Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

Just got back from my fitting, and this seamstress worked wonders.  I think she did a great job adjusting the dress to compensate for my "boob issues".  I am thrilled with the outcome....but of course now my sister is going nuts over the color shoes I got for the girls....argh....like anyone is going to notice their feet, or remember later what color their shoes were!  Sheesh. 

Rebecca- you are stunning in the dress!

Mary, sorry about your furniture.  That's disappointing.  Were you buying model home furniture?  I got a decent quality set, Thomasville, about 2 years ago for approx. $3K...maybe a tiny bit more.  It's white/country style w/wooden tops on the dresser, nightstands.  Very oversized and Cape Cod looking.  I really like it.  Point is, I bet you can find something you like for not too, too much over what the builder wanted.  My favorite way to buy furniture is to go online to places like Boyles Furniture in NC...you can get lists of all the major brands, scope out all their stuff on the web, price it locally and then call Boyles and generally, they will meet or beat.  Joni, give me the specs on the LG stuff you want and I'll research it.  It's not something I have any info on as I have decent working cheapies from Lowes.  My friend, Kim, aka Consumer Reports, knows everything about everything and I swear, she'll know the deal.  I know she just bought some mega schmancy ones.  You sound better, Joni..hope you are feeling better too.  Mary, I sent a card to you but it came back returned.  Said no such address. 

Rebecca, check out that cold.  I was so not a worrier about stuff like that.  We always used to say in my family that you needed to lose a limb to get a day off school.  It was true!  We'd have to be violently vomiting or something to stay home.  Not sure why....  anyway, after this recent heart stuff, I am virus paranoid.  The doctors don't know for sure what caused my cardiomyopathy, but I feel it was def. viral...  my evidence:  both kids were VERY sick in the two weeks prior, I took Jaclyn to the dr. to rule out pneumonia as I wanted her on antibiotics if so, so I couldn't catch it and have my surgery canceled.  The doctor said no...he felt Jaclyn had a virus.  She also had fluid in her ears at the end of her cold and guess what I have now....  fluid traveling back and forth from one ear to the other.  I had to have had a mild version of this virus in my system and when the anesthesia hit, it walloped me.  I wasn't feeling very good tonight.  Was busy all day, and at 5 pm I went upstairs to lie down despite not being tired and when I did, I got reallllllly short of breath.  So much so that I went to my neighbors who is a nurse to check my heart rate.  I was afraid I was having heart attack #2.  Thank God it sounded normal to her.  I came home and took an Ataman.  I am also trying to down a glass of cabernet but it isn't going down very well (I know this sounds like a bad idea, but I feel like I really need something to kill the racy feeling.)  It has now worked, thank God and we are going to sit down at 8 and watch Steve Carrel in the 40 Year Old Virgin.  Both of my parents arrived now and we did the whole school party thing today.  The DH has an interview with an onboard cruise retailer in Miami next week when we are down there but as much as I'd love to move there, the Boca to Miami commute is HORRENDOUS, like 75 minutes each way and total bumper to bumper traffic.  We can't move to Weston (gorgeous, wealthy area), which is down near Pembroke Pines, Caya, because the Broward county middle and h.s. are just horrendous.  I just couldn't do that to my little guy.  So...  unless they offer 2 days of telecommuting or something or if he does a lot of traveling, that sitch may not work.  Nashville is looking more likely and even though I've heard nothing but good, I'm getting a little panicky...prob. at the idea of ONCE AGAIN reinventing my life somewhere.

Skye, puppy and DS are handsome!  That dog is so cute, he looks fake!  Jan, I'm not tough enuf to have done the circus or Hannah two weeks out from TRAM or DIEP.  The heart attack was mild compared to that.  The heart attack is more mental trauma.  I honestly worry that if I stretch too far up into a cabinet or something, I'm going to like, I dunno, pull a muscle...my heart muscle and keel over.  I've become hyper-concious of by heart now.  Mel, I hope you get some down time.  I think you need to move on to gift cards only.  No wrapping, mailing, nothing.  Much easier.  Lynn, I hope you get your drains out but I'm not sure you will this quickly...  I'll keep my fingers crossed.  I'm just so glad you are through w/it all.  You can so move on w/your life now.  Cindy, sounds like you are having a much deserved enjoyable week.  Hello to anyone I may have missed and I'll check in more soon.  Gotta get some wrapping done.  Found Jaclyn the Penguin Webkinz today.  That was a major score!

Oh, missed the last page.  Rebecca, dress is GORGEOUS!  You too!  Nancy, have a great x-mas.  Jan, the girls are ADORABLE!  They look ready for the holidays!

