For those starting chemo in June

Mary, if you can't convince them, confuse them.

Today it got into the upper 70's and it is supposed to be that warm all week!  It was in the 20's this past week!  No wonder I am taking a cold!

Hey girs, the storm went about 40 miles North of us and 25 miles south and we are fine. We had some ice on the trees but the roads have been good because it warms up in the day. Today it is rainy again. I swear the sun never shines in the winter and thats so depressing and crappy! Hope everyone is fine. Hubby goes to Dr. tomorrow and when he reaches his arm to scratch his neck or head he gets in so much pain and can't get his arm to move to lower it for about 5 mins. We have no idea whats up but maybe the Dr. will. I wish he could get a little break from some of his pain. I have to go do some running, no; get real, not exercise! Errands. Later Mary

Janie, I think the weather has been very strange last year and this year. The strangest thing is when you have thunder when it is snowing. That has always gone on at times though, thats not new but the warm Nov. and Dec. is; then all of a sudden freezing rain. We would have had probably 8 ft. of snow with all the rain so I guess thats a good thing. Wow Janie, too bad you can't get some of this rain. It is like L.A. in the winter, always raining! It was so foggy today I felt like I was in San Diego, you couldn't see the neighbors house. I will trade you rain for warmth. That cold below freezing rainy weather really hurts! Fri. I think it will be 28, burrrrr!!!!! If it wern't for the snow in the mountains (and huuby's driving in good weather isn't great let alone snow) I would lock that camper on and take off. Well better go. Later my little Christmas snow bunnies. Chocolate mustach smiles, which reminds of a friend. Don't remember who but I must of back then or I wouldn't have been there, where ever it was, anyhow; we were roasting marshmellows on a fire outside after roasting hotdogs. One boy went to blow out the fire because catching them on fire cooked them quicker. He miss judged and hit the underneath of his nose and the marshmellow stuck to his nose and upper lip and the flames were still burning. I don't remember who but I remember the screams and it looked pretty painful. The kid got over it and didn't have any scares. Just a little tip of the day: don't burn yourself on marshmellows because it sounded pretty painful and afterwards, we all kinda laughed because the flames shooting up the kids nose was kinda neat and mostly funny. Maybe we were all warped. I baked Teriyaki chicken in my Conv. oven tonight and it was very juicy, I am likeing it. Janie, I too think people know what I mean instead of what I am saying and thats not always a good thing. Hugs, Mary

Good news Janie!!!! I went to Onky too yesterday and None here either. I go in 6 months then graduate to 1 year. Yea for us!!!! Hope everyone is fine and staying warm. Any news on the bio?  Everyone got the X-mas shopping done? P.J. hows Mom's house, all fixed up now? Hugs, Mary

Hey, girls, that's great Christmas news!



I have most of my shopping done. Just a few more things to get.



And we're supposed to get yukky weather here this weekend. I sincerely wish you guys would keep that up north. Altho, Mary, I think the St. Louis area gets the worst weather in the country, summer and winter.



Mom's house is fixed up, but I don't think she's very happy here. Of course, I don't know she was really happy up north, either. It's hard to watch, but I can't change my whole life just because she moved down here. Sigh....



Have a wonderful weekend guys.

Hey girls, Glad everyones getting their shopping done. Glad we are all here to shop! Well it is snowing and sounds like it will until it has laid 6 to 8 inches on us. Da#* snow. Its only pretty once for about 5 minutes. We may get a little freezing rain thrown in to the mixture to make it really slick. Oh how nice. I have to get some jewelry made because I am bored to death. Later girls, stay warm and if any of yas want any of this snow go ahead and take as much as ya want before it gets here. Hugs, Mary

Hi Janie:

Thanks for asking about the surgery.  It's now almost 2 weeks post-op and I'm still popping oxycodone.  I thought it would be much better by now.  I had one drain removed but the other two are painful around the stitch holding them in.  The worst part though is that 21 of 21 lymph nodes turned out to be positive according to the path report.  I'm sooooooo discouraged because the pre-op MRI showed no evidence of malignancy and yet there were two small tumors in my breast which it didn't  pick up.  I didn't think I was going to need more chemo but now I'll be having Xeloda along with radiation.  I'm considering an antidepressant as well since I've cried for days. I feel like such a wimp.

