Starting Chemo April 2009

Thank you all for your support and help with this. I definitely feel better about it now. You are such a wonderful group of ladies, you have really eased my mind. It is very reassuring to know that I can come here and share just about anything with all of you - thank you! Amy, I did have a port and I was fine with the drug they used.

Hope you are all having a good day, hugs, Judy x

It really is amazing! LOL!

Hope everyone has a good weekend, hugs to you all, Judy x

Titan, good to hear from you! If you read back a few posts, you will see posts from Geri, Amy and Betsy on the subject of colonoscopies! I found those posts very helpful and certainly helped put my mind at rest.

I miss Lena too, I think we all do .....

Hope everyone is doing ok and have a good week! Hugs to all, Judy x

My sister and I had a great time in Florida - were in Boca Raton. The sun was shining every day - a couple of coolish days but not a problem for us. We did a long walk every day and afternoons, read, slept, shopped - whatever we felt like. Was nice to have a change of pace and the warm weather was perfect. Today I went to Therapeutic Yoga - my first class. It was good but I have to say that I am not in good condition - it's going to take a long time to get any flexibility back. The good thing about the Therapeutic Yoga is that I don't have to do all those moves that I'm not supposed to do like downward dog or plank. They work on flexibility as well as strength but it's very gentle. 

Helen, your trip sounds perfect! I am so pleased you enjoyed it. I am with Geri on the yoga - good for you for going to the class. It tried it a couple of times in the US and found it very difficult. My friends had said that it is a great way to get fit and relax, but I didn't find that at all. I had high hopes, but it just wasn't for me .  I really hope it works well for you.

Geri, I cannot believe that we are almost at your trip to Jamaica! It seems so long ago that you booked it. I am sure it will be fab!

I have family visiting from overseas at the moment, so seem to be constantly preparing and clearing away meals! Still, it is nice to see them and to be able to host.

Hope everyone is doing ok, sending you all hugs, Judy x

I wear the sleeve when I fly. Although now I wear the sleeve 90% of the time anyway (daytime that is)  

Hang in there Judy - how long are they staying???

Hi all, just passing through quickly today. My family has moved to my brother today so it is just us and the kids this weekend and really looking forward to it.

Tomorrow night, we are getting together to celebrate my Mum's 70th birthday (which is in Feb), but as me and my siblings are all in the same country at the moment, we are doing it this weekend.

Hope everyone has a good weekend, hugs to you all, Judy x

Great family get togethers this weekend for Helen and Judy - have fun!!

Geri

What a wonderful way to celebrate your mother's birthday, Judy.  Now you must rest!

Hope your weekend went well also Helen!

 And another work week begins

Geri

Hi all,

Just got back from a visit to my gastroenterologist. He put me on Konsyl- psyllium fiber and gave me some ointment for my fissure (left over from the chemo days). Ok, I'm a little slow its been almost three years and frankly it was the last thing I really wanted to deal with, but with my lastest surgery everything flared up again and I thought CRAP...enough is enough. I asked him his thoughts on Lynch Syndrome testing and he said with your family history the doctor that recommended it was wise (my onc). I'm not sure why but it made me feel better. Maybe it's that second opinion thing. I'm feeling good, have started going to the gym again and try to walk daily. I'm even giving up wine...God forbid... not forever I hope!!! Like I said...this year...is going to be a year of health not sickness.

On a more fun note, my dh and I are planning a trip to Eastern Europe at the end of Sept early Oct. We decided to do a tour. The group we are going with is into teaching the history and culture of the sites visited with local guides assisting. It will be in the middle of my sabbatical which I've had approved for August, Sept & Oct. I'm so excited! I definitely need to get into shape, they walk from 2 - 8 miles some days and classify most days as strenuous.  

I hope everyone is well. All the trips sound fun, sounds like lots of family visits and parties. Do you feel like me, it's nice that most of our lives are as not focused on bc but on life? Or is it just me. When the doctor asked me today what type of chemo I had, I couldn't recall the name of cytoxine. It made me feel good in a strange twisted way.

Wishing you all a good week.

Betsy

Good morning everyone! I am going away for a few days, (for a nice reason ), will try to check in from time to time.

Take care of yourselves and have a good day!

Hugs, Judy x

Judy, enjoy yourself. 

Hope everyone is doing ok.  

Hi everyone! Got back from my work trip to Orlando a few nights ago. It was VERY busy and hectic, sort of a whirlwind, and really did wear me out.  I find that I am able to do pretty much everything I want to, but then afterwards it DEFINITELY takes me longer to recover. I am planning on doing a lot of NOTHING this weekend.

While there, I reconnected with a coworker in my company who is battling lymphoma. She looked fantastic - all her hair grew back - she was bald when I saw her last year. But in our conversation, she told me that her disease has an 85% recurrance rate.  DAMN! That absolutely floored me.  I acted all supportive, but inside I was blown away.  I felt SO LUCKY to have the odds that we have - which, on another day, could seem scary, but in comparison to hers, felt fantastic.  I watched her and her husband (who accompanied her and is helping her with her business) and the love they so obviously shared - very touching. She was upbeat, seemed really happy.  We had a gala one night at Disney Animal Kingdom - it was just for our convention attendees - and everything was totally free. You could just go up to the food court, bar, ice cream vendors, rides, games etc and get whatever you wanted. Very much fun.  They had a picture posted on our company website of this woman riding the big roller coaster (you know those pix they take when you come down the big hill and are screaming). She looked like she was having a ball.  

The whole thing has made me very thoughtful.  I just keep thinking of that 85%.  

Also, my children's hospital is having a prom for its pediactric oncology patients who cannot attend their own proms. I will be helping with it. I asked about the age range and they said it would be for high school students but also those younger that they knew would not live to attend their own proms.  That took my breath away a little bit.  So much sadness in the world. I know we have been through our own and no one knows what lies ahead. But for every day I spend being healthy and feeling good, I am determined to live fullly and enjoy it and be a blessing to others.

That's what's on my mind these days anyway.
Love and a good weekend to all!

Amy 

I have a co-worker that has colon cancer..at her diagnosis the onc told her that colon cancer was "better" than breast cancer because it can be cured..she told me this (in a kind way..I wasn't offended at all)...but she has had several surgeries, tons of chemo for almost 2 years now...my treatment was 6 months from surgery to end of rads...I wouldn't call that better...I'm not sure she still thinks that way...she is a tough cookie though...she has never asked about her prognosis..she doesn't want to know.

At Christmas time I was depressed over the fact that things were different this year..my daughter married and not home with us..my son home for 3 weeks.(but that wasn't long enough)...it was different and I have to get used to it but like you said it could be alot worse...I have to be grateful that I'm still here to be with them..  I just miss the years when they were little....the time went by too fast.   I miss my "innocence" that I had before breast cancer...that life was good and that this crap would never happen to me