Tina I just saw your post, and I'm so glad you have a nurse for a neighbor and that you were not afraid to be checked out. I don't think you can be too careful after what you've been through.



Grendel is cute, yes, thanks, but I'm starting to think I might have been better off with an actual fake, LOL! Hopefully we'll get through this puppy stage.



And I'm sure your DH is going to have many other interviews. I don't blame you for wanting a desirable area without such an awful commute. But I think it's a great sign that he is getting interviews.

Hope your family totally pampers you for Christmas! - Skye

Skye, I did feel kind of weird asking my neighbor to check me out, but....  more afraid not to.

Lynn, I forgot to mention in my post that I'm sorry to hear about your sister.  Hoping it's just a scare.  Like you, they knew immed. upon u/s what we were dealing with.

Viddie, I hope you regain some energy so you can enjoy your family dinner.  And yes, I'm going to FL too.  I'm already scoping property out on the web so if I want to check anything out, I can.  I am licensed down there so I can get all the MLS info.

Mary, you probably already know this, but I thought I'd toss it out there anyway.  The way mattresses are constructed today, it is totally not necessary to get a box spring.  All they do is provide a stable platform for the mattress, which a sheet of plywood can do just as well.  I learned this from a mattress salesman who was NOT trying to sell me anything.  I checked it out, and it is true, although sales people and mattress companies still want to sell you the box spring.  My point is, you can skip the box spring, use the extra money to get a king instead of a queen if you want.    We did this last time we got a new bed, and it is actually better, as our bed isn't halfway to the ceiling like it was before.

Hello everyone,

Well I made it thru the MRI, the girl was wonderful and got me on the first stick with the IV.  It is always better when I go to the Children's Hospital for my MRI, they never seem to have the problems that Foothills Medical Centre does.  Anyways now the wait is on.

Tina, I'm looking for an LG front loader washer and dryer, with steam capabilities and the larger tub for washing.  The cheapest I can get it in Canada is $2900.00 for the set, that is before GST (Government Sponsered Theft)...hahaha.

Mary, hope you get rid of your cold before Christmas.

Skye the reason God makes puppies cute (Grendel is especially cute), is so that we put up with them being puppies!!

Viddie, you take it easy, you sound like you might be overdoing it.  I think at this time of year, all women have a tendency to overdo it.

Sharon, are you all ready for Christmas?

Lynn, did they take out your drains???

Melia, Thor say hi to Thor!!  Hope you have a great time with all your family home.

Cindy, I love to dance, your plan sounds like fun.

Amera, how are you doing?

Hugs to all......Joni

I was suppose to go to a wedding today, but feeling a bit off.  Dan is very sick with the flu, but hopefully I will avoid it as I had my flu shot.   I'm goin to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" this afternoon, as I have the DVD. 

Thanks Mel, received the spice, you are such a sweetheart.  It will come in really handy on Christmas eve as my sister is having a seafood smorgasborg (sp?).  Thanks again.

Rebecca, you look beautiful in that dress, and your hair is so lovely.  The wedding will be wonderful.  Make sure your DH takes lots of pics for us girls.

Caya, why didn't you go to Florida too?  My sister wants me to come down and stay with them for the month of February.  They have a condo in Phoenix (actually Scottsdale), so I was thinking I might go.  I'm a bit worried about travel insurance,  but I'm going to check it out.  I did some SAP teaching at ASU, and would love to see some of the professors again.

Joni, love the avatar with Santa and pup. I'm so glad you got thru the MRI with one stick. To me, that is the toughest part of any test; stick me in a tube for an hour and bake me, I don't care, just as long as you don't turn me into a pincushion.



Mary I hope you can find a set you like almost as much as that first one. I think Mel's idea about the plywood platform makes sense. Our bed is so high off the floor I have to hop up into it. The first week we had it I fell off!



Speaking of beds and sleep, I got very little last night as Grendel cried all night. He has bladder and bowels of steel, can hold it much longer than most puppies so we can't figure out when he needs to go. He did score both ways outside first thing this morning so that is some progress. He is upstairs napping with DS right now, and I'm enjoying the break.



Viddie I hope you can delegate, too. I'm having 25-30 here Tuesday and everyone is bringing something. That helps so much. We are going to play party food bingo after dinner which should be fun.



Rebecca, I missed the dress photo at first cause the site skipped me forward to last post. Red carpet-sensational!

