February 2011 chemo pals

Let's hope Cindy! I have a cruise to go on April 6, and I am planning to swim with the dolphins!!

CINDY AND JENN, you two have done quite well to endure surgery, repeat surgery, not to mention fear, the enemy of us all!!!  I HUGGY HUG WITH HEARTS AND HUGS to you two brave sisters!!!

I, on the other hand, wimper at a stubbed toe.  I managed to get to my cancer doc appointment last week, but this week, ohhhhhhh my back from tearing it up in a car accident has been REALLY singing and I had to cancel two other doc appoints this week, I just DO NOT WANT TO GO ANYWHERE.  And today, already I am in abject misery becuz I am supposed to go see my neurologist, he's supposed to give me better meds this time, so I don't think I can just cancel that appointment.  SIGH.  Oh, what to do!?!  I was thinking I might call, ask if the doc can call in my meds, and I'll get back to him in six months as usual.  But it'll be the same meds, etc., that have made me to where I cannot go places.  It's a Catch 22.  I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. 

And then there's bills, I have a big stack of an entire months' bills (I usually break them into two batches) and while it's easier becuz I don't have to go anywhere, I dread doing those, too.  Sitting in a chair drives me nuts, and thinking drives me nuts, and in fact I AM NUTS.  So, what to do?  I need to hire a servant.  I wish I had the cash!  I REALLY WOULD do that!  Heck, they could stay in the house and do all this stuff for me.  I KNOW.....

MISSY FUZZY, just exactly WHAT do you think you've been doing, girl?!?  A couple forums are whining about how dare... get this, one of the girls said... "the FUZZINATOR" leave us flat?!?  You wanted a doggie play date, so you COULD become my servant, but we are poor, so I cannot pay thee, or maybe $100 a month and a dirty spare room and canned food?  Plus we have a very messy house and we are loathe to take baths, so...well...we stink.  But the job is yours if you want it!  That's one way to get away from everything! 

But Fuzzy, are we REALLY friends?  Or is this just a figment of our imagination?  You know, I remember the last time I heard those words, I was in the hospital after my car wreck, stuck in the bed for two months, VERY boring, not to mention painful, but anyhow, i got a little whoozy one day and mother was standing by me, and I said to her, "Mom, I think I'm going to throw up!"  She goes, "Gail, that's just a figment of your imagination," upon which I promptly threw up all over her front, and it was SO FUNNY, if I hadn't been so sick and miserable!!!  Poor lady.  She's a lot like me, everything is a joke, and when we get to laughing together, two little devils are we, it's a good thing we weren't sisters, we'd have torn up this part of the globe a long time ago.  SMILE. 

Well, until next time, your whining undeserving sister, who thinks everyone else is a soldier, and I am an AWOL ex-soldier, trompling on REAL people's feelings by complaining about a few dang bills.  Ye gads.  I'm a wastrile, to be sure, but I posted all this baloney becuz I jus knows you all are in the same boat with trying to live normally after cancer.  SIGH.  BUT I LOVE MY SISTERS TRULY!!!  GG

Dogeyed I vote for not deleting... You are just stating the way you feel about things. We all have a right to do that. That's my 2 cents....... It's funny you should use the word brave as I don't feel that way at all. I am scared a good part of the time!!!!



I was also thinking about SpecialK and wondering where she has been and hoping all is ok.....



Cindy

MAMAV, I am feeling better, I did those stoopid bills this morning, what a relief, I don't feel like I'm being stalked by bills, docs, obligations, etc.  But HEY I know what you mean about the hair!!!  I told husband the other day I looked like Beethoven.  Actually I look exactly like the busts of him that you'll see on pianos and whatnot.  It's just a big bunch of hog weed, is what it is.  GG

I hear yall on the aging thing. On one hand, I am so thankful to be here rather than where I was last year. I am actually going to walk in a breast cancer walk. Last year I was weak, bald, anemic, couldn't even walk from parking lot to the beginning of the walk. Was totally bald and bloated.

I am glad to be done w/ chemo and H- last H was 3/1 (finally don't know how I got so far behind everyone else on here). My hair is truly like a brillo pad- so curly. Folks give me the 'it's so cute' I can't do anything w/ it. And the no bangs is annoying- 

Sorry vent vent vent. Thanks to yall on here for us helping each other then and now. I lurk at times and rarely post these days. Between work and family live is busy.

Lastly, I decided to keep my port- I'll be seeing my MO every 3 months for a year- labs each time. Had no veins prior to chemo and the one I did have is in the cancer arm, so just decided to keep the port & be done w/ that. So I get it flushed every 6 wks and see the MO every 12 wks.  

