**NEW** Starting Chemo March 2009

Hi All!

Chris - good news about your grandbaby!

BethP - I hope you and your family have a great time in Vegas.  What a nice way to celebrate your 50th.  I was in the middle of chemo for mine.  We have our first Dragonboat practice on the water tomorrow evening and I'm looking forward to it although I think it's supposed to rain.  Up to now we've been working out on our own.  So, yippeee!!!  Now comes the real test!  So far this group will be participating in the Dragonboat festival here on May 21 and in Philly on Oct. 1.  There are others throughout the Summer that we're all voting on but no definites yet.  Who knows, maybe we see your team somewhere.

All - I hope you all have a great day!

My best!

Beth

Beth R: How was your first day on the water? I am so excited to get to that stage but with the weather ...the river is frozen and we don't anticipate getting on the river until mid to end of May. Get your team to vote on the Edmonton or Calgary Festival....would love to have you!



Chris: I hope you get the girl you wish for but I know you'll be over the moon either way!



Patti: are you still dragon boating?

Hugs to all



Beth P

Welcome back Francine. Glad you had a great time. Pictures?



Hugs

Beth

Hey Everybody!!

Francine I'm so happy to read your updates! 

Just checking on you all and wishing you a great weekend whereever you are and whatever you're doing!!!

Francine: It's been cold here too. I can't wait for the warm Vegas weather on Thursday.

Best of luck to your friend tomorrow and I'm sure you are a great suport for her,



Rachel. Happy belated birthday! How are you doing?

Have a great day everyone.



Hugs

Beth

  Beth...My surgery is scheduled for the 11 of April. Two weeks from today.

Funny that this Thursday you are going to LV. That was supposed to be my nipple day..Oh yes I have my pre op physical on the 31st.

I was speaking to my estranged SIL telling her about my friend who is to have a mastectomy tomorrow. My SIL said that out of five of us who have been friends for over 40 years three of us have gotten BC in the last few years.

Quiet on the board..but I guess that is good.

Hugs,

Francine

Rachel ..how are you doing?

Tanasha... how is Kennedy?

Hi Raymon; I don't know what advice I can offer as I haven't had that happen to me but I would get in touch with your oncologist...not to alarm you because your BS may be correct...but your Onc is really the specialist when it comes to BC. Get it checked for peace of mind.

Good luck, big hugs and keep us posted.

Francine: Wow... 3 out of 5....we really need to fight to irradicate this damn disease. Good luck with the pre-op Thursday...DH and I are still thinking about NYC...I want him to quit thinking and just do it...lol

Hugs

BethP

BethR: That sounds like great fun. I imagine that the form and tecqnique will take a bit to learn but I am hoping that it will be like riding a bike...once you get it...you never forget it. Thanks for poppimg by with the update. Have a great day



Happy Spring to everyone.....Did anyone get the memo on when spring wil actually get here? I am off to Vegas Thursday and it looks like great weather there. Fingers crossed



Hugs

Beth P

Hello all. It is lovely to read your news.

 Beth P hope you enjoy Las Vegas. I went there once as a child with my parents; all I really remember is lots of flashing lights which must have been the poker machines!

Beth R enjoy the racing!

Janine how are you doing?

Francine: it is great you can be there to support your friend.

Raymon it sounds like it could perhaps be cellulitis? Which is an infection in lymph tissue I think. Hope it clears up and I agree with others you should bring your oncologist into the conversation.

I have my annual (though slightly delayed) breast ultrasound and appointment with the breast surgeon tomorrow. No mammogram because of pregnancy. My non-cancer breast in particular is so large right now that I can't imagine how painful a mammo would have been! Both my breasts have been aching a lot, and though I am sure it is down to pregnancy and nothing sinister, I will be glad to have the all clear.

 Then on Friday I have the 20 week scan and a chance to see how Shnerbil the Space Turnip (D's current name for the baby!) is doing and whether it's a boy or a girl. LD would love a girl, and I want that for his sake but for my own I don't care at all which it is. 

As I type this I just realised that tomorrow is mine and Beth P's 2 year chemoversary.  Gosh. How wonderful to be so far removed from that time now.

Hi,

Rachel..best of luck with your ultrasound. Two year anniversary and now a new life is to come. How exciting for all of us and especially you and Damon..

BethP..have a grand time in Las Vegas. Nice way to celebrate your anniversary and of course your 50th..

