Positive Girls Club

Hi all,

Well I am flying high this week.  My brain was put to the test and passed with flying colours!  For two days in a row 'someone' had made numerous mistakes that showed up while I was doing the books.  I put on my mathematical sleuthing hat and tried to find out what had happened.  I found all the problems saving the owner hundreds of dollars. I was so proud that my brain is back.  Full stream ahead!

Where is everyone? I hope everything is going well for you.

I'm feeling a bit more positive this week than I have for awhile. I finally got started on the wound vac machine on Jan 26. There was some sort of mix up and the company (KCI) couldn't call me to arrange delivery. I've had the same phone number almost 23 years and the PT who is also a CWS got me one the phone alright, so the mix up wasn't at our end. At first it didn't seem to be doing all that much, but the last couple of visits to change the dressing looked good. I return to the surgeon on Feb 16 to see what he thinks.

I've named my wound vac Vlad, The Sucker. I asked for suggestions from a group of friends, and that's what we came up with. Vlad isn't too noisy, most of the time, but he does burp and gurgle a lot. I tend to have a bit of pain from the wound on the days when I get the dressing changed. The Wound spec pokes and prods so much making sure the wound is all cleaned out. The days in between aren't too bad if I remember not to raise my arm too high. 

My goal is to have my wound closed up and be off the machine by my birthday at the end of the month.

PIP, way to go finding those mistakes. It's great when the old brain comes through for you like that.

since I am not needing any additonal treatment, that is a positive thing for me, so I am  not coming around much.

My father had spine surgery yesterday (bone spurs that were removed) and he is doing great and may be able to come home tomorrow.

Sheila

Gee, has it been almost a month since I last checked in? Vlad, my wound vac machine has made some progress with my wound, but it still has a little more to go before the wound specialist takes me off it. Back at the end of January my wound was 2.5 cm deep and now it's about 1 cm. The specialist wanted to try something a little diferent today, because it's been about 1 cm for more than a week now. She set Vlad to run intermittantly (5 min on/2 min off) instead of continuously. I may get used to the little tug each time it turns back on, but so far I jump nearly every time. I'm hoping this will get us that .5 cm or so we need.

Miss S, I had only a lumpectomy in Jan 2007, but this wound is from a biopsy in Oct to remove tissue that was on the incision scar. It popped open on Thanksgiving Day and has been very slow in healing. A combination of things adds to the problems, multiple surgeries in the same spot, the old tumor bed, breast tissue, radiation, and then on top of that I have diabetes.

It's getting there, but a bit slower than anyone expected. Today, for the first time the specialist didn't see that yellow tissue at the bottom. She hasn't said for me to order more supplies so I'm hoping I'll be off of Vlad after a couple more visits.

Good to hear from some of you again. I hope more check in soon.

PIP, I remember taking trips during the winter when I lived in Wisconsin. I always hated going back to the cold and snow. Maybe Spring is just around the corner for those of you in the northern US and Canada.

Here in Texas the weather can't decide what season to be in. We get a couple of days near 80 degrees and then 2 or 3 in the 40s and 50s. Or like today it starts out a bit cool and now it's 80.

Shiela and Jule, my oncologist said that I was in remission back in January. He never actually says NED, but I hope that's what he means.

My friend who was diagnosed in November has finished her Chemo and is getting an MRI and seeing the surgeon soon. I'll be seeing her and others from an on line gruop in April. I can't wait.

Hey, I like the Positive label, but if one more person tells me, "You're a strong woman, it's gonna be alright!" I know I will be tempted to smack them one (just to test my strength, you know) -- but alas, I don't believe in violence as a response. Not even for the idiots...

Okay, I came here to be positive.  Hard to do right now as I have a swollen supra clavicular node.  However, I do have a job.  A great job that I love.  My boss, who is not known for her empathetic nature, has been extremely good to me.  I am sooooo thankful to have something to do that I actually get paid for, but it is not overly taxing.  My hubby and I are planning more road trips over the next few months.  We are planning them around concerts and visits to relatives...and shopping, of course.

Stay Well 

Well, I think I need to join this club. I finished all my treatments and just started taking Tamoxifen and have been flying high for over a month. I am generally a positive person, but I have been just stupidly happy all the time! Little things give me joy.

I haven't read all your posts... Will add to my fav's!!

Spring.

Happy Friday to all. Today is my 2nd appointment with the LE therapist, I developed mild LE in my left hand and we are hoping it will be treated with the soft glove. But this weekend is the annual Women's retreat up the mountain and I am so looking forward to getting away for the weekend.

Sheila

I live at the foot of the mountain on your way to Boone, just off Hwy 321. Right now the traffic is terrible going up the mtn due to the road construction. They are widening 321 and they close 321 on Tues and Thurs afternoons for blasting.  The retreat was off the Blue Ridge Parkway outside Blowing Rock. It is a small world. I discovered a woman here who now lives in CO but grew up in my town and the church organist was her Algebra teacher in high school. She came and visited me when she was in last summer visiting her father. And Lori, who started this topic lives in Boone, I haven't met her personally but we have spoken on the phone.

Sheila

I haven't spoken to her in a while but she had other health problems that has kept her house bound.

Spring lives in Raleigh which is about 4 hours from me, her daughter is in college just up the mtn from me.

Sheila

Hi all. Where does the time go? I've had a good month since I last posted.

My wound continues to get smaller and smaller, but there's still a little ways to go before it's completely closed. In April, the wound specialist lengthened the time between my appointments and then released me after the visit on April 20. She said I know how to do the wound care myself by now, and I can always call her if some problem develops.

I met several friends from my Sue Grafton fan group in Louisville, KY April 21-25. We all had a great time. Tuesday night Sue stopped by the hotel and surprised us. We didn't expect to see her until the next day.

Dinner on Wednesday was terrific! Sue Grafton and her husband Steve had us to their house and their personal chef made the dinner for us. I trekked up the stairs to the attic to see their home offices and their private theater with leather loungers for seats. In the hallway, Steve had an Enigma machine from WWII.

The next day they came by the hotel, and we walked a few blocks to an old local restaurant where they treated us to lunch.Our group gave her several presents, April 24 was her birthday, and she signed just about anything we put in front of her. After Sue and Steve left on Thursday afternoon, we played Kinsey Trivia. I made it to the next to final round.

On Friday we toured the Louisville Slugger factory in the morning and carpooled that afternoon to the Jim Beam tour a few miles from town. I got my pic with a bat the one of my Dad's Angels, Rod Carew, used in a game. My first taste of Bourbon wasn't quite as yucky as I thought it would be. They gave us samples of Jim Beam Black and Booker's that day. I probably won't start drinking whiskey on a regular basis, though.

A bunch of us stayed up late playing games one lady brought with her. Is it any wonder that I needed most of this past week to rest up from all the fun?

I think this week I'll be back on my regular routine of going to the fitness club on MWF for exercise classes and Sunday AM for my Yoga class. I'm so glad the the club continued some of the Sit and Be Fit classes they started while the pool was closed. Maybe my wound will be closed soon and I can go back to my Water aerobics classes.

Happy spring to everyone.