March 2010 Chemo Start

Lisa, I should have been more clear about my husband saying "no big deal". He was talking about the damaged car not the animals. Anyway, he's a sergeant at a level 4 prison (murderers, rapists, child molesters, etc) and the prison is in the middle of a desert along the California and Mexico border. These inmates are very violent and have no possibility of ever leaving. The inmates weren't given the death penalty BUT they were given life without parole. Because of the nature of their crimes and the violence, the prison was built far away from communities in case there ever is an escape. That's very, very unlikely but people don't like these types of prisons in their backyards. We moved out there once about 10 years ago to save on commute but it felt like the arm pit of hell! We stayed only 1 year and then came back home. I'm rambling...

Good for you Badger, and regarding your chocolate cake question - I ate sooo much cake and white christmas, and rumballs, and brandy cream, and pavlova -oh mygod, so much pavlova, over Christmas, that I am on a no carb diet now, and diligently going to the gym -I've moved up from power walking to jogging too, so feeling good - I'm going to try to zone out for Friday, and pretend it's not happening - then get up Saturday and get on with it.

Hugs to all,

Lisa

Hello all,

I had way too many sweets over Christmas as well and have been hitting the gym and the trail (when the weather is good). I discovered Peppermint Bark from Williams Sonoma this holiday ... it is very evil. So now I am on a low cal diet, doing the Jillian Michael 'Shred' video and participating in the office Biggest Loser Contest. Hopefully I will be in some kind of shape when we go to Hawaii this summer.  We just booked the trip ... it is something that I have always wanted to do and have been trying to save for ... something always just kept coming up.  But no more!  I am going ... I guess it's one I can mark of the bucket list. Not that I have an official bucket list.

Have any of you all done a bucket list??

Stacy -Sorry to hear about the ultrasound but doesn't sound like they are "too worried" about it -because you were Grade 1? Please be sure they keep an eye on it!  My SEs from the tamox have been tolerable.  Hot flashes seem to have settled down so hopefully they will become less and less as time goes on.

Hugs, Charley

Happy New Year to Everyone!!  We certainly deserve a Happy one, don't we? 

Badger:  Sorry to hear about the accident, glad you are ok and good luck with your new car.  It sounds like its fun to drive!

Lisa:  I too have been wondering about the floods.  The pictures are devastating.  Back to the infusion room?? Oh well,  towards the end I actually found comfort in going there. I had no major  side effects from the Taxol (except my liver enzymes) so I felt like it I was being pro-active. 

Charley:  What a wonderful vacation you have planned!  So glad you decided to go ahead with it.  I had somewhat of a bucket list-- but now I look at it and it and those thing just don't seem important.  Oh well.  Still trying to get my life organized, maybe once I do, I can concentrate on a list.

Stacy:  Try not to worry about the ultrasound.  I've been on Tamox for about 5 weeks and my hot flashes are getting worse!  Thank god its winter, when I am cooking I go and stand outside to cool down.  I am having about 2 or 3 during the night. 

Heather:  You look amazing!  Thanks for the updated photo.  Do yo like your hair short?  I actually liked mine very short.  But I am too cheap to get it cut that often, so I am growing it a little. 

Well, I feel foolish telling you all the next part of my saga.  But that seems to be the way it goes with me.  I had started Rads in Nov.  Absolutely hated it, felt like it was killing me, but you have do what you have to do. My underarm started to get red by my 10th treatment.  Long story short, by the end I had severe burns under my arm.  Painful, raw.  After everything I' been through, this, my husband couldn't even look at. The only way I could function was on Advil during the day and oxycodone at home. I asked if I could stop rads and they said no.  Treatments went fine as far the machine was concerned.  My last treatment was on Dec. 17th.  Half way through the machine breaks!!!  They tell me I have to come back on Monday to finish.  I just started laughing.  Skin is so bad It's difficult to get dressed.   Monday comes and the Dr. calls to tell me not to come in.  He said I think the machine was trying to tell me something, that your body has had enough!   He said I was having a bad reaction to the radiation and that I should be finished.  I actually think think the techs told him how burned I was.  I hadn't seen him the last few times I was there.  So now I have an appt on the 23rd with my onc.  My potassium is high, liver enzymes are good.  She has me repeat blood work and calls me on the 24th. to tell me it's still high, no drinking over the holiday and repeat it on Monday.  Only reason she is not treating me is because it is Christmas.  I hung up and started crying!!  Got over that and had a nice Christmas with my family.  Wasn't feeling great, but at this point I don't remember what  feeling good feels like!!  Potassium came down, must have been due to the tissue damage from the burns.  My onc said I basically had 3rd degree burns and to stop with the Advil or I would get an ulcer.  She said to use the oxycodone. 

I have healed very nicely, still not wearing a bra yet, skin is still very sensitive.  I have an appt with my PS tomorrow and am scheduled to have the left tissue expander put back in on the 25th.  Not looking forward to it, but want to get all of this over with.  Hoping to go to Punta Cana in March and would love for it to be easy to get dressed. 

