Starting Chemo February 2009?
Comments
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Kerry: 2 questions: what is zip lining, and what does "landed" mean (I'm thinking that it means you're a new citizen of Canada?)
Bev: yay for eyelashes and eyebrows!!!
Jaimie: I'm so sorry you're going through all this....I hope the new 'girls' hang in there....is that depending on whether or not your wound heals? If it does heal soon, can you keep them in, or are they infected?
Apple: your mom does sound like a real sweetie, and funny, too!
Michele: why would your son say you have poodle hair....it doesn't look curly to me? I can't believe how much hair you have, and I finished chemo before you, not fair, lol!!! I won't get rid of all my scarves either....kind of a superstition thing I guess.
Bethie: Hey girl! Finishing rads, how awesome!!! YAY!!! Be sure to post your new pic soon, we wanna see you!
Kim: How are you doing? Halfway done, it should go fast now. Is your skin holding up ok?
Artemis: it's funny, I enjoy playing with mascara too, now that my lashes are long. I went from having short, stubby eyelashes that wouldn't curl upward to long eyelashes so fast! I've noticed that when the hair comes back (legs, brows/lashes, arms, everywhere except on the head), it seems like there is more than there was before chemo....why can't my head follow suit?
I've been mosaicing all day (12 hours worth), and am exhausted, so I'm off to bed.
Hugs
Judy
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Oh, so nice to hear from everyone! Rainy and humid here again today, and now we are starting to get those "back to school" ad's on TV....I don't even feel like summer has started. I was saying to my husband last night, I really feel like I have "lost" a year. Hoping much better things for all of us in the next 12 months.
Judy - being "landed" is what they call it here when you get your residency. You become a "landed Immigrant", then after about 4 years you can apply for Citizenship. The whole process took me years, and cost several thousand dollars, but was worth doing. I had to even sit a test to get my Citizenship. But now I am proudly Canadian!
Jaimie - oh no!! That is terrible to hear, you poor thing. The only silver lining is that it isn't the beast, but still. Hope you don't lose them. Are you in pain? It is the last thing you need. I am still undecided on recon, I used to think "no way" but am starting to think down the line I might like to get a boob back again. ....
Michele - you have so much hair! It looks fabulous. Mine looks like a very short style still, I need bangs. But not missing my long hair in this heat.
Bethie - yah for finishing rads!! It is always nice to get a treatment behind you!
Artemis - I always love hearing from you! Glad to hear all is well.
Kim - you are in the home stretch too, yah!
Well, hope you all have a great day. We are off on Vacation on Friday (after my date with my Onc!) so the packing begins......
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MICHELLE! You have so much hair!! Looks gorgeous! I still just have peach fuzz, HOWEVER, I've noticed that the fuzz is long enough so that it sort of *leans* one way or the other instead of standing straight up. Is that enough to call it a hairdo??
Jaimie, Jaimie, enough already. Get Better!
Sunday I met with 6 other Colorado folks from the boards. It was fun and a great group of women. Most of them are going through or have been through reconstruction where they take skin/fat from your buns. Michelle, I'm with you. I'm not ready for reconstruction. I'll keep my lopsided chest and pass on additional surgery.
We had a show and tell in the restaurant bathroom, with the newly recontructed showing their scars and new 'girls.' A woman came out of the stall and overhearing our conversation, told us she's a 10-yr survivor. Small world.
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darn it..lost my post.
living4today.. I'll be in Vermillion attending the my uncle's funeral.. he is the last to go - should be a nice day to pay tribute to a generation
Michele - your hair is adorable.. i can't believe it is so thick and cute.. i like the short look much better than the bob. you are just adorable with the bangs so short like that.
i have two photos to share - one for today and another for sometime else. Below is a picture i drew while i was in Greece. it's so good natured and funny.. what was i thinking I wonder?
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KERRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME GIRL!!! Tomorrow is the biggie!!! We've all come so far
Jamieh--Hope you're doing OK!!!!
Artemis -- AWESOME!!! I need to show you a new pic of me too, SOOOO much hair has come in, since I changed profile pics.
Well take care furies
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Tomorrow, oh tomorrow, my last chemo is tomorrow and I am so excited that this part of treatment will be finished and I can get on with the next phase. I am taking little gifts for the nurses and other workers that have made this much easier to handle. Especially in a country where I don't speak the language well. They have gone out of their way to make sure I am comfortable and doing well. What a blessing they and all of you have been in getting me through this. I thank all of you and may God Bless, Kathy
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Michelle, your hair looks great!
Jaimieh, I'm so sorry you are having issues with your implants! I have not had any problems with mine since the cellulitis. I think the tissue expander and implant process was well worth it. I am very happy with my new foobs! Here is a picture that features "the girls". My son and I were goofing around at a rest stop in Pennsylvania on our way to Michigan last week.
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Xpectmiracles, you look wonderful!!!
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Cheryl, you look fabulous! I have serious boob envy....!!
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that's amazing Cheryl.. they look fantastic. that is wonderful - do you have 2 foobs?
