please help

Just doing my nightly check in on our dear Sue.  Glad to hear the arm is better and work has been a distraction.

Please don't get your panties in a bunch over chemo.  Once you start you have all of us here to guide you thru it and make the journey that much easier.  When the time comes we will fill you in.

Karen, love the pics!!! Your son is the absolute cutest!! And the furbabies are just as adorable.

I just love all the pictures.  I think it brings us all that much closer, don't you agree.

Well Sue, my guess is that  its after midnight there.  I hope you are fast asleep.  I'll check in tomorrow to see how you are doing.

Stay Strong,

Valerie

Oops, almost forgot.  Regarding your question about cravings, Melody, I'm craving sweets!  Horrible, huh?  I don't typically eat a lot of sweets (salty foods are my weakness), but I can't get through the day now without something chocolatey.  Of course, potatoes and pasta are always a favorite.  I probably have been eating more of them than usual too.  I'll tell you what--I've been LOADING UP since my sense of taste came back!  I've never appreciated food so much!

Hugs,

Karen

Sue, You have been having quite a hard time. I am so glad to read your posts and know that there are others out there that have the EXACT same feelings as me. I had a hard time yesterday mourning the disfigurement of my body. My tummy is so bloated from the hysterectomy, and I am bruised everywhere from the mast and hyst, and I just BAWLED. I hate not having hair...I wonder if I will ever look halfway normal again. It is so good to know that others have the same feelings and mourn the way I do.



Some days, it is easy to be positive, but then there are days when all I can think about is how much having cancer SUCKS!! It is hard to be hopeful sometimes. I am so glad we have each other to help one another through this difficult trial that life has dealt us.



I loved everyones pictures!!! I will have to post some pics once I feel a little better. I hope everyone has a good weekend!



Hugs to everyone!

Amber ... Sunneedazee

Dear Sue,

I hope you are having a restful weekend and are enjoying cups of tea, cuddles with your boys and OH and feeling soothed by Zippy's flirtacious antics and purry softness.

Is it brisk and bright for walking or rainy, stay-at-home weather? It must be getting quite cold over there now. I am very weird - I love cold weather! I live in a very warm to hot climate and our "cold" weather is a bit of a novelty - I'd probably complain if it lasted for months and months though.

We get a really interesting program here from England called "Grand Designs" about the designing and building of really beautiful houses. They cost a fortune and are always built in the most stunningly beautiful countryside. Sometimes they convert old mills and castles into modern houses while keeping lots of the original features. It's great escapism - I could never afford a house like that but it's fun watching!

We used to get Coronation Street here but I was too young then to get interested in it. I think I remember another British soap - The Eastenders? Most of our soapies are American (The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives) and Australian (Neighbours and Home & Away).

Well Sue, will stop raving on. Hope you are doing ok.

hugs,

gb 

hi Sue! I've read on the threads , and I too , had that extreme tiredness before being diagnosed. I think its more noticeable after surgery and treament , that I have a lot more energy now.

   Will you have a port put in? Good luck Wed.

I think american idol starts in Feb. but I'm not sure.

Have a good day off tomorrow. Fill it full of fun and laughter if you can. Take care ,xx Melody

Big hugs to you Sue - you are a gorgeous creature! ((((((()))))))!

The show isn't until 2pm but I am going early to have lunch with my partner. I was going to walk to the station but it's pouring rain and I don't want to sit on the train for over an hour feeling wet and cold! I will have to wake up one of my sons and get him to drive me. I don't think he got in until about 3am. The other son, who is at home for the weekend has just gone surfing and he didn't get home until 2.30 - they don't seem to need much sleep!

Take it easy today Sue.

xxxxx

gb 

Hi Sweet Sue, I had the whole family over for the Football game that we LOST!!!  So disappointed!  Darn it!  So I didn't get to post while you are still awake.  I think it is midnight in London, it is 4pm here in San Diego.

Sounds like you are moving along quite nicely.  The stabbing pains are often the nerves endings "looking" for each other.  I thought that sounded kinda silly, but it seems to be correct.

