March 2010 Chemo Start

It's pretty here too, but cold, like 5 degrees, I haven't walked all week.

Did have yoga class today so not a total loss.  Anyone else doing yoga?

Hope this finds everyone doing well and staying warm (or cool, as the case may be). 

{{hugs}}

I'm a Southern California girl where the temp. is a nice 80 degrees this week! I wouldn't do well in snow, just thinking about it gives me shivers. I'll take the warm sun any day~even on Christmas!

Hair is back in time for the holidays!!!

Lilly - You look great!  The hair is awesome!  I too had hoped that I could toss my wig by the holidays but still too patchy. <sigh>  Maybe by my birthday in Feb? ;-)

Badger - I am not doing yoga although I would like too ... Just running, walking and light weights. Rigth now it's too busy at work and home to add one more activity. It's getting cold here too. I have been layering up and roughing it walking with the dogs.  I may have to draw the line when its only 5 degrees. 

Lisa - My son did a report last year on Christmas in other countries and he had Australia.  It was so interesting that it happens to be warm when you all celebrate.  No chestnuts by the fire! 

Hugs, Charley

Good morning sisters, some good news to share!  Genetic counselor called yesterday with the results on my BRCA gene test.  I do not have the mutations so am not at elevated risk for ovarian cancer.  YAY!  That means I don't have to have my ovaries out as onc had suggested.  (He was concerned as I have ER+ BC but IMO it's a good thing for my QOL to still have a little estrogen.)

I am a happy Badger today!  {{hugs}} to all

good news Badger.

I'm off tomorrow too, so I hope you all have a lovely Christmas with people you love. What a year. It will be great to leave it behind us hey? I know there are a few in our group who have the anniversary of their diagnosis coming up. One more milestone girls.

Love to you all,

Lisa xxx

Merry Christmas All !

Here wishing all of you a wonderful christmas and a healthy and happy 2011.  May you begin to place 2010 behind you and begin your journey fresh.

Talk to you all soon - Spending some good ol' quality time with family for the holidays.

God Bless you all!

Stacey

Wishing all a very merry Christmas! Hoping this time of year can be spent with those we love. Just as Lisa said, most of us should be coming up to our one year anniversary of diagnosis (mine on Jan. 3rd). Here's to facing that day with courage and a feeling of victory! So proud of us all. I toast each and every one of you ladies who have battled right along side with me-providing comfort, support, knowledge, and plain ol' love.

I couldn't have made it this far without you. Thank you, from the deepest part of my heart.

Donna

Wow!  That is hot Lisa! It's warm here for now ... 71 for the high today (55 now) but tomorrow it will get down to 20s.  Yikes!  Happy New Years!  A lot to look forward to ... Good-bye to lousy 2010!!

Charley

It is unseasonably warm here today in Pittsburgh....high 61 on my car thermometer.  We started off today by heading down to the Pittsburgh Penguins/Washington Capitals Alumni game.  Both my girls came along sporting their dads' old jerseys.  It was great to be there to see him coach on the Penguins Alum bench.  We had a ball and it was wonderful seeing old hockey friends. 

We'll be celebrating New Years at the Winter Classic tomorrow....hoping it doesn't rain all day like they are forecasting.

Anyhow, I just wanted to wish all fellow 'MARCHERS' a wonderfully Happy New Year filled with much love and good health. We've made it, some of us with new hairstyles, some with new boobs and some with both but most importantly a circle of new cyber friends.  It is going to be a GREAT year!

Hey Badger, it's such a shock to hit an animal. When we're driving out in the bush, we have no deer, but have to really watch out for kangaroos. They can do alot of damage as well, and danger if they come through the windscreen.  Glad you're ok although it's a pest about the car - can you get to work ok without one?

Thanks for asking about the floods, they must be making your news? Australia has been in a drought for 10 years, and now these are what they're calling once in a century rains. It's mainly affecting regional and remote communities, but over a vast distance. We've got a poem we all learn in primary school that goes.....

I love a sunburnt country

A land of sweeping plains

Of rugged mountain ranges

Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love her far horizons

I love her jewelled sea

Her beauty and her terror

The wide brown land for me.

It's just a part of the never ending cycle, after the floods, and the cleanup, then will come the flowers, and grasses, and the water will flush out our depleted waterways.

lesson 1: As it was, so it shall be

lesson 2: have good insurance

xxx

Lisa, out here in Sunny California we too have heard about all the flooding. Glad to know you're okay.

Badger, I've never hit an animal but my husband has. Check this out...he's driving to work (2 hour drive each way) and he hits a coyote. Car works fine so he continues on. Hits another coyote. Car is still running but having a bit of a problem. He then hits an owl! Now car has broken windshield along with barely running. Makes it home after work and never says anything to me. The next day I see the car while getting the newspaper. I asked him WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO THE CAR? He says he forgot to tell me cuz it's no big deal! Took the car to get repaired...$2500.00 worth of damages from all the animals he hit. Wouldn't trade that man in for nothing! Love him to death. Makes me laugh all the time. I'm one lucky woman.

Yesh -that was a funny story about your husband - like heck he thought it was no big deal - hitting 3 animals on one trip!! OMG. And Badger, can't help you with the car, we don't have Chevies. How about a Prius, or is that a little too "Al Gore"? 150 miles per day - you'd have to consider it.

re: chemo brain - I am alot better than 6 weeks ago -but I find at the end of a long day, my concentration lags quite a bit. It's ok if I'm just having fun on holidays, who notices, but if I have to use my brain, I'm best in the middle of the day I find. I sometimes worry about the speed of my brain's recovery - but really as long as it's in a positive direction, that's all that matters. Having Zometa next week - back to the infusion room for the first time since I finished, not looking forward to that-pooh.

xx

LOL Badger, I like Al Gore too, like many nations we have an ongoing battle between climate change skeptics and believers, and baulk at the cost of pricing carbon out of our economy. I would like a prius too, but here they cost closer to $35,000, what's that about?

Zometa is a bisphosphonate (originally used for osteoporosis) which has been very effective for management of metastatic breast cancer. A few well organised trials showed a relative risk reduction for recurrance in early breast cancer of around 35%, giving it as an infusion every 6 months for a few years. Just recently at San Antonio Breast Ca Conference, another research group showed no difference in the rates of recurrence, but the groups studied have some key differences, both in their stage and their treatment, so the jury is out at the moment -there's more about this in the BCO researchnews section. There are risks with the medication, so I'm keeping my eyes open, and will discuss it with my onc further -for now, going ahead.