up a lot of the water. Then we turned a fan on the area. Things seem to be drying up fairly well. The man came this morning to replace the water heater so we didn't have to rough it for very long.

I've been reading about all those fires in California. I hope everyone will be safe and sound in a few days.

Hi all,

Mary,

I am glad the shower was a huge success. Now you can rest. Thanks for your advice on exercising. You are right of course. I will  start dusting off my treadmill sitting in my basement. I do add tunafish or whatever protein I make for Ed for dinner to my salad, but I do not eat the the bread or potatoes. I even throw in brocolli and green beans. I will get tired of my salads soon, but right now I am enjoying them.

Tina,

Jaclyn seems to be having a blast in Va. Good for her.

Caya,

I hear you on this weight dilemma.  What are we to do???? I am seeing my GP tomorrow before I completely stop the Effexor. I hope he has another "pill" for my anxiety. I do need something.

 Debbie,

I am sorry your water heater broke. What a pain! I am glad they were able to replace it so quickly.

 I promise I will start exercising more. I do walk 4-5 times a week with a neighbor and we always walk for at least one hour. That should count for something. Right?

Lynn,

Didn't you switch to Arimidex? Did you gain weight? How do you feel now after Stage 111? Are you happy with the results? I have an appointment with Dr. Lee on Jan 9th.  

Ed and I are so tired of seeing all these doctors for this or that. I swear we spend more time at doctor's offices than at our house. Ed and I had an argument this morning about his upcoming stress test. He had a heart attack around 12 years ago and has a high triglyceride level. He got a second notice from his cardiologist that he was due for a nuclear stress test. I called to schedule it and they had an cancellation for this Thursday. When I told him the good news, he got upset that I called and told me he does not want to go right now. He would rather wait until after the new year. I told him on Friday that I was going to call to schedule the test, but he did not know I could get an appointment this soon. Geez...He is so tired from going to doctors with me (not always) and also for himself. Traveling to Boston to see doctors is not fun. I understand his frustration, but that's life as we all know it now. 

I guess I will have to change his appointment until February, whether I want to or not. He better stay healthy. I am just blowing off steam. Thanks for listening.

Have a great day.

Love,

Viddie 

Hi Ladies,

I got home later on yesterday and decided to leave the computer for Monday. The conference was lots of fun, I had my pic taken with Chekhov of Star Trek (Walter Koenig) and will post offline. Only bugaboo was that my crown tooth got infected and had to get pencillin to take along. Today was my 6-month post-Herceptin checkup and was nothing remarkable. He ordered a colonoscopy and said at six months again another checkup, spinal x-ray and bilateral breast MRI. So I'm good (except for the scope thing) until May. I also asked him about Fosomax but he said that is for osteoporosis not osteopenia. They just moved into this beautiful, brand new center with a massive infusion room that is so much more pleasant than the one I endured. Oh well, I'm happy for those who need it, that they will have more comfort.



Viddie, I do not believe the Aromasin causes the arm pain because it went away while I was off the statin and while taking Aromasin but came back when I started the statins again. I heard that it causes about 7 pounds average weight gain and I think I've gained four or five. I try to do 30-40 minutes of a varied walk/exercise video at least 4 times a week, more if I can. I've also been eating a much worse diet than usual with all this travel.



Sharon, HUGE relief on your good results. Gold stars all around!



Mary, I'm glad your shower went well. I'd say 25 was a fantastic turnout. Love those happy times.



Rebecca I'm also glad things turned out well at your house. And Tina, Jac as party girl is such a funny image, I love to think of her having so much fun. I think you have a full-fledged extrovert on your hands. I do think Ugly Betty is great but seldom get to watch it. Desperate HW's however is holy time at our house. Last night's was riveting, I thought. I still want to see the S in the City vid. DH does too, although he wouldn't go to see it in the theater with me as he didn't want to be the only guy there.



Viddie I hear you on doctor burnout. I'm feeling the same way, especially with his latest surgery. He returned to work today but came home a little early.



Caya, I think it's about time for those UTI's to leave you alone. Tell the next one the Ta Ta's said ta ta.

Happy Evening to all - Skye

Hi Girls,

Fa-reezing here.  Just got in from Paul's basketball practice and watched The Shield.  Anyone watching that?  I lost interest last season, but this season has me totally on the edge of my seat.