Starting Chemo May 2008

Kristy - Have fun on the class trip tomorrow. Wish they did a Junie B Jones production around here. My 2^nd grade class loves her stories. When we break into reading groups we read from books that are not our main curriculum book. My group enjoys her books. We just finished "Junie B. First Grader: Aloha-ha-ha!" If you're not familiar with them they are cute. Don't know who enjoys them more, the class or the teacher.

sitting here holding RanD's hand and squeezing as tight as I can..

Love you. 

Brew one for me, Otter.  My heart is right there with you RanD-we'll get you a punching bag if you need it and we will be with you every step of the way--at the graduations & weddings too!  Can you feel me wrapping my arms around you right now?

Brew one for me as well, Otter.  RanD - make room on that sofa because I am snuggling in to sit next to you and hold your hand.   We will be with you every step of the way.  I will continue to pray for your strength and healing.  Jean

Ok you guys need to share some of RanD's couch, skootch over. We can beat this randie, I know we can!

I'll have my port till at least september.... can't wait to get it out!

While you guys are snuggling on the couch, I get the punching bag.  RanD - I hope you know we are right here with you.  Holding your hands, wrapping you in warm hugs, rubbing your back, beating the hell out of any doctor who dares to have horrible human relations or is lacking in common sense.  We're going to kick this thing.  You bet your sweet ass we are.

Gracie - I had to laugh at the picture in my head.  Just don't do any cooking with oil or bacon in that "attire".  You DH is a hoot!

Kristy - I finally had it with the gray/black hair.  Why oh why did it come in with more gray than it left with?  Andy why black?  I'm a brunette for goodness sakes.  I'd never have thought I'd want that boring color back.  So yesterday I got my second trim since 8/13 and today....I colored my hair.  I was sick of all that gray....SICK SICK SICK of it.  I called it my old lady hair.

I did indeed lose my eyelashes again!  But they are coming in quick, as they did the first time.  My eyebrows thinned but not a total defection like the first time.  I couldn't believe it when I was reading that we lose our eyebrows and eyelashes multiple times.  As if the first time wasn't enough.  Thank GOD it doesn't happen to the head that way.

Hey Ran. When I coined the phrase, "Feck the Fifteen", I was actually sick to the stomach with worry and expected you to be half killed (Lance Armstrong-style !) with god-knows-what extra treatment. Then I thought the double mastectomy took care of things..oh hell..what would I know..I'm just gutted and want you to be same as you were two weeks ago. Anyway, I'm with you on the mets board stuff..I guess we fear everything but the girls over there are doing amazingly. They are so down to earth, well and like you have far better things to stress about like weddings and such than the big C.  And I'm REALLY glad you can get Disability. Having to worry yourself sick about $$ would just about be the final fecking straw. Fecking love you. XX

RanD... yes... Kerry you got it... Lance Armstrong had mets to the lung and brain and finished treatment more than 10 years ago... he is in Australia riding by Kerry's front door this week as he came back out of retirement and is riding the Tour of Australia..Here are some links for u..

http://www.livestrong.org/site/c.khLXK1PxHmF/b.2661053/k.9207/Lances_Story.htm 

http://www.livestrong.org/site/c.khLXK1PxHmF/b.2662117/k.68D9/Hear_Survivor_Stories.htm 

 I have lots of booze, feck the tea..

Nite all! 

ranD,

Sigh.

I am just sitting next to you with my hand on your arm or massaging your feet. I am just quiet except to say that one of my closest friends is stage four and has been there for a very long time. Another friend has been at stage four for some 15 years now. Now I'll shut up and drink my tea except for one more thing....I send you love and prayers.

 Sigh.

RanD - Well, crap.  CRAP.  I don't even know what to say about it except that I so wanted a different answer for you.  Can we have a do-over?  Move over, ladies.  Otter, is there another cup left?   I hope your kids like friends 'cause I may have to bring my two along. 

Okay. Okay. Okay. Breathing in and out. Breathing in and out. Not going to go to next page until I post.

