Starting chemo Sept 05

Quote:

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"Even your hairs are numbered"

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This is a quote for a t-shirt or inspiriational poster. Thanks for sharing!

*susan*

Peggy,
I get heart palps from the steroids. I had 2 mugas and they check for the percentage that your heart functions. I hope your results are good and that it is just the steroids zooming you.

Michele,
Speaking at a luncheon? How? What about chemo brain? Questions? I admire your spirit and think it is an admirable trait to be willing to stand up and share your experience with others.

Susan,
I owe you a debt of gratitude. I went and purchased some stool softener and had a much much gentler time of it so far. I know this is not how one wants to be thought of, but I am grateful to you every time I sit in the throne room.

Tina,
So your daughter has poison ivy. The natural cure to poison ivy is jewel weed. It grows besides streams and many people around here swear by it.

Yesterday at chemo i made everyone laugh again, i am a human party. here are some of the things i said under influence of ativan:



1. To my fav nurse Leslie: "Could you DO me?"



2. "Can you put it in?" (she had not inserted the needle yet)



3. "Try not to make it hurt"...(needle)



4. "You know I like it slow" (regarding the Andromycin push and Cytoxin)



5. " I am worried about the Taxol next time about having a bad Erection! (I meant reaction, dont know why it came out erection...) They screamed and laughed and this spurred about 100 jokes around me about sex, etc. Everyone was saying that more people would run to get Taxol if they could at least get a great erection out of it!



6. I mentioned constipation and when the woman next to me told me she ate 8 stool softeners in a day with her constipating pain meds (she had lung cancer treated with Avistan) we read the bottle which i had with me and it said only 4 a day, any more was overdose, and to call a DR. I yelled as if to role play this: " Doctor, I just OD'd on Senna D! What should I do????" They howled. The lung cancer girl was howling so loud we had to give her a box of kleenix tears rolled down her eyes with laughter. The nurses were dying with laughter. Three people told me that they had such a bad day but when they got there with me thier day was good now. i have to admid I was having a bad day too and made my own self feel better....



7. I had to tell them the story in confidence about my husband "trying out" my pain meds one day when he had spent all day waiting on me and was tired. (It is stressful for him to see me going thru chemo...) I went downstairs after a 4 hour nap finding him asleep in the media room chair, a drink still upright in his hand. I asked him what was up and found out later he had tried one OXY, one Vicoden, One Valium, and washed it down with rum and coke. He told me he had a relaxing nap....Heck, he was in near COMA! Am I going to have to lock these meds up???? So he only has my stool softeners available to him????!!!



When I left, all asked when I would be there next so that they could reschedule thier appointments to be ther when I was there. Nurses too patted my head, hugged me and told me to come back (as if i had a choice...!)



So, laughter truly is one of the best medicines....

Well, I am exhausted this afternoon.
A couple of you asked about the Breast Cancer brunch at which I was speaking..

October is the BC awareness month as you all know, with the pink theme everywhere. A local church ran a fundraiser and awareness brunch. The Cancer Council has kits to help people organise these types of events (Girls Night In, Australia's Biggest Morning Tea etc.) Not all have speakers but they heard of my advocacy and lobbying for Herceptin here in Australia, and so invited me to speak. It wasn’t a very big thing, about 50 ladies there ranging in age from early 20s to 70s. I had never met the organiser, only spoke to her over the phone last week.

I was ‘interviewed’ first – my background, family etc, diagnosis, and the Herceptin advocacy – and then invited to speak on my journey so far. I was able to share my journey and experiences on a personal level, the faith which sees me through, family reactions, some humorous moments etc. There was certainly some laughter throughout. I thought I’d rambled long enough (about 15 minutes) and then questions were invited. Another 15 minutes later I sat down, and then about ½ doz ladies came to see me individually. One who had been through BC, another whose mother is fighting ovarian cancer.

Susan, you asked particularly about questions the ladies asked:
Questions were about mammogram screening, how early to start breast examination with daughters, genetics, herceptin, lobbying, government response, wigs, cystic breasts (do I think she is predisposed to cancer??), risk factors – lots of things.

I did wear my wig – didn’t want the glare of my chrome dome (which some of you have seen on the bald pic site!) to distract the audience attention from my words.

I’ve been invited to speak next year – when I’m out the other side!


On another matter, I am going to a Look Good Feel Better program on Monday. I am really looking forward to it, except I just found out I can take someone, and I have no one to take! I’m sad about that, because I think it would be fun to have someone with me.

Still, I’ll meet other ladies there.

