Starting Chemo in May 07

Kara - I forgot about your surgery date - I am SOOO sorry but I am glad to hear that everything went well!  I go for my re-excision on October 10th.  It's encourageing to hear that the recovery is not too hard.  Do you know how long the procedure was?  I think my surgeon mentioned that it would be about a 15 minute procedure but I dont' know if she was exaggerating or if she really meant it would be a 15 min. procedure?  I hope your pathology report comes back CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN!

LeeAnne - way to go with the fundraising!  I think my team (which is now up to 20) has only raised about $1500 - but I stressed it wasn't to be a hardcore fundraiser- not because I don't believe in the cause or that I don't benefit from it - it's why I'm alive today! But my family has been big supporters of this cause even before I was diagnosed and they also do the Weekend to End Breast Cancer so there have been thousands donated this year even before the walk!  I am looking forward to it though - 20 of us dressed like idiots and honking - should be fun!  I'm treating my entire team to brunch after the race.  I feel as though I've been on the receiving end of kindness so much this year - I just want to give a little bit back.

Liz - I'm with you on the whacky body temperature - it really sucks being bald (or having very short hair) because it's either freeze or fry!  Having a cold and clammy head is very uncomfortable but then when you go to bundle up, you get all sweaty - which isn't pleasant either!  Oh well - my silver hair is really starting to come in - I've got a LONG ways to go before I can go topless but I am so happy to feel fuzz on my head!!!

Mandy

I dont' know how.....I've tried but I can't seem to shrink my photo without it just taking a small top left square of the photo - I have spent hours on this and I am so frustrated...I feel like such a technotard!

Okay - that's better!  If any of you were on for the past 5 minutes you'd see how I looked before chemo but that photo was really tiny - so this is a picture of me the day before I started chemo and I got my hair cut super short (I though it looked hideous and now I can't wait for my hair to get that LONG!!)

Geez, now that I know how to do this - I'll be changing my avatar every day...just another reason to keep visiting this thread

So, Liz - am I as beautiful as you pictured??? (ha ha ha)

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Mandy

Mandy,

I asked before I went in and they said 20 minutes.  All I know is that it was a bit more than an hour between when I went into surgery and when I woke up.  Another piece of good news, they didn't need to use a breathing tube, so no sore throat afterwards.  I do have that bizarre sloshing sound in my breast, though, just like I had after the lumpectomy-I hate it, but I know it will go away.  My left breast is looking a bit perky, but even smaller than it did before the re-excision, not sure what to do about the lopsidedness, anyone else have that issue?  And I did go out to lunch today and am headed to a family dinner now.  There is pain, but it is very manageable, good luck to you in a few weeks, hope it is as easy as mine.

Kara

The Brighton Collectibles stores are having special events tomorrow to kick off Breast cancer awareness month.  They are selling a beautiful collection to benefit breast cancer charities and they're having speakers and breakfasts at a bunch of stores.  I'm going in the morning to check it out. There's more information at their website if you're interested.  I'm not a big jewelry girl but I think they're unique so I may buy the whole collection!

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend! 

Hey girlies,,,,,,,,,,,omg you all look so cute with short hair.  I am 4 weeks,,,,,well almost 5 weeks post chemo,,,,,,,and I am not sure if I see new growth or not.   I keep asking the family and they say they think they see something coming in............its just not fast enough for me........I really want to be able to see it instead of my scalp,,,,,,,which I see a lot of.  lol

Vegas?  omg,,,,,,,,I love that place.  Hubby wants to take me somewhere for a weekend and I keep hinting at Vegas,,,,,,,,,I am in Cali so its only a 45 min flight from me,,,,,,,,,easier to fly than to drive,,,,,,get there quicker to do some gambling,,,,,,,which I totally looooooooove to do.  Have a great time there,,,,,,,and win big.

Have a great weekend everyone,,,,,,,,,and do something fun.

Take care,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Cindy

Therre - I managed to make my picture a close up.  As I said before, this was taken just before chemo started, after I'd gotten my hair buzzed in prep for hair loss.  I still look the same only bald (ish) - I kind of look an old man (hair wise).

Liz - thanks for the compliment...you know what?  I actually feel kind of beautiful these days - I am so happy to see hair growth, I am liking the shape of my body more (especially as I continue to lose weight very gradually on this low, low fat diet)  I'm wearing funky hats and getting tons of compliments...I look more like "me" again - not the bloated bald woman from summer!  I also ran 4km today -no stopping!!  I went to the gym last night and tried running on the treadmill and did just fine (no pain) so tried outside today ( I ran with the team I'm coaching and it was great!!!)  I also played volleyball on Wednesday and did great too!  I feel so good right now - also very happy and positive (I think I finally left the dark place that I found when I was in the hospital!!)  Even walking tomorrow's Run for the Cure will be okay since I know I cold run it!  (My lazy team would NOT be happy with me if we ran now!!)

