Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

hey lynn hope your back problems resolve themselves and rebecca a kitty is great and lots of fun . Wouldnt last long at my place with 2 dogs

Just a link here for all the her2+ gals great strides going in research there check out this

http://in.news.yahoo.com/070926/139/6l888.html

Sharon,



Thanks for that link. We continue herceptin for a year. Women with mets continue to take it, but studies also have shown that early stagers benefit greatly with just one year. Here's hoping that is long enough!

Viddie

Skye is this the same group of people that could not seem to get themselves together for your radiation treatments?  Is it possible that this is OFFICE STAFF and not the insurance company?  I would suggest that you call your insurance company and see what is going on, and then call back the office.  This is getting ridiculous, and you really need to have that scan....I can not imagine any insurance company denying a scan if you have symptoms like that, because they would be setting themselves up for serious lawsuits if something turned out to be awry (it won't....you are FINE).  Please check it out....and no fretting Skye, I thought we discussed that.  That is MY job.

Oh, and I have more biology lessons where that one came from....I am a font of useless science trivia.  If I set myself to it I bet I could really bore you guys!

Oh, Caya, the description of that shopping trip!  I was salivating.  A rare day "indeed" as Rebecca would say! 

No news yet on the DH.  I feel paralyzed, immobilized, can't get my household stuff done...went to Costo and bought several prepared meals for the week because I can't function enough to even THINK of what to make for dinner.  Finally, tonight we got a call on the QT from Paul's former boss and he laid it out totally as to what the allegations were and the letter was not so anonymous.  Apparently six or so of Paul's "people" are actually real Judas's.  We now have some real data and stuff to work with.  I don't think it will result in his return to work there, as things have gotten horribly ugly...to the beyond repair point...  but at the very least maybe he can go out w/his head high and a halfway decent severance....  boy, does this suck. 

I have Herceptin in the am.  Fun, fun.  Oddly, I'm kind of looking forward to losing myself in Medical World because my real life really sucks right now. 

Hi, I thought I should check in with all of you.

Caya, those dresses sound pretty. I hope the party is great. I can't wait to see the pics of it and Melia's wedding. I hope everyone attending both events has a good time.

I went to see my med onc for a follow up to chemo and radiation visit on Monday morning. I'm doing fine. While I was there he gave me samples of Aromasin to start my AI treatment and his scheduler called my surgeon to set up an appointment to get my port removed.

Tuesday afternoon I went in to the surgeon's office and it took maybe 15 or 20 minutes to do the procedure. He offered to let me keep it if I wanted to, but all I wanted was to see what it looked like. I was willing to part with it for good. My shoulder was sore after the lidocaine wore off, but it's been bearable.

My big activities today have been a couple of naps in between watching rented movies and TV shows. If you get a chance to see Daddy's Little Girls, it is worth watching. We had never heard of it until we stumbled on it at Hollywood Video yesterday. It's about a dad trying to get custody of his 3 girls from his ex who's living with the neighborhood drug boss. Lou Gosset has a supporting part. The director is Tyler Perry and the 3 sisters playing the girls are so cute. It's rated PG-13 and has very little bad language and violence. It was refreshing to see a movie without explosions and gun battles for a change.

Hi Ladies,

Caya, congrats on the perfect shopping experience, you will be gawgeous for that party. I don't think I've ever once went shopping and everything looked good! Pix?

Tina it sounds like you finally got a break with that old boss's call. A decent severance pck. would seem deserved at the very least! Including continued insurance coverage for the duration! I think it makes sense to have as much done as possible in one fell swoop, too. Saves money and anesthesia risk, not to mention recovery time. Keep hanging in...

Rebecca, oooh, poor Owen and poor you! My youngest used to be a frequent urper at that age. He once ruined a whole sofa beyond repair with a single regurgitation. Where ARE those get-out-of-puke-free cards? I thought we'd get a set in the mail by now. And yep, the doctor crew taking so long now is the same famous group that took 2 and one-half months to get me into rads. I think you may be right that it is them as much as the insurance group. Guess I need to call again and rag some more. The bone is sore as ever.

My SIL and BIL are arriving at the in-laws today from Virginia so it will be an interesting weekend. Happy Thursday my sisters and hope to "see" you in chat tonight. - Skye

Hello everyone!!

Well 3 more sleeps.  I have to take Thor to his country club on Saturday by myself as Darling Dan has to work.  I have packed all my stuff, now I'm starting to sneak things into Dan's suitcase.   I always take too much stuff, but I don't want to get all the way over there and not have what I need.

I'm going for a long walk today, to Elbow Falls.  It is a beautiful fall day here, and I want to get some good exercise.  Taking Thor & Daisy (my sister's dog).  Suppose to get up to 19 C so it will be lovely.

