For those starting chemo in June

Thanks for the prayers, guys. I think I'll not find out results til Wed at earliest and probably not til Thursday.

Janie, thank God the power's back on. I feel so awful for everyone down in that part of the country. Good luck at chemo!

Well PJB, I know its gonna be fine. Its so dumb they make people wait on those things. I mean in a case like this they could go ahead and read it but they take their sweet time.I got my shot today and left. It felt good to walk out of there on my own and not having my husband drag my sleeping butt out. I told him I bet hes glad I am off the steroids. I know I feel nicer already but the "change" I am sure my alter that a bit.I don't think it will be bad. My uterus has been gone since I was 23.Never missed that a bit.Lost all but 1/4 of 1 overy when I was 34 so I have done fine but always had my harmones with the little piece of ovary I had left. Now thats shutting down and I can't take any harmones but I think it will be fine.I am not a pill taker so I usually get by o.k. I don't understand why I can't take harmones if I am not a har.recepter tumor. Oh well frankly I don't think I would want to take them. I was on them over 2 years and I think they probably aren't good. I have osteopenia so I am gonna need something for my bones.Thats early osteoperosis. Its gonna get down to 38 Sun. night so you girls up north get your flannel jammies out. Janie it sounds like you are gonna have a great time. That ol blue eyes trib. sounds good. My daughters and I enjoy dinner shows.They usually have really good food. It will be a relaxing evening.I go back to 18 hours on wed. night. Thats gonna take some getting use to again.Later girls, Mary

PJB, I am like your mom I think it may be more harmful than good but I can't understand why it would hurt.Guess its the medical ambition in me I always have to know everything about something new.My kids always hated to ask me a question about medicine because I would explain it into the ground so they knew everything there was to know about a subject and God help them if I thought it required a diagram to explain.I will go and post since I have had my first apt. I think a lot depends on how much (Quantity) of radiation and the dept. they have to go. If its a cancer they can't remove like organ cancer I would think they would use stronger rays and there would be spill over to major organs and the cancer itself included could cause more fatigue We have a small area, and not a lot of dept and our tumor is gone so they don't have to shrink it so I would think we are getting a small amount. Now I will no doubt be bedfast the whole time.I don't know any of this for sure its my brain working over time but it sounds good huh? I will find out all there is to know eventually, thats what I do. Later girls, Sayinng some extra prayers for ya PJB, Mary

It's a bright sunny 39 degrees this morning! Fortunately it will get to 68. It is good for sleeping since I don't wake up with hot flashes much anymore. Perfect day to go shopping- for my nieces bridal shower gift- after my accupunture appt.
PJB- Praying for good results on your tests. My son is in Galveston at school. He complains about the heat, but I would love it.
Janie- Keep up the good work meeting all those deadlines.
Mary- according to the Farmers Almanac we are in for tons of snow in January and February. I hope I get most of my daily rads appointments in before all that snow flies. We live in the country and they don't plow all that often because it drifts anyways.
Seems like most of the group is moving on or already in Rads. Mine won't start until the end of November... could be a long October/November.
Renee

Janie, I wanted the harmones for hot flashes but mostly my bones, to prevent osteoperosis. As we go through the change and due to steroids our bones become thin and we get osteoperosis.I already have osteopenia which is the early stage of osteoperosis. We get a good amount of steroids with our chemo. Now the oncs. will say it doesn't hurt us but.... an Orthopedic doc. will say it does hurt our bones. Maybe they are taking no chances for us to develope a harmone receptive tumor. Oh well, I will take a bone building medication. Some of them are not pleasant but I will see about one. I was not harmone recep. either but that means our tumor was not feeding on the harmones to grow so putting us on harmone blockers would not make a difference in our cancer returning.Burrr, it was 39 degrees here this a.m. too. Well girls back to work. Mary

Renee, Thats me reading about the snow stuff. You hush girl. I think PJB and Janie should come visit us in Jan or Feb for a few weeks.You could use some help shoveling huh? PJB, glad your counts were o.k. I am a little achey I think from the arenesp or whatever the hattie it is I got yesterday. I just feel yecky.I am however getting some taste buds. I have to wait for the wk. end to get lobster because my husband works 6 nights a wk. and is up off and on all day so we never go anywhere through the wk. and we have to go to Springfield for labster. There aren't many restaurants here in Taylorville and what is here isn't anything to write home about. My poor legs have that fall out from under me feeeling,couple more days and I will be much better. Hopefully you hear something tomorrow PJB.You and Janie think about that snow visit. You probably miss the snow and the blistering frigid blowing wind?The kind that freezes your face and you can't get the smile off or talk until it thaws a little. Still a praying for ya, Mary

Hmmmm! Lobster! Mary, enjoy every suculent drop of it! Top it off with a piece of key lime pie.