Hugs,

Francine

I am still Dragonboating.  We have had weekly indoor sessions on urg (dry land) machines and 1 practice at an indoor water facility the simulates the real thing.  That was much more fun and better than the machines.  We start 2/month practices the 2nd week in April on the river. I am on a team of cancer survivors - we do only one festival in late Sept/early Oct.  I did not join the actual team because of the expense.  The cancer community boat is non profit and free for cancer survivors.  We are being trained by the actual team though.

Beth R & P - don't get frustrated the form will come the more you are on the river with the whole team.

Good luck with everything Francine - Prayers and Well wishes!

Hi Ladies,

Where does the time go???? I can't believe I go back to work in 2 weeks .  We've been almost inseparable these past two weeks....Ugh, I don't know how I'm going to leave her.

Rachel - both of my breasts ached while pregnant even though only one prepared itself for the baby. My breast size was also lopsided while pregnant but now that I'm nursing, the non-bc breast is double the size of the other one (which shrunk a little from radiation). I actually have to insert something in my bra when I go out so, I don't look too crazy.  But, it's all worth it!!!

 I hope all continues to go well for the rest of you!

 Raymon: fingers crossed for you/

Thanks for your good wishes everyone: my breast scans were all clear; the surgeon thought my seriously lop sided breasts were hilarious and said she is going to find it interesting to monitor me since so few of her patients have babies after breast cancer. Tanasha: thanks for the heads up about lopsidedness: I think it will be in my future too!

 Then today I had the scan and, thank God, all is looking well and healthy. The scan took ages because the baby was fast asleep on its tummy and I had to go for a walk and jump up and down so it would turn over to have its face and heart checked. It's a boy: the doctor and Damian both say it was very obvious but I couldn't make head or tail of the ultrasound pictures! I had a moment of sadness for the part of me that had wanted a girl but then the part of me which wanted a boy expanded and I am so happy and so is D.

Rachel,

Congrats on the healthy baby boy! My BF is at 31 weeks or so- due June 3 with a boy. She said she was relieved to find out it was a boy cause she thought raising a boy would be easier, esp for her as she's somewhat of a tomboy.

Francine, Glad to hear your friend's surgery went well and you had a nice vacation in Panama. Dragonboating sounds very cool, I saw a team traning when I lived in Victoria BC, I took a 5 week rowing class. Now back in land locked MO, we don't have anything like that that I know of.

I just got back from a two week trip for work- finished up the work a week early. Got to meet the owner of the small company I work for while I was down there. She seemed very cool and we talked some about them giving me benefits, sounds like it won't be an issue, assuming we get this other big job we are bidding on. We'll know in a couple weeks. 

I have a trip to TN/south VA planned for early -mid May. They have been cool about me asking for that time off. in the month between now and then I'll be doing some computer work from home, tho I'm not sure how much, and I may go out for another shorter field work trip before leaving on that trip. That trip is going to be outstanding- the first weekend is a reunion with trail friends from my hike 10 years ago, then 3-4 day backpacking trip in my favorite section of the Applachian Trail in the south- Roan Highlands. Then its 3-4 days of craziness at Trail Days- where a couple thousand hikers take over a small town in West Virginia. Then I'll probably be working a bunch more after that.

The being away from DH and kitties kinda sucks, but when I come home its blissful being reunited. While working , I work a lot, but I'm driving around in the countryside seeing interesting things. One of the things that bothered me about working an office job is the utter sameness of every day- having to be there at 8 oclock sharp. Working on my own schedule- if I want to sleep in a couple days - I can. Love it. Making lots of money, but I still feel broke as I have so many things to catch up on , the money goes out as soon as it comes in.

Hi Ladies

I am back from Vegas and we had a splendid time. Out kids spoiled us...penthouse suite at the Bellagio, limos to and from the airport, Celine Dion show....a really great trip. Celine was fantastic...she puts on a great show. Weather was great. We also went to a standup comic, Freemont street, did lots of walking. We all played blackjack together so that was lots of laughs.



Francine, I am glad to hear that your friend is doing well after surgery. She sounds like a real trooper! Have a lovely time atthe orchid show.



Dayla, You sound so good. I guess being away from your DH is tough but I bet he homecoeings are lots of fun. It's nice that your employer is flexible with time off and I sure hope you get your benefits.



Rachel....It's a boy! Healthy and doing well....terrific news!



Raymon, I hope you are feeling better. Any news on getting an MRI?



Tanasha, new pics of Kennedy would be wonderful. So happy to hear that everything is going so well for you. Such a blessing!



Hugs

Beth P