Debbie, congrats on getting your port out....I think it was Skye that termed the phrase, now do you have a "Port Hole"? 

Lynn, hope your back gets better prior to your trip.  Those are not a lot of fun to deal with.

Rebecca, good luck with Owen.  My problem would be that every time he threw up, so would I.  Yikers.

Skye, I would demand that you get your scans.  I agree with Rebecca, it sounds more like the office than the insurance.

Tina, I sure hope things go well for your husband.  Losing a job is a very painful experience.  I think I might get a 2^nd opinion from another lawyer, as your first one didn't sound too promising.

Melia, only another 9 days before your daughter's wedding.  It will be lovely!  I'm so sorry about your Dad, you don't need the stress of all that.

Caya, your dresses sound gorgeous!!  I'm jealous!!  You'll look like a million dollars for your 25^th!!!

Sharon, let us know how your first day back to work is.  I don't know how I used to fit in work.  I seem to be busy all the time.

Viddie, if there is no need to hurry, why do it now.  Get your strength back, and then do some more procedures.

Mel, what did the doc say about those lung spots? 

Curling starts tomorrow for us,  so tomorrow nite at 9:00 we will be on the ice.  I also curl in a Saturday morning league.  As I will be gone for 3 weeks on holidays, my niece and her husband are going to "spare" for us. 

I'm going to try to make the chat tonite.  Big Hugs to all of ewes guys!!

Well ladies, I won't be posting for awhile. I am leaving in about 7 hrs for the airport, so going to bed early. I will be back 2nd week of Oct. Now I insist that everyone stay well and you have no catastrophies while I'm away. Ok Promise??? Alright, be good and I'll sign on when I get home. I am hoping my daughters and I have a good time. This is my celebration for enduring and surviving the you know what! 

I'll miss you 

Love to all!

Viddie, I agree, take the Tamox (are you listening Robbin?).  My SIL took it 16 years ago when that's all there was and it worked for her!  Even though the blood work says I'm just now menopausal, my onc would rather me stay on Tamox until we see for sure (?) which is okay with me.  I'll give it 6 more months and the I'll talk about switching.

Caya, your dresses sound so lovely.  I don't know which one I'd pick.  It's nice to have a choice and see what you feel like that day.  I've lost quite a bit over this last couple of years and clothes seem to look better on me when I went shopping.  I use to dread trying on pants. 

I'm waiting for my surgeon to call back and schedule my port removal.  She does it in the hospital on Wed afternoons but with a local so I can drive myself.  I almost wish we could just leave it in there.  I'm superstitious I guess.  They say I should have been having it flushed every 6 to 8 weeks.  No one ever told me that and they didn't want to remove it until the next scan. 

DS#1 is going to visit DS#2 this weekend at college.  I'm sure they'll have a great time, but I'm just a little worried.  Younger son has to drive 1-1/2 hrs to the airport to pick him up.  Keep a good thought that he doesn't get lost!  The airport is out in the middle of a corn field.  It's nice that they get along and like each other at this stage of their life.

Joni and Nancy, have a great trip.

Lynn, I hope you are getting some relief from your back pain.

Skye, any news yet?

Melia, can't wait to hear all about the wedding.

Rebecca, I remember those retching sounds!!!  Yes you deserve a get out of puke card!  Why is it that fathers never hear that stuff?

Tina, thinking of you in all you are going through.  My brother went through that awhile ago.  They let all of the managers go and set them up to get rid of them and hire a whole new crew.  He ended up suing and collected something but it's never worth what you go through.  Sharon, hope your first day back to work went well. 

Oh my onc also said a lot of gyn don't understand Tamox.  It makes the lining thicker and that freaks them out.  Hugs.

Thanks again, guys for all the good thoughts re:  the job sitch here.  Still no news.

Rebecca, I nearly broke my neck in a puke slick in my hallway this weekend.  Apparently Jaclyn had barfed on the wood floors in our upstairs hallway and I didn't know.  She had climbed into bed w/us.  I got up in the am and nearly broke my neck when my Crocs hit the slick.  ICK!

Debbie, congrats on the port removal.  I missed that.  Movie sounds good too.  Hadn't heard of that one.

Anyone watch The Office tonight?  Amera?  It was pretty funny.  Instead of a Race for the Cure, they did a Race for the Cure for Rabies.  It was one of those you had to see it things.  I TiVo'd Ugly Betty and think I'll watch that tomorrow night.  Jaclyn is 7 tomorrow so we'll prob. take her to dinner at Olive Garden or something like that...her big fiesta is Sat. at Friends 2B Made.

Jan, I tried to PM you but it didn't seem to go...  I had asked you what the preferred school districts are in the Charlotte area. My friend Wendy said north of Mecklenburg is good.  Her neighborhood is good, but she said the schools aren't as good as they are north of there. Just checking in case we end up down there.  That was part of my strategy driving through there this summer.   With all their layoff threats, I was checking things out.

