2012 sisters

So, I've had my head shaved (to the scalp) for 2 weeks now and I still have plenty of stubble but also noticeable bare spots. I've been wiping it with a wet rag to get the rest if it off (since it won't grow) but it's not getting the all of it. So I decided to take duct tape to it! It got so much more but I ran out of tape. Lol.



Hope all of you in Sandys path are hunkering down ok. Been through hurricanes all my life so I'm thinking of you all!!!

Ann, here at the Cancer Agency in Victoria, BC, icing of the hands is standard procedure for Taxol and Taxotere, both of whom are notorious for causing neuropathy. I am just sorry I did not ice my toes too, because it definitely worked for my fingers. Hope you can work something out. Here patients are supplied with iced mittens for their hands, and some people bring big frozen bags of peas from Costco to dig their toes into.

Cowgirl, you will get your mojo back eventually. So sorry to hear about your mom. Halloween is always going to be hard for you; maybe remember her on her birthday instead like somebody else suggested here. My mom is in a care facility. She has a slow growing brain tumour which is taking her away from us little by little. I will see her in December, but she is not recognizing my siblings any more. She's not going to know me at all, because my appearance has totally changed from a dark bob to very short, snow white hair. It is so hard that she is going like this, because my dad had Alzheimers, and we also lost him long before he passed away. Such is life, and we have to come to grips with these things, but it is not easy.

Tazzy, that wall that fell down sounds a little weird. Maybe it is better at detecting tremors than us humans? LOL. I still cannot believe that the quake was felt in Edmonton, but we felt nothing on the island just a couple of hundred kms south. Does not make sense to me, but hey, I'm no expert either.

Mrscich. Try a lint roller... The tape ones. That's what I used. It worked really well. ;-)

Liefie, I agree! I want a pet scan or something. Every ache and pain I know I will be fretting for the rest of my life.



Juneau, I'm gonna try the lint roller!

Lifelie/Mrscich. I too hate that no one is saying i will get scans or something. I am so frightened of recurrence as I just don't think I would be able to go through chemo again. It was just too hard emotionally and physically. I can't just go on with life like I did when I had my appendix taken out... I feel like a different person now; well I guess I AM a different person. Facing my mortality, I can't even put into words how different I feel; I just AM...and I HATE IT! I am trying to get my footing as this new person. Progress is slow.



Hugs to you all...and thanks for listening.

My ONC said that I will receive a CT chest/abdomen/pelvis once a year for the next 5 years, unless I have a new issue. I will have blood work every 3 mos for the next 5 years.

My GYN was going to put me on a new schedule for paps from every year to every 3 yrs. When the diagnosis came down she nixed that idea so its back to every year. What a bummer.

My PCP who's never had a 35 yr old woman diagnosed with BC before is now telling all his female patients that they need to get a baseline at 35. My PCP has called my GYN to find out why she wanted me to and if that was her common practice.

I really lucked out with all my drs. How many of you have female PS? I thought about going to a female PS but then changed my mind because I figured a male PS is going to give me the shape and size that I want and they will look amazing. I can say that what I have as far as TE placements look awesome. I had a patient tell me that she wished she had my perky boobs and that she knew they couldn't be fake. I really loved that. Made me smile and LOVE my PS that much more.

Stay safe all in Sandy's path - thinking of you all.  Please check in when you can and let us know you are safe.

Ramols: your party sounds wonderful and so brave of people to head out.

chrisrenee - happy someone made you smile about your boobies.

juneau: hang in there honey - I was speaking with a 3 year survivor and even she said she didn't feel or think she'd ever stop thinking about bc, but she has and she said she only thinks of it now when she has her yearly check ups.  You will get there.

Hello to everyone I missed - thinking of you all.

I am part of blind clinical trial (denosumab).  Through research they are hoping this drug which is used for osteoporosis can stop mets to bones, of which I have been told I have a (or had) a high chance of my cancer returning to my bones.  I will have blood work every 3 months (and the trial (or placebo) injection), a MRI/CT/Bone scan every year.  Its why I agreed to the trial - that is for the next 10 years.  Well I have the injection for five years and the scans for 10.  How could I say no? 

hugs and sweet dreams to you all xxxx

Tazzy that is great. I worked for a company that monitors studies for drug studies and I learned how important it is to have these studies and how it could take up to TWENTY years to get a drug on the market! It's the studies that might eradicate this awful disease one day.



Off to radiation before Sandy hits. Have a wonderful minimal SE happy day everyone!

Websister - sorry to hear you're feeling so icky. That really stinks - especially when you're not expecting it. While I've fortunately been spared nausea from my first taxol/herceptin - day three snuck up on me and whamed me with unexpected exhaustion and a nasty headache. Drove me away from my desk and into bed for most of the day and left me pretty bummed out for a bit. Hopefully you'll start feeling better today. Rest up and take good care of yourself! They'll be a ray of sunshine to smile about at some point...

Stay safe everyone! Sitting at my home office desk looking out the window watching our big giant trees blow something fierce in the wind. Likely gonna head downstairs to safe tree distance in a bit...

This is when I let my girls have fun with shaving my head.

Ramols - thanks, glad you were heading downstairs



MrsCich - you gave me something to smile about today Loved the pictures!

Morning all,

Hope things are going well.  I see a few of you are struggling today so I hope this will cheer you up.  I've been laughing my head off the last half hour by looking at YouTube.  Laughing is my new fitness routine.   

If you Google Jeanne Robertson on YouTube you can see snippets of her comedic speeches.  There are quite a few clips to keep you entertained for a while.  The woman is hysterical.

Enjoy and have a great day.

liefie... you said it perfectly "climb out of your body and run away from yourself". That is exactly it.  But yes, like all SE's they pass.

Digitalcow: thanks for the suggestion on laughs... I will check them out.

Digital, I love Jeanne Robinson.  Thanks for reminding me, I haven't watched anything of hers in a long time.

My hair is falling out. 10 days after my first chemo. So I chopped my hair into a boy cut today. I'll shave later this week. My husband hasnt seen my hair yet. Nor does he know I did it today...he may have a stroke when he gets home.

MrsCich You are not the only one.  I am relying on the chemo and rads to kill the cancer I know to be left in my body, let alone any that may be floating around. Ugh.

CrisRenee I have a femle PS.  She is wonderful. I looked at several PS when I was contemplating implants about a year ago. I chose a male to do them when I could afford it. Once the cancer and boob removal came I looked at a few PS who do a lot of reconstruction. One was a male and one was female. I talked to the male first, he was negative. He spoke of the risks as if it was more of a probability than a possibility. Said he didnt think he could make me any bigger than I was before (which was depressing), and made me feel bad about wanting to look good. I asked questions about scars and size etc. He said, "I think you have more important things to worry about than that right now".  WTF? Can you believe a COSMETIC SURGEON said that? smh
So then the female cam in and was the total opposite. I chose her on the spot.