The temperatures are in the high 80's here. So hard to realize it is cold somewhere out there. Bottle up some of that snow and ship it this way to balance things out. It did spit a little snow in the community where I work about 3 years ago. It was 4:30 a.m. and people were calling waking everyone up to go see it before it disappeared!

I hope everybody is getting good news this week.

Got number 5 under my belt today. 7 Taxols to go. I had 5 separate appointments and everyone there was in such a good mood today. They are always nice but today they were in super good moods. I asked about lymph nodes because I have never quite understood that. I didn't know if the 19 they took was a mere sample, or if they took all they saw or what. The latter is true. He took all the ones he saw hoping he got all the bad guys. However, chemo will hopefully take care of any that were hiding. I actually did go to sleep today for the first time during the infusion. I woke up and had to make a quick beeline to the restroom. The beeper (finished) started going off while I was in there. I wonder if my Benadryl dosage got upped because of my slight reaction and swelling or if I were just particulary tired today. They have started doing the Decradron in a slow drip instead of pushing it. It works so much better. That reaction is not fun. That may be another reason I was able to sleep. That is what I'm "a fixin' " to do right now.


Oh, Mary, now I understand. I was barking up the wrong hormone tree. I took Prempro for several years and quit when all the news came out about it. There is some concern that it may cause cancer. I never really wanted to take it anyway but was talked into it several years ago. I don't think I will go that route again.

Good night ladies.

Janie

PJB, great news, SOOOO glad your scan was clean.Lastnight I fixed fried Walleye, Coconut shrimp,mushrooms, green tomatoes,and french fries. I don't have all my taste buds back but saw onc. today and my mouth is raw, its a bit of allergic reaction.He said use my swish and spit crap for a couple days.I don't go back for 3 months.He gave me a big hug. I have worked with some of his pts. so I have known him for a few years.Hes a very personal and feeling Dr.I will however not miss my trips to his office at all.Well girls gotta go for now. Again PJB, So glad for you, did you get a pm or ps or message, (what ever its called)e-mail. Mary

Great news Paula! Mary, Eat yourself silly.

I asked the onc yesterday about my bloated stomach. He said "You have a big ol belly because you're eating too much." Then he noticed I have not gained any weight, just a big belly. He said there is no way I will lose any weight the way they are pumping me full of steroids. He also said my hair would probably come back gray. He was just full of good news.

Janie, I asked my onc. about cutting down after the first Taxol knocked me out for hours and he did cut my benadryl and sreroid in half. My hair looks pure white right now. I had some grey but not bad just salted a bit.the fuzz is all white except for my Jay Leno patch of dark in the back.Who knows its hair and it can be dyed.Hey PJB, You come on up and I will fix ya some fish. We don't have walleye either I had to buy it. We have catfish, bass, crappie, perch and buffalo.I like walleye and salt water fish. I don't like fishy tasting fish.Theres too many farms and their deadly chemicals run off into our lakes and streams so I don't much like eating our fish. I do sometimes when my husband catches them but he goes but never catches much so I don't have to worry. They have walleye up north and someone we know lives up there and can cook us up some.You have a soccer game Sat? I do. Well I am at work and getting tired so I need to get some shut eye. Talk to you girls tomorrow. Oh I asked my oncy donky as I call him to myself, about the rads. and strength etc. He said the more I get the more tired I will get and by the 4th. wk. I will probably get tired pretty easy.Why didn't he tell me what I wanted to hear? o.k. more tired, I am tired of being tired you know? Oh well at least I wont throw up or hurt. Well I haven't stopped hurting so at least I wont throw up. Oh, crap I keep going, Janie My butt is bigger and I haven't put on weight! I had to suck it in to get my jeans on today. Well I asked Ol oncy donky about that and he said don't worry you need to put on a couple pounds. Ha!!! I can't go and buy all new clothes excuse me. Had I been able to process the reply by him I would of told him a thing or two. My chemo brain made me sit there and stare at him like I had no clue.I think the steroids did it. I have notice I haven't weighed in with my wig yet. I always have my do-rag and ball cap on so if I weigh more after a few days of food feasting I will assume my wig weighs 2 maybe 5 pounds? later girls, Mary

