August 2013 Chemo Sisters

Good evening ladies...



I have thought about many of you today and have spent the last hour catching up on today's events. I have said prayers and asked for karma for the $!/& person(s) breaking into cars

Tomorrow is the first day of first,fourth and sixth grade for 3 of my 4 children. I am looking forward to some structure are routine for us as once my chemo begins on the 29th, I think most structure and routine will fly out the window.

I have WAY over done today and am getting a big case of reminder in my sore chest, back, port site and head!

I am hopeful once school is underway, I will have a little more down time to be on here more and catch up faster.

Hope everyone has a good night and a great tomorrow!



Kate

It's so great to read everyone's posts! 

I went to MO to check blood to make sure ready for round 2 tomorrow. It went well. I didn't have nausea too bad for round 1, but I did not have any meds for it. I asked MO about it and he was surprised he didn't order them for me! He did today do so now I am stocked up on ondansetron. I also started the steroids up again today and hope I can sleep tonight. Last cyle I only got 2 1/2 hours of sleep the night before chemo!

Even though I am taking the next semester off, I still spent time today helping my work colleagues set everything up for our department to start the school year off right. I also looked online and saw that I have been assigned classes, but not sure what the situation will be-a sub maybe?

12 more hours until round 2!!

Tanya - all the best with #2 tomorrow! Will be thinking about you in the chair, especially since I'll be at my own center getting my counts checked.



My thanks to all who wished me well and karma upon the purse thief. I appreciate all y'all very much!

Congrats, Shalimar! The biggest thing is showing up - it's all downhill from here ; )

I just wrote an entry and when I went back to check a name I lost the whole thing!!! I don't think I can do it again.

But firstly Carol did you dream Snarky Nurse ending or did it really happen? If so that's great, that must have been a brilliant boost. I have had snarky nurse experience but I've realized that I am not in a very good place to read people at the mo. I read in between the lines way too much and I probably need to give them the benefit of the doubt. Any one else relate?



HVV I don't know how you feel with your recurrence but I do feel the loneliness. I have a great family and good friends ( two best ones not within a 1000 miles) and my work colleagues are supportive but I walked into the staff room the other day and took one look and walked out again...I suddenly felt that I was living in a parallel universe and I was invisible.



So my Wednesday is over . The port was about what I thought except the sedative hardly knocked me out at all. The most annoying thing was shedding a few tears after... Felt pathetic coz it didn't hurt, just felt creepy. So I am a big girls blouse! The chemo after went ok. The only reaction was a stuffy , runny nose at the C part of the 3 FEC drugs. Oh and I had to go to loo a billion times ( slight exaggeration)

11 hours out and port not hurting and taken no pain relief . If your Wednesday is about to or still happening and you're doing chemo... May it be as smooth as mine. Blessings

Good Morning Everyone:



I hope everyone is having an okay or great morning and if not let us know so we can pray for you.



Sharon: I love what your doctor said, that brought tears to my eyes. My son is 11, so I figure if I get until 19 he should be well on his way and not need me so much. But like you I intend to be here to see my grandbabies.



Everyone: I am excited, I just ran across an amazing idea. I don't know how I found it but I was searching something and ran across the TA TA SISTERHOOD 5TH ANNUAL VEGAS TRIP. A group that started 5 years ago and got to know and love one another as we all have, have been going to Vegas for 5 years in a row and meeting eachother for the first time and then every year after that. It looks like quite an event now, they have an itinerary for the weekend, they have good room rates at the Aria, shows booked, they sit by the pool, go shopping, gamble, go for amazing meals.

I asked if newbies could join and don't know yet but wouldn't that be an awesome thing for us to do next August when we are all healthy and healed.

If you search Vegas you will find the thread, you can just feel all of their excitement. Let me know if you check it out.

I'm sure husbands go as well as they have been affected by this right along with us.

P.S. My husband and I got married in Las Vegas 16 years ago.

