Lee Ann - Wow.  Thanks for the drink up my nose when I saw this. I think you may want to branch off into chemo greeting cards.  You have native talent for the genre.

Lee Ann: that was hysterical. I burst out laughing what a great visual! I agree with Kimberly you are very talented. Anything that can make us smile during this process is good. We can laugh and complain together.



rj: would love to hear your story of adoption. We have 8 kids 4 biological kids and 4 adopted 3 girls from Ukraine and 1 son from Russia. We have found many other orphans families. Adoption is near and dear to my heart.

My hands developed a rash so bad they hurt and peeled. My friend recommended OKeefes working hands it's in a green round container and she bought it at CVS pharmacy. It is the only thing that helped my hands. I am considering using it on my face because I am beginning to look like a prune all the moisture in my body is being sucked out one chemo treatment at a time. Hope you can find it. If not let me know and I can get some and mail it to you if you want to give it a try.



Belle & Kayrem: here is hoping your treatment tomorrow goes easy on you. Kayrem send your husband over to give mine cooking lessons



Mags: Lee Ann and Kimberly and I can't remember who else gave instructions on how to post if you read back I can't remember what page though. I just couldn't figure out how to make them smaller mine came out ridiculously big. I would tell you but I am not even sure I could cover it. Maybe the real techie people will repost once more seems like several people can use help.



CJRT: I agree we have to be our own advocate. I researched and asked questions after I was told I was getting a lumpectomy and radiation turned out I needed chemo and a mastectomy.

Rae & Kimberly: I'll draw the outsides if you all and Heidi right the funnies inside! You three crack me up. 

Mags: I PM'd you the instructions...they are a little long since I don't know where you need to start. If anyone else needs to know about posting pics, PM me and I'll send it over.  

RJ: If your hands are cracked you probably need to be very careful about what you put on them but when my daughter's eczema gets bad her doctor has her rub Vaseline around her hands every time she washes them to help lock in the moisture. It works really well and isn't expensive, but I agree that a call to your MO is in order. In the mean time, don't forget to seriously hydrate and cover your hands if you are using cleaning supplies and don't rub (just pat) after washing hands. Hope it gets better soon.

Did anyone see the Lifetime movie Five last night about women with cancer? I personally thought that several of the characters and situations were over dramatized in lieu of true emotion and real depiction, by focusing on scenarios that were at the further end of the spectrum. A relative stealing a dying womans jewerly, a little girl not allowed to see her dying mother and being ignored. A woman putting on a show to embarass those who were true friends and those who weren't. A husband with a career that was so not mainsteam and didnt really fit the part. I was afraid it might be Hollywoodish I wasnt disappointed. I didnt get the feeling they consulted with many if any women with cancer or their families. There are enough real stories out there where they could have captured the true emotion of the experience like how I am dreading going in for my treatment right now and how it is going to affect me and my family for the next week or so and ultimately how it affects our lives. Any thoughts?

err  cannot get the pix to work...gonna have to hire my teenage daughter to do it for me. 

Maggie

Pink shirt: thanks for the reminder I just signed up. Everyone is telling me it is worth it to go.

signed up for one next Tuesday.  The original one I signed up for got cancelled due to lack of participation...did not know bout the free wig thing...I spent too much for the 2 I bought and they are too itchy to wear for very long.

Maggie

first pic is me at our 25th anniversary party in June --30 lbs ago!

second is my short cut and died red--always wanted to be a red head!

third is after the buzz---now the stubble is coming out too

thanks to me DD for helping me--she is super savvy on this computer

Mags- You look great! As a fellow Floridian, I will say the one benefit to no hair is feeling cooler, especially with my hot flashes.

chemo #2 done,only 6 more to go! and dang it it was another 3 hr wait for meds to be sent up.

have a headache like last time dr left zofran and steroids in premeds, emend. chemo said the emend should make a world of difference. i hope so feel kinda weak.drinking lots of water still peeing pink!

couldn't use the patch,it huge dr said behind ear,i looked at it and said ain't no way! put it on my upper arm.

