Life does not end with a stage IV diagnosis (really!)

Rachel - How happy the two of you look! What great memories for your daughter. I have friends who saw Adele in Detroit and said it was amazing! Glad you went!

Lita - a weekend away is sometimes even better than a big trip - less stress and more relaxation. And forgetting about cancer for a few days is priceless! Enjoy!

Thanks for your comments everyone. It is nice to know you all understand how those unexpected moments can really throw us off balance. I think it was being reminded that the rest of the world gets to make plans for the future without the dark cloud on the horizon. Truly, though, the rest of the trip was wonderful. I'll post a few pics below from Instagram. The pics on my camera will have to wait.

Louis - we don't really follow sports, but everyone was in their Saints gear on Saturday night on Bourbon street. As for the food...we never had a bad meal. Neither of us are seafood or fish eaters, though, so our selection was pretty limited. We loved Little Vic's Sicilian Street Food (where I had my first ever affogato - ice cream and coffee). We ate at Cafe Amelie for our anniversary. I chose it because of the beautiful courtyard. I am so in love with the courtyard dining. So much more relaxing than sitting on the sidewalk of a busy street. Anyway, all the food was wonderful. We even had some pretty spectacular martinis!

I agree with spoiling ourselves. I've always been more concerned with saving for tomorrow than living for today, but cancer has helped me put that into perspective. I'm still a saver by nature, but I no longer stay in the cheapest hotels or look for the cheapest dish on the menu. We gotta live it up ladies!

Working from home today and dealing with a sick 17 yo diabetic cat. He stopped eating yesterday (and he LOVES to eat) and stopped purring when we pet him, so we knew something was up. Being 17 we were prepared for the worst, but it turns out to be an upper respiratory infection. Not eating and drinking enough has caused some concern about his kidneys, but the vet says if the antibiotics take hold and we get him to eat he should be fine. If it isn't one thing it's another! You take the good, you take the bad...

Shutterbug: such great photos. Thanks for sharing! And I understand about the uncomfortable conversation. My friends were all sitting around this summer talking about retirement; its those seemingly benign conversations that sometimes hot me the hardest. Here for you anytime you need a shoulder!

Great mask photo Shutter! I love it! I hope to go to new Orleans someday soon. We have relatives in Louisiana lately. I know exactly how you felt when the dark cloud came as i did it to my DH yesterday when in casual conversation he said about his brother "well he knows you have a life ending condition" and thats all i heard and burst into tears. But we learn how to shake those moments off just to save our loved ones from more trauma I guess. So glad you had a blast. I am trying to splurge more as well especially on experiences but frugalness and planning the future for who I am leaving behind is a hard habit to break.

Kandy,

Holy moley, that is FABULOUS! Don't have a second thought about it. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Tina

Caryn, trust me, I would definitely be thankful for a fixed toilet. It's the small things in life that means the most. I hope you enjoy the time with your family.

My absolute favorite city in the world is Paris and next best is New Orleans because it reminds me of Paris - it looks like you had a lot of fun Shutterbug. Congratulations on your anniversary.

Amy

Awesome, Nel. I don't like sales pressure, so I am chuckling over your post.

Amy, I am obsessed with Paris and think New Orleans remind me of it too. Nel, sometimes I think some pretty mean spirited things in my head when people are being dopes...

Great pics Shutterbug , Kandy I guess I now know the location for our next reunion lol always loved the beach lucky you😊.

Wendy

Great photos, Shutterbug! New Orleans is one of my most favorite places in the world. We usually go every spring right around Easter time, but that happened to coincide with when I was in chemo this year so we didn't get a chance to go. Your pics are reminding me that we might need to try for 2017!

Congratulations on the beach house, Kandy! What a great thing to do! Time spent at the beach is always time well spent!

Ah yes, that fine line.  I try to stay on the right side of it as well.      But my tolerance for people's foolishness is very slim.  A friend is having foot surgery on Wednesday and was complaining that her pre-op was at 7 AM one day last week.   This is the same hospital I went to and now have to drive by to get to treatment.  How many 7 AM mornings have I had in 5 years?  She said to me" You don't have much sympathy for me"   Nope none, I say, done it too many mornings myself. 

Not hurtful, but really that is what you have to complain about.  I get foot surgery sucks, been there done it twice, but complaining about 1 appointment at 7 AM  No patience for that. 

I think that people just forget what we have been through or are going through ad I need to remember that I need to have some patience with others stuff.  Some days are just better than others.

Autumn is here. Even tho my fingers and feet ache, sting, and tingle like the dickens (and let's not mention the incessant dead skin peeling from the chemo), I still rejoice.

It took me several days to get my autumn decorations up, but I'm happy I finally did because even tho the bone mets and degenerative arthritis in my spine are screaming, I have lovely orange, vermillion, and yellow leaves, crimson sunflowers , gold chrysanthemums, and mini pumpkins to bring a smile to my now drawn and blotchy face. God brings us these wonderful colors to cheer us up before the bare grey branches and white snow of winter set in. I'm going to do whatever I can to cheer myself up before death stretches out his bony hands to take hold of me.

I'm buying myself flowers every week now when I feel strong enough to venture out to the store. I've pulled out my good wedding china and linens and USING them while I still can. (What the heck was I was I waiting for? I've been married for over 26 years and hardly ever use them except for special occasions.) I recommend that you all do the same.

There is still hope: Immunotherapy antibodies are working for skin, lung, and bladder cancers, and I pray that the angels working on this new therapy at Stanford University will soon be able to make it work for us MBC gals as well.

Let the dishes sit for a while. So what if you didn't get to vacuum all the dog hair off the sofa and carpet today. All those dirty towels and soiled clothes can wait a little longer. Enjoy the glorious, warm golden light as you watch the shadows climb up the old redwood fence in the late afternoon while the days grow shorter. With each passing day, your life is growing shorter, too.

Autumn is here. Enjoy it while it lasts. God bless you all.

Lita

Exbrnxgrl: Actually looking forward to a little heat. The Xeloda makes me SO chilly as it builds up in my system and depletes my RBC count. While everybody's walking around in shorts and a tank top, I'm on the La-Z-Boy with the heat unit on and two blankets over me. That will certainly change when the MO puts me on an AI in a couple of months, ha ha. Hopefully I will be spared the worst of the hot flashes and night sweats.

I actually did pretty well with hot flashes during menopause (of course, I was heavier then, and fat cells produce a little estrogen). Now I'm more than 30 pounds lighter (because of chemo, lack of appetite, etc.), so it will be interesting to see how I'll handle the AI's effects. I'm trying not to get too worked up over SEs that I may not have. I've read that only about 35-40% of women have really debilitating SEs on AIs. If I have to deal w/joint pain, fatigue, and hot flashes, I guess it's a small price to pay for a few more years of life. I'm already dealing with carpal tunnel (because of previous job/work) and arthritis so I guess I can handle a little more pain. The fatigue will be another story. I'm getting pretty fed up with that on chemo, but if it continues on AIs, oh well, I'll just have to deal w/it.

I'm going to try and exercise a lot more, but the MO wants me to be very careful because of all the compression fractures in my spine and ribs. I'm going to ask for a referral to a rheumatologist and get their advice. The MO said I can start going to acupuncture AFTER my chemo is done. So that's a positive.

Enjoy the warm, sunny weekend!

Happy Birthday, Caryn, on your 60th!! I'll be 58 in December and looking forward to 60 like I never thought I would.

Not the best photos, but a little bit of autumn aspen trees from Colorado.