(i never ever considered reconstruction.. i am just too nervous with the notion of being 'under' sedation)
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Apple, I had a single mastectomy. The other breast was augmanted to match.
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Wow Cheryl! If I knew I'd end up with a rack like that, I'd be signing up in a heartbeat! LOL!
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My husband wants me to reconstruct with DD'S!! LOL!
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Cheryl you look awesome! I can hardly wait until next spring--hope my foobs turn out as good as yours!
Apple--I live in SF, SD which is 45 minutes north of Vermillion (my son goes to college in Vermillion). Sorry to hear about your uncle, hope your trip is a safe one!
Hope everyone else is having a great day!
Kim
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Good evening, ladies!
Linda: sounds like you had a nice time at the get-together....show and tell in the bathroom, lol..
Apple: love the drawing! Sorry about your uncle... I agree with you on being nervous about surgery again.....I keep going back and forth on having recon done since I am such a chicken about surgery.
MrsRockyTop: YAY, done with chemo, that is wonderful! How nice of you to give the nurses gifts....are you going to be doing rads?
Cheryl: Love the picture, you look like you're having so much fun!
Kerry: lol, a double D??? You'd topple right over!
Well, I'm pooped out tonight....mowed the front and back lawn today, though, without having to stop every 10 minutes, so that is definitely progress! Then I vacuumed the pool to boot!
I've completed all the tile work on the table top I've been working on. I hate to bore you guys with pics, but I'm so happy with it, I have to share! The black tiles aren't adhered yet...still have to remove the saran wrap from the back and then mortar them on.
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Judy, Wow, what energy you have and the table is beautiful! It was so fun to give them the presents, it was just a necklace and earring set in a pretty little bag and a screw driver set for the guy. They have all been so wonderful to me and I wanted them to know that I really appreciate the kindness they showed me. They make about $600 per month, so they were thrilled. God has really blessed me in meeting some very wonderful people here where I am so far from my family. I will start radiation in two to three weeks and continue on Herceptin until next May. We have a 14 year old girl who lives with us and we are working on getting her residency here in Costa Rica (she is from Nicaragua) and have a meeting with the attorney tomorrow, so that process should keep my mind busy until rads begin. They lived across the street from us but then her mom and sister moved and basically left her with us. She has really been a joy through this and has made is much easier to handle. She makes me laugh every day. I also had the opportunity to meet another one of the woman who received a prosthesis and bra from those that have been donated from the states and a 15 year girl with advanced ovarian cancer who received a scarf and wig from the donations. So I had a simply wonderful day full of joy and blessings.
I pray that everyone will have a good night sleep and a joyful day tomorrow. Kathy
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Michelle - you look gorgeous. Your hair is so thick (I am envious). When was your last chemo? Mine was June 9th and I have a bunch of fuzz and baby like texture hair only.
Apple - You absolutely make the most of every situation in life! I so admire you.
Jamie - I feel so bad for you. I hope you don't have to start all over again with the reconstruction.
7 more rads to go!!!! And the tech today gave me an ego boost. She thought that I was much younger than I was. Probably says that to lots of women but I loved it.
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Crap!!! Just not my day. I can't tell whether I'm Oscar the Grouch or Eeyore the Doneky, but Man, I don't need any more like this. Lost my ENTIRE three page catch up post...hubby is being a proverbial Donkey, I'm tired, I'm cranky and I'm READY TO BE DONE!
--Daily vent from the not so daily Webbie....aren't you glad???
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Webbie - Oh, I hate sometimes how your post just vanishes.....they should have that autosave thing that email has. Anyhow, hope you are doing well apart from losing posts.....when is your surgery date again??
Judy - I mowed the lawn yesterday too. Just the front as the back was too wet still from all this jolly rain. We will be away for 10 days as of tomorrow, so didn't want the front looking too shaggy. Also finally cleared out our manky Garden Shed, washed and tidied all the kids toys, threw away what was broken. I usually do that in May, but was a little pre-occupied this year! LOL! I love your table, keep posting photos of your work, it is so lovely. I am envious of your time, it seems I never have a free minute to do anything, with the kids being home all day. Once School starts, I will have 2 whole hours a day all to myself, for the first time in 6 years! I have all sorts of projects lined up.....!
Jaimie - how are you doing?????????
Kathy - isn't it a wonderful feeling to be done Chemo!! Good luck with your residency application - how could someone just leave their child like that? Sometimes people astound me. Thank goodness you took her in, what else would she have done? Costa Rica is one of those places I have always wanted to go to.
Bev - you are nearly there!! How is the hair coming in? Are you going topless yet?
Well, it finally looks sunny today. We are off to the library again this morning, then this afternoon I need to pack for our vacation, and get our camping stuff organised.Lots to do.
Have a good one everybody!