Hope everyone is finding some moments of enjoyment amid all the hurry. This time with my Bodacious Tata BC Online Sisterhood is mine. - Skye

OMG, lost a huge post.  &^%$$##!!    Here goes, in a nutshell, again.  Boxsprings....not necessary.  I bought one w/my sons set and it made the bed ten feet high, like the Princess and the Pea.  He looked like a fool up there.  Had to eat the cost of it as Basset would not exchange despite it not being unpackaged.  Got a "low profile" one for approx. $30 and it looks great.    I am very annoyed tonight at a neighbor.  She's the mom of one of Paul's classmates since first grade.  She was sooooo good to me during chemo, etc., bringing several lasagnas, etc.  Her DH has thyroid cancer but is in remission.  Anyway, this fall at soccer she was kind of weirding out on me, avoiding me.  Prior to this, she was up my ass, pardon the crassness (word?).  Finally, she tells me that she'd rather Paul and Ethan not play as they've been fighting lately.  I applauded her for her honesty and said that yes, I, too had seen that they hadn't been getting along all that well, etc.  She continued to act strange.  Finally, months had gone by and I even copied her on my e about my heart attack.  Zero response.  Not even a hello.  I really knew then that she had a hair across her unowhat and I called her.  She was very cool and said no, nothing wrong...it's work.  It was total b.s. She was gushinginly friendly before.  OK...I extended the olive branch.  If she's not going to take it, not much more I can do.  Meanwhile, her son has been a little PIA over the years and I've overlooked as I liked the parents.  Well, today my son tells me the following and I had it (must be my health/zero tolerance for b.s. and I sent her this:   I don't know what's going on with the boys but Paul congratulated Ethan tonight after his game and tried to high five him and Ethan rather rudely punched him in the hand.  His attitude towards Andrew,whom Paul was at the game with was markedly different...he was very happy to see him.   Yesterday, at school, Paul overheard discussion about a big neighborhood hockey party and sleepover at your place and inquired about what was going on and Ethan's response was "nothing you need to know about".  I certainly don't expect Paul would be invited as I know you had wanted the boys separated and that is totally fine, but I didn't care for that response.   If Ethan doesn't want to be friends with Paul or if you don't want them together as you indicated in the fall, that is fine.  I agree, they can definitely be oil and water.  Not everyone is going to get along.  But there is no excuse for rudeness.  I'm really upset about it and needed to vent this.   Thanks for listening.   Boy, oh boy, either I am really getting into kid drama battles or I really do feel life is too short for b.s.  Not sure which.  If she only knew 1/2 the shit I didn't report to her over the years, i.e he son clobbering mine over the head w/a golf club in my basement at a sleepver; he strangled him about six months ago while playing over here, called him an "f'in shithead" in my driveway a few months back....I was in the garage and he didnt' know I heard him.  I chalked it all up to kid crap, needs to grow up and didn't say a word...  I'm sorry to hog our board w/this b.s.  But it just really bugs the shit out of me.

Robbin, hair looks great.  Joni, will check out your w/d combo this weekend.  Joni, congrats on one stick!  Amazing!

Tina - we were posting at the same time.  I just read yours - OY!! I cannot believe the crap that goes on with some people.  Vent all you want sweetie, this is the place where we can all b**ch, complain and get it all out.

xoxo

caya

Tina, one thing I can say about having to move to another town...you sure won't need to be wasting any energy missing these people!  I don't know what it is with people in your neighborhood, but who needs that?  Or is that just how it is when you are raising kids?  I only know what my friends share with me.  I get my panties in a wad if dh is short with Harrison, so I can only imagine how I'd feel if someone were rude to my child.  Try not to let them get to you, though...life is too short.

Joni, great news about your one-stick MRI - pedi nurses are often better stickers than regular nurses, and in my opinion, the worst iv stick atrocities are always committed in x-ray departments.  What you don't know is that that is the one place where the person who is starting your iv is usually NOT a nurse.  Anyway, hope your results are as good as the experience was.  Also glad to hear the spices got there, even though they were listed as a jewelery box.  I was a bit nervous about that.

Robbin, your hair is really growing fast - can't believe it.  I agree with Caya, though - please come back and let us know how you are doing, life-wise.  I know you are a woman of few words, but we care about you. 

Skye, hope you get more sleep tonight!  We need all we can get right now.  I was awakened at 7:30 by someone...can't even remember who it was.  I was so hoping to sleep in.  As it is, though, I needed every hour of my day to get things done, so I guess it worked out ok.

Sharon, hope all is well with you, and you'll check in soon.  It has been a while.  It is a busy time of year, though.  Our boys aren't going to be around for Christmas this year, so it'll be pretty quiet.  We drive an hour and a half tomorrow for the last of the family parties at Larry's mom's house, then we're done.  Christmas eve and day will be relaxing only, I hope.