PJB, I will be sending mental goals to the Red Lizzards tomorrow. I love that name! My grandsons would too.I brought home a lizzard from Az. and it lived a year.Put it in a large pill bottle with air holes and had it in my pocket to get on plane. I was waiting to get searched and them find it and me be halled off to airport jail but thank God I didn't get chosen. My husband and I would go to Pet Smart and get things for him. We need a life! We called him Tempe cause thats where he was caught. He was a blue Whip Tail.My grandsons wanted him but my daughter is so anal about pets, she thinks they are too dirty and stinky. She was raised with pets don't know what happened to her.You got some good info. from your onky donky. I don't go back for 3 months. I was told the same thing I am basically on my own now.I think the dose dense is the only way to go. Get it over with quick.You know my onky isn't a bad looking donky.Just thinking out loud. Well gotta get back to work, GOOD LUCK NATHAN!!!! mary

PJB, you just pick yourself up.I have read sooo many stats. and I quit. I have read of women who had smaller tumors than me with no nodes and no her2 and they had cancer return in two months after treatment and some it was a year. I have read people who had a lot bigger tumors 5 cm. and lots of nodes pos. and her2 and they have been cancer free for 8 years or 10 years. Everyone is truley different and I think we have to just live because no one knows why it comes back on some and not others. The stats. are just numbers and they stop at 5 years so we can only look at them for a 5 year span. They don't take into account someone who died in a car accident or other illiness so there is a % that is counted as "gone" and they didn't go because of b.c. It may be 2% but add that 2% to 88% and it makes a little difference 90%. that looks better.I don't know how many sites I went to looking for her2 info. I found a lot of it but none was what I wanted to hear. I kept looking for something that would tell me I was going to live forever or at least until I wanted to go or maybe a site that said Mary you don't even have breast cancer its all a mistake. I realized I had no say in when or where or how. All I can do is live. Oh I still think about it a lot! but I stopped reading info because it can't tell me when I will die. It tells when others died and they may have heart trouble or diabetes or some other illiness that contributes to death as age isn't reported so there could be strokes who knows. We have as good a chance as anyone to live. Its kinda a like an airplane crash from 40000 ft. in the air. Two people sit side by side and one dies and one lives.We just don't know when we will die but no one knows. We do have the gift of knowing that we have to live like we mean it. It makes us a little more patient, a little nicer and a lot more appreciative of ourselves, others and the world around us.At least when the time comes we will have lived and enjoyed our worlds and not everyone can have that privilage. I think 10 years from now we will still be friends and talking about how we worried about the stats.Your are gonna be here when you become a grandma and you will be putting others fears to rest telling them how long its been since you were dxed. Thats us 10 years from now. Hugs, Mary

Mary, you made me cry with gratitude and then laugh my ass off. You have a special gift. Can I come live with you? Walleye and laughter, don't get much better than that.

You're right. Let's have a big old June chemo girls reunion in 10 years in, oh, Chicago. Better yet, let's have one in 5 years, 10 years and 15 years....

You just come on up PJB, You might want to wait till spring now. Its in the 30's this a.m. and I have to head out to the soccer game in 15 mins. so I can make it to Springfield by 8:30.Its gonna be cold as heck out there this a.m. I had to go into work this a.m. and set up some meds. so I am running late naturaly.My daughter, boys and I are going out for breakfast and I may do a little x-mas shopping. Yea well if I get pooped from rads. I better do some early. I start in Oct. every year. I am nuts.I do a little off and on until its done. I better go get ready and YOU GO RED LIZZARDS. Hope Nathan gets a goal today. hugs, Mary

Renee, Actually, it occurred to me that I'll be in Madison sometime in the summer (this bc crap canceled my usual trip up there this past summer). I"m usually up there about 10 days, and this trip we will spend a couple days in Chicago. That was the plan for the last non-trip anyway. Nathan's anxious to go to the Lego store... So maybe we can hook up. Mary, how far is Chicago from you?


Rads tomorrow. I'm a little nervous, but I guess that'll subside once I know what to expect every day. I was nervous as heck every time before each new kind of chemo drug, too.

Have a good one.