Starting Chemo in April 2014

I have to share as I believe there are fellow Outlander fans on this board. I just received this as a wedding gift from my friends in the Highlands!  I am now the proud owner of a 1 ft sq. piece of Highland property making me a Lady!  So perfect because my nickname is Lady J! 

Lady J...love it! I just started the Outlander series, but I've always had an obsession with the Highlands...I don't have a Scottish bone in my body, but oh I would love to visit one day!

I adore all your puppy photos! Wish we had a dog...we had actually purchased a beautiful viszla puppy right before my treatment began, but had to back out since we knew I'd be his main caretaker. A new puppy with surgery and chemo would not have been a good idea for us. Maybe next year. 

I had my second DD Taxol last Wednesday.  I feel grateful that the nauseous tummy is a thing of the past.  Muscle and joint pain is quite severe, but by day five it is tolerable.  I think if I only ever had Taxol I'd be in a good place emotionally.  But after those long weeks of DD AC I feel worn out, both physically and emotionally.  I feel like I started this journey a healthy woman, but today I feel only a fraction of the strength (emotional and physical) I used to feel.  

I see that there are many treatment plans that include naturopathy.  My treatment plan is very bare bones, and I feel like I could have benefitted from supplements or other complementary care that would address my ever-sinking emotional and physical state.  Thinking out loud: I wonder if I should try to seek complementary care on my own? 

Thank you, Ladies for all your wonderful posts and updates.  You all keep me above water!  Wishing you all a beautiful summer day to enjoy!

Happy Monday Ladies! Feeling SO GOOD this week. Enjoying some quality time with my babies. More on that in a minute.

clarrn - My boler-envy has increased dramatically. JEALOUS and HAPPY for you at the same time.:)

MameMe - Perri LOOKS like a puppy and most days she ACTS like a puppy, but she is, in fact, FOUR-years-old. I hope she never loses her puppiness.

Sharon - YES. "Personality-plus" describes Perri perfectly.

SO, when I met with my oncologist after Round 1, I asked him a very important question. We homeschool, and one of the things we had planned on doing this spring was raising caterpillars to butterflies. So, I asked my MO if this was something I could do. The LOOK he gave me, and the SILENCE that followed - I couldn't help but laugh. I am the ONLY person who has ever asked that question, and he had to think about it for a minute. BUT THEN, he asked ME a question. "Is this important to the children?" he asked. "If it's important to the children, then you should do it." 

THAT. That RIGHT THERE puts his name on the list of Angels I have met on this journey. WOW, right? He saw me as more than just a patient; he saw me as a PERSON. 

And, OF COURSE, we raised the caterpillars. We started with nine (and the children NAMED then all), got nine chrysalids, and NOW we have nine beautiful Painted Lady butterflies. The children are DELIGHTED (as is their Mama - how COOL is this?), and I am SO thankful the butterflies emerged during my Good Week. We'll be releasing them on Thursday, the day before Round 5. Awesome.

Your furry friends are all so lovable and love your butterflies and the story of them Cold!

I had my first consult with an occupational therapist today to see what can be done about my lymphedema.  Not excited to have to wear compression garments but at least hopefully it will decrease the swelling and keep it mild when I go through radiation.  And physio will start soon to help me regain all my range of motion and keep it.  Bonus:  I mentioned that I was frustrated with the weight gain during chemo and the OT said the physio lady will make me a personalized workout plan  

Finger nails really sore this week. 

Timbuktu: Today is the first day when I think the pain in my feet is more than just not wearing the right shoes. It feels like the skin is literally scraped off. I hadn't been wearing sandals much - - but since being back at work, I have, and today it was not a good day for walking. Ugh. I'm still hoping it's not that - that it's just bad shoes. But they are not new. I don't think I can be in denial any longer. But I have no Taxol this week (H only) and next week vacation, so I get two weeks off before my last 3 Taxol, so maybe I'll get some recovery going on. Good luck to you in deciding how much further you have to go. 

I heard this saying today and I love it: In the end it always gets better. If it's not better, it's not the end. 

XOXO ladies!!

I have the random pins and needles and tingling too.  Lasts 5-10 minutes for me and moves around too.  Also hoping that means it won't be a permanent souvenir!

MMTA, That roster of activities would be totally overstimulating for me, esp. since I would feel I had to show up no matter how I felt. Tuck in for awhile if you can, rest up, get yourself back. Your emotions make total sense to me!

Just wanted to say it was nice to see Swissmiss and Make Lemonade check in, I was just wondering how they were doing.  Hope the other gals who haven't stopped by in a while are doing well.

Mmtagirl - agree - you've been through a very busy and emotional time, even without chemo effects.

mmtagirl: I totally get it. I've been way emotional too. And I don't have a graduate. I have a senior now, though. Like Mame said - - get some rest. Everything usually feels better after some sleep. 

Timbuktu: I'm not sure. It's definitely not like the pins and needles I was getting in my arm before PT. It's more like the skin on the bottom of my feet is super sensitive, like when you walk a lot without shoes or whatever. Maybe like when you're getting a blister. But there's nothing there. I hope I just wore the wrong shoes and walked too far on my way to the client office today. I have an H infusion tomorrow, so I'll bring it up with the nurse. I hope yours goes away permanently and soon!! You too Clarrn!!

Brigadoon: I love great big dogs! Great Danes are so cute. I would love to have a Great Pyranes (sp?) but I don't think I could stand the hair and drooling. Although my lab does plenty of shedding. I would imagine being a dog grandma has the perks of being a kid grandma - all the play, none of the harder stuff like potty training!

To all the cryers out there.  (myself included)

My sister called me today to tell me some bad news about a close friend of hers.  She felt so bad because she can't cry.  She hasn't been able to cry for a couple of years because of some medications she takes. 

I don't want to be on a jag for days but I do think crying is a good thing.  Sometimes words just don't express the depth of our feelings - happy or sad.

Timbuktu - I suffered from "hand and foot" at the beginning of Taxol. My skin DID slough off my feet and very tender.  The doc gave a specific skin care kit, I did foot soaks everything night and icing during taxol to resolve. 

I used to work for a retreat center that had a very dynamic weekend workshop for grieving and resetting one's emotional self. They had the best collection of music for crying, it was amazing! I think of that sometimes, because I resist my own tears like crazy, and could use a soundtrack to get me over my substantial defenses and into the emotional flow. Anybody have tunes that help bring the tears?

My little guys are "designer mixes" (aka fancy mutts, lol).  Cali is a cava-poo (Cavalier spaniel/Poodle) and Jack is a hava-chon (Havanese/bichon).  They are the sweetest dogs in the world and they definitely help me get through the dark days. 

Someone on here mentioned that their YMCA offered free classes to cancer patients so I decided to do a google search to see what might be free here.  Lo and behold I found free exercise classes which are actually being held at my cancer center! Would have been nice if someone mentioned that to me sooner.  I am very into exercise but I had to stop after the 2nd infusion because of sickness and fatigue.  The classes I took pre-cancer treatment were too high impact for me to participate while on this little adventure.  My cancer patient classes start this evening and run every week for 8 weeks.  I'll let you all know how that goes

Hi all, just popping in to let you know I am much better today.  Got in some good exercise two days in a row and I think that has helped a lot.  

Really appreciate all your support and helping me feel ok during my downer time.

Namaste!

Jhondro, I used acupuncture last summer for some pain down my arm and hand caused from cervical disk herniation. I had some neuropathy in my fingers and the acupuncture really helped.  After about 4 sessions the pain was gone.  It was also a completely relaxing experience....even more so than a full body massage for me.  I highly recommend trying it.  Good luck.