Starting Chemo April 2009

Judy, I will be keeping your sister in my prayers.  Sending you and her hugs.  Please let her know that she is in the thoughts of many.

Hey ..how's my favorite Duck?   Miss you all but this "nut" has been super busy....I thought the "empy nest" was supposed to be relaxing????  not so...\

Judy....sorry to hear about your friend...you have survivor's guilt....remember me telling you about a couple of very young friends of mine that died of BC?  They were TN also...like us...I know when I told my niece who is 30 she looked at me like she was wondering why I was still alive...the thing with bc..any type..is you just never know who will survive and who will not.  I dunno..it is a rough situation but know that you were the best friend you could be to her....on the tn thread I hang out on here we have lost many many friends..but there are many, many friends still there......

and hey Granny Amy!  love that little one!

Hi all, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. I have actually just spoken to her on the phone and she sounds good. I was so worried, couldn't sit still yesterday. It is a relief that this stage is behind her, now she has to heal before the treatment. She is so strong.

Amy, hope you have fun in Philly - I imagine you will see a change in Ruby just from last week - they change every day at this age. Enjoy her!

Titan, I know exactly what you mean; there is definitely an issue of survivor's guilt - it is so strange, not everyone can understand it. That is why we are so lucky to have each other here.

Geri, how are you doing? Helen, sending love. Florbo, how are you?

Hope you all have a good weekend, sending you all hugs, Judy x

Hope everyone is doing ok and enjoyed 4th July! Florbo, your day sounds great, so happy you enjoyed it. Hope everyone is home safe and sound now from camp .

Our weekend was nice, had lunch with friends yesterday which was fun. My sister is doing ok which is a relief.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone, hugs, Judy x

Judy - what type of treatment is planned for your sister, or does she not know yet? I know she will have your and your family's support every step of the way and that will make a lot of difference.

Florbo - sushi/icecream/fireworks - sounds like the PERFECT evening. I loved that story. Does your son come back from scout camp this weekend? I bet he loved it!

Well I am getting into a routine with baby Ruby. I go up Thurs late afternoon and stay over and come home Friday dinner time.  My son in law works Thurs night and then all day Fri so that is the longest stretch my daughter has on her own. So my help and company are much appreciated. It has been so much fun for me. I am busy today getting all my work done so i can take off tomorrow afternoon. THIS is the time that my flexible schedule (I only answer to myself) really comes into play. 

Titan - I thought of you this morning. My DH read me a story in the paper - a 12 year old Ohio State football fan was dx with cancer, and he named it "michigan" - their arch rival. So when he was discharged after his last chemo (yesterday), they said that he 'beat Michigan.' That was one way to stay motivated for him.

My parents are coming this weekend so it will be busy. We are going up so they can meet baby Ruby - their first great grandchild - and then to see Shakespeare in the Park, which is something they love. Lucky it is happening when they are here!  Time to vacuum and go to grocery store before they get here!  You're never too old to clean the house before your parents come.

Love to everyone!

Judy--good to hear that your sister is resting.  I bet it is hard trying to get everything in order before starting chemo.

Amy--what a wonderful way to bond with Ruby and help out your daughter and son-in-law.  Enjoy the precious time together.  I bet you can tell how much she grows every week.  It will be so fun for the great-grands this weekend.

My son came home on Sunday morning.  He had a great time.  He described the views from his cabin as the "misty mountains."  I've never heard him use those words before!  He wished he had more money to spend.  Too bad!  Budget well next year and earn some $ before you go, son!  He said he probably got he most letters that week (12).  He was slightly disappointeld that no one sent him $.  We are going to have to work on those expectation.  I mean, he got 12 letters in the week he was gone from different people.

Anyway, I have taken up bike riding with the family.  My butt has been so tender and sore for the past week.  I finally bought a pair of cushioned bike sorts and got a get padded seat.  Biking has been good, because my husband is finally exercising.

Have a good night!

Has been quiet here, hope everyone is doing ok.

Hugs to you all, Judy x

Hello everyone. All fine here. Tomorrow is my Ruby day. I can't wait to go see her. Last weekend we took my parents up to meet her - their first great grandchild! She cried a lot but it was a good visit anyway, very special for them.

I talked to a woman from Baltimore the other day. She ran a very informal support group for bc women that I attended back in 09 when i was going through everything. She wants to have a reunion soon. All the women are doing well, but she told me about one young woman (30's) who I remember, she was dx stage IV back then and is NOT doing well. She has been on chemo CONTINUOUSLY since back when we went through it. My heart broke to hear that. I feel like - how can we meet to celebrate how far we've come with her there, not going to make it? It makes me not even want to go.....

