Calling all TNs

Luckilly, I read the posts all weekend. So much to catch

up on.



I survived my day out kayaking. Unlike Luv, my 4 hour tour involved paddling the whole way. We did about 7 miles on the river. Luckilly my leg and butt held out till the last 15 min, at which point they began screaming "get me out of this freaking boat right now"! There's not much you can do to shift position in a kayak, and sadly we were in a part of the river that isn't that clean, or I would thought about tipping and swimming the rest of the way, lol. We had a great steak barbecue after. An absolutely wonderful day!



OBXK - definitely scads of good karma for you! It's a great feeling when you get to a point where you can help others.



McCrimmon - you look so happy! If you're already enrolled in a group insurance plan, I think you should be safe.



Tazzy and Luah - I know I'm late but Happy Birthday Canada!!!!!



Kayak2 - great info, thank you.



Catwhispurrer - congrats! That flannel shirt tip was great. I got so tired of changing my clothes, wish I had thought of that.



NavyMom- I've tried speaking up, but like Naan said, it doesn't work so well with our MO. Every answer is "it's not out standard of care". I tried my da*nedess to get a PET when I was diagnosed and got nowhere. I know it sounds bizarre, but I'm actually hoping to be BRACA + because they will have to follow me more closely. I'm not comfortable with just an annual mammo as my follow up, and will have to think about private paying for a 6 mo mammo if I don't test positive. (annual mammo is the only testing I will be having)



Dormac - Neupogen is just like Neulasta, except it requires more doses. Neulasta is one shot after each chemo.



3 quick tips:



If you're newly diagnosed, take a "notebook buddy" with you, especially for your treatment planning appt's. Also keep a notebook with questions you want to ask your doctor, because when you're in the appt., chemo brain will

make you forget them.



Eyelashes - someone on here warned not to freak if your eyelashes got thin again, months after tx. Because they grow back at the same time, they may shed

on a similar schedule.



Stiff Hips - many of us compared notes and found that we had stiff hips during treatment. If I sat for a few minutes, I looked like a hunchback crone for several minutes after standing, till I could manage to stand up straight. It got better quickly after tx ended.



Jan - I live off one of the major routes heading to Cape Cod, so I hear you about the tourists. (I'll post a tongue in cheek post I wrote for tourists for you, it may make you laugh). I did get a break this weekend. We were bit*hing because gas prices jumped 30 cents because of the holiday. When I went to fill up, they had programmed the pumps wrong, so I didn't get the price increase!



Titan - I'm like you, compared to others on here I sailed thru chemo. Someone recently posted on here that their MO said that it may be genetic in some people, and that there was no correlation between SE's and effectiveness.



Kellybk - hope you guys in the Midwest get a break, you've been in triple digits for awhile. That nausea sounds horrendous!!!



Luv - you're absolutely right about the heartburn. I had bad reflux before starting, and by 2 weeks in I has ulcer symptoms (had them several times) For anyone else who has bad reflux, my PCP put me on Dexilant and it has been the first effective rx I've had for reflux.

I did the 96 ounce thing too. Brewed green tea and fresh ginger and put the jugs in the fridge. That way I knew the jug had to be finished by the end of the day. (don't normally drink a lot)



Cocker - geez, my clothes are on!!! Well ok, I was in a bathing suit while kayaking! Is old fella going to be away 5 days a week, every week, to run the cafe?????? If so I may be rescinding my vote for living the dream. BTW, I understand it's a serious problem, but could I please have a dose of that "losing weight easily" thing?

This is for Jan and anybody else who has the delight of tourist influx. For those who aren't familiar with a "rotary", it's a junction where traffic has to enter a circle and flow counter clockwise. They are very common in the Northeast. What makes them even worse is that different states have different rules. (in Mass, the driver in the circle has the right of way. Connecticut used to have the person entering the circle have the right of way, till all the people from Mass going to the casino caused so many accidents)





A Public Service Announcement..Welcome to Massachusetts



July 2, 2011



As I was driving down the highway Friday, I was reminded it’s that time of year again.  Our roads are overflowing with tourists heading to Cape Cod.  I thought it might be helpful to inform you of some of the rules of the road here……which may save your life.  We aren’t as bad a State of drivers as we are reported to be…….but there are some things that do put us over the edge and make us want to throttle tourists.  We are also, like most States, having financial problems, and ticketing tourists is viewed as an excellent source of revenue.