Love, Rayna

Good morning, all! Feeling itchy ( the rash not the scalp) this am. Lisa, my hair is less than a half inch long all over. I'll change my avatar when I get a chance. Sadly, my makeup went with my stolen purse, and one needs makeup to pull off this short a 'do!



Gashgold, that ending was no dream - when she left work later she called my name down the hall, pointed to the sky and yelled, "remember! He is strong when we are weak!" It was almost surreal.



Oh, btw, the tastebuds are almost gone, leaving this icky, gritty feel in my mouth. I have my biotene, Magic Mouthwash and gum, so I'll just keep slogging blah water...



Hugs to the first tx ladies! It's pretty anticlimactic, or was for me. Next time I'm gonna crochet and nap. Maybe take some Popsicles just for fun, tho I prefer to avoid high fructose corn syrup ; ) I love. The red ones best - anyone else?

Lisa, great wig choice! I chickened out of the black and purple one when my wig lady laughed at it( but she was otherwise really wonderful). But the one I've bought is short and very unlike my own hair. She let me take two home to test out - well to get hubby's reaction : ) - he is a long hair man...he loved the short one! He wasn't pretending. 20 years younger he said...well that's got to be a positive. Mainly intending to wear it for special occasions. My hair is thin anyway so anyone who knows me would have been able to tell I was wearing a wig even if it was similar to my own hair. My credit card bill for hats, caps and scarves is a fright.



I wasn't going to completely shave because I thought it would be prickly if it still grows for a while...is that the case?



Thanks for the comments on sugar. I've been mainly eating fresh and dried fruit for the last few days as I am trying to avoid constipation. Maybe I'll have to rethink the figs and prunes.



Hey Rayna, thinking about your idea...it'd be fun to meet up...the only place in the US I've ever been was LA airport. Not sure I could do every year !

Today, I declare that I will get my 3/4 gallon of water down. I didn't drink that much for the past two days because of being busy. I will do better.

HVV-I think you're feeling the strength of God. So many are praying, we can't let him down. I saw where you are eating a healthful diet. So am I. If you have any great recipes that are low fat, share them. I made kale chips and they are not so bad. It's a crunchy way to get a lot of the power food in our bodies.

Lisa, I should have kept that black wig I sent back and sent it to you. I don't thing this 68-year-old will go with the purple tips, but I'm sure you'll have fun with it. I ordered honey wheat and got coal black. I'm too old to wear black hair. My new one is the same color as my hair (well, my bottle light brown hair, that is).

For My Granddaughter, Yes we ARE more than our hair, but it is still hard to imagine myself bald. We will see what emotions I feel in a few weeks. I start Monday and my husband's class reunion is 11 days later. Might have to wear my wig to that one. My class reunion is Oct. 12. I am sure I'll be bald as an onion for that one.

Carol, The American Cancer Society has that Feel Good Look Good program and I was told that each person gets to keep about $200 worth of makeup. Find that meeting today!!! That itch is maddening. I know. I itch on my upper arms from a touch of psoriasis.  I've never had a full-blown case of it, but when I'm stressed, my arms itch from my elbow up. I have to use cortisone cream to stop it. A cold rag helps too. I'm going to have to go back and find your dream. I missed that. I saw Kim yesterday and told her about you. She was flattered, but deservingly so, just like you. I like the yellow popcycles, but I just read that we might harm our teeth if we eat sugar with this chemo. I have never seen surgafree popycycles.

My husband is reminding me that I wanted to clean out the inside of the car before it gets too hot. He's washing the outside and I'm doing the inside. If he wants HIS car done inside, I hate to tell him, but I AIN'T DOIN' IT!

Have a blessed day. Smile a lot. It keeps the frowns away and sends out good chemicals in our bodies.

Shary, You and I have more in common than our nickname. I used to be a beautician in the 60's, but I was so allergic to the chemicals, I had to change professions. I became a math teacher at 41. Hopefully, the inside of me isn't as allergic as the outside of me or I'm in trouble Monday when I begin my 1st chemo. I also have chats with the devil to tell him to flee from me in the name of Jesus. He is out to get me sometimes.