Mary, I hear ya on almost not wanting the port removed.  I should have had one.  I had 3 stix today for my herceptin.  I had a mini breakdown at the onco's office.  Told him all that was going on and he gave me an rx for Effexor and a referral to a BC psychologist.  He hugged me and kissed me!  LOL!  He must realllllly think I'm cracking up.  He's such a good guy.  Viddie, my onco. called me PRIOR to our first mtg. because I was FREAKING out upon discovering I was HER2/neu+.  He called me at like 6 pm on a Thurs. evening.  Had never met me.  Then, I emailed him last week to ask about doing the endomtrial ablation...  he emailed me back on a Sunday night at 10 pm.  And today, he came to the chemo room when he heard I was having a mental breakdown, listened to the whole story and gave me his opinion on the ablation...say's to go for it...  so, that dr. that wouldn't help you via phone or email doesn't sound too cool...

Sharon, glad you found some new clothes for work.  That always makes you feel good.  You sound really good these days.  Back in the game.  You too, Joni.

Melia, I'm glad you have the wedding to look forward to, w/all the dad stuff going on.  It just really feels that we don't get too much a reprieve from the rough stuff.

Nancy, live it up in Arizona!!!!!!

Tina  ewwwwww on the vomit slick in your hallway.  Tres gross.  Why is it that us moms are always the ones that put their hands in it, step in it or otherwise discover the hidden gross surprises that our children leave us?

Just caught up on a couple of days worth - have been really busy I guess - just haven't gotten to my computer at all! Spent today going clear north of town to pick up DH's younger son Mike at the airport - YAY!! Can't get enough of that (30 yr. old) kid - he's wonderful. The older son is still here, also, but has been mostly at his mom's or with a friend. But the four of us all went out to dinner tonight together and had a great time. The next four or five days will be sort of back and forth between their mom and us, then they will both be taking off and we will be heading to the mountains! Both kids are in the Air Force - James is in New Jersey and Michael is in Spokane, but will be going to Iraq in November for 6 months, which is making me crazy, not to mention his parents. He will be relatively safe - he is paralegal and will be safe inside the green zone, but that doesn't sound too safe to me.

Tina, I had to laugh (sorry) about you slipping in the barf on the floor - I seem to step in kitty barf about once every two weeks, so I definitely know the feeling, and the hazards! Maybe it's a little more endearing when it's your own child?? Or maybe not... You've really been on my mind regarding your situation with dh's job - I hope you can get something worked out where he at least gets what he deserves out of them. It sounds like he will be better off out of there, if that's the way they treat people. Your oncologist must be a sweetheart - giving you a hug and a kiss AND a script for Effexor is pretty much covering all the bases. Plus caring enough to call you before you had even met him....what a guy.

Nancy, hope I didn't miss my chance to say have a WONDERFUL trip! I'll be gone about the same time as you are, I guess, but I really wish you the very best time with your daughters. You certainly deserve it - you've had a tough time lately. Take some pics to share with us.

Joni, you'll be going soon, too, and I wish the same for you. You are so good about taking wonderful photographs, I'm sure you'll come through with some more. No word on the lung spots yet - my CT scan is scheduled for Oct. 17 and then I see the onc. on the 19th. I'm not going to worry about it, I've decided. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow night as you start your curling season. What fun. My uncle was a curler and I've wanted to do that ever since I watched him do it.

Sharon, good luck going back to work, and glad you got some new clothes to get you through the transition. Are you looking forward to being back at work, or are you nervous about it, like I am? I'm sure you'll be anxious about your bone scan, and it doesn't sound like your oncologist did much to allay your fears, but how can she say that chemo does not cause the aches and pains? Just look at all of us! If chemo doesn't cause that, we're all in big trouble. It's sort of like Melia's onc. saying chemo didn't cause her edema....they need to get their heads out of the sand and just admit that what they do, while it may cure cancer, does have side effects.

Mary, you'll be so glad once you get your port out. I know it's scary, but it IS a step forward, and it is also so much more comfortable once it's gone.

Skye, please call your oncologist's office and be firm with them...or call your insurance co. and be more than firm with them. There is something not right going on - every time you need anything you have to wait. Did you try getting the letters from the doctor's office and faxing them yourself to the insurance co.? This has just gone on way to long!

Caya, glad you had such a good shopping experience! I remember having those days, occasionally, but not for a long time! You'll be beautiful for your party, of course.

Rebecca, hope Owen is better and the girls don't get it. Loved the kitten story. Bella sounds like a very entertaining cat, indeed! I love them at any stage, but sometimes the "big kitten" stage is the hardest to deal with, as they continue to do kitten antics with their awkward "teenage" bodies. You should try to get a video of that scene you described, though - sounds just too cute.