I hope you all are doing OK.  I know that many of you have more serious issues to deal with and I send healing light to everyone who posts on this site.

Shrink, that has to be very discouraging. But hold tight to the thought that better days are ahead.



Two years ago this week, I was wondering if it was my last Christmas season. I was on Xeloda/Taxotere for a recurrence and probable (I still don't trust PETs) spread to some nodes in my chest. It was harder than the first time around, mentally. So I can see how the MRI being wrong was a blow. It's a hard road, but you'll get there. And don't you ever feel like a wimp.



Mary, no snow here, but it was below freezing for the first time of the year this morning.



Took us a whole day yeseterday to get Nathan's room clean. Which means the rest of the house is still a mess. And my living room looks like a computer shop, since I bought a couple of Macs at work for 50 bucks apiece and am loading software in them for Christmas presents.



But looking forward to having family in next week.



Janie, I know my mom is never really going to be happy. I don't think she has been for years, but she's unable to go out and meet more people, which might help her get more of a life. Oh well, I"m still glad to have her around.



NL, loved the poem....

I'm happy to report that I feel a whole lot better.  The drains and stitches are out.  There was an infection in one of the drain openings which I believe was creating a lot of the pain. The bs cleaned out the infection and prescribed Keflex.   The depression had to do with not seeming to feel any better two weeks post surgery.  The node story remains the same but I don't feel as dismal about the outcome.  It's amazing how absence of pain can brighten one's outlook.  Thanks to everyone who offered their shoulders and ears.

Shrink,  I guess it all goes back to Maslow and his hierarchy of needs.  When those basics are not met, they overshadow everything else.  Glad you are feeling better.

Mare, keep warm and dry.  It has actually rained here a good deal lately!  Maybe the drought is over.  One neighbor's yard literally turned green overnight!  I do not have any idea what they did but it sort of mismatches all the other brown, dried up ones.  And we all know you love the tool man, handy or not. 

PJ, hope you and the little man in the house are shaping up a great Christmas.

Hey NL and everybody else

Janie

I have been baking and making candy. Hubby and I will be eating until we are fat and full. I am having x-mas eve Mon. afternoon for my siblings. My daughter is doing X-mas day for us and her brother and his family and her in-laws. They have a new house so they are doing x-mas. They have deer that come right into the back yard. They are in a sub. just outside of town not far from me at all. I am going to fix stuff tomorrow and frig. it so I won't have to work like a nut Mon. I am done shopping and good to go. Whats on Nathan's wish list this year P.J.? Whats on yours? I want tools that reapair by themselves(for the price they should fix things AND clean up). Everyone have a great wk. end. Peppermint hugs, Mary

Hey Girls, getting ready to put some finger food together for this afternoon. Wanted to stop by. Hubby decided our computer needed "cleaned" because my son told him. Yea, that apple didn't fall far from the tree. Now everythings different. We have had this Dell for years and it is great. Well it was. I don't like change. This has changed. I have to find everything and the font is too small. I eventually figure things out but...I can never find it again. Oh well, as if I have nothing else to do. Just wanted to say;Everyone have a great Christmas. Holly Hugs to all, Mary

Good morning and Merry Christmas everyone.

Hi all,

Ditto on hoping everyone enjoyed Christmas.

Mary, they said on TV that sales were way down this year.  I think everyone is feeling a tight money crunch.  Wow!  I just got my final decoration up a few days ago and you already have yours down! 

I am really enjoying my days off.  Not many left.  I have a choice of working (unpacking at the new school before officially opening again).  We choose between Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.  The choice of Monday includes any 8 hour period between 8 a.m. and 12:01 a.m. (New Year's Eve or Day if you count one minute after midnight as Jan 1). I do not want to spend New Year's Eve working although they are going to furnish refreshments and turn it into a party of sorts.  I would rather ring in 2008 another way.

I have much to do before retuning -- a lot of it includes doing work I brought home with me in order to make a dent in the stack of referrals.

Have a great day ladies,

Janie