I'll be glad when the holidays are over and everyone is back in place again.  I miss you all.

Greetings all!  Finally got a moment alone with my computer, so here goes….

Thanks everyone regarding the dress!  I am absolutely thrilled with how it looks.  I was convinced that I was going to look like a freak, and I was pleasantly surprised at how normal I look in the gown.  There will be many pictures taken of the event….I will be sure to share.  The seamstress came to my house yesterday to measure the children for their alterations…that was pretty fun.

Jan, I hope you have a good holiday with your family, and not too many turtle faces…blech.  We can only hope that turtle faces will ease off as treatment recedes into a memory…we will never forget, but once the visible reminders are gone, the rest of the world likely will.  I am so sorry that you have to miss the circus this year…I hate that left out feeling.  Next year you will be there (with your boobs on!)

Nancy,  the wedding is January 4….coming up fast!

Lynn, my best wishes to your sister…I am so sorry that she has to go through this.  I agree with what some others have said regarding her behavior…not that it excuses her, but it might explain why she was acting so odd.

Tina, I am smiling so big to see your posts…you sound like your old self now.  WHEW!  I appreciate your worry on my behalf regarding my cold…rest assured that it is now going away.  I feel fine now, with only a lingering cough to show for my misery.  Scary about the shortness of breath….glad that it turned out to be nothing.  Glad that some options seem to be turning up for your DH!  I am glad that you guys are considering all of the pros and cons of  the various opportunities.  Travel time is a big issue with any job…take it from someone who knows!  Fairly shortly after we moved to NJ, Matt took a job back on Long Island that resulted in a horrendously long commute for him every day.  If he drove, it sometimes took him 3 hours ONE WAY…by train it was a fairly consistent 2 hour commute each way.  This situation made a wonderful job absolutely miserable for him.  He wound up changing jobs because of the commute despite the fact that he absolutely loved everything else about that job.

OMG Skye that puppy is really giving you the full treatment!  It is so true that puppies (like little boys) are very cute and affectionate to counterbalance their infuriating qualities and prevent their moms/caretakers from shoving them into pickle jars.

Viddie, what is going on with that fatigue?  Are you feeling ok otherwise?  Definitely delegate the hostess duties if you possibly can…there is no sense making yourself sick over dinner!  If you do not perk up, please call your Dr just to be sure.

Mary I am glad that you found another set that you like…hope it works out for you this time. 

Mel I hear you on the box springs!  The last time that we got a new bed, we decided to spend the extra money on the mattress instead of the boxspring, and we got a platform bed, and invested in one of those memory foam mattresses.  AAAAHHHHHHH that bed is sooooooo comfy.  The kids sneak in every chance they get!  I always hated boxsprings anyway…hated the feeling of being 10 feet in the air.  Thanks for the compliment on my back LOL…the boob size discrepancies that do exist were very skillfully disguised by my seamstress…That dress has specifically been altered to fit ME…if anyone else tries to wear it, it would probably look very odd indeed.

Joni I am glad to hear that things went well with the MRI.  Now we all wait.

ARGH Tina…Ohio seems to be the land of kid drama.  How so very irritating.  I am with you…I have no patience for that kind of nonsense anymore.  Life is too precious to waste that way.  Keep out the poison!  There is a little girl in Ana’s class that has been sending Ana home in tears almost every day.  I am soooooo sick of it.  I spoke to her teacher the other day, and found out that this little B*&%$ is nasty to a lot of children and has been repeatedly disciplined.  Somebody needs to give her mom some parenting pointers I think.  I have witnessed this little girl tromping all over her mother (who is very weak willed) and I am sure that this is the dynamic that results in her nasty behavior.  In any event, from your description of this boy, I think your son is better off without him.  Friends like that we do NOT need.

Caya OY!  I think my sister is just very stressed out by the wedding preparations….she is trying to control every little detail and driving herself nuts.  Regarding the shoes, I asked her what kind of shoes she wanted the girls to wear, and she sent me a link to zappos showing me two pairs of gold shoes….for $40 each.  Ummmmm NOT!  My girls do not often dress up, so I was not going to spend a lot of money on shoes they were only going to wear one time.  So I went to payless to see what they had.  They did not have any gold shoes for little girl…but they did have a very nice pair of matte black mary janes with some very subtle and tasteful beading on the toe.  For reference, their dresses are  a kind of medium brown raw silk with a pale coral sash.  I was very proud of my choice, took a pic with my phone and sent it off to my sister.  She wrote back “you didn’t bet them BLACK shoes did you?”  I said ummmmmm yup…wintertime, you know…not too many choices!  She started to obsess and went on about getting ivory or brown, which I did not think would look good.  Like a good sister, however, I found a pair of ivory shoes, and bought them….and I will return the pretty black ones.  I still like the black ones (Black goes with everything doesn’t it?) but it is not worth the fight….and when I had their dresses shortened, I had them done full length which kind of makes the shoe color moot anyway LOL.