 



 This is nothing new…..y’all are familiar with this.  The further left lanes on a highway are the “passing lanes”.  Some of our cross state highways are only 2 lanes on each side so this becomes particularly important for your health and safety!!!  You do not get to cruise in the “passing lane”  (or often referred to here, as the high speed lane) at the speed limit, because you don’t want to keep having to change lanes to avoid motorists entering the highway.  Doing so will cause you many problems.  Motorists who have to move into the travel lane to get around you, will promptly give you a visual lesson on our “State Bird”.  Looking up in your rearview mirror and seeing an 18 wheeler an inch from your bumper can cause you serious cardiac problems.  Even worse would be to look up and see one of our State Troopers glaring at you from a millimeter from your rear bumper.  Please remember that the Trooper will not be passing you on the right to get around you,,,,and his cruiser has ram bars! I’m sure that at the very least you will be screamed at when he/she pulls you over and I’m pretty sure they have some obscure laws that will allow them to ticket you for not following the rules of the road.



 



Do please move over to the passing lane, when you see any type of emergency vehicle in the breakdown lane.  On a highway of over 4 lanes…..it’s the law and you will be ticketed if you don’t.  Even on lesser lane highways we do it as a courtesy.  We have in the recent past had many State Troopers killed or seriously injured being hit my motorists.  We like our State Troopers and ask that you respect their safety.



 



Massachusetts has tons of what are called “rotaries”.  You may know them as roundabouts.  Rotaries are circles of traffic, traveling 40-50 mph, with multiple entrances/exits off the circle.  If you wish to live, please remember this……..THE MOTORIST IN THE CIRCLE HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY!!!!  Do not shoot into the circle thinking that people will stop for you!  (Again remember the 18 wheelers and Staties with ram bars).



 



And last but not least, Funeral Processions.  (We have a lot of these in the summer due out of state motorists!).  You will know it’s a funeral procession by three things: a bright orange sticker hanging from the rearview mirror, headlights on, and flashers on.  A FUNERAL PROCESSION HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY AT ALL TIMES.  (see, y’all thought we were not courteous drivers up here and YES you will be ticketed if you don’t stop).  Funeral processions do not have to heed red lights, stop signs, yield signs etc.  All traffic is to stop until the whole procession has passed. (We even bow our heads and say a prayer for them).



 



Welcome to Massachusetts…..we want you to enjoy your time here.



 

Hello ladies. Hope everyone is doing well and those in treatment suffering minimal side effects! I am just checking in. 4 days post 1st AC treatment and am feeling surprisingly great! A little headache here and there. Today a little more tired than usual but other than that nothing else! I am rinsing and brushing with biotene. Drinking 96oz water a day. I am hoping this will stay this way throughout treatment. But in the back of my mind I am wondering is the chemo doing its job since I really don't have any side effects??? I sure hope so! Anyway a question while I have you.... I had my first treatment last Thursday. I am planning on going away this Friday til next wed and will have my 2nd treatment next thurs. I am trying to gauge when I will need to get to my wig place to get my wig put on. I had one made and am going to get it temp placed for 4 weeks so I don't have to worry about it. Can sleep in it shower everything. Anyway. When does hair typically start coming out and when it does how fast? I don't want this to happen when I am away! Any insight would be helpful! Thnx!

Dam, takes me so long to type, I miss people!



Melissa - glad you're doing well, and according to someone's MO (can't remember who posted it) there is no correlation between SE and effectiveness. I had Taxol first, so can't help with that question, but your wig sounds really interesting. Haven't heard anyone on here mention one like it?



Jan - sadly, summer isn't an allowed hunting season in Mass!

Kathyrnn - I just wanted to mention and am not sure if this is happening to others, but I am almost 2 years out from chemo, and my eyelashes still has a cycle,  just like hair.  They are super long, beautiful, absolutely stunning for sometime and then they become short, thin and the longness is gone after a while.  I will have to note down the dates so I can see the cycle.  Right now, the long ones are falling off, and they have all become uneven.  At some point, they will all grow to one size and become dark and beautiful again.  I have to go see the hair specialist to ask her why this is happening. I know this type of cycle happens to hair, the sleep phase, the falling phase and all that, but with eye lashes, I don't think this used to happen to me before chemo.  Anyone else has this problem?