3hrs later,woke up my arm burned,huge headache,nauseated and insomnia!!! said heck with this took it off washed my arm and 45 mins later asleep symptom free.

during chemo,everytime i touched my hair,it came out ,my daughter suggested stopping and cutting it short. we did i said i want a pixie cut i got my mom's haircut and she doesn't know my mom. WTH if you don't know what i mean say so i was so upset kept crying off and on,i know it's only there for a few more days but h*ll!

anyway i told my daughter i wanted her to buzz it when it started getting patchy,she does her boys. she said she couldn't it would be too emotional ,i said for me, no'for me too.

i told her we were going to have a party,bring shots,appetizers,everyone bring a hat or scarf. she said you want me to drink while i cut your hair, i said why the h*ll not we'll get thru it together drunker than skunks

Belle,

I had one node removed during my BMX. The second day in the hospital the nurse cut off my Limb Alert bracelet from that arm. She said I didn't need it. I have a port for chemo now but wasn't going to worry about that arm and LE. Have your Drs told you differently?

Thanks,

Susan

Wow thank you! Here I thought I was dodging that LE risk.

Susan

Ok so I can't sleep after my Infusion yesterday so since I am wide awake y'all are going to have to hear this ridiculous story that happened to me yesterday.

I was introduced to a lady through an acquaintance. Conversation went like this:

" Sally (names changed to protect the innocent) said you are going through breast cancer" she then peppered me with a few in-depth questions.I try to be honest with people when questions are directly and specifically asked as this lady was doing. I told her what kind of cancer I had and that I had a lumpectomy but was planning on a double mastectomy when chemo was over because more errant cells were found and I felt for me that was the safest way to go.

Really loudly with an incredulous look on her face she says, " YOU ARE GETTING BOTH BOOBS CUT OFF!! As I stood there in shock I thought, wow you are not in my family or friend category to be able to refer to my dollies as boobs, you are now maybe now not even on mammory gland level with me.

After I recovered a little composure I said in a quiet voice, in terms I hoped she could understand, "Dalores these girls have done their job they have attracted my husband, they fed my babies, and now they are old and just hanging around. They had nothing to do so they turned witchy on me and tried to kill me so we are literally parting ways. Then I thought but didn't say it out loud because after all I am a nice girl, Dalores you should come with me and get that appendage inside your mouth removed before it gets you maimed. Then I politely bid her adieu!

Morning everyone!

Hi Belle - Regarding lumpectomy and LE, I just thought that RJ probably had surgery on one side and lymph node removed on one side, but her hand skin reaction sounded like both sides.  That's why I thought her hand thing was less likely to be LE-related.  I do have a hard time deciding where to let them take my blood pressure as I had BMX and lymph node removal on both sides.  I don't want to let them use the cancer side (left).  I don't really want to let them use the side with the cord and the developing marble (right) either, but I have been allowing them to take it from my right forearm.  MO office did try to take it with an automated device on the right arm and it really hurt, enough that I had to stop them, and have been getting blood pressure in right forearm ever since. Wish I could use my legs or something.  Good luck with the hair shaving party!

Maggie - I agree that red hair goes very well with your eye color.  Boy I am so envious that you were able to take 30 pounds off earlier this year.  Thanks for sharing your pictures.  It makes me feel like I am having lunch with some bald friends who know exactly what I am talking about.

Rae - I have been feeling better since Monday.  After 2-1/2 to 3 days of misery, all of a sudden it's like a curtain lifts. I feel like I have mostly returned to the land of the living again thank goodness and just have a sore throat.  Last time a few saltwater gargles took care of that and I hope that works again.

CJRT - I'm glad you had good news on BRCA.  I hope you have plenty of help this week.  I don't know how someone with young children could do this without a lot of help.

Hmmn - I'm feeling good enough that I am going to sort through bills today.  I had to cash in some retirement stock to even begin dealing with these medical costs.  Now, my creditors don't know it, but they have been entered in Kimberly's lottery to see who is going to get paid and who is just going to be taking the slow boat to getting paid.

Hi Everyone,

I am day 5 post round 2 of FEC and I have been receiving the neupogen needles for 2 days now. I woke up this morning feeling like I had been hit by a MAC truck. I had no symptoms like this in the first round. I ache all over and not even tylenol seems to be helping. Anyone else having this symptom, or have any idea how to manage it. I know the needles are important but gosh I feel worse today then I did immediatly after the treatment. Anyone know how long the acheness lasts after the last needle is given? I am suppose to have 5 total this week. Thanks

Sarah