Lynn, I think you made the best decision about having the epidural steroid injections. I had them and they didn't help me, but I have taken care of so many people that they worked miracles for, that I definitely think it's worth a try. Surgery would be my last choice.

Viddie, glad you're doing so well - you sound like your old self again. Enjoy your time off, now that you feel better, and don't rush back to work.

Debbie, I love your new avatar. I smile every time I see it.

Melia, enjoy the wedding preparations and the event, and try not to let your father's situation drag you down too much. I'm so sorry you're having to go through this with him - I can imagine how distressing it must be. Your daughter deserves your full attention now, though, and you deserve to enjoy the day with her, so make the most of it.

We are probably leaving on Tuesday for Colorado - will stay in our friends' cabin, go back into Denver for a Lowen and Navarro concert next weekend, and then maybe have another whole week up there. It may be a more leisurely trip than I'm used to (less physical activity and more resting, since I'm heavily into a resting/sleeping mode right now), but just being up there in the cool, clean air will do my soul a world of good. It has been two years since I've been in the mountains - way too long. I hope to stop on see my mom on the way and/or on the way back - I need to be checking in on her more often these days.

Well, bedtime for me. Love you all, and I wish you all a great weekend.

Hi Gals,So many posts, so little time. But Viddie I would take that tamo until you get things settled, it shouldn't hurt you in that amount of time and could provide great benefit. I just got my first Femara prescrip after using up my samples and saw that he wrote it with no refills so I'm wondering if I tested out post-men after all. I did call the office this morning and the woman working on my case is off today. Last time I talked to her she said the onc's letter was "not in the system" yet so I can't get it to fax to the insurance although that is a great idea. So next I guess I try the insurance. I told the person at the desk that I've been waiting for 5-6 weeks now for these tests and it's not for something trivial, but I know she isn't one that can do anything. So it's wait and call them again Monday I guess. What I don't get is, in the beginning everything happened bewilderingly fast, and now it's like molasses.



But Mel, have a great time in Colorado, and Joni you have a wonderful vacation too, and Tina, sympathies on the puke slip and hope Jac's birthday is a super happy and fun time for you all. Mary I'm hoping that port removal goes well. Strange how you get used to having a foreign object as part of your body.



Chat was interesting. After I logged out my DS changed his mind about using it but I was tired and just stayed off. However, some glitch kept the page from actually closing, I noticed this morning when I opened my laptop, so if you ladies didn't see my "Skye has left the chat" notice I wasn't still lurking. :-)



Must go write about Frank Zappa. BTW, he had a LOT of exposure to environmental poisons as a child due to his father's job (bags of DDT in the coat closet) and even had radium pellets inserted up his nostrils, and he died of aggressive prostate cancer at age 52. - Skye

Yeah, Jan, get off the rocks!  You need to be at chat!  I can't say anything...I wasn't there either.  I always forget.  Sometimes I go back in during the day to see what you were all up to.  Does that constitute "lurking"?  LOL!  Skye, how did you end up getting assigned to write about Frank Zappa, of all people?  I wonder who decided there was a market for that.  Very interesting.

Well, my stuff has kicked into high gear.  My gyno set me up for a 2nd ultrasound on Tuesday to recheck the cysts (was going to wait 3 mos. before sh_t hit the fan at work).  So, this is to help in the decision to take out my ovaries...which would be done Oct. 12, same day as the D&C.  Now I'm scared.  But, no matter when, I know I would be.  I have to think that if my ovaries are behaving like they are still 20, there's gotta be a lot of estrogen circulating in my body and even if the tamox. shuts it off, it can't be good.  I'm trying to talk myself into "this is a good thing".  Got my Effexor today.  Need to read up on that before I ingest. 

Well all of you gals on the AI's and hormones have gotten me thinking. I really was happy to not have to take anything after the chemo/rads but now I'm feeling like I wish there were something else I could do.  I am right in the middle of that feeling like I have no control over this and every little ache and pain makes me think the worst. I have my scans next month and I think that's increasing my anxiety. I am not really expecting them to find anything at this point, but because I am getting an MRI, I will not get the results for about a week. I KNOW I will be a wreck waiting. Blech. This whole thing just sucks.

And on a brighter note, I am on my way to watch The Office. Luckily I taped it for dh because I fell asleep about 5 minutes in. I had to catch Grey's Anatomy online today because I slept through that too. I think the working thing is finally catching up to me. I feel like a zombie.

Oh and speaking of The Office, Steve Carell (sp) just bought a house near us. I haven't spotted him yet but some neighbors have. I just love him. I doubt I'd be able to keep cool if I saw him. I would turn into a gushing groupie just like that. Steven Tyler from Aerosmith lives up the street as well. We see him all over. But Steve Carell, well, what can I say? Funny guy beats rock star every time.

XXOO Amera