Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

lilginge123 do not be afraid...chemo is a doable thing, and it is worth the discomfort to know that you are doing everything you can to get rid of the beast.  This group did chemo LAST January...I would like to suggest that you look for the January 2008 chemo group as having a group of women to do this WITH makes all the difference in the world.  Good luck to you and be well!

Snow day in Iowa! It's gorgeous. I think I probably got about 4" here. I've been out playing Frisbee with the cattle dog while it was still coming down. And I just finished shoveling my walk. Oh for the days of some stamina and endurance.

Yesterday while I helped daughter Amy move, I really recognized my lack of endurance. Everyone fussed over me. "You need to be careful." "You need to not carry things." "You need to get in from the cold."  I made about ten trips from the parking lot to the apartment up stairs outside in the cold, carrying small or light items. That was about all I could do. However, I in my sense of self-justification, have figured that I did enough to cancel the stale Ho Hos I found in my cabinet the day before.

My brother who came to help was worried. And as usual, oh so sensitive. "Sis, I think part of it is our age. I've still got my man boobs and I couldn't do everything I wanted to do to help."

I love that Storm the therapy dog had a good day at school. I bet the kids were enthralled by it. And Jan, you look wonderful.

Mel, have a good trip to Kansas. I love western Kansas. I spent many summer vacations in Norton with my great aunt and great grandmother. I loved it there. Little town with great people who doted on the visitor!

I think it may be time for a nap. There was no good rest last night after the mall shooting in Omaha. The local stations are being relentless in bringing us every detail - at least 10 times - and my heart just hurts for all involved. When I left my daughter's new apartment (it's within a mile of the mall) yesterday afternoon, emergency vehicles passed me, racing to the scene although I didn't know what was going on. Then the radio station broke in with the beginning of live coverage and as I drove I could see the helicopters flying over the mall. It was so frightening. Of course, it took several hours to find out just how frightening it truly was. God comfort the people and families involved.

Anyway, time to snuggle under a quilt and dream of happier things.

Cindy 

Jan I am so glad that Storm performed as Em dreamed.  She must have been bursting with pride!  I love the hair…you look great.

Skye, thinking about you and your Mammo today….I hope that it goes well.  Thanks for sharing the photo of your son and his intended.  They make such a lovely couple.  Turkeys were pretty cool too.

Cindy, I am glad that you recognize that you need to take it a bit easy.  You are usually such a powerhouse that this must be so hard for you (believe me, I understand!).  I am so sorry that you had to have that Omaha nonsense so in your face.  The world is such a terrible place sometimes.  Under the quilt is much better than in front of the TV with its relentless destructive drone.

Mel we will miss you when you are in Kansas….enjoy your trip!  Make sure to post promptly when you get back so that I can pack Owen into a box and send him over to you…..you OFFERED.  Oh and that business with the pet psychic is just soooo intriguing!

Melia-I hope that your grumpy boss keeps himself under control.  The last thing that we all deserve is to be stressed out. 

Caya enjoy treadmill shopping!  So fun!

Well, I think that the effexor has finally made a real dent in my woes.  Today I found that I was REALLY able to think and concentrate in ways that I have not been able to do for quite some time.  I gave nice student conference this morning, and I was very productive this afternoon.  I feel really good about that.  Of course I had to deal with a student who wrote in his paper not only that asteroids are dangerous because they cause global warming, but also that our moon was formed 4200 years ago when Mars hit the Earth.  When I questioned his facts he got very defensive.  OY.

OK, have to sign off now and get the kids out for afternoon activities.

Love to all!

Jan that is hysterical about the cab driver.  I wonder if he is my student's long lost uncle.  Sounds like a fun night in your house....enjoy the mayhem!

I got an email from Tina. She is out of the hospital! Celebrate!

I have a tummy virus going on, and Jeff wanted to take me to dinner this evening.. I had to decline. Today is my mastectomy anniversary. 1 year without boobs and the beast! He wanted to treat me tonight, but I made him promise to take me out Saturday.

I have felt pukey all day, sent my boss out for some Pepto ( if I resort to that, then you know I feel bad, I hate that stuff!) Blech!

Lasted at work until 2 ish, then came home and slept. The dogs eat at 5 and they were trying to wake me, they didn't get to eat until 6:30, my bad! I did not want to wake up, I was cold, my head hurt and my stomach was burning. Ok nuff complaining. More snow due here tonight, Hey you ladies in the plains.....send that white stuff south, not towards me. HA!

I gotta tell you though...funny how the human mind works. I got up yesterday, saw all the snow and instantly felt sick (chemo sick) it all came back for a brief visit, simply because the last time I saw snow I was in the middle of treatment. Geez, the haunting of it! Will it every go away?

I see oncologist tomorrow, EWWW. Man, I hate going there, again the hauntings.

Glad you broke out of the hospital, Tina...Welcome back and take it easy!!! You are to rest and be pampered. By order of your Sisters!

Yeah Tina - so glad you are home.

Nancy I hope you start feeling better soon. 