MamaV well said- cancer sucks! I second that! Yall are great ladies I am thankful to 'know'.

Hi all - I am still here!  Had my exchange surgery, had a few issues - an allergic reaction and a brief fever, but all is well.  Then lost an old friend, who was a BC sister, so two weeks after surgery got on an airplane to D.C. for her funeral.  I didn't post much after surgery because I was resting, then didn't post while I was gone because it was too much BC-ness.  Anyway - hope I didn't worry anyone! 

Hello my triplets!  I love how we come together every now and then on this thread!  I also vote for no deletions GG - you have a reason for every post when you write, no need to self-edit.

On the weight, hair and feeling 100 front - yes, we are alive and grateful, but man, wouldn't it be nice to feel like ourselves?

Emily - keep us posted - hoping this is nothing.

crog - how are you doing?  Sorry you had a rapid re-visit to the OR, but hoping all is well now. 

jenn - hoping your wound is healing well - you have a date with dolphins!  Gotta keep that one!  DD swam with them in Bermuda when she was an early high-schooler.  We did it for her birthday, she got out of the water and said "that was the best day of my life" and was so, so happy!  She is currently studying psychology at the U of So. FL and aims at working in marine mammal rehabilitation.  She has been focused on that goal for a very long time - the dolphin swim was just reinforcement.

crog - I am sorry I worried you!  I am glad you are doing ok - do they have you going to PT?  Are you on Coumadin?  Do I remember that you were before?  I have a lot of questions, as usual!

Special k and crog, glad you both are recovering and feeling better. Special k im sorry about your loss. but I'm glad you're back. And crog I hope they figure out soon why you're clotting. I'm sure you'de love to be off the Coumadin.

Take care everyone

xo

I don't post all that often now but I check in frequently and love to hear how everyone is doing.

SpecialK and LisaGH Hello there my triplets! Lisa, my hair is exactly like yours-brillo-pad curly hair with no bangs. I'm trying once again to let it grow but I'll probably get frustrated and cut it off when I can't style it. Are you both keeping your port? I've decided to get rid of it. I had it flushed one last time yesterday and the removal is scheduled for 4/11. I figure that if I recur the port will be the least of my worries and in the meantime it's more to maintain and would mean more visits to the chemo center which I definitely want to avoid. I can understand the reasons to keep it too but getting rid of it signifies an important end point for me so I can't wait! 

I have an appointment scheduled with a new MO in mid-May since I fired the awful MO I had for a year of treatment-I feel very empowered and I'm looking forward to meeting with an onc who might actually communicate with me...

Hope everyone is well-I'm so glad our Feb/2011 group is still going strong...

I'd like to hear from Fuzzy too- she's a friend on facebook & don't see any recent activity there either. If anyone hears from her, let us all know.

Dragonfly- YEAH! on the port removal- exciting. I just don't want to be stuck for blood every few months since I have no veins. As soon as I go to the every 6 month visit schedule, I am getting it out. My MO said it could come out anytime.

I'm thinking about cutting my hair again too. The brillo pad texture with the curls is pretty hard to manage. I'm getting used to my friends (who mean well) calling me a poodle.....

Love this group of great women! Sisters.

Hi all - on the hair front, I have had it cut several times but it is finally long enough to begin to make it blond again.  Just went yesterday, she is cutting only the bottom and waiting fot the top to meet it, but it is now long enough to highlight on the sides again.  It is not curly, if I comb it right out of the shower it is pretty straight.

I am keeping my port for the short term.  I saw my BS right before my exchange and he advised keeping it.  My MO won't have it out prior to another PET which now that I have had surgery (again!) will be at least another 6 months to get a clear picture.  I had one scheduled for the week of my exchange but they couldn't get the insurance ducks in a row in time.  I love my MO and the nurses so flushing it is no biggie.  I would not be willing to keep doing that if I felt bad going there though.

Fuzzy just posted on Fuzzy's Romp Room.

crog - If you have had PT do you have enough exercises that you can do on your own in the meantime?  I went to PT for lymphedema and they taught me massage and stretching.  I just got a new prescription for more PT, my primary care is concerned with range of motion and strength training after 7 surgeries so I am just waiting for the referral to come through.  Also just made a colonoscopy appt   Those are not that much fun...

dragonfly - I drove past the VA last night and saw the big sign outside - am I correct that it is hug your VA social worker week?  If so - a hug for you

Thanks Dogeyed... This is wonderful news.....

fuzzy - we love you too, and we missed you and we were worried, because we are a family here. 

fuzzy - always