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school is starting soon. there is a God.
it is so interesting that we are from all over.. all over. Kathy is in Costa Rica, there are a couple from Canada, where ever that is,
I am from the heartland.. boring yet vibrant. the weather is challenging and diverse and more than not, perfect. There are no mountains or oceans but property values are pretty stable.. right now it is hot.
yesterday me and the boys (ages 12 and 15.. 150 and 190 pounds respectively) cleaned up my husband's shop., it is a neat building down a bit and around the corner from our house. it is surrounded by tall lilac bushes that i transplanted 15 years ago and need some serious attention).. mr. apple doesn't throw anything away. Dump fees are actually quite expensive.. about 50 dollars a trailer load. he recycles almost everything. anyway, all this stuff is all over the shop driveway.. old sinks, pipes, boards, barrels, tarps, gravel.
we cleaned it up. i think i'm going to take a picture.. i have to do something strenuous like this at least weekly. we have a labor intensive place.
Beverly.. thanks for the progress report on your hair. mine is coming in so slowly.... i'm starting one drug and have stopped chemo. it seems like nothing is coming.. i really want those little hairs to show up.. i look with a magnifying mirror everyday. my last chemo was July 5th.. so i guess i'm on schedule. hard to tell because i have a smattering of hairs (thankfully) from the significant thinning i experienced on taxol.
beautiful table Judy. you remind me of my Russian friend who mosaiced her whole bathroom.
KerryMac.. you are the first internet presence i read in the morning.. i come to this thread before all others and you have always posted an hour or two earlier.. except when you had your surgery.
hope all is well with everyone. lately i've been praying for Heidi. she REALLY needs some prayers if you do any praying at all.
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topic/738693?page=3#idx_61
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there's a lump in my rt breast... surgeon has ordered a mammogram for monday. <sigh>
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Oh, Michelle. That sucks. i am sorry you have to wait until Monday to find out anything.
Try to keep in mind that it is probably nothing.
Sending positive vibes through cyberspace.
Hope you still have some xanax.....
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Oh Michele ((bighugs)) it is probable scar tissue.
I am back!!! with new smaller foobies
Tuesday I woke up and my hole was double in size and the plastic doctor offered to redo it with a smaller implant so I agreed. I went to the hospital (different one than my normal hospital) and I was started on heavy duty anitbotics. So after the night they thought that the whole may have been from a mechanical breakdown and not an infection afterall. Well they told me they would be smaller since the breakdown and I decided that they were going to take the other one down also because I am not going around lopsided (no offense to anyone). I didn't want to be lopsided either because I didn't know when or if I will ever feel like going back into the OR. So I sat until yesterday afternoon when the PS (who is the chief but not my normal PS) was able to get a slot in the OR. Well once they where inside I did in fact have an infection in my right side with the hole and that I made the best decision because my left side was infected and was apparently a "muggy mess" inside according to the surgeons. They actually used bleach to get rid of the infection (eeeewww). So someone up there was looking out for me.
So while I am sad about losing my implant and some more skin I am thrilled that I will hopefully heal now. My kidney surgery hair pocket seems to be gone but I did have the visual of the scalp going into my chest and a burst of carbon dioxide blowing out....which kept me laughing. I also had the best care at the hospital that I went to which was a welcomed relief after last week.
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oh Michele.. try not to worry darling. i know how it is to assume the worst... how one's mind is convinced... your post just made me cry. i hate how we have to worry worry worry for the rest of our lives... just hate it.
i certainly pray it is nothing - NOTHING !
and Jamie.. jeez - may your total healing begin.
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Jaimie - Great to hear from you, I was getting worried about you! what an ordeal you have had. I am happy to hear that you have fixed the problem, sorry your girls are smaller, but better to be healthy. I still have that jolly gas in my tummy!
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Oh, Michele. I'm praying hard for you. *hugs* I wish you didn't have to wait til Monday.
Jamie ~ I hope this is the end of surgery for you for a VERY long while! I'm sorry you've had to go smaller than you wanted, but I also want you to be healthy...sounds like you're on your way! Hurrah!Kerry ~ You're still gassy? Is it getting better at all? I hope you're not too uncomfortable!
Furies ~ I don't think I posted this, but forgive me if I'm repeating myself. (Chemo brain!) I found out I'll be having Herceptin beginning August 24th (assuming an echocardiogram turns out ok this coming Monday the 17th). There's been much discussion among my team due to the fact that at 2.2 I'm considered neither positive nor negative. It's going to be wierd to go to the chemo lab again, but thank the Lord it's for a preventive thing and not chemo at all! Yay!
Hugs to all,
Artemis -
Artemis welcome to the H train.
Thanks for the good wishes everyone. I am hoping this is the last stop.
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Michelle, I'm giving you cyber-hugs and xanax. We're all praying it is nothing.
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Michele - didn't you have a clear PET scan a few weeks ago?? Really, anything big enough to be felt now would have shown up. Try not to worry too much.
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well, good news. I went in for Avastin today and my oncologist talked to me. Kerry, he said just what you suggested- that the PET would have lit up if it was BC. He felt that the mammogram wasn't really necessary but that I should have an MRI instead... but he doesn't want to undermine (sp?) the surgeon so he told me to just have the mammogram and he'd order the MRI for the following week. Soooo... I'm feeling better about that. However, he ordered tumor markers today (results will be in tomorrow) so I'm still anxious. I *wish* I weren't such a nervous-nellie. This BC thing is making me crazy... <sigh>
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