Starting Chemo February 2009?

Michele you say you can't jog ??  What is stopping you ?? (not being snotty at all)  I have ran half marathons in the past and got lazy the year before I was diagnosed.  

I seem to be less dizzy the last 2 days but now I have a mild headache.  I think I am going to take a xanax again today and see if it helps. 

Humbling experience I took the pictures of me for NOLA today.  It sure is an eye opener when you look at yourself naked.  Now I wait for the phone call....

Going to sound silly again but are you breathing in your nose and out your mouth ??   I have a hard time keeping my breathing under control and teaching myself to do this has made it so I could run (in the past I haven't tried again).  I will also start with interval training when I finally start again.  I will most likely walk for 2 min and run for 30 sec. and then work my way up until I find it hard to breath.  I will then stay at that interval for so many times (normally 4 different work outs) and then add slowly until I get to where I want to be.  It worked for me I was able to run a half marathon in under 2 hours....

Do you think your) cells are still low ??



I just got off the phone with the Onc's office and I end H in Jan.

Okay sorry about the funky post.  I shouldn't be posting on my crackberry..lol....

Michele~ Keep at it seriously and you will be running in no time.  Run for 10 seconds or whatever you can squeeze out and then walk until you get your breathing under control.  So say if you get 5 10sec interval in a workout next time try for either 15 sec. or 6 running parts (do I make sense ??).  This way you will slowly increase your running and your body will honestly get used to it and your breathing will get more controlled.  BTW, I expect the same advice from you in the spring....lol....  I just need to move south so I can help you

Okay so the herceptin ends after #17 so I will hopefully be starting Stage 1 of reconstruction in January.  I am thrilled but scared out of my mind at the same time. 

I have been trying to get motivated since Disney but I am exhausted still.  I am sleeping at night but I think I am going to try a lunesta tonight to see if I can get a better nights sleep.  I have been waking up in the middle of the night with hot flashes followed by freezing my tush off. 

I think I am going to talk to my hair dress tomorrow about possible getting my hair highlighted.  I do not like the mousey brown hair color that I have now  

I started out running a street, walking a street, now I can run two streets, walk one....it is just something you can slowly build up. Walking is still a great exercise though. Not sure I will be doing much running once it gets icy. I may have to do steps on the Wii, which is soooo boring!

I think I am the only one not exercising on these boards!  I keep meaning to start, but get too busy or too tired....

Ok, here is a recap of my day of hospital-jumping.  Started with daughter Michelle's appt at a hospital 30 miles west of my house, at 9:30 this morning.  Her appt ran late, back on the road at noon, home to pick up Julia to take her to another hospital 20 miles east of my house.  She was supposed to get her feeding tube placed, but we insisted they check her potassium first.  After waiting hours past our appt time for the results, we find that her potassium is too low and the procedure is cancelled.  They send us to the ER downstairs.  All of this took from 1:30 til 6 pm. 

Now, this is a hospital located in downtown Detroit that we've never been to before (except her appt last week).  Almost everyone who worked there was so rude.   The ER was DISGUSTING!  There was a container of urine on the floor in the 4 ft wide "stall" they put her in....the guy in the next stall, his colostemy bag burst, and I've never smelled anything so foul in my life we were literally gagging....they brought in 2 gunshot victims who were about 10 ft away from us, being questioned by the police....45 minutes later, the gunshot victim was still sitting in the wheelchair in the lobby, untreated.  We knew we would be there forever.  So we bailed at 7pm.

Now we sit in a nicer, suburban hospital, been here since 8:30, they've done nothing yet.  All we need is a bag of potassium, people, and we can go home.  We are sooo exhausted, havent' eaten all day.....poor Julia still has not received tx for her potassium levels. 

Ok, I'm done bitchin now.  thanks for listening.  Oh, one more thing....this hospital blocks facebook.... honestly, wth???  Never been in a hospital that blocks FB.  *sigh*

Oh Judy! Poor Julia.  How is she this morning?

Cheryl~ I hate that you are having the same issues but it is reassuring to me that I'm not the only one.  I can walk outside sometimes, when the humidity/heat isn't too bad.  Our neighborhood has a few hills but I just slow down on them.  I don't think I could do kickboxing without getting tachycardic.

Have any of you had your port taken out?  What was that like?  Are you glad you got it out?

 Hope everyone has a great day! xxoo

Is your echo because of the Herceptin? Hope it goes well!

The echo is because of the herceptin. It's not bad and it should be easy without my implants.

Out of my echo and all the tech would say was don't be concerned. Gotta like that

great news Jaimie!  I edited my post above cause it made no sense... too early. I was trying to ask if any of ya'll have had your port taken out...

Hi, Furies ~
Just a driveby post to say "hi" and to tell you something funny that happened to me.

Yesterday, I was sitting and waiting for my appt with the eye doctor.  Suddenly a very chatty 4-year-old boy climbed into the chair beside me.  "You wanna see my scar?", he asked.  "Sure!", I said.  He showed me an impressive scar on his elbow and told me all about having a broken arm that had to have pins in it.  Then he asked me, "Do you chew tobacco?"

I said, "Do I chew tobacco?!  Nope, I sure don't."  Boy said, "My dad chews tobacco.  You're a boy so you can chew tobacco."  I started laughing, and Boy's Dad asked Boy, "Why did you say that?"

Boy said, "Dad, I was talking to HER!"

Well, I nearly fell off the chair laughing then.  I guess my very short hair gives me a VERY androgynous look in spite of my foobies and makeup, hahahaha!!!

Love to all of you,
Artemis

Artemis~ Thank you for the laugh.  He had both covered just in case...lol......

Kerry~ Caffeine (can't spell) will get you thru the day.  Sorry about the musical beds  

I tried to dye my hair yesterday blonde....hahahha.... I am now a brunette with an orange tint.  I got to call my hair dresser she said I couldn't screw it up but I managed to do it....

Hi Everyone!

 Yes, Julia got some potassium, and we will be giving her potassium all weekend, and will re-try the tube procedure on Monday.  I have been worried that we shouldn't have switched doctors/hospitals, but he simply can't be any worse than her last doctor.

Artemis:  omg, what a funny story!  I did have a nurse call me sir a while back....I was rather upset though, lol.

Jaimie:  I am using a medium blonde, but I notice that I end up with a lot of red tones, which never used to happen.  Weird.

Kerry:  hope you get some rest tonight

Yesterday was my daughter Michelle's birthday, she turned 20.  I don't know where all the time went, honestly.  I can't believe how old my kids are getting, and by default, how old I am getting, lol.  I need a way to slow time down...

My dad gave me some DVD's of past birthday parties/family get togethers today....I don't know if I'm ready to watch them yet....can't believe my mom has been gone for 8 months already.  I think I'd fall apart if I watch them, so I will wait. 

Hugs

Judy

Kerry~ I was wondering who would be the 1st with *that* anniversary.  It must be soooo hard.  Let us know how it goes.

Judy~ Been thinking about poor Julia.  Poor baby.  Still nothing staying down?

I read somewhere that if you get red/orange tones when you color (I did the 1st time!), you should  go for something with "ash" in the title to get them out.  I used "med ash blonde" this past weekend and am not orange anymore.

Hope everyone has a great day!! xxoo