Hi to all, sorry I've been out of the link lately.  Too much work and Christmas stuff. Happy Channukah (sp?) to Rebecca, Viddie and Caya.  I am making an afghan for my future daughter-in-law and as I do it after dinner I am having a hard time staying awake.  I only have 19 days left. Oh well, I should have started sooner.  Then I start my Christmas cookies this weekend for the next two weeks.  I make about 5 different kinds and give them as gifts and serve them when people come over.  Tomorrow is my breast MRI.  I'm not looking forward to it.  Boy what I will do for a day off.  I have some pain on my mastectomy side but I think it is scar tissue, sort of under the arm but lower.  I see the breast surgeon in January. 

I'm keeping you all in my thoughts, with the echo, mammagrams and other tests.  Tina, glad to hear you are home...waiting for an update on what is going on.  I am also getting my hair trimmed tomorrow.  Jan - your's looks great.  Mine is so curly that it doesn't look that long.  Thanks for posting all of the pics.  I just feel a little overwhelmed with all that I am doing now, but I hold you deep in my heart and think of you all every day.  Hugs.

Hello all,

Tina, so glad that you are home, and the your Mom is there to help you.  Don't overdo anything.

Mel, hope you have a great trip to Kansas.

Happy Hannukah to all my Jewish friends.

I had a very bad day today.  I got t the Foothills Medical Centre around 9:30 am.  It took them until 11:30 am to get the bone scan radioactive dye in me, and 9 pokes.  My veins kept collapsing, so now the top of my hand is purple, and inside elbow area is all red.  They tried hot packs, warm blankets, and nothing worked.  I had drank 5 large tumblers of water before I went to see if being hydrated would help.

I then had to wait until 2:15 for the scan.  I knew something was up when they had so many people running in to see the scan.  They did several scans of just my hips, and then they made me do a "coddle" scan.  Basically you are sitting on the scanner.  Anyways my hip and my SI (sacro iliac) lit up pretty profusely, also some spots in a few other places.  I could tell by the turtle faces it wasn't good.  I never got out of there until after 5:00 tonite.  The one tech said try not to worry, yeah right.

Going to bed in a few minutes...and tonite it's with Atiman.

Hugs to all...Joni

Tina, so glad you are home and up to posting a little. You seem to have a good attitude about everything. I think I'll pay a bit more attention when they have me read and sign all those forms before my next surgery. I don't have anything planned at the moment, but you never know when something might come up.

Skye, my mammo went surprisingly well this morning. I showed up about 5 minutes before they asked me to, filled out a few forms, and was called back to the exam about 10 minutes after my appointment time. They had remodeled the reception desk and waiting area since I had my ultrasound last year; it seems more open and less crowded now. The tech used one of the new digital machines. It didn't seem to squish me as bad as the old film type, which was a relief to me. The tech took one extra view of the lumpectomy incision area, and after the radiologist reviewed them I could leave. The tech said if they had seen anything they would have done whatever other procedure necessary while I was there. I hope your rescheduled appointment goes as smoothly.

Joni, your day sounds absolutely awful. I hope they finished all scans they needed to take. Going to bed early sounds good after a day of poking and prodding like that.

I had planned to do a little shopping on the way home today, but after I got to the mall and had lunch, I decided I was too tired to walk the mall. The 3 vaccines I got on Monday during my check up really made me achy and tired the last few days. Today was better than yesterday, but I'm still feeling the after effects. Maybe tomorrow I get a little shopping done. 

My husband ordered U-verse from AT&T last week, (it's like cable TV, but it comes into the house on the phone lines), and they installed it, today. they had to run new coaxial lines since the ones we had weren't big enough to carry the video signal. We got a new Wireless modem that sends signals to the TV and the Computer. I was without a connection most of the day. The installer hit a glitch when he was using the wrong password # to set up the internet connection. This service is still kind of new. They started offering it in our neighborhood on Nov 19. It is strange for us to be the first to get anything, but the hubbby has been waiting for this service option for a few years. The TV signal seems really good. Our old Cable Co (Time Warner) had weak signals on some channels. The computer connection is still learning. It cut out a few times this evening, but it seems OK right now. With the WiFi if I ever get a laptop, I can wonder around the house surfing the net.

Hey Tina…so glad to see you up and posting to the boards….although from the sound of it those steroids are not letting you be anything but UP.  What a drag.  To answer your question about Owen, I think a better think to ask is what DOESN’T he fib about (tee hee).  He tells stories about anything and everything, and he fibs about things that do not really matter.  We have spent a lot of time talking about the difference between imaginary and real.  On the other hand, some of the stories that he weaves (when they are not naughty) are really really funny.

Oh Joni that is so frightening.  When do you hear back about your results?  Thinking about you and sending you a humongous hug.

Debbie I am glad that your mammo went so well.

Short post this morning…slept in a bit, and that is not good for my hectic morning schedule.  Have to go make lunches…..

Tina, so glad you are home. You will recover much better there. But go slowly, baby yourself. You gave us all such a scare, and it's great to have you back. Keep us posted on what all the drs say.

Joni, praying for you and very sorry you had such a miserable day. I hope you slept well. We will be waiting to hear what the doctors say.