Thank you kathrynn

Brilliant post about the driving kathyrnn - think that can apply to many places that bring tourists.  And yes we cant hunt them either

Painting...my Mum is an artist so I know only too well what you mean - she oftens disappears to her studio for many a week... Comes up for air for coffee and meals.

jan..just a few years younger than you..67...we don't have any small ones to care for..and can nap when needed..

melissa--you asked about hair falling out...generally that happens somewhere around 2 weeks after your first tx.  For me it happened on day 19...it was hairpocolypse for sure.  Everyone is different but you should be safe at only a week and a half but you never know and maybe better safe than sorry. 

Maggie

Christina - what does cleanup mean?

Hello Gals,



Been away for awhile, so I hope all of you are doing well! This thread moves sooo fast!

- Roundabouts scare the crud out of me!!

- In SW FL we tire if tourists, but most businesses would not survive without them.

-Loved London. Was there last August and did the tour of London. I llearned that Big Ben is not the clock, it's the workings behind the clock. We have an office in Portsmouth and Banbury. Love the proper cider andncouldn't get enough fish & chips!

- Love Harley's party pics! My girl is 100# and my bou120#. Love all animals!!

-Glad to see you back Annie! Knew you couldn't stay away, and glad you didn't.

- Thanks to all for the mouth sore advise. All gone finally!

-Congrat's to those who finished treatment and/or had great results last week!



My scalp just starting being 'tender' today.... And I am on day 14. I thought about just not washing it for 20 weeks, but decided my hubby was really important to have around :-). I know this is going to be a tough week facing the hair loss, but it's temporary right? I made the silly mistake of buying wigs on line.... 5 wigs and $650 later I finally found 2 that I like. Donating the other Three. One makes me look like a Russian guard, and the Two make me look like a mean German MAN! I am 6' tall, so short choppy dark black does not work on me! Anyway.... Tomorrow is A/C treatment #2 and not as scary as the first one, but still nervous a bit. I pray that I handle this one as well as the first.



And last but not least...

Had a wonderful Anniversary weekend with my hubby. 20 years together, 16 married years with a wonderful man. Fishing and boating by day, dinner at night with a glass of wine. Just a really nice weekend! It felt 'normal'...



Wishing you all a great week!

Can understand that. 65 mph, kids, buggies..... Real scary! Stupid question, but are the buggies out in the winter as well?

Titan - I have an appointment to have my head shaved and wig fitted properly next Monday. Does the hair fall out gradually or fast? I wonder if I should move my appointment up. Not for the wig so much as shaving my head. I cut my hair short about 3 weeks ago in preparation cause I don't want to deal with clumps on my pillow or shock... Today is day 14 and tomorrow is the second A/C. Should I pull forward my appointment?

Here's one for you Bernie!!

TWO IRISH WOMEN IN A BAR

Two women were sitting next to each other in a bar.

After a while, one looks at the other and says, 'I can't

help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Ireland .....' 

The other woman responds proudly, 'Yes, I sure am!' 

The first one says, 'So am I!  And whereabouts in Ireland are ya from?' 

The other woman answers, 'I'm from Dublin , I am.' 

The first one responds, 'So, am I!!   And what street did you live on
in Dublin ?'

The other woman says, 'A lovely little area.  It was in the west
end.  I lived on Warbury Street in the old central part of town.' 

The first one says, 'Faith, and it's a small world.  So did I!  So
did I!  And what school did ya go to?' 

The other woman answers, 'Well now, I went to Holy Heart of Mary, of course..' 

The first one gets  really excited and says, 'And so did I!

Tell me what year did you graduate?

The other woman, "Well lets see now, I graduated in 1964"

The first woman answers, "the Good Lord must be smiling down upon us!

I can hardly believe our good luck.  Can you believe it, I graduated from 

the Holy Heart of Mary in 1964 meself" 

About this time Michael walks into the bar, sits down and orders a beer.

Brian the Bartender, walks over to Michael shaking his head, and mutters, 

"Tis going to be a long night tonight"      

Michael says, "why do you say that Brian"     

Brian answers "The Murphy Twins are pissed again".