Kara - Thank you for the detailed account of your procedure (which will of course be my procedure in a couple of weeks!)  I'm disappointed to hear about the sloshy boob again...I was not expecting that!  It probably wouldn't be wise to book a golf tee time for 2 days after the surgery would it??  Guess I'll have to say no to that round of golf!

Virginia - have a great time in Vegas!  Can't wait to hear your stories when you get back.

Cindy - sounds like you're doing well!  I think we should all plan to meet in Vegas in the late spring - wouldn't that be a blast?  I think we're all pretty similar in age/personality/snese of humour - I think we are a fun group - can only imagine what we'd do to Vegas!!!

Traci- I see you're in Florida - so how come such a Cowboys fan?  Are you originally from Dallas?  My team plays in the CFL (Canadian Football League) so naturally I am cheering for Edmonton and last night during a crucial game to try to keep us in the playoffs - our star quarterback took a hard hit and seperated his shoulder!!  Looks like it may be a short season!

Well, hope you're all enjoying the weekend!

Take care,

Mandy

Hi Susielou,

I love your scarf.  Very cute.  Don't worry too much about the eyelashes.  Mine came back really fast. 

Welcome to the May club Susilou,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Susielou - Welcome to our great group of wonderful, brave and beautiful women!!  I am embarassed that it has taken me 5 months to figure out how to post my avatar and you do so on the first post!!!!!  However, now that I know how - I will change mine all the time - you'll get to see my cats, my family, etc.

Cindy - Don't fret about your hair (I know how easy it is to SAY that) but I read on some other post a while back that some women just take longer for their hair to come back - but it will come!!  One lady was posting that she was 5 moinths out from chemo and it was just long enough to go topless and another one wrote that at 5 months out, she had gone for a haircut already!!  It's just so hard to be patient!!

LeeAnne how's the love life?  You know you've involved us all now right and must keep us updated as things progress.

I just got home from the Race for the Cure.  My team of 22 (!) walked 5kms then we all went out for brunch after.  It was great!  Quite overwhelming to see 11,000 people all in this run/walk who have been affected somehow by this disease!  Staggering!  It's funny, the survivors wear pink shirts and we all get the blank card that you pin on your shirt that says "I'm walking for..."  Well, mine said "I'm walking for... all of us!"  Almost every survior that I saw had something quite generic on theirs too like:  all women, my daughter and all women, everyone, etc.  Not one of the survivors had someone specific on it - whereas everyone else's had names or lists of names!  Interesting!

Anyways, I am in the middle of cooking dinner for 14 people tonight in honour of my hubby's birthday - so I'd better get my butt back to the kitchen!

Take care,

Mandy

(I wonder what Virginia is doing in Vegas right now????)

Kara - awesome painting!  What kind of business do you have?  (Forgie me if you've already addressed thia in a previous post...)

Here's a new avatar but its too small to see the silvery hair I have on the sides of my head. One of these days I'll figure out how to post a regular picture. My eyebrows are really gone now. Makes me feel like I really look cancerish - ironic that it would take until nearly the end of treatment.

The boyfriend (thank you Mandy for asking) is FANTASTIC! The other night he told me that I was wrong about why people look/stare at me when I'm out in public with my bald head. He said that they look at me because they admire my courage to show who I really am, and that I am beautiful, and they are in awe. Not that I look like a freak, which has been my usual thought process. Just having those words in my mind makes it easier for me to hold my head up high. What a guy. I have never experienced this kind of connection... and I am grateful for it every day.

Here's one thing about rad fatigue - you can't totally give in to it like chemo fatigue because you have to GO to rads every single day. At the very least that means showering, getting dressed and driving. It's less isolating than chemo which makes it far less depressing. I could probably bust my butt and try harder not to give in to the fatigue but seriously, I would rather conserve my energy and give it to my kids (who take quite a lot) than wear myself out at work.

Happy Monday everyone. Hope we all have a great week!

Hugs,

LeeAnne 

Glad to be here with you ladies....thank you for the warm welcomes!!

Mandy  - I too just went to a great event. The Susan G Komen 3 day walk for Breast Cancer...2300 walkers raised 5.2 Million this weekend. My family and I went for the closing ceremony - OMG how inspiring!!! Just what I needed.

Hugs

Susieloutoo

LeeAnne,

I wish I was more like you.

 Traci