I'm bitchy, I moan, I groan.....anyway.

I'm bitchy. I moan. I groan and then when everyone leaves. I get a cold beer.

Connie love your 'tude. Oops, that is short for attitude.

I have to get lunch ready, have a great day.

I need a big, heavy, THAT SUX from y'all.

The chemo drugs on exit are disturbing my delicate tissues AND I am drinking plenty of water and wiping my delicate parts with bottled water spritzed on paper towels (less fuzzing that toilet paper) and I am very mis-er-a-ble and cranky.

I have heartburn nausea, and the Zofran or the Compazine aren't helping much.  Call me Ginger, as I eat cookies, freeze dried, and candy ginger products from Trader Joe's.

My dad is having stomach troubles, and it's hard as hell to get him to work with the doctors and me to narrow it down - he's acting like a guy type guy when I need him to do a food journal to see what he's putting into his system.

At this point, apparently a colonoscopy is in order - and I'm going on the premise that his digestive system is missing something that is causing nausea.  All I can do is put stuff in - I can't take stuff out of there.

I'm trying some lactose intolerance over the counter (OTC) stuff that is highly rated (Called pearls) and some stuff for gas - Digestive Advantage Once Daily Gas Prevention Therapy  (I read up on both of these on amazon.com).  I refuse to give up on my stubborn dad - even if I gotta drive over to his house and put the stuff in his hand five mornings in a row.  (See where I got my stubborn from?  hee hee)

He doesn't like eating breakfast.  I haven't been able to get him to eat just a piece of toast.  I told him that his body needs fuel - just like his cars.  He's over 70 now, but in basically good health except for this tummy nausea thing going on.

I can't have him imagining that it is some form of cancer (his tummy nausea) - so, I can't bring up my chemotherapy.  That's all I need - me worrying about him worrying about me.  Can't deal with that.  Besides, often times cancer has no side effects - it just sneaks in on you until it gets bad.

Question:  Are any of you ladies non-breakfast eaters?  Do you become nauseous mid-morning or at what point do you need real food?

Thank you.

sessna1

Sessna, maybe you could tell your Dad that the doc told you that YOU need to eat breakfast to stay strong (don't mention bowel issuses) but you don't feel like it and maybe he could motivate you by sharing in the moment....just a thougt.

SUX.  Ditto on the baby wipes!  I get wicked heartburn and Zantac has really helped.

A friend who has colon problems said Activa yogurt helped her.  She's often running to the bathroom within a 1/2 hour of eating and the Activa has helped calm her stomach, not as bad now.

I always skip breakfast (only coffee) and if I'm really hungry I do feel nauseous.  It varies on when I need food -- usually 11AM.  Maybe you could get your dad to have one of those breakfast drinks -- easier to take in the morning and packed with nutrients.

Here is another photo of Rob and Dreamwriter.

Hi, girls!  Miss you all.  Thanks so much for all the sweet comments about the blog.  Makes me feel really good.

I've been having another bout of exhaustion, which is why I haven't been around much.  That's what I get for thinking I was starting to feel normal again & able to do lots of fun things after work. 

I had my regular annual physical with my PCP 2 weeks ago & he ordered every lab that made sense.  Finally got the results.  My thyroid & my liver & all that are fine, but my blood counts, white, red, etc. were either at the bottom end of normal or just below normal, which is what happens for up to two years after radiation.  At least I know that there's a reason why I feel sort of okay, then run out of steam and crash.  I'm doing all the right things, really, to deal with it, but a lot of the time, the only thing to do is crawl home from work and sleep.  I'm so tired of feeling tired, though.  Two friggin' years of this??  Good lord.  I had the 3-week course of rads, which was great as far as the skin goes, but I got the same overall dose as you get with 6 or 7 weeks, so I guess I'm paying for it.  And paying and paying......

A big THAT SUX!  to all who need it.

Jane M - please have that breathing/your lungs checked ASAP.  It could be pneumenosis - the chemo could have lessened your defenses so that pneumonia could start up - there's a difference between short of breath and HARD TO BREATHE.  Demand that your doctor/onco x-ray your lungs - I don't want ANYONE else getting what I got by pushing myself as it got harder to breathe every day. 

-sessna1

Welcome back KAK... missed you.

Being exhausted is so exhausting. All the little stressors seem to hang in there together like cold oatmeal and form the core around the larger stressors which send out feelers to catch more stress and wad it up inside til you feel like you're going to burst. Instead you get a nasty headache.

Just a drive by to send you all warm wishes and HUGS..thinking of you all and hoping/praying that things are well for everyone....Harris...good to see you again!

(((HUGS))) 

Happy Weekend and a BIG That Sucks to one and all.

I've been at my daughters for the last couple of weeks. It's birthday time in our family. One right after another for the next two months. I swear I'm getting older by the minute.

Hope everyone has a good weekend planned whether your sitting on the couch watching Nascar or floating down the rapids of the Colorado river. Make it the best weekend you've ever had cause there is no getting it back once it's gone.

Love you all, think of you daily even when I don't show up for weeks.

Oh dear.  And really funny!  Reminds me of 30 years ago when pads were the size of bricks and I flushed a couple.  It was me and my 2 sisters saying not me, not me! 

Connie07 - you have had spine surgery before?  Was it by a regular surgeon or a neurosurgeon, please?

Went to an Urgent Care facility today.  God Dad anti-nausea meds.  (YAY!) Getting Dad on better eating plan - I think he has been bachelor starving himself - not enough nutrients/vegetables/etc. Warning - if you have an over 70 year old loved one, they may be letting their nutrition slide - especially if it is a male.  Check that refrigerator of theirs, please.  My dad was storing batteries in his...  sigh.  The fruit/veggie bins...  sigh...

Went to Urgent Care myself at City of Hope.  Too miserable not to.  Glad I didn't flush any baby wipes... whoaaaa.  Plumber bill.  Anyway - I got meds for a urinary tract infection - this never happened with the first three cycles...   I am feeling better.  I was beginning to be a grump.  Thank you for all prayers.

sessna1

Kathleen you are too much!  One paragraph on how you are suffering, then you wish everyone to feel better soon.  Such a sweetie.

I have had fun this weekend.  Is it over yet?  Please be over.  No it is a LOOOONNNNNNGGGG weekend.  My best friend phones me.....  "I have to go to the hospital.  Pllease come with me."  Like I can say no.  This is the one that helped me through chemo."

Turns out she has kidney stone.  And it is moving....so she has to pee it out.  Great.  They were watching her pee for it.  They woulda heard her scream if it passed.  She is stoic but....  They said the pain would stop then. Funny guys.

I had just treated her to dinner.  The one I saw again in the vomit bag.  They kept marvelling that they never saw someone thow up such a green dinner.... I said, we had salad.

Dream, you reminded me of the time my DH did a technicolour yawn and it was RED! 

Face white as a sheet, thinking he had end stage stomach cancer, he asked me to take him to the Dr. 

After a few pertinent questions, it seems that hubby had had quite a few weiners covered in tomato sauce, followed by a bag of those red-skinned peanuts, while he was watching football and having a few beers, earlier that day.

 Boy . . . was his face RED as we walked out of there!

Sheila.