Anyone starting Chemo in August 07?

Hi June! Your little road trip sounds great!! I'm going down to New Orleans for JazzFest on the 24th, so we might just have to head over to Emiril's one night! Frankly, ALL the food in New Orleans is good!

Hey everybody, I'm really excited to share something with all of you, and I will soon be posting it as a thread of it's own, but I wanted all of you guys to see it first and let me know what you think. 

Back when we were all bald, I was SOOOO curious to know when my hair would come back and how long it would take, and what it would like. I found a few websites and a few photos, but they just didn't give me what I was looking for.  So, when my own hair started to come back, I started taking weekly photos for about 10 weeks, and then monthly. I thought that at some point I'd try to make a little movie of post-chemo hair progression so that I could share it with other women who were in chemo to give them some real concrete ideas of what to expect and to give them some hope.  One of my good friends is a graduate student in digital media, and he came up with an idea of creating a gallery that people could interact with.  I put together a whole gallery of my breast cancer journey as seen by way of my hair! I wrote a song to go along with it, and it is now ready for public view. Gulp!

So, here is the link!

https://netfiles.umn.edu/users/frah0005/www/HopeStrength/DeAnn/PortraitGallery.html 

I don't know how to do an ACTUAL link, so you just have to cut and paste into your browser. 

Eager to hear your thoughts!

DeAnn 

DeAnn, how beautiful and moving...you are so gifted girl! 

Jackie, I have a little story to tell you about being spontaneous.    We had just sent our youngest to college and I was feeling sort of at 'loose ends'.  Well, a friend of mine showed up at the door shortly after with a gift for me.  She said open it and "Read and Heed!"

It was a beautiful pillow that she had cross stitched for me.  Here's what it said:

LIFE BEGINS WHEN THE KIDS LEAVE HOME AND

THE DAMN DOG DIES!  

Hope I didn't offend anyone but had to share that with you.  We love our kids and grandchild but it is delovely just planning for the two of us most of the time. 

Best to all,

June

Kaye, it's a stinkin' 100 degrees down here. I may have to come visit you to cool off.

Sorry ladies, that I have gone MIA again.  I found a job, and I have been kind of busy lately.  I am working at a coffee shop p/t and it's ok, but it gets rather hectic there.  Since Spring Break is over, it is slowing down a bit.  I will have some time off again, til Memorial day weekend, and then I'll probably be working at the coffee shop again when things pick up.

So glad to hear that Anne is doing well, and that she won't need chemo.  That is GREAT!

Hugs

Harley

Nash,

Thanks!  I had a great b-day!  This has NEVER happened to me before, but I totally blanked out today, when I was thinking about how OLD I AM, I skipped ahead a year!!!   Has anyone done that besides me??  

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

Hugs

Harley 

Uh Ladies,

It's the "sage" on aging chiming in here this morning.  As the senior member on this panel I can't lie and say I haven't had a few 'senior moments' here and there.  However, I had many more of those *#$%^*)&+@&^ moments on chemo!!!!  If given a choice I'll take the real senior moments hands down!  And speaking of senior thing-a-mi-jigs, the government came through and I actually GOT my first SS check!  I guess some thing still work in DC.  LOL

Harley so good to hear from you...we've missed you.  Glad to hear you found a job.

Got to get ready for work.  It's a delightful 80 degree day here in Atlanta and I'm going to enjoy it before 'humidity hell' sets in in about 3 weeks.  Have a great day all.

June

Hugs coming your way as you go through your followups, Harley. Let us know how everything goes. And it sounds like things are really chugging along on the job front--that's great!

Hello ladies... 

Just sending in lots of hugs and kisses. V.V. busy these days, it feels that I am running after to moon again.

Some days it feels my bones are taking turns in hurting. One week it is my back; another day my big toes goes in spasm, when it isn't my elbow hinting at tendinitis or my knee feeling like having a tear. I make do... work is busy busy busy, trying to take on a new team (of course no-one knows about my medical issues), reframing my insurances (hahaha, a full-time job on its own), keeping house, and of course my daughter and my mom (who is holding on, but not brilliantly, the chemo was really really hard on her, the results show a little shrinking but nothing wild - so who knows).

Lilith,

Sorry to hear that the chemo was very hard on your Mom...  Keeping her and you, the entire family in my prayers.

Hugs

Harley 

Yes, Happy Mother's Day!

Hi All,

Hope everyone is well! 

I just wanted to let you know that I won't be going to California in August. If we come, it probably won't be until October some time. I'm sorry to say my MIL is not doing well. She's been so sick from chemo and brain rads that she hasn't eaten hardly any solid food in over a month now (she's been on IV nutrients), and has been in the hospital for the past week. Then, the most recent MRI showed a possible tumor in her jaw muscle, and now a CAT scan this week showed a tumor on her adrenal gland (which is on the kidney). The jaw they've treated with rads, but the other one can only be treated with chemo, which she is no longer strong enough to tolerate. Sigh. Things are not looking good, and we know she won't have enough energy to go anywhere in August, but we hope she'll start to recover a bit and be strong enough by October. 

Sorry to share such lousy news, but wanted to make sure I let you know that our plans have changed.