Well,  this is a New Year and we are all going to forge ahead feeling good!!  Right??

Have a good day, it's a snowed here in NJ last night.   Schools are closed, businesses are all open.  We got about 7 inches.  My kids are happy!

Hugs to all, Michelle 

my home town is very very wet (1.8 million people) - lots of people and animals have needed rescue, but the emergency services and defence force have done a wonderful job. The floods are 2 blocks from my flat in Brisbane - but there will be no further rise (so far). Family and friends are safe. Unfortunately the death toll is at 15 and likely to rise, and many thousands of houses are under water -  the floods are hitting the entire Stae and moving down the East Coast - and 75% of the State has been declared a disaster area ( an area 2 x the size of Texas) -the largest in our history. I'm living in another State, watching from afar, but constantly in touch with friends and family.

Heather, I love your hair- you look very elegant.

Charley -love your plans for your holiday.  And you too Michelle - lovely to hear from you - thank goodness the XRT is finally done - I'm sorry you've had such an awful time of it.

Stacy, we all have to go through this awful anxiety with our follow up, fingers crossed for the all clear in a few months.

hugs to all, Lxx

Lxx;  I think it is safe to say that we have all been worried about you...glad to hear you and your family our safe.  I am keeping those families who have lost loved ones in my prayers.

Love the kangaroo saving photos!!! How do they manage to get them into a boat???

Thank you for your kind thoughts. It's been amazing to see all the community goodwill, strangers turning up to help clean, wearing boots,bringing their own mops and buckets, families making food and carrying around to volunteers. Community is strong, it's a great message to get people through hard times. Heather, I don't know about those photos, because the water is so clear, and our flood waters are really muddy, but there are others of people walking into flood waters to save roos, aren't people wonderful?

xx to all

Lisa - Hopefully you are drying out by now. Glad to hear the hair is thick!  Mine is thick ... but only on the sides! Still a little bald up top so I'm still wearing the wig.  <sigh> Maybe it will be grown in enough by summer???

What is your treatment plan with zometa?  My onc has not recommended anything like that ... only the tamox. What are the SEs? My hot flashes have really fallen off over the last month or two.  Hopefully it is not just because of the cold weather here.

Hugs, Charley

Someday I hope to be an old woman myself, how 'bout the Little Old Lady from Pasadena?

go granny go granny, go granny go!

Love the new pic Lisa!  {{hugs}} to all

hahahaha Lisa, love it! 

Pasadena is a city in California.  They are famous for an amazing parade there every year for the Tournament of Roses (college football, the Rose Bowl) where the floats are decorated 100% with flowers.  Pasadena was immortalized in song as the home of a drag-racing granny with a 'brand new shiny red super stock Dodge' and she's always been a family icon of how (not) to be old! 

Hello Ladies,

Just checking in - thawing out from the 35 below yesterday.  Michelle good luck w/surgery, Lisa I've been sending extra prayers to you and all your water woes - hope all is well.  Love the Kanga pictures. 

I can honestly say I have nothing to complain about this time, wow can't believe that.  I still check in and read how everyone is doing and you are all in my daily prayers!  Still having the flashes but dealing with them they seem to be getting better now that I upped my effexor to 75 mg in a time release pill.

Love every ones updated photos - you are all beautiful!  - God Bless you all -

Stacey

Michelle, I hope your surgery went ok, and you're home now relaxing. I'd be interested to know if upping your Effexor helps with your flashes.

Hi Toni, hope alls good. How's things? I keep telling people I'm at 92%, god knows where that figure comes from. Certainly, there are plenty of times I still feel scrambled, I've given up worrying about it, not from any idea of "positive thinking", but just because I'm lazy, and can't be bothered expending the energy worrying anymore.

Hey badger, here's a live vocal of the Beach Boys "little old lady", funny how songs make you think of people, this will now be your song 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQMqgSaZZmM

Oh BTW, has anyone heard that implants can cause cancer of the immune system?  Saw it on the news last night.  Not enough confirmed cases, though.   What to think????

Lxx;  Thx for the compliment.  I can't wait for my hair to look as great as yours does!!

Michelle;  Glad to hear you are home with your new expander in.  I'm off to see my new PS tomorrow.  Lots of questions about DIEP, skin sparing mastectomy on my good side, incisions and so much more. 

Had my annual mammogram and MRI on my good breast or should I say my 'one and only breast' last week.  All is great on the boob front however they did find a herniation in my thoracic vertebrae.... needless to say I was thrilled!!!  The pain and numbness in my arm and shoulder isn't cancer!!! How silly is that, I excited about a herniated disc.  I've been here before so I know I can get through the physical therapy and surgery if needed.  What a relief.

Have a great day, Heather

Oh Heather, I know what you mean about feeling happy to have an explanation for your pain and numbness. Congratulations on the clear scans - sorry about the herniation in thoracic area though  -I hope it can be managed conservatively for you. Good luck with PS tomorrow, lots of important questions for them. I just want to get through my yearly scans, and then I'll think about the next steps.

hugs to all, Lisa