Yes, Barbe, those kind of headlines catch our BC-sensitive eyes but then it all seems to be on a timetable that is not quick enough for those of us highly interested in it RIGHT NOW. BTW, it looks like you must have just recently finished your radiation. Don't think you mentioned if it was 3 week or six weeks long, but how did it go? How did your skin hold up?

Barbe, That sounds nasty and painful. I guess anyone would have major skin breakdown getting that much extra radiation. Why the extra amt.? How are your tumor markers doing?

Oh yes, I am well familiar with that etiquette of gifting. Pink hammers go to the concubines. Lavender pliers go to the jezebels, magenta wood rasps go to the floozies, and teal Allen wrenches go to the harlots. That's from the Homo Habilis Guide, the "Tool Gifting to Females Going by Funny, Antiquated Terms," isn't it?

I am thoroughly messing with you, Tomboy.

Just know that I'm both happy & forlorn when I look in and see that everyone's off doing better, non-BC stuff now. Me too.

I'll tell ya what kind of mood I am in now. The kind of mood where I am seriously considering changing my avatar pic into a stick figure.

Why? Because between BC, other C, treatment for both my C's, menopause, AND middle age, I am really beginning to look like that. I have a normal body, with the prerequisite middle-aged belly fat, but my limbs are looking like twigs more and more. I've wasted away. I walk, I have some hand weights, but all that is not having any effect. I don't know if my parathyroid is any part of that or not. (BTW, I will do that surgery in Aug. and rumor has it that immediately following that, my bones will start to build their density back up. Maybe the muscles will bulk up a bit along with the bones, I hope.)

Guess I'll leave my avatar as it is, but if I ever come across a little pink doggie stick figure...watch out!

ARCats, welcome! I also don't like the "new normal" we get left with but to stick with our old normal cancer bodies is not acceptable either. We are all just moving forward, one way or another.

Thank you once again for making me feel not alone, my fellow weaklings. It is hard to separate it all out. I think all the factors just converged on us in this age group and we have reached the age where we do not bounce back "like kids" anymore. But the chemo part definitely caused muscle wasting and I guess I lack the estrogen to build it back up. I hear ya on the FLAB, Loral!

So many things occur where I have to think, is this because of cancer or just aging? Like, I could always twist off jar lids just with my own brute strength. Now, I use this thingy which I had given to my mom but have since inherited back.

It's amazing how with just a few devices, you almost don't need a husband. Mwahahaha again!