I agree on editing / approving our posts. We all want to get the info out there, but maybe a general summary of what a "good" sister in law, etc would do would be helpful. I know I will be a better friend now to anyone going thru this.

I had such a meltdown the other evening. One of those weeks; too much going on at work, Christmas to prepare for, two cars needing servicing / repairs, etc. I was ranting to my husband that it all falls on me, how did that happen. Then we figured out that it is exactly a year since he started his new job. He had worked for years in a place he loved, very flexible, interesting work, neat co-workers. Well, one day the police showed up and took his bosses off in cuffs. Turns out they had been embezzling and the co was bankrupt. So at 61 he had to find something else. His new job is everything the old one wasn't, including totally inflexible. He started a week before my mastectomy and our kids came home to care for me as his job was so new. Now that I am well, I have to do all the errands, as he gets off too late to get to the bank, car repair, etc, works too far away to get home to meet plumbers, cable guys .... so I calmed down once I realized he wasn't trying to take advantage of me. It's just the way it worked out. But I feel so overwhelmed sometimes trying to keep all the balls in the air. Those of you with little ones, God Bless. Don't know how I did it.

Ok, I am going off to work with a better attitude. Tina and Joni, stay in touch, keep us updated. We love you both and need to know what's going on.

Hugs to all,

Melia

Joni - It's like that kid's book title - you had a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I'm sorry that the scan itself was such a nightmare, not to mention the results. Have you gotten "official" results yet?

Tina I am so glad you are home and resting. It's great that you were prepared for the holidays already so that you can really rest. And, I have to say, I'm glad that Paul is not working so he can be there with you.

Lynn - I wish I had some useful advice about your sister. I have 2 brothers and that's just not the same. What I've learned with friends that behave the same way is that you can only control yourself and how you feel - you can't change them. It's easier for me to just accept people the way they are and keep my expectations low in these cases. If YOU would feel better talking to her before surgery - just call her. Do what you need to so that you can sleep at night. Tell her it would really mean a lot to you if she would stick to the original visitation plan. Then the ball is in her court and she'll have to decide what to do. I'm sorry that she's put you in such an uncomfortable position.

Not sure if you all remember my aunt in Toronto who was diagnosed with Leukemia last Feb? She has a stroke during surgery a month later and has been in a nursing facility ever since. She lost her short term memory and has had lots of other problems. She had chemo before the stroke, but after that they stopped treatment. She's only in her 60's and was healthy and active until last Feb. Anyway, today she's being moved into a hospice facility. The Leukemia is back and she's not strong enough to have any treatment.

Lynn, I was going to post about your sister, but Jan said EXACTLY what I was going to, so I am just going to ditto that.  Jan is totally correct...you need to worry about how YOU feel, so if you are unhappy and feel like you want to talk to her you should do it.  Do not let her make you bring negative feelings with you into the OR.  You are number one right now!  HUGS! 

Jan I am sorry to hear about your aunt, that is so sad.  My best to you and your family.

Oh Joni, sending big hugs and big prayers your way.  Tina, glad to hear you are home but sorry you can't sleep.  They give me steroids for my asthma when it acts up so I know what you mean about being tired but wired.

Debbie, glad your mammo went well.  My MRI was easier this time I think.  I was face down with my head on this little rest looking down.  Last time my head was turned to the side on a pillow.  I think I like the head down better.  Day started out bad - locked my keys in my car with the car running in the garage.  I was on my way to the gym before my MRI.  I accidentally hit the lock button on the key and thought it was the trunk that I was popping open.  AAA came 45 minutes later.  I tried not to let it ruin my day.  I had a nice lunch with a friend and did a little shopping.  Now I must start on that first batch of cookies.  The wait for the results of the MRI begins.  Caya, that cookie idea sounds great for a Jewish girl!  Hugs

Caya, we still have several remotes, but the installer programed the U-verse one to turn on the TV and DVD/VHS as well as the U-verse box. Since none of the other remotes can be programed to work the U-verse box, we'll have to fight over it. When I need to program something on the DVD/VHS, I'll have to grab that remote, but the basic functions will work from the new remote. When we got a new TV and the DVD/VHS a few months ago we went with digital but not HD so we didn't go all the way on the latest and greatest thing.

I had a wonderful day today. I started it off with water aerobics, then went to the Aqua Angels' lunch and PARTY, did a little shopping and got home about 3:30. After I got home, I searched for a USB hub at Curcuit City, and they had the old 1.1 kind I needed (the new wireless card for the computer plugs into the USB port, so I needed more than 2) for only $5.99. So out the hubby and I went to buy it, some storage boxes at Lowes, a few groceries, and while I was out I thought I'd take the coupon I forgot earlier back to Linens 'n Things to get 20% off the little gift I bought there.

On the way home we took a tour of the neighborhood to see the lights. There were some plain ones and a few really nice displays, too. The one that caught our eye was a group of those lighted deer with blue lights. It was very pretty. Then a couple of houses down from there there was a string of blue Stars of David along with lots of other lights. Chanukah is a festival of lights, right?  

I'm recovering from all those vaccinations at once on Monday. Today I actually felt good.

I hope everyone's tests and holiday baking goes well.