Hi to all
just had a couple of days in hospital,I passed out at a chinese takeaway so the ambulance took me to hospital and the hospital wouldnt let me out because my bloods were down to 0.9,they have come back up too 1.4 but now im aching in my back dont know if its the blood count or the anti biotics.
Donty think i will be having my last a/c on tuesday wich is a bummer cause wanted to get it over and done with,oh well back to bed because thats one of the conditions i was allowed home bed rest and no going out till my bloods are back up.
love to all carol

Everyone!

What Leanne in her modesty has failed to mention, is that the fundraising for her herceptin has been enormously successful. She and Scott were on the national nine news on Friday, reporting on Scott's completion of the walk, and the huge amount of money raised. Scott's feet were blistered, and he was a bit sunburned, but he looked very well after such a long walk.



And Leanne! Very glamorous in a long blonde wig! (I had expected your long brown hair!)You'll have to post a new picture with the bald photos for us all to see. So glad you could manage the flight.



CONGRATULATIONS are due for both of you - on the success of this venture, and your engagement. Our prayers and best wishes for a long, healthy, happy life together.

Carol
So sorry to hear about your hospital trip, I am really paranoid about bugs at the moment, my neutrophils were only up to 1.8 before last chemo, they are getting lower and lower each treatment, I'm really hoping to keep away from the wbc shots.

Leanne
Congrats on your forthcoming wedding, you and your hubby are doing a great job raising awareness.

Tina
Way to go with your hike! I hardly have the energy to walk aroung my garden!

Sandra
How are you doing after your chemo? Feeling good I hope.

Peggy
Great pictures on the "baldie" site!

Aussiemum
Well done with your talk, sorry to hear you dont have a partner for your up-coming event.

What is a "look good Feel Better" program?

Have a good Sunday ladies
Maxine

Maxine,

Look Good Feel Better is a program run for women undergoing treatment for any sort of cancer, knowing that sometimes how we look affects how we feel. By doing skincare (and has my skin tone and texture changed since Chemo!), makeup (including how to draw on eyebrows, I hope!), coping with hairloss (wigs/scarves/scalp care!)we might brighten our appearance, and therefore feel more confident.



I am looking forward more to meeting with other ladies.



Numbers are limited to a dozen at each session, so it is hands on and personal attention.

Here is a link: http://www.lgfb.org.au/



Cosmetics and skincare are donated by companies.

PS: I'm keeping my 13 year old daughter home from school today to come with me!



Edit: The website says it is available in the UK, but maybe not where you are? Make inquiries, Maxine!

Aussiemum
Thanks very much for the above info.

I live on a small island (approx 60,000 people)so the chances of a meeting here are pretty remote. I will ask my onc nurse tomorrow if she has heard of it.

Have fun with your daughter today!

Sandra, have you seen anything on this where you are?

Take care ladies

Maxine

hi all
my tongue feels sore and swollen is this a side affect to chemo?
sandra I didnt have any idea i was going to collapse I felt really good.
love to all carol

Hi ladies

Thanks for the congrats on our fundraising efforts and our engagement! I went and got my ring resized and it should be ready to be picked up tomorrow. Like you Liezel this will be number as well!!

Glad to hear I am not the only one having a down weekend this weekend although sorry to hear it seems to be going around if that makes sense!! It is just awful sometimes feeling as though this will never end. A necessary evil.

Congrats Michelle on the speaking engagement. Were you nervous? Scott and I have been asked to talk in December and as much as I would love to do it am abit worried about talking in front of all those people! Well done.

Bubbles, loved your chemo story! Laughter truly is the best medicine at times especially when we are sitting there with very little else.

Well Scott will be home tomorrow morning and I am very excited. It seems as though he has been gone for ages and it will be fantastic to have something resembling a routine back in place. Poor man will be shocked at how the boys are just wild now!!

love to you all
xoox

Hi all, up tonight again with these hot flashes. Hot, cold, hot, cold. then i have to go to the BR and the cat greets me and needs petting. I hate to take drugs to sleep but if this continues i will need to. These have got to be menopause. i am 50. Groan.....

So are you saying I will have to go through menopause stuff as well - 48 and I am waiting to see if I am hormone receptive positive (is this right??). Have had 2 periods so far whilst on treatment and I thought the plus side was they would finish - I should know better!

I am back on daily injections for the blood-thinning for this dam thrombosis - seems some people get sorted in a few days, some a few weeks - trust me!!

Must get to bed early so I can face a day out with my daughters tomorrow - it is 7.00 pm here in the UK and I am just waiting for hubby to return with a Chinese takeaway - I hope I enjoy it as much as my mind says I will.

Speak tomorrow ladies.

Sandra from the UK.