Melia have a great time with Steve’s family!

Whew!  I think that is just about everyone…..

Love to all of you in the Bodacious Tata Sisterhood!  (lol skye!)

Hi everyone, I just popped in to read all the posts. I like that Bodacious Tata BC Online Sisterhood name for us, Skye.

Rebecca, your dress looks great on you. The black shoes for the girls sounded pretty; I thought black Mary Janes went with everything in any season. I swear that I didn't obsess about every little detail like that for my own wedding. My maid of honor's mom made her dress and added some extra trim to cover a flaw in the fabric, and she wore shoes she already had that matched the dress. Everything turned out fine. I hope your sis will relax and enjoy her day or at least let the rest of you enjoy it.

I hope the rest of you are staying safe and warm inside and that you made it to your Holiday destination without any travel delays or mishaps. 

Just wanted to wish everyone a nice holiday--or a nice day off if you don't celebrate.

I have a house full of family which is wonderful. Parents are here and my brother arrives tomorrow. I will be too busy to post but wanted to offer my best wishes to everyone.

Robin, I cannot believe how long your hair is. I think you win the prize! Rebecca, you look gorgeous in that dress. What a stunning color. And I would've gotten black shoes too by the way

Joni, so glad the stick was a one-time deal. I swear I've developed needle phobia out of this whole experience. It's just adding insult to injury to deal with more than one.

Lynn, so sorry to hear about your sister. I am always amazed at how many women I come across who have had to deal with this. Or at the very least, a good scare, which I hope is all it is.

Sorry I cannot respond to all. Every time I sit down to read, another "emergency" happens. Think spilled juice boxes, a play that has to be performed right away, my husband looking for tape to wrap the presents. You get the picture.

XXOO Amera

I've been sitting here watching the special on CBS, "In God's Name," in which spiritual leaders from all around the view explain their views on different topics.  Really well done, and it just reinforces my view that there is not just one path to God.  These holy people are so much all on the same page, even though they belong to different faiths.  I guess that's why I do not partake of organized religion - they all seem to believe that their way is the only way. 

On an entirely different note, we had SUCH fun today!  My MIL was a widow and married a widower with whom she had literally grown up.  He has a large family, (large to me, anyway - several children and assorted spouses and kids, etc.) and they are such fun to be around.  They are all highly educated, with PhD's or other advanced degrees, engineers, attorneys, etc.  But all very fun-loving and not at all stuffy.  Anyway, they had their family Christmas get-together today, and there were about 25 of us at least.  We took Harrison, and he had a total blast - everyone fell in love with him, and he went joyfully from person to person, enjoying hands on attention and just soaking it all in, smiling non-stop, and of course never making a sound, although he did get so jazzed about the whole thing at one point that he got happy feet, and then jumped up into my lap.  Every time someone said "I LOVE this dog!" my heart just swelled with pride.  Larry says it's exactly how you feel when someone compliments your human child.  After his hard life, it is so good to see him so happy.  He's one tired puppy tonight.   We don't get to see this group all that often, which is unfortunate, but one of the brothers' wives seems more like my sister than my real sister does - she and I just totally connect.  She lives about as far north of Houston as I do south of Houston, but we have decided we must start getting together.  It's fun to find a new friend.

I got the loveliest Christmas present yesterday.  I have a friend in Japan, a lovely young woman whom I've never met.  She does beautiful beadwork, and has sent me some lovely gifts that she made - she was the one who made, along with her mother, the 1000 paper cranes when I was diagnosed.  It is the Japanese way to wish you good health.  Anyway, she made me the most gorgeous necklace and bracelet, of these little tiny pearl beeds and larger aqua colored crystals.  It's really breathtaking, and so  unexpected.  The internet is a wonderful thing.  I have made some wonderful friends  I met Mayumi as a result of an unfortunate event, just as I met all of you through an unfortunate event.  It seems to me that there is almost nothing bad that happens that doesn't have a corresponding positive side, that sometimes outweighs the negative. 

Well, tomorrow I'll either get crazy and try to shop, or I'll be sane and stay home and clean fish tanks.  I have no idea which.

Mary I hope your cold is better.  Amera, enjoy your houseful.