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Hugs to you all, Judy x

Hi all spent the morning with a women I work with who had her first a/c and neulasta this week. It really upset me. We drove to her farm and helped by scooping alpaca poop. Her dh sent us off with 6 dozen of the most colorful eggs. He said go a head and sell them, we will donate the proceeds to bc research. It made me feel so sad. I actually started crying. Sad day today for me. My poor dh, I think it brought back,memories for him to!



Flo. I noticed that your dx changed from the first surgery. Is that typical? Or did they get your first dx wrong? Sorry it took me so long to notice. Hugs ...

Betsy

Florbo, good to hear that the PT is working, hope the discomfort and pain improves soon. Also hope your weekend away is fun, you deserve it !

Betsy, so sad and difficult. I felt sad just reading your post. How wonderful that you went to her farm to help out. Sending hugs to you today.

I am doing ok, work is crazy, I worry about my sister and am hoping to get to the UK some time in August to spend a few days with her.

Hope you are all enjoying your Sunday! Hugs to you all, Judy x

Hi everyone. It's been a little quiet here lately. Hope everyone is doing well. I got a call today telling me that my reconstruction is scheduled for August 15. That gives me 3 weeks to get ready. I'm quite nervous about this but I think I will feel better overall if I do this.

Betsy, my tumor status did change from the first time.  Actually, the status changed to PR- in August.  Then when I had the tumor out in February of 2013 after chemo, the Her2 changed to postitive.  I was told that can happen because the cancer cells change.  Also, estrogen receptors tend to become les and less responsive to estrogen as years go by.  I'm so sorry about the memories that were brought back.  You are stronger now than ever before.  Hugs.  I still take the L-glutamine.  I've noticed great improvements with the PT already.  The neuropathy was brought on from the surgical site since a part of the pectoral muscle was removed.

Helen, take things one day at a time as you prep for the reconstruction.  You will do beautifully.

Judy, I think seeing your sister will definitely make you feel better and make her feel better, too.  I hope the trip is soon.

Hubby and I had a great time in Chicago.  It was a needed break from everything.  We did call one more friend and met up with her.  I don't think I ever regret seeing someone and hubby agreed that these meetings were quite enjoyable and not tortuous like he had imagined.  It was a great trip without the kids because we could stop when we wanted, wandered when we wanted, etc.  We even stopped and got foot massages after an hour at the art museum, then headed back to the museum!  So freeing!  Then one day, we went into the Field Museum of Natural Science, saw the dinosaur that our boys had been talking about and then left--only 30 minutes!!!!  Of course, I wouldn't have done it if we didnt have a reciprocity  membership to get in free.  Anyway, we had a great time.  The weather was a nice change from the heat we had here.  We happened to hit Chicago when it had cooled a bit.  It was really humid and hot right before we got there.  All in all, lots of fun.

Hello all - everything is fine here. My husband went to Seattle to see his son for a week, had a great visit. I am glad, but i was SO GLAD for him to come home. We are really quite attached to one another and our quiet little home life.

Going to see Ruby again tomorrow overnight. Am getting into this weekly routine of Th/Fr and it is the highlight of my week. She is six weeks today! Time really does fly.

Helen - now only 2 weeks till surgery. A close friend told me something that really helped with my surgeries. She said not to focus on the DAY of surgery, but on the DAY AFTER. To focus on that date as the day you will begin healing. So keep your eyes on 8/16 as the day you count down to, the day surgery will be BEHIND YOU and you will start getting better a little bit each day. Hope that helps.

Florbo - loved hearing about your trip.

Betsy and Judy - so hard when someone close to us is going through this. We can only take some comfort in the fact that our love/support/involvement can make it a bit easier for them. But it is so hard.

But on a related note - an old friend from our kids' sports is a bc survivor  - she posted on facebook that this week, after 13 years post-bc, she was dismissed from having to see her oncologist any more!  I wrote that I was coming up behind her in that same line. And lots of people gave their congralations. So that was a good one!

Love to all. And Helen, we are here every step of the way.

Judy what is the latest with your sister? We are here for you too, of course!

Amy

Oh Helen, I am so very sorry about your friend, you are right, it doesn't stop. Sending you prayers and hugs - I am sure this is very difficult for you.

How are you doing with the lead up to your surgery? I think that Amy's suggestion sounds like a great idea. I am definitely going to work towards that - thanks Amy !

Amy, your time with Ruby sounds precious - where did 6 weeks go??? She must be so different every time you see her.

My sister is doing ok; she met her Oncologist this morning and has texted me to tell me that she is home. She wrote that she will need 4 treatments, but didn't give me any specifics. I want to call her, but she sounds very down and I am sure that she needs to think things through before she has to go through all the information with me again. We all know how draining that can be. Now, I need to book my ticket and go there for a few days. I will keep you all posted, thank you for always asking after her.

Hope everyone is doing ok. Geri, how are the wedding plans coming along?

Sending you all hugs, Judy x