It is still warm here, we had those awful fires in our back country, many people lost their homes.  Except for right along the coast, San Diego is really a desert.  And when people build houses further and further east, they get in dryer and dryer areas.  Then, they plant trees which burn in a big fire like roman candles.  Well, I hope that is over for now.

We have had a total of 3.35 inches of rain in 16 months.  So we are so dry, poor trees, just thirsty.

Well, sweetie, I will get with you tomorrow in our little "window" of time that we are all awake.

Love you, honey, and I am so proud of you, working so soon.  You are a wonder!

Love and kisses, Shirlann

Sue, just checking in.  Sorry I'm so late by DH & I just got back from a football game a little while ago and like Shirlann our team lost as well. (:<).

Hopefully you are getting some much needed rest.

After reading your posts I couldn't help but notice how far you have come.  Think back when your journey started and how sad, confused and angry you were.  What a difference a month makes.  Things really do get easier.  You are such a STRONG woman!!! 

Try not to fret so much over the whole "wig" thing.  I remember I was so paranoid about losing my hair.  It was actually the topic of my first post on the boards. I found a really great place that specialized in the big "C", so they were very understanding.  I took a BFF with me and she helped me pick one out then afterwards we went to lunch!! LOL. Long story short, the wig was actually a perfect match to my hair and everyone had a hard time believing it was a wig!! I have some pics of me wearing it. If I can find them I will post one for you to see.

Have a great night everyone.

Valerie

Hi Sue,

For the hair loss thing - I found that the follicles were very painful and disturbed my sleep, so I hit it all head on (as it were!) and had a head-shaving party and just went straight into wearing my wig.  Like Valerie Livesstrong I got one just like my own hair and people even complimented me on its condition "these days."  I had a few months where there were no bad hair days.  I used to arrange the contracts for wigs for the NHS years ago never dreaming that one day I would be a patient, and all the wig suppliers were lovely people who understood a patient's anxiety.  I chose the supplier of my own wig who actually scolded me years before when I cracked a joke about wigs (I was an insensitive youngster) and he had said that there was nothing funny about helping people try to get something normal back into their lives when they were facing such a dreadful disease.  He also pointed out that far from getting anything glamorous, people wanted something exactly like their own.  He was so right.  He is long gone and his daughter runs the business now, but I knew she would have the same ethos.

I am glad to see that returning to work is helping, Sue.  And that was a good call, the till. You continue to be upbeat and that does me good, even though there are moments when it hits you again what you've been through.  And chemo isn't exactly a walk in the park, Sue, but is so doable when you think that it is nuking any lurking c-cells.  You've come through so far with flying colours and you'll do the same with chemo. 

Big hugs,

Valerie S

Oh, all our lovely girls!

Fumi, you are so beautiful with Donna!  How wonderful.

And Portia, loved the pets AND loved your son in his costume, I miss those days, my "little" boys are 53, 49, and 46.  YIKES!  So long ago, I always loved Halloween.

Dear Sweet Sue, aren't we getting close to Guy Fawkes Day?  We were in London once and got to see the bonfires, and I think it was in November.  Who was he?  I can't remember dingdong anymore.

Well, I will tell you Sue that I had 10 times the pain and misery with my underarm than I ever did with my lumpectomy.  That dang underarm hurts.  For quite a while, too.

We are leaving on a cruise this Saturday, so you may not see my big face for awhile.  Just a week.  I know I can be assured all the sisterhood will watch our Sue for that week.

Anyway, got to start thinking about what to take.

Love you all, Shirlann  

Sue, I hope you are resting and relaxing after a hard day at work.  You silly girl, overworking that arm again!  What are we going to do with you?

I'm sending you a link to my "grand adventure" album.  We had so much fun.  My daughter is such a goofball!  She kept us in stitches the whole time.  I bought the wigs in pictures 5 and 26.  The last picture is me with my mohawk.  I had it for about 30 seconds before it was whacked off.  Should I go back to that look when my hair grows back ?  Take care, sweetheart.  Love you!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/cindynjurgen/KarensGreatAdventure

Love and hugs,

Karen