Noelle. Sister, you KNOW I am feeling your bad-ish news, need for more follow-up pain.  I have been there. It is not fun. And if I could take it from you, you know I would.

RanD.  Okay. I think I know why I dreamed of you guys last night. At the time ranD was posting, I was having a dream with all of us in it (and my friend, Samir).  We were all in a group, with our hair of varying lengths and our faces were kind of raised and we were laughing and smiling.  I remember thinking, "Oh, that's Kristy!  There's Adrienne! Eddie is shorter than I thought she was! (??!!)" 

My dream, of course, does not take away lung mets.  I am sitting here on a couch in a guest house in beautiful, beautiful Cape Town and tears are streaming down my face.  That is just sucky, sucky news.  Yes, you no doubt have many happy wonderful years ahead of you, but it does just SUCK. I wish like hell it was different. I'll say it, even though it's pointless: I wish I could take your lung mets. Because I don't have kids and I have really good health insurance.

I need to stop crying otherwise I"m going to have to go to my room so nobody sees me. 

Love to you, RanD. I'm almost 6 feet tall and every inch is thinking of you, rooting for you.

Oh my goodness, yes, fiercely, Rock, of course it does and is!! And what's more, this is summer-school week at the Art school here in Launceston (some pics on my facebook) and one of the Artists in Residence this year, and last year, is a pianist called Amber Hammond. The thing that will make y'all sit up and say, "WTF!!" is twofold, actually. Amber was awarded a music diploma and an honorary diploma when she was 12. Yes..she is quite a good piano-player...........BUT most importantly, she was invited by the White House Important People to play as part of the Inauguration official biz AND SHE SAID, "NO, I NEVER CANCEL ONE ENGAGEMENT IN FAVOR OF ANOTHER".    Wh-a-a-a-a-t! I ask you!! Anyway, I went to her lunchtime recital yesterday and her opening Chopin was so exquisite I burst into tears. So there, RanD, are two fine omens: a Xhosa woman in Cape Town and a gorgeous freak-of-nature ivory-tinkler (in 6" black velvet heels!) in Launceston, who knocked back an invite at the new Pres' bash. RanD, if you need another high quality omen...at our new house we have our own Black Forest Raven to wake us up at dawn every morning. I could weep. Life is so fecking sweet. I used to have trucks that rattled our windows from 3am onwards. RanD, I know from this week just gone that life is just way too cool to leave for at least the next 25 years, so take a deep breath, compose thyself and plan those weddings and all that other exciting shite. Throw in the odd bit of chemo and radiation..WTF!!! We KNOW we can handle that shite!! We're all comin' along for the ride of our lives!! And Noelle? I'm with you girl,!. What is this talk about tea???? I'm bringing along a couple of cases of the champagne my Hub made, and we will all get shickered and talk oh-so-much shite. And then.....we might be need that cup of tea.... Love you RanD. Gawd, we're going to have the most AWESOME time on Oprah....XXXXX

RanD,  I'm thinkin of you and wanted to send you some big hugs.   i'm headin to the couch too, but like Kerry I'll be bringing a shot of something stronger to throw in that tea..... after news like that you might need something to calm your nerves. 

You are a strong person and with all of us beside you ...you will be the incredible Hulk (much prettier and smaller, and not so green)  and you will knock over any obstacle that comes your way and you will overcome!!!!!!!!!!   Bcause we won't let it go any other way.

Holding my hand out for you....can you reach it?    

Julie et al., I saw a male bluebird day before yesterday.

We were driving along a side street toward the parking lot at Bass Pro Shop when I spotted a bluebird house.  It was right at the edge of a strip of woods between the side street and the freeway.  I was thinking, that's neat that someone would put a bluebird house there--I wonder if any bluebirds actually use it? ... when suddenly there was that flash of blue as the bird flew out of the house and into the trees.

That means it's spring.

Oh, okay, so I live in Alabama and maybe spring comes just slightly earlier here than it does northwards.  But, I think seeing the first bluebird of the season is a good omen, too, right?

Hugs to all...

otter