I got the front of my car cleaned and swept and my DH took off for the golf course in it. He likes my car better, so when I'm staying home, he uses it. I'm drying a 5-gallon bucket of apples today. Well, I'm going to START drying them. It's easier said than done. God bless all of you today. Stay strong. Drink, drink, drink.

Shary, I have one of those electric dehydrators that has abount 6 shelves. I am going to slice them thin with a potato slicer I have, plunk the slices down in orange juice with a little lemon so they won't turn brown, then lay them in the dehydrator close together. I've had trouble with sticking, so I'm soing to lightly spray the shelves with Olive Oil Spray. I may try to dry some outside in the sun. I've never done that. I have a very small screen, so I guess I could try a small batch. Peaches are my favorite fruit. I have one to eat today. I ususlly freeze peeches and apples and can apples, etc., but this BC has taken me for a loop. Also, we had one son't wedding in our backyard on July 12, and I didn't plant a large garden because of that. We worked on this place from March to June 12. Right before the wedding, on June 11, my son's birthday, I found out I had BC. I forbade anyone to mention the word during the wedding because I wanted it to be all about them. No one did. It was beautiful. Notice my new avitar. That is Ella , one of the twins, I'm holding, at her 1st birthday party. She's almost 3 now. I don't have any pictures on this computer. They're all in my phone. Have a great day, Shary. We're going to win this battle between good and evil. We both know who ultimately wins. Devil beware.

Hair Affair: Everyone who is losing their hair or has or is about to, I have to say that I was probably the worst for being afraid to lose my hair, it was my identity, it defined me (I know vain, right) but it was long, blond and soft and I loved it. When I shaved my head in the hospital that day, I actually loved it, now that it has fallen out, (did take some time to get used to) I don't mind it at all. 90% of the time I walk around the house with nothing on, just my Beautiful Bald head.

I remember a story I read somewhere, A lady like us was having a hard day, she had lost her hair and the weather had been overcast and cold but this one morning she woke up and she poked her head out her front door and it was warm and sunny and she said the sun hit her bald head just like a Kiss from God on her tiny, bald head and she smiled. I like that story.

I received some skull caps this morning, one has smiley faces and another has Jalepenos they are really cute and most are only $4.75 (I like wearing these the best) Here is the Website if anyone is interested http://www.myskullcaps.com/index.htm



Everyone, have a wonderful day,

Love, Rayna

Hi everyone, I've been quiet for a while but listening :-)  Just saw my onco yesterday, I'm scheduled to start AC x 4 next Tuesday, so Big Red Devil, here I come.  A close friend is coming with me, we're going to make it a standing lunch date before each treatment (as long as I can anyway).  So now instead of dreading chemo I'm looking forward to my lunch date next Tuesday :-)

More importantly, I leave for Vegas tomorrow!!!  It's my sister's bachelorette, and my last trip for at least 6 months I imagine.  I'm going to be bald and possibly bloated for her wedding at the end of September, but at least I'll be cute in the bachelorette photos, lol.

Hugs to all, you are my inspirations and my calm in this storm.  Those of you with little ones, I cry right along with you when you talk about your fears - I have to stay strong because there is no WAY my soon-to-be-ex could raise these children.  So I've decided to adopt a phrase from Game of Thrones (yes, I'm a geek) - "What do we tell Death?  'Not today'."

I used a curling iron on my wig today and it looks pretty good. I need a way to keep the styrofoam wig stand from falling over. What does everyone else do? I finally put the wig head on the end of an umbrella in my umbrella stand and that worked better, but not great.

I used to tell my friend that I wished I could take my head off and cut my hair the way I want it styled. Now I can. I used to say that my forehead was too low for long bangs. With no hair, I will be able to make my forehead as high as I want. I have always had to fix my hair on week-nights just in case I get a call to sub. Now, I can wear